By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
Marin Roth sat on a pony for the first time when she was 5 years old. “Both of my parents worked for State Farm Insurance and each summer the company had a ‘Play Day’ for employees and their families. There were carnival rides, cotton candy and, most importantly, pony rides. I would get in line, go for my pony ride and immediately get back into line,” Marin said. “My mom tried to convince me to try out some of the carnival’s other offerings, but I was obsessed with the ponies and that’s all I wanted to do.”
After watching Marin ride the ponies all day long, the pony ride operator recognized her pony obsession and attempted to sell Marin’s mom a pony. “My mom told him, ‘This is just a phase,’” Marin said.
It didn’t take long for Marin’s parents to realize her interest in horses wasn’t just a phase. Living in central Illinois, Marin’s parents signed her up for Western pleasure lessons. “I rode the cutest pony in those lessons, Stanley,” Marin said.
While dabbling in Western pleasure, Marin competed in her first team event at the county 4-H fair. It was a mother/daughter class that required both mother and daughter to compete for 10 minutes on the horse and then switch; each duo was judged on how well they rode each gait.
“My mom had only ridden once, and it was the day before the class. We didn’t win the championship trophy, but it’s one of my favorite memories,” Marin said. “We both look back and smile at the pictures of us in hot pink metallic shirts, jeans, cowgirl boots and hats.”
Finding Dressage
After two years, Marin was ready to try something different than Western pleasure, so she tried her hand at eventing on an ex-reining Arabian named Ren. “At every jump course, he would demonstrate his reining sliding stop at the most inconvenient times. After a couple of months of abrupt stops at jumps and multiple instances where I nearly flew over his head, we made the switch to dressage,” Marin said.
Although Ren was a rather unconventional first dressage horse, during their time exploring eventing together Marin and Ren had always been successful during the dressage phase. Much like with the pony rides at age 5, it didn’t take long for Marin to become obsessed about dressage.
“I’m captivated by the training process and the beautiful partnership you can create between horse and rider through dressage. It genuinely amazes me how we can communicate and teach animals that don’t speak our language,” Marin said. “Horses do what we are asking of them because we asked, not because they would do so on their own.”
When at school, it was hard for Marin to get her classmates and friends as excited about the sport as she was. “My friends at school didn’t understand or even know about dressage,” she said.
Thankfully, at the barn everyone is ageless and all that matters is a shared passion for horses. “My most supportive friendships were women in their 40s, 50s and 60s who just loved horses and riding. They always ‘got it’ and understood the passion and addiction we all had for horses,” Marin said.
Aiming Higher
Living in Central Illinois, it was difficult for Marin to find boarding facilities that checked all the boxes and offered dressage training. “Before moving to Wellington full time in 2023, I ended up driving an hour and a half each way to the barn and I would only ride four times a week,” she said.
Marin had to get a little creative to pursue her dressage education and passion. “I would routinely look for dressage clinics and shows to attend in the Midwest. I also watched livestreams of the Global Dressage Festival and YouTube videos of competitions from around the world,” Marin said. “That kept me motivated, as I was able to watch the best of the best and learn from top professionals.”
While watching YouTube videos in 2017, Marin discovered her partner Erin Meadows Jagermeister, aka Jager, a 2014 German Zweibrucker (Ramstede x Jade). “We found him from a sales video on YouTube. Jager was a baby green horse we chose after watching his gaits as he moved around an indoor arena. I loved his curiosity, kind eyes and athleticism,” Marin said.
Since getting Jager, Marin has made it a priority to create a connection and bond with him. “Quality time is the biggest thing that brought the two of us closer. Racing to the barn after school to spend hours with him was always the highlight of my day,” Marin said. “The more time I spent with him on the ground, the closer we became.”
In 2018, Marin had her first opportunity to experience dressage in Wellington. Anne Cizadlo encouraged Marin to do the Dressage For Kids Winter Intensive Training taught by Lendon Gray. “This program changed my life because my eyes were opened to the equine opportunities in Wellington. By the end of that three-month program, I had a new network of friends and contacts in the equine industry,” Marin said.
Marin and Jager were invited to the U.S. Dressage Finals in Kentucky for the Third Level Junior/Young Rider Championship in 2021 and 2022. Prior to going, Marin was warned about the unpredictable weather Lexington can have in November. Both years she attended, the weather was less than spectacular. “In 2021 we dealt with high gusting winds. The next year we learned we can ride a dressage test with ice pelting our faces,” Marin said. “Both years we finished third, but Jager kept it together and cemented my belief that I can take him anywhere.”
Tubman Dressage
While training with Anne Cizadlo for the 2022 and 2023 winter season in Wellington, Anne encouraged Marin to take weekly lessons with Lee Tubman to further her education and gain insight into the FEI world to prepare for the North American Youth Championships. These weekly lessons gave Marin more opportunities than she could have ever imagined when she began working with Lee.
“At the end of January 2023, Sarah Tubman, Lee’s wife, posted on Facebook looking for a groom. I had graduated early from high school and was looking for part-time jobs to help pay my training expenses, so I applied for the position,” Marin said. “I like to think Lee put in a good word for me with Sarah, because I interviewed and started working for Tubman Dressage the following week.”
It didn’t take long before Marin was grooming for Sarah and her horse, First Apple, at special events like Friday Night Lights and shadowed at a WEC CDI event to learn their show routine. “Sarah and Lee have taught me so much about caring for high-performance dressage horses and what it takes to keep these horses performing their best. I’ve learned the importance of establishing their routine, providing time outside of the stall and arenas and administering a variety of therapies to help the horses recover from their work,” Marin said.
After Sarah was named to Team USA for the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, the Tubmans asked Marin if she would like to be the registered FEI groom that traveled with Sarah and First Apple. “Going to the Pan American Games with Team USA was simply incredible. Not only was it my first time traveling with the team, but it was also my first time grooming at the international level,” she said.
Although Marin’s role in Chile was that of groom, she used the experience to soak up as much as she could as a future Team USA member. “Watching the team members support each other inspires me to aim to ride on the team in the future. They demonstrated true sportsmanship under immense pressure and each recognized that they deserved to be there,” she said. “I was so proud of our team’s performance and couldn’t imagine a better group of riders to represent Team USA at the Games.”
Prior to supporting Sarah reaching for her dreams in Chile, Marin accomplished one of her goals with the Tubmans by her side when she won the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 14-18 at the 2023 Festival of Champions. After trying to win the Finals for several years, Marin captured the gold in her last year of eligibility. “I had a group of family and friends travel to Wayne, Illinois, to watch our final attempt where we did win the gold! I remember looking over my shoulder and seeing my support group cheering us on,” Marin said. “It’s a great memory!”
Future Focus
Marin kicked off the 2023-2024 season by participating in the Robert Dover Horsemastership Program. After watching it for years either via livestream or in person, Marin had set the goal of being selected as a participant. “The instructors are top notch and I’m amazed at what they can figure out in a few minutes of observation. For each lesson, I wound up with pages of notes. Whether you’re riding in the program or observing it, you can learn so much,” she said. “The Robert Dover Horsemastership Program is one of my favorite weeks of the year and one I always look forward to.”
Marin is also looking forward to continuing her journey with Jager and Tubman Dressage this year. “Jager and I are doing our best to learn Fourth Level and Prix St. Georges this year. I’ve completed Training, First, Second and Third level on the same young horse—Jager—so I’m excited to keep progressing with him,” she said. “It’s amazing to learn with your first owned horse, but at the same time building a dressage horse from scratch is difficult.”
Thanks to Tubman Dressage and the team at Donato Farms, Marin and Jager are on the right track to figure everything out and keep progressing. “By this time next year, we plan on competing in the Young Rider CDI classes and qualifiers for NAYC,” Marin said.
Sarah is also encouraging Marin’s desire to get a college degree. “I want to work on a business management degree in case I ever need to manage a business in the future,” Marin said.
While Marin realizes the importance of goal setting, she realizes every day with horses is a blessing. Through her hard work and resilience, Marin’s been able to create the life of her childhood dreams and wants others to know hard work in the sport does pay off. “Be coachable, seek excellence, make connections and say yes to any opportunity you get,” she said. “Be organized and precise, because you never know who may be watching.”
Follow Marin on Instagram @marin_roth
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
