Fiona is owned by Amille, she is the first Warmblood that she has owned. Previously, Amille owned and leased  Quarter Horses and showed in western events through AQHA. Fiona is very dramatic, but she always gives her all and works to please. She is the sweetest horse Amille has owned and loves to snuggle. Fiona can be a little flirtatious, and always tends to have a boyfriend in the barn. The pair recently discovered that Fiona loves trail rides. Her favorite treats are carrots and apples and she loves being groomed especially when it comes to having her face groomed.

Amille does dressage with Fiona, but recently has been letting her trainer try out jumping with her. Amille says, “My favorite thing about riding Fiona is how in-sync we get. She and I finally understand each other, so there’s a mutual communication between us. If I get nervous, she will too. But we are always there to comfort each other, which I love. I can always trust her, just as she can always trust me.”

The pair found each other when Chloe Cosgrove of CEC Elite Training, Amille’s mom, and Amille went on a trip to North Carolina looking for a horse to start her dressage career. At the time, they wanted a horse that could both do dressage and jump. Chloe picked four horses to look at, and Amille thought Fiona was going to be her least favorite, because she didn’t really want a mare. She says she remembered that just before getting to her barn at the time, she spilled her Starbucks hot chocolate all over her white shirt in the car. “I covered up with a jacket, walked into this immaculate barn, and there she was! I had never seen such a beautiful, sweet face in my life. She pricked up her ears at me and we just clicked. After that, none of the other horses we looked at came even close to having such an immediate spark with me. I’ve owned her for a year!”

If Amille could describe Fiona in one year it would be Perfect.

Amille shares, “I got into horses through my family. My uncle has ridden for a long time, so I would ride with him when I was younger. My cousin, Grant, is my trainer now. My uncle set up lessons for me at a barn in Glenoak when I was seven. I learned the basics from a lady named Joanne, and I still treasure those moments to this day. When I was nine, I joined Reid Thomas Performance Horses and began to prepare to show in the western events. My parents gave me “Ben,” my first horse, for my 10th birthday. I showed Ben for two years, then sold him and got “Moonie,” so that I could move up the levels in AQHA. I went very far with Moonie and accomplished a lot, but I decided to make a switch to English when I was 14. My absolute favorite thing about owning horses is the bond you form with them. The ability to be in unison with a 1200 pound animal is the greatest feeling in the world. The mutual trust between horse and rider is something that needs to be treasured.”

I always ask each owner for any interesting tricks or tips they want to share “See if your horse likes gummy worms! My first horse, Ben, loved them! I’ve also recently discovered Calm Coat, which is an amazing product that saved Fiona’s mane when it was dry because she rubbed part of it off!” Calm Coat is actually made with a blend of essential oils that helps the horses’s skin heal.

“My favorite memory with Fiona is when we went on our first “trail ride” after our lesson. The past month and a half at my new barn has been about bonding with Fiona and establishing that mutual trust, so when I walked out of the arena with her and began to walk around the property, it was a great feeling. She was scared of the chickens, but she trusted me. It was a wonderful feeling to not be scared of her reaction, as she can be a very reactive horse, but instead trust that I wouldn’t get hurt.”

 Karinda K Equine Photography is a Corpus Christi equine photographer located in Montgomery, TX. Karinda creates timeless portraits of you with your beloved horses, and other farm animals. Serving locally Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas communities. KEP also serves Wellington and Ocala, Florida, Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, Aiken, South Carolina, Tryon, North Carolina, and Norco and Woodside, California and their surrounding communities.