Kari McKelvey is the instructor and operator of Springfield Sport Horses. Kari graduated from Cazenovia College in 1988 with an AAS in Stable and Farm Management and is a 1990 graduate of Virginia Intermont College with a BS degree in Horsemanship.

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Her passion began as a 9 year old in the 4-H program offered in the small county she was raised in.  She got her first  Shetland Pony shortly afterwards and the passion grew from there.  She competed in Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Trail classes, Equitation and barrel racing.  She got her first taste of riding English when she raised, broke, trained her first colt. She experienced the breeding aspect, appropriate care and nutrition of an expecting mare and the trials of birthing, weanling care and eventually breaking the colt/gelding to ride English.

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She switched to Hunt Seat after taking a semester in college and learning that jumping was incredibly fun and wanted to pursue that discipline. She gained enormous knowledge with her experiences teaching at Blue Star Summer Camp in Asheville, NC. After graduating from Virginia Intermont she was a groom and barn manager for a professional Eventer,  Peter Green of Bluemont, VA.  She gained lots of experience traveling from VA to FL for winter stints for training and conditioning.  After taking a break to raise her children she was brought back to her passion when her daughter started riding.

 

Kari continues to teach Hunt Seat riding with an emphasis on a balanced position and proper Equitation. Promoting a healthy respect for the care of each lesson horse and developing horsemanship skill sets.  Keeping the lessons horses healthy enables us to teach your children and sets a great foundation for their learning.

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Watching the students advance through hard work and commitment is the most rewarding part of coaching.  

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