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Christina Kirwan has
been riding, training and breeding horses for nearly 20 years.
Prior to becoming involved with horses, Christina competed for 12
years in gymnastics and was training for the 1990 Olympic Games
although she longed to be involved with horses. Christina
quit gymnastics to pursue horseback riding and immediately found her
calling. Because of her excellent balance from years of
gymnastics, she had a talent for riding
difficult horses and was frequently called upon to assist with
training and breaking these challenging horses.
Within 2
years of learning to ride, Christina purchased her first horse, Cheyenne,
an initially difficult horse sadly due to a history of abuse. She
competed with Cheyenne for 5 years with their first debut in the
Central Western Trillium Hunter Circuit where they placed 5th
overall out of nearly 50 competitors in 1994. They continued
for many successive years claiming numerous victories and
championships.
Christina has
also shown in the National A Circuit with Vistosa
in the Jumper Development Series, Beginner Jumper, and Level 1
Jumper classes.
Christina
works as a Senior Manager at EMD
(Merck) Serono Canada, a pharmaceutical company in Mississauga,
and amazingly still finds time train and compete with many
of the horses at Keur-Wood Stables.
Marty Kirwan
also has two jobs above and beyond the horse farm and works in both
the public sector and as a
referee in the Ontario Hockey League.
Marty was introduced to horses
through Christina and although he still maintains a healthy
respect for them, he has been instrumental in assisting with the
development of Keur-Wood Stables. Marty is a self-proclaimed
"human tractor" and has been involved with building stalls and shelters,
installing fencing and other general handyman work. Marty is
also Christina's main support at shows and despite the long hours in
the hot sun or pouring rain, still manages to do it
with a smile on his face.
Marty
and Christina welcomed their first human baby, Keelan, in February 2009.
Marty and Christina have great hopes for this future equestrian by
summer and hockey player by winter.
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