Amanda & Cassie | Windswept Stables, NJ | The Golden Years Project
Some horses don’t hit their stride until their second act. Cassie, registered as Priscilla’s First, show name Strike a Pose, was 16 years old when Amanda came into her life. From barrel racing at 18 to surviving a serious dental surgery at 28 without missing a beat, Cassie has spent her entire life proving people wrong. Amanda and Cassie were photographed at Windswept Stables in Millstone, NJ as part of The Golden Years Project, a series celebrating horses in their senior years and the people who love them. As a New Jersey equine photographer, it is an honor to document these partnerships.
In 2024, at the age of 33, Cassie passed away peacefully at her home.
Amanda & Cassie’s story, photographed at Windswept Stables in Millstone, NJ in 2022
Horse: Priscilla’s First, show name “Strike a Pose,” barn name Cassie | 31 years old | Bay Thoroughbred mare | Windswept Stables, Millstone, NJ
Discipline: Hunter/jumper, equitation, pleasure, trail riding
How it all started…
I got Cassie in January 2007. At the time, I was a senior in high school. I had been riding for years, but my family could not afford the equestrian lifestyle. I had been a working student from 7th grade on, doing barn chores and helping out the younger students in order to cover some of the cost of my lessons. I made some great friends along the way, and was lucky enough to make one of my lifelong friends, Alicia, through my time as a barn rat.
Alicia’s family had just bought a home with a small farm out in Millstone, and she knew of someone who had a difficult mare that was looking for a new home. Enter Cassie.
How and when we met…
I remember Alicia mentioning a new mare she was going to be getting, and that I could try her out — and if I liked her, I’d be welcome to do a full lease. Cassie was 16 years old at the time, but was still a very spirited mare.
My first ride on her was outdoors on a cold January day, but Cassie and I clicked pretty instantly. On the flat she was very well behaved, so Alicia suggested trying her over some low fences. The first fence I took, I was holding too tight to the reins for Cassie’s liking — when we landed, she rooted her head and did a little bunny hop. I was worried I wasn’t an experienced enough rider for her. But Alicia encouraged me to try again with softer hands. Trust her. Let Cassie take the fence.
Sure enough, when I tried again, Cassie floated up and over, landed calm and quiet, and let me take up rein again without fuss.
From then on, Cassie became mine. At first it was only a full lease, but eventually it was clear that Cassie had chosen me as her person — and so it became official. I will always be grateful to Alicia and her family for bringing Cassie into my life, and for providing a beautiful, peaceful farm for us to call home for all these years.
Our highest point…
In 15 years with Cassie, we made so many incredible memories — winning Grand Champion in year-end horse show awards, splashing around in Assunpink Lake, taking fences boldly together, and the quiet, patient steps Cassie took as my two-year-old godson had his very first horse ride.
But one memory stands above the rest. In 2009, at The Horsepark of New Jersey, a benefit show for the ReRun Thoroughbred Adoption Program hosted a “Battle of the Breeds” after the regular show. Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds of all ages competed in various classes and games. Cassie was one of the oldest horses there.
They had a barrel dash class. Despite our prim and proper hunter/jumper background, we had spent weeks practicing, and I was determined to win. The moment the buzzer rang, Cassie flew down to the barrel, around and back at top speed — but in perfect control. She reined up perfectly and sashayed out of the ring with her usual poise. My 18-year-old mare beat every other horse there with the fastest time. She placed second overall in the Battle of the Breeds, and although it was just a fun event, it will always have a special place in my heart.
Our lowest point…
When Cassie was 28, I noticed she was more irritable around her mouth than usual. When the veterinarian checked her teeth, we discovered she had developed EOTRH — Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis — a painful condition where all of her incisors had begun to dissolve at the root. They needed to be surgically extracted.
The post-operative care was not easy. Cassie does not tolerate being medicated orally, and the pain from surgery made her fractious. Mixing medication into her food resulted in an immediate hunger strike. It was several stressful days of patiently coaxing her to eat by hand.
I felt so horrible that I was responsible for making a medical decision that she didn’t understand was better for her in the long run. Luckily, by the fifth day, Cassie turned a corner — and surprised me by reaching down to start grazing. Without any front teeth. Since then she has done wonderfully, and she has never let her lack of incisors stop her from gobbling up grass or letting her field mates know who is boss. Ever the resilient mare, she learned to peck like a hen with her gums to get her point across.
Where we are now…
My biggest takeaway from my journey with Cassie is that even though she was 16 years old when I got her — even though she had already gone through many reinventions, from racehorse to broodmare to riding horse — her story was nowhere near over.
People are always shocked when I tell them how old Cassie is. The response is almost always, “Wow! How long do horses live?” And while I realize it is extraordinary to have a 31-year-old horse, I don’t think people realize just how much Cassie still had to give in the second half of her life.
Cassie has been an anchoring presence through my entire adult life. I was a high school senior when I got her and am in my mid-thirties now. There aren’t enough words to express the gratitude I have for everything she has brought to my life. And though I know our time together is not limitless, I am lucky for each day we have together.
Is your horse in their golden years? Don’t wait — inquire about a session.
Thank you to Amanda for sharing Cassie’s story with me, and for trusting me to photograph this extraordinary mare. Cassie is proof that a horse’s best chapter doesn’t have to be their first.
