Meet Christo, a tall greyish/white gelding who was imported from Holland. Christo is a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood who is leased by Stephanie. The pair trains with Leah Curtiss at Oakside in Arlington, TX.
“During the very first week I had Christo, there were some repairs happening around our barn which required welding. Unlike most horses who were frightened by the sparks, Christo was mesmerized and just stood there entranced. It was the moment when I knew I would be forever safe with him.” shared Stephanie.
Stephanie’s trainer, Leah, found Christo through her professional connections in the equestrian industry. The pair have been together for about 3 months now. Stephanie shares that the first time she met Christo was at a horse show. To say it was love, at first sight, would be an understatement! She and her trainer walked up to his stall, she said his name, and he immediately perked his ears and walked right up to say hello. “I rode him for the first time that same day, and the first jump we went over felt like we were floating and I knew he was coming home with us!”
Christo is described as an absolute angel. He loves to greet every horse when he walks down the barn aisle and is a friend to any horse he gets turned out with. Even the stubborn ones love him! He likes to give you kisses after you feed him treats, and you can always find him with his head outside the stall enjoying whatever is going on around the barn that day.
Christo isn’t picky when it comes to treats either, he loves anything you feed him!
Christo was a very successful Junior Hunter and placed 9th at East Coast Junior Hunter Finals with his previous owner in 2019!
Stephanie has been riding since she was 2 years old and even got her very first horse when I was 10! She’s done barrel racing, halter, western pleasure, horse judging, played polo, worked with racehorses, and done a little dressage, but she shared that her favorite discipline is hunter/jumpers! “I even had the opportunity to ride and train at the Scottish National Equestrian Center for a summer! My favorite thing about horses is their ability to love you no matter what and take whatever kind of day you are having and make it better!”
