Edelweisz, also known as Poppy, is a stunning 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare. Sophie Schaeffner rides and competes with her under the guidance of Katie Moriarty at On Course Riding Academy.
Poppy is full of personality—she’s known for popping her lips when she’s bored and always has an opinion about everything. One thing is for sure: she absolutely loves going to horse shows!
One of Sophie’s favorite memories with Poppy happened this past fall at HITS Saugerties during the Marshall and Sterling Finals. Competing in the 3’ derby, Sophie scored her highest derby total ever, taking an early lead in the class and holding it all the way through. “It was one of my biggest accomplishments,” Sophie says, “and I’m so happy I got to share it with Poppy!”
Poppy came into Sophie’s life in a very special way. Her mom—who is also her trainer—originally had a student who owned Poppy. Years later, Sophie started riding her as a potential sale horse. But after a few rides, it became clear they were a perfect match. The rest is history, and they’ve been an unstoppable team ever since.
Her favorite treat? German Muffins!
Sophie has been riding her entire life. Her first horse show was at just 21 months old! Brought along by her mom, she’s developed into a strong equitation rider, competing up to the 3’3” Eq finals. Her favorite part of horse ownership is watching the progress unfold and building meaningful partnerships over time.
Karinda K. is a Houston, TX based equine photographer that travels around the United States photographing equestrians and their horses. Karinda specializes in Outdoor Horse & Rider Portrait sessions that bring to life the magical relationship equestrians share with their horses, Senior Portraits, and Fine Art Black & White Background Portraits for those that want a piece of art featuring their very own animals.
Interested in Reserving a Portrait session? Schedule an Info Call Here.
Portraits for Charity was an idea Karinda dreamt up to help give back to families impacted by Childhood Cancer in memory of her husband’s sister Jessica.
If you are interested in having Karinda attend your event and host a Portraits for Charity day, send an email to equine@karindak(.)com.
Need to Contact Karinda? Email us at equine@karinda(.)com or call us at (8 3 2) 598-8715
Information shared in this blog is based on information collected at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, if for any reason this information is incorrect and you would like your horse’s blog post updated, please notify us via email.
