Winter 2024/2025 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Winter 2024/2025 Page 25 Jason and Crystal Charles: A Love of Horses Connects Their Family accomplishments are too numer- ous to list, but career highlights include the Mustang Makeover Champion, National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) top ten, Horse World Expo Trail Champion and Equine Affaire Versatile Horse Champion in both Ohio and Massachusetts. Jason currently trains and shows NRHA reining and is one of the top competitors in versatility and trail challenge disciplines. Crystal Charles’s love of children led her to a career in edu- cation. Her passion for horses led her to Jason Charles. Crystal has loved horses as far back as she can remember. As a child, her par- ents bought her an unbroke Appa- loosa pony mare, and “no matter how many times that bratty pony bucked me off, I got back on!” In her youth, Crystal took some lessons, and barrel raced and rode on college equestrian teams. She became a teacher and taught 8th grade language arts at South Western School District. While there, she initiated an equestrian club and sought a local trainer to demonstrate starting colts and fillies. That is when she met Jason Charles in 2008 and their worlds merged, but not at first. Crystal drove the van of students to the farm where he worked. The students sat wide- eyed on haybales as Jason demonstrated his skills with equines. She was impressed with his abilities but not enough to say yes when he asked her on a date. Jason didn’t give up easily, and after three refusals, Crystal finally said yes to a night with him at Bull Ride Mania. The rest is history. Crystal fell in love with both reining and Jason, and then said, “I do.” They married in 2009. In 2014, they purchased a farm in Dillsburg, PA, where they train customer horses and work with their own, primarily reining of American Quarter Horse Associ- ation (AQHA) stock. Crystal also purchased Mya, a white English Lab, who became the founda- tion for her successful breeding program. Ms. Whiz It is their heart horse—a 2015 AQHA buckskin mare that truly brought them together as a family. Crystal said, “We purchased ‘Whizzy’ as a 2-year-old. Jason trained her and showed her at Susquehanna Valley Reining Association.” Whizzy was the first horse Jason showed at NRHA as a rookie professional. He landed in the top ten. Ms. Whiz It has since earned her Register of Merit in AQHA open and ama- teur, won multiple champion and reserve placings in trail events, and is an NRHAmoney earner. And in the 2024 Congress Open Futurity Level 1, Jason landed in the top 10. Jason discovered Ms. Whiz It had other talents too, making the title of versatile horse fitting. The mare with the huge heart won a Quarter horse bronze and claimed titles in numerous trail challeng- es. Crystal showed Whizzy as her first horse in many venues including NRHA. Life couldn’t get any better. But it did. In 2016 Ayla Lyn Charles was born, followed by her sister Isla Mae Charles in 2020. Both have become “talented riders and have dreams of being horse train- ers like their dad,” says Crystal. But they are uniquely different. “Ayla is the rule follower, while Isla is the rule breaker.” When it comes to loving horses, Jason and Crystal agree, “The girls get it honestly.” As for Ms. Whiz It “this horse is worth her weight in gold. She has the biggest heart to take care of all of us. She has taught our family reining.” The Charles family shares the belief that training horses, working on a farm, and raising puppies and calves instills good, wholesome values in the girls. They develop a good work ethic from their daily chores, farm life promotes problem-solving skills, and horse shows build character, good sportsmanship, and comrad- ery. But keeping the sport fun and engaging—while not becoming a drudgery of chores and compe- tition—can be challenging. How do they do it? Playing games with their daughters on horses is important and allows them to engage their imaginations. “They love to set up camp outside and pretend that their mini horses are wild mustangs to capture and train.” Crystal says they play with their ponies for 4-5 hours a day after school. Ayla is currently in fifth place in the NRHA youth division for 13 and under. “We are proud of both girls and will continue to foster their love of horses and showing the best we can!” Today Crystal is a mom, wife, barn manager, English white labrador breeder, mini Highland cow breeder, homeschool teacher, and NRHA competitor. Jason is all the above, plus he has organized the trail challenge at Horse World Expo for the past five years. In 2023, it featured a beach theme. The year before was Yellowstone. The family of four can be found working together in the arena, making the event an exciting com- petition and crowd favorite. Kids today brave different challenges. Life is no longer about simple games of hopscotch and sandbox play. Children are exposed to school shootings, AI, isolation, bullying, and sadly, suicides. Heavy burdens, for which there is no easy answer. However, analyzing others who appear to have figured out a solution provides a roadmap to suc- cess for us all. In this case, the love of horses connected their family. Visit jasoncharlesllc.com or oxfordwhitelabs.com to learn more. Alicia Stephens Martin is a busi- nesswoman and writer from South Central Pennsylvania. She has authored six novels, her latest, The Silver Cowgirls Ride Again, just released in November 2024. (Continued from page 6) Ayla Charles and Ms. Whiz It scored a 71 and won the NRHA Short Stir- rup class at the EPRHA Reining Show at the Gloucester County DREAM Park in March, 2024. Photo credit: Elaina Eppinger Photography