Mariah’s first steps on horseback were taken while she was still in the womb! Daughter of an established local horsewoman and instructor in Western Colorado, Mariah was lucky enough to grow up riding and caring for her family’s horses on a small 10-acre farm and private boarding facility in Western Colorado. These formative years offered Mariah experience in hands-on daily horse care, boarder management, pasture and facility maintenance, training, foaling, youngstock care, and more. A 4-H horse member since age 8, Mariah developed a safety-oriented approach to horsemanship. She won many accolades in the annual fair and 4-H shows, regional western pleasure and cattlework shows, and local APHA circuits. This childhood passion for riding would only grow as Mariah pursued her undergraduate degree in biology at Western Washington University. Riding for both the western and english divisions of her Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team, Mariah pointed out of (advanced through) multiple divisions in her four years, attributing much of her progress as a rider to trainers Suzy Huizenga and Kimberly Barber of Twin Maples Farm and Criedmont Saddle Club, respectively.
Working for both of these barns and leasing horses allowed Mariah to continue her riding education, honing her professional equine care skills as well as expanding her show experience to include Hunter/Jumper shows in the PNW region. After college, Mariah spent two years attempting to survive outside the horse world- and quickly discovered she couldn’t live without it. Buying an off the track thoroughbred, she moved to Pennsylvania to pursue a formal working student position with St. Jaqcues Equestrian at North Star Farm. It was here she trained with Canadian Olympic rider Samantha St. Jaqcues (then Samantha Taylor) and International Grand Prix dressage rider Pierre St. Jaqcues. Acting as a working student for a high-performance training and show barn exponentially enhanced Mariah’s education, providing hands-on experience with everything from top tier grooming, to starting yearlings, to putting exercise rides on 4th-level dressage horses. Thoroughly enamored with the equine professional lifestyle, Mariah has brought her skills and experience back to the West Coast, where she has always felt most at home. She’s excited to bring her professional offerings to the Gorge, from developing youth riders to supporting adults in their journey to better horsemanship.
