Ashley Kerr Story
by Suzin Daly

Introduction

  On July 3rd 2003 I received a phone call from Ashley Kerr inquiring about Baltic Aurin. Ashley explained that she has been looking for a young horse that would have a kind temperament and be talented for jumping. I told her I thought Aurin would meet her needs and to come over and meet Aurin. Ashley explained to me once we met that she and her husband John where planning on starting a family. She thought since she would not be riding for a year or two a young horse would fit the bill. I turned Aurin out in the ring to show off Aurin’s movement. Aurin strutted her stuff. Even in the middle of a growth spurt Aurin showed off her great canter and her trot covers ground. Ashley asked if it would be possible to free jump Aurin. Aurin loves to jump and I certainly had no problem free jumping her. Aurin is constantly jumping in the field on her own just for fun. Aurin had a lovely time jumping over the small obstacles set up for her. Ashley was very taken with her. I showed off all of Aurin’s tricks. I enjoy showing off that Aurin will walk across blue plastic tarp and loads herself up in the trailer. Ashley loved Aurin and returned over the weekend many times bringing others with her for their opinions. I was surprised how quick Ashley’s made up her mind she was going to take Aurin.

  Dr. Fernando Cardenas did the pre purchase. He was impressed with Aurin’s temperament and talent for jumping. Ashley’s main interest is Hunters and Dr. Cardenas, a well seasoned horseman himself, concurred Aurin definitely showed talent for Hunters/Jumpers even as a yearling. Ashley and I could not resist setting up a jump to show her talent to Dr. Cardenas. On July 18 John Kerr bought Baltic Aurin for his wife Ashley. Ashley and Aurin are now partners. Ashley comes almost daily to continue working Aurin in hand.

Ashley’s story

  I started riding when I was 9 years old. I then stopped to pursue high school activities. I picked up riding again about 3 ½ years ago. I leased a beautiful chestnut mare with big white blaze and two white socks named Cali. At this time I had a started training with George Wallace. George helped me with Cali. She had a bit of a temperament and can dump you on a jump in a heartbeat. She turned out to be a great teacher for me since I had to be a confident rider and keep her focused. Even though I was leasing Cali we bonded from the first day and she was like my own. The 2 1/ 2 years I worked with Cali we did extremely well. We did the local show circuit starting out at the C rated Hunter shows. With George’s coaching and guidance we worked our way to the A rated Hunter shows.

  I started thinking about starting my own family and gave up riding to do so. I returned Cali back to her owner. I was sad to see her go. We ended with Reserve Champion in the hopeful Hunters at our last show in Pinehurst. Cali gave me a great experience. I will always love Cali. She holds a very special place in my heart.

  I was a little frustrated since I couldn't’t ride. I love horses so much that I thought about getting a young horse. When I was done having children the young horse and myself would be ready to start the riding process again. I looked for a long time including a trip to Florida. Nothing had struck my fancy. On July 3rd I came across an ad for a Swedish filly named Baltic Aurin. She looked so cute in the photograph and she was local. I called the number and made an appointment to see her that afternoon. When I drove up to the barn and parked I saw a young horse wandering around the barn grazing. When I got out of my car she came over to greet me. She turned out to be Baltic Aurin. I thought she was well behaved and it was easy to see she was well handled. Suzin brought her into the riding ring to show off her gaits. When I had requested would it be possible to see her free jump. Suzin smiled and said no problem. I then saw her jump and that was the only thing I needed to see. This filly can JUMP! I just fell in love with her the moment I saw her, and knew she would be mine. I had a vet check done and when she passed the exam my wonderful husband purchased her for me.

  My goals for Aurin eventually will be to ride her Adult Amateur Owner Hunter on the A circuit. She has what it takes to make it. I have so much faith in this filly. Suzin has asked that I keep in touch on her growth and progress. So I will keep Suzin posted so keep checking back to the web site for updates. My plans are to attend the breed show in Raleigh this fall. This will be Aurin’s first horse show. Hopefully I can get my husband, John to do the handling, what fun.

  Thank you Suzin for a dream come true!

   Ashley Kerr

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