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““I love horses and I am blessed that my girls share that love.”
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© Emma Van Dyck Photography
then the horse isn’t. They go through the gate and walk through the gate every day during training. They learn everything to start out with in a
stock saddle. I like them to have a very receptive mouth, so they will turn and stop on command, and whoever rides them can control them. Before they ever go to anything in an exercise saddle, they learn how to do it all in a stock saddle first.”
Cheryl was smitten with the horse business from an early age. “I have ridden all my life,” Cheryl related. “I rode hunters and jumpers when I was a teenager. I’ve always been interested in horses and hunters and jumpers are Thoroughbreds that often came from the racetrack. When I was 18,
my parents were divorced and they couldn’t afford to send me to college, so I went to work at Turf Paradise. I worked there until I was referred to Johnny Jones who was looking for someone to run
his training center. I didn’t really like working on the racetrack and having to move all the time. I like more of a stable foundation.”
As for the future, Cheryl is thankful to be able to do what she loves every day, and she looks forward to continuing her passion for working with equine athletes. Through her unwavering dedication to her craft and her ability to provide racehorses a foundation to help them reach
the pinnacle of their racing careers, Cheryl and the work she performs for 4C is a testament to her passion and perseverance. As 4C’s history continues to unfold, it is clear that Cheryl Asmussen is leaving an indelible mark on the racing world she cares so much about.
“I’m not sure that any of my girls will want to take over the operation as far as breaking and training horses for other people,” Cheryl said.
“Quite frankly, it is hard work, but I love it and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. Retiring is not in my vocabulary. I love horses, I love the hands-on part of working with them. Physically, I have to know what I can take, and I need to pay attention. I just want to keep doing this
as long as I possibly can. I have amazing help, some great riders, and people that really care.
In this day and time that is hard to find. I am blessed that I have people that work for me that just love horses, and that makes a big difference.
“I am very blessed to have the people in the horse business have confidence in me, from Johnny Jones and Keith Asmussen to Javier Garza and John Stinebaugh,” Cheryl said. “And to have these horsemen share their knowledge with me as well as their confidence in me, I am grateful. I love horses and I am blessed that my girls share that love.”
© Emma Van Dyck Photography
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