greet me at the paddock gate.”
“When we arrived home from the 4-hour one-way haul,” Kris continues, “Dale and I found a white pen left by the construction crew tucked on a 2×4 in the corner of their new pole barn: The only word on it was ‘Ocean’, written in blue font. We knew then that ‘Ocean’ was meant to be part of our family, and we purchased her when she was 15 months old.”
“I had never started a youngster, so I focused on lots of groundwork, watched Ray Ainsworth’s colt starting at the 2015 Midwest Horse Fair, participated in several horsemanship and dressage clinics and asked Jessica Cole (WI), Ray Ainsworth (MS), and Patrick King (OH) for assistance.”
Apparently, all that hard work has paid rich dividends. “In 2016, when she was a 3-year-old, Ocean competed in USDF In-Hand, Materiale, USDF Traditional Dressage Intro Level and USEF Western Dressage Intro Level Dressage and earned Champion and Reserve Champion honors. In 2017, Ocean participated in the Wisconsin Dressage & Combined Training Association’s dressage discipline demos and Kelly Shetter-Ruiz’s ground poles clinics during the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, WI; the largest equine 3-day-event in the Midwest that draws over 65,000 equine enthusiasts each year.”
At each event, Kris and her horses have proven their mettle. It should come as no surprising, then, that Kris and Boon Ocean Blue have also proven themselves in the Working
Equitation arena. In 2017, the two topped the WE United
Leaderboard for all Introductory-level Horse/Rider pairs
competing in Working Equitation in North America. In doing
so, Boon Ocean Blue also managed to win top honors for
all Introductory-level horses competing in 2017, and Kris
garnered enough points to lead the Nation as the #1
Introductory-level Rider in the sport.
In addition to her very successful record competing with
Boon Ocean Blue, Kris is also one of the riders who has
demonstrated that gaited horses with a solid foundation in
correct classical approaches can hold their own in the sport.
Her then 10-year-old chocolate palomino Gambler’s
Jackpot won the 2017 award for High Point Rocky Mountain
Horse competing in Working Equitation, and the Reserve
High Point Award for Region 5 Gaited Horses of all breeds
competing in the sport.
Kris works tirelessly to celebrate the achievements of
others. In addition to serving on the WE United Awards
Committee (and personally designing and creating over
400 year-end achievement certificates to honor the
achievements of members all across North America and
beyond), she donates her time as a WE United Regional
Director, and has worked hard to identify and solicit
sponsors to celebrate the achievements of horses and
riders in the sport.
As an active member of several equestrian organizations, Kris’ passionate love of dressage and its value as a
foundation to all disciplines is evident. Kris consistently offers fresh ideas, actively promotes horsemanship, hosts a variety of educational activities, events, and coordinates live and virtual shows through the Southern Chapter of NEWDA (www.newdressage.org).
Kris is a perfect poster child for the spirit of Working Equitation: a celebration of the partnership between horses of all breeds and riders of all backgrounds, with an emphasis on supporting and celebrating others who share in this journey.
Boon Ocean Blue, AQHA
Photo by Howard Peet