Memory Lane: LH grad Smith makes mark riding quarter horses
Laurel Highlands graduate Stephanie Smith has forged an exciting career showing quarter horses.
She caught the horse bug at an early age.
无毛视频淚 got started at a riding facility in Uniontown, Lazy J Stables,无毛视频� Smith stated. 无毛视频淚 started riding when I was seven years old and I无毛视频檝e been riding ever since.
无毛视频淢y sister无毛视频檚 friend actually started taking some riding lessons and then my sister (Kristi Michaelis) did and I loved the animals and I loved the competition that they were doing and that无毛视频檚 how I got into it.无毛视频�
Stephanie and sister Kristi were aided by their parents, Bill and Linda Smith, who fostered their love of horses and the girls competed in local 4-H and open shows before moving up to larger shows and stronger competition.
无毛视频淎fter about a year of lessons, my sister got her own horse and I followed with my own horse shortly thereafter,无毛视频� Smith said. 无毛视频淲e were both instantly addicted and haven无毛视频檛 looked back since. When I was in high school, I went to my first Quarter Horse show and from that moment on I knew that was a circuit where I wanted to compete.无毛视频�
Stephanie showed in the 4-H competition from age eight through age 16. In 1991 at the 4-H competition in Harrisburg she was the state champion in Senior Hunt Seat Equitation.
After graduating from Laurel Highlands in 1994 she attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor无毛视频檚 of Science in Accounting.
无毛视频淎fter high school I did do the college team a little bit,无毛视频� Smith offered. 无毛视频淭hen I continued with my own horses and the quarter horses which is the AQHA, the quarter horse industry, and that is a world wide industry and there are competitions all over the world.无毛视频�
Both sisters did well in the show pen, and as their skill increased, they bought horses, competed with them successfully then sold them to move up in the ranks. Smith had already achieved success at the elite level before the sisters found the horse Axel.
Smith无毛视频檚 titles include 2012 AQHA High Point Amateur Equitation with What a Detailed Diva, 2013 Reserve Congress Champion Amateur Equitation also with What a Detailed Diva, and 2016 AQHA High Point Amateur Hunter Under Saddle with I Got the Swing.
无毛视频淚t taught me responsibility because you are responsible for something other than yourself,无毛视频� Smith explained. 无毛视频淵ou develop a bond with them and sometimes it无毛视频檚 hard and you have to sell them, but you have to progress and you have to continue just, like in any other sport, you have to continue on your path and keep evolving.
无毛视频淭he actual physical ability to be able to ride is a lot. You are not just sitting there and it takes a lot of leg muscles and core muscles, it takes balance and rhythm and you have to be able to work with your horse and not against your horse. You have to get your horse to work with you and while you are doing that it has to look like you are doing nothing. To a stranger无毛视频檚 eye it doesn无毛视频檛 look like you are doing much, but your body has to be pretty fit to be able to do it.
无毛视频淚 ride two to three, sometimes four days a week just to keep my body in shape. My horse that I currently show is in Columbus, Ohio so I still do some riding on friends无毛视频� horses around here and taking lessons from Debbie Fields just to keep my body in shape. It无毛视频檚 hard to use the exact muscles in a gym that you use when you ride, but you can do a lot of core muscles in the gym.无毛视频�
Smith has had several specialized trainers in Spring Mills, Reidsville, North Carolina, and Columbus, Ohio.
无毛视频淎ll have helped me advance my riding and showing abilities,无毛视频� Smith stated.
Kristi decided to give up competition and is Smith无毛视频檚 partner. Sis decided that her interest really lies with the preparation and management of the horse and rider for competition. It is a special partnership.
无毛视频淪he did not like to compete, so we started doing this together,无毛视频� Smith said. 无毛视频淲e split the horses together and we are 50-50 partners and I am the one who just does the riding, but she kind of manages it and keeps track of my points and keeps track of my money.无毛视频�
Traveling is a big part of what Smith does.
无毛视频淢y sister and I have made friends all over the country,无毛视频� Smith said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e met some really nice people, and people we met 20 years ago we are still really good friends with.无毛视频�
Since 1998 Smith has been a partner and expert in accounting at Smith, Lewis, Chess & Company, LLP.
无毛视频淭he riding is strictly a hobby,无毛视频� Smith reported. 无毛视频淭he money you are winning just helps pay for the expense of your hobby.无毛视频�
In 2022 Smith reached the pinnacle of World Champion with her 2022 AQHA World Champion title in Amateur Working Hunter Under Saddle. Riding her horse, One Al Of An Amen, lovingly known as Axel, Smith earned the title over a large, talented field.
无毛视频淢y most memorable moment in my show career was being the final person standing in the ring at the World Show,无毛视频� Smith stated. 无毛视频淚t is hard to describe the feeling when they call your name last and you get to ride your victory lap.无毛视频�
Smith has been riding and competing for 31 years and shows no signs of slowing down.
She resides in Uniontown with her husband Peter Gabriel
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.