feature by Erin Brown
G I V I N G B A C K – A F A M I LY A F F A I R
O
The Riggio Family
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f those to whom much is given, much is expected.” The Riggio family embodies this quote made famous by John F. Kennedy. For them, giving back to others is a way of life. Louise Riggio and her daughter, Stephanie Riggio Bulger, are dedicated to causes that touch their hearts. Bonded as a family through the equestrian community, the pair delight in sharing their love and respect for the horse by being active in two of the leading equine non-profits: the Equestrian Aid Foundation, and the Maker’s Mark Equestrian Center. Louise Riggio, a native New Yorker, developed her love for animals at a very young age. Every summer her mother would take the family to a friend’s farm upstate. There she developed a fascination and love for all animals, but she was particularly drawn to the horses; and she has passed this infatuation along to her daughter, Stephanie. Louise explains how she recognized her daughter’s equine infatuation. It started with their walks through New York City’s
Central Park. “Stephanie would see the iconic carriage horses, and was enthralled. The city offered few places and opportunities to grow her love of horses, so I decided to put her into riding lessons near our home in Bridgehampton. When Stephanie came out of her first riding lesson with that mile-wide smile, I knew she was hooked.” Stephanie’s passion only intensified as she grew older, and she began to compete nationally, drawing the entire family further into the world of hunters and jumpers. Meanwhile, Louise and her husband Leonard, found themselves enamored with the Thoroughbred racing world, and as their involvement deepened over the years, they began their own racing stable, My MeadowView Farm. It soon became clear to the Riggio family that racehorses have short careers, and as responsible owners they began to ask, “What happens when the crowds stop cheering and the horse stops racing?” Clearly there was a need for a program for these retirees, to guide them into a second career. Determined to help these horses, Louise began to explore the options that were available. On one of the trips to Lexington to visit their racehorses, Louise stopped by Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC) on the january/february ·
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