Connie Michelle Blount was born in Austin, TX, and being the youngest in the family she developed a natural competitive style. She was confident she could do anything her athletic older brother could do and became an excellent skier at the age of three in Park City. Connie could be seen following her older sister Kelley gracefully down a blue, or racing along behind her brother Thor down a black diamond.
Connie was an energetic, loving, and caring young lady, who always had a smile on her face and time to help others. Connie began riding when she was seven years old in Florida and competed in dressage, hunter and jumper events across the country, including Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, Colorado and Utah, winning well over 150 trophies, ribbons and awards. Connie owned two beautiful horses that she researched and selected herself: Luke, a Thoroughbred who won several races as a former racing horse, and Sampson (“Sam”), an American Warmblood. Connie purchased Sam when he was still young and unbroken. Connie was the first person to ride Sam and trained him as he grew and matured. Today both Luke and Sam are competing as part of the equestrian team at Findlay University in Ohio. Connie had a dream of a future business rescuing and retraining Thoroughbred race horses when she finished her degree in equestrian science from the University of Kentucky.
Connie also loved boating and could be found most summer days out on the Jordanelle Reservoir with a dozen friends in the boat. Connie was viewed by others as a leader in her school, in the community, and in her church. Connie’s smile was as big as her heart and truly reflected the compassion she had for others. Connie always said, “Smile! It is the simplest way to share joy.” This attitude allowed Connie to develop an amazing set of diverse friends from all walks of life, and from not only all across America, but literally from around the world.
