Team #632 Celia Burros and Miss Mary Max

Team #632: Celia Burros and Miss Mary Max
From: Suwanee, Georgia
Ages: 74 & 26
Combined Age: 100
Test: Training Level Test 1
Date: April 22, 2023

I first met my beautiful Morgan mare, Miss Mary Max, when she was six years old. My older Thoroughbred was no longer able to do the mountain rides that I enjoyed, and a friend of mine had purchased Mary only to find she was a bit too hot for her tastes. Mary and I, however, got along great from the start, and my friend let me borrow her for those long trail rides.

In the beginning, Mary was pretty green and always in a hurry which made for some interesting rides, but she was always a trooper when it counted. On one particularly memorable ride, we found ourselves in what could have been a tragic situation – upside down in a culvert! I credit Mary’s sensible nature (and my riding buddies’ quick thinking) for keeping us safe until help could arrive. That situation solidified our bond, and I bought her from my friend the next week.

I’ve found it is always necessary to channel Mary’s active brain and never-ending energy. In our early days together, I started her over fences, and we did some hunter schooling shows. When I moved her to a dressage friend’s farm, we took dressage lessons and did some of those shows as well. But our favorite thing to do was hit the trails and that has been our primary activity for the past two decades.

A couple of years ago, a fellow Morgan enthusiast friend told me about this Century Club she had read about in the Morgan Horse Magazine. When we figured out how close Mary and I were to being eligible, all my friends and family encouraged me to go for it. So here we are doing a dressage test again after all these years.

Mary is always up for a challenge; she is a testament to the Morgan horses’ versatility and stamina. I would like to thank all my wonderful horse friends and family who have helped us and cheered us along the way.