The Lower Level Event Rider Profile has been a big hit since its introduction on Eventing Nation. Today we meet Caren and her horse Ginger Snap from Manhattan, KS. Want to be featured on LLERP? Fill out the Questionnaire and send it to [email protected]! Reminder: we must have permission from the photographer to use any photos.
Your name: Caren Chellgren
Age: 23
Location: Manhattan, KS
Primary horse’s name: Ginger Snap
Age, breed: 13, Thoroughbred/Hanoverian
Level currently competing: Training
Short term goals this spring/summer:
My goals this year are to go back to the basics and really work on the boring simple things. I want to have fun and bond with her more. We are already learning how to ride in a bitless bridle, and I would love to have her jumping courses in it by the summer. Dressage is not her favorite thing to do, so I want to go slow and get her to love it again by being patient and having fun.
Year end goals:
Grow into a more confident and trusting horse and rider pair. I want to have the faith in her to do anything I ask. And I want her to have the faith in me that I won’t ask her anything she can’t do.
Overall goals:
Right now, I’m in vet school, so I don’t have much time to ride or compete. I knew at some point I would have to give up showing, and that time is now. My only goals as of right now are to keep her in shape and grow together so that we can resume competing when I graduate vet school. I want to come back with some fire and blow our competition away!
What’s the best thing you’ve learned recently?
I’ve learned that life is too short and having a strong bond with your horse is more important than winning every show. Every time I successfully finish a show, even if I’m in last place, it is the most amazing feeling. We worked as a team and achieved our goals.
Favorite eventing moment/story:
My favorite eventing story that I tell people is when I went to Fox River Valley in 2008 with my best friends, Kati and Kristina. We all had a horrible weekend with a flat tire, sleeping in the hot trailer, and then the truck breaking down on the way home. Regardless of everything that could go wrong, we had the most fun at that show. We all had amazing rides and finished in the ribbons and laughed the entire time.
