The William Shakespeare quote, “Though she be but little, she is fierce,” couldn’t be more apt for Allison Springer’s four-star mare No May Moon. After all, when you’re just shy of 15.2 hands, you’ve got to make your presence known, and “Mayzie” is an expert at that.

Mayzie, like her full brother Crystal Crescent Moon, whom Springer also rides, was bred by her owner Nancy Winter in Illinois, and Springer knew both when they were foals. The Connemara crosses (Catherston Dazzler—Ebony Moon, Mystic Replica), were part of Winter’s goal to bring the qualities she loves in Connemaras—agility, surefootedness and loyalty—to the modern event horse. Both have proved to be class competitors, with Mayzie making her first five-star attempt in June at Longines Luhmuhlen CCI5*-L (Germany) while brother “Tally” has competed through the three-star level.
“That was the dream of Nancy’s, to carry on with the line that she had going back [many years] and see if she could produce a sport horse, so this a dream come true for her,“ Springer said.
Springer took her time bringing Mayzie up the levels, spending lots of time at modified and preliminary to ensure the mare was solid before asking for a bigger challenge. Her patience was rewarded when, in her first season at advanced in 2024, Mayzie won the Bromont CCI4*-L (Quebec) and finished third at the Morven Park International CCI4*-L (Virginia). This spring she had top finishes at Pine Top (Georgia), Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International CCI4*-S (North Carolina) and the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S (Kentucky).

We visited Mayzie at Springer’s farm in Boyce, Virginia, to get to know the spunky little mare who knows no limits.
• Mayzie and Tally were born with a club foot, so they went to Linda Caddel’s farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, to be near some of the best podiatrists in the country. While neither needed special shoeing, they got regular trimming to make sure the club foot didn’t become an issue. Cathy Wieschhoff started them under saddle, and then Springer got them at the end of their 3-year-old year.
• Mayzie is an easy keeper, so Springer is careful with her diet, especially during spring and fall when the sugar levels are high in the Virginia grass. Mayzie lives in a dry lot and wears a muzzle while grazing.
“She has tied up in the past, not often, but the easiest thing we can do is keep her on analyzed hay and whatnot,” said Springer.

• In her early career, Mayzie could be quite spooky, but when she hit the three-star level, she really started to lock in and look for the next fence.
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“There was something at the three-star level that she just loves her job, and she knows it,“ said Springer. “Especially the jumping: She knows when it’s cross-country; she knows when it’s show jumping. It’s really fun because she’ll shake like a horse going out foxhunting. She’s so excited to go.”
• Mayzie doesn’t get pre-rides in the warm-up ring for the jumping phases because she gets quite upset if she goes back to the barn without competing. She’s ready to her job right then and there.
That’s something Springer’s head groom Paige Ansaldi has to be mindful of when it comes to getting her ready too.
“That’s taken me definitely a long time, getting to know her at shows and finding her rhythm,” she said. “I feel like this year I’ve gotten to a better job of keeping her calm, especially before cross-country. Once I start tacking her up, she definitely knows it’s go time. So being able to relax all of her muscles and have her not to amped up, so she’s not stressing herself out at shows. … I feel like I’ve figured out somewhat of a routine with her, but I’m sure it’ll change next year, and she’ll prove me wrong.“

• While Mayzie doesn’t want to be left alone, she’s very protective of her personal space when it comes to other horses, and she’s very particular about which ones she wants around her.
“At Kentucky this year, I just had [four-star horse] Vandyke and her there, so every time he went out, someone had to just go and hand-graze her somewhere or walk her,“ said Springer. “She couldn’t just be left in her stall.”
But when one of Springer’s client horses needed to use the dry lot next to hers, she did not appreciate his company.
“He’d just stand there quietly and stare at her, and she was just like, ‘Do not look at me. I don’t care if you’re far away,’ ” Springer said. “She would like be pinning her ears and so [angry] that he was there.”

• While Mayzie might not love being left alone in the barn, she has no problem heading out on her own when it’s time to work.
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“She’s so fiercely independent,” Springer said. “Never a million years would she ever act barn sour or never want to go out on her own. When you get on to do her job, she is so fierce and loves it. She’s just so catty and really smart. The stuff that makes her kind of challenging and difficult, they’re also the things that make her just so good. She will do [the job] for me all day long cross-country.”
• Just as Mayzie chooses which horses she likes to be nearby, she’s also particular about her people, but once you know her, you see more than the fierce competitor.
“She’s quite an opinionated mare, but I feel like once you spend enough time with her, you see that real sweet side of her,” Ansaldi said. “She’s not always just some fiery little girl that you see on cross-country. She’s actually very sweet and snuggly in the barn and very rewarding to work with. Honestly, she doesn’t give it to you, which I enjoy, so you know, once you get it, you’ve worked for it. She’s pretty solid citizen. She has that spice you kind of have to pay attention, but not too quirky in a bad way.”

• Continuing with the theme of “please respect my bubble,” Mayzie isn’t the type who looks forward to grooming, but Ansaldi has earned her trust.
“It’s a give and take with her,” she said. “You have to earn her trust when grooming her, and when she realizes you’re not out to get her, I’ve had days where she really leans into me and enjoys it.”
• Because she’s so small and has a short back, finding the right saddle wasn’t the easiest task, and before Robin Moore of World Equestrian Brands found just the right one, Mayzie could get a little back sore.
“She’ll do her job and try, but Robin was really committed to finding the best thing for her, and we just kept working through tons of it, so she’s got a saddle that she loves,“ said Springer.
• She’s pretty straightforward when it comes to bits. She wears a Neue Schule turtle top snaffle for dressage and show jumping, and for cross-country wears a three-ring bit with the rein on the snaffle ring with the same mouthpiece. For trot sets she often wears a hackamore.
