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Leslie Burr Howard A member of the United States Equestrian Team ( USET ) squads that won the team Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the team Silver Medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, ‘ Leapin Leslie ‘ Howard entered her first show at age 6. As a junior rider, she won the 1972 ASPCA Maclay Finals, at Madison Square Garden at age 15, the United States top competition for riders 18 and under. (read more under "Leslie Career") |
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W.T. "Timmy" Kees With over 25 years experience on the “A” horse show circuit, W.T. (“Timmy”) Kees is one of the country’s most prominent hunter/equitation trainers. Raised in Maryland riding in pony club and galloping his mother’s race horses, Kees began his career by selling horses from the race track to George Morris and Ronnie Mutch. He later joined Mutch as Assistant Trainer at Nimrod Farm in Weston, CT. His riders have won the ASPCA Maclay, AHSA Medal and USET equitation finals a total of seven times. Kees has also trained hunters such as Holy Smoke, Watership Down, So No Wonder, Castaway and Double Cinco to championships at Devon, Harrisburg, Washington and New York. He is an AHSA “R” judge and conducts clinics throughout the country. Kees is based in Red Gate Farm, where he trains horses and riders for the hunter, jumper and equitation divisions with his partner’s Olympic gold medalist Leslie Burr Howard and Grand Prix rider Chris Cawley. |
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Chris Cawley Since starting his show career at the age of two, Chris has been showing hunters and jumpers, with much success. Chris grew up in Harrisburg, Pa. riding and training at both of his parents farms. During his junior years Chris started on ponies and worked his way up to his first Grand Prix at the age of 17. Chris trained in North America and Europe with Debbie Stevens for six years with numerous ribbon finishes in Grand Prixs throughout Europe before joining Burr Associates in 2001. Chris’s students at Burr Associates have shown successfully, with multiple wins in all hunter and jumper divisions throughout the East Coast, including Wellington, Devon, Harrisburg, Lake Placid and Kentucky. |
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Gabriël Coumans Gabriel is a multi-talented Dutch horseman, who is the “European Connection” for Burr Associates. He has been a successful show jumping rider since the age of six. He was the coach of the Dutch Junior Team, the Dutch Junior Pony Team, and the Israeli National Team. Over the years Gabriel has become an expert in scouting top show jumpers and fitting them with the right rider. Leslie has worked with Gabriel for 20 years , resulting in an amazing number of successful horse/rider combinations for Leslie,and her students, both amateurs and Juniors. A few of the many now famous horses Gabriel found for Leslie as young talented beginners include: Charisma: Gabriel continues to be a wonderful resource for horses for Leslie herself, and for successfully mounting Burr Associates clients in the future. |
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Molly Ashe Cawley Molly is originally from Tennessee and now resides in Wellington, FL. This accomplished show hunter rider joined the grand prix tour in the late ‘90s. In 1999 Molly captured her first major grand prix victory by winning the $50,000 Grand Prix of Lake Placid aboard Rosewood Glen Ltd. Resolute. In 2000 Molly captured her first international win aboard Kroon Gravin in the Banco Herraro Grand Prix in Spain. In August Molly and Kroon posted double clear rounds in the Samsung Nations’ Cup World Final helping the USET to a second place finish behind Germany. In November 2000, Ashe was named United States Equestrian Team (USET) Athlete of the Month following her victories at the Eternit Grand Prix of Germany in Berlin and the Audi Grand Prix of Maastricht in Maastricht, Holland aboard Kroon Gravin. Molly and Kroon continued there streak by winning the $75,000 Tampa Grand Prix World Cup Qualifier in March 2001. One week later they captured the blue ribbon in the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational, followed by first place in the $50,000 Grand Prix of Devon. In 2002 Molly and Kroon won the $200,000 American Invitational for the second time in a row and went on to be the overall winner of the 2002 World Equestrian Games U.S.E.T. selection trials. In 2003 aboard Jane Clark’s Lutopia, Molly won the $65,000 RBC Cup in Spruce Meadows, placed 2nd in the 1 million dollar CN Grand Prix and claimed first prize in the $65,000 Grand Prix de Penn National World Cup Qualifier. Molly and Lutopia ended the season by clinching the East Coast World Cup Standings. The following year Molly and Lutopia won the Queen Elizabeth II cup in Hickstead, England as well as the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix. In 2005 Molly and Kroon Gravin captured the KY National world cup qualifier as well as the world cup qualifier at Capital Challenge. At the end of 2005 aboard Neuville, Ashe won the $100,000 NHS World Cup qualifier in Wellington. In 2006, Molly spent the summer in Europe competing on the Samsung Super League Tours. Lutopia won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hickstead for the 2nd time and Neuville won the Longines International Grand Prix of Ireland at the Dublin Horse Show. In 2007 Molly returned to competition in Europe on the Super League and Nations Cup tour. Lutopia was successful in many speed classes and with Vicomte D was on the winning Nations Cup Team in Falsterbo, Sweden as well as being on the 2nd place Super League Team in Dublin, Ireland. With Cocu, Molly was again on the winning Super League team in Hickstead, England. |