A Century Together

By Nancy Mangum

My obsession with wanting a horse began with a Christmas gift – a rocking horse. I was not from a horsey family, and we were of limited financial means. My favorite television shows were Fury and My Friend Flicka on Saturday mornings. At that time, I was constantly begging for a horse! My riding was limited to pony rides at the fair and Frontier Town. 

I finally hit the jackpot when, at ten years old, my family moved to Burlington, Vermont and settled near Starr Farm Stables. Off I went again, begging to ride! 

Carl and Marion Klandl managed the property, and owned a few Morgans and Saddlebreds. I spent the next ten years as a “barn rat”; I joined 4-H, learned all aspects of horse care, rode Saddleseat and Hunt Seat and jumped, drove, did competitive trail riding, and rode in parades. 

I showed UVM Kingsman under saddle and in harness, with great success at Vermont Morgan Horse Association (VMHA) and New England Morgan Horse Association (NEMHA) shows. I also raised a Saddlebred filly there from birth, and was the one to back and train her. The Klandl’s gave her to me later, when I moved on to pursue riding hunters. I will always be grateful to them for all the opportunities they gave me. My interest in riding hunters had developed while taking years of jumping lessons with Carl Bessette at the Champlain Riding School. As my interest in hunters blossomed, I would go on to purchase a couple of Off-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs), whom I trained and showed. 

I have had a lot of medical challenges due to long term rheumatoid arthritis, which has resulted in many setbacks throughout my lifetime. In the 1970s I had two knee surgeries, and I have developed increasingly detrimental hip problems. After my hips were replaced at age 29, my physician made it clear that I needed to stop riding, as the prosthesis would likely fail. I made it clear I had no intention of quitting riding, but I would find another discipline. So, I decided to do dressage. 

While I adored the Thoroughbred breed, I decided it best to return to the breed I loved most – the Morgan horse. I found a great two-year-old, and got him well-started, showing hunters and a little eventing. Luckily, the Morgan I bought, named Futurama Director, ended up being a good dressage horse. We competed successfully, and enjoyed promoting the Morgan Horse breed. He was my heart horse, and the one who, looking back, I should have kept. But I ended up selling him because of an offer too good to turn down, even though he wasn’t for sale. It was timely, as my physician had told me I needed to find another job, where I was not on my feet as much. So, I went back to school at the University of Vermont, obtaining my Masters in Social Work. Afterwards, I worked at UVM Medical Center until retirement.

I have had a few other nice Morgans over the years since Futurama Director, and have done some dressage and a lot of trail riding. In 1999, I bought a big, black, handsome coming-four-year-old Morgan, named Canequin’s Local Hero. He had a great personality, and I quickly fell in love with him! 

As a motivated adult amateur, I decided I was going to try to train him myself, and move him up through the levels. I took weekly lessons and rode in many clinics. Hero’s charming personality, and “eager beaver” attitude made him a fun partner on our amazing journey. We also enjoy trail riding, and we once rode in a parade. Of course, we had some bumps in the road, layoffs after a wrist fusion, ankle fusion, and hip revisions, along with some other surgeries. He was safe, so a few friends had fun riding him when I was off. 

Together, Hero and I earned many year-end and Adequan®/USDF All-Breed Awards, at multiple levels over the years. We earned my USDF Bronze and Silver Medals, and a Horse Performance Certificate at Intermediate I. Hero has truly been my hero, and the best partner I could ask for. In addition to awards and competing, promoting Morgans in open dressage competition has always remained one of my primary goals. We were progressing well with piaffe and passage training, when one of my total hips dislocated, setting me back. At the same time, radiculopathy in my neck became a problem. So when my physician encouraged me to back off, I reluctantly decided I had better listen to him this time and so changed my goals.

My spine doctor told me a couple of years ago that I am ‘a spinal cord injury waiting to happen’ if I keep riding, due to all the subluxations in my neck. I told him that riding keeps my other joints going, and dressage is one of the safest disciplines! And, there are always goals to be set and met in dressage, so it is an ongoing, inspiring discipline for me. I am still on hip precautions from when my hip dislocated in November 2021. The doctor said it will come out again, and when that happens, it will have to be revised. I told him it has probably stayed in place so far because my muscles are strong from riding! 

On October 29, 2023, I completed my Century Club Ride, a wonderful recognition provided by The Dressage Foundation which recognizes horse and rider pairs whose collective ages add up to 100 or more, aboard my long time Morgan partner Canequin’s Local Hero. We had been together 24 and a half years, and we decided to go back to where we began – riding Training Level Test 1. I have been having joint problems, and have not been able to ride the bigger trots for the last two years.

While I had hoped to perform our Century Ride at the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) show, we ended up riding it at Destiny Morgan Farm, in Colchester, Vermont, instead, where Hero and my younger horse Junior are boarded. Destiny Morgan Farm has an indoor arena, and given the crazy weather on the day of our Century Ride, it just made sense to move it there. My wonderful Destiny family was present, along with many friends from the community. We had a big party, with show photos that had been iced onto cakes. One cake had 100 candles! It was a fun and very memorable event.

Hero is 29 years old now, and I still ride him some. But, I’m more focused now on my younger Morgan, who has more comfortable gaits. I’m still taking lessons, and look forward to dressage clinics, and hopefully a show. My passion for Morgan Horses, and love of dressage keeps me going. At my age, I probably should not have bought a younger horse, but I could not find a well-started, affordable Morgan. 

So I took the plunge and purchased my younger horse, Junior. He’s a pistol, but is a nice mover. I hope to start showing him this summer – if my body holds up. I’ve always been single, and gone alone to most shows. But now, at 72, and needing a new shoulder and a new knee, I’m finding going places by myself harder. I’m putting off my shoulder surgery in hopes of enjoying the summer in the saddle, but for the first time in my life, I’m probably going to have to ask for some help. But, dressage keeps me motivated, and keeps me active.

There are so many people who were involved in my dressage journey, and whom I want to thank for helping me attain my goals. Some of whom include Liz Austin, Lori Barnard, Joy Congdon, Adam Cropper, Pam Goodrich, Anne Gribbons, Larry Poulin, and Catie Waterman, among others. 

There is a young rider, ten years old, at our barn who watches me ride, and says she thinks she may want to do dressage. She asked me how to ride a corner! She is taking a lesson after me with my dressage instructor. And, she signed up for a dressage clinic in May! That makes me smile. I’m hoping to eventually hook some other barn kids too.