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24 SIDELINES JULY 2011 FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE

won both Prix de States at Harrisburg (Pennsylvania National Horse Show). “Ralph really makes you feel like a team, and he makes it extremely fun while you work really hard,” recalls Blythe. “I had to work very hard, especially from 13-15, because I didn’t feel that I had the natural ability that the juniors at the time had. I worked very hard. It still bothers me that I never won an equitation fnal. I just started working. But I do feel that each day you set a goal and you deal with it that way: You keep doing the best you can do.”

Her junior experiences come in handy with Virginia Ingram, 14, who competes in equitation and jumpers. “Virginia did her frst Medal Maclay Finals last year – I did it so much, it’s really comfortable for me to coach her,” says Blythe. “I keep reminding her to be patient, that she’s only 13, that it takes a long time, because she gets really frustrated. It’s not easy competing against kids who are older than you are.”

Blythe also trains Lee Ann Ingram, who shows jumpers and hunters. Her husband Orrin Ingram used to compete, but switched his focus to foxhunting and polo.

“The Ingrams are a very supportive family and love to watch young horses grow and progress,” says Blythe. “They bought Urban as my jumper when he was fve through Marcus Fuchs.

Blythe Marano – Apples Don’t Fall Far From the Tree

By Lauren R. Giannini

Blythe Marano was born to parents who were young adults when they caught the horse bug. She loved growing up on the family farm in northern New Jersey. Her father, Dr. Matthew Marano, competed in three-day at the Preliminary level; her mother Janice showed adult hunters. Now 23, Blythe applies her strong work ethic, years of learning by doing and countless hours under the tutelage of professionals to her position as resident rider/ trainer with Riverview Farm LLC (TN), owned by Lee Ann and Orrin Ingram.

Blythe started riding with Sandy Mudge. She has a strong foundation in dressage from taking lessons on her father’s three-day horses. When Matt began riding with Lorraine Laframboise, Canadian National and Olympic Eventing Team coach (1991-93), Blythe took lessons, too. Lorraine introduced Blythe to Tad Coffn, eventing gold medalist. This led the young rider, then 13, to Missy Clark with whom she stayed for the rest of her junior career, competing on weekends in Florida during the winter circuit and summering in Vermont at

Missy’s training facility. Over the years Blythe rode lots of horses, all schoolmasters who contributed mightily to her horsemanship.

“My equitation horse was my favorite by far. Missy found him and he was six years old at the time, a Belgian Warmblood, and way too much for me, but Missy said, ‘trust me – in a year it will be great,’ ” recalls Blythe. “Sure enough, Robbie got better, I got better and I rode him all through my junior career. I got my jumper through Missy and McLain Ward, a Holsteiner mare out of Riverman named River.”

Blythe received the Christy Conard Trophy in 2005 for winning the most junior equitation classes in Florida. She ribboned in numerous equitation fnals, including 5th in both the Medal and USET where she won the fat phase two consecutive years.

Blythe and River earned team show jumping gold with Brianne Goutal, Sarah Segal and Addison Phillips for Zone 2 at the 2005 CN North American Young Riders Championship at the Virginia Horse Center under the tutelage of chef d’Equipe Ralph Caristo. The team also

Blythe Marano loves jumping big fences: Note her grin as Urban, owned by Riverview Farm LLC, fies an oxer during the Kentucky Spring Classic in the Rolex Stadium at Kentucky Horse Park in May

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