Due Process Stable

Sandy began working horses in 1983 riding mostly western throughout her college years.  In 1986 she moved to a strong hunter/jumper area and began showing hunt seat equitation, hunters, and jumpers to numerous Year-End Championship titles in 3' and 3'3" Amateurs and Eq.  She bought her first Green Hunter in 1989 and successfully showed him for several years starting at the Baby Greens and on up to the Working Hunters 3'3"- 3'6" to numerous Top 10 and Champion titles. In 1991 thru 1993 she worked for Heather Brook Clydesdales, showing Draft Horses and travelling mostly in NY. 

By 1994 she had attended several training symposiums and was curious about the high stepping refined sadddlebred type horses.  Much like the heavy Clydesdales, they have  both strive for higher action. She visited several National level trainers to watch and learn.  Later that year she purchased a green Hackney pony who she began training and showing.  By 1995 and 1996 Sandy had earned the AHSA Region 11 (now known as USEF) National Horse of the Year Championship in Open Fine Harness and was the NYS Hackney Association Grand Champion both years.   She continued showing the Hackney and the Hunters for several years taking additional USEF Horse of the Year titles in the Open Pleasure Division. 
By 2000, Sandy owned her first mini and a Hackney/ASPR Show Pony. The miniature, Virginia, was awarded Hall of Fame (HOF) in In-hand Obstacle by 2001, and was named AMHR National Champion in Showmanship, Color, In-Hand Trail, and In-Hand Youth Obstacle (with no two kids ever showing her horses twice - Sandy was known for going to a show and picking a kid out of the crowd to show for her).  The Hackney/ASPR, Appin Vixen was National Champion in Pleasure Diving 3 years in a row, and the Area 1 Champion 5 years in a row. At the 2001 Shetland Congress Champion the Show Pony was Champion in Halter and Reserve in Pleasure Driving- the mare went ASPC HOF in 2004.  She is the first ASPR to be recorded as achieving Hall of Fame status.

In 2001, Sandy wanted to strengthen her training and observation skills, and went to work with John Lyons "America's Most Trusted Horseman", a well known clinician and trainer out of Colorado.  She went with him on tour and covered 21 states in 12 weeks, learning about various breeds, through people they met at symposiums and training clinics.  She feels she really developed a good eye for horses during this time. Being with John Lyons also gave her the opportunity to meet and 

discuss training methods with his friends, such as Richard Shrake, Lynne Palm, Clinton Anderson, Chris Cox, Tommie Turvey, etc...  She worked for John Lyons for almost 6 years - John and his wife are very good friends and its a pleasure to visit them whenever she has the chance. 

In addition, she had occasion to work with his son Josh Lyons whose focus is on Reining, and she learned a lot from him on the components to a good routine, watching where the feet are placed, the amount of rider movement, the flow and rhythm, the elements to a good sliding stop, and more.  Her western horse, Cheasney, became John Lyons "east coast demo horse" until she was struck by lightning at the age of 6.   

produce a top level dressage horse.  Having had the opportunity to ride John's horses Zip and Seattle, Josh's reining horse Taz, and Tommie's horse Ace, She can vouch for what awesome horses they are and what she aspires to in her own training.

Sandy revised her miniature horse program to extend into breeding, after finding a very nice quality stallion that compliments her mares.  Her miniature horses have been shown in AMHR, AMHA, PtHA and WCMHR with much success and have taken numerous Championships and titles to include: National, World, Futurity, Hall of Fame, PtHA Horse of the Year, and PtHA's prestigious Top Honors of  Open Supreme Title and Open Supreme Performance. Sandy was named 2010 and 2006 Champion Breeder of the Year by WCMHR.   

She is also no stranger to horse shows having served as a timer for Gymkhana in the NBRA (National Barrel Racing Assoc) series, and has served a large variety of shows as secretary, manager, course designer for hunters/jumpers and trail, licensed EMT, steward, ring steward, and ring crew. 

She is a contributing writer for numerous magazines and author of a judges book.

She began her judging career in 2009 and has been enjoying judging throughout the US, Canada, Europe (Holland, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom), New Zealand and Australia.  

Judging at the European Internationals in Holland 2014

 

Check out the Judge's Reference guide on the tab to the right.

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