Leah McKenzie

(Above) Leah riding Justice (Left) Leah riding Triton

:::GOALS FOR 2004:::

Birthday: How many years riding? Main discipline: Horse:

owns Triton

:::PROFILE:::

I cannot remember a time on my life when I did not love horses. I have always wanted to ride and have my own horse. It was not until I was about nine or ten that I finally got the chance to take some lessons at Keno Hills Stables. Although I only got to take a set of five lessons, I was happy for whatever I got. A while after this I met Amberley and Hillary Marsden, who had a couple of horses that they let me ride around a little bit. One of these horses was a pony and it was off of this pony that I had my first fall. A year or two later I went to a summer camp at Birch Bay

Leah with her first horse, Amurra

Ranch and had a few lessons of Western Riding. It was almost a year after going to Birch Bay that I started taking regular lessons at Shadyvale on their lesson horses. I started out with Elizabeth Gredley who taught me the basics and a very small bit of jumping. After almost two years with Elizabeth I switched to Tanya, who whipped me right into shape. I still remember my first lesson with Tanya because she was like a drill sergeant compared to Elizabeth! I learned to love her for it though and have progressed way faster because of it.      I had probably been riding for about four months before I got my first horse, a sixteen year old bay Arabian mare, Amurra. She was a little bit hot for me at first, so I did not ride her a lot by myself, but had a few lessons on her from Amberley. After having her for two or three years I brought her to Shadyvale for a summer camp, where I had a great time with her. That winter I brought her back to Shadyvale where she improved a lot, but I found that she was not destined to become a jumping horse. Because of this, I decided to bring her back home and I started half leasing Justice from Tanya and Amberley. I came to love him so much and won a few ribbons with him, but after I had been leasing him for a little over a year he became injured and had to be given time off. Because of Justice's injury I got the chance to ride a couple of other horses in classes at a couple of shows: Sara's horse, Arky, and Tanya's pony, Presto (First Impression). I then started leasing one of Shadyvale's horses, Tango, who I am currently riding. I am having an awesome time jumping Tango, but I am on the lookout for a horse of my own.

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