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Monday, September 20 2021 / Published in Sidelines Feature

Whitney Mahloch: Dancing Between Disciplines   

By Summer Wessinger-Prehoda

Portraits by Adrienne Morella

Many equestrians are multi-talented, and eventer Whitney Mahloch is no exception. She has trained dressage, hunters, jumpers and eventers to the Advanced level, along with training horses for Western, showmanship and driving. Factor in working as a groom, waitress and exercise rider while running her own freelance training business, and Whitney isn’t just talented, she’s also a busy young professional on the rise.

Owner of Whitmore Equestrian, Whitney can, and will, do almost anything as long as it involves horses. Her unstoppable mindset and passion-driven skill for various disciplines proved to be crucial to her ability to carry on competing with her heart horse after a career-ending injury.

A Diverse Upbringing

As the daughter of a riding instructor and a dairy farmer-turned-mechanical engineer — Steve and Kelly Mahloch of Sundance Farm in Plymouth, Wisconsin — Whitney said the farm and horse life were in the cards for her from the very beginning. Whitney was encouraged from a young age to take part in her local 4-H club so she could get time in the saddle in an affordable way. She quickly took to all aspects of the 4-H community and rode to Grand Champion titles in both English and Western during State Finals.

Whitney proved her versatility not only in discipline but also in breeds of horses as she acquired various mounts: a pinto pony, a show-type Quarter Horse mare and an Arabian gelding, all before she turned 13. Each new equine partner added to her knowledge, and soon Whitney had a strong basis in cross-training multiple breeds. Whitney used her earnings from her first 4-H pet project — a sheep she sold for $1,800 —to purchase a 10-year-old Thoroughbred named Brazilian Tommy. It was with this first Thoroughbred that she discovered her love for eventing and rose steadily up the ranks from local 4-H shows to the Preliminary Level.

Whitney attended Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with scholarships in both English and Western equestrian teams. In her sophomore year, she adopted a 3-year-old Thoroughbred named Military Mind, known as Milo, from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF). She had trained and re-homed a horse from the TRF before, and Whitney could tell something about Milo was special. After a short trial period, she called TRF and told them she was keeping the young gelding.

Stepping Up

Whitney graduated with a degree in equine business management, and Milo, whom she had adopted for $500, was successfully moving up through the Advanced levels and into FEI events. Whitney was moonlighting at restaurants, grooming, and picking up rides at the local training track for extra competition cash to continue competing Milo, until an opportunity to work as assistant trainer for Olympic eventer Will Coleman in Virginia changed the course of her life.

“Working with Will really set the bar for me on the level of quality I wanted to exhibit in my own facility and training,” she said. “I had my first introduction to FEI care and competing at the FEI level when I was there, which is something I will always appreciate and take with me.” 

After a successful year, Whitney moved on to Cheryl Holekamp at New Spring Farm to work specifically on the stadium jumping aspect of eventing as she continued to produce Milo up the ranks. Whitney then became a part of Tradewinds Farm in Ocala, Florida, before summering in Pennsylvania for two years at Blue Hill Farm under the guidance of International CCI5* rider Missy Ransehousen.

Since 2014, Whitney has also returned to her roots each year to help with the Sundance Farm Horse Trials held at her family’s farm. “I usually fly up before the event starts to get everything lined up and ready to go,” Whitney said. “I love being involved in all of it — setting up jumps and flags, putting ropes up, placing all the decorations out, assembling the stabling, and everything else that comes with putting on a good event.” 

The production isn’t only a family matter, but incorporates the whole eventing community in the area with over 100 people contributing their efforts to make it a success. “It’s so much fun to give back to the eventing community,” Whitney said. “We try to look at things from a competitor’s perspective because in reality we are the competitors as well, so we try to make it as nice as we would want it to be if we were paying to ride in it.”

A Hiccup in the Plan

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Whitney was faced with a difficult decision. After an event where Milo seemed labored and struggled to complete the cross-country phase, she made the difficult decision to pull the gelding out of competition and proceed with tie-back surgery. 

“He stopped twice on the cross-country course, and this is a horse that has never ever stopped out there. I immediately thought, What’s wrong?” Whitney said. The left side of Milo’s airway was paralyzed and led to a drastic reduction in breathing ability, a common issue especially in ex-racehorses. 

After a successful surgery, Whitney was able to put him back into work and begin training again, but a longer-term issue reared its head. Once the pair returned to jumping, Whitney knew something wasn’t right. A thorough vet examination pinpointed a tendon that had been an issue throughout the years and was now bothering him more than ever before. 

“I had tears in my eyes when I asked the vet if I would be able to continue to jump Milo or if I needed to stop,” Whitney said. “He knew I didn’t want to hear it, but he advised that because of Milo’s history, it would be best for him to give up jumping. It’s so sad, when something like this happens. You can’t help but go back and watch all the old videos you have and think, How is it possible we’ll never get to do that again?”

“With Milo, I feel like I owe it to him to be willing to continue on a different path because he has always been so willing with me,” Whitney said. “Whenever I asked him for something new, he didn’t always give me the right answer immediately but he was perfectly willing to try and figure out what I was asking so he could do it for me. A horse with that kind of demeanor is not always easy to find.”

Milo has been the partner Whitney always dreamed of and from the day she first sat on him, Whitney knew that his gaits were above average for a Thoroughbred. “The day I went and tried him, I was trotting him around and his trot was just the most lofty and beautiful trot I had ever felt on a Thoroughbred,” she laughed. “I was like, Well, this is crazy! and I realized there was an incredible amount of potential in him.” 

In prior years, the pair had received their USDF Silver medal, so Whitney had no doubts about his ability to excel in the dressage ring. So, following her decision to not jump him anymore, Whitney decided to make Milo her dressage dance partner.  

Dancing Down the Aisle

Moving into the dressage ring is not too surprising, as Whitney is almost as passionate about dancing as she is riding.

“Riding is dancing and dancing is riding,” Whitney affirmed. “Both are sports where you’re required to hold a certain position while moving your body in tandem with another being!” 

Whitney added that what she has learned on the dance floor has carried over into her riding career and vise-versa; and in typical Whitney fashion, her love of dance varies from line to swing to ballroom dancing. 

In a way that can only be described as a romance meet-cute, dancing is how she met her now-fiancé, Joel Grabe. After moving to Ocala, she went with friends to a country bar to try line dancing. Eager to add line dancing to her resume, Whitney began going to the bar regularly to practice. “When I was leaving one night, I noticed the security guy had on an Ariat hat, and I figured he knew nothing about horses but I told him I liked his hat anyway,” she recalled. “He apparently decided that was all the green light he needed to ask for my name and number the next time I was there!” 

While Whitney was right and Joel is not a pro in the saddle, she describes him as the ultimate boyfriend-groom both at horse shows and at her home facility. He has even become part of the set-up crew at the family’s horse trial. 

She and Joel, an architectural design associate, were married in August at Whitney’s family farm—with the intention of getting back to work soon afterward. Her first order of business is to find another young talent to train in eventing while she and Milo continue to dance up the levels of dressage.

For more information, visit www.whitmoreequestrian.com

Photos by Adrienne Morella, www.adriennemorellaphotography.com

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Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

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A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself The spor A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself 
The sport of eventing is a demanding and mentally challenging discipline that requires a combination of physical and mental fortitude from both the rider and horse. While having a coach can be incredibly beneficial, self-coaching can also play a crucial role in a rider’s success.

I think that given the opportunity, most riders would like to be coached every day. The reality of life in the horse world, however, is that the majority of us need to absorb as much from the lessons we have on a limited basis and then practice those skills at home to improve.

When I am riding, I try to have a plan for the horses each day and focus on what I’m looking to achieve. It’s important to be aware of the steady improvements rather than trying to solve everything all at once. This is especially important when teaching horses new movements or exercises that they might struggle with, and we need to give them time to learn and understand what we are asking for.

I have a couple of quotes that I use regularly when I’m teaching, and these are mottos that I hold myself to in my daily work as well.

The first is, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.” This is a quote that was said to me many years ago when I was still motor racing and I keep it in the back of my mind each day. It’s easy to get stuck doing the same thing every day with your horse and bad habits are hard to break, from both riders and horses!

This leads me to my next quote, which is, “If what you are doing isn’t working, try something else.” It really is as simple as that! Many riders I see keep asking a horse to do something the same way over and over with an ongoing negative response and they wonder why things don’t get better. In these circumstances, I recommend that the rider change something, even if it’s wrong.

Read the full article by clicking the link in our bio! Don’t forget to keep your eye out for our April subscription!
📸Photo by Alex Banks Photography
The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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