2025 CONQUERING AERC MILES AND INSPIRING RIDERS ACROSS THE STATES!

This year has been nothing short of epic for the Cypress Trails crew! We’ve blazed trails across three different states, participating in seven incredible rides, and racking up a whopping 85 ride starts as a team. From seasoned veterans to enthusiastic newcomers, the spirit of adventure and camaraderie has been stronger than ever.

After slogging through (in a close to 100% farm finish) at Shanghai in March, a major highlight was watching Past National Champion, Ceci Butler, and Isabella Gonzalez absolutely crush it at the Racing Stripes Endurance Ride, conquering 75 miles and both landing in the top 10! Their dedication and skill were truly inspiring. The awesome CT Crew wasn’t bad either!

Kaitlan Prince showcased incredible consistency by finishing back-to-back 50-mile rides with her new horse DJB GypsyAA; while Isabela Hadad had an impressive streak, finishing all five of her rides this spring!

Laney Lassetter and the “kill pen rescue”, gorgeous DJB Qatar Mosalayi, just keep getting better and better.

Maricris Buzzell celebrated a significant milestone by completing her first 25-mile ride in Shanghai and then, shortly after, purchasing her trusty mount, DJB Firepoint!

Eilish (Connor) Young, who started at CT at about 13 years old, broke the 2000-mileage mark this year as well.  Not to mention, she Top-Tenned in the Miss Texas USA Pageant as well.

Manahil and dad, Burhan Naseer, started back in 2022 and are racking up miles on their fabulous horses, DJB Zouk & Ezen. Endurance even inspired Burhan to travel to Mongolia and ride with the Reindeer People a few months ago.

Fourteen-year-old Aria Ali started as a lowly Intern at CT in 2023 and has earned her stripes, a few AERC miles, and now her very own competition horse, DJB Astro. Ava Mondragon and Dasha Khvatkov even sneaked away from the farm long enough to ride at the sloppy Shanghai, and finished the 25 with excellence.

Learning to ride at 50, just for a hunting trip, Scott Weaver got “Endurance Bit”, then demonstrated his new skill by completing two 50-mile rides on our trusty DJB Argonnes Bedias. He then welcomed a new endurance mare, Torchlight, an off-the-track Arabian, into his care and ownership.

Most interesting was Jessica Zhai, who rode as a teen, did real-life stuff for a few years, then 10 years later honed her skills once again, to not only re-start endurance, and purchase a top horse,  DJB SVR AllSpice. In addition to normal training, she tackled 3 rides in the last few months so she might seriously compete in China in a 150-mile 3-day competition, where she proudly medaled in the competition.

Lois Coyle and her wonderful gaited mare, Chance, won 3rd place in the Limited Distance for Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breeder’s Association in 2024.

Speaking of resurrecting the past, a 14-year-old protégé in 1993, Laura Stoicescu, garnered 4,500 miles in her young career, resulting in her completing the FEI World Championship in 1998 for Romania (Darolyn was Chef d’Equip). She took a life break in 2007 to become a nuclear scientist, marriage, two darling girls, and breeding some fabulous horses. Then in 2023, she came charging back into the sport and has been competing ever since.

Back in Houston, nearing her 40,000-mileage mark (5 time National Champion, and, yes, still riding), Darolyn Butler has been a force, hosting multiple endurance clinics which introduced over 10 first-time riders to endurance riding just this year. She even prepared 78-year-old intrepid rider, Carol Cooper, to learn to ride to do her first dude ranch cattle drive.

It’s amazing to see so many new faces joining our community, with eight young riders now rising through the ranks, thanks to her mentorship. Darolyn has been instrumental in guiding multiple riders (of all ages!) through their first endurance experiences, fostering a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone.

Thank you for everything you do, AERC. Here’s to a great 2025 year

Some images provided by Remuda Photography