54 SIDELINES MARCH 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 56
By Emily Riden
Riding has always been a family affair for Ali Tritschler. Ali’s
mom, Libby McKinney Tritschler, grew up riding and, alongside
her sisters Jean and Lucie McKinney, was a dominant force in
the pony ring. Now, thanks to the support and guidance of her
real family, Ali is making her own mark in the show ring with her
“second family” – Norfield Stables LLC.
“Growing up, we were members of the Fairfield County Hunt
Club which has a really big riding program,” Ali explained. “When I
was little and my mom still rode, Timmy [Kees] and Chris [Cawley]
were trainers there. Even when I was younger, I always thought
that I was going to ride with them
.
”
Ali thought correctly. There were a couple vital stops along the
way – at the Fairfield County Hunt Club and at Rabbit Hill Farm
where she had an extremely successful pony career – but today,
Ali rides with all three trainers of Norfield Stables LLC, Walter
“Timmy” Kees, Chris Cawley and Molly Ashe Cawley.
Under their tutelage, the 16-year-old high school sophomore
made the move to showing solely horses and is posed to make an
impressive name for herself in the junior divisions. Ali closed out
2013 with a second place finish in the New England Junior Hunter
Seat Medal Finals and a top 20 finish at the ASPCA Maclay
Championship Finals, and she’s already hit the ground running
e
this year with top ribbons and wins in the equitation and hunter
divisions on each of her three mounts – Krunch, Helio Rouge and
Velinta Palo Blanco.
Both Krunch and Velinta are now for sale, but Ali plans to
continue showing all three throughout the Winter Equestrian
Festival in Wellington, Florida, with her sights set on specific goals
for the winter season and beyond.
“I want to qualify for the George Morris [Excellence in Equitation
class] again. It is a really good experience, and I had so much fun
on Krunch in it last year,” Ali said. “I also want to move up in the
jumpers, but I still have to learn a little bit more.”
Ali continued, “Beyond season and for the year, I want to do
well at all of the finals. I also want to do USET Finals because I’ve
never done USET Finals before. Ideally, I just want to do every
final even better than I did last year.”
While three phenomenal trainers and three talented horses
will be a huge part of making those goals a reality, the third key
ingredient in Ali’s recipe for success comes back to family – both
her own family and her Norfield family.
“They are like my second family,” Ali said of the trainers and her
fellow riders at Norfield. “The differences between Norfield and
most barns, a lot of the other barns have an amazing trainer – we
have three that are experts in all different areas. And they don’t
Ali Tritschler:
Farm, Family & Fun
Ali won the Sidelines Magazine sponsored Maclay class aboard Krunch during the 2014 FTI
Winter Equestrian Festival.
Photo by Mancini Photos
Editor’s Note: Ali Tritschler won the Sidelines Magazine sponsored Maclay during the first week of the 2014 FTI Winter
Equestrian Festival. Congratulations on your win Ali! We are pleased to share your story and to welcome you to the
Sidelines family of Maclay winners.
