Click HERE to read an article featured in The National Horseman Magazine
about Alicia Owens and Scottfield Stables!
Alicia Owens
Trainer/Instructor/Owner
Simply put, Alicia has been horse crazy entire life. As is the case with many young horsewomen, back yard riding quickly led to an interest in showing, and her show career on the “A” circuit began at the age of 6 in the Walk and Trot Equitation division. Alicia began showing on Arabian horses, but at the age of 11, Alicia began riding at a small local Saddlebred barn. As the oldest of 5, owning a top quality show horse was not in the financial cards for Alicia’s family, although you could always find “projects” of various breed in their backyard. Fortunately, Alicia was given many opportunities to show a number of wonderful Saddlebreds in divisions from Equitation, to Country Pleasure to Three Gaited Performance horses.
Upon graduating high school, Alicia moved from home to be closer to her trainer and work towards a degree in Business Management. After two years as an assistant trainer, both teaching students and training Saddlebreds, an opportunity presented itself that was simply too good to pass up. Alicia ventured out on her own to open Scottfield Stables. It was by luck that she fell upon the Morgan breed as the farm she had rented had been a Morgan Farm prior to her arrival. Alicia found that the Morgan breed displayed a perfect temperament for Junior Exhibitors and Amateur riders, the very riders Alicia hoped to specialize in training. Within no time, Alicia was devoted to the wonderful Morgan breed. After two successful show seasons, and some remarkable growth in business, Alicia decided to venture out and purchase her own farm in the Spring of 2005. The move was a highly successful one, and Scottfield Stables grew with each passing year. In 2010, Scottfield expanded it’s training program and began to accept Saddlebreds into the training program. Now Scottfield has about a 50/50 split of Morgans and Saddlebreds in training, with 26 Morgans and 25 Saddlebreds currently in the program at Scottfield.
In 2016, Scottfield Stables relocated to a larger facility two hours south of its original Montrose location. This new location in the Lehigh Valley has proven to be a great one with the program expanding once again with the new availability of training stalls.
Alicia Owens was voted the 2016 People’s Choice Instructor of the Year following a fantastic 2016 season that included a unanimous World Championship win at Louisville with Sarah Hecht and her Saddlebred mare, Novella, in the 13 & Under Five Gaited division. That win was followed up with Sarah and her Morgan, Dragonsmeade Varvatos, being crowned Reserve World Champions in the Junior Exhibitor Park Saddle World Championship and the 15 & Under Park Saddle Grand National Champions. Also bringing back a Grand National Championship was Maddie Sappenfield and her beloved MEM I’m Back in the 14-15 Hunter Pleasure Grand National class. This sporty team went back in the 14-17 Hunter Pleasure Championship where they earned the Reserve World Championship roses and tricolor. Making history by being the only rider in the history of the Morgan breed to win the Junior Saddle Seat Equitation World Championship three times (2014-2016), long time Scottfield student Audra Lee and her fabulous mare, CBMF Random Hearts GCH, were the unanimous winners of the Junior Saddle Seat Equitation World Championship again this year, closing out their Junior Equitation career having never lost a world title in the Morgan Junior Equitation division, including the UPHA Junior Challenge Cup Finals in 2014. Audra is the youngest rider to have ever won that title, as well, having won that National Finals at the age of 11. This is the second time Alicia has been honored by professionals and owners within the industry with a People’s Choice win, having been the Reserve Instructor of the Year in 2010.
In 2018, the United Professional Horseman’s Association honored Alicia with the prestigious Tony C. Ray Young Professional of the Year Award at their annual Conference held at the beautiful Amelia Island Resort in Florida. The Young Professional of the Year award is given to leading professionals under the age of 35; nominations are offered by way of consensus from fellow Young Professionals, with the ultimate winner being chosen by the UPHA executive board. Joining the ranks of such notable trainers as Smith Lily, Matt Shiflet and Tre and Emily Lee, Alicia is honored to be the first recipient to represent the Morgan breed.
In 2019, Alicia was selected to receive the AMHA Young Person of the Year Award, an honor she accepted at the annual American Morgan Horse Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Alicia is a licensed official with the USEF, carrying her large “R” judges cards for Morgans, Saddlebreds, Hackneys, and Equitation.
Tuffy Owens
AMP Horse Show Services
David “Tuffy” Owens has been involved in the horse business since childhood, having shown Saddlebreds as a junior exhibitor. Tuffy currently manages and announces nearly 20 shows annually. Also at the top of his field, Tuffy was recognized in 2018 as the UPHA Show Manager of the Year. Though he does not train or coach, Tuffy’s frequent travel and nationwide networking make him invaluable to the Scottfield operation in sales and promotion.
In 2021, Tuffy put his permanent stamp on the show horse industry when he created and managed, with six weeks notice, the Saugerties Summer Showcase. This show would ultimately go on to be named the United Professional Horseman Association’s 2021 National Honor Show. The highest honor any horse show can earn, this award has never been won by a horse show in it’s first year.
Currently, Tuffy manages 10 shows annually, and announces countless others. In addition to his managing accolades, Tuffy has announced at both the Morgan Grand National and the Arabian National Championships as well as the Canadian Royal Winter Fair. He is also a mainstay at the UPHA Annual Convention, having emceed that important event for over ten years.