92 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Melissa and Fly Lite in May 2013 after winning the beginner
novice combined test at the Wilderness Trace Pony Club event.
They were the only ones to finish with no jumping faults.
Photo by Hayley Barbato
Melissa and Fly at the American Eventing Championships in
2012.
Photo by Hoofclix.com
Rescued Mare Finds Light at
End of the Tunnel
By Dani Moritz
When a displaced mare named Fly Lite was in trouble, Melissa
DeCarlo Recknor, of Lexington, Kentucky, stepped in and gave
the Thoroughbred her long overdue happily ever after. The mare,
who is by Feodalite (by Luthier) and Fly Till Dawn, had been bound
for slaughter twice and ended up at the Maker’s Mark Secretariat
Center (MMSC ), where she was adopted out and brought back
several times.
Luckily for Fly Lite, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Melissa saw the good in her and took in the mare.
Always happy to spread the news about successful rescues,
Sidelines Magazine asked Melissa a few questions about her
once unlucky mare.
How did you end up rescuing Fly Lite?
She is hard to ride, hot, opinionated and can get nervous – so
not everyone can bond with her. She is, however, beautiful to look
at and incredibly sweet on the ground, which made her attractive
to many people. That’s where I came in. She was fostered out
to a farm in Northern Kentucky for the winter of 2008-2009 and
returned in May after having to fight for food all winter when she
was quarantined because of a strangles outbreak on the farm. I
immediately fell in love but knew I could not afford a horse both
in terms of time and money. As the year was coming to a close,
MMSC was unsuccessful in placing her and we came to an
agreement – Fly could be boarded at MMSC (at no cost to me) as
long as she would serve as a mascot.
What is her personality like?
Her personality is fantastic. She is very in your pocket, sweet
and loves treats of any kind. If she’s out in her paddock and sees
me coming, she immediately starts walking to me – it’s adorable!
However, she is a diva – especially under saddle. She does love
to learn, but if she is confused or would like to do something else
you have to convince her that it is her idea to do it the right way.
Are you competing Fly Lite now?
Currently, we compete at the beginner novice level of eventing
and are getting ready to try novice ... again. Hopefully it goes
better than the first few times!
What does she love the most?
Fly loves attention the most – and jumping, but mostly attention.
If she could stand and be fed, with her friends of course, that
would be her idea of a good life. However, if she goes more than
a few days without being worked she gets restless.
What makes her special to you?
She is hilarious and her expressions are to die for. Many people
have commented on how adorable and refined her face is. The
director of the Secretariat Center, Susanna Thomas, refers to her
as a cross between Hillary Clinton and Lady Gaga. I don’t see it,
but I think if she were a person she would be Alyson Hannigan (the
actress). She had a rough start and while most horses are slowing
down their career by age 13 or 14, she’s just getting started and I
have to remember that.
Author’s note:
Melissa would like to thank Jo Deibel of Angel
Acres Horse Haven Rescue for rescuing Fly Lite from slaughter
multiple times. Without Jo, Melissa would have never met Fly Lite
to begin with.
