Pony Rides, Anyone?

Amber Tewell joined the Fields Quarter Horse Crew as Head Trainer, Barn Manager, and Assistant to Khris in All Matters in January 2009.  We had observed her from afar over the past few years as she applied her skills and blossomed into a talented young horsewoman and in October 2008 at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, invited her to interview for our open position. She visited the facilities in November 2008 with her parents in tow and we instantly knew it would be a great fit for all involved. She was hired on the spot.

Amber had graduated from Morrisville State College in Upstate New York earlier that year.  With her degree in Equine Sciences in hand, she proceeded to unravel the puzzle of what to do with her life. After working for several of the World's premiere American Quarter Horse professionals, she was certain that she was being called to establish her own training program.  She was in need of a facility from which to apply her craft, a steady source of income while she did, and a healthy customer base from which to draw clients. Fields Quarter Horses provided all of those things and was located a reasonable distance from her family in Ohio.

Amber rides and  trains horses 6-7 days per week. Her pupils range in age from yearlings (one year old) to older already established show horses. This is a brief look at how she spent today.  After feeding each horse under her care their specially balanced morning ration of feed and hay, Amber began her daily exercise and training regimen with each.

Each horse is allowed to exercise- either free in a private paddock or on a longe line- to loosen their muscles and warm up before they are asked to begin strenuous activity.  When she is working with a yearling, Amber is usually teaching them ground manners such as leading, to tie quietly, grooming, clipping, and bathing. The most important lessons for yearlings are over the next few months- they will learn to recognize cues to walk, trot, and canter from the ground, learn steering with driving lines, learn to wear a saddle and even a bridle. In American Quarter Horse shows, horses are not allowed to be shown under saddle until July of their two year old year. The preparation for those first shows, however, begins six to nine months in advance. These horses will have what amounts to a complete education before they ever grace a show ring.

With the current two year olds, the real work begins. Amber is currently riding 3 of these horses. These are the equivalent of the Kindergartners of the barn. They are prone to temper tantrums, have good days and bad, and are each individual in their own learning speed and style. With her courage on board, Amber mounts these horses for the first time, teaches them to stop and back, turn left and right, and yield to hand, leg and seat cues. The foundation she is laying down will carry these horses throughout their entire riding careers. They are learning to accept a rider, and the will of another creature, with unquestioning faith. These days are stressful as the horses are capable of bucking or rearing if they choose not to comply with the lesson plan of the day. Thankfully, Amber spends many hours of prep work teaching them to carry weight, feel rubber tires banging on their sides, and listen to their trainer if they become unsure or feel frightened. There is always the moment when breaths are held when she mounts her charge for the first time and we learn if the hours of preparation were thorough enough.

Recently, one two year old which matriculated from Amber's School of Being a Horse was named Red. Red came to Fields Quarter Horses an overgrown, rather bossy, unathletic mountain of a horse. Over the Summer months, he blossomed into a willing and obedient animal. On Labor Day weekend, his owner travelled with Red to Indiana and atteneded at trail ride in a State Park. He was safe and carried his aged 60ish rider over hill and dale that weekend. Amber beamed with pride as she watched Red's owner complete the manuevers he had learned from her.

The older horses who are in training with Amber are kept in a maintenance program which keeps them limber and fit so they can show in top form. Sometimes, they learn new skills. Amber exercises and rides Chevy daily- I'm not sure which of them enjoys those rides more!

Amber is an integral part of the Team at our barn. She is meticulous with the feeding and training of each horse. In an industry which requires a participant to be self-motivated, she gets up at the crack of dawn each day and shows up eager to achieve excellence in every ride. Her personal drive to be exceptional at her craft is why she is a great fit for our organization. In a career where she will work too many hours, but never enough, spend too many weekends working, but always work one more, ride too many horses, but live for the great ones- Amber is excelling in her chosen path and we are grateful her path crossed ours.

Khris