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Emily Cochran & Mia

Article quoted from the November 2005 issue of the Virginia Horse Journal
Emily Cochran's goal at the 2005 State 4H competition in Lexington, Virginia was just to bring home a ribbon. Last year she prepared her horse for the newly offered Dressage Division only to be rained out by a seasonal hurricane deluge. Now with her new horse Mia, and help from USDF Certified Instructor Catherine Sutton, she was ready to try again.
Emily has been taking dressage lessons regularly all year, but in late June when Catherine was sidelined with a broken collar bone, Emily's training routine radically changed. Catherine needed farm help and Emily was available and willing. Every day for two and a half months Emily arrived at High Point Farm at 9 a.m. and worked until evening. Besides the general barn work, Emily helped replace pasture fencing, paint the horse trailer, and keep up the grounds with the weed eater. In exchange, Mia was moved onto the farm and Emily received dressage instruction almost every day.
Besides training on Mia, her five-year-old paint mare of questionable parentage, Emily also was able to help train Catherine's four year old Swedish warmblood mare, "Grace." Emily is now Catherine's working student and apprentice trainer.

Has all this work paid off? You bet. Emily finished up the 4H Show with a ribbon in every class.
Her highlights were a 1st place finish in Training Level Test 2 and a 1st place in Dressage Equitation.

She is also proud of her second place ribbon in the trail class which had about 60 entries. This second place finish is a testament to the value of a dressage trained horse. Emily has never practiced for the trail class.

Emily is currently showing Mia in local dressage schooling shows and doing quite well, but Catherine plans to take her along to VADA recognized shows where Emily can sample more advanced competition.

Emily Cochran, 13, and her grade mare Mia, achieved success beyond all expectation. She was a happy camper. So was her trainer, Catherine Sutton.
Emily plans to  be back at the 4H Show next year. She will compete in the senior division and is advancing to first level.