My name is Ashley. I am 21 and a senior at UW-Madison. I have been riding horses off and on my whole life, but seriously for the last eight years. As a family, we own two Morgans, EHM The Ransom Note (Bomber) and EHM Up For Ransom (Beamer). I ride Pleasure and Equitation.
Other than horses, I was/am involved in peer mentoring, Forensics, Varsity track, volunteering at the Children's Hospital and working. I spend time hanging out with friends and studying for class.
6/11/04 Wow, it has been almost a year since I have updated this site. A lot has happened, but a lot has stayed the same. I have finally turned 21! Which in this state doesn't seem to come fast enough! I am going into my Senior year at UW-Madison and I can't believe how fast things have gone. I feel like it was yesterday that I was packing up my things and saying goodbye to high school. The last three years have been amazing and I wouldn't change any of it for the world. I am now double majoring in Mangaement and Marketing. I have a year and a half left of school and then who knows where life will take me. I would love to work in the equine industry, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
As for the rest of the crew, Andrea has aged out of the Jr. Exhibitor ranks, and will probably be sitting out this show season. There was talk of her showing Monty, but I think our mom, Deb, is going to be doing that now. Andrea is going to run track next year at the University of Wisconsin-Steven's Point. She is officially done with high school and she finished her high school track career with a wonderful performance at State Track. I am so proud of all she has acomplished and where she is going in her life.
Kelsey is going to be showing Bomber in Saddle Seat Equitation. This is her first year in the 14-17 division and this will mark Bomber's 7th show season with his 3rd rider. Not too bad for a horse that we bought just to show open shows with.
Maggie has now bought a Morgan gelding named Sugarlane Jamestown. James is going to be shown in the English Pleasure and Saddle Seat Equitation divisions. Maggie has come such a long way and has improved so much. I am very excited to see them come together as a team in the next couple years.
We will be showing this year at the North Star Americanna in St. Paul and the Morgan Masterpiece in Oshkosh. If you are attending either of those shows, feel free to stop by and say hi.
07/19/03 Summer has finally made its appearance and with it, the girls (and boy!) of Tartan Hill Morgans made their debuts at the North Star Americanna. Over the years, North Star has become one of our favorite and most successful shows and this year was no different. In addition to Beamer and Bomber, MS Valley Queen "Queen" and MS Montego Bay "Monty" made the trip to St. Paul over the July 4th weekend. This was the first time at North Star for both Monty and Queen, who are owned by Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Irvine.
This was my first season not showing and to say it was hard was an understatement. I realized how much horse shows mean to me and how much I miss showing. But, I took my place in the grooming stall and was very proud of the horses and riders that went in the ring under the gray and red banner. The only thing that made me prouder was the way they came out!!
Andrea and Bomber have made quite the name for themselves in the Saddle Seat Equitation ring and in their final year they answered any questions that might have remained about their abilities together. It is not very often that you get a judge willing to take the time to have the riders perform invividual workouts. So it was with some surprise, that in every class the judge posted a pattern. Luckily, this is where the years of partnership really paid off for the team. With confidence in each other, Andrea and Bomber dominated the pattern portion of each class. Combined with their aggressive ring strategy, they won the 14-17 class and the overall Saddle Seat Equitation Championship for the third time. They also won the UPHA Challenge Cup and took second in the AMHA Medal behind Reserve World Champion, Katie Goodpastor. Andrea has grown and matured so much as a rider since her first year and it makes me feel very lucky as her older sister to have been able to share those years with her. I hope that she has had as much fun and is as proud of herself as I am of her.
Since my departure from home, Kelsey has taken it upon herself to become the new Irvine go-to rider. In addition to Beamer, she has been showing an Arabian gelding saddle seat, an Arabian stallion hunt seat and taking jumping lessons where she now clears two and a half feet. Not too bad for a kid still in the 13 and under ranks. That's why I knew that she would have no problem adjusting Beamer to life as a Jr. Exhibitor horse and boy, was I right. Kelsey and Beamer won both the 13 and Under Hunt Seat Pleasure and the 13 and Under Hunt Seat Equitation at North Star. They did not show back.
As for the previously mentioned boy, it is none other than my dad, Doug, who has reentered the show ring. No, he isn't behind a horse in a buggy, or even leading an in-hand horse but riding western aboard my grandfather's 6 year old stallion. Monty has been in Doug's training for the last 3 months and together they made their class "A" debut at North Star. I'll be honest, I had my concerns about seeing my dad in chaps and a cowboy hat, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the duo. Monty just screams Morgan Western Pleasure horse when he goes and is the epitome of eye catching in the ring. He was definetly the talk of the western division, with the question of "who IS that horse?" being heard through out the weekend.
Another of my grandparent's horses is Queen, who is leased and ridden by Maggie Janzen. They competed in the English Pleasure, Classic Pleasure and Saddle Seat Equitation divisions. The two have had bumps along the way but have come a long way together. This was Maggie's first time at such a large show and she handled it very well. The highlights of the weekend for the pair were a second place in the Saddle Seat Equitation 13 and Under and a 6th place in a highly competetive Classic Pleasure Jr. Exhibitor Stake.
Because of the timing and place of the Morgan Masterpiece, we did not show at this year's show. We do, however, look forward to 2004 at Oshkosh.
On an inidvidual note, I was admited to the UW-Madison School of Business. That was the final step in the business process, so all that is left is graduation! I also got word that I will be a House Fellow, also known as resident advisor, for the dorms next year.
02/16/03 A semester has come and gone and with it many changes to my college and horse lives. I live with a new roommate, whom I adore, I started a new job and I have really discovered what I want to do with my life. My job is wonderful. I am teaching Saddle Seat horseback riding lessons at a local Saddlebred barn. I love teaching and it so rewarding to see my students progress and enjoy riding as much as I do. I also work horses and groom one day a week which is a great way of getting my horse fix. As far as the rest of my life goes, I have really decided that I want to eventually own my own business. I want to have something to do with either the bridal or horse industries, maybe even both. I just applied to the School of Business and will find out after this semester if I was accepted or not. I want to get a marketing degree, probably with an advertising emphasis. Wish me luck!
In just a week and a half, I will be heading out to Oregon for the AMHA Annual Convention. I am excited about the barn day and speakers and the opportunity to see some great horses and learn some show ring tips. And of course the AMHAY Board will be having its meetings and planning for the year ahead. I really hope that we can make this year even better and continue to build on what is already in place.
10/30/02 I just recieved a letter informing me that I was elected AMHAY Reporter for the 2003 term. Thanks to everyone who voted for me and I can't wait to get started.
8/9/02 Its been awhile since I have updated this and much has happened. The 2002 show season was wonderful. I marked the return of Bomber and Andrea to the show ring and also the last season for Thunder and Kelsey. We started at North Star Americanna in July, taking only Beamer and Bomber. After starting with a second place vote in the UPHA Challenge Cup, Andrea didn't look back and swept the rest of the Saddle Seat Equitation classes, including her age group, AMHA medal and championship. Kelsey showed Beamer to a 2nd in the Jr. Exhibitor Hunt Seat Pleasure class and he and I took 2nd in Hunt Seat Equitation 18 and over.
Then it was back "home" for the Morgan Masterpiece two weeks later, where all three horses were shown. The home ring proved to be to our advantage as we took control and didn't look back. Coming off just one non-blue ride, Andrea and Bomber continued their winning ways going undefeated in Saddle Seat Equitation. Andrea's ring savvy and Bomber's near flawless patterns made them unstoppable, this time taking home the triple crown. Kelsey had an emotional week as Thunder was scheduled to leave for his new home at the end of the show. But the team made it a memorable show. They took on some tough competition in the Junior Exhibitor English Pleasure Championship and were called out 4th ahead of a number of World Champions. The highlight of the week though, was the AMHA Medal class. A few years ago, Andrea won the medal and I took reserve and this year history repeated itself with a little twist. It was Kelsey and Thunder's first workout class and things went picture perfect. Much to her and the crowd's excitment, Kelsey was named the Bronze Medal winner behind Andrea. To add to the streak, Beamer and I entered the Hunt Seat Equitation Championship as the only "Adult" team and came home with my first ever tri color. In addition, we took a couple of very nice 4ths and 5ths in the huge 18+ horse hunt classes.
4/26/02 Three weeks and counting until I am done with my freshman year! Yeah! School has been a blast, but I am looking forward to being done and getting back to my horsey life. Last weekend at the Midwest Horse Fair gave me a taste of showing and I am getting antsy to get back. Things went very well at the Horse Fair, minus the not so nice weather on Sunday. There were tons of people out and about and the Morgan demonstrations went very well. Seeing Bomber back and better than ever was so great, considering that less than a year ago, he couldn't walk. I talked to alot of people about the breed and as a result, we will hopefully gain some new Morgan enthusiasts. Thanks to the WI Morgan Club for inviting us to bring Bomber. We had a wonderful time and Bomber enjoyed being Mr. Ambassador to all the kids who wanted to pet him. We hope to be there again next year.
03/21/02 Well, Spring Break is just around the corner, which means that the Midwest Horse Fair is too! Andrea and I will be part of the Morgan Breed Demonstration as Saddle Seat Equitation riders on Bomber. Andrea will ride on Friday and Sunday, with me on Saturday. Feel free to stop by and see us at the stalls!
I plan on spending the majority of Spring Break at home riding and getting ready for the Horse Fair, possibly coming back to Madison or Milwaukee for events. Life in general has been good as of late. I have started volunteering at the Children's Hospital here and am loving every minute of it. I am getting so much out of it. Work is fun and I have met some really great people! Classes are half over and I am looking forward to finals and then on to summer and show season.
1/22/02 Christmas vacation gave Beamer and I a good amount of time to start to get back in condition for the show season. Our patterns are getting cleaner and I hope to show in a couple adult equitation classes to keep myself sharp. With all of his energy, it's hard to believe that he is already 16 years old. I am starting a Horse Care and Management class this semester that will keep me involved when I am at school and tide me over until show season finally arrives.
11/4/01 Grand Nationals in Oklahoma City was wonderful as always. The depth of horses in each class was amazing, with many of the classes split or workouts called. I could not have been more happy with the Youth Party on Saturday night. Lots of kids came out to enjoy karaoke, pizza, blow up Twister and a moon walk. Many also left with prizes from various vendors. Thank you to Roadshow Morgans for sponsoring the event and Elaine Galatz for all of her work putting it together. I wish next year's chairperson as good a turnout.
I am having a wonderful time at college. Madison was definetly the right choice for me. I have decided that between classes and working for an event staff company, that I just don't have the time for the riding team. I am limited to riding when I go back home, but my mom has been working Beamer and it shows.
The 2001 show season has come to a close for me. Beamer was shown Hunt Seat this year and even made it into a few equitation classes. We did very well, better than I thought possible with as little time as we had. We got many compliments on how well we were doing and Beamer really seems to enjoy his new sport. I miss Saddle Seat, but I am happy with how it all worked out. I would like to congratulate both my sister Kelsey and Megan Sandee on their performances this year. They both swept their divisions at Morgan Masterpiece and Megan made quite an impression at Jubilee Regional. Special thanks to my other sister, Andrea, who groomed this year because Bomber was injured. They will be ready to take back their spot on top in 2002.
Ashley and Bomber Prairie State 1999
Bomber
Andrea and Ashley
