Wine, art, some cheese, and friendships. What do they have in common? They all get better with time – just like the Senior Superstars we’re celebrating on YourDressage throughout the month of March!
Here, a Vintage Cup rider from Region 3 tells us about Fae, an aptly named mare who stole her heart from the pasture fenceline, and how their partnership blossomed into a fairy tale of its own.
By Katie Patton
I was born with the ‘horse gene’ in Savannah, Georgia. My parents always joked that in our family, the horse gene skipped generations. My mom grew up riding but really didn’t enjoy it. My grandparents, on the other hand, fox hunted and raised Thoroughbreds in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Summers were spent visiting them, helping in the barn, and getting pony rides. When my grandmother convinced my parents to let me take hunt seat riding lessons at 11, I finally had an outlet.
I rode all through high school but took a break in college. After that, I wanted to get back into horses. I was familiar with dressage, having done some local three-phase shows during high school. I got a part-time job working in a tack shop in Decatur, Georgia, and made connections to the Atlanta dressage community. I also joined the Georgia Dressage & Combined Training Association (GDCTA), of which I am still an active member and volunteer today.
My equine partner, Rhapsody SCS, is a 10-year-old Hanoverian mare bred by Sharon Turner of Athens, Georgia. Her sire is Rotspon, and her dam sire is Prefix. My trainer, Julie Cochran, gave her the barn name “Fae,” and it could not be more fitting. The name “Fae” most commonly means “fairy” or “magical being” and is often associated with the ethereal and magical qualities of fairies. Our relationship is truly magical. I have known my trainer for many years through a mutual friend who also is a trainer in our area. So, for my trainer to be such an integral part of our success is also magical.
I first met Fae in 2017 as a two-year-old at my trainer’s barn. Our mutual friend, Sharon Turner, had bred Fae and sold her to my trainer, where she shared a pasture with the mare I owned at the time. I immediately fell in love as she greeted me at the gate as if to say, “You’re here for me, right?”.
Fast forwarding to Spring 2019, Fae had been backed lightly in the fall, and then given the winter off. This is when my trainer mentioned she was for sale. My heart leapt, and I immediately said, “I want her!” I still had my other mare, who was such a fun ride and a great teacher, but she didn’t enjoy showing, even though she took me to the Great American/USDF Regional Dressage Championships one year. I would be starting over with a four-year-old. Could I do it? I was 56 and had been trying to find a partner to finish my USDF Bronze Medal. It was a gamble, but my heart said, “Do it, this one is special.”
After I bought her, Fae went to summer camp with Kelly Burns. Kelly restarted her, confirmed her walk, trot, and canter, and made her rock solid on the trails at the beautiful Ashland Farms and the Georgia International Horse Park showgrounds. Julie picked up the reins that September, and by Thanksgiving, I was also riding Fae.
My trainer and I closed the sale, and I got her American Hanoverian Society (AHS) papers. I didn’t give it much thought for a while, but then I realized I needed to get her USDF and USEF horse registrations. Imagine my shock when I saw her birthday, May 11, 2015 – my birthday! That was truly a sign from the universe we were meant to be. And I decided right then that she would always be mine, and would retire to my small farm after her riding career was complete.
Fae was one of several partners on my USDF Bronze Medal journey. I had earned my First and Second Level scores on a previous horse in the 90s but then “life” started getting in the way. Between 1991 and 2019, I had to make several career changes to sustain my horse habit, have two total hip replacements, and went through a divorce and remarried. Since Fae was four years old when I bought her, we ended up earning all the scores towards my Bronze!
We’ve done super well in competition. It was a real thrill to ribbon our first time at the Great American/USDF Region 3 Championships in 2021 and place 18th on the Adequan®/USDF Year-End Award rankings at Training Level Adult Amateur Vintage Cup for that year. However, I must say that being awarded training grants from GDCTA and The Dressage Foundation (Gifted Grant for Adult Amateurs) for USDF Region 3 make up our biggest accomplishments so far. Using those grants, I hauled Fae solo from Atlanta to West Chester, Pennsylvania, and spent two weeks training with Ange Bean in March 2023. That was the trip and experience of a lifetime. Those two focused weeks solidified my understanding of what I needed to get to Third Level.
My next goal is to earn my USDF Silver Medal. I plan to qualify for Regionals at Third Level Adult Amateur, and then start working on Fourth Level scores for my Silver Medal. A stretch goal would be to do well enough at Regionals at Third Level to get invited to the 2025 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® at the World Equestrian Center in Ohio! A super stretch goal would be to qualify for Regionals at Fourth Level and get invited to Finals at that level, too!
Fae gives me so much joy, and I feel so blessed to have her. Mares are special and often misunderstood. A partnership with a mare is a gift. They expect a lot from their riders, and when that bond is there, they give you 200% trust and try. Fae makes me want to be a better rider and person. The joy she gives me carries into day-to-day living, encouraging me to serve my community and volunteer as often as I can.
Fae was born an “old soul”; I have never felt unsafe on her, even though she can occasionally spook or kick out when I over-aid her. That keeps me grounded and tuned in. She has taught me to listen, and be a thinking rider. Overall, Fae is easygoing, not “mare-ish,” drop-dead gorgeous, and loves attention, all making her a barn favorite. She is also an easy keeper who loves to eat (just like me, lol), earning her the nickname “Hoover” because she vacuums up every bit of hay and grain. She takes my breath away, even filthy from turnout.
I look at Fae every day and pinch myself. She is a dream come true.
