26 SIDELINES APRIL 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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By Rebecca Walton
Molly Ashe is an accomplished show hunter rider who joined
the grand prix tour in the late ‘90s, with major victories nationally
and internationally. After many years with Burr Associates, Molly
and her husband Chris Cawley along with Timmy Kees struck
out on their own to create Norfeld Stables LLC, a full service
hunter/jumper facility offering top-notch training at the highest
levels of the sport. In 2012, Molly made a big splash on the show
circuit, placing second in the $200,000 Gene Mische American
Invitational and the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix At 37th Hampton
Classic with Carissimo. She also was successful with Kennzo,
winning the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the
Hampton Classic and the $20,000 Holiday & Horses USHJA
International Hunter Derby.
What do you consider the biggest highlight of your career
so far?
Kroon Gravin, way back when, was a really big deal. She won a
couple of really big grand prix in Europe when she was only eight
years old. At the time, I didn’t realize what a big deal that was. At
Berlin, I was the frst American to ever win the grand prix, the frst
female to ever win it, and it was the 50th anniversary of the show.
I was also there by myself, so that was a big one. Then the next
show was Maastricht in Holland and Kroon Gravin won the grand
prix. She was really on a roll. I didn’t show her again until Tampa.
She won the grand prix in Tampa, won the Invitational, went to the
World Cup Finals and was 8th, came back to the United States
and won Devon. Every time she showed in a grand prix she won
it. That was a nice continuous highlight.
What is your focus right now, especially with starting a new
business at Norfeld?
I think things are going well. I had two children and that sort of
took me out off the roster, competitively speaking, for a little while,
but I feel like I’m back in a position where I can focus on riding and
teaching again. I would love to have some more jumpers to ride
and show in grand prix again. We’ve got a nice group of kids and
people that we’re helping at the moment, so the business side is
going well.
What do you think it takes to win both nationally and
internationally?
Ability. Talent. But probably even more than that is work ethic. I
think you have to really, really want it and be willing to really work
hard. The only thing harder than getting there is staying there. I
think that is what is starting to go wrong a little bit in our sport these
days. It is becoming about who can afford to have the horses, but
even when we have them, we can’t afford to keep them. We have
some great riders in our country at the moment, but there’s also
probably as many, if not more, great riders sitting on the sidelines.
What does Kennzo have that makes him such a great derby
horse?
Scope. He’s a really pretty horse. He’s an attractive horse. He’s
not a beautiful mover, but he has a beautiful jump. When you ride
him it feels so correct. He’s very specifc about the jump and he’s
careful, he doesn’t want to touch it. It’s what you want a horse to
do.
What are the most important lessons you have learned from
working with Leslie Howard and Timmy Kees?
I worked for Leslie years ago when she was at Fairfeld. As a
junior, I mostly did the hunters. I wanted to do the jumpers more
than anything, but I never really had the chance. After college,
Leslie hired me. I told her that I wanted ride the jumpers, and I
knew I had to take a step back from being one of the top hunter
riders to make that happen. If I wanted to do the jumpers, I had to
become the low man on the totem pole and learn some stuff that I
had never learned. Leslie taught me how to put a horse together,
as well as using their balance, and how to ride a jumper. I don’t
think I ever would’ve gotten to where I did without her helping me.
Timmy was basically everybody’s shrink when we were younger.
No matter how diffcult or frustrating things got, he was always
there saying, “You’re all right, you can do it, and everything’s going
to be OK.” Obviously he’s been a great teacher for many, but he’s
been a great friend for me. He has this way with the kids. They
all feel comfortable, and they all adore him. I think he’s invaluable
in those situations, because he is your biggest fan. Everybody
needs a ‘biggest fan’ and Timmy is great at that.
Molly Ashe and Kennzo
Photo by Rebecca Walton/PMG
Molly Ashe and Carissimo placed second at the 2012 Gene
Mische American Invitational presented by G & C Farm.
Photo by Kenneth Kraus