Above: She’s The One (Cera 99) and Izzy Feinstein at the Monmouth at the Team Horse Show. Photo by Ric Shaffer Photography.
By TPH Intern Izzy Feinstein
Exactly 3 years ago, on September 24, the ownership of She’s The One, affectionately known as CeeCee, was officially transferred to my name. After leasing a pony for a little over 2 years, I was extremely excited (and a bit nervous) to begin my journey on a horse.
When changing CeeCee’s USEF ownership over to my name, I found her name was once Cera 99. Intrigued, I decided to look through her show record and conduct a Google search. After doing extensive research, I discovered CeeCee was bred at JES Breeding Farm in Calgary, AB, Canada.
Edda and Joe Selinger bred Carthago Sun I to Colibri and on April 19, 1999, Cera 99 was born. Delving deeper into her bloodlines, I discovered she was related to Consul, Capitol, Carthago Z, Fleur, Come On, and Landgraf I. It was quite the family tree, filled with legendary horses and impressive accomplishments. Additionally, I uncovered a full sister, Cita 2000, as well as many half-siblings.
After finding all of this information on the JES Breeding Farm website, I decided to formally reach out to the Selingers via e-mail. Edda responded quickly and, within a few weeks, a package arrived at my door. It contained more information about CeeCee’s bloodlines, parents and siblings. Edda also provided her competition record, noting that her previous owner and rider was Andrea French-Harris. There were also precious photos of her as a foal and in competition.
Learning all of this new information about CeeCee, such as her success in the jumper divisions in Canada, gave me new understanding and appreciation for her. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Seeing how many people dedicated their time, energy and love to her upbringing made me realize how truly amazing horses really are. I will be forever thankful to the Selingers, Andrea French-Harris, and everyone else who had a hand in CeeCee’s care and training before me. And, of course, I cannot begin to express my gratitude to my trainer, Libby Dayton, for connecting me with CeeCee over 3 years ago.
If you ever have the opportunity to learn more about your horse’s past, I highly recommend reaching out to those involved in their breeding and training. Learning about your horse’s history can provide you with new insight into how they think and act, and allow you to show appreciation for those who dedicated their lives to creating such a wonderful partner for you.
