62 SIDELINES JANUARY 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 64
By Lauren R. Giannini
Jennifer Price, who lives near Potomac, Maryland, was 17
during the summer of 2012 when she earned her A-rating with
the United States Pony Club (USPC). The top rating of the nine
offered by the USPC, an A-rating is achieved by 1% or less of the
current 8,500 USPC members and is a major accomplishment
that opens doors throughout the horse world.
“These are skills I’m going to use all my life - how to train a
horse, the vet knowledge,” Jennifer said. ”I decided years ago,
one way or another, that I could do this. I got the ball rolling. No
matter what, I was going to get this done. When I look at that
paper, it puts a smile on my face – my own reward that I can do
what I set my mind to do.”
Now a freshman at the University of Delaware, Jennifer is
majoring in pre-vet and animal biosciences. She travels home on
weekends: riding, running her horse-clipping business, getting
in a day with Potomac Hunt on her large pony Leggie. She has
incredible poise, expresses herself better than many people twice
her age, and has her priorities in order.
“Jennifer rolled up her sleeves all of her riding career, but
especially getting her A,” said her mother, Debby Price. “She’s
really willing to pitch in. She started as a working student for
Jaralyn Finn at Finesse Dressage last year and I didn’t pay a
penny for lessons. During Jenn’s junior year I traveled back and
forth to Florida because my parents were in their 90s and getting
ready to pass. Jenn took care of six horses, the dogs, chickens
and the whole farm and still got to the school bus stop by 6:30
e
every day. She kept marching on. She never complained.”
Well, almost never. When Jennifer missed getting her B riding
in August of 2009 – after earning the HB and C3 the summer
before, she admitted, “I was fairly bummed.” She started laughing
and added, “I thought the world
was coming to an end. [still
laughing] I went in thinking if I
just ride 100%... but I was on a
hot Thoroughbred (Valentino)
and I’d only had him for a few
months. It all spiraled out of
control. It’s a good thing I didn’t
get it and the next summer I
knew better what to expect.”
Where did she get that gutsy
attitude and determination? “A
lot of that comes from my mom,
who has been a single parent,”
said Jennifer. “Also, I was
encouraged by my mother not
to get stuck in the whole ‘world’s
coming to an end because my
horse lost a shoe and I didn’t
A+
Jennifer Price with Valentino, her equine mentor who took her
most of the way to achieving her A.
Photo by Rex Reed/Amberlea Photography
For Effort