MarshaHartford-Sapp of Southern Oaks Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., epitomizes everything right about taking the path of least resistance. She has become a beloved horse trainer thanks to the transformational results she has achieved with equines that others might throw away.
Hartford-Sapp has not only made horses into model citizens, but twice they have been made into Breyer model horses.
For every little horse lover who believes models come to life and leap from the shelf as they sleep, there is Hartford-Sapp, giving happy endings to real horses as well as putting them onto those bedroom shelves.
COBRA THE MUSTANG
“I didn’t collect Breyers as a kid,” says Hartford-Sapp. “I was horse-crazy of course, but had I known about them [in St. Albans, Maine], I would have had stables of them!”
Instead, when plans to pursue a law degree at Florida State University didn’t pan out, she gave riding lessons to make ends meet, turning a hobby into a career. In her method of training horses using the “least resistance,” she has also found little resistance from judges to pin good performances, including two Extreme Mustang Makeover wins and a U.S. Dressage Federation Diamond Achievement Award (through Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle).
Marsha Hartford-Sapp and Cobra