One Good Navigator Finds the Road to the Top

Megan & Sarah – Sharing the Navigation

Young first rode Gator at the 2002 Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg. “We had a lot to learn because I was young (15) and he was young,” she explained. “But he was a great horse then. He always jumped well and he tried his heart out. You could ride him and he would take care of the rest.” The only time Young was a little cautious was over the vertical jumps. “He’s not built very uphill or downhill (he’s built more on a horizontal plane, which is also the way he gallops across the ground), so you have to make sure you don’t get him too close to the verticals.”

Young recalls Gator back then as being “a quiet horse that didn’t take much prep to get to the ring. He was beautiful and I knew he had a lot going for him in the future. So, whenever Sarah couldn’t make it, they would have me show him.”

She remembers getting some ribbons that first year but she and Navigator were still navigating their way to the top. “We really didn’t click until this year (2004). Until then, we had little mistakes in each class because we were learning each other and he was young.”

In 2004, Alvarez rode Navigator a lot in Florida and so Young didn’t show him as much. Young won at Devon. Then Young continued with him at Harrisburg. Not only did he get the Grand and Championship ribbons there but Young also was named Best Child Rider, a feat only a very few riders can claim.

Adds Young, “I have ridden quite a few good horses but he is one of the best, for sure.” This year was Young’s swan song with Gator. She is 18 and turning professional, but having Gator bring her to some of her final victories in the Winner’s Circle was a special treat for Megan, Melissa and Sarah.

For Sarah it’s been a great road to travel. When asked if she thought he would be this good Sarah commented, “I think we all did.”

During the Winter Equestrian Festival, Sarah competed on Navigator on the weekends in the Amateur-Owner division, since she is now 18 and has aged out of the Juniors. Now that Spring is here and Summer is approaching, keep an eye out for Sarah and Gator as they navigate down a new road. They’ll announce the owner as The Manhattan Mortgage Company because whether Melissa Cohn is running her company, spending time with her family, or buying horses, she follows the same policy of navigating the best course she can possibly negotiate. That’s the road to success – that’s Navigator’s true course (but just don’t forget those peppermints)!