28 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
less is more and that you don’t show how much
you like the horse. He has a great attitude in the
barn, he’s super simple and he’s straightforward.
I have all Holsteiner horses except Eternal. He’s a
Belgian Warmblood. It usually takes at least a year
to develop a partnership with a horse before big
results start piling up, but Eternal has only had a
total of two rails since we left Florida and I know
him really well
.
”
Her horses run the gamut in terms of temperament
and personality. Bull Run’s Mercy Me is her baby
and a long-term project. Bull Run’s Holy Smoke
is hot and strong. “Nobody could control Holy
Smoke,” Kristen said. “She’s a bit unique. If she
sees the jump, you can be mostly sure she will get
to the other side. I got on her and I couldn’t canter
a jump. We programmed her to calm down and she
has come a long way. We won a meter-40 class in
Colorado, and we won The Welcome in Iowa.”
Kristen trained with Steve Shaefer from the time
she was eight until she was 16. “Then I went out on
my own. Steve brought us from short stirrup to junior
jumpers. That’s how my younger brother Jonathan
got into hunting. Steve taught us to be brave and
go fast, no fear. I really like that mentality. I took
individual lessons with a few other professionals,
like Missy Clarke, Chris Kappler and Wilhelm Genn.
I like learning new ways to ride and train without the
pressure of being forced to do it the same way on
every horse. I like to watch people warm-up, listen
at clinics and try out what I learn.”
Kristen spends about six months in Florida, and
the rest of the year she’s on the road from show
to show: Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio. “A little
bit of everywhere, but not California yet,” she said.
“The horses tell you a lot if you’re listening. I keep
in mind how much they show. The younger horses
Kristen and Bull Run’s Eternal were second in the $30,000 Nutrena Grand Prix
during Summer in the Rockies III.
Photo by Mary Adelaide Brakenridge
work a little harder. They all jump on a consistent basis. My
Grand Prix horse only does Grand Prix. I jump Eternal over little
fences to keep his tendons and ligaments strong, but only two-
foot – I’m a big believer in teeny tiny cavalletti jumps. It keeps
them thoughtful, but it’s not stressful on them.”
As for the fish symbols,
Romans 8
and
Psalm 139,
on her
jackets, Kristen is as quiet about her faith as she is about training
her horses. If someone asks, she’s happy to talk, but there’s no
pressure. She’s a thinking horseperson, totally cognizant that
every show ground is her office.
“I’m very blessed with my investors – they aren’t horse people
and they have a lot of trust in me,” Kristen said. “I’m blessed
with my horses and what I love to do. My faith has been always
been part of my life. It is how I live and how I do business. I want
to be known for honest deals and for good horses.”
Bull Run’s Bingo after his Welcome Stakes win this summer at Maffitt Lake
(Iowa) with Chelsea Babcock and his rider and trainer Kristen.
Photo Courtesy of Bull Run Farms
Bull Run’s Guardian, owned by Empire State
Equine, with Joshua VanderVeen, Chelsea
Babcock (student), and Kristen after a win in
Wellington, Florida.
Photo Courtesy of Susan Kolber
