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Monday, September 27 2021 / Published in Weekly Feature

The Propp Sisters: Jumping Forward and Giving Back

By Laura Scaletti

Portraits by Shawna Simmons Whitty

The Propp sisters share more than just a last name, they share a common passion — horses. Through their equestrian endeavors, Stella, 18, Juliette, 16, and Clara, 14, have found numerous ways to bond. The sisters are barn mates, business partners, philanthropists, Instagram influencers, best friends and each other’s biggest cheerleaders. 

It’s a rarity to have three siblings who are equally invested in the same sport or activity, but the Propp sisters wouldn’t have it any other way. “If we didn’t all ride, we wouldn’t be able to spend as much quality time together. We’d all be running around doing our own activities and not have as strong a connection,” Juliette said. 

Born into an animal-loving family, where their mom, Eleanor, took weekly riding lessons, it was only natural the girls would sit in a saddle at an early age. “Our mom really enjoyed her time at the barn being around horses and wanted me to have that same experience. At age 4, I had my first lesson,” Stella said. 

“Stella loved her pony lessons so much that Mom figured, ‘Let’s give it a shot for Juliette and Clara.’ As soon as we started taking lessons, each at age 4, we quickly fell in love with riding too,” Clara said. 

Common Bond

With thousands of lessons behind them, the trio now focuses their attention on the hunter, jumper and equitation rings under the guidance of trainer Brianne Goutal and assistant trainer Krista Goossens. “We have a big barn full of horses,” Stella said.

In fact, between them, there are currently 15 horses in the Propp herd. One of the benefits of having three sisters who ride is the ability to trade mounts amongst the girls. “We all have our own designated horses, but there comes a time where we have a conversation to decide when a certain horse will go on to the next sister. For example, has this horse taught Juliette enough, can it move to Clara or should it be sold?” Stella said. “It’s really nice; with the three of us, we can hold onto the special horses and pass them around.”

Sharing horses is further bonding for the sisters. “We had a medium pony, Heart To Forget, that all three of us rode. Even though we are all very different riders, we each had success on this one pony.  It’s nice when we can talk and relate to each other about how to ride a horse or pony we’ve each had the ride on,” Clara said.

“It’s amazing to see the way the girls work together and learn from each other,” Brianne said. “The special thing about competing with your sisters is that they’re there for you when you have bad days and to share in the great ones as well.”

Stella, Juliette and Clara have each had their moments in the spotlight. Stella was champion at both the Washington International Horse Show and National Horse Show in 2019 on Inquisitive; Juliette won the Children’s Jumper classic her first time out at Old Salem with Baral Preciosa, and Clara was Champion Welsh Pony and 3rd overall in the Large Pony Hunters in 2018 with News Day and won the pony derby with him at the 2020 Winter Equestrian Festival.

What makes their victories sweet isn’t just their individual efforts, it’s the pride with which the sisters talk about each other’s accomplishments. As the big sister, Stella gets to watch her younger siblings have success with her previous mounts. “It was so much fun to see News Day, who had been my large green pony, be that successful with my little nugget of a sister at Pony Finals,” Stella boasted.

Not only does Stella’s pride show when she talks about her sisters, but her support and approval means a lot to them. “When I won at Old Salem with Stella’s old jumper, Baral Preciosa, it was so neat to see her be so proud of me for following in her footsteps,” Juliette said. “It was a really big deal for me.”

Giving Back

In 2017, the sisters started their organic homemade horse treat company, AJCS Treats. What started out as a fun summer project has turned into a full-fledged business venture, with all proceeds going to a charity of the sisters’ choice.

“When we started AJCS Treats, it was really trendy to make and sell your own horse treats. We thought it looked like a super-fun activity, so we decided to give it a shot,” Clara said. 

At first Stella, Juliette and Clara didn’t think they would make a lot of money, but regardless of what they made, they wanted to give their proceeds back to charity. “We had no idea our treats would be so popular when we started. It’s such an amazing feeling to know our proceeds are helping others,” Juliette said. “Giving back our proceeds really gives us a sense of purpose.”

Initially, proceeds from AJCS Treats went to animal welfare charities. As the sisters saw more and more charities pop up, they decided they would pick a new charity to donate their proceeds to each year.

“We’ve worked with the EQUUS Foundation, The Peeps Foundation and currently are supporting the Hunter Circuit Foundation,” Clara said. “The Hunter Circuit Foundation gives talented, underfunded Junior riders the opportunity to travel to competitions they might otherwise not get to experience, for example showing at the Winter Equestrian Festival.”

Although it’s hard to juggle school, competing and managing online sales of AJCS Treats, the sisters say it’s worth it. “We’ve met such great people along the way. We want to continue AJCS Treats as long as possible,” Stella said.

“We might have started the business because it looked fun, but we’re sticking with it 

Looking Forward

This fall marks the next chapter in the Propp sister story as Stella is the first sister to leave the nest and head off to college. “I’m a homebody, so going away to college is going to be different, but I’m going to make the most of my college experience,” Stella said. “While I still want to ride, I want to live in the moment and have a more normal experience in college than I’ve had in high school.”

With Juliette two years away from college, she’s still formulating a collegiate riding plan. “I’m not sure if I want to be on a team or just want to keep showing my own horses. After college I want to go into journalism or be a writer,” Juliette said. “Regardless of my career choice, I definitely want to keep riding, as it’s a huge part of my life and I want to keep it that way.”

As the youngest, Clara is gearing up for high school. Unlike her sisters, she hopes to become a professional after graduating from college. “I want to open my own barn and train just like Brianne did. She’s a great role model for what I want to do. Brianne grew up like us and now is so successful as a rider and trainer,” Clara said.

Regardless of the path each sister chooses, they will have a strong support system behind them. “Our parents, especially our mother, have done everything they could do to make us successful in all our endeavors,” Stella said. “No matter if we win or lose, we are always there for each other.” 

Photos by Shawna Simmons Whitty, www.sasequinephotography.com, @sasequinephotography

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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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