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Lucy Alabaster Paula Randall Cookie Graham
Kathy Johnson (center) presents the Shelby Shank Trainer of the Year Award to Lucy Alabaster (right) and Renee Coats (left)
Lucy is the owner and head trainer at Sweetwater Stables. She was born into a "horsey" family in Minnesota, and learned to ride from her mother, Pat Bemis, who owned and operated Willow Creek Farms. She horse showed in the Midwest through her junior career, before moving to Arizona in 1979. She worked as an assistant trainer for a number of well known trainers in the southwest before starting her own business in 1983. After working out of several barns (and getting married in 1985!) Bob and Lucy realized their life long dream and purchased their own facility in 2001. They now work together as a team in running Sweetwater Stables. Lucy has brought many of her "kids" up through the ranks to attain success at the highest levels of competition. We anticipate more of the same in the future.
Paula moved to Arizona in 1983 from the Midwest. She spent most of her junior and amateur years there competing successfully in some of the most prestigious horse shows in the country under the tutelage of world famous show jumping rider Katie Monahan Prudent. In 1986, she started her own hunter jumper business, Wood Creek Farm of Arizona, Inc. in Scottsdale, training many successful horse and rider combinations to both local and national victories. A few years after starting a family with husband Rick, she felt the importance of spending time with her children and gave up the full-time business for more freelance work. When her daughter Ali showed an interest in riding, Paula turned to Sweetwater Stables so Ali could ride with children her own age. At that time, there was a growing need at the stables for a rider/trainer to assist Lucy at the shows. This gave Paula an opportunity to not only help Lucy, but to be with her own daughter who was competing, and to continue competing herself. Paula received the 2007 Shelby Shank Trainer of the Year Award.
Cookie Troedsson Graham was raised in Minnesota and started her riding career in hunters and jumpers. Along with her sister Kay one of their first and most influential instructors was Lucy's mother, Pat Bemis. As a youth competitor Cookie won the AHSA medal, started riding open jumpers at the age of 14, rode junior for two different professionals and won numerous state year end championships in both hunters and jumpers. After graduating college Cookie met and married her husband Gary Graham. Together they started owned and operated Graham Stables in Mayer Minn. They specialized in breeding, training an showing Appaloosas and Quarter Horses in both English and Western events. During her career at Graham Stables Cookie trained and showed 4 World Champions, 3 Reserve World Champions, 1 National high point champion and numerous regional and state champions. Cookie and Gary traveled and showed on the East and West coasts, in the North, South, Midwest and Canada. Cookie also coached youth, and was the coach for the Appaloosa youth team in Columbus, Ohio. In 1986 Cookie and Gary closed their stable in Minnesota and moved to Arizona. In Arizona Cookie took a "day job" to spend more time with her family. She got her amateur card and showed in Amateur Quarter Horse Events. She was treasurer of the Arizona Quarter Horse Breeders Amateur Assn. and won an AQHA amateur all around trophy on her first Quarter Horse. She competed successfully at the Arizona Sun Country Circuit four years in a row, winning several circuit championships and year end awards. After successfully showing on the Quarter Horse Circuit, Cookie went back to the Hunter & Jumper shows as an amateur in both Adult Amateur Hunter classes and Adult Amateur Jumpers. Cookie has been at Sweetwater about 5 years and has always helped with training, riding and lessons. In 2004 Cookie became a full time trainer and instructor at Sweetwater and is closely involved in daily operations of the barn. Cookie and Gary have a daughter Kay (husband Larry) and son, Lee (wife Jamila) and granddaughter Zoe. Cookie is something special, and we are fortunate and grateful to have her with us. |
