About Me:

Ashley Shaffer

Accomplishments

SHOWING

2006                                                       

NCRC w/t/c 12 & under Champion         

NCRC Open Reserve Champion                      

2007
NCRC Halter Reserve Champion
NCRC w/t/c 12 & under Reserve Champion

NCRC Open Reserve Champion

MeCTA – Elementary 6^th Place
 EMDA – Quadrille Champion

 USPC- Foxcroft Pony Club- earned D1, D2, & D3 ratings

2008                                                             

NCRC Sportsmanship Award                     

Maine Dressage Society- Bronze Medal      

EMDA – Training Level 2^nd Place               

MeCTA Beg. Novice 1^st Place                   

MeCTA High Point Jr                                 

2009
NCRC w/t 13+ Champion
NCRC w/t/c 13-17 Reserve Champion
NCRC Open Reserve Champion
MeCTA Beg. Novice 2^nd Place
MeCTA Novice 1^st Place
MeCTA High Point Jr.

MeCTA Usea 1^st Place

 MeCTA- Awarded Figure Trophy for lowest
combined score for Junior at Snowfields Horse Trials

 USEA- Snowfields HT Novice Jr. 1^st Place,
    Clay Brook Farms Pony Club Award

  King Oak Novice Open 1^st Place
2010
USEA- UNH Spring HT – Novice 3^rd place

Huntington Farm HT- Novice 2^nd place

Snowfields HT- Novice-3^rd place

Course Brook HT-Novice- 5^th place

Competed in Area 1 Championships- Novice

Competed in American Eventing Championships- Novice

Got my Bronze, Silver, and Gold medal @ the Novice level

Got the “Blue Ribbon Award” for USEA

USPC- Foxcroft Pony Club- earned C1 rating

Earned C-2 rating.

MeCTA- Novice 1^st Place-Dixie

Elementary 2^nd place-Keiko

NCRC- w/t/c Reserve Champion.-Keiko.

PERSONAL

My name is Ashley K. Shaffer, I am a 16 year old that lives in Milo, Maine. My family has had a horse farm/rescue since 2001. I started riding in 2003 at my family’s farm, and soon started taking lessons with Gail McCormick of Infinity Farm. Although Gail has been primary instructor, I have had the privilege of working with many other instructors/clinicians throughout the state of Maine such as Mary (Gunzel) O'Rourke, Judy Westlake, Audrey Bean, Sandy Porter-Bean, Carol Poulin-Taylor, Anna Welch, and others. I have had so much support from the “Horse Community”, from my friends and competitors, local farms, (Robin Corey-East Ridge Stable, Sandy and Audrey Bean-Pendragon Equestrian Center, Sue and Hannah French-Ireland Farm) “Club” family's,(FPC-Ruksznis Family,Gillespie Family, and the rest of the FPC members) and my entire Infinity Farm family. My most important support and influence has been my family, especially from my parents Kim and Wayne. They have given me everything I need to accomplish my dreams.

I started helping train horses at Infinity Farm in 2004, I helped to train several school horses, as well as horses for sale at the farm. I've since taken on project horses to train at my family's horse farm/rescue. I've trained several young horses with little to no training, as well as rehabilitating rescues and training them for new “jobs” in new homes. I started helping at the farm and now I can run the day-to-day operations independently. Some of my “success” stories are “Nikki”, “Ella”, “Ready”, “Hershey”, “Thunder”, “Francis”, “Ruby”, “Dream” &”Oliver”, just to name a few.
    I'm now working with Duellsa a 7 year old, Oldenburg mare. We purchased her from Jill J. Owner of Wishmaker stables in NH. She had not had much handling when we got her. Once arriving to our farm she had a month to get used to the routine at Second Glance Farm, and then went into training with Gail and I. She is a fast learner and now has three smooth steady gaits. We are working on er getting to build more top line muscle, and all the other things a green horse need work on.

I am hoping to get her out in the show world in 2011, out to Equitation, 2 phases, and possible some Horse Trails by the end of the year.

My biggest accomplishment however is “Dixies Wild Angel” who was a rescued feral pony purchased at auction for just over $100 to save her from a “meat” truck in 2005. Dixie was a 3yo mare with BIG attitude and NO training. She became very ill right after coming to our farm and took quite some time to recuperate. After several attempts to find a home for her, Gail offered to bring her to Infinity Farm for a month and help me get her training started. Both Gail and I worked very hard (and a month turned into 2 ½ years!) and we were able to get Dixie going under saddle and with Gail's guidance and lots of encouragement I was able to tap into Dixie's potential and now we are an incredible team. We've shown equitation, dressage, and evented. We were MeCTA Champions in our division in 2008, 2009, and 2010. We have been competing at the Novice level with USEA. I competed in the Area 1 Championships in Massachusetts in August 2010, and competed at the American Eventing Championships (AEC) in Georgia in September 2010. This year (2011) We are working on Dixie's dressage. I am now to tall to jump her comfortably. So we are going to compete in USDF shows at first and second level. We are hoping to got to USPC Festival in July (in dressage). We have also done parades, and love to ride on the trails and are a common site riding through our hometown of Milo.

Memberships

North Country Riding Club (NCRC) – Dexter Maine – member since 2005

Maine Combined Training Association (MeCTA) – member since 2007

United States Eventing Association (USEA) – Area 1 – member since 2009

United States Pony Club (USPC) – Foxcroft Pony Club – member since 2007

United States Dressage Federation (USDF) – member since 2007

Maine Dressage Society (MDS) – member since 2007

Eastern Maine Dressage Association (EMDA) – member since 2007

2011 Goals

USPC- To Obtain H-B rating

To compete in USPC Festival

MeCTA – To compete Keiko @ the Beg. Novice level, and compete Duellsa @ the Elementary and BN levels.

USEA- To get Duellsa out in the showing world in USEA towards then end of the year.

Future Goals

I would love to work/intern as a working student for a farm that competes at a National, International, and or Olympic level. My other Goal would be to continue my training and education in all things Equine.

Then I want to go to The American School of Equine Dentistry in VA.