Smart Start Stable is pleased to introduce to their team Kari Augustine as assistant trainer. Kari comes to the team with a wealth of show experience in Arabian Trail, Dressage, Sport Horse Under Saddle, Hunt Seat Pleasure, and Western Pleasure. She has earned seven national top tens in trail, training and first level dressage. Kari's experience as an amateur rider who did most of the work on her own gives her the determination to always learn more and to work to be better every time she works with a horse both in training and in the show ring. She has a knack with the youth, teaching them first safety and basic horsemanship and then good riding techniques, blending in our philosophies on how to work with horses and develop a partnership with them.

Kari has been with us full time for over a year as an amateur observing us work horses, taking notes, asking questions, showing her horses and ours. She came to us with Kaluah, a horse who couldn't canter without rearing. We guided her in fixing Kaluah but she did nearly all the work herself. Kari and Kaluah have earned 2 National Top Tens, Regional Championships, Regional Reserve Championships and Top Fives since they came in our door! Everyone has a horse come into their life that is more difficult than any other - the one that teaches them more than any other. Kaluah is that horse for Kari. They've done very well together and are still not at their full potential together - we are looking forward to even greater things from this pair.

On December 1 Kari decided to relinquish her amateur status and choose horses as her profession. She observed trainers from all over the United States and Canada at the shows she's been to and decided that Smart Start Stable is where she wants to instruct and train. The addition of Kari to our team will open the door to people who want to excel in trail class and dedicated youth who want to ride horses and be the best that they can be, along with what Smart Start already offers. She is proving to be a wonderful asset to us, helping with our horses, working on our website material, show updates, advertising, phone calling, doing everything she can to help us spend more time with our horses and less in paperwork. She sees many horses at various levels of training, watches the changes and improvements and knows how they got there. We are fortunate to have her on our team and are looking forward to the great things to come.