The Terlizzi Tribe – An Obsession With Horses That Spans Generations

Click here to read the complete article
70 – September/October, 2023

By Brittany Vermeer

AQHA amateur exhibitor Tali Terlizzi has loved horses almost as long as she can remember. It’s something her mother must have sensed even before Tali was born.

“Actually, it’s a funny story how I got my name,” Tali says. “My mom had watched this movie and there was a character named Tali. The girl was also obsessed with horses, which is funny because so am I!”

Tali’s grandmother showed Quarter Horses in the ‘60s and later owned Standardbreds that were used for harness racing. Once she realized that she’d passed her equine addiction onto her granddaughter, she purchased Tali her first Quarter Horse from Pierre Briere.

“I really got into low schooling Jumpers and Hunters,” Tali says. “I was in college before I got into Quarter Horses. Once I started, I never stopped.”

Now, Tali competes in two very different events: Hunter Under Saddle and Western Pleasure. Despite one discipline being free-flowing and forward-moving, and the other more collected and slower-paced, Tali has seen how competing in both has helped her develop into a more well-rounded horsewoman.

“Honestly, showing in Western Pleasure has helped a lot with Hunter Under Saddle,” she says. “There aren’t as many buttons that go into Hunt Seat, but if you put those Western Pleasure buttons on a Hunt Seat horse, it’s a lot easier. I think showing in Western Pleasure has helped me sit back more, use my feet, and not go to my hands so much. It’s slower moving, so you have more time to think about what you’re going to do and how to do it. Sometimes, I get stuck going slow in Hunt Seat now, because I’d rather go slow!”

The Terlizzi Tribe

Click here to read the complete article
70 – September/October, 2023