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Sterling Equine Appraisals
Quality, Professional Appraisals You Can Count On
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LEAH STRUZZIERI, ASEA APPRAISER #03205
Leah joined Sterling Equine
Appraisals in early 2000, as the East Coast partner. She is a life long horseperson and
resides on a horse farm in the southeastern section of New York State with her daughter, Devon, their Jack Russell, Dolly Levi, and a stable full of horses. “I don’t
remember a time in my life when I didn’t want to ride. Both of my parents had ridden
for recreational and pleasure purposes, so maybe it was in my genes from birth. I still
remember my dad putting his old western saddles on saw horses for my sister and I sit and
“ride” on while he watched old Westerns on TV.”
INFLUENCES, in
her own words
I count as my friends and heroes several prominent horsemen and
women:
- Michael Page, who successfully rode the horse Grasshopper in the Rome
Olympics, went on to Judge several USET Finals and coached the Olympic Team through the
1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea;
- Dr. Matt Elliot, a partner in Mid-Hudson Equine Practice who's expertise,
extensive background and ease of communication makes him a well respected and highly
sought after veterinarian and horse person;
- Cosimo Napolitano, who not only founded NYCONN Horse Transportation but
had a successful show jumping career and is considered to be a respected "founding
father" for the equine sport as well as the "Intercollegiate Horse Show"
idea and one of the longest standing members of the PHA;
- Peter Leone, who represented the United States in 1996 at the Atlanta
Olympics, also part of the Crown Royal "Team Leone";
- George Morris, who needs no introduction but whose attention to
detail and quest to uphold the tradition of excellence in horsemanship is
relentless;
- Thomas Breede, R-AHSA judge who explained the concept of judging 60
Hunter riders all in navy coats on chestnut horses to me and kept his sense of humor and
fair play the whole time;
- and Jeff Jones, Champion Reining Horse Trainer and Rider who is a forward
enough thinker to realize that the basics of good training are the same no matter what the
discipline.
View Detailed Cirriculum Vitae (Resume in MS Word format) |
More Background
A horse lover from childhood, Leah’s first interest
was in the Morgan bred. The interest was sparked by “Aunt” Stephanie Rosenfeld,
of Blue Rose Morgans, home of the incomparable Appleton Corsair. Leah showed her
horse, My Magic Moment (Appleton Corsair x Hibernia Heidi), at shows such as
Granite State and New England Morgan. While in New Hampshire, she met Melissa Whittum and
family. Melissa's parents headed up the Wentworth Pony Club at the time and Leah became an
active member. |
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| In the mid 80’s Leah returned to New
York and weekly Hunt Seat riding lessons with respected Equitation instructor, Tina
Stephenson in Pleasant Valley, NY. Pat Diletto of High Point Farm, home of It’s
Fleetwood Mac, champion sire of numerous Hunter and Sport Horses, saw Leah ride. She
began letting Leah show a mare named Pennyweight and the combination was a great
success. Leah has successfully shown in the Equitation, Hunter and Jumper rings with
horses like Holy Cow (pictured at right), Brownie Points, Nacho Man, Fleetwood
on Ice, Victor, and Fleetwood’s Remarkable, to name a few. Leah also had the opportunity to work closely with Charlie Faulk
(Parks), 1976 World Champion Rodeo rider with her AQHA mare, Lucreatia McEvil.
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| Shown at right on
Can't Touch This, a Westphalian bred Warmblood and multi-champion Equitation and
Hunter horse. This picture is from HITS New York, taken in 1990. In 1994, she used her experience from assisting at the HITS shows
to volunteer her time and expertise to organize the successful 1994 Summer Series,
incorporating a riding clinic with Michael Page to kick off the season. Her expertise was
then sought after to organize the successful Putnam Horse Trials. Always looking to
“give back” to the sport, Leah taught at a weeklong clinic for 4-Her’s. A
testament to her ability and dedication is that each one of the riders from her group, who
chose to compete at the Regional level, qualified for State Horse Show. |
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| Leah’s background and dedication to
the sport is seen by her own success and also by the success of the people and horses with
whom she comes into contact. For example, an amateur successfully competed her
first season on the AHSA 3’ Hunter circuit aboard ATA mare, Demusica, with
Leah’s guidance. Leah is pictured
leading Demusica at right.
Currently, Leah is the most sought after appraiser at
Sterling. She oversees Natural Horsemanship Training with young horses on her farm.
Leah is also a sales agent matching riders with suitable horses from
across the country, delivering exceptional result in and out of the show
ring. |
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| Pictured
with Leah, from top to bottom: My
Magic Moment, Holy Cow, Can't Touch This, Demusica; below, Two-time National Champion
Hunter Under Saddle Mare, Show Me The
Stage 
Special thanks to Leah for her excellent and informative presentation to
a crowded arena at Equine Affaire in Springfield, MA and also at Equine Affaire in Pomona,
CA.
Leah Struzzieri and Larry Larson, Director of Education - American
Society of Equine Appraisers, at a recent Principles of Valuation
seminar in Pittsburgh, PA.
As featured in Horse & Rider and The Morgan Horse magazines. |
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