Whitney Lagace – Unexpected Career Change Leads to a Life in Horses
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188 – Aug/Sept, 2018
BY ALISON FOSTER GREEN
An Unexpected Career Change Leads to a Life in Horses
Some horse trainers dream about working with horses from the first moment they sit in a saddle. For others, a career as a horse trainersneaks up on them – subtly and organically weaving its way into their life until they can’t imagine doing anything else. Trainer Whitney Lagace, of Whitney Ridge Stables, belongs to the second group. In many ways, the training lifestyle chose her rather than the other way around, and Whitney is forever grateful that it did.
Born in New York City and raised in the suburban town of Middletown, Connecticut, Whitney didn’t grow up in the horse business. She inherited her love of riding from her mother, who, despite the city lifestyle, would carve out time to ride horses through Central Park, trotting through the beautiful landscape surrounded on four sides by a dramatic skyline of skyscrapers and civilization. For Whitney, it was at the county fair with the ponies that she first discovered that she shared her mother’s passion for horses.
“My mom was thrilled when I first showed interest in horses at the local fair, as a young girl. She had always loved riding in Central Park in New York City. When she saw that same love in me, she nurtured and supported it. We started with one pony, and I was hooked. As my passion for riding continued to grow, I moved from ponies to riding Arabs, and I started working with trainers and showing on the Arab circuit a bit. I loved every minute of it.”
Despite her love of riding and showing, Whitney never gave much thought to working full-time as a horse trainer, instead, pursuing a more traditional career path in accounting and financial services. She says, “While I knew I would always have horses in my life, I always thought I would end up in New York City with some fabulous job. I went to school for accounting and worked for a while in a bank and as an accounting clerk, but it just wasn’t for me.”
Click here to read the complete article188 – Aug/Sept, 2018
