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Friday, January 17 2020 / Published in General

Kady Abrahamson: Balancing School with Riding, and Winning at Both

Kady and Charline 28 in Lexington, Kentucky

By Britney Grover

Portraits by Shawna Simmons

Kady Abrahamson was riding before she could walk — and jumping before she knew how. “By the time I was 4, I would jump over logs by kicking the Western horses so they’d jump over instead of stepping over it,” she said.

Kady’s parents were quick to recognize her passion and get her real instruction; her first trainer recognized Kady’s talent, and helped her pursue top-level training. When Kady was 13, she won the pony jumper individual bronze at Pony Finals — and rode in her first grand prix the following week. Last year, she won the Black Barn $250,000 Junior/Amateur Jumper Prix Final on her “horse of a lifetime,” Charline 28, who was named the High Amateur-Owner Horse of the Year for both 2017 and 2018.

Now just 21, Kady fits her passion for riding into a busy “normal” life attending school. Thanks to her support system, she’s able to balance both with impressive results. Last spring she was riding full time, taking 21 credit hours at Jacksonville University and doing an independent study; she’ll graduate magna cum laude, and in January she’ll start an accelerated master’s degree program — all while continuing to show her string of talented horses at top shows around the country.

Kady’s horse Bugatti and her puppy Millie take a moment to say hello.

Finding Her Wings

Kady’s mother grew up riding horses for pleasure in Athens, Ohio. “My mom had me riding on her back before I could even walk,” Kady said. “I started riding on my own when I was 3, trail riding and just messing around for fun.”

Her grandfather bought Kady her first horse, an Arabian named Fanny. When Kady began trying to jump, her mother preempted disaster and took 4-year-old Kady to a friend, Trish Neverman. “Basically she was one of those trainers that kind of did it all,” Kady remembered. “I learned how to jump properly and got my first English saddle.”

By the time Kady was 6, Trish recognized Kady’s talent and encouraged her parents to pursue it beyond her own teaching. Kady began riding with David Biesel, and got her first small “fancy” pony. “I fell at least 20 times in the same day off that pony,” Kady recalled. “She was kind of a brat, but it taught me to be really tough. I never had anything handed to me when I was younger; I never had the million-dollar ponies. That pony dumped me and I had to learn how to be tough, and how to really ride.”

After a medium hunter named Hakuna Matata, who had been rescued from a kill pen, came Salsa, her first pony jumper. “I loved it. I totally fell in love with jumpers, never wanted to go back to hunters, never did go back to hunters, sold my pony hunters and all I did was ride Salsa,” she said. “I just felt like I was flying.”

Kady shows off some of her successes, many thanks to Charline 28, a horse it took Kady a while to get to know. “One day we just clicked, and jumped 30 clear rounds in a row. Every time she walked in the ring it was a clear round,” Kady said.

Bigger & Better

The week after 13-year-old Kady and Salsa took home the individual bronze from Pony Finals, Kady jumped her first grand prix on a horse named Irish Hunt they had purchased from David. “He was really special: David’s mom bought him for David, who brought him up to jump grand prix. He won his first grand prix ever and then sold him to me. I jumped my first grand prix, I jumped my first clear round in a grand prix, I made my first top three in a grand prix, I did all of my ‘firsts’ on him,” Kady said. “And he was an off-the-track, American-bred Thoroughbred, the kindest, jumped from anywhere, did anything for anyone and was just an amazing horse.”

When Kady was 15, David agreed that she needed more time than he was able to give her. She began working with Australian Olympian Scott Keach and his best friend, Sharn Wordley; her parents bought a farm in Lexington and founded Abrahamson Equestrian, and Kady has been there ever since.

Housing Kady’s amateur-owner mounts at Abrahamson Equestrian led to breeding jumpers, which in 2015 expanded to breeding and racing Thoroughbreds as well. “We breed racehorses and sell them or keep them to race,” Kady explained. “We have a horse racing now, we have one in training, a few going to a sale, we have an American Pharoah baby on the ground right now and a mare pregnant by Justify. It’s been a lot of fun to watch horses of our own race, and also having all those babies around while they’re super cute.”

The support of Kady’s parents and her team is what has enabled Kady to succeed both in the ring and in school, which was always “regular school,” Monday through Friday. At Jacksonville University, she chose to focus on riding in the amateurs and grand prix as well as being a good student. Her barn manager, Matt Wildung, has been along for the ride to ensure Kady can be 100 percent focused on school when she’s there, finishing her bachelor’s degree in sport business with a minor in marketing before beginning the sport management master’s degree program. She’s been just as successful in the saddle, winning amateur-owner and grand prix alike. Even with a badly injured shoulder, Kady continued to win, especially on Charline 28.

Horse of the Year

When Kady first got Charline 28 from Sharn, she nearly gave her back. “I hated her for a year,” Kady admitted. “I thought, This horse is crazy! I’ll never be able to figure her out. She’s nuts. And she is a bit crazy, but then I learned to ride the crazy — you just kind of have to let her do her thing. One day we just clicked, and jumped 30 clear rounds in a row. Every time she walked in the ring it was a clear round. There was a time in a jump-off she tripped and I almost fell off, I lost my stirrups and she somehow still finished jumping clean.”

Once they connected, things started to take off — despite Charline battling shivers, a neuromuscular condition that causes tremors and loss of mobility. “But when she goes in the ring she tries her butt off,” Kady said. “She wants to win so badly and feels everything that I feel. We just click.”

Charline and Kady were so successful that Charline was named the High Amateur Owner Horse of the Year in 2017, and again in 2018 after what Kady calls her most memorable showing experience, the $250,000 Junior Amateur Championship in Saugerties. They jumped clear both days, ending up in a jump-off with one other rider, who knocked two rails down before Kady and Charline rode.

“I almost blacked out before the last jump because I realized whether I had it down or not I was going to win,” Kady said. “After that, I don’t even remember much. That horse turned herself inside out the second day to jump clean. She tried her guts out, and I’ll never forget that. She has such a heart of gold, and everyone that watches her knows it.”

The week after Saugerties, Kady had much overdue surgery to repair the shoulder she injured two years previously and tried to live with. She stopped showing to recover until February of this year, and then slowly picked it back up. But when Kady was ready to show again, Charline wasn’t. “Her shivers had gotten really bad, and we decided that it wasn’t in her best interest to keep jumping her.”

Though they announced Charline’s retirement in June, she may have other plans. “That horse is very smart, and it was almost like she knew that we were saying she was done and she didn’t want to be done,” Kady said. “It’s almost like she’s fighting to come back. I’m not going to get my hopes up, and I’m not going to push her: she doesn’t deserve that, she owes me nothing. But if she wants to come back and she’s telling us, ‘Don’t retire me yet,’ then that’s what we’re going to do.”

Surrounded by Support

While Kady would be thrilled even to be able to ride Charline at home, she still has five mounts she’s actively campaigning that will be relocating to the new Abrahamson farm in Ocala, Florida, including Mega Jackpot, a special young horse because he was the first horse bred and raised at Abrahamson Equestrian. In addition to her parents and her team at Abrahamson Equestrian, Kady credits her success to her friends from school, her sisters in Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, and her boyfriend, Jacksonville football player Evan Anderson.

“They all watch the live streams and sometimes come watch me jump,” she said. “It helps keep me balanced: I can show and fall off and have the worst day ever, and they say ‘Oh that sucks’ and they just forget about it. It’s really helped to be able to go back into my own life and forget about what happened, but it also keeps me humble because when I win, they say, ‘Oh awesome, congrats!’ and then it’s over.”

With her support system behind her every step of the way, Kady is ready to take on another big year of riding and studying. “Riding is my stress reliever from school and school is my stress reliever from riding,” she said. “Everyone has been so supportive, the horses I’ve had and that I have now are all amazing, and I’m super blessed. I’m really excited; it should be an awesome next year.”

Photos by Shawna Simmons, www.sasequinephotography.com

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We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

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You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

📸  SAS Equestrian
‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️ The purpose of this ‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️

The purpose of this month’s column is to help the young equestrians of our sport develop and maintain healthy friendships within the industry. Cultivating healthy relationships with other members within the industry is not as easy as one may think. As a young equestrian, it may be difficult navigating friendships at the barn and at horse shows. Typically, kids have friendships within the barn they ride at but also friendships with others from different barns in their area. 

Initially, it may seem as though making other friends in the sport would be easy and ideal; after all, there is the common interest of horses. However, because of the natural therapeutic benefits of horses, the sport has a history of attracting all types of people, with a wide range of personalities. This can be both an advantage and a drawback. We are now in an era that acknowledges the growing need to discuss and manage one’s mental health. 

One thing I have learned is that we are likely to notice mental health challenges at an age younger than most people may think. Some of the friendship dynamics I have observed over the years have caused me to pause and really think about the future of our sport. Without looking for a source to blame for the cause of this, i.e. social media, parents, school, teachers, etc., I think if all adults involved worked to encourage, affirm, love, and respect our youth, the likelihood of them developing authentic friendships with their peers may increase.

Both humans and horses were designed to have connected relationships. These relationships allow a greater sense of security when one experiences challenges in life. Cultivating the quality and authenticity of these relationships requires intentional work. 

Thank you Rob for providing your helpful insight on developing healthy relationships. Check out his tips in his column you can find in the link in our bio.
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Don't get caught without your green on today!🍀🍀
 
In today's featured article, we have Jessica Howington, who is dressed for the occasion in her green shirt! Jessica is the Owner/Rider at CrownView Dressage, a Realtor with Showcase Properties of Central Florida, and a Nurse Practitioner! Jessica has been involved with horses since she was a little girl. Everything from bareback to eventing she tried until she found her love for dressage.

Today, she and her family own CrownView Dressage, a 157-acre training, boarding, and breeding facility in Ocala, Florida. Jessica started training and teaching but felt as if her life was still missing something. Until Jessica focused on horses full-time, she didn’t realize how important the healthcare field was to her life. Jessica missed seeing patients and being in the medical field. Jessica is now back to working again as a nurse practitioner while also focusing on training her five competition horses, including her Grand Prix mare Cavalia. 

Jessica feels lucky 🍀 to have two amazing parents who have supported her in all of her endeavors and instilled the importance of work ethic, morals, dedication, and sacrifice. 

You can read all about Jessica and how she's finding fulfillment in her busy lifestyle in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine! Click the link in our bio for more 

✳️Tag us in your “lucky” photos for a chance to be featured on our story! Happy st. Patrick’s day everyone!🍀🍀

📸Photos by Melissa Fuller, msfullerphotography.com 

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Like many equestrians, eventer Devon Tresan is no Like many equestrians, eventer Devon Tresan is no stranger to balancing a busy schedule. From serving as president of the Pony Club South Region Youth Board to working on her online high school courses and modeling gigs, Devon has nearly every minute of her time planned out. And with her horses right in her backyard in Ball Ground, Georgia, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Devon’s fast-paced lifestyle stems from growing up around her parents’ animal casting business, Animal Casting Atlanta, where they train and provide animals for projects in the film industry. Devon’s parents, Carol and Greg, took her on her first film job at just two weeks old; both parents pushed Devon toward acting when she was younger. While Devon didn’t want to be an actor herself, she did follow in their footsteps with her love of animals, especially horses. 

“My parents’ company has provided animals for ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Suicide Squad,’ a majority of the Marvel TV shows, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and so many more,” Devon said.

Devon started her equestrian journey when she was 9 years old. Initially, the Tresans bought a flashy gray Welsh pony, I Am Superman, for Devon to take in the hunter ring. However, Superman lived up to his name and proved to be too speedy for the job. 

“He was super cute and just a great little ride,” Devon said, “but he was still a pony! He made me work hard for everything we accomplished together. I was lucky enough to ride with a trainer who did both hunters and eventing, so we were able to switch disciplines pretty easily. Those eventing lessons together kickstarted my love for the sport.”

Read all about Devon and her busy life in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more
@TrDevon Lane Tresan  @Devontresan

📸Photo by Carol Lane Tresan
📸Photo courtesy of Devon Tresan
📸Modeling photo by Sara Hanna, @atlphotos 

#model #fashion #photography #love #style #instagood #photooftheday #beauty #instagram #beautiful #like #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #Sidelinesmagazine
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