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Monday, February 15 2021 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Rising Starr Horse Rescue: Educating to Save Lives

By Britney Grover

For Kelly Stackpole, it’s simply about the horse. When she was teaching and training to national success and felt pressure to make it about the ribbon, she closed her barn. Unable to stay away from horses, however, she was soon back training and teaching non-competitive riders — and learned how much America’s horse really does need it to be about them.

With one fateful conversation, Kelly’s eyes were opened to the horse slaughter pipeline and it changed her life — and the lives of many horses and people — forever. Not all horses bound for slaughter are castoff racehorses or mustangs: Many were once show horses, from the very world Kelly had worked in. She founded Rising Starr Horse Rescue and has made it her mission not just to rescue horses, but to educate the public about the reality and responsibility of horse ownership to stop the slaughter pipeline at its source.

From Rider to Rescuer

Kelly has been riding since she was 5 years old — even after a riding accident shattered her left arm as a teen. The injury, which required eight surgeries, ended Kelly’s showing career, but it couldn’t keep her away from horses. Her parents had to relocate her horses after they caught her riding in a full cast, and instead Kelly started training horses on the ground — beginning a lifelong passion. 

“My favorite thing is taking a horse, listening to them and making them into what they can be,” she said. “In a way, I guess that accident was a good thing. Now that I think back, my life could have taken a very different turn.”

After hating her pre-law classes in college, Kelly dedicated her life to horses. As a trainer, she had tremendous success including taking students to top national horse shows. Even then, her favorite memories are not of the ribbons; they’re things like instigating the Short Stirrup division at the Lake Placid Horse Shows so that younger riders could also participate.

So when the pressure to win at the expense of the children or ponies mounted, Kelly realized it was time to make a change. “My passion became miserable,” she said, “and that’s not why I did this.”

But once again, Kelly couldn’t stay away from horses for long. Married and with a young family, she opened a small barn in Redding, Connecticut, to teach non-competitive lessons, and began shopping for school horses. That’s when she met Big Bert.

Kelly remembers it clearly: Her son was not quite a year old, cutting teeth and “super, super cranky.” They went to a big barn in the middle of Pennsylvania to try a horse, and Kelly spotted a big black Thoroughbred in the field. When she asked about it, the owners said dismissively, “Oh, that horse just came out of New Holland.”

“I said, ‘What’s New Holland?’” Kelly remembered. “New Holland’s the biggest auction house in the Northeast, where most of the horses that ship to Canada for slaughter from the area come through. I had no idea. Thinking back to all the dealers I worked with back when I had my show barn, I thought, Wow. I wonder how many horses I sent to slaughter.”

Unable to get the black horse off her mind, Kelly bought him. Big Bert was lame and wouldn’t pick up the right lead, but he was incredibly kind — including with Kelly’s son, and the pair feature in the Rising Starr logo. “I’ve had Olympic show jumping horses in my barn, and out of all the horses in all my life, he was so kind — just listening to him, I learned more from him than any other horse,” Kelly shared. “There’s always a heart horse. How could somebody throw him away? I started looking into that, and that’s how Rising Starr was born.”

A Second Chance for Horses

In 2015, Kelly’s students rallied and wanted to be a part of her efforts to rescue horses. She did the 501(c)(3) paperwork on her own, and the students, mostly middle- and high-school age, raised enough money to go rescue the first horse. The plan was to rescue one horse at a time, but it quickly grew. In December 2019, Rising Starr moved to the rundown, once-famous Firestone Estate in Wilton, Connecticut, with 13 horses. After putting in the money and effort to make the property usable, by May 2020, their 30-stall barn was full.

Some of those horses are boarders, including past rescues that were adopted by students. Rising Starr has two instructors in addition to Kelly in the lesson program, which uses safe, seasoned school horses — although a few of them were once rescues. The income from the lesson program has allowed Rising Starr to continue funding operations after the massive investment in “rescuing” the new property and the cancellation of all 2020 fundraising events due to COVID-19.

Rising Starr is open to all — volunteers of any age can participate in free programs that teach about how to take care of the horses and every aspect of what Rising Starr does. Riders and volunteers, including those in veterans and first responder programs and teens with special needs, experience the therapeutic stress relief of the horses even as they help support the rescue. Kelly and the Rising Starr team know they can’t rescue every horse — so they’ve chosen to use their knowledge, time and prime location in Wilton to educate the community.

“We actually have a junior board that does a lot of wonderful things,” Kelly said. “We were supposed to perform at Equitana this year before COVID hit, but hopefully you’ll see us next year. The junior board is going to put on ‘The Reality and Responsibility of Horse Ownership,’ a presentation they’ve put together themselves.”

For those considering horse ownership, Rising Starr offers sponsorships — the opportunity to see what owning and caring for a horse really entails before committing to care for a large animal that may live upwards of 30 years. “Our main focus is that humans make the best, educated choices for the horses,” Kelly said. “I think they’ll get more of a second chance that way.”

In the meantime, Kelly envisions someday acquiring acreage as a sanctuary, and is currently fundraising to build their own quarantine area so they can continue rescuing individual horses as they’re able — and following them for life to ensure they go on to caring, well-educated adopters.

“Rising Starr has grown into a lot of pieces, including that it’s such a great therapy for today’s stressed youth. But our main focus is education and community, and what we can all do,” Kelly said. “For every person who walks through here, if they can tell two or three people about the plight of America’s horse, I think we’re going to make a bigger impact than as many horses as we can rescue.”

For more information, visit risingstarrhorserescue.org

Portraits by Liv Taber

Photos courtesy of Kelly Stackpole

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Tagged under: charity, rising Starr horse rescue

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Sports Psychology column🐎 By Margie Sugarman I Sports Psychology column🐎
By Margie Sugarman

I just bought a new horse. I think he’s amazing, but I miss the feeling of just “clicking” with my old horse. I know that it takes time to grow that connection, but do you have any tips that can help me be confident and in tune with my new horse in the short term?

You kick off your sneakers and realize that there’s a big hole in the sole of one shoe. Well, you’ve had them for quite a while and have worn them everywhere, from hiking to riding. They’ve served you well but it’s time for new ones. (It’s time to move on to a new horse.) You turn on your computer and order a new pair. You wait in anticipation. You’re excited, they’re cool looking. (He’s pretty!)

Upon arrival, you quickly open the box and slip your feet in. They’re great sneakers, but they aren’t as comfortable as the pair they’re replacing. They don’t bend as well—the sole is stiff. They don’t feel as comfortable—they have to be broken in. They don’t fit like the others did—the old ones were so well molded to your feet. (He’s a new ride, a different ride. He needs some suppling work.)

Of utmost importance in the human/horse relationship (especially the ones with the strongest bonds) is the horse looking to their owner as the leader and respecting their personal space. This important dynamic comes from groundwork—no matter what discipline you’re involved in. Just as it is with friendships, there needs to be respect. Respect is developed when one is on the ground and not mounted.

The things you do might seem small, but if done consistently and in a positive way, the results are huge. The confidence and trust you develop between the two of you will carry your relationship to wherever you want it to go.

To read Margies full column click the link in our bio! Never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄

Photo by Ali Kelman

#psychology #mentalhealth #love #therapy #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #motivation #psychologist #selfcare #mindfulness #selflove #life #mentalhealthmatters  #mindset #wellness #meditation #inspiration #mind #Sidelinesmagazine
Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! W Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.
 
Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.
 
Kaiman (Dark Pleasure x Gribaldi) earned high scores at his stallion testing and in the young horse classes. He's also the sire of a Licensed Oldenburg stallion. Kaiman's first North American foal crop is arriving now and they are gorgeous!
 
If you're looking for top international bloodlines please check out our 2023 stallion collection, now available fresh, frozen, and by the dose.

Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.

Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
#horseshow #horses #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #horselove #horsestagram #instagram #showjumping #equestrianlife #equine  #horsebackriding #dressage #horselife #pony #of #horserider #horseshoe #horsemanship #horseshowlife #riding #instahorse #horseaddict #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
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