About Annie Childress
"It's Always An Adventure with Annie"
With decades of experience, Annie Childress is a wealth of information and knowledge. Annie has a passion for helping people with their equines. Annie's motto is "Love the Journey". She believes that life is an adventure, and that slowing down a little and learning to enjoy the process, or "love the journey", has helped shaped her horse training philosophy! Though she no longer is able to teach, she still enjoys driving her pairs of ponies both recreationally and competitively!
EVENTING Experience through Preliminary/CCI* (now CCI**)
Annie began eventing at the age of 11 under Jean Moyer.
At the age of 15, she was selected to join the Area VII Young Rider's team in the hunt for the Fritz Cup, a CCI* (now equivalent to CCI**) held at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Colorado. There she placed 2nd individually.
She continued competing in eventing into her late 20's up and down the west coast and was active as an Area VII Adult Rider.
Annie has competed many different horses through Preliminary, restarted numerous OTTB's and given countless horses their first competitive cross-country experiences in an encouraging, gentle, yet confident manner.
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DRESSAGE Experience through Prix St. George
Annie studied dressage under local legends Jennifer Schrader-Williams and Gwen Blake, for years in her 20's.
This lead to competing in straight dressage through Prix St. George with Lancelot in 2006. She achieved 2 of her Silver Medal scores during this time.
PONY CLUB Certified through C3/HB (Traditional)
Annie had dedicated decades of her life to the United States Pony Club system. She credits so much of her success to how Pony Club taught and fostered solid horsemanship skills, in addition to, countless riding opportunities.
Annie aged out (this was before you could join as an adult) having earned both her HB & C3 certificates, and as a "B" Candidate.
DRIVING Experience through Preliminary 2023 North American Champions - Preliminary Pair Ponies
A few months after Annie had brain surgery in 2014, she was asked to help a self-proclaimed "old-timer" with getting his pair of Belgin mules fit for the upcoming wagon train. He was scheduled to have his hip replaced and with the wagon train just a few short months away, well he just needed a hand. This would plant the seed for Annie's love of the sport of driving and her love of driving pairs.
After a very successful trip on the wagon train, driving would go on the back burner while Annie spent the next several years trail riding all over the country.
It was not until February 2022 when Annie finally admitted to herself that she could no longer ride without extreme and intense pain. This was her turning point when her attention shifted to driving ponies.
Annie began competitive driving (CDE's) in 2022 by putting her two Welsh ponies (Berboni & Champion) together as a pair. She and this pair (known as a "Turnout") went on to win the 2022 West Coast Championship in Training Pair Ponies w/ Berboni & Champion and Amber Murchison as Navigator.
In 2022, the turnout was awarded Equestrian Institute's Driving's End of the Year Hi-Point Award for Overall Multiples w/ Berboni & Champion and Amber Murchison as Navigator
In April of 2023, Annie began training a new pair of chestnut Welsh ponies. Together with Amber also as the Navigator, they not only achieved the 3 Preliminary CDE qualifying events in 2023, but they attended and won the 2023 North America Preliminary Champions in Preliminary Pair Ponies w/ Bert & Barney and Amber Murchison as Navigator
2023 did not end there!
2023 Calculated Reserve National Champions in Preliminary Pair Ponies (calculated against all other Preliminary Pair Ponies across the US & Canada!) w/ Bert & Barney and Amber Murchison as Navigator
2023: Reserve West Coast Champions at Preliminary Pair Ponies w/ Bert & Barney and Amber Murchison as Navigator
2023: Equestrian Institute's Driving's End of the Year Hi-Point Award for Overall Multiples w/ Bert & Barney and Amber Murchison as Navigator
Though there were plenty of hurdles and more adventures for the story log ....