STYLE RIDER by Sarah Appel
A Horse&Style Rider is someone who represents equestrian style in and out of the show ring. This month’s Style Rider, Karrie Rufer, is a true triple threat on the hunter/jumper scene. Besides having many equitation and medal final wins under her belt, she is lightening fast on her jumper mount, Thor. Lately, Karrie has been giving all the professional riders a run for their money with two back-to-back wins in the hunter derbies on her miracle horse, “My Way” aka Frankie. Horse & Style: Describe your hunter style. Karrie Rufer: Simple with an element of flair. H&S: What is you head-to-toe hunter outfit? KR: My helmet is a GPA, my breeches Pikeur, I have an Allon Clothiers hunt coat and an Essex Coolmax show shirt. My tall boot s are DerDau with black lizard on the toe, and my custom “Roofie” belt from Vintage Belts. H&S: And for the jumpers? KR: Same boots and breeches and either a Lacoste polo shirt or Essex shirt, and of course, hunt coat and white breeches for a classics. H&S: What’s your ‘element of flair’ in the jumpers?
H&S: What were your expectations for Frankie’s recovery?
KR: My jumper bonnets. I LOVE them and I have different ones for Thor. One with a lightening bolt, another with tomatoes on it for my family company, “Morning Star.”
KR: We weren’t sure. It was a miracle he was able to jump again so we started him slowly in the baby greens, moved up to the A/A hunters, then to the modifieds and eventually to the A/O hunters. Now we’ve been doing all the hunter derbies.
H&S: What are your favorite equestrian brands? KR: I love Devocoux saddles and Equisport for boots and tack. My favorite non-showing brands are Kingsland and Gersemi. H&S: Do you wear any “good luck” pieces of clothing or jewelry when you show? KR: I always wear my grandmother’s wedding rings on my right hand and my Adina Reyter’s bow necklace. H&S: How would you describe your non-horse show style? KR: Casual, t-shirt and jeans, usually paired with boots or heels, a scarf and my leather jacket. Today I’m wearing a simple black cotton short jumpsuit, Tory Burch flip-flops and I’ve got my bright red Balenciaga handbag with me.
H&S: What were the two back to back hunter derbies you won this year? KR: We won the $5,000 Van Vleck Sport Horse Hunter Derby at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Classic I in July, and the $5,000 Royal Riders Custom Blankets Handy Hunter at the Menlo Charity Horse Show in August. H&S: What are your goals for Frankie for 2012? KR: To keep him healthy and sound and try to qualify for the 2012 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals in Lexington, Kentucky next summer.
H&S: Your hunter “My Way” aka Frankie has quite a story. Tell us a little about him. KR: I bought Frankie when he was 3 years old and two months after we purchased, him he broke his shoulder. UC Davis said we had two choices: put him down or give him a year of stall rest. They said he would probably never jump again. So we gave him a full year of stall rest, fused his shoulder and slowly brought him back. H&S: Did you rehab him yourself or send him to a rehab center? KR: Both, during his stall rest period he was at our home barn and then we sent him to Sue Lightner’s rehab barn when he was ready to start working again. Jumping photo ©Gail Morey
OCTOBER | NOVEMBER
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