Christan began her riding career as a child in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she grew up. She began riding the wild ponies on the island at theage of eight.
Christan joined the local Pony Club there where she participated in eventing rally and was hooked.
ABOUT CHRISTAN
After moving back to North Carolina, Christan continued to ride and show with a leased pony named Cloud Nine.She evented through Training level on the pony before purchasing Ticket To Rideoff the Penn National track when she was 15 and "Ben" was 4. They quickly moved up the levels together,competing at the Advanced level in just 3 years. Along the way, they won the 1998 NAYRC team silver medal and individual 6th at the 2-star level. They were short-listed for the 2000 Olympic Games, and named to the USEF Developing Rider list.
When Karen took over the ride on Teddy, Christan decided to return to North Carolina and finish her studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. She returned home horseless, but purchased a young mare, Morchant, on the advice of Lisa Reid, the summer of 2005.
Lisa was essential in facilitating Christan's move to Middleburg and training with the O'Connors, after watching Christan and Teddy run around Preliminary at the AEC's in 2004.
Lisa Reid also found All Purpose Brown for Christan in 2008. The talented yet quirky bay thoroughbred gelding made the move from the US to Australia with Christan and progressed to the 3 star level, as well as being listed to the National Squad before an injury forced him into retirement in 2013, just before competing in his first 4 star.
Christan continues to compete in eventing with several talented young horses coming along, including the imported pony, Glenhill Mopar. Please see current horses page for information on each horse, both eventing and dressage mounts.
Christan continues to train with some of the best....Jim Wofford since she was 12, Nanci Lindroth since 1999, Jim Koford since 2001, and Denny Emerson since 2002.However, Christan is more than just an upper level rider and trainer. In May, 2008, Christan graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with degrees in History, Classical Humanities, and African Studies and she earned these three degrees in just 3 years total, which often times required taking up to twenty hours a semester and summer school. She continued to ride and teach full time during her studies. Christan was on the Dean's List every semester after returning to UNC.
Her other passions include human rights and globalism, and she has been involved in a number of projects in these areas. Christan has been involved with the International Criminal Court since the spring of 2007. While at UNC-Chapel Hill, Christan and a group of fellow students organized and launched the ICC Awareness Week, which targets the student body and the local community in Chapel Hill.
Christan interned at the North Carolina Bar Foundation Association, with NC LEAP. This program matches low income entrepreneurs in North Carolina with lawyers providing pro bono work in legal matters. This enabled Christan to work first hand with the community and the legal profession. She was also an intern at World View, which educates local high school and community college teachers about teaching methods used in other successful countries, such as Australia and India.
Christan was contacted by P. Wynn Norman about training and competing her pony, Theodore O'Connor, in 2004. She competed "Connor", or "Teddy"as he was renamed, at the Training and Preliminary level that spring, and moved him up to the Intermediate and Advanced level shortly after that.
During this time, Christan was living in Middleburg, VA and training with Karen and David O'Connor. She had been working all fall with them, and also went to Ocala to continue her training with the O'Connors. Teddy and Christan finished in 8th place at his first FEI event at the Poplar Place CIC** while based in Ocala.