Two Knockouts Off to College

We are proud, and a little sad, to say ”so long” to two of our Knockout members who are off to college this fall.  Emily Mayer will be traveling to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota and Nick Maupin is off to Madison to study at the University of Wisconsin.

Emily’s riding career started with the begging of her parents to ride horses at age four.  Jim and Mary Jo, her parents, promised Emily that after she had to have her tonsils removed at age six she could have a “FEW” riding lessons.  It’s now 12 years later and she is still riding!

Emily started riding at Knollwood at the age of six and started showing in barn shows shortly thereafter.  Her positive attitude and perpetual smile make you believe her when she says, ‘Every time I ride, I have fun!’

After showing on the academy circuit for several years, Emily’s parents leased Callaway’s Don’t Panic for her to show at ‘A’ shows.  They spent a year competing in country pleasure classes and some equitation classes even though Panic is not the traditional equitation horse!

Following her year of learning, the Mayers purchased the beautiful bay gelding Mocha’s Mudslide for Emily to show in pleasure equitation.  Muddy, who is very dear to Emily’s heart,  was young when they started and has matured very much under Eric and Emily’s guidance.  They have had quite a successful season so far, most recently winning the pleasure equitation championship at the ASAW Summerfun show in July.

Emily graduated from Kettle Moraine High school, where she played varsity baseketball and tennis. She will be studying at University of Minnesota with an eye on a career combining medicine and children.

 

 

 

Our other graduate, Nick Maupin, started riding when he was 7 after watching his mom, Melissa, in her lessons. He progressed through the lesson programs, showing Mark in his first in-barn show. Nick started showing out of barn where he showed Wedgie and Baxter often and became known as ‘the boy in the yellow vest.’

Nick started an incredibly successful career in equitation when he was partnered with What a Feeling, who he nicknamed Cartman, a name which has followed him to this day when he’s Syd’s eq partner.  Nick had lots of success with him, and Nick continued to grow and grow and grow.  After lots of looking, Coco Mojo was found for Nick’s new equitation horse. In two short years Nick and Mojo took the division by storm, quite a feat in that his horse was only five in his last year of showing equitation.

In 2010, Nick and Mojo won the triple crown of equitation.  Nick was the first male to ever win this prestigious title and he won it on the youngest horse ever. His long term goal had always been to win the title and he put everything he had into achieving it during his 16 year old year so he could focus on college prep  during his senior year of high school.  He’s showing in performance this season and loving every minute of it!

In his career, he has won 17 world and national titles, was co-captain of the gold medal winning US World Cup three-gaited team and is a 2011 recipient of an ASAW scholarship.

Nick has made friends all over the country and has had many wonderful experiences through saddlebreds.  He’s had the opportunity to show horses for other trainers which has been great.  In addition, the scholarships he’s won or received will pay for most of this year’s tuition!

 Nick graduated from Arrowhead High School where he was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Senate, the lacrosse team, and Broadway company.  He plans to major in marketing and real estate at Madison.

 

We are proud of the success and growth in and out of the ring of these two very special Knollwood riders. We wish Emily and Nick continued success and we look forward to seeing them when they return on college break.