A Bit About CSI...

CSI was founded in 2003 to help promote, market and selectively breed Curly Sporthorses. Curly Sporthorses are one of the more popular types of Curlies, but until now, there has been no entity to help breeders and owners learn about sporthorse selection, how to improve their breeding stock, or how to promote and market the the results of their breeding program.

I founded CSI in order to give Curly Breeders and Curly Sporthorse lovers a place to turn to for advice, education, support, guidance, recognition and a sense of community. You may be asking why I'm qualified to start an organization such as this... well, the short version is that I have lifelong experience in training and showing hunters, eventers, & dressage horses, having trained horses to both state & zone level titles. I completed the USDF L Judges Program and since have judged dressage shows across the South Eastern US. My sporthorse breeding experience extends over the last 15 years, including conditioning & preparing my own Warmbloods for presentation at Sporthorse Approvals. I have trained my own dressage horses to Grand Prix and I have taught dressage and jumping lessons over the years to a select group of serious riders. I was also a member of the Georgia Dressage and Combined Training Board of Directors and served as the editor of the GDCTA newsletter, "Collective Remarks".

My goal is to take my lifetime of 'lessons learned' with sporthorses and help other Curly Sporthorse owners and breeders develop their own sporthorse program. Why do I want to do this? The reasons are many... First, there are a great many misconceptions in the Curly world about sporthorses and what it means to breed them. I would like to see Curly breeders come to a better understanding of what Sporthorses are all about. Second, until Curly Sporthorses are recognized for what they offer the world as performance horses, Curlies will be considered by many as nothing more than an oddity. Breeders need to come together and show the sporthorse community why their next sporthorse should be a Curly. Third, until breeders focus on the development of the Curly Sporthorse type, Curly Sporthorses will be produced with glaring inconsistency. Consistency in breeding comes from clear direction and goal oriented selection of breeding stock based on evaluation of conformation, disposition and movement.

One of my favorite quotes is from "Alice In Wonderland", in the scene where Alice meets the Cheshire Cat. The Cheshire Cat says something like this: "If you don't know where you are going, any road will do". The goal in my own breeding program has been to have a clear direction, heading down a very specific path. I encourage others to do the same. Not every breeder needs to be on the same path, but it helps for every path to be a well thought out one, with educated reasons for our breeding decisions. Knowledge is required to make sound decisions. Join CSI and expand your knowledge!

Warmest regards,

Elaine Elmer
Founder, Curly Sporthorse International