Over winter break, four new horses arrived on campus to benefit the riding program with their advanced skills: Q, Miss, Crack, and Bear. Like our students, all of these horses come to Grier with their own personality and experiences. Let’s meet these extraordinary animals!
Q
Q, also known as Qhuo Vadis, is a new chestnut horse at Grier who is currently located in Western barn. Q has competed at Prix St. George dressage levels, the beginner international level. Prix St. George is the first showing level where riders begin to compete internationally. Q is an Oldenburg gelding, a nice warmblood breed. The term ‘warmblood’ encompasses several different breeds and is used as a descriptive term. He is a big horse, standing at 17.2 hh (175 cm). Lindsay Shaw, Grier Alumni and one of our equestrian trainers, says, “Q has quite a puppy-dog personality.”
Miss
Miss is a gray horse who has already found her place at Grier. Anleigh Ahlert, ‘25, recently showed Miss in the 1.20 m junior jumper classes at WEC Ocala. This horse and rider team are already improving together with the pair winning Ahlert’s first non-pro jumping competition at WEC Ohio. Even with her extensive career, this horse is goofy at times; however, she knows when it is time to work. Before coming to Grier, Miss showed in Grand Prix jumper events. “I rode her a week before I took her to Ocala,” Ahlert says, “and we just kind of clicked together and it went well.”
Crack
Crack is another new chestnut horse at the barn. He was donated to Grier by the Rein family. He came from Wellington, Florida in January 2025. This 5-star Grand Prix horse has a lot of personality and has already shown his dislike of the cold weather. “He has a lot of personality,” said Riding Director, Chrystal Wood.
Bear
Bear came to Grier in January 2025. Emily Guthrie, ‘27, has already fallen in love with this lovable Swedish warmblood. His personality includes his love for Cool Ranch Doritos. He has competed at Junior Hunter Finals, Penn Nationals, and has even placed at Colonial Classics. “He is just such a cool horse to have the opportunity to ride,” Guthrie said.
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These four horses have already made their impact on the Grier community. All of these horses are already settling in beautifully at Grier and are integrating themselves into our always growing and changing riding program. Make sure to say hello to these new faces if you are visiting the barns anytime soon. Maybe bring some Cool Ranch Doritos.
