SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Stallions
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Classifieds
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Wednesday, August 11 2021 / Published in Weekly Feature

Female Farrier Sarah Coltrin and Her Eventing Pony Penelope 

By Britney Grover

Not just kids ride ponies, and not only men are farriers. Sarah Coltrin is proof of both.

Based out of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, 28-year-old Sarah has been a full-time farrier for 10 years and is a professional eventer. “My current riding position consists of a string of five to seven off-the-track Thoroughbreds, a couple of warmbloods, a Standardbred and a pony,” Sarah said. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for Pony Club and all the ‘switch ride’ training to prepare me for a string of horses as varied as that!”

Sarah is a full-time farrier and professional eventer. She joined the United States Pony Club when she was 10, a decision that shaped the course of her life. Photo by Katie Willcockson

Iron Rose Forge is both the name of Sarah’s horseshoeing business and for her personally owned horses, like Madam Dragon, also known as Penelope — a half Welsh, half Dutch Warmblood pony that Sarah will compete at the American Eventing Championships this year. “As both a pony and a mare, you can imagine that Pen has a lot of her own opinions — but I love the fiery side of her,” Sarah said. “Every cross-country ride — whether it’s schooling or showing — is amazing.”

As a female farrier riding a pony toward eventing dreams, Sarah’s message to others is threefold. “Do what you love and surround yourself with like-minded people; work hard and be adaptable; and be unwavering in your goals, morals and ethics.”

Becoming a Farrier

Sarah grew up on her family’s farm in Schaumburg, Illinois, with her aunt’s retired horses. Sarah naturally gravitated to them, and saved up her money doing chores to begin taking lessons at a local barn when she was 8.

At 10, Sarah made a decision that shaped the course of her life: She joined the United States Pony Club. “When I joined as a little girl, I didn’t know the first thing about horse management,” Sarah said. “As a young rider, a nice upper-level prospect wasn’t in my family’s budget. In Pony Club, the most important things are safety and learning to become a versatile and effective rider, so that’s what I focused on.”

It was through Pony Club that Sarah connected with trainer Erin Dierks. “The first time Erin took me cross-country schooling at the Barrington Hills Riding Center, I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” Sarah said. “I was completely hooked and eventing was going to be the only sport for me!”

As she continued in Pony Club and riding with Erin and her husband, Kenny, Sarah began considering her future. She had always imagined growing up to be a vet, but her first college visit made her question the career. As much as she wanted to be a vet and work with horses, she couldn’t see herself confined to a dorm room and following a traditional college path. She began looking into trade schools and other options when their farrier, a family friend, asked if she wanted to learn to trim their aged horses.

“I jumped on the opportunity and he taught me the basics of trimming,” Sarah said. “I began searching for horseshoeing schools, and was drawn to Midwest Horseshoeing School because of its credibility and association with the American Farrier’s Association.”

The structure of the American Farrier’s Association (AFA) reminded Sarah of Pony Club: stressing education and testing for a higher-standard graduate. Sarah graduated from high school early, packed up her tortoise, Bernie, and began studying to become a farrier at Midwest. Before the rest of her class finished high school, Sarah graduated from horseshoeing school, passed her AFA Certified Farrier test and began working as a farrier full time.

A Special Pony

It wasn’t until she was 26 that Sarah became a professional rider, riding sales horses in Pennsylvania. She was working at Hidden Acres Farm when an opinionated large pony named Madam Dragon came into the barn in need of a few rides and a new home. The pony left for a week on trial, but came back because she was too green.

“Grace Boyton, the owner, asked if I would put some rides on her and get her going over fences,” Sarah remembered. “I realized the first time I jumped her that she was never going to be a kid’s hunter pony, but that she could have huge potential as an event pony. My dad and I decided to invest in Madam Dragon, aka Penelope, in December of 2019.”

Sarah competing Penelope. Sarah said, “Every cross-country ride — whether it’s schooling or showing — is amazing.” Photo by Ava Davis

After a year and a half in Pennsylvania, Sarah took the opportunity to ride off-the-track Thoroughbreds for Cheryl Quick at Finishing Touches Farm in Genoa City, Wisconsin, and moved back home to Illinois — with Penelope in tow. She started getting Penelope ready to do an event or two with the intention of putting her on the market.

“Once I took her to those first two events, people really started to notice her,” Sarah said. “Not only is she small, she has all the chrome to get you noticed in the show ring and a fiercely competitive attitude that serves us well out on cross-country. It wasn’t until February of this year when we were preparing to head to Aiken that I started to think Penelope was more than just a Novice pony.”

In Aiken, Penelope stepped up her game — schooling Training and Preliminary cross-country questions without a moment’s hesitation. “She has a very natural jump and is extremely bold,” Sarah said. “Needless to say, here I am still showing her and having dreams of Teddy O’Connor!”

Showing and Shoeing

As Olympian Karen O’Connor knows from eventing her “Super Pony” Teddy through the five-star level, ponies have a particular surefootedness and soundness that can be an advantage in eventing. “When I got on Penelope for the first time, I immediately fell in love with the solid, ‘take on the world’ feel she gave me,” Sarah said. “We can take all the inside turns to make up for a smaller step, and she fits in the dressage arena with a lot of room to spare.”

Sarah says the biggest challenge is staying off of Penelope’s neck. “As the fences have gotten higher, she has really developed an insane jump with a lot of power and scope,” Sarah said. “Sometimes she jumps so hard she kicks me up and forward. In those moments, I’m very thankful for the strength I’ve developed as a farrier so I can use my core to hold my position and give her the room she needs to jump!”

Sarah said she relies on her significant other, James McKinnon, to keep her busy life on track. Photo by Krista Coltrin

Sarah keeps up that strength with 40 horses on her shoeing books. With three horses, three dogs and Bernie the tortoise — who’s been with Sarah for 18 years now — at home in addition to her jobs riding and shoeing, Sarah relies on her significant other, James McKinnon, to keep her busy life on track.

In Sarah’s downtime, she enjoys hiking and camping with James and the dogs. “James has also been teaching me archery, which is his version of horses,” she said. “I even managed to deck my bow out with lime green accents to match my eventing colors of black and lime green.”

Someday, she hopes to wear those colors in a five-star event. In the meantime, Penelope is currently at Training Level and Sarah is confident she has at least Intermediate in her future — a future where both pony and rider serve as an inspiration.

“Something I try to impress upon everyone who asks me about being a female farrier is that you can do anything you put your mind to, and you can’t let other people’s negative thoughts hold you back,” Sarah said. “As far as showing a pony is concerned, I think it’s important that people remember eventing is an intense and potentially dangerous sport. I have never let the breed or bloodline dictate what I ride, and I will never force a horse, pony or rider beyond what they are capable of. To me, the most important things are heart and soundness — and Penelope has enough heart for a horse three times her size!”

Follow Sarah on Facebook at Iron Rose Forge

Double D Trailers Info

Tagged under: eventing, female farrier, Girl Power, pony

What you can read next

Geoffrey Woolson: Vaulting on the World Stage
Positive Stress-Busting Habits to Help Conquer Anxiety
CANTER Kentucky: On the Forefront of Rehoming American Ex-Racehorses

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
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.

https://www.ironspringfarm.com/biolink/

@iron_spring_farm 

#stallion #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #equine #dressage #pferd #equestrianlife #mare #hengst #horseriding #instahorse #cheval #pferde #equinephotography #horselove #dressagehorse #pony #horselover #caballo #foal #quarterhorse #aqha #arabianhorse #showjumping #photography #caballos #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
❗️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
It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is. It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is...

 ✨PF'S DIAMO BLUE✨
Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
17.0hh, Oldenburg International Hunter Derby/ Jumper Stallion
An outstanding Pedigree- Chacco Blue and Diamant de Semilly
WBFSH/ Rolex top ranking Jumping Sires 2017 thru 2022
Standing at Ryan Pedigo Sport Horses, in California

For more information, you can contact 
🖥Ryanpedigosporthorses.com
🖥Ryan.p.f@hotmail.com
☎️(714) 357-2714

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 🦄

@ryanpedigosporthorsespf_

#stallion #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #equine #dressage #pferd #equestrianlife #mare #hengst #horseriding #instahorse #cheval #pferde #equinephotography #horselove #dressagehorse #pony #horselover #caballo #foal #quarterhorse #aqha #arabianhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Load More... Follow on Instagram

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • BED & BARN FARMS
    Lodging/Overnight Stabling Forest City, NC/Tryon Area 828-248-4463 www.bedandbarnnc.com

    [Read more]

  • HOLLY HILL FARM
    Wellington, Fl. Patricia Harnois / Caitlin Venezia Training/Showing/Sales 561-758-5362 508-367-0779 HollyHill7@aol.com www.hollyhillstable.com

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • Get More for Your Money with an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage
  • Longines Global Champions Tour of New York Returns to Governors Island
  • A Paris Horse Adventure: Saut Hermes 2022

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • 2023 Upperville Colt & Horse Show Presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™ Returns for 170th Year on June 5-11
  • Will Coleman Retains Yanmar America CCI4*-S Lead in Dramatic Show Jumping at Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International
  • First edition of the World Sport Horse Sales was a hit with $410.000 for the most expensive horse

Category

Recent Posts

  • April 2023 – Table of Contents

    Subscribe for just $9.95 or Order Individual Is...
  • Building a Bond With a New Horse

    By Margie Sugarman I just bought a new horse. I...
  • Developing Healthy Relationships With Your Barnmates

    By Rob Jacobs The purpose of this month’s colum...
  • The Value of Self-Coaching

    By Liz Halliday-Sharp The sport of eventing is ...
  • Unbridled With Annette Longenecker

    By Britney Grover  Annette Longenecker wasn’t j...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!