Smart Start Stable

01/12/2025

Congratulations all around for everyone at Smart Start Stable! Here’s the victory photo from the CSDEA Banquet! Left to right, Maddie Kanda, Krista Bellrichard, Maggie Bourassa, Maia Becken, Suzette Sontag and Tammy Carlson. Missing from the photo is Kris Robinson. A day like this has us all fired up for next year’s show season, a good thing in the middle of January.

06/27/2024

Finally getting the update for last weekend’s show, The Great Dressage Get Together in Hinckley. It was the first time showing dressage inside for most of the Smart Start horses. The horses all did super, Krystal and I earned our second score earning us our Silver Freestyle Bar!!! Maddie Kanda did our choreography and Sam Martinson did our music. Opus Dei (aka Oops) and I had great rides, earning a 71% in Third 3!!! It was an awesome ride. Photo of the judge’s comments below. Our nemesis is flying changes, it feels like we will NEVER master them but they are getting better and better. (Dressage is HARD). Oops and I scored an 8 on one walk pirouette and a 9 on the other!! Walk pirouettes are the epitome of HARD, they have every piece of good dressage training in them. 9 is a personal best for me on them. Maia Becken and Afires Spellbound (Sven) tried Soort Horse In Hand (halter for the non dressage peeps) for the first time and scored a whopping 84 and 85%!!!! They also won all but one of their Second Level rides scoring up to 70%! Emily Disalvo and First Striped Edition (Eddie) tried out First Level and did great! Eddie ride the first test great but got a bit nervous in his second ride when a door slammed so hard Emily thought a gun went off! The next morning Emily rode Eddie beautifully and guided him through a lovely confidence building test!
Maddie Kanda showed her two training horses Mister Maximus, owned by Maggie Bourassa, scoring a whopping 74% and Kris Robinson’s horse Jaantje scoring 67% in First Level and then Kris rode JJ on Sunday, her first time showing in many years, they had great rides and scores!
The icing on the cake, the top 3 Highest Scores, with handicap, were all 74%, with Anne Cizadlo winning, Oops in second and Max in 3rd!! (Suzette and Maddie take lessons from Anne 💖💖💖)
Thank you also for the guidance from Bridget Bursey and Jane Braddock, with a special thanks to Jane for Oops’ walk and walk pirouettes scores as that’s what our last clinic ride worked on.

06/09/2024

Well, it's official, as of May 30, 2024 I've retired from training and lessons! It's been a wonderful 21 years! I have met so many wonderful people and horses and been so many places. I feel my clients are in good hands with the trainers at Smart Start who are stepping in to "replace me". I'm still busy keeping the barn running, in fact, I'm still so busy I wonder how I ever had time to work so many horses....! Maybe when I catch up doing all the things I put off to get the horses worked I'll have more time?

Anyway, thank you all for the friendships and kindness throughout the years, all the trainers/teachers who have helped me learn and improve, all those who have stood by me through thick and thin, my hubby who is beyond supportive of the whole horse thing, he's a keeper for sure, and to God who has blessed me with the most amazing, wonderful career with horses.

06/05/2024

The Mayflower III & IV show at Otter Creek was a success for all of the Smart Start horses! Maia Becken and Afires Spellbound (Sven) scored above 65% in 4 out of 5 of their Second Level rides, hitting a high of 70%! Krystal and Suzette Sontag reached a high of 66% in 4th Level test 3 and in their 4th Level Musical Freestyle. Opus Dei and Suzette reached a high of 68% in 3rd Level test 3 and a 72% in the 3rd Level Musical Freestyle! Maddie Kanda showed her two training horses Mister Maximus, owned by Maggie Bourassa, in Training Level and scored a 73% and she showed Jaantje, owned by Kris Robinson, in 1st Level and scored two 72%s and a 73%!!! Not too shabby for the first show of the season 😆😁😆

11/14/2023

The new mirrors are installed! We put up Lite Mirrors , a plastic film. Cheaper than glass when factoring in support system and labor. So far I like them, they are super clear although they seem a tint of grey/maybe not as bright? BLB Renovations got it all done in a day 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

10/29/2023

Final USDF Year End Awards —— Oops and I are Champions in the American Warmblood Society and Sport Horse Registry in 3rd Level Open and Vintage Cup (riders over 50 years old). We also placed 6th of all the 3rd Level Open (these are all of the whole USA! Krystal and I are Oldenburg Prix St George Vintage Cup Champions ! What a successful year!

10/11/2023

Photos from the CSDEA Festival Championships! Thanks Carmel Huppert for such fun, super pics! My ponies are learning to love victory passes 💕

09/08/2023

Ride times for the show this weekend in Lake Elmo

08/23/2023

Holy Hannah it’s hot today 🥵. Yesterday everyone did their usual work, just not quite as long. Today they all went on a trail ride, mostly walk, but I picked more uphill trails for strengthening and finished riding by 12:45. Brought everyone in at 2:00 to be in the, albeit a bit stuffy, barns with fans, no sun and no bugs.

08/20/2023

Last Sunday was the Smart Start annual Memorial Day turned into July 4th turned into Edward Sontag’s birthday party turned into Steven J Anger’s birthday party potluck picnic! A great time was had by all 😁. A special thanks to Julie Ulrich, aka Julie Blue for getting the party organized and set up and Julie Everson, aka Julie Bella , for all her help in setting up and cleaning up.

05/22/2023

https://youtu.be/4pHmIcBVU_M
Here’s Maia and Afires Spellbound’s 1st Level Musical Freestyle on the good camera 😁. This one scored 69%, we didn’t get the 74% one on the “good camera” 🙄😆

Sven and Maia First Level Musical Freestyle 69%. Their first time doing a freestyle!

05/22/2023

The Sorensen May show ended even better than it started! Maia Beckenand Sven earned a 74% in their First Level Musical Freestyle and a 70% in Second Level Test 1 !!!! Emily Disalvo and Eddie hit the 70% mark in Training Level Test 3, let’s not forget it was Eddie’s first show 😱 and Oops and I got 68% in both of our Third Level rides!!! What a fun show! The venue at Sorensen Equestrian Park is great for a horse’s first show, the footing is wonderful (Safarr always got his best scores of the year here) and not only are Reid and Linda Sorensen wonderful and great managers, the competitors were all friendly, everyone encouraged everyone else, and were fun to chat with!

05/19/2023

Satisfying rest after a super first show of the season 😁. First times for every horse. Opus Dei (Oops) and I scored 71% in Third Level Test 3 and 69% in Third One - Oops’ first time at 3rd Level!!! Afires Spellbound (Sven) and Maia Becken scored 68% in Second Level Test 1 and 69% in Musical Freestyle, both first time in Second Level and Freestyle, and First Striped Edition (Eddie) and Emily Haug scored 68% in Training Level Test 2 and 65% in Training 3, Eddie’s first show ever! What a great first day!