By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
Carsyn Korotkin is enthusiastic about all things equestrian. Daughter of Castlewood Farm owners Alan and Kirsty Korotkin and sister to show jumping professional Tanner, Carsyn feels very fortunate to have been born into an equestrian family. “It really set me up for a fun future to do a bunch of great things with the ponies,” Carsyn said.
While Alan and Kirsty had to bribe Tanner to get him interested in riding, after Tanner and older brother Jared repeatedly fell off their pony, Sugar, that wasn’t the case with Carsyn. “My parents introduced me to the horses by just putting me on a pony. Then before I knew it, I was showing,” Carsyn said.
Like Carsyn, both her parents grew up with horses. “My dad did all the Big Eq classes and went on to competing in Grand Prix. My mom found her love for horses in England, where she was born. After her family moved to Chicago, she began showing. To cover her entries, she taught lessons and braided in the evenings,” Carsyn said.
In 1990, Alan opened Castlewood Farm in Wellington, Florida, where both Tanner and Carsyn would discover their love of the sport decades later. Although the Korotkin family doesn’t live on the farm, 13-year-old Carsyn spends her fair share of time at Castlewood. “We live five minutes down the road from the farm. It’s great that we live so close because I get to go to the barn almost every day,” Carsyn said. “It feels like the horses and ponies are basically in my backyard. I love it because I can say hi to them all the time!”
Family Affair
Throughout Carsyn’s riding career, both her mom and dad have helped her in and out of the ring. “One of the perks of my dad being a professional in the business is that he has a lot of friends who have helped me,” Carsyn said.
One of those friends is Charlie Moorcroft, the go-to trainer for many fellow trainers when it comes time to get their own children ready for the show ring. “He started me in the crossrails to the Short Stirrup to the Children’s Ponies and eventually helped me in the Small Ponies,” Carsyn said.
After getting a good foundation with Charlie, Carsyn began working with her friends at Sweet Oak Farm. “When I started showing more, Ali Sweetnam and Danny Arendt started to help me and brought me to where I am today,” Carsyn said.
No matter who’s helping Carsyn in the ring, one thing’s for sure—her family is always supportive. “They literally help me with everything from the moment I wake up to the moment I ride my last pony of the day. My mom braids my hair on show mornings and helps me pick out my bows and matching jackets,” Carsyn said.
While Carsyn credits her family for being supportive, Kirsty credits Carsyn for reminding the family why they got into horses in the first place. “From morning till night, Carsyn finds excitement in picking out her bows, putting on her show jackets, getting on her first pony, seeing her friends, doing the hack, doing a model, learning the course, showing multiple ponies, everything! She has reminded us as trainers and people that this should be fun and exciting every single day,” Kirsty said.
Once Carsyn’s dressed and ready to go, she leaves the rest of the details up to Alan and the team at Castlewood to make sure her ponies are prepared. “My dad usually meets me up at the ring and helps me learn my courses. He’s at the ring for nearly every class, unless he has a conflict at another ring,” Carsyn said. “My mom is always there videoing all of my rounds and taking me from ring to ring.”
Carsyn loves doing horses as a family. “My family is always there to support me, and I get to be with them all the time. It’s like ‘take your kid to work day’ every day for me,” she said. “Sharing the sport with my parents and Tanner is amazing!”
Nearly a decade older than Carsyn, Tanner has paved the way for her in the sport. “I’ve been able to experience every single major horse show for Junior riders because of going to watch him compete,” Carsyn said. “Now that Tanner’s a professional, he gives me lessons on my ponies every so often. I really enjoy it because he helps me get rid of my bad habits.”
“Carsyn is the most important person in the world to me,” Tanner said. “So, it is truly a beautiful thing to have the opportunity to help guide her with the experiences I’ve had in this sport, both good and bad. She’s also a driving force for me: The harder I work and the more I acc
omplish, the more I hope to make her journey just a little bit easier.”
Say Pepsi, Please
Since November 2022, Carsyn has shown Lily Epstein’s Pepsi in the Small Pony Hunters. Together the duo has had an incredible amount of success. In 2023, they were second in the handy at Devon, fifth overall at USEF Pony Finals and earned ribbons at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. “Our two biggest accomplishments together are 2023 USEF Grand Pony Hunter Champion and 2023 USEF Horse of the Year Small Pony Hunter Champion,” Carsyn said. “Pepsi is the best partner I could ever ask for and I couldn’t have had the success I had last year without him. There aren’t enough thank-yous for him.”
While 2023 was a banner year for Carsyn and Pepsi, Carsyn’s favorite moment came when they competed in the USHJA Pony Hunter Derby at Tryon International Equestrian Center last summer. “We jumped to a high score for each of us, a 94! It felt so surreal in that moment, and I was so excited,” she said. That big score helped the duo finish second out of 33 pairings.
And Pepsi isn’t just Carsyn’s partner in the ring: He’s her buddy in the barn. “There are so many things I love about Pepsi. Most people don’t realize or assume this, but he’s actually a little grumpy! We nicknamed him ‘little monster’ because he wants people to be afraid of him when no one really is! It’s all a big act he puts on,” Carsyn said.
In addition to showing Pepsi, Carsyn shows Among Us in the Small Pony Hunters and Halo in the Medium Pony Hunters. She’s also competing the family’s newest horse addition, Reality Star, in the Children’s Hunters. While not busy showing her own horses, Carsyn can often be found catch riding for others.
One key to Carsyn’s success in the show ring is a school that understands her dedication to equestrian sport. “They let me get out of school a little earlier, so I have time to go to the barn and ride in the afternoons. I do get a lot of homework assignments, but all of my teachers are amazing and super understanding, allowing me extra time to complete assignments when I miss school because of horse shows,” she said.
Thankfully, being based in Wellington has its perks. “We show in Wellington the most, then in the summertime we travel to away shows and of course we have all of our big finals in the fall,” Carsyn said.
Today, as Carsyn looks towards the future, she envisions herself competing in the Big Eq classes, Junior Hunters and doing the hunter derbies. “However, when I’m older I may change my mind and follow Tanner into the jumper ring,” she said.
Kidding Around
Like most teenagers, Carsyn loves being able to hang out with her friends. “I love having fun with everyone, especially when we’re all hanging out together at big shows like Indoors, Pony Finals and Devon. Most of us only see each other at those shows, because we all live in different parts of the country, so it’s a lot of fun when we all see each other again,” Carsyn said.
When hanging out with her friends, Carsyn is the one you’d likely find singing tunes with a karaoke machine. “I’ve loved to sing since I was 2 years old. It’s never something I’ve had lessons for; I’ve just done it for fun,” she said.
Carsyn has combined her love of singing and horse shows on a few occasions. “I’ve been lucky enough to have been asked to sing the National Anthem at several different shows like Fox Lea Farm and WEF. My biggest ‘stage’ I’ve sung on was the Nations Cup night class at WEF, which was a lot of fun,” Carsyn said.
An avid participant in school musicals, Carsyn brought the house down in February at Danny and Ron’s Rescue’s 15th annual lip sync benefit night. With the theme of “Lights on Broadway,” many of the groups did their best lip sync performances from renowned Broadway shows. Carsyn gave the audience a little something extra as she gave a live performance of “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid.”
Although she’s only 13, Carsyn has big plans when it comes to horsing around. “Horses will always be a part of my life, no matter what. I’d love to get great prizes in Big Eq finals, big derbies, Junior Hunters and maybe even the Junior Jumpers,” she said. “I want to go to a college close to home so I can keep riding. Eventually, I hope to follow in my family footsteps and go pro.”
While Carsyn’s future looks bright, she’s already made a huge impact on her family and Castlewood Farm. “Ever since Carsyn was born, she’s given us a new outlook on life and changed our outlook on the horse world,” Kirsty said. “As a rider she has fun every day and makes our job an absolute joy to do!”
For more information, visit www.castlewoodfarmsales.com
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
