About
Natalie has been involved with horses her entire life. Her family breeds Irish Sport Horses with the aim of producing upper level event horses. Through this she has been able to experience riding many different horses and seeing the development of them from foals to successful careers. Together she and Flagmount's Freedom competed at preliminary for 3 years, including a fifth place finish at the 2013 Virginia Horse Park Two Star Long. She qualified for the North American Junior Young Rider Championships with him in 2013. She competed Flag at Intermediate Level (the second highest level of national competition) in 2014 before his retirement that year.
After Flag's retirement Natalie then brought along two young mares. Flagmount's Top Cat she trained from starting under saddle to training level eventing (3'3 jumping height). Her other mare, Flagmount's Patronus Charm, she developed from training level to 3 star competition (4'1 show jumping, 3'9 cross country). Top Cat was sold to a junior rider and went on to have a successful career in hunters and equitation, placing at A rated derbies, with the foundation she had from Flags A'Flying. Natalie also had several off the track projects during this time period she started and took through the lower levels of eventing.
Natalie and Patronus achieved a clear cross country round at the 2017 2 star short at Chattahooche Hills in Fairburn GA. In 2018 she and Patronus won their last preliminary level event together by 10 points out of a field of 18 by finishing on their dressage. In 2018 she and Patronus competed at the 3 star short level at the Texas Rose 2018 FEI Horse Trials and the 2018 Maryland International. She only added one rail and some cross country time, turning in another clear FEI XC round at the Maryland International. Since completing her first prelim with Flagmount's Temptress in 2011, Natalie has completed over 30 events at the prelim and intermediate levels on 4 different horses. To put this in context for those not familiar with eventing, Prelim and Intermediate are the highest levels offered at the majority of competitions. Natalie is one of only 11 instructors in Texas who has completed a 3 star level event.
After Patronus's retirement Natalie took some time off from her personal competition career but continued coaching. For the past two years she has been producing two young horses, Flagmount's Good and Ready and Flagmount's Good Omen. Good Omen she has taken from being started under saddle to his first training level as a 6 year old in 2023. They have won 2 events at the novice level and been in the top 3 several other times in the past year. Good & Ready is a very lanky 5 year old who she is taking it very slowly with to help develop his strength and balance. He has been 1st and 2nd in 5 different events at the Starter level and is getting ready to do his first Beginner Novice.
Natalie greatly enjoys teaching and is very passionate about partnering with her students to help them achieve their goals. She focuses on how correct flatwork relates to jumping in every lesson. She believes most jumping problems are rooted in the flatwork and loves seeing the connection in the training of the horse between all three phases in eventing. She loves teaching both children and adults.
She has taught many young riders from their first ever riding lesson to successfully training their own young horses (almost all off the track thoroughbreds) with good placings at beginner novice, novice and training level. Her students in the Fall season of 2021 did 20 clear XC rounds as a group with no penalties from any combination at any show despite most of the horses in the group being young OTTBs in their first or second season of showing, piloted by teens also in their first few years of showing. Every season Flags A'Flying has an incredibly high percentage of clear XC rounds, this is due to the time Natalie takes to teach horses and riders how to do the cross country softly, forwardly and in good balance. A balanced horse leads to a willing horse and confident rider. When taught with correct methods, a horse and rider's confidence will flourish; this is the consistent testimony of Flags A'Flying students.
Natalie graduated from Texas A&M Mays College of Business with a degree in Business Management in 2017. Since then she has taught full time out of Leaning Oaks Farm in Bryan, TX. Visit Flags A'Flying Equestrian on facebook to see posts containing recent student results as well as many videos/pictures of what Flags A'Flying has been up to lately.
Natalie's Recent Results
2nd in Starter at the 2023 Summer Coconino II with Flagmount's Good and Ready
3rd in the Open Novice at 2023 Summer Coconino I with Flagmount's Good Omen
3rd in the Open Novice at the June Meadow Creek Schooling Horse Trial with Flagmount's Good Omen
5th in the Open Training at the 2023 May Holly Hill Schooling Horse Trial with Flagmount's Good Omen
2nd in the Open Novice at the 2023 March Texas Rose with Flagmount's Good Omen
1st in the Open Novice at the 2023 February Pine Hill Schooling Horse Trial with Flagmount's Good Omen
1st in the Open Novice at the 2022 November Meadow Creek Schooling Horse Trial with Flagmount's Good Omen
1st in the Starter at the 2022 Fall Texas Rose Horse with Flagmount's Good & Ready
2nd in the Open Beginner Novice at the 2022 Fall Meadow Creek with Flagmount's Good Omen