Featured Exhibitor
Crumpler Stables Ltd.
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Sarah White came to her love of horses at an
early age, but she didn’t begin her journey with
Saddlebreds until she was twelve years old and was
gifted with riding lessons. She and her parents
picked the closest barn, which was at Victory Knoll,
and her instructor was Mary Quinn. After a couple
of months, the trainers moved and she took a few
lessons at Jo Cornell’s. Shortly thereafter, Fran and
Kim Crumpler moved to Kentucky from Illinois and
began running their barn out of the Victory Knoll
facility. Since it was minutes from her middle
school, she moved to take lessons there, where they
had hired Mary Quinn as well. Mary left after
awhile to start her own family, and Sarah stayed
with the Crumplers.
early age, but she didn’t begin her journey with
Saddlebreds until she was twelve years old and was
gifted with riding lessons. She and her parents
picked the closest barn, which was at Victory Knoll,
and her instructor was Mary Quinn. After a couple
of months, the trainers moved and she took a few
lessons at Jo Cornell’s. Shortly thereafter, Fran and
Kim Crumpler moved to Kentucky from Illinois and
began running their barn out of the Victory Knoll
facility. Since it was minutes from her middle
school, she moved to take lessons there, where they
had hired Mary Quinn as well. Mary left after
awhile to start her own family, and Sarah stayed
with the Crumplers.
Sarah White
It took months for Sarah not to call them “Mr. and Mrs. Crumpler,”
and it was the beginning of a long and deep relationship. She quickly
moved up to showing at winter tournaments and then, in spring of
1992, Academy classes, but all at the walk and trot. That summer,
the unthinkable happened. Fran and Kim had gone to look at the
Juvenile/Ladies Five Gaited star CH Callaway’s Crusader for
another customer, and on the way home from Delovely, they said in
passing how wonderful he could be for Sarah. Well, the deal fell
through and they approached Sarah’s mother about buying the 13
year old gelding. Thankfully, Sarah’s maternal grandmother was
more than happy to support her granddaughter in this new venture,
and Crusader became Sarah’s first show horse. Sarah’s mother,
and it was the beginning of a long and deep relationship. She quickly
moved up to showing at winter tournaments and then, in spring of
1992, Academy classes, but all at the walk and trot. That summer,
the unthinkable happened. Fran and Kim had gone to look at the
Juvenile/Ladies Five Gaited star CH Callaway’s Crusader for
another customer, and on the way home from Delovely, they said in
passing how wonderful he could be for Sarah. Well, the deal fell
through and they approached Sarah’s mother about buying the 13
year old gelding. Thankfully, Sarah’s maternal grandmother was
more than happy to support her granddaughter in this new venture,
and Crusader became Sarah’s first show horse. Sarah’s mother,
Susan White, famously asked Kim, “She has to do how many gaits? Can you write those down for me?” To
this day, Sarah has rarely showed anything that wasn’t Five Gaited.
Sarah didn’t begin showing Crusader until the following spring, and it was a true match. These two
earned blues way more often than not over the next four years, with blues or tricolors at Midwest,
Gasparilla, Tampa, Illinois State Fair, and Indianapolis, just to name a few. Their last show together was at
the Kentucky Fall Classic in 1996, when the decision was made to retire him. Sarah retired him at the
Illinois State Fair Horse Show the next summer, where they had won the first ever Junior Exhibitor Five
Gaited Championship in 1996, which was renamed in his honor. He lived out his life at Crumpler Stables
until his death in the late fall of 2003.
In 1995, she and her mother purchased the young blonde She’s A Rockefeller. They saw her show at
Midwest, winning both her Three Year Old Five Gaited classes with Jim Koller, and Sarah fell in love with
her. She never said anything to the Cumplers. About a month later Kim called Sarah’s mother about the
pretty mare. Sarah began showing her in 1997 in the Five Gaited Pleasure division, and they racked up
many blues and quite a fan club together until Rocky’s final show in 2007.
Sarah had quite a challenge come her way in the form of Bucks & Profits, a prospect who never quite
turned out. Despite only getting in the show ring together a few times in Show Pleasure driving after many
years of work, he has taught her more than most any other horse, Sarah became a competent driver from
Crusader, who she learned to drive before she could drive a car. All the years of practice in his retirement
taught her a lot. Buck is now a permanent lesson horse at Crumpler Stables, where he continues to
challenge and teach Sarah and others. His genial and amiable personality makes up for his lack of focus.
Her newest adventure is with the handsome four year old Do You Dare. Just a four year old, Kim picked
this large colt for his small rider earlier in the summer. He made two excellent shows to win the Park Open
and Park Championship at the Illinois State Fair with Kim this past summer. Sarah is currently
participating in the process to finish him with Kim, and no matter what division they settle in, they will
have fun.
Sarah’s riding skill has grown through the years, and it is due to the teaching style at Crumpler Stables
and the horses she has ridden. The Crumplers teach more just how to ride, they teach you why. They
emphasize how a horse’s body works, how it moves, how the equipment works, etc. They don’t just tell
you what to do, they tell you why. Throughout most of her 17 years with the Crumplers, Sarah has
ridden/driven twice a week or more and gets on or behind whatever they tell her to. She now warms up
and “trains” the lesson horses as part of her normal “lessons.” She even warms up horses for Elizabeth
Quinn’s lessons, who is the daughter of her first instructor. Some of the beloved lesson horses that have
taught her over the years include Image, the grey mare, Joy, Blaze, Reggie, Olympic Gold, and now Time
and Baby, a small Morgan mare. Sarah was also lucky enough to take lessons on CH Marlbank in his later
years.
Each of the horses she has ridden and every minute at the barn has made her the rider she is now, and
it all is due to picking the barn closest to her house, which turned out to the best barn for her. Her close
relationship with the Crumplers is more like family and less like business, which is the feeling you get from
all of their customers who are all incredibly supportive of each other.
Now at the age of thirty, Sarah teaches and tutors college writing for a living, and it surprises her how
similar her teaching philosophy and the Cumplers’ are. The lessons that she has learned riding/driving
have served her in the rest of her life. It taught her to take constructive criticism at an early age, so
creative writing workshops were never a problem. The focus on process bleeds through from the barn to
both her writing and teaching as well. The Crumplers have not only made her a better student, they have
made her a better teacher as well. The lessons that she has learned, and continues to learn, at the barn are
lessons she will take with her the rest of her life.
this day, Sarah has rarely showed anything that wasn’t Five Gaited.
Sarah didn’t begin showing Crusader until the following spring, and it was a true match. These two
earned blues way more often than not over the next four years, with blues or tricolors at Midwest,
Gasparilla, Tampa, Illinois State Fair, and Indianapolis, just to name a few. Their last show together was at
the Kentucky Fall Classic in 1996, when the decision was made to retire him. Sarah retired him at the
Illinois State Fair Horse Show the next summer, where they had won the first ever Junior Exhibitor Five
Gaited Championship in 1996, which was renamed in his honor. He lived out his life at Crumpler Stables
until his death in the late fall of 2003.
In 1995, she and her mother purchased the young blonde She’s A Rockefeller. They saw her show at
Midwest, winning both her Three Year Old Five Gaited classes with Jim Koller, and Sarah fell in love with
her. She never said anything to the Cumplers. About a month later Kim called Sarah’s mother about the
pretty mare. Sarah began showing her in 1997 in the Five Gaited Pleasure division, and they racked up
many blues and quite a fan club together until Rocky’s final show in 2007.
Sarah had quite a challenge come her way in the form of Bucks & Profits, a prospect who never quite
turned out. Despite only getting in the show ring together a few times in Show Pleasure driving after many
years of work, he has taught her more than most any other horse, Sarah became a competent driver from
Crusader, who she learned to drive before she could drive a car. All the years of practice in his retirement
taught her a lot. Buck is now a permanent lesson horse at Crumpler Stables, where he continues to
challenge and teach Sarah and others. His genial and amiable personality makes up for his lack of focus.
Her newest adventure is with the handsome four year old Do You Dare. Just a four year old, Kim picked
this large colt for his small rider earlier in the summer. He made two excellent shows to win the Park Open
and Park Championship at the Illinois State Fair with Kim this past summer. Sarah is currently
participating in the process to finish him with Kim, and no matter what division they settle in, they will
have fun.
Sarah’s riding skill has grown through the years, and it is due to the teaching style at Crumpler Stables
and the horses she has ridden. The Crumplers teach more just how to ride, they teach you why. They
emphasize how a horse’s body works, how it moves, how the equipment works, etc. They don’t just tell
you what to do, they tell you why. Throughout most of her 17 years with the Crumplers, Sarah has
ridden/driven twice a week or more and gets on or behind whatever they tell her to. She now warms up
and “trains” the lesson horses as part of her normal “lessons.” She even warms up horses for Elizabeth
Quinn’s lessons, who is the daughter of her first instructor. Some of the beloved lesson horses that have
taught her over the years include Image, the grey mare, Joy, Blaze, Reggie, Olympic Gold, and now Time
and Baby, a small Morgan mare. Sarah was also lucky enough to take lessons on CH Marlbank in his later
years.
Each of the horses she has ridden and every minute at the barn has made her the rider she is now, and
it all is due to picking the barn closest to her house, which turned out to the best barn for her. Her close
relationship with the Crumplers is more like family and less like business, which is the feeling you get from
all of their customers who are all incredibly supportive of each other.
Now at the age of thirty, Sarah teaches and tutors college writing for a living, and it surprises her how
similar her teaching philosophy and the Cumplers’ are. The lessons that she has learned riding/driving
have served her in the rest of her life. It taught her to take constructive criticism at an early age, so
creative writing workshops were never a problem. The focus on process bleeds through from the barn to
both her writing and teaching as well. The Crumplers have not only made her a better student, they have
made her a better teacher as well. The lessons that she has learned, and continues to learn, at the barn are
lessons she will take with her the rest of her life.
Sarah with CH Callaway's Crusader
Sarah with She's A Rockefeller