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REGION FOUR EXPERIENCE, JULY 17-20, 2008

When Christen Green and Izzy Connected walked into their amateur showmanship class Thursday at the Region Four Regional Experience, it was the first time they’d been in the show pen since October 2005, the year they won the year-end all-around amateur award in Ohio.

Green had taken two years off to concentrate on finishing her nursing degree at the University of Ohio, and “Blue” had just been kicking back, enjoying life. But anyone who has been bitten by the “horse bug” knows how long-lasting those effects are.

“I thought I’d be able to dedicate all my time to school,” Green said. “It’s just so hard, because when a horse becomes a part of your life, it seems hard to walk away. And I guess this is proof of that, you come back and miss it all that much more.”

So with the help of trainer Megan Mazzarini, Green, who hails from Canal Windchester, Ohio, began legging Blue up and preparing for the Regional Experience that was just about 20 miles from their home. 

“It wasn’t hard at all,” she said. “He loves to show. We kept joking how I could just pull him out of the stall this winter and go show, but I never had the time.”

So the preparation – and the long weekend in Columbus – was fun for both of them.

“He’s so much fun to show. He’s just so laid back, and he’s kind of a pet to us,” Green said. “He’s actually for sale, and if I could keep him, I would keep him in my house. He’s such a baby. Every time he does well, he wants carrots. He begs for them.”

And it’s probably a safe bet that Blue got lots of carrots during the Regional Experience. He and Green won the regional championship in amateur hunter under saddle, and they also placed in the top 10 in amateur showmanship, hunt seat equitation and performance halter geldings.

“I was very tickled with (10^th place in performance halter) because that class is new for me,” she said. “It wasn’t around in ‘05 when I showed, so it was fun to just go in.”

By bringing home all those medallions, Green and “Blue” ended up ranked fifth in the all-around amateur standings for the show. But, lucky for them, an award was also being given out for the high-point new amateur exhibitor, for people who did not show in 2006 or 2007. And they were at the top of that list, scoring them a new Tex Tan trophy saddle.

“It turned out to be a good week,” Green said. “I definitely did not expect this good of a week. I’m very, very happy with it.”