Untacked summer 2014

The ChroniCle of the horse

VOL. 2, NO. 2

SUMMER 2014

HISTORIC HORSEWOMEN Breaking The Glass Ceiling

THE CLARKES OF CALIFORNIA

An Equestrian Dynasty

SHOW JUMPER AND JOCKEY KATHY KUSNER

AT HOME WITH

Peter Wylde & Eduard Mullenders MONGOLIA

Land of the Last Wild Horses

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE

COCKTAILS for every OCCASION

Spy Coast Farm introduces their young horse training program.

Offered to our breeding customers to ensure proper growth and development, our fully equipped Young Horse Development Center includes: • 32 brightly lit 12x12 stalls • 100x200 indoor arena • 180x260 outdoor arena fully equipped with a full set of show quality fences • 6 horse hot walker and lunging ring • 32 lush paddocks for both individual and group turnout

PROVEN COMPETITORS WITH WORLD-CLASS BLOODLINES BREEDING RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA

BREED FOR PERFORMANCE S P Y C O A S T F A R M . C O M

2003 16.3 Bay Stallion Approved: KWPN, A.E.S. $7,500 / Dose Frozen Semen Olympic Team Gold Medalist for Great Britain Jumped on 11 nations cup teams with 10 double clear rounds 1st CSIO 5* Rolex Grand Prix in Aachen 1st CISO 5* Hamburg, Global Champions Tour

Spy Coast Farm has the exclusive opportunity to offer semen from the world renowned Olympic Stallion, Big Star.

American breeders now have a unique chance to breed to the best jumping bloodlines before anyone else in Europe!

Photo: Big Star at London 2012 Olympics – Kit Houghton Photography

BIG STAR

Incredible Horse & Home Properties... something for everyone

E Q U E S T R I A N C L U B E S TA T E S

MALLET HILL

PA L M B E A C H P O I N

THE PRIVATE CLIENT GROUP WELLINGTON & HAMPTONS

561.758.1605

Each Uniquely Beautiful... equestrian gems

OINT

SADDLE TRAIL

PA L M B E A C H P O L O C L U B

FOX TRAIL THE PRIVATE CLIENT GROUP

Maria Mendelsohn.com

WELLINGTON & HAMPTONS

s t n e t n Co

Untacked The C hroniCle of the horse

S U M M E R 2 014

32

HOWARD ALLEN PHOTO

VOL. 2, NO. 2

32 44 56 66 80 90 104

Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History Cut From The Same Cloth The Transglobal Trailblazer Peter Wylde & Eduard Mullenders Make Their House A Home Into The Wild Marwari: History, Tradition And Sheer Charm The Salamander Touch Is Soothing Indeed

ON THE COVER: Show jumper and jockey Kathy Kusner at the 1967 European Show Jumping Championships in Fontainebleu, France.

Horsesource/Cornaz/Collection Poudret Photo

4

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

56

PHOTO COURTESY OF EQUITREKKING

Features

ELENA LUSENTI PHOTO

66

Hannah Selleck knows flexibility starts with Ariat performance apparel.

Ariat Olympia breeches and Triumph Show Top | Š2014 Ariat International, Inc.

s t n e t n Co

130

6

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

Departments 8

Editor’s Letter

10

Contributors

16

Around The Arena

18

Editor’s Picks

22

Test Lab

26

Tech Review

28

The Clothes Horse

116

City Guide

122

Feed Room

130

Film Review

132

Charity Spotlight

134

Best Of Web & Print

136

Parting Ways

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

28

ERIN MICHELLE PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO

122

134

EDITOR’S LETTER

If A Tree Falls In The Forest…

It turned out that I was right to be apprehensive. As our writer assigned to the story, Chris E. Stafford, soon found out, it was going to be much harder to get accurate information about these five indomitable women than we’ve grown to expect, living in the digital age. I could tell you what the random girl who lived across from me for one semester of college had for breakfast today, but unearthing so much as one quote—from her entire life—from Marjorie Haines Gill, the United States’ first Olympic equestrienne? Good luck.

As Chris explains in her author’s note at the end of the story, we were shocked to find that national and international federations alike had very little information about many of these groundbreaking female riders—no competitive records, no original photos.

“The sun set on these women’s heydays long before the dawn of the digital age, and there is a constantly declining reference available through the generations that knew them well,” Chris writes, detailing the challenge set before her.

And while the same can’t quite be said of the Clarke family, the subject of this month’s profile by staff writer Jennifer B. Calder (p. 44), I soon sensed a parallel: yet another piece we’d been meaning to do forever; yet another subject with a shocking dearth of basic information available in the digital realm.

These experiences have led me to ponder print publications’ roles in the digital age with a new perspective, different from the existential contemplations we engage in daily in this business. I’ve started to wonder, now that the Internet rules the world and will forevermore, if we’re stuck with a “If a tree falls in the forest…” type of society from here on out: If you lived before the modern age, and no one’s taken the time and effort to add your life’s

8

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

accomplishments to the digital realm, did it ever really happen?

Or, if you’re alive today but choose not to leave a digital footprint, will future generations even remember you? In short, if your life’s not on the Internet, did you ever even exist?

We owe it to people like these five intrepid and historic horsewomen, and to rare modern-day individuals like the members of the Clarke family, to document the tales of their humanity. This should be the role of the media in the 21st century—bridging that gap to preservation before it’s too late.

I deeply regret that we didn’t tackle our cover story sooner— back when all five women were alive and healthy, able to convey their own memories in their own voices and surrounded by many more peers and family members who could do the same. But I hope our belated efforts will still serve as valuable contribution to the digital realm and will help future generations connect with these priceless pieces of history.

Even the strongest, most towering oaks will fall eventually, so we owe it to them to record the sound.

—Kat Netzler, Editor

SARA LIESER PHOTO

As we sat around the Chronicle’s conference room table in Middleburg, Va., and agreed to finally tackle this issue’s cover story (p. 32)—a piece we’d all been wanting to publish for ages—I was simultaneously thrilled and nervous. It wouldn’t be a particularly controversial topic, nor some shocking exposé, but trepidation still loomed as a buzzkill in the back of my brain. We were finally going to honor pioneering women of horse sport. Great! But now, how?

CONTRIBUTORS

SABINE SCHARNBERG PHOTO

In This Issue

Elena Lusenti Originally from Milan, Italy, Elena is a photographer of horses and riders around the world. She brings her insightful eye to an equestrian culture she knows well, having competed with great success in high amateurowner show jumping. Her travels around the globe always bring her back to her equestrian roots in Wellington, Fla., where she currently resides.

Chris E. Stafford Chris is a writer and broadcaster based in Ocala, Fla., who’s specialized in equestrian sports for more than 40 years. She produces equestrian podcasts for clients and hosts her own show, Chris Stafford Radio. She’s also involved in documentary and feature film productions covering diverse topics.

Dinette Neuteboom Until the end of 2009, Dinette was a teacher at an equine college, a riding instructor, a journalist for several horse magazines and a rider of young jumping horses. But when she embarked on a 4½-year trip around the world, working as a rider in China, the United States and Argentina, she realized riding and writing were her true passions. She now works at the international sales barn Stal Stenfert in her home country of the Netherlands and freelance writes in her spare time.

Jamie Krauss Hess Jamie has been immersed in the equestrian world since childhood. She was a competitive jumper and equitation rider as a junior, winning the Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals in 1996. She now resides with her husband, George, in Manhattan and is a director at The Narrative Group, a boutique PR firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

She still enjoys her time in the saddle and rides every chance she gets.

CONTACT US: SUBSCRIPTIONS & RENEWALS:

Mail The Chronicle of the Horse, P.O. Box 46, Middleburg, Virginia 20118 Phone 800.877.5467 Email subscriptions@chronofhorse.com Manuscripts and photographs, accompanied by return postage, will be handled with care. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Copyright© 2014 by The Chronicle of the Horse, LLC. Reproduction of any material (including photographs and drawings) without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. The Chronicle of the Horse® and the distinctive masthead that appear on the cover of the magazine are all registered trademarks of The Chronicle of the Horse, LLC and may not be used in any manner without prior written permission.

THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE (ISSN 0009-5990) is published weekly except for January 6, February 3, March 3, March 24, April 28, June 2, June 30, July 21, September 8, October 6, December 8 and December 29 by The Chronicle of the Horse, Inc., 108 The Plains Road, Middleburg, Virginia. Periodicals postage paid at Middleburg, VA and additional mailing offices.

THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE UNTACKED is published quarterly on February 17, May 26, August 25 and November 10. It is part of your subscription to The Chronicle of the Horse. To order single copies, call 800-877-5467 or e-mail subscriptions@chronofhorse.com.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES United States and possessions $59.95/yr. Canada $79.95/yr. Foreign (other than Canada) $159.95/yr. Digital-only $35/yr. For all subscription options see www.chronofhorse.com.

POSTMASTER SUBMIT ADDRESS CHANGES TO P.O. Box 134, Middleburg, Virginia 20118 CANADA POST Publications Mail Agreement #40612608 Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C6B2

10

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Megan Brincks

A former staff reporter for The Chronicle of the Horse, Megan now lives with her dog and cat in Fort Worth, Texas, where she works for the American Paint Horse Association. With time spent in almost every kind of saddle over the years, she rides whenever she gets the chance and recently started dipping her toes into the waters of eventing.

When she isn’t writing about, photographing or riding horses, she enjoys reading, traveling and hiking.

Marsha Hayes Marsha lives, writes and rides from her Kansas home and draws inspiration from her seven horses and two ponies. She has reviewed films for The Equestrian News, covered equine stories for The Huffington Post and is a frequent contributor to Modern Arabian Horse.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

11

Tryon is Horse Country

Tryon, North Carolina In the Thermal Belt of Western NC The temperate climate, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, makes our area a sought-after destination for equestrians of all persuasions, and lovers of outdoor activities. Call us to learn more about Tryon Horse Country.

RE/MAX Advantage Realty RE/ 177 N. Trade St, Tryon, NC 28782

800.849.0859

donwestphotos.com

Tryon’s Top Producers for More than 10 Years Equestrian & Luxury Property Specialists Bonnie Lingerfelt Broker/Owner 866.691.2291 TryonProperties.com Ron Piccari Broker/Realtor 828.606.7441 LakesHillsAndHorses.com

For Featured Properties See Our Websites

The C hroniCle of the horse

BEEZIE MADDEN

Untacked Volume 2 • Number 2 • Summer 2014

see us at ALLTECH FEI WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES TM 2014 IN NORMANDY

produced and published by The Chronicle of the Horse publisher

KATHERINE BELLISSIMO president/executive editor

BETH RASIN, beth@chronofhorse.com

Editorial

advanced riding experience

editor

KAT NETZLER, kat@chronofhorse.com

Team France Official Supplier

managing editor

fbccp.com / Photo Astoria Studio / Michelle Bloch

SARA LIESER, slieser@chronofhorse.com associate editor

MOLLY SORGE, molly@chronofhorse.com editorial staff

SHARON ROSE, sharon@chronofhorse.com MOLLIE BAILEY, mbailey@chronofhorse.com LISA SLADE, lisa@chronofhorse.com LINDSAY BERRETH, lindsay@chronofhorse.com JENNIFER CALDER, jbcalder@chronofhorse.com TAYLOR JOYCE, taylor@chronofhorse.com ALICE FELTS, alice@chronofhorse.com editorial production manager

LAUREN MARUSKIN, lauren@chronofhorse.com editorial interns

LINDSAY GRAHAM, webintern@chronofhorse.com KIMBERLY LOUSHIN, intern@chronofhorse.com

Design & Production art director

SYLVIA GASHI-SILVER, sylvia@chronofhorse.com senior designers

SOFT’UP PRO

SONYA MENDEKE, sonya@chronofhorse.com ADRIENNE MARTINEZ, adrienne@chronofhorse.com

Advertising

SINGLE-BRANCH STIRRUPS

advertising director

uncompromising.

DAWN KIRLIN, dawn@chronofhorse.com

inquire for stirrups color options

NICK HOLMBERG, nick@chronofhorse.com

advertising account manager

ad production manager

BETH HONCHARSKI, bethh@chronofhorse.com

Customer Care

customer relations

MADE IN FRANCE

LAURA HONOHAN, laura@chronofhorse.com

Business Office

Contact your Local Quality Tack Shop : DOVER SADDLERY (DE,NH,NJ,VA, NY,GA,NC), BEVAL (CT,NJ,NY), HADFIELDS (FL), TACK N RIDER (FL), EQUUS LIFESTYLE (CA)

accountant

JANA HAMMERLE, jana@chronofhorse.com administrative assistant

KRISTIN SCRUGGS, kristin@chronofhorse.com

www.freejumpsystem.com

108 The Plains Road, Middleburg, Virginia 20117 Telephone: 540.687.6341 follow us on :

chronofhorse.com 14

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

tidbits from across the industry

Aroundthe Arena r My Faves: Lauren Kieffe

SARA LIESER PHOTO

This year has already proved a great one for Lauren Kieffer, and it’s not even half over. In April, the 26-yearold rider from The Plains, Va., earned the USET Foundation Pinnacle Cup, aka the U.S. four-star eventing championship, by finishing second to William Fox-Pitt at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** on her dressage score, and now she’s refocusing on the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy with the talented mare Veronica. Herewith, a few of her favorite things.

➜ Breeches: Tredstep Nero

➜ Footwear: Tredstep DaVinci

➜ Comfort food: Scroodles (Mama Kieff’s recipe)

➜ Guilty pleasure: Ben & Jerry’s Mint Chocolate Cookie

➜ Social media personality: I’m not good at social media.

Facebook is about the only one I know how to work!

➜ App: The Huffington Post and Candy Crush

➜ Vacation destination: Anywhere! I usually spend my vacation time with family, but I would like to go to the beach soon. I’ve never been! ➜ City: I’m not much of a city person, but I’ve been to Paris

twice and loved it.

➜ Place to ride: The woods. We have miles and miles of trails at Ms. [Jacqueline] Mars’ beautiful farm in Virginia [where I’m based], and it’s a nice break from the arena for both me and the horses. ➜ Place to shop: I’m an eBay addict. I never buy anything without checking eBay first.

➜ Non-horsey hobby: Who has time?! I actually really enjoy cooking, though, and am now attempting my own small garden.

➜ Memory in the saddle: There are too many to count. I’ve had so many special horses and so many special moments in this sport, but most recently would definitely be jumping the last show jump with Veronica at Kentucky.

➜ Competition venue: Any event that puts in the effort to give us a place to do this sport is top-notch in my book.

➜ Barn chore: I actually enjoy mucking out and grooming.

My least favorite chore is lates!

➜ Type of horse: I really don’t think I have a type; all of my top horses couldn’t be more different from each other, and I wouldn’t trade any of them.

16

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

PHOTO COURTESY OF BECKY HUESTIS

complex; they come close, and she’ll put her spines up and hiss, or she’ll ball up into this armor of quills. The first time the dog Rosie tried to play with her, she got poked and then rolled Quinn across the floor, because she was all balled up.”

When not in her cage, Quinn enjoys burrowing in Huestis’ hair or curling up in the hood or pocket of a sweatshirt.

“If don’t keep your eye on them when Simon, Beezie Madthey’re loose, they’ll burrow somewhere, and den’s 2013 Rolex FEI then it’s like playing hide-and-seek with a Show Jumping World Cup Final winner, hedgehog,” she admitted. greets his barnmate And Quinn has other pastimes too. at John Madden Sales, Quinn the “She has a schedule,” Huestis said. hedgehog.

“She’s up at 3 o’clock every morning running on her wheel. She flies on that thing—she really runs. She’s training for some sort of hedgehog Tough Mudder or something. Then she eats a little bit, then she runs again. It’s like having a guinea pig, but cooler.”

John Madden Sales: A Haven For Hedgehogs Dogs, sure. Cats, of course. Even a potbelly pig isn’t that out of the ordinary as a barn pet. But at John Madden Sales in Cazenovia, N.Y., there’s a much pricklier companion scuttling up and down the aisles.

“I wanted something that was low-maintenance and unique. My schedule could change at any time—I never really know what my day is going to be like, or I could get sent to Europe at the last minute,” explained assistant trainer Becky Huestis. “Someone told me hedgehogs were great pets, and I found a place in Niagara Falls that breeds them.”

So last October, Huestis got Quinn, a now 1-year-old pinto hedgehog. The little lady has since been to Florida for the winter, made friends (sort of) with the barn dogs and met the stable’s top equine star, Simon.

“The dogs don’t know what to do with her because she’s so little,” Huestis said. “But she has a Napoleon

Instagram Spotlight: The Hampton Classic Just like Christmas, the Hampton Classic comes but once a year, but you can follow along with the historic horse show’s progress even in the off-season at Instagram.com/ HamptonClassic.

With haunting photos of the iconic showgrounds in winter, progress reports on renovations and upgrades, and glimpses into the behind-the-scenes efforts that go on yearround to put on this competition every August, it will give you a whole new appreciation for the Bridgehampton, N.Y., tradition.

And don’t forget to follow the Chronicle as well, at Instagram.com/ chronofhorse.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

17

EDITOR’S PICKS

Katharine Page Sandals When I opened the box of my Katharine Page sandals, I wanted to bury my face in it and soak in the scent. The smell of quality leather—intoxicating to any horseperson—wafted out and was irresistible.

That was my introduction to my Keswick model sandals, and our relationship just got better and better from there. Honestly, the hardest part of the process was deciding which style I wanted—they’d all be welcome additions to my closet, for sure.

Page, an amateur hunter rider, started her sandal company in 2012, cleverly introducing the classic, enduring style of quality tack to footwear. She succeeded in spades; each model has echoes of fine bridlework details, with exquisite leather and white stitching. The Fairfield, Keswick, Devon and Del Mar (each style is named for a historic horse show) all bear fancy stitching reminiscent of a hunter show bridle.

From the rich quality of the leather to the precision and beauty of the stitches to the details of the fit, every aspect is high-class. My style even has small roller buckles, like little girth buckles, on the ankle strap. They make adjusting the fit simple and quick.

These are about as far from flip-flops as you can get. Their craftsmanship elevates them from mere “sandal” to fine footwear, so they look as good with jeans as they do with a nice sundress.

The sole and support of the Katharine Page sandals are minimal—there’s no spongy cushioning.

But they fit your feet so well from your first wear that padding would be extraneous, and once they get broken in, they mold to your feet like a second skin. A stylish, classy second skin!

The only issue I had in our early days together was that the leather soles were a bit slippery, but once they’d gotten scuffed a bit and “worn-in,” they picked up some traction, and I had no further issues.

As she explains in her company’s backstory 18

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

online, Page believes luxury is about simplicity, comfort and longevity, and the sandals she produces absolutely speak to that. They have a healthy price tag attached—most models are $375 (the bling of the Swarovski crystal-enhanced Palm Beach model puts that price at $385), and that’s more than I’ve ever paid for a pair of sandals, but these are truly a step above. It’s like wearing the equivalent of the nicest bridle you can find, just on your feet.

You can learn more at katharinepage.co (not to be confused with .com!), or find Page herself in her booth at various East Coast shows this summer.

—Molly Sorge, Associate Editor

Palm Beach Point East • Wellington, FL

Exquisite farm on 10 manicured acres with a 22 stall barn. Truly a quick hack to Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, but quiet enough for horses and riders to relax away from the show. Includes a spacious owners lounge with living area, full bathroom and tack room, as well as two, 2 Br/1 Ba grooms quarters each with a full kitchen and living room. A large Riso 2000 ring, 3 acre grass jumping field, 7 large grass paddocks, 6 horse walker and plenty of storage in the feed room and garage to complete this impeccable farm, whether for seasonal use or a year round home base. There is ample space for trailer parking, jump storage and a 10 stall temporary horse tent during season.

No detail was overlooked in the design or finish of this exceptional property. Being sold with all farm equipment and jumps.

Offered turnkey at $7,800,000

Visse Wedell • Phone +1-203-856 7882 • Fax +1-561-791 2221 www.vissewedell.evusa.com • Visse.Wedell@evusa.com

EDITOR’S PICKS

The Fairfax Performance Girth “Kept secret to give a competitive advantage to Team GBR.” “Something completely new.” “Up to 33 percent improvement in forelimb protraction and general range of motion of every elite horse we tested.”

With claims like that, how could I not be intrigued by the new Fairfax Performance Girth?

The premise behind this innovative piece of tack is that it’s designed to alleviate the worst pressure created by a normal girth during movement.

Vanessa Fairfax, of Fairfax Saddles, was watching a horse free jump one day when she noticed that it jumped differently depending on whether or not it was tacked up. Fairfax, a member of the Society of Master Saddlers, placed a Pliance pad—normally used for testing pressure under the saddle—under the girth. She discovered the greatest pressure zone is behind the point of the elbow—where horses tend to develop girth sores— not in the middle of the horse’s sternum as one might imagine.

So she set about designing a girth to avoid that band of pressure.

Fairfax also lined the girth with Prolite—a high performance pressure-absorbing material commonly used in therapeutic half pads—in order to create a cushioned buffer zone that guides the muscle bulk under the girth.

Centaur Biomechanics, a company that specializes in horseand-rider performance analysis in Great Britain, tested the girth. They evaluated pressure distribution under normal girths versus Fairfax girths using a pressure mat on jumpers, eventers and dressage horses. The results showed that the Fairfax girths created a significant reduction in pressure and allowed for 6-11 percent greater forelimb protraction (forward

20

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

motion), 10-20 percent greater hindlimb protraction and greater carpal (knee) and tarsal (hock) flexion.

Will Connell, Great Britain’s World Class Performance Director, asked Fairfax to delay the launch of the product until after the Games in London in order to give his riders an edge.

Sounds amazing, right? But what was my personal experience with the girth?

The horse I ride most frequently is a tense off-the-track Thoroughbred who competes at the preliminary level of eventing. Like many OTTBs, he can be funny about girthing, so I usually tighten his girth slowly and stretch his front legs out before leaving the barn in order to make the process as comfortable as possible.

I decided to skip the leg stretches when I tacked him up with the Fairfax girth to see what happened. He walked out with a free, open stride, cheerfully allowed me to mount and didn’t give me the cold-backed, humpy feeling I sometimes get if everything isn’t exactly right in his equipment.

That first ride in the new girth wasn’t magical, but he certainly felt good. I’ve used the girth for several months now, and while I wouldn’t say it’s been a game-changer, I think he likes it and is more comfortable in it.

This was proven to me at a recent event when I rode him in a different girth for my warm-up and dressage test. (My Fairfax girth is brown, and my dressage saddle is black.) When I saddled up for cross-country, he just about squealed in protest after two rides in the wrong girth.

Did the Fairfax girth turn my horse into an Olympic champion? Of course not. Do I think it’s an excellent product that would help a sensitive horse perform better? Absolutely.

At $395 for the short girth and $450 for the longer version, this is an investment, but the quality is good, and the science behind it is real. They come in black and brown, short and long, narrow and with stud guard.

I got mine from Advanced Saddle Fit, advancedsaddlefit.com, one of the few U.S. retailers. Colleen Meyer was happy to discuss options and fitting with me, and she sent me a copy of the Centaur Biomechanics study. You can also visit the Fairfax Saddles website to find a retailer: fairfaxsaddles.co.uk/stockists.

—Sara Lieser, Managing Editor

TEST LAB For The Rider Who’s Hunting For A Stealthy Advantage

High-Tech Stirrups For A Modern Ride We test out six different state-of-theart styles to find out what works, what doesn’t, and what’s right for you.

By SA R A L IESER

>> MDC ‘S’ Stirrups Technology has improved markedly since stirrups were first used in Asia more than 2,000 years ago, but only in recent years have manufacturers of English riding irons picked up on the fact that, with modern design and materials, there’s no good reason for your stirrup to hang parallel to the horse’s side.

Yes, we’ve all learned the twisting motion necessary to stick your toe into a normal fillis stirrup and position it perpendicular to the horse.

But what if this tricky, twisting maneuver wasn’t required? What if you could mount up and pick up your

stirrups simply by sliding your foot forward in the direction it should go?

Then you could go about your ride without ever having to focus on keeping the leather and iron facing front.

And if you lost a stirrup, how much easier would it be to regain it if your stirrup was always in the “riding” position instead of flat against your horse?

That’s the premise behind the MDC stirrups. The original models featured a patented adjustable top, so you could rotate the stirrups 45 or 90 degrees as you chose. While easy to use, they definitely didn’t look like a traditional stirrup, something that can

For The Rider >> Lorenzini Aluminum/Titanium Stirrups Who’s Not Afraid regaining a lost stirrup is twice as This particular piece of equipment To Stand Out isn’t usually the first thing you notice when a rider gallops by on crosscountry, but the Lorenzini Aluminum/ Titanium stirrups, in their array of eyepopping colors, are hard to miss.

For all that “tradition” is one of the most oft-repeated words in the horse world, I was drawn to these stirrups for their bright hues and futuristic look. I probably wouldn’t choose pink or blue for dressage, but they also come in more staid options like black, dark gray and aluminum for disciplines where loud color is discouraged.

But these stirrups are far more than a fun fashion accessory. Made from titanium and aluminum, they offer exceptional strength and durability in a lightweight package. Combine that with an almost triangular arch to guarantee resistance to twisting, and

22

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

easy with the Lorenzinis as opposed to their heavier counterparts.

You’re also less likely to lose your stirrup in the first place thanks to their design. The wide footstep provides a stable base of support, and the knurled titanium tread increases friction, keeping your foot right where it belongs. The slight angle to the footbed also provides just a touch of positioning help.

I stepped into these stirrups for the first time for a jumping lesson and immediately fell in love. They combine stability and function with a sense of fun—just my style.

Available in black, dark gray, silver (aluminum), red, pink, green, orange, blue, yellow, brown and purple. Suggested retail is $270. lorenzinistirrups.com.

>> OnTyte Lightweight Composite Stirrups be a problem in the show ring.

The new MDC ‘S’ Stirrups feature a twist at the top of the iron. You get the same benefits of a stirrup that naturally hangs perpendicular to the horse, but it looks just like a traditional stirrup to the judge.

I think these stirrups would be particularly appealing to any riders who have knee or hip injuries that make the normal twisting motion of getting and keeping your foot in the stirrup a bit painful or difficult.

I found them comfortable and easy to use. I also noticed that I ended up riding a hole shorter, perhaps just a mechanical result of not having that extra twist in my leathers.

These stirrups are brand new on the market and come in a variety of models including the Classic, which is a traditional-looking iron with the twisted top, the hinged Flex, and the Lite, which is an all aluminum model that weighs less than 2 pounds per pair. You can also choose between the ultra-low profile, high-traction wide aluminum tread or a traditionalwidth tread. From $142.45-$170.

Find a retailer at mdccorporation.us/ products/retailers.html.

Who hasn’t lost a stirrup at an inopportune moment?

System.

Maybe you had a rough jump into that triple combinaI really didn’t know what to expect when I first put tion, or lost your balance when your horse dropped my foot into the OnTyte stirrups. I found the magnet off the bank. Maybe your horse spooked at just the to be strong—my foot certainly wasn’t going to move wrong instant, whether you were in the show ring or without some effort—but I never had any fear that I’d out on the trail. Or maybe you’re just learning to ride get stuck during a fall. Any real twisting motion will or getting back into it after an injury, and concentratbreak the bond and free your foot. ing on keeping your feet where they belong in the It took me a few rides before I was comfortable stirrups is making it more difficult to think about the with these stirrups. I had to adjust my foot position myriad of other things your several times by hand until I was happy. trainer is shouting.

However, once you’ve got your feet where If any of these situations you want them, you never have to think about For The Rider describe you, you need to try them again. And with a little practice, I found Seeking Ultimate I could slip my foot out by twisting it when it’s the OnTyte Magnetic Stirrup time to dismount.

Security Because of the magnet system, you need to wear footgear with magnets as well. You can have your favorite boots resoled, choose from OnTyte’s line of paddock boots, or slip on the OnTyte Booty over any English riding boots—a great option for a trial run.

This product was developed for someone who was regaining her confidence after an injury-induced riding hiatus, and these stirrups would be an obvious advantage for any rider struggling with a physical issue that affected leg control. But there are some big name riders using them as well, including top show jumpers Nick Skelton and Laura Kraut.

While I tried the lightweight composite stirrups, OnTyte also makes traditional fillis irons, flexible stirrups and stainless steel peacock stirrups. Find a retailer at ontyte.com. Prices range from $200-$230.

>> FreeJump Soft’Up Pro Stirrups From the moment I stepped into these stirrups, they felt like home. They may look space-age with their brightly colored flexible outer branch and open eye fastening at the top, but they felt like they combined the best features of traditional irons and high tech ones to make the perfect stirrup.

The No. 1 claim of these stirrups is safety. The outer branch is made of a flexible material called Elastollan®, a high performance thermoplastic polyurethane manufactured by BASF. It can bend completely and isn’t attached to the top of the stirrup, so there’s no chance of getting your foot trapped in the iron.

The inner branch is made of highresistance tempered spring steel for stability with extra-high mechanical resistance. And it’s located at the front

of the tread for a natural slope, encouraging heels down.

The footbed is wide, with a removable non-skid tread made of fiberglass-loaded polyarylamide, which provides exceptional stability and grip. The leading edge has been beveled to provide better lateral stability. You put your foot in, and it feels like you’re standing on the floor rather than a platform just a few inches wide.

The stirrups are light, a bit more than 1 pound per stirrup, but they have enough heft to encourage your leg and foot to stay down where it belongs.

The FreeJump Soft’Up Pros are designed to be used with the extrawide single strap FreeJump leathers (sold separately), which have a nylon

For The Rider Who Puts A Premium On Safety

R

Editor’s Favorite

loop that makes sliding them on a breeze. However, the open eyelet at the top of the iron certainly works with traditional leathers too. And it’s angled at 45 degrees

to make keeping your foot in the proper position easy.

Available in red, blue, black, violet, vanilla and chocolate. $395. en.freejumpsystem.com.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

23

TEST LAB >> Royal Rider EVO Action In 1979, Leo Boni founded a company specializing in the design and construction of molds for plastic products for the medical, automotive and motorcycle sectors. Nine years later he created the Royal Rider brand, which combines Boni’s expertise in hightech plastic with the latest information in stirrup design, safety and comfort.

The EVO Action is the newest stirrup in the Evolution series, and it introduces a shock-absorbing suspension system to maximize the rider’s comfort and support. There is a spring-and-coil system where you attach the leather, and this adjusts to your weight to help distribute shock and tension throughout the stirrup.

Unlike a jointed stirrup, these irons don’t flex, providing a stable base of support for jumping. But the extra shock absorbing action can provide cushioning for rider joint stress.

Weighing less than 12 ounces, the EVO Action has a steel and aluminum suspension system that is completely integrated with the high-grade techno polymer DuPont body of the For The Rider Who stirrup. Regaining a lost Wants A High-Tech stirrup is a piece of cake since these stirrups are All-Rounder so lightweight.

The wide treads come with both rubber and stainless steel “cheese grater” foot pads, giving you plenty of traction.

I found these to be a workhorse of a stirrup. It took me no time at all to feel comfortable using them. The matte black color meant they were unobtrusive. The wide treads gave me plenty of stability and traction.

This is a great all-around stirrup that would work well for any rider, but I would particularly recommend them for jumping.

Suggested retail is $189. royalriderstirrups.com.

For The Rider Looking For LowerLeg Luxury

>> Herm Sprenger Bow Balance Stirrups When I first held the Herm Sprenger Bow Balance Stirrups in my hand, I was immediately struck by their weight and quality.

There’s a time and a place for lightweight stirrups, but for me, it’s not in the dressage ring. I need all the help I can get to encourage my legs to stretch low down my horse’s sides rather than creeping up toward jumping position.

That’s not to say these stirrups are heavy. The folks at Herm Sprenger have actually engineered the weight ratio in the Bow Balance in order to provide better balance and comfort, helping the rider maintain a better leg position.

Stepping into the wide-tread, shockabsorbing footbed with its two types of rubber felt downright decadent. It was cushy but firm, gripping my foot gently. I appreciated the four-way flex of these stirrups, which encouraged my hips, knees

24

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

and ankles to absorb shock and concussion so I could sit more quietly in the saddle. I found them slightly stiffer than the cheap-jointed knockoffs I’m used to riding in, but there was still plenty of give.

The bowed shape is another feature that encourages your leg to remain in the correct position while also making it easier to pick up a dropped stirrup.

All in all, these felt like the Cadillac of stirrups: elegant, high quality and with just the right features for a luxury riding experience.

These stainless steel stirrups come in a natural steel color as well as anthracite and bronze. The footbed is black and blue.

Order a size up if you’re concerned about fit, as the rubber covering the hinges narrows the gap a bit. Recommended retail is $250.90.sprenger.shptron.com.

The Winning Formula for Champions

Adrienne Lyle and Wizard placed first in the FEI Grand Prix CDI 5* Presented by Diamante Farms at the 2014 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival Adequan® IM (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) is the only product approved by the FDA for the treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness in horses. To learn more, visit www.nogenericadequan.com There are no known contraindications to the use of intramuscular Adequan® i.m. brand Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan in horses. Studies have not been conducted to establish safety in breeding horses. WARNING: Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Not for use in humans. Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children. Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Each 5 mL contains 500 mg Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan. Brief Summary Indications: For the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal and hock joints in horses.

SEE PRODUCT PACKAGE INSERT FOR FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION. Adequan® is a registered trademark of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ©LUITPOLD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., Animal Health Division, 2014 Shirley, NY 11967. Image of Adrienne Lyle and Wizard ©Susan J. Stickle is used with permission. AHD025, Iss. 5/2014

TECH REVIEW

Remember when “wheeling your course” was a thing in the world of eventing?

You’d see young riders marching along with care, brows furrowed in concentration as they tried to listen to their coaches while also steering their meter wheel along their exact route.

Professionals were out there wheeling too, probably on walk No. 2 or 3, as by that time they knew the line they wanted, and now it was time to get those minute markers squared away.

When I got serious about eventing, I too purchased a meter wheel, and I used to roll it out for the competitions that really mattered. But since downloading the CourseWalk App, my wheel has accumulated far more dust than meters.

The concept behind the app is simple: Use GPS and your smart phone to walk your course and take photos of your fences. Even for the most technophobic rider, this app is a super way to gather a lot of information about your crosscountry course.

You start by entering the course information—pace and time allowed at a minimum—but you can also enter the distance, location, level and other details. Hit the record button as you leave the start box and proceed to walk your course. As you approach a fence, touch the fence button to snap a photo. The app pauses the GPS recording automatically until you touch the save button on the backside. Don’t like the photo? Delete 26

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

and try again. You can also put the app in standby mode at any point if you’re going off your line for some reason.

Save the course as you walk through the finish flags, and voila, CourseWalk fills in your minute markers and takes you through the course, fence by fence, with photos to help you remember exactly what the nondescript log at fence 7 looked like.

Make a mistake while you’re walking your line? You can pause the recording and undo your last recorded points with the eraser feature. Disagree with the designer on the distance of the course? The CourseWalk app will autocorrect minute markers based on the optimum time.

I use the app far more than I ever used my wheel. I carry my phone with me wherever I go anyway, so as long as I have time, I always record my course now in order to learn if my planned route is shorter or longer than the course designer’s intended way and to find my minute markers, not to mention being able to review it at my trailer if I suffer a nervesinduced brain fart.

And although the course-walking feature is this app’s main function, it also provides a number of other useful tools for competitors and organizers. Curious about a course you haven’t seen before?

Check MyCourseWalk.com to see if someone else has uploaded it. There are about 1,500 courses saved there from around the world.

PHOTO COURTESY NICOLAS HINZE

The CourseWalk App

Forgot your dressage test or didn’t have time to learn it? CourseWalk app provides links to tests from many countries, and scores too.

Organizers and course designers can also use the CourseWalk app to find the optimum time for cross-country and show jumping and print maps for the competitors. Some kind organizers even post courses ahead of time on the event’s websites with the CourseWalk app.

If you’re a combined driver, try the CourseWalk CDE app for similar features.

Available for iPhone, iPad and Android. Download from the App Store on iTunes or Google Play. $9.99.

—Sara Lieser, Managing Editor

Revel in w채ter. #swedishstyle

Developed in Sweden where Mother Nature can be harsh, our Forest Highlander Boot is uniquely designed to protect you from the elements. 100% waterproof, rugged and comfortable, these versatile, all-purpose boots are packed with intelligent technical features and impeccable style. All to keep you dry and happy so you can do more of what you love.

MountainHorseUSA.com

THE CLOTHES HORSE

8 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Customize Monogrammed collars and personalized helmet covers have long served as creative outlets for riders, but these days the sky’s the limit when it comes to customizable equipment.

By K AT N E T Z LER

1. Your Whip Or Crop Whether you’re a color-crazed eventer or a classical dressage queen, the perfect personalized whip for you is out there: You just have to build it.

ProCush, a subsidiary of Old Mill Whips, primarily makes racing bats for jockeys in the U.K., but they also offer an eventing model. They’re fully customizable, from the color combination to the embroidered text (why stick to just your name when you can go with your personal motto or a favorite quote?) to the national flag emblem on the popper. Plus, ProCush offers a junior model too.

And in spite of its rather specific name, U.S. brand Signature Spurs offers crops as well— everything from the custom-colored jumper bat to the classy monogrammable dressage whip.

If you’re going for the former, be prepared to make a lot of tough decisions, because when Signature Spurs says “custom,” they mean it.

You’ll be able to select a main color from 18 options, a secondary color and a piping color; determine your bat’s overall length, flex level, handle style and wrap; pick your popper type, material and even the color of its stitching and string; and, oh yeah, add a monogram to your end cap as well.

The dressage whip (black only) and Signature Spurs’ leather hunter bat (black or brown) are much more modest, but they’ll still bear your initials in the classiest of manners.

Visit saddlery.biz for ProCush pricing and ordering information, and go to SignatureSpurs.com to check out that company’s wide variety of options.

28

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

2. Your Gloves OK, these gloves may not be individually customizable, but if you’re looking for a great present for your Pony Club or Young Rider team or a membership gift for the organization you chair, an order from Custom Gloves USA would quite literally be the perfect fit.

Custom Gloves can apply any logo you choose to your gloves’ Velcro closure and print text on the thumbs or fingers, or they can apply a logo or digital image across the full back of the hand and down the fingers, covering up to 95 percent of the gloves’ surface.

They offer models in cabretta leather or synthetic or a combination thereof, and you can also take your pick of full leather, pebble grip, stretchable flex panel across the knuckles or ventilated fingers.

And coming soon from Custom Gloves USA: personalized half-chaps! Visit customglovesusa.com/ designs/ for more information.

pricing options.”

DeNiro has great options, it—buying multiple pairs of trendy, tailor-made boots just isn’t practical period. They offer an astounding array of colors, leathers, crystals for anyone. But if you invested in and exotic add-ons. just one amazing pair and made “I just placed an order for a the handsome hunt tops interjumper rider here in Georgia, who changeable, King reasoned, the is ‘starting’ with five different tops,” mix-and-match possibilities would King says. “When she sat down be endless. with all the samples and options Thus the Vincero (meaning, “I before her, I could see her creative win” in Italian) was born—a genius wheels turning.” boot model made in exclusive partWhile colors like the stunning nership between StyleMyRide and palomino or rich emerald green are DeNiro boots of Italy. tempting, the Vincero model can “I sought out DeNiro to make actually end up being an incredibly our boots because of their impecpractical purchase—it all depends on cable craftsmanship, of course,” what you pick.

King explains. “But our models, “A rider can have a black top who are all competitive equestrians that matches the rest of the boot, [like Taylor and Frances Land, Jesso her trainers will be happy, and sie Drea and Mavis Spencer], kept judges will see an all-black boot,” remarking about how they were the King explains. “Then she can most comfortable boots they have The Chronicle of the Horse_BOW_BALANCE_8"x4,75"_USA_RZ_Layout 1 11.04.14 Seite 1 switch the boot up 10:31 for schooling ever worn. They also have great

Lucky horsemen the world over have been enjoying bespoke boots for centuries, but it wasn’t until last spring that a new idea came to Noelle King in a lightning bolt of genius.

The founder of JudgeMyRide. net and its subsidiary, StyleMyRide, wanted to create a line of edgy, fashion-forward, fully custom riding boots for her readers, but let’s face

ERIN MICHELLE PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOS

3. Your Interchangeable Boot Tops

at horse shows or at home, or even to wear out if she wants. It’s actually an affordable way to have versatility—instead of investing in several expensive pairs of custom boots, you can recreate your boots anytime you want.”

Visit JudgeMyRide.net and click on the StyleMyRide tab to learn more about the Vincero model and how to arrange an order consultation.

Supreme comfort and optimal security • bow form for easy pick up • maximum comfort and enhanced security as they ex in 4 directions • superb strength • foot tread with both rm outer edge rubber for grip and softer inner rubber for shock absorption • softens the impact on rider's cartilage and ligaments • wide tread for stable balance

• Acceptable in the upcoming USEF Rule Book rule EQ 109.4

German Equestrian Mfgs. Inc.

Ingrid Klimke recommends BOW BALANCE!

Tel.: 866 - 436-8225

www.hermsprenger.com gemtack@msn.com C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

29

THE CLOTHES HORSE

5. Your Spurs 4. Your Wine Debuting this summer, the Equestrian Masters Wine Club from iJump Sports and Giracci Vineyards in Silverado, Calif., is designed to commemorate hunter and jumper horses, riders and shows alike.

You’ll start the join-up process by selecting your sport category and Masters Series level: bronze, silver, gold or elite. (Based on iJump’s “qualification” system, for example, completion of an FEI grand prix class ranks you as at the Bronze Jumper Rider level, while serving as a Nations Cup team member will get you Elite Jumper Rider status.)

Then you’ll choose your membership level, which allows you various discount levels and personalization options, including the selec-

tion of your label photo and front and back label text. You’ll also select what type of wine you want; Giracci specializes in “big reds” like syrah, zinfandel and merlot, but there’s something on offer for every type of wine lover.

“We’re pleased that, among others, John French, Lane Clark, Rich Fellers, Antares, Josephina Nor-Lantzman and several others have already joined the Equestrian Masters Wine Club,” says Kathy Hobstetter of iJump.

“Bottling was scheduled for May 15, and it’s taking off like a rocket!”

To join the wine club or learn more about additional offerings like the junior sparkling collection, pet collection and product/business collection, email news@ijumpsports. com or call 714-797-1404.

6. Your Cross-Country Watch For years, almost every eventer in America had one thing in common: their cross-country watch. You’d see the same bright yellow face and black elastic band on the arms of riders across the nation, from novice level up to advanced.

But now, thanks to the Hi-Pique Hi-One+ Eventing Watch, confusing your timepiece with your barnmate’s in your messy tack room will be a problem of the past.

The Hi-One+ comes in black or white, but the most exciting part is the array of interchangeable bands available. There are 20 color and pattern combinations to choose from, like argyle, stars, stripes or dots. You’re almost guaranteed to find the perfect fit for your cross-country color scheme.

VTOSaddlery.com serves as Hi-Pique’s U.S. retailer.

30

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Whether it’s your name, your initials, your college or your barn name, if you can spell it, Signature Spurs can engrave it.

Choose your inscription from one of three fonts on any of Signature Spurs’ hand-polished stainless steel models for men, women or children. They offer classic Prince of Wales in four lengths, rollerball and rubber rollerball, and black leather straps are included with each purchase, but if you’re attached to your own pair of spurs, Signature will happily engrave them for you.

Visit SignatureSpurs.com for pricing.

7. Your Breeches FancyPants Custom Breeches of Canada are made one pair at a time to your exact measurements, which is great, but the real treat is owner Gail Ricketts’ skill with embroidery.

Ricketts, who said she could never find breeches to fit her disproportionately long legs, began making her own riding pants in 1996.

After a long series of trials and errors, she connected with Schoeller fabrics, which come in a range of beautiful colors and can be customdyed as well. Soon other riders were asking Ricketts to make them bespoke breeches too, and FancyPants was born.

Ricketts has now hand-made hundreds of pairs of riding pants (all with Schoeller Bluesign-approved fabrics and Ultratech seat and trim in custom colors) with elaborate (or understated—the choice is yours) embroidered designs, text and add-ons. That means you can have your barn logo digitized and sewn discreetly into the back of your breeches. If that’s not your thing, check out elements like crystal

pocket zippers or embellished back pockets.

Canadian dressage rider Joni Lynn Peters competes at the Grand Prix level wearing her FancyPants model, which includes red and black pocket piping and red and white maple leaf logos on the hips of white full seats, visible only when she takes her tail coat off.

To see more samples of Ricketts’ work, find a FancyPants dealer near you, or request swatches, visit FancyPantsBreeches.ca, or search for their page on Facebook.

8. Your Collar Stays Father’s Day is just around the corner, and if you’re shopping for the man who has everything, consider this handy little item: a set of adjustable collar stays to fit any size shirt. They’re the perfect fit for the male rider who’s always hustling from work to the show ring or hunt field.

“I became frustrated that every time I went to put on a collared shirt I had to change the collar stay, and I was spending unnecessary time hunting in my drawer for the right size,” explains Swiss Stays inventor David Schottenstein. “I got to the point of cutting the collar stays or bending them in order to fit. I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there were a one-size-fits-all collar stay?’ They say the best inventions come from necessity.”

Swiss Stays are available in PVC, brass, stainless steel or titanium, and they’re easy to engrave with a name, initials or message. Visit SwissStays.com for detailed illustrations of their many configurations.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

31

COVER STORY

PHELPS IMAGES/COLLECTION POUDRET PHOTO

Aboard the stunning gray Aberali, who also starred in The Horse In The Gray Flannel Suit, Kathy Kusner topped the puissance at the Aachen CHIO (Germany) in 1967.

32

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Well-Behaved

Wo ~ MEN Rarely MAKE

HISTo RY ~ Today we take for granted that equestrian disciplines are the only Olympic sports in which men and women compete on equal footing, but it wasn’t that long ago that these remarkable female riders were shattering the glass ceiling.

By CHR IS E. STAFFOR D

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

33

COVER STORY The Woman Of Countless Firsts: Kathy Kusner

T

After earning her red coat as a member of the U.S. Show Jumping Team, Kathy Kusner waged a successful legal battle to become the first woman in America to earn a jockey’s license.

WATCH HER IN ACTION You can find a series of compelling retrospective interviews with Kathy Kusner from MAKERS, a historic video initiative from AOL and PBS, at tinyurl.com/KusnerMakers.

34

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

o call U.S. rider Kathy Kusner a pioneer for women in equestrian sport would be a woefully lacking introduction to this multi-faceted sportswoman. Her career has spanned across show jumping, Thoroughbred flat racing and steeplechasing, aided by her athleticism as a marathon and ultra-marathon runner, her technical skills as a pilot and her humanitarian heart.

Kusner, who at the age of 74 now lives in Playa Vista, Calif., grew up on the East Coast and began winning unrecognized flat and timber races in her teens. As her skill in the saddle grew, so did her moxie.

“In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed, and I had been riding one of Dr. Joe Rogers’ timber horses, in the races that I could ride,” Kusner recalled. “But he knew I wanted to ride races at the track, and he said, ‘You have a real chance now of getting a jock’s license.’

“At the same time, in 1964, I was on the [U.S. show jumping] team,” she continued. “It was the first Olympic Games that I rode in, in Tokyo, so I was having this other life too—riding on the United States Equestrian Team— which was a huge dream for me, and I was doing it.”

But it wasn’t enough. Kusner needed more.

“I would thank my lucky stars I was [a member of the Olympic show jumping team], but then during the off season I would [have to] be riding races that were unrecognized,” she said. “I love that world also; I loved riding races.”

So Kusner entered uncharted territory by mounting a successful legal case to become the first female licensed jockey in the United States in 1968. Once equipped with that historic certificate, she went on to ride races all over the U.S. East Coast, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Germany, Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) and South Africa. And in 1971 she became the first woman to ride in what had stood for 75 years as the United States’ ultimate test of masculine equestrian prowess: the Maryland Hunt Cup. But it was in the grand prix arena that Kusner had first made her mark as a team player and a lynchpin in the golden era of American show jumping.

Alongside contemporaries like George H. Morris, William D. Steinkraus, Frank and Mary Chapot and

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

HOWARD ALLEN PHOTO

Carol Hoffman Thompson, Kathy Kusner didn’t come from a horsey family, but she was bitten by Kusner enjoyed an illustrious the bug early. She started riding in show jumping career. Its zenith unsanctioned races like this one, aboard Lotus III, even as a teenager. was the team silver medal she won at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, but her successes spanned decades and countless countries. She represented the United States in three Olympic Games: Tokyo in 1964, Mexico City in 1968, and Munich in 1972; and two Pan American Games: São Paulo in 1963 (team gold) and Winnipeg in 1967 (team silver).

Kusner’s inimitable style of “many classic seats” has been envied across generations and nations; elegant yet effective and adaptable, she was fearless under pressure. Kusner partnered with great horses such as then added commercial, multi-engine, instrument, seaUntouchable and Aberali, who each won the prestigious plane, commercial glider ratings and aerobatics to her puissance at the Aachen CHIO (Germany), in 1966 and repertoire. And she earned yet another “first female” 1977, respectively. Their names will be forever carved status when she became the first woman to pilot Lear in the history books with grand prix wins in Dublin Jets for Executive Jet Aviation, the premiere charter jet (twice); La Baule, France; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; company of its time.

Hickstead, England; Wiesbaden, Germany; Wulfrath, Later in life Kusner also embraced her passion for Germany; Ostend, Belgium; and Lucerne, Switzerland. long-distance running, and in 1997 she completed the But for Kusner there was no easy route to internaVermont 100-Mile Endurance Run in 27 hrs., 37 min. tional success—she came by it honestly.

As of April 2014 she’d completed 122 marathons and “She came up the hard way. There was nothing on a 73 ultra-marathons, including her latest marathon across silver platter,” noted her teammate, George H. Morris.

California’s Catalina Island in March, which, she said, “But she was a great competitor from the ’50s through to “I’ve done a million times, and I love it to death.”

1976, when she moved to California to do other things.”

Today Kusner works on the charity she founded in In Morris, Kusner found a soulmate and a confidante.

1999, Horses In The Hood. The non-profit organiza“We didn’t dance to the same tune as everyone else,” tion provides riding lessons to children from low-income he said. “We clicked. We were comrades in arms. When communities like Watts and Compton in South Central we were at [the Royal International Horse Show at] Los Angeles and instills life skills and values associated White City in London, I took her to Bohemian restauwith the care of horses. rants and to a play; we were very avant-garde!”

“It’s wonderful, with programs coming to camp But Kusner’s hunger for adventure couldn’t be sated from the most troubled and poorest areas of L.A.,” she by equestrian pursuits alone, nor by the occasional night explained. out on the town in swinging London with a friend like Kusner was inspired to create the program partially Morris. because of experiences from her formative years in junior She earned her pilot’s license in the early 1960s and high and high school in Arlington, Va., in the 1950s.

SUMMER 2014

35

COVER STORY “This was a time of segregation, and the grooms at the horse shows were mostly black people; they couldn’t get anything to eat from the diner or stay in a motel or anything like that,” Kusner recalled. “I was very aware of that, and [those experiences led me to eventually] develop Horses In The Hood.”

Today the neighborhoods she serves are mostly comprised of black and Hispanic families, and Kusner is using horses as a uniting force rather than one that divides.

“It doesn’t matter what [race] people are,” she said.

“That was [my] choice of a place to invite people to— come to our horse camps from Watts. And that’s been a real joy. The people have been great, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

In addition, Kusner has served as a popular clinician, course designer, TV commentator, journalist and expert legal witness, and she’s appeared in several films and television specials. She continues to teach clinics, but she still makes time for her running, as well as traveling for pleasure. She recently returned from a trip to Indochina, which included stops in Vietnam and Myanmar. “And I would love to go to Israel or Iceland this year,” she added.

“She’s a restless lady, always moving on to other things,” Morris said fondly. “She was always very curious and interested. And she was one of those people you

always wanted to see and be with, to talk to. She had a serious side and a naughty side.”

Steinkraus, their fellow teammate, noted, “In everything she’s taken on, Kathy was and is a 100 percent trier.”

In 2000, The Chronicle of the Horse named Kusner amongst our 50 Most Influential Horsemen of the 20th Century, as did the American Horse Shows Association (now U.S. Equestrian Federation). Among her many other accolades, Kusner was named the 1960 AHSA Horsewoman of the Year, and in 1990 she was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. In 2005 she received the Pegasus Medal of Honor from the USEF. That same year, she was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, and in 2012, she was a recipient of the John Henry “Pop” Lloyd Humanitarian Award.

And if there was any doubt of her role in equestrian sport, Morris is quite clear on where Kusner stands in the history books.

“She’s one of the greats of all time, and one of the first women to learn how to beat the men. She [paved the way for women like] Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, who is very reminiscent of her in how they made it to the top. They were similar riders, really tough, and they were both deadly, both killer competitors.” >>

The Consummate Horsewoman: Lana duPont Wright

in 2012. “That those medals happened nearly 20 years apart gives you an insight into her abiding passion for all things equestrian.”

Born in 1939 in Philadelphia, Wright made history by becoming the first woman to compete in Olympic eventing when she was named a member of the U.S. Equestrian Team at the 1964 Tokyo Games aboard her fabled Mr. Wister.

At that time, the USET was training in Camden, S.C., and Wright—never one to brag—recalled that there were, “not a lot of horses around from which to select a

“N

ot many people ever win a medal at the international level, so when I mention that Lana has won medals in two equestrian disciplines, you begin to realize that you are in the presence of someone special,” explained emcee James C. Wofford at the Eventing Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Lana duPont Wright

“We were a collection of bruises, broken bones and mud. Anyway, we proved that a woman could get around an Olympic cross-country course, and nobody could have said that we looked feminine at the finish.” —L A NA DU P ON T W R IGH T 36

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

JOHN STRASSBURGER PHOTO

team. Olympic selection was more about survival of the fittest.”

Leading up to her historic Olympic debut, Wright had little time to prepare, as the rules were changed only at the 11th hour to allow women to compete. Her memories of those Games are of big, imposing fences and none of the narrow types we see today. Despite multiple falls on cross-country, she remounted and continued, and the team won the silver medal.

“We fell hard, Wister breaking several bones in his jaw,” Wright recalled in the U.S. Equestrian Team Book of Riding. “We were badly disheveled and shaken, but Wister was nonetheless eager to continue. We fell a second time near the end of the course, tripping over another spread. When we finished, we were a collection of bruises, broken bones and mud. Anyway, we proved that a woman could get around an Olympic cross-country course, and nobody could have said that we looked feminine at the finish.”

“Before Lana, women were the weaker sex; after Lana,

The Chronicle’s June 2, 1961, issue hailed Lana duPont Wright’s first appearance at Badminton with Mr. Wister.

women joined one of the few Olympic sports where men and women compete on an equal basis,” said Wofford.

“Considering that eventing competitors are currently 88 percent female, I would especially like for the ladies in the room tonight to consider a time, not so long ago, when a glass ceiling existed. We now take it for granted that women will stand on an Olympic podium, but until Lana came along, that was not possible.”

Wright’s earliest memories of horses all include her mother, Allaire duPont, who was a keen foxhunter and breeder of the legendary race horse Kelso.

“I would go out and hunt with her any time I could,” Wright said, noting how much she also learned about horse care from her mother’s groom. “He taught me everything.”

As a teenager at Oldfields School, an elite boarding school in Maryland, Wright began to focus more seriously on riding.

“My senior year I was able to go in my first event,” she said, adding quickly that she knew very little about how a competition went.

After her eventing career concluded in the 1960s, Lana duPont Wright took up combined driving instead. Nearly 30 years after she won Olympic silver in “I didn’t even walk the course. [But] no one eventing, she earned a gold medal with her Connemara ponies at the 1991 World Pairs Driving Championships. knew anything about the sport and everyone

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

37

COVER STORY else lost their way or got eliminated, so I ended up winning; it made me very hungry.”

That hunger led Wright to Vermont, “where Gen. [John Tupper] Cole and [Capt. H.] Stewart Treviranus held a clinic,” she said. “Trish Gilbert was there; we built the cross-country and the steeplechase courses. How primitive it was in those days. That was where I learned a little and also did more dressage with Richard Watjen at Sunnyfield Farm in New York.”

In 1961 Wright realized her dream of competing at the Badminton Horse Trials (England), prior to which she spent two months in training with the legendary Capt. Edy Goldman.

“Mr. Wister was one Mother had given me off the racetrack, so I made him. He was a bit of a rogue and could buck me off whenever he chose, but after a year or so he was all changed; he was awesome and took me to Badminton,” she said.

Eventing in the United States was still very much in its infancy, so arriving at Badminton was “an eye opener,” she admitted. “But we did get around; we did all right.”

The 10th-place performance helped earn them their Olympic berth.

“It was a great experience, and when I look back I couldn’t have done any different, because I was learning the best way I could,” Wright said of her eventing career.

“The more you ride, the more you learn.”

Following the Olympic Games, Wright focused on her family and foxhunting. She and husband William Wright, a trainer and veterinarian, had two daughters: Lucy and Beale (who was a successful event rider until her premature death from an illness in 2005).

But as an ambitious equestrienne with a quiet competitive streak, Lana was not content to rest there. So she mounted the box seat and garnered more international success.

“I took to driving when my eventing days were over because I didn’t have a horse to ride,” said Lana, who went on to win team gold at the World Pairs Driving Championships with her Connemara ponies in 1991. She also founded and organized the Fair Hill Combined Driving Event in Maryland.

And later, “because I just loved to investigate the countryside and would go out riding for miles without telling anyone,” she took up endurance riding, completing many 100-mile rides.

Now 75, Lana will be remembered as a pioneer for women in eventing, but those who’ve met her in the hunt field or watched her driving or endurance riding will attest to the many attributes that make her an all-round horsewoman worthy of a place in the history books.

“Lana is unparalleled, and her achievement is incomparable; there never was anyone like Lana, and there will never be anyone like her again,” Wofford said. “In years to come, eventers will look at the list of Hall of Fame members, and they will say, ‘Once upon a time, there was an inductee like Lana duPont Wright... but only once, for she is indeed unique.’ ” But for her part, of course, the intensely shy and humble horsewoman demurs.

“I was never good enough,” she said. “But I really respect the great riders, especially the English riders. They deserved to go to the Olympics first I think, not me. But I was there.” >>

The Equestrienne Behind The Man: Helen Ziegler Steinkraus

K

nown to her friends as ‘Sis’, Helen Ziegler Steinkraus was a sought-after FEI dressage judge, a successful competitor and a powerful proponent of the sport in America, but she also deserves quite a bit of credit for the behind-the-scenes contributions she made to the career of her husband, the legendary show jumper and Olympic gold medalist William C. Steinkraus.

38

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Originally from New York, Helen spent most of her life in Connecticut following her marriage to “Bill,” and she devoted a great deal of time to supporting his career and raising their three sons, Eric, Phillip and Edward.

“Being married to Bill was a full-time job,” said Olympic dressage rider and former U.S. chef d’equipe Jessica Ransehousen. “It’s hard to realize how important

WEISENBURGER PHOTO

that was for her and Riding School berethe part she played in iter Karl Mikolka and his life. She was a real French Olympic team help to him in many gold medalist Jean ways, always being Saint-Fort Paillard. there for him.”

Helen was always In his youth, noted for her elegance, George Morris’ famboth in and out of the ily was close with the saddle, and with her Zieglers, and he got partner Natu she rode to know Helen at the to three consecutive Ox Ridge Hunt Club, USDF Horse of the where she also met her Year titles, at second, husband. third and fourth levels.

“I saw her from the In 1975 she also won perspective of being the Eastern National Bill’s wife, but I also title at fourth level. rode an ex-dressage “She was a very horse of hers, Impala, nice amateur rider and in the green hunters,” had a lot of fun with he recalled. “She was her horse,” recalled a lovely person, the Ransehousen, who kind you wanted to be rode and competed around, with a great alongside Helen for warmth and intimacy, With her longtime partner Natu, Helen Zeigler Steinkraus won three con- years.

USDF Horse of the Year titles, but she played many other key roles in and she had a great secutive In addition to U.S. horse sport as well: dressage judge, advocate of better competition conditions and inimitable aide-de-camp of her husband, William C. Steinkraus. sense of humor; she hunting to hounds in could switch from havthe United States and ing a serious conversation about dressage to being naughty Ireland, Helen was a keen all-round sportswoman, adept and a bit risqué. She always had a twinkle in her eye.” at snorkeling and at home on the tennis court. She could That gregarious nature—as well as her academic be found hunting wildfowl from the Eastern Seaboard background at Columbia University (N.Y.) and the to Mexico or cutting fresh tracks on the ski slopes of Hunter College of The City University New York— Europe, and she enjoyed yacht racing with her brother served her well as she joined governance committees and on their family’s boats on Long Island Sound or crewing embarked on a quest to create more and better U.S. horse in races in Hawaii and Bermuda. Helen was an accomshows, not only on Long Island but also in Wellington, plished upland hunter and bird dog trainer, embarked on Fla. The smorgasbord of competitions up and down the both photographic and hunting safaris in Africa, and was east coast that riders enjoy today can be directly linked to an avid patron of the ballet and figure skating.

Helen’s advocacy.

Helen, whose family founded the E. Matilda Ziegler As a dressage judge, Helen was an early proponent Foundation for the Blind, was also a student of mediof the freestyle, convinced of what we now know to be cine in addition to her sporting pursuits. After college absolutely true: that music can make the sport accessible she worked as a research assistant for Dr. Ernst Wynto a much wider audience. And as an amateur rider, she der on lung cancer studies at Sloan-Kettering Institute sought every opportunity to train with European masters and made several trips abroad to collect medical samples. such as Gunnar Ostergaard of Denmark, former Spanish Later in life she took a special interest in the ambulance

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

39

COVER STORY service of her hometown, Darien, Conn., and decided to earn her EMT-1 certification.

At the age of 81, Helen passed away in 2012.

“She was always open to new challenges, new people and new experiences,” said Bill, her husband of 51 years.

“All in all, she had an extraordinary range of interests, a lot of courage and a lot of determination.” >>

The Unlikely Goddess: Lis Hartel

40

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

GAMMA-KEYSTONE VIA GETTY IMAGES PHOTO

T

he story of Danish dressage Olympian Lis Hartel is by turns inspirational and humbling, not only because she clinched an Olympic medal in 1952—the first opportunity in history that equestriennes were allowed on the Olympic stage—but because of the incredible adversity she overcame with grace and dignity to do so.

Hartel contracted polio at the age of 23, and while it affected her mobility for the remainder of her life, it only made her more determined to win. She was committed to not just fighting the debilitating and incurable illness, but also to succeeding at the highest level of sport.

With a loss of sensation from the knees down and weakness in her arms and legs, Hartel developed a uniquely sensitive style of riding that prompted onlookers to comment on her “invisible aids.” Among her admirers was none other than the director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Alois Podhajsky, who told her she was one of the best riders in the world. He, along with her earliest trainer Gunnar Andersen, encouraged her to aim for the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.

This was the first opportunity for women and civilians to be included in the Olympic movement, and while Hartel would today be classified as a para-dressage rider, that sport was not part of the equestrian vocabulary in the 1950s. She had no role model, so instead she became one.

Hartel was more than capable of holding her own in Helsinki and was second only to the legendary Swedish rider Henri Saint Cyr, who gallantly carried Hartel to the medal podium. The act astonished the crowd in attendance, who had not appreciated the handicap with which she was riding until they saw how difficult it was

Because of her brilliant seat and harmonious partnership with her horse Jubilee, Lis Hartel’s polio was a big surprise in the dressage world. Many fans of the sport only learned of her disability when they saw her helped down from her mare by a groom or onto the silver-medal podium at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki—the first Games where women were allowed to compete in equestrian sport— by gold medalist Henri Saint Cyr.

for her to stand unaided. Throughout Hartel’s life, she tenaciously resisted the use of a wheelchair.

Hartel was born into an equestrian family in March of 1921 in the coastal town of Hellerup, just north of Copenhagen. Both her parents rode for pleasure, but it was her mother, Else Holst, who proved to be the taskmaster of the family and instilled a strict sense of discipline in her daughter that would carry her throughout her life and be applied to every aspect of her career.

Hartel married her husband Finn at the age of 20, and a year later their first daughter, Pernille, was born.

Two years later, while pregnant with her second child, WATCH HER IN ACTION You can find video of Lis Hartel’s historic rides at tinyurl.com/Hartel.

Anne, Lis was diagnosed with polio, and doctors told her she would be lucky to walk with crutches, much less ride a horse again.

But Lis was already an accomplished rider with considerable success in both dressage and show jumping, so she wasn’t keen to take no for an answer. Together with her famous mare Jubilee, she began winning consistently at M level in 1949, and a year later they competed at S level, winning the Prix St. Georges at Rotterdam. Four years after their historic Olympic debut, they picked up silver yet again at the Olympic Games in Stockholm. Lis also won the Danish Dressage Championships for three consecutive years, from 1952-54, and did so again in 1956 and 1959.

Against all odds, Lis was a “goddess in the art of dressage,” renowned German judge Gustav Rau once remarked.

Not that it went to her head. Danish team rider Mikala Munter Gundersen trained with Lis for five years when Lisa was in her 70s, and she loved to listen to the legend reminisce with characteristic modesty and engaging humor as she paused to reflect on her achievements.

“She was a very humble person,” she said. “And as she looked at photographs and films of her successes, she would say, ‘I can’t believe it was me, and that I did all this.’

“I looked up to her since I was a child, and I was so impressed with her professionalism and her ambitions.

When I got the opportunity to train with her I jumped at it,” Gundersen added. “She taught me how to use my seat and core, because that’s what she relied on.”

Even after suffering a stroke later in life, Lis remained doggedly determined to ride, and Gundersen would help her get on her horse. And despite her notable achievements, Lis never charged her students a training fee. As Gundersen recalled, “she always said she would never take the bread from a professional trainer, and she would do anything for her students.”

Having not had one in her formative years, Lis herself became a role model for polio victims by raising money around the world through the Polio Foundation. She also founded the Lis Hartel Foundation, and a center for the

AU T HOR’ S NO T E

Marjorie Haines Gill made the history books by being the first woman to ride for the United States in the Olympic Games, as Lis Hartel did for Denmark, both in 1952. Kathy Kusner was a prolific rider, whether on the U.S. Show Jumping Team or at racetracks around the globe. Helen Ziegler Steinkraus’ influence behind the scenes left a lasting legacy in American dressage and show jumping, while Lana duPont Wright not only broke gender barriers but won medals in two different equestrian sports. All these women clearly deserve recognition and their place in the history books.

But in researching this article, it soon became clear that finding any substantive information, key facts, remembrances or photos of these pioneering equestriennes would be a significant challenge.

Today we enjoy the convenience of capturing history with the blink of an eye, and recordkeeping is simpler and easier than ever on the Internet. But there proved to be a shocking shortage of biographical facts and other data about these historic female figures from the sports’ governing bodies, both nationally and internationally.

The sun set on these women’s heydays long before the dawn of the digital age, and there is a constantly declining reference available through the generations that knew them well. It therefore made this brief even more fascinating, as I sought to find relatives or fellow riders who could share their memories.

As journalists, we have a duty to record history— to harvest the stories and educate future generations so that great horsewomen such as these are forever memorialized. Only if we continue to build these important archives in print and online can our sports maintain their integrity and true heroes of our history be honored.

—Chris E. Stafford

“As she looked at photographs and films of her successes, she would say, ‘I can’t believe it was me, and that I did all this.’ ” —MIKALA MUNTER GUNDERSEN C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

41

COVER STORY disabled in Doorn, the Netherlands, was named after her.

Lis, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 87, was inducted into Denmark’s Hall of Fame in 1992, and in 1994 she became the first Scandinavian to be inducted into the International Women’s Hall of Fame. >>

F

Our American Trailblazer: Marjorie Haines Gill

or some pioneering equestriennes, their moment in the spotlight may have been brief, but it’s nonetheless important to recognize that they once crossed a threshold that was previously out-of-bounds for female riders.

Any competitor will attest to the prestige of carrying the national flag on her saddle pad, but only a special few can call themselves Olympians. Marjorie Haines Gill has been able to claim to both since she became the first equestrienne on a U.S. Olympic team, at the 1952

Marjorie Haines Gill became the first female on a U.S. Olympic equestrian team at the 1952 Games in Helsinki.

The May 23, 1952, issue of the Chronicle included coverage of the team’s trip across the Atlantic on The Flying Dutchman, a plane that coincidentally shared the name of Gill’s talented dressage mount.

42

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Helsinki Olympic Games: the first time the games were open to civilians and women.

Former Olympian and team chef d’equipe Jessica Ransehousen remembers those days in the early 1950s when there were very few upper-level dressage riders in the United States at all; most, she recalls, “were nice amateur riders not bitten by the bug.”

But Gill, then just 20, was in the right place at the right time, and The Flying Dutchman, a German horse that was liberated after World War II, trotted into her life.

“He was available, and she was interested, so she took him on,” said Ransehousen. “He was a very nice horse, very well trained, and she deserved to go [to the Olympics].”

To some observers at the time, Gill’s appearance on the team came as a surprise. As Ransehousen recalled, “She came out of nowhere, but she was a hard worker and very dedicated. She was lucky to have found that horse, because it gave her a wonderful chance.”

In 1952, the U.S. team was training at Sleepy Hollow Stables in New York, and Gill’s teammates were Bob Borg and Hartmann Pauly.

“They were the only ones with any experience,” noted Ransehousen. “We were second cousins to the jumpers.

Very little was written about the sport, and if you don’t have interest from the public, it’s lost on the people.”

Against this background, the team’s achievements, and those of Gill individually, did not make headlines.

Although Gill finished 17th at the Olympics, her appearance there was largely overshadowed by Denmark’s Lis Hartel, who won silver.

Upon the team’s return from Helsinki, Gill, who’s now 82, played a less prominent role in dressage. Once she married Hall of Fame show jumping owner and trainer Harry R. Gill, who had also helped her with her dressage mounts, her attention was drawn to the hunter/jumper world.

Together the Gills produced many successful horses, including the much loved champion Idle Dice.

Legacy Heritage Pro

Legendary horsemen Nelson and Rodrigo Pessoa have developed a saddle fitting system like no other - the MasterFit™ system. Designed to unify the horse and the rider in perfect harmony with 420 different options, we can affordably tailor-fit one for you and your horse.

You’ll neither struggle with your two-point, nor suffer in your flatwork. With more than 50 years of savvy and horse sense packed into the design, every model has the heart and soul of a competitor.

Ride better in a Pessoa.

Starting at $2,495.

We are the proud sponsor of the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal.

www.PessoaUSA.com

®

PROFILE cut from the

SAME CLOTH They’ve got cowboys, farriers, show jumpers, equine chiropractors, a dressage rider and a veterinarian, but the Clarke family is even greater than the sum of its parts.

By JENNIFER B. CALDER

44

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

CHEVAL PHOTOS PHOTO

“Home is really where your family is,” says Meredith Clarke (center), pictured on the steps of the family’s Southern California barn-turned-house. “[Allen and I] are now divorced, and we have different partners, but we actually bought this place and put it into the family trust after we were divorced. Because to us, family is key. We’re old-fashioned that way.” (From left) Foxy the dog, veterinarian Jennifer Reese Clarke and her husband, grand prix show jumper Lane Clarke; farrier Meredith and her ex-husband, trainer Allen Clarke; trainer, farrier and stunt rider Lyn Clarke and his wife, dressage rider Niki Hall Clarke, with their 2-yearold son, Colton Lane Clarke.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

45

PROFILE Allen Clarke eats dessert first, the waitress placing a

fat slice of cheesecake on the table ahead of the salads and burgers.

Of course he does. Adhering to the normal order of things never interested him, and he delights in the unconventional, whether at the dinner table or in training horses.

An openness to alternative training methods merged with a tireless work ethic, an emphasis on professional integrity, and an unwavering commitment to horsemanship ripples outward and characterizes not only the Australian-born Allen, but his entire family.

If there exists such a thing as an equestrian dynasty, it would be the Clarkes. It’s difficult to find one specialty of the horse world—be it training, sophisticated farrier services, Grand Prix dressage, grand prix show jumping, roping, steer wrestling, veterinary services, stunt riding in a big-budget Hollywood movie—unconquered by a member of the family.

Each Clarke excels in his or her respective field, but it is their drive, authenticity and humility that make this eclectic family so respected in the business. And their continued devotion to one another— through lean times, success, new additions and even divorce—makes them all the more extraordinary.

Modern Family

Twelve hours earlier, I’m pulling into the 8-acre Clarke ranch nestled among the citrus orchards, vineyards and cypress-tree covered hills of Temecula, Calif., where I’m greeted by a wriggling black Lab and a smiling man wearing a white Outback hat.

His Australian accent betrays his identity as he extends a hand the size of a PingPong paddle.

Allen Clarke, 55, has puckish blue eyes and a mischievous sense of humor. (You know you’re in for a fun time when, during the initial call to arrange the interview, 46

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

something you say triggers your subject to begin singing the theme song to Mister Ed.) Under a blue sky dotted with touristfilled hot air balloons, his horses shuffle in the open stucco shed row, poking their heads over the stall doors before returning to their breakfast. The morning is typical Southern California, warm and dappled, and the farm is peaceful—no hint of the 5.1-magnitude earthquake that jostled the area a few hours earlier.

The dog finally placated after a few minutes of patting, Allen leads me into the cozy main house, a converted shed with an open floor plan that combines living quarters and a workshop. The dining room table has been appropriated for tooling leather; bridles and exquisitely detailed belts hang on the back of the chairs. The few doors hide closets and are repurposed from old stalls, the backs grooved with marks of long-gone horses, pawing for dinner or turnout. Large stones gathered from around the property create the living room floor, each representing the effort of someone in the family.

It’s been 27 years since Allen, a fourthgeneration horseman, immigrated to the United States from Australia with his now ex-wife, Meredith, a former science educator turned farrier who has lectured all over the world on lameness issues. With them came their then 5- and 2-year-old sons. Lyn, now 32, is an accomplished trainer, farrier and stunt rider based in Murrieta, Calif., and Lane, 28, is a grand prix show jumper and head trainer with Hayden Show Jumping in Laguna Hills, Calif.

Motivated in part by greater opportunities for their sons, Allen and Meredith arrived in California with little money and fewer connections, circumstances that ce-

CHEVAL PHOTOS PHOTOS

COWBOY IN ACTION: The Allen Clarke Technique “I always tell Lane, ‘We are not that good, some of these people are just that bad,’ ” says a typically humble Allen Clarke about his family’s training techniques.

“They’ve gotten away from horsemanship in the last 30 years. The biggest thing contributing to that is getting horses from Europe and not having to make them yourself.”

Allen’s cowboy training methods have won him a dedicated clientele of top eventers, show jumpers and dressage riders, but it hasn’t always been easy.

“Some of the things he does are unorthodox or things people from the hunter/jumper world haven’t seen,” says Ashlee Bond-Clarke. “People can be uneducated and not understand his approach, but all that reveals is a lack of horsemanship on their part. Allen can fix any problem.

Obviously he’s super at getting babies started, but what he really specializes in is fixing horses with problems. Ones with issues, like refusing to jump the water, stopping at fences, spooking at flags or judges’ stands. He is super, super talented at fixing those types of horses.”

Allen’s first goal with a new horse? Offer him sanctuary.

“Sanctuary can be simply to look at me, to give me two eyes, acknowledge that I’m here,” he

says. “Once I have their attention, I can control their body. You can see this behavior mimicked in the field.”

Allen mentions a horse that came to his Horsemanship Unlimited program that was acting aggressively to other horses in the field, biting and kicking.

“This went on for two or three days, then by the fourth day they were eating the same hay,” he says. “So you need to ask, ‘Why are they doing this?’ It’s because the alpha horse controls the other horses’ mind and feet.

‘Don’t stand there, stand here. I didn’t say here, I said there!’ The other horse is going, ‘Whoa! Go where? What?’ So he starts to concentrate on the dominant horse.”

Allen starts his groundwork in a round pen, establishing himself as the alpha, and his leadership gets results.

“I couldn’t figure out why a client of mine would show up with her bag of freshly washed carrots—not dirty carrots, washed carrots,” he says with a laugh, “and her horse would pin its ears back, kick at her and act mad, then I’d walk in the stall, and he’d grab my shirt and rub on me. I’d think, ‘Why do you love me and hate her? I’m the one making you do things you seem not to want to do.’ But I came to the realiza-

tion that he could trust me. If a grizzly bear walked down the road, he’d know it’s my job to deal with it.”

True to his business’ name, Allen’s bag of tricks is unlimited.

The 8 acres of his ranch are well appointed with a round pen, dressage arena and a larger ring filled with both jumps and all things potentially scary to a horse (fake cows, fluttering signs, liverpools).

There’s another smaller ring with white barrels placed near each other for claustrophobic horses to weave in and around and a wooden podium for standing. All these challenges are systematically presented to help sensitive horses overcome their issues and develop trust and confidence in their riders.

Allen and daughter-in-law Niki Hall Clarke have approximately 15 horses in training, not that he’ll tell me to whom they belong, out of respect to his clients’ confidentiality. (He’ll simply say, ‘This one belongs to an Olympian,’ or, ‘That one, a grand prix rider.’)

The number of horses the Clarkes host at one time is small, out of necessity; the corrective work they specialize in is too demanding for higher volume.

Allen’s elder son Lyn also works at the ranch three or four mornings a week, training horses from 5 to 10 a.m. and then shoeing

until late in the evening.

“This is going to sound ridiculous,” Allen chuckles, “but we are making pictures. We’re sculpting this animal into a picture for a particular purpose. Each discipline perceives the art a little bit differently, but the basic training is approached the same. My job is to get through their mind to put their body in a place to do the job we want them to do—to make it easy and safe for them and for us.

End of story.”

There are instances, of course, when outside constraints result in the picture being more of a sketch. But some level of progress is always achieved.

“You have to fit it in the time frame your client needs, but you try to finish your job,” he says.

“Sometimes I have to say, ‘Here’s my artwork. I didn’t put a frame around it, I didn’t sign it or fill in the trees, but boy, doesn’t it look like a boat?’ ” “He’s brilliant,” says professional eventer Tamra Smith, who worked with Allen for years at his ranch and is one of his many faithful clients. He now helps coach her 18-year-old daughter, Kaylawna, as well. “I’m lucky to be right down the street from him.

He’s a genius.

“An Australian, which could count against him,” Smith jokes.

“But a genius.”

Makenna Randle, a Horsemanship Unlimited working student, demonstrates the progress made by a horse sent to Allen Clarke three weeks prior, who had refused to jump or even go near water. “We sometimes take a picture and send it to the owner or trainer, and they feel so much more confident,” says Allen.

“Here’s a 19-year-old girl standing on his back in the middle of the water! It helps the clients know that if she can stand on the horse in the water, then they certainly can jump it. Everything we do gets progressively bigger and bigger, tougher and tougher.”

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

47

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLARKE FAMILY

PROFILE

mented the incredible interdependence they still share.

“The boys are absolutely, incredibly, extremely close,” says Allen. “We came over here, and all they had on a day-to-day basis was each other, so I’d say they’re closer than the average brothers.

“Who do you depend on? Who do you lie awake talking to? Who’s going to sleep by you?” he continues. “Our family nucleus is just this group of people. We consciously tried hard to make it happen, but a lot came about inadvertently because we also worked together.”

We’re joined later in the afternoon by

“

Meredith, a petite and pretty blonde. She avers in her soft Australian accent, “Home is really where your family is. Obviously we’re now divorced, and we have different partners, but we actually bought this place,” she gestures to the farm surrounding us, “and put it into the family trust after we were divorced. Because to us, family is key. We’re old-fashioned that way.”

The foursome left Australia edified by generation after generation of Clarke horsemen. Allen’s great-grandfather captured and trained wild horses for the Australian cavalry, and his grandfather followed suit. His father, Reg Clarke, picked

We actually bought this place and put it into the family trust after we were divorced. Because to us, family is key. —Meredith Clarke 48

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

”

CHEVAL PHOTOS PHOTO

“They did not—were not—allowed to feel entitled,” says Allen Clarke (left) of his sons Lane (center) and Lyn. “I asked them not to tell me how good they were, but to show me how good they were.”

up the mantle, expanding into trotters and draft horses. Allen’s brother, Geoff Clarke, also immigrated to California, and after an initial career as a farrier he’s now an equine chiropractor in high demand.

“My father broke the first horse to come from Australia to America,” Allen says. “Then he was heavy into harness racing, pulling horses, drafts. I wanted to be

the apple of my father’s eye. I wanted to be great, and in our family that meant you had to do something with a horse.

“And I was absolutely scared to death of horses!” he adds, chuckling. “My father put me on a little pony, to the point my feet almost touched the ground when I was about 12, and I cried. Not out of annoyance, but out of absolute fear! But by the

The arenas at Horsemanship Unlimited are full of stimuli, but lessons are planned in a specific progression so as not to overwhelm the horse. “Eighty percent of the horses who walk in this ring [for the first time] and see that cow? Wreckage!” says trainer Allen Clarke.

time I was 15, I was riding all the horses the other trainers couldn’t. I figured if I could solve the problems they were unable to, my dad would have to say, ‘What a good boy!’ ” Allen pats himself on the head in an imitation of a doting dad as he speaks. “It

was a way to impress my father,” he concludes. He laughs again and says, with a slight shake of his head, “I should be laying on the couch right now, telling you this.”

Allen’s now built an entire career—and a life—around fixing “problem horses.”

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

49

PROFILE

paid for this lesson does not mean you are entitled to it. You need to learn to behave properly.’

And I thought, ‘Good, OK, this is the place for Lane.’ Because you don’t want to have spent all that time teaching them decent behavior only to have it regress during the teenage years!”

She was right. Lane thrived under Hayden’s guidance, and 13 years later, he’s now an integral part of the Hayden Show Jumping team.

“I want to achieve,” Lane says, pausing to think, “everything! I want to go to the [FEI] World Cup [Final]. I plan to go to the World Cup. I want to go to the Olympics, the World Equestrian Games. I don’t see any reason not to go.”

Allen recalls a time when, as a child, Lane asked him if he thought he’d ever be able to ride in a grand prix one day.

“I told him, ‘They’re going to

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLARKE FAMILY

The Clarkes’ younger son, Lane, was 15 when he started to buckle down and get serious about a career in show jumping, so his mother, Meredith, took on the task of driving him 1½ hours each way to Mickey Hayden’s barn in Laguna Hills, Calif., four times a week for nearly nine months. She eventually rented an apartment nearby for the two of them to live in during the week, and she homeschooled him and even relocated her farrier business.

“On the weekends, I’d come back here to the ranch, and Mickey would mind Lane and take care of him,” says Meredith.

“We went for quite a long time of just watching Mickey. I would sit and listen to him, and one day he was teaching a girl who was acting like a brat. He said to her, ‘You know what? You get off your horse now and go put him away. Just because you’ve

50

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

The Clarke children grew up learning to rope, ride and jump by feel. When a young Lane Clarke once asked his father if he thought he’d ever be able to ride in a grand prix, “I told him, ‘They’re going to pay you to ride in a grand prix one day,’ and he thought I was crazy,” says Allen.

MCCOOL PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO

COMMITMENT TO SUCCESS

pay you to ride in a grand prix one day,’ and he thought I was crazy,” Allen says.

“Growing up seeing horses change under the effort of my father, I wanted to put in that same amount of effort or to contribute,” Lane says. “At a certain point it went from something you do, or you enjoy doing, to being who you are. That just happens one day.”

Equestrian pursuits at the top level do not come cheap, and the Clarkes work hard to support their lifestyle. They may not be wealthy, but, as Lane explains, “We’re rich, just in different ways. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true.

“It’s pretty amazing to go to a grand prix and have your whole family there to support

Lane Clarke, shown here riding Semira de Saulieu to a win in the 2013 $40,000 Blenheim Spring Classic II Grand Prix, is now the rider and trainer in residence at Mickey Hayden Show Jumping, where he first started taking lessons at the age of 15.

you and 40 clients who drive up to watch you,” he continues.

“You’ll hear them announce someone’s name, and,” here he claps quietly, politely.

“Then they say my name and, ‘Roooaaaaarrrr!’ ” He stomps his feet and mimics their cheers.

“It’s because they like him,” his brother Lyn says. “People who don’t even like going to horse shows go and watch. It’s the same for my wife. People show up because they like who they are.”

Allen had originally planned to be a western horse trainer, and he would visit the United States occasionally, learning the latest techniques from the best trainers and taking them back home.

“I achieved a fair bit in Australia, won the biggest futurity and blah, blah, all that jazz,” he says. “I just didn’t want to be a big fish in a little pond. I wanted to be a big fish in a big pond—to eat all the other fish and become a big fish.”

The “tall poppy syndrome” prevalent in Australian culture also influenced the Clarkes’ decision to move.

“If you’re grass,” Allen explains, gesturing low to the ground with his hand, “Everybody’s fine, but as you as soon as your stick your head up,” he stretches up tall and pretends to slash his neck, “‘Pffffft!’ It wasn’t the way we wanted to bring up our kids. Over here, it’s the total opposite. If you’re the grass, they want nothing to do with you. You’re encouraged to stick your head up.”

The Clarkes’ experience began in Northern California, where they lived on a ranch in exchange for shoeing and training. The farm was adjacent to the property where George Lucas filmed many scenes from Star Wars.

“It was amazing!” Allen exclaims. “The boys were playing paintball wars among 20-foot wide redwood trees. And I’m a little bit of a nut, but I thought the air and forest up there were better for them.”

Allen’s brother Geoff and his children—son Sage, now 26, an esteemed farrier who also does chiropractic work and is a former steer wrestler, and daughter Leah, who at only 28 has mastered the art of quarter crack lacing and lameness work (and is coincidentally engaged to Judd Fisher, farrier to Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome)—lived nearby.

When a wealthy Southern California dressage rider offered Allen a job, however, the financial security it provided was

CHEVAL PHOTOS PHOTO

California King

Opposites attract, according to equine veterinarian and rider Jennifer Reese Clarke, pictured here with husband Lane Clarke and their dog Foxy. She likens her own quiet personality to that of her brother-in-law Lyn’s, but she and Lane, the family showman, make the perfect pair.

too tempting to refuse.

Sage and Leah remained close to their cousins, however, and the four of them spent every summer together as teenagers, learning to rope, ride, jump and shoe.

And Allen was not only a professional influence on his niece and nephew, he’s also an excellent matchmaker; he introduced Sage to his now-wife, U.S. team show jumper Ashlee Bond-Clarke.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

51

PROFILE

“

I want to be a fantastic horseman. I want to get to where I want to go without selling my soul. —Lane Clarke

”

What You See Is What You Get

The rest of the family soon join us (plus Allen’s live-in girlfriend, Mary, and her college-age daughter, Courtney) at the ranch: Meredith’s boyfriend, Rome; Lane and his wife, Jennifer Reese Clarke, an accomplished rider and equine veterinarian who has just applied for her FEI card; Lyn and his wife, Niki Hall Clarke, a Grand Prix dressage rider and USDF gold medalist; and their 2-yearold son, Colton Lane, his middle name a testament of the close bond between the two brothers.

For the next few hours the Clarkes

will alternately tease and praise each other, words tumbling out, finishing each other’s sentences and thoughts in the way only family can.

My suggestion to sit on the grass or walkway steps to chat is met with polite laughs.

“Oh, we aren’t very good at sitting,” Niki explains.

It’s true. Each member of the clan— including those who’ve married into the family—seems to share a zest for life, intense work ethic and emphasis on personal integrity.

As I’m told later by Ashlee BondClarke, who only crossed paths with her now-husband Sage a few years ago but has known and competed against Lane since

CHEVAL PHOTOS PHOTO

At just 2 years old, Colton already shows classic signs of the Clarke family work ethic, passed down by Grandpa Allen and three generations of Australian horsemen before him.

52

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

childhood, the family is comprised completely of “straight shooters.”

“There is no bullshit, no schmoozing, no phoniness in any of them,” she says.

“They are genuine, hardworking, honest and funny—they are so freaking funny!

What you see is what you get.”

Lyn, tattooed and soft spoken, explains, “I think the reason we work so hard is because in the end we’re not willing to sell ourselves, and we aren’t in it for the success or accolades. We want our work to speak for itself. That goes for all of us.”

This may be part of the reason you won’t find splashy advertisements of the Clarkes’ training services or farrier businesses, let alone any tales of the family’s achievements, on the Internet. They don’t have professional websites or Facebook fan pages. In fact, you won’t find much of anything by Googling any of them—you’ll be lucky, if you know what you’re looking for, just to find a phone number for Allen’s aptly named Horsemanship Unlimited.

They’re too busy making sure the horses come first.

“I want to be a fantastic horseman,” Lane picks up where his brother left off. “I want to get to where I want to go without selling my soul. I don’t want to do it by being unfair to the horses. I don’t want to do it by showing them too much, giving them unnecessary medications, through treating them poorly to get them to perform better. I want to try to pick great horses and train them great and have them perform for and with me.

“I feel like success is defined by being a great horseman because the horses are the reason we have what we have,” he continues, gesturing across the property. “We wouldn’t have anything without them, and I just want to do everything as fair, as loyal and as honestly as I can and hope that’s right.”

This outlook is a direct reflection of the brothers’ upbringing. There were few hard

CHEVAL PHOTOS PHOTO

and fast rules in the Clarke household, but personal integrity was non-negotiable.

“There were only three things they would get punished for,” Meredith explains. “They were lying, cheating and stealing.”

“And if you did the second two, as long as you didn’t lie, you almost got away with it, too!” Lane interjects with a laugh.

“Yes, those three things,” his mother continues wryly. “They would get punished if they did those, but everything else is just a mistake, and mistakes are simply things that have consequences. For me, moral character was the most important thing to breathe into my kids.”

It’s at this point that both Meredith’s daughters-in-law simultaneously voice their agreement. Jen says, “You won’t find more honest people,” a beat ahead of Niki: “Their moral character is unparalleled.”

Neither says this to win favor or to suck up. Both young women are as grounded and authentic as their husbands, and although they have very different personalities (Jen describes herself as more like her brother-in-law, Lyn, “strong and quiet,” while Niki likens herself more to Lane, “strong and passionate”), they’re all cut from the same cloth.

“None of us do anything halfway,” Jen says.

This is where Allen’s goals as a father shine through: to raise strong, independent and capable young men with a work ethic to succeed in life.

“It’s funny how it takes two,” he says.

“They love the nurturing part of their mother, but I think the world has created winners and losers. I was scared to death [of horses when I was young] and cried my eyes out, but I pushed through it to get where we are. Isn’t that what we need to be taught? To strive a little bit? Breathing doesn’t constitute value.

“They had to be polite, they had to work hard, they had to appreciate things,” Allen

“I wouldn’t be who I am without my dad. But I’m so grateful for the parts of me that come from my mom, and I feel the same way about my wife,” says Lyn Clarke, pictured here with dressage trainer Niki Hall Clarke and their 2-year-old, Colton Lane Clarke. “She offers the same thing to my family and my son. I was searching for something my whole life until I met her.”

continues. “They did not—were not—allowed to feel entitled. I asked them not to tell me how good they were, but to show me how good they were.”

Lyn and Lane have done just that.

Yin And Yang

Lyn, daring and fearless in his professional life, rode as a stunt double for the Armie Hammer character in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger, but he’s a much more reflecC H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

53

PROFILE tive and philosophical personality than meets the eye.

“We’re used to getting what we want, and if we can’t get it, we work harder to make sure we can,” he says. “The Lone Ranger was a great experience, but my son was just born [in the middle of filming], and truthfully I cared more about being with my family than I did the rest of it. It’s unreliable; even as a top stunt man you have to cross your fingers. It’s not about how hard you work, it’s about how lucky you are, and that’s not the way I like to go about life.

“We’ve lived our whole lives [relying on hard work, not luck],” he continues. “If you think about it, to come from Australia with nothing and to do—in one generation— what my mom and dad have done, and the position they put us in...”

He trails off, and when he speaks again his voice cracks, and he fights back tears.

“I wouldn’t be who I am without my dad. But I’m so grateful for the parts of me

speaks again, she’s serious: “I think my boys chose the perfect partners for themselves.

Both my daughters-in-law are really strong, independent women in their own right.

They’re with my sons because they want to be, not because they need them. These two boys can get a bit ‘Clarke-y.’ ” Mistakes have been made and consequences delivered, and there are many, many childhood stories affectionately described in hindsight as “Clarke-y” behavior.

One involves Lyn and Lane dipping their shoes in diesel fuel, lighting them on fire, and running around a sandy track. (Whoever stopped first to put out the flames was deemed the loser.) In others, they super-glue their armpits to each others’ sides or place firecrackers between the toes or down the backsides of their sleeping cousins.

Those cousins, Leah and Sage, had plenty of opportunities to strike back, since they spent their teenage summers at the ranch.

Isn’t that what we need to be taught? To “strive a little bit? Breathing doesn’t constitute value. —Allen Clarke ” that come from my mom, and I feel the same way about my wife,” he says. “She offers the same thing to my family and my son and has brought so much pleasure to my side of the Clarke family. She is an amazing mom and an amazing wife. I was searching for something my whole life until I met her.”

It’s quiet for a moment. Meredith is the first to break the silence.

“Now we kind of have everything covered,” she jokes. “We had the dressage trainer, the jumping trainer, the rider, and we thought, ‘Hmm, what are we currently paying for? We don’t have a veterinarian…

Lane, you’re not married!’ ” Everyone laughs, and when Meredith

54

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

“We’ve always had a really, really tight relationship and are more like brothers and sisters,” Sage says. “And Uncle Allen has been a huge part of my success. He’s taught me a lot of things, the biggest being his work ethic and the ability to look outside the box.

He put me in the position to work on some of the best horses in the business at only 26 years old. It’s an amazing thing!”

“I think as children, we were taught to gain a lot of our identity and self-worth from our work ethic and to do things the right way, because it was something nobody could take away from us,” Leah chimes in.

“I think that’s why we’re all so passionate about what we do.”

When asked whether that passion fuels a sense of rivalry amongst their generation, Sage just laughs.

“Well, Lyn and I aren’t that competitive, actually,” he explains. “Because when we beat somebody, they feel bad, and we don’t like them to feel bad! On the other hand, Lane is very competitive, but in a good way.”

This observation echoes one of Allen’s as well.

“Lane is more... exposed,” he says. “It’s funny how things turn out. Lane is the grand prix rider, the head rider of the barn, the flagship, and Lyn gets the job as the [stunt] double actor. I just thought to myself, ‘Isn’t that exactly how it is?’ Lyn doesn’t mind being behind the scenes doing all the stuff nobody else can, but he doesn’t need for anybody to know.”

“Because he was older than us, Lyn was just somebody we looked up to,” Leah adds.

“Lane is the most talented and successful competitor, but Lyn is the hardest working and the most versatile horseman out of all of us.”

Lane is the more gregarious of the two siblings, very quick-witted, yet kind. He’s easily recognizable in the World Cup-qualifying grand prix classes, smiling broadly and wearing offbeat and colorful jackets.

But he’s no less introspective than the quiet older brother who paved the way for him.

“When I was young, I wanted to have everything he did, just smaller,” Lane recalls. “He got a bike, I wanted a bike. Lyn got a horse and renamed him Samurai. Then I wanted a horse and named him Black Ninja.”

“We are, by far, best friends,” Lyn sums up.

Later, after Lyn and his family leave the ranch, Lane generously cajoles me into taking his grand prix mare, Kiss The Sky, for a spin. As he gives me a leg up, he says, more fact than question, “My brother is an amazing man, isn’t he?”

ROBERT PAETZ PHOTO

Clarke As A Verb

Lest this all sound too good to be true, the Clarke family, while loving and supportive, has plenty of relatable imperfections. Allen admits he has carries a few regrets with him about the past.

“I wish I’d taken more time to smell the roses. Everything felt like...” he says, thinking for a moment, “an absolute necessity, and maybe it wasn’t. But it’s different when you don’t have anything to back you up—when there’s no other support. And I don’t mean family-wise, I mean at the end of the checkbook. If there’s another horse to do, and it’s 10 o’clock at night, you’re going to do the horse.”

Lyn confesses nearly the same concern.

Working long hours, while perhaps unavoidable, takes its toll, and like his father, he’d like life to slow down a bit. One of his many tattoos is a rose to remind him to take time to appreciate the simple pleasures

The extended Clarke crew—(from left) Geoff, Ashlee, Allen, Sage, Lyn (holding Colton), Lane, Jennifer, Niki and Leah—at Lane and Jennifer’s wedding in December 2013.

in life.

“Actually,” he tells me. “It has a double meaning. The first is obvious, but Rose is also Niki’s middle name.”

“And that’s what we call ‘Clarke-ing,’ ” Niki jokes, referring to the family members’ habit of waxing poetic. When they’re not busy being “Clarke-y,” of course.

“When these guys get on the phone, oh my God!” she continues with a laugh.

“When the phone rings and you see their names, you have to ask yourself if you have the time, because we’re going to get serious!

It starts out, ‘Hey, I was just calling about this horse thing or to say hi,’ and 55 minutes later we’ll still be on the phone. All of us—me, Jen, Meredith. But Lyn and Lane are certainly the catalysts in our connection together.

“We all love horses, we all love the

life, we all love being outside and being with and training animals and trying to accomplish something with them,” Lane explains. “We try to teach people and help them understand how animals think so both their lives are better. And how to relate that to what we consider ‘real life’— how it really works, how things think and act and feel. There are a lot of parallels to real life if you look for them.”

We’ve made it to the restaurant now, capping off a day like almost every other for the Clarkes: full of hard work and laughter, begun in the dark quiet of morning and continued long after stars dot the sky.

And while it’ll always be a challenge to slow down enough to smell every rose, their patriarch is leading the family by example: Eating dessert first is a good place to start.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

55

PROFILE

THE TRANSGLOBAL

56

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

TRAILBLAZER

By JENNIFER B. CALDER Photos courtesy of EQUITREKK ING

Darley Newman, the creator of PBS’s award-winning travel show Equitrekking, left her former career behind to weave her three greatest passions into an inspiring new adventure.

Greg Barna films Darley Newman and local guide Ahmet Diler in the

village of Çavus¸in in Cappadocia for Equitrekking Central Turkey.

In the background is one of the region’s famous ancient settlements, which remained inhabited up until the 1950s.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

57

PROFILE

C

rossing the dark water on horseback, in the middle of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Darley Newman and her guides had nearly reached the shore when the elephant they were following stopped and slowly turned back toward them.

Sitting heavy and silent on their Arabian-cross horses, they paused for a few thumping heartbeats while the elephant contemplated his options. Suddenly, the decision made, he charged the group, sending their mounts spinning around and retracing their steps through the lake.

Many riders would find such an experience terrifying, but for Newman, the Emmy award-winning host, producer and creator of the PBS travel show Equitrekking, it’s all in a day’s work.

“I don’t know what it is—it’s not that I feel safer—but even if I’m nervous, I’d rather be on horseback!” says Newman with a laugh. “Everyone [says], ‘Oh, you may want to bail in a certain instance,’ but I would usually rather ride it out.”

And this determination extends far beyond close encounters with the pachyderm kind.

Equitrekking started as most dreams do, with a simple kernel of an idea. Newman, 35, grew up riding in her native South Carolina, first getting hooked on horses at summer camp and then transitioning into the African guide hunter/jumper scene.

John Sobey leads And after graduating Darley Newman through the from George WashOkavango Delta ington University in Botswana, the largest inland delta in (D.C.) in 2001, she the world. worked for several 58

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

59

PROFILE

60

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

years producing on television shows like 48 Hours and Frontline.

But by 2007, Newproduction still from Equitrekman was starting to feel king Alaska. stir crazy spending her days confined indoors behind computer screens. That’s when she conceived of a way to braid her three great passions—different cultures, television production and horses—into a brand-new type of travel show.

Following the unexpected death of her mother earlier that year, Newman, always driven and energetic, became motivated by her grief instead of defeated by it. “[My mother’s passing] changed my entire life, honestly,” she says, tearing up.

Newman’s husband and fellow Equitrekking producer, Chip Ward, continues for his wife.

“It motivated her to not waste a single day,” he explains. “[Darley’s] friends always make fun of her, saying they don’t want to walk with her because she’s always in such a hurry. It’s not so much that she’s stressed out; she just has this zest for life! Well, the speed of her walk picked up after her mother passed. She doesn’t want to miss a thing.”

And Newman needed that deep well of energy when it came to getting her new project on the air, because she quickly found a serious dearth of mentors.

“I definitely had a lot of people [of whom I] asked questions and who were helpful, but the hard part about starting this show for PBS was that I didn’t know anyone else who’d started their own production company in this way,” she says. “In life you have to try a lot of different things, but if you work really hard at something you’re really passionate about, I think you Darley Newman and her mount Orca in a

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

61

PROFILE

“PEOPLE WHO LOVE HORSES WATCH IT, BUT PEOPLE WHO JUST LOVE TO SEE BEAUTIFUL WILDLIFE AND NATURE AND TRAVEL LIKE TO WATCH IT TOO. IT’S A CROSSOVER.” —Darley Newman can make anything successful—especially if you have a good idea, and especially if you have special knowledge, something that is unique to you.

“It’s cheesy, but work really hard and don’t give up,” she says. “You have to be tenacious.”

No Phonies, No Fronts

Tenacity drove Newman forward, and Eq62

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

uitrekking has since filmed 36 episodes in countries such as Jordan, Turkey, Costa Rica, Iceland, Uruguay and Ireland, exposing viewers to rich tapestries of local people and their culture, far from the beaten path.

Access to many of these remote regions is challenging and, not coincidentally, the preferred mode of transportation is on horseback.

“I think one of the best things about

Equitrekking is that people who love horses watch it, but people who just love to see beautiful wildlife and nature and travel like to watch it, too,” Newman explains. “It’s a crossover.”

The appeal of the show, beyond the gorgeous scenery it showcases and the sense of adventure at its heart, is the mastery with which Newman introduces us to the endemic societies and their customs.

“She’s got this incredible knack for putting people at ease and getting them to open up and talk,” says Ward, 36. while her hus“She’s not an omniscient band, executive producer Chip narrator. She’s not sitting Ward, looks on there in a cafe in Paris and director of photography that you know damn well Greg Barna she’s never been to, sayfilms. ing, ‘Every time I come to Paris, I come here, and they have the best coffee. Ted, what do you think of this coffee?’ She’s not doing that. She’s sitting with her guide in some backwater cafe that no one has even been to—or probably would ever get to—and he’s this friend that she’s met and gotten to know, and he’s telling us about his family history, who they are culturally and where they’re going.”

Newman’s genuine inquisitiveness about the lives and traditions of the people she’s meeting and riding with translates on camera. Though she’s reserved by nature, her passion comes through on screen, and it’s evident in her voice even when she’s talking about the experience.

“I really respect people, in general.

Everybody comes from different backgrounds, and there are so many shows on now that are making fun of [people], and I don’t like that,” Newman says. “I think we have something to learn from almost everybody. We’re all so different. And that’s a very large part of the show—bringing out all these different people from all over the world actually shows our inter-connectedness and how much we all have in common.”

In most cases, Newman’s sincere curiosity seems to transcend any cultural or language barriers.

“She’s the host, but they end up becomDarley Newman opens the Equitrekking Jordan episode at Little Petra

ing the host. She grooms them, without them even realizing it, right on the spot.

That’s what makes her talented,” says Ward.

May We Borrow Your Heli?

Equitrekking has been nominated for five Emmy Awards and won two, which is even more impressive when you consider the fact that a three-person team comprised of Newman, Ward and director of photography Greg Barna produce the show from start to finish.

“We were looking for a directory of photography who could ride horses, which kind of narrows it down,” Newman says, laughing. “Most DPs will not do what he will do—be a one-man band.”

But a shared passion for horses and travel has helped the trio function seamlessly together, both professionally and personally.

“We get along so well,” Newman says.

“That’s the key, when you’re traveling and in such close quarters all the time. Literally close quarters—like sleeping in the tent next to each other. You have to get along.”

When asked about the potential pitfalls of working with a husband-and-wife team, Barna, who’s 55, married and a father of two, laughs. “Honestly, I never even thought about that,” he says. “I mean, I know they’re married, but they’ve always

been married, and For Equitrekking Iceland, local we’ve always worked farmers Asa Dalkarls and well together. We’re husband Hjalti all good at what we Gunnarsson led Darley Newman do and just get along alongside a cliff on so well out there.” surefooted native horses.

The three have also proven likeminded when it comes to budgetary creativity. Equitrekking has limited funding, so Newman, Ward and Barna often have to get resourceful on the fly.

“A lot of times we barter or trade,” says Newman, recalling the time they negotiated some stunning aerial footage for their Botswana episode.

“There was a guy where we were staying who had rented a helicopter for himself [he was there riding] who basically said, ‘Well, I really would love to have some footage of myself riding for my own personal whatever…’ So Greg, this professional, Emmyaward winning DP, filmed this guy doing some roaring rides across the Delta, and we gave him that footage, and in exchange he let us use his helicopter for a day and a half.”

I Want A Short Horse

In addition to immersing herself in a variety of cultures, Newman says she loves getting the chance to ride countless difC H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

63

PROFILE

“THERE ARE SO MANY SHOWS ON NOW THAT ARE MAKING FUN OF [PEOPLE], AND I DON’T LIKE THAT.” —Darley Newman ferent breeds and experience a multitude of riding styles beyond her hunter/jumper background. Choosing to assimilate into both the fashion and discipline of her local hosts, Newman has ridden everything from sure-footed Highland ponies in Scotland to elegant Andalusian dressage horses in Spain.

“I really enjoyed riding the Icelandic horses. That was hard, though, because your stirrups are so long, and they’re small horses,” she says, laughing. “My feet would hang down almost to the ground.”

Newman also loves riding western whenever she gets the chance. “Those horses are amazing,” she says. “And I’d like to try more reining. I tried a little bit in Texas, and it was so much fun, but you have to be a really good rider to do a lot of that stuff.”

Newman says she’s learned her limits, especially after having an ex-racehorse run away with her in Belize. With little time to get to know her mounts before shooting commences, she usually opts for the easiest mount available.

“Often our hosts want to put me on the flashy horse that looks the best [on film], and I’ve learned to say, ‘No, I’d like the horse you’d put a child on!’ ” she admits. “I sometimes have five minutes, or maybe three, to take a little turn [before we start shooting], but that’s it. We have so much to fit into these shoots.”

Newman isn’t exaggerating; Barna will usually film five days of footage for a 64

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

30-minute episode. In addition to the riding, every episode delves into the activities of the native culture, which can range from tree climbing and hot air ballooning in Costa Rica to zip-lining and exploring volcanoes in Hawaii. It’s this aspect that Barna thinks differentiates their show.

Calling it “a light adventure series,” he explains, “We aren’t tourists. A lot of these shows, you’re taking a tour. And we do that, too, but for the most part it’s [a tour] through the eyes of the people who live there. I think that’s a really important distinction.”

Newman usually gets her ideas for travel from recommendations by fellow equestrian travelers. Through her extensive network of contacts, she’s often able to find a guide in the area, and she then asks the guide to pick out the shortest and best local riding route. After these plans are in place, they can then make decisions for the rest of the crew, for instance, whether Ward and Barna will also be on horseback, in a vehicle or perhaps even on a boat.

When asked if her companions have a preference, Newman bursts out laughing.

“Um, yeah. They don’t want to ride. It is so much work and so much harder with the equipment. It’s a lot easier to be in a vehicle, and the preferred vehicle is an ATV. And the preferred horses are gaited, but you get what you can get, you know?”

“Greg always requests ‘a short horse.

I want a short horse!’ and no one ever understands why, because he’s not a small

DARLEY’S PICKS Visit Darley Newman’s bio page on Equitrekking.com for more exhilarating tales from her travels, as well as her top picks for best camping experience, most useful medicinal remedy from the bush, worst breakfast and more. You’ll also find a link to her personal blog for even more inside scoops.

guy,” Ward chimes in. “He just doesn’t want to keep climbing up the damn thing with the gear!”

With the success of the show firmly established, Newman and her team have been working hard to expand. “We just started top20ranches.com, and we also have equitrekkingtravel.com, where you can actually book the vacations [to locations visited on the show] through us,” she explains.

They’ve also filmed two specials, “Great National Parks” and “Great American Ranches,” and are eager to do more.

And Newman has published a book, dedicated to her mother, of their adventures filled with photographs taken by Ward.

Newman has also launched two new series this year. The first, Travels with Darley, is a lifestyle and travel series on the AOL On Network. This free online channel shares the content of Equitrekking—its exotic locales, native cultures and travel tips—with a wider audience.

The second, Travel Like the Locals with Darley, allows Newman to highlight what she’s come to love most about her ad-

ventures: seeing cultures around the world through the eyes of a local guide. It can be found on ulive.com, the Scripps Network Interactive online video site.

Looking back, Newman doesn’t have to think twice when asked what part of the Equitrekking experience she’s most proud of.

“The Emmys!” she says, beaming. “I am!

“But also just the fact that we actually made this all work,” she adds. “I mean, it was a crazy idea!”

Exploring the stunning Brecon Beacons region in South Wales with a local guide.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

65

HORSE & HOME

Peter Wylde & Eduard Mullenders We take a peek inside their unassuming Spanish-style abode in South Florida and find it chock full of history, memories and charm.

Photos by ELENA LUSENTI

66

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER WYLDE

Make Their House A Home The nondescript façade of Wylde and Mullenders’ home resembles countless other houses in South Florida, but within its walls a carefully curated, one-of-kind interior awaits.

Mullenders holds a book about the art and artists featured in the Dutch iteration of Galerie Bondurant; his U.S. gallery has the same name. The previous gallery, located in Roermond, the Netherlands, showcased art from three different artists, as well as antique objects and furniture Mullenders and Wylde collected throughout Europe, Northern Africa and Turkey.

CCHHRO RONNOOFFHHOORRSSEE.CO .COMM SUMMER S P RING 2014

67

HORSE & HOME

I 68

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Wylde bought this 19th century Italian walnut writing desk in Tuscany.

The neoclassical clock is Hungarian. “We bought it from an auction house in Budapest, a fabulous city with a lively art scene and wonderful restaurants,” says Wylde. “The horn we bought in the gorgeous city of Gent, Belgium. The Russian icons are from my grandparents.”

I

It may look as ordinary as hundreds of other houses in Lake Worth, Fla., but the home of U.S. show jumper Peter Wylde and his Dutch art curator husband, Eduard Mullenders, is one you definitely shouldn’t judge by its cover.

Wylde, 48, won the 1982 ASPCA Maclay Finals, and with Fein Cera he rode to individual bronze and team gold at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games (Spain) and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, respectively. He spent 12 years based in Europe, and he and Mullenders, 46, met a decade ago in Maastricht, the Netherlands. They married in Germany in January of 2012, and they made the permanent move from their longtime base in Elmpt, Germany, to the United States last year.

While Mullenders is no horseman, he shares the title rights with Wylde to their training business, Mullenders & Wylde Horses Inc. And the couple still has plenty in common, including the management of Galerie Bondurant, the art gallery they previously owned in the Netherlands and moved to West Palm Beach in 2013. Together, they’ve filled their

“This is one of my favorite mirrors, French, 18th century, which I bought at Galerie Bazin in Paris,” says Wylde. “The silver trophies were won by my grandmother’s race horses. The 17th century silver traveler’s knife is covered in shagreen; we bought it at a gallery in Maastricht, the Netherlands, the city where we met 10 years ago. Maastricht is home of Jumping Indoor Maastricht, a brilliant show, as well as TEFAF (The European Fine Arts Fair), the most important art and antique fair in the world. We attend it every year!”

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

69

HORSE & HOME Fein Cera’s trophy for Best Horse in the Final from the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, is displayed prominently in the den. Wylde says it’s the award of which he’s most proud from his entire career.

A portrait of Fein Cera hangs in a guest room. The bed is by British Khaki in New York. “The fabric for the pillow and quilt on the bed I bought in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey,” says Wylde.

“I had them backed and stuffed at an atelier in Paris.

Istanbul is a magical city with amazing restaurants and nightlife. We were lucky to have had two great clients from Istanbul who always showed us a great time when we were there.”

70

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Amy the French Bulldog rests on an English bench Wylde bought from a dealer in Hudson, N.Y., which Mullenders re-upholstered himself, along with the bed’s headboard.

The bed linens and pillows are from Pioneer Linens on Clematis St. in West Palm Beach.

The photo above the bed is an enlargement of a painting done by Wylde’s grandfather, Cecil Wylde, of Holmrook Hall, the family’s country house in Cumberland, England.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

71

HORSE & HOME

72

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

new Florida home with family heirlooms, priceless antiques and quirky art picked up in their extensive travels, from Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar to the Sunshine State’s Dixie Highway.

“We love the search for interesting items, as it leads us to interesting places and people,” says Wylde, who earned a degree in history and sociology from Tufts University (Mass.) before embarking on his career as a professional rider and trainer.

And what next, now that their winter home in Florida is fully furnished? The pair has turned to shopping for their newest adventure: a country property they’re renovating in Millbrook, N.Y.

The couple’s casual TV room is anchored by a Restoration Hardware sofa in Belgian Linen, accessorized with pillows from ABC Carpet and a cashmere throw from Barney’s New York.

“The columns are by Addison Mizner, which we bought from Wilson Antiques on Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, a favorite of ours for their eclectic European taste,” says Wylde. “I bought the 18th century bronze serpent candlesticks at Galerie Bazin in Paris. We love Paris, especially the Carré des Antiquaires.”

The two paintings are

by Christiane Koken, a German artist and close friend of Mullenders’, and are part of a triptych, but the third is displayed in the couple’s apartment in the Netherlands. A castle depicted at the top of the left hand painting is located across the street from the couple’s former home in Germany, which is where the artist also resided. “We love these paintings because of their power and strength,” says Wylde.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

73

HORSE & HOME

Wylde’s leather bag is from Swaine Adeney Brigg in London. The hat, which cousin Clark Brady gave him when he was 15, is from Lock & Co. of London. “The red coat was my grandfather Joseph Bondurant Ryan’s hunt coat from the Radnor Hunt,” he says. “The Austrian jacket (front) was also my grandfather’s, which he wears in his portrait that hangs at Mont Tremblant, the ski resort he started in Quebec in the 1940s.”

74

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

EDUARD MULLENDERS PHOTO

“This photo contains three of my favorite objects, all of which coincidentally are from the 18th century and all of which I bought on different trips to Paris,” says Wylde.

“The tortoiseshell table I bought from Galerie Bazin. The top, entirely tortoiseshell, is 18th century; the legs are late 19th. The Venetian chandelier I bought from a dealer, Xavier Delesalle, out of his apartment. My great friend, decorator Brian McCarthy, introduced me to Xavier, and he has been a great resource. I love the chandelier’s style.

“And finally, maybe my favorite purchase is the Dutch painting over the sofa, which I bought from Galerie Monluc in Paris,” he continues. “It has been in three different houses since I bought it, and it always is the focal point of the room.”

Wylde bought the pillows at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and found the table to the right of the sofa at a Parisian flea market. He had it gilded and added the green leather top. The red lacquer table to the left of the sofa is from Atelier Brugier.

The clay bust of Amy the French Bulldog was done

by Mullenders. “We won the gift certificate (on the silver serving dish) to Buccan, a fabulous restaurant in Palm Beach, in a silent auction at the White, White, West Party to benefit Horses Healing Hearts, to which I am an ambassador,” said Wylde. “The silver is from my maternal grandparents, and the etchings, by Albrecht Dürer, are from my paternal grandparents.”

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

75

HORSE & HOME

76

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

The couple’s dining room features a sea captain’s table from a 19th century French ship, once used for reading charts. Mullenders restored and shortened it from its original 13-foot length.

“The chandelier came from a gallery in Antwerp—a brilliant city for quirky antique finds, not to mention amazing silver,” Wylde says. “The table and 18th century Chippendale chairs came from a dealer in Liège, Belgium.

They were in total disrepair when we bought them and were masterfully refinished by Eduard. He also re-upholstered the chairs in silk and linen fabric (by Brunschwig & Fils), which we bought in Paris. The silver candelabras and etched glass wear are from my grandparents.”

This photo is of Macanudo De Niro, owned by Dan Lufkin and Chestnut Ridge Farm, at the 1999 Pan American Games, where he and Wylde were individual and team silver medalists. “That year we were also U.S. Show Jumping Champions,” Wylde recalls. “Next to it is the Maclay Trophy I won in 1982 at Madison Square Garden.

“The lampshade we bought in Brussels; the lamp Eduard made out of an old piece of wood,” he adds.

“The Dutch painting was given to us by the former owners of the house we bought in Germany—lucky us!”

Amy—who is bilingual, responding to commands in English and Dutch—sits on a Chinese chair, one of a pair the couple bought at Wilson Antiques. The black Japanned table came from their close friend, Mark Thormahlen of Yellow Church Antiques in Millbrook, N.Y., and the paintings are by Mullenders himself.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

77

The house is built around a fully enclosed courtyard with a screened roof to shelter its small pool and dining area from leaves and insects. The painting is by Mullenders’ close friend, artist Mathilda Verbeek.

78

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

EDUARD MULLENDERS PHOTOS

HORSE & HOME

Grand Prix Village: This state of the ar t 20-stall equestrian facility is adjacent to the Winter Equestrian Festival’s show grounds. Enjoy the luxury of the finest materials available, planned and constructed with the horse in mind at every turn. Jump arena, grass Grand Prix field, four paddocks, hot walker, owners’ apartment, managers’ apartment, and studio apartment. Offered at $12,900,000

The Meadows: On the mar ket for the ver y fir st time - This wellloved and maintained equestrian facility has an 18-stall main barn with an adjacent 2-stall barn and is situated on 5 beautiful acres.

The property includes a sand ring with premium custom footing and a grass Grand Prix field. Located minutes from the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center and Global Dressage. Offered turnkey at $2,800,000

Southfields: The pr oper ty has 2.8 acr es of land that holds a main house, a guest cottage, a 7-stall barn, large paddocks, a sand ring, and a backyard paradise. The main house is 2Br and 3Ba, with a tranquil backyard that has a pool, outdoor fireplace, and plenty of room for entertaining. The guest cottage has a spacious living area with kitchenette, 1Br, and 1Ba. Offered at $4,500,000

Palm Beach Polo • Polo Island: Vaulted ceilings and natur al light cascade throughout this home to create an open and inviting feeling. The expansive living room and airy kitchen are ideal for entertaining family and friends. This home also features two smaller rooms that are perfect for an office and den. With a lake off of the back of the property, the sunsets here are absolutely stunning.

Offered at $620,000

Amy Carr • Phone +1-561-662 0728 • Fax +1-561-791 2221 www.amycarr.evusa.com • Wellington, Florida • Amy.Carr@evusa.com

GLOBAL CULTURE

Into The Wild A once-in-a-lifetime journey to one of the most rugged and remote locations in the world brings the author face to face with the one true wild horse breed left.

Story and photos by DI NE T T E NEU T EBOOM

80

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Northwest Mongolia is stunning. The country covers a vast stretch of land (more than 600,000 square miles) in the heart of Asia, situated at the junction of the Siberian forests and the deserts and arid steppes of Central Asia. Most of the country is more than 3,000 feet above sea level, with the highest mountains rising in the western Altai and Khangai ranges, seen here from our last camping spot. In the foreground, a shepherd tends his sheep against the beautifully colored landscape.

“A horseman stands in a blossoming landscape. He is singing a hymn about his country, its mountains and streams, the steppes and its animals.

Above all, he sings about the Takhi thriving again on the lush pastures of Hustai. Mongolian music echoes the galloping of horses through valleys and mountain streams bursting with life, but it also sings of tranquil forests and of crystal-clear air and razor-sharp horizons. It is all about the eternal love of the nomad for his land.”

—The Tale of the Przewalski’s Horse: Coming Home to Mongolia,

by Piet Wit and Inge Bouman

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

81

GLOBAL CULTURE

Mongolians are taught to ride from a very early age, and several of these young boys are already old enough to ride in the pony races, for which they’re seen preparing here.

M

ongolia has always been high on my mustsee list of countries. Not just for the beautiful nature, the remote landscape, the authenticity of its people, or the spectacularly severe weather. No, this rugged country attracted me as the only place in the world to see the last wild horses, the Przewalski’s horse, or Takhi, as the natives say. I was sure a visit to the country would prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

At the end of last summer, my time finally came; after a pretty decent search on the Internet and in the Lonely Planet guide, a friend and I decided to do an eight-day/ seven-night trek into the far and remote

82

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

northwest of the country, starting in the second week of September. We would follow this up with a week in the Gobi desert, reached by Jeep. On the last day of that Jeep tour, we would finally reach the area where the last wild horses live: Hustai National Park.

“Traveling to Mongolia’s westernmost province, Bayan-Ölgii, gives one the distinct feeling of reaching the end of the road, if not the end of the earth,” Lonely Planet told us.

It wasn’t lying. No more than 30 to 40 tourists a year visit the extensive Mongol Altai mountain range, which serves as a

Right: Ethnic groups in the province of Bayan Ölgii include the Kazakh, Khalkh, Dörvöd, Uriankhai, Tuva and Khoshuud. Unlike the rest of Mongolia, which is dominated by the Khalkh Mongols, Bayan-Ölgii’s population is about 90 percent Kazakh.

On our first day in the northwest, two days before the start of our trekking, we were invited by a small community to join their village festival.

The best wrestler in town had won a famous wrestling competition and was honored there.

Wrestling demonstrations and horse races were the main ingredients of the celebration.

Left: Local loiterers watch wrestling demonstrations from the comfort of their saddles at a village festival in northwest Mongolia.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

83

GLOBAL CULTURE dividing line between Kazakhstan, China, Russia and Mongolia. It’s home to the world’s largest wild sheep species, the argali, as well as ibex, snow leopards, wolves and eagles, but with its harsh climate (extremes of -50 degrees in winter and 100 degrees in summer) and very little vegetation, the surrounding landscape has a decidedly barren appearance. Life in western Mongolia is very tough.

Resilient Beyond Belief

During our trekking, my friend and I were accompanied by a guide, two camels (who carried our luggage and camp gear) and their two shepherds, both on horseback. I already had a healthy respect for the horses that carry us around, jump fences because we want them to, dance in a dressage arenas, etc., but my Mongolian travels increased that esteem, exponentially.

We walked six to eight hours per day, but when the rivers were too big or too dangerous to cross by foot, the horses or camels carried us. When we needed to get to the other side of a swamp, the animals took us safely to drier ground. No scratches, wounds or tendon injuries because of rough footing—no, just the opposite: strong animals whose adapted bodies can bear difficult circumstances with seeming ease. And all they got to eat was the grass they found at our campsite. Dry, hard grass with what couldn’t have been high nutritive value.

We hiked for eight days between snowcapped mountains, through vast valleys and along crystal-clear rivers. We crossed a pass from almost 10,000 feet, washed ourselves in the river, walked while it was snowing and Camels carried our luggage throughout our eight-day, seven-night trek through Northwest Mongolia. Their shepherds led them on horseback.

84

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

85

GLOBAL CULTURE

The saddles in Mongolia are much smaller than most of us are used to: just pieces of leather with steel fronts and backs.

when the sun shone. We took in the most amazing views, saw the remains of a camel that was attacked by, presumably, a group of wolves, and experienced some pretty serious polar blasts, even in the middle of the afternoon, which made us disappear in our tents and hide in two or three sleeping bags with a lot of clothes on.

86

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

It was a unique experience—probably a once-in-a-lifetime one.

Into The Desert After concluding our trek and a few relaxing days in western Mongolia, we flew back to the capital, Ulaanbaatar, to start our Jeep

tour through the Gobi Desert in the southern half of Mongolia.

The Gobi is the northernmost and coldest desert in the world. We saw the spectacular sand dunes at Khongoryn Els, climbed the rocks of Dalanzadgad, or “Dinosaur Land,” slept in traditional white gers (yurts) of very hospitable nomadic

families because even our guide found it too cold to sleep outside in just a tent! And we saw many, many horses, sheep, goats and camels.

The nomads eat the meat of their goats and sheep, and almost all livestock animals are used for their milk, including the horse.

In a land where juice and wine aren’t readily available, and water pipes are scarce, many Mongols opt to drink milk-based products like milk-tea with salt or airag, a type of milk alcohol made from fermented mares’ milk, instead of pure water.

Finally (and sadly), we reached the last day of our journey and Hustai National

Top: The few nomadic families living in the Gobi Desert, which we visited by Jeep, use their goats, sheep, horses, cows and yaks primarily for milk to make alcoholic drinks, cheese and other food. In this photo, three members of the nomadic family with whom we spent the night milk their goats quickly and efficiently.

Bottom: Dalanzadgad, aka “Dinosaur Land,” is famous for the many dinosaur skeletons and fossils found there.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

87

GLOBAL CULTURE

Finally, the wild horses! On the last day of our journey, I was lucky enough to spy this herd of Przewalski’s horses, known in Mongolia as the Takhi. Most “wild” horses today, such as the American Mustang or the Australian Brumby, are technically feral horses, descended from domesticated animals that escaped and adapted to life in the wild. In contrast, Przewalski’s horses have never been domesticated and remain truly wild animals today.

Regretably, this species was extinct in the wild by the 1960s, but 84 horses were eventually reintroduced to the breed’s homeland in 1992. By 2006, the population had more than doubled, to 200.

HADYNYAH/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM PHOTO

Mongolians are real horse people. They live with their horses and depend on them heavily for work, transportation, as pack animals and milk suppliers. They have a deep respect for their horses and treat them accordingly.

But Mongolian weather conditions are harsh, and vegetation on the plains is sparse. The nomads make shelters for their tough little horses where they can and, if they have enough resources, provide them hay.

88

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Park, where the wild Przewalski’s horses roam. I had been hoping and praying to be lucky enough to see them, since our guide admitted she’d been to the park many times and only seen the horses twice, and from very, very far away. I was determined.

So while my friend, our driver and our guide stopped for lunch, I decided to forgo sustenance and, instead, walk up a few hills to a location where the horses are sometimes known to graze.

And there they were—silhouetted against the sky at the crest of a hill. So far away, but unmistakable; there were more than 20 of them! I clicked my camera relentlessly from that great initial distance, sure that they would run away when they noticed me or caught my scent.

But they didn’t. They repeatedly looked up to take me in, but without any sign of concern. The closer I came, the more interested and curious they became. Only later,

as I was reading The Tale of the Przewalski’s Horse: Coming Home to Mongolia, did I learn that the Takhi have no predatory reason to fear man.

After 10 or 20 minutes, I had crept so close as to admire their small, robust frames, then their shaggy dun coats and spiky manes and striped legs, then their kind and wise eyes.

And so finally, my camera exhausted, I sat down, very close to the Takhi, and enjoyed that very special moment.

It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Przewalski’s horses measure from 13 to 14 hands, and adults weigh only around 650 pounds. They have a robust build and a species-specific head form, with a short muzzle and flat jawline. Their erect manes lack a forelock, and they have dark dorsal stripes that run the length of their bodies. Leg stripes are very common.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

89

GLOBAL CULTURE

in partnership with EQUESTRIO Magazine

Marwari HISTORY, TRADITION AND SHEER CHARM Story and photos by PAT R ICK BL A NCHE

India’s ties with the rare Marwari horse are rooted deep in time. The bond is so strong that until a few years ago, this native breed, with its distinctive ear shape variously interpreted as a heart, an iconic curling Indian moustache or even a harp, had never left the peninsula’s confines.

90

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

This story is presented in partnership with EQUESTRIO MAGAZINE Published in six countries and on three continents, EQUESTRIO provides informed sporting editorial, fine art, luxury travel and lifestyle features to a global equestrian audience.

View the summer issue at EQUESTRIO.COM or via the EQUESTRIO app.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

91

GLOBAL CULTURE

in partnership with EQUESTRIO Magazine The first Marwari horses weren’t exported from India to the United States until 2000, and the first of the breed to reach Europe nine years later came from this stock. The three horses, a stallion and two mares purchased from Massachusetts horsewoman Francesca Kelly, arrived in Spain at Mario Calcagno’s Caballos Marwari SL stables in Can Riu, near Barcelona.

“In 2002 this company began a project to protect and promote the Marwari breed in India, in partnership with the All India Marwari Horse Society of his Royal Highness the Maharaja of Jodhpur,” explains Martina Folco Zambelli, an Italian researcher who played a huge role in the organization of this difficult enterprise.

These horses have remarkable importance in the history of India and are universally recognized as an emblem of Hindu culture and its most ancient traditions. From the 12th through the 16th centuries on, the Marwari steadily developed into the faithful, competent comrades at arms of the Hindu warrior caste, the Rajputs, as they battled against Muslim invaders from the northwest frontier.

In turn, the horses came to be considered not only four-legged warriors, but also divine beings.

Military historians have often wondered at how the Rajputs, with far less manpower than the Islamic invaders, managed to regroup after continuous heavy defeats and return in strength to resume fighting, but it was always thanks to their exceptionally strong equine forces, whose efficiency was crucial.

Battles were an outright mission for this warrior caste for centuries, and their horses were famous for their bravery in battle and loyalty to their riders. The Rathore—rulers of the Marwar region in northwest India—held that that the Mar92

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

A white Marwari is bathed and groomed until he’s white as snow prior to performing in a religious ceremony.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

93

GLOBAL CULTURE

in partnership with EQUESTRIO Magazine

94

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

These horses have remarkable importance in the history of India and are universally recognized as an emblem of Hindu culture and its most ancient traditions. wari horse could leave the battlefield only in three cases: victory, death or to carry away its wounded rider.

“In India,” explains Folco, “the horse has never been part of a nomadic tradition.

It was a symbol of wealth, of great luxury.

Only in the small Marwar district was the horse part of the tradition of the nomadic storyteller, the bearer of epic tales. It was thanks to them that in more modern times the use of the horse also began to spread to the poorer classes.”

promote the Marwari, and, for a time, the bloodlines were greatly corrupted by mating with less purebred specimens.

Decades later, two members of the British aristocracy shone a spotlight back on the breed. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, famous for their love of horses, enjoyed a performance by a Marwari on their honeymoon, and it reportedly bewitched them to the point that in April 2006, her Royal Highness Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, became the patroness of

Decline And Resurgence

More than 300 years after the Muslim conquests into India concluded, the Marwari served valiantly in battle once again, this time assisting the British under under Sir Pratap Singh in WWI. But the period of the British Raj, from the late 1800s to 1947, hastened the breed’s decline, and Indian independence did little to reverse that trend. The country’s British occupiers had much preferred their own Thoroughbreds for racing and polo and did little to encourage—and at times even actively discouraged—the propagation of the native Marwaris.

In the 1950s, the Indian government decided that the breed should be protected, and export was banned. But no program was subsequently created to protect and Left: For centuries only members of the powerful warrior caste were allowed to ride Marwaris, renowned for their loyalty, but today the breed is more accessible than ever before.

Right: Even horses with dark coats, which are the least desirable because of their association with death and the underworld, are still honored and adorned in Indian society.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

95

GLOBAL CULTURE

in partnership with EQUESTRIO Magazine

96

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Marwari horses have called the rocky plains of northwest India home since their ancestors were shipwrecked, according to legend, off the coast in the Arabian Sea sometime before the 12th century.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

97

GLOBAL CULTURE

in partnership with EQUESTRIO Magazine the All India Marwari Horse Society’s royal stables and its magnificent inhabitants.

Only recently did the government begin to consider the interest of young breeders and of foreigners in the Marwari horse in positive terms. In fact, until today it was impossible to trace the genetic history of this ancient breed. However, the creation of an official studbook, decreed by the Indian government and successfully implemented in 2009 by the All India Marwari Horse Society, was the first important step for the protection and preservation of this precious equine heritage.

Indeed, the enterprise would probably have failed without the insistence, patience and stubbornness of Calcagno, a Spanish businessman who spent his life working for a chemical company in India, and Kelly, who founded Marwari Bloodlines USA— both of whom were enamored of the breed’s excellence, elegance and nobility.

A Unique Standard

The Marwari descends from the Arabian

The Marwari breed suffered for several decades, but today a movement to support breeders, strengthen bloodlines and build the studbook is afoot.

GLOBAL CULTURE

in partnership with EQUESTRIO Magazine

100

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

“The horse has never been part of a nomadic tradition. It was a symbol of wealth, of great luxury.” —Martina Folco Zambelli

White horses are generally not accepted into the Marwari breed registry, but they’re prized as performers in religious celebrations such as weddings, where they execute a traditional “dance” similar to haute école.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

101

GLOBAL CULTURE

in partnership with EQUESTRIO Magazine

and presumably from the similar-looking Akhal-Teke. Rathore princes have always been amongst the leading breeders of this well-proportioned breed whose main trait is its inward-curving ear. The Marwari horse has a straight head profile, and the neck is usually narrow, with pronounced withers, while the deep chest is framed by quite erect shoulders. It generally has a long back with a sloping croup and tends to have slim legs with small but sturdy hooves.

Marwaris are robust and docile but very highly strung and, therefore, sensitive.

They’re akin to the Kathiawari, another Indian breed with similar physical characteristics and background. The key difference between the Marwari and Kathiawari is the geographical origin: The slightly taller Marwaris come mainly from the dry, rocky, land-locked Marwar region, while Kathiawaris originate on the Kathiawar peninsula in the Arabian sea.

The Marwari often showcases a rambling gait called the revaal, aphcal or rehwal, and breeders attach importance to the cowlicks under their horses’ manes and their specific positions. Horses with cowlicks on the neck are called devmans and considered lucky; horses with cowlicks under the eyes are called anusudhal and are unpopular among buyers.

The breed can be found with almost any coat: bay, grey, chestnut and piebald.

Although white-coated Marwaris are highly sought after for religious ceremonies, especially weddings, they are generally not accepted in the studbook. Horses with black coats are hard sells, since that color is connected with death and the underworld, while greys are considered to bring luck and are the most popular.

102

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

The horse has stood as a symbol of status and wealth in Indian society for centuries.

S E P T E M B E R 18 - 21, 2 0 14

for more information or to sign up for updates on the event, email: centralpark@chronofhorse.com

TRAVEL

the Salamander Touch is soothing indeed Take a look behind the scenes at Northern Virginia’s new five-star equestrian-themed resort.

By Jennifer B. Calder

104

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

PHOTO COURTESY OF SALAMANDER

Salamander Resort and Spa as seen from the air, with the village of Middleburg in the foreground.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

S P RING 2014

105

TRAVEL

JUSTIN KRIEL/CONTRAST FX PHOTO

The village of Middleburg, Va., is just a short walk away from the Salamander Resort and Spa, but the hotel’s fleet of Audi courtesy vehicles can also take you wherever you want to go.

106

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

S

trolling distance from the charming and historic main street of horse-centric Middleburg, Va., the brand-new, muchdebated Salamander Resort and Spa has, at long last, opened its gates.

The luxe hotel is the articulation of founder and CEO powerhouse Sheila C. Johnson’s ambitious vision for a first-class health and wellness retreat set within the epicenter of Virginia horse country.

After years of fits and starts attributed to the faltering economy and prickly community relations, it finally rolled out its red carpet at the end of last summer, and as I pulled into the meandering driveway on a 340-acre parcel of land, a design that intentionally mimics the experience of pulling into a grand estate rather than a hotel, it became clear the place has hit its stride.

Salamander seemingly had plenty of preconceptions—from local equestrians and vacationers alike—to overcome in its first few months. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this unusual combination of country retreat for D.C.’s elite, high-tech spa and wellness center for the crunchy crowd, and riding facility for the dedicated local equestrian set.

The key to enjoying the Salamander experience, I came to realize over the duration of my stay, is coming in with accurate expectations.

Yes, there’s an equestrian program, but it’s not a high-performance training center. Yes, you can have your business conference here, but it’s not a place that caters to the rat race. Yes, you can enjoy a lot of fantastic red wine and sleep in late, as is my personal vacation style, but if you do, you’re going to miss sunrise yoga.

Equine art, much of which is done by local artists, is featured prominently in Salamander’s main hall.

The common areas at the resort exude a relaxed country manor feel.

JUSTIN KRIEL/CONTRAST FX PHOTO

Did you know?

The Salamander name originated from Rhode Island governor Bruce Sundlun.

As a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot in 1943, Sundlun was shot down over Nazi-occupied Belgium and evaded capture for months while assisting the French Resistance. During that time, Sundlun, who also happened to be Jewish, was given the code name “Salamander” after a mythical amphibian that could walk through fire unscathed.

After escaping across France and into Switzerland via stolen bicycles, Sundlun completed his war service and returned home to America, and he later purchased a 200-acre estate near The Plains, Va., and named it Salamander Farm.

The property eventually changed hands (Sundlun served as Rhode Island governor from 1991 to 1995) and names, but Sheila Johnson reinstated the original title when she bought the farm. Inspired by the symbolism of perseverance and strength, she decided to name her businesses after it as well.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

107

JUSTIN KRIEL/CONTRAST FX PHOTO

TRAVEL

PHOTO COURTESY OF SALAMANDER

No detail has been overlooked, from the tiniest equestrianthemed accents at Salamander, to balcony railings and guest-room blankets.

108

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

JUSTIN KRIEL/CONTRAST FX PHOTO

Uniquely Positioned

Middleburg and its surroundings have equestrian traditions that stretch back generations.

George Washington would ride through town and stop at the Red Fox Inn & Tavern, established in 1728, and more than two centuries later, the place would host President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy on Mrs. Kennedy’s frequent weekend escapes to the country to foxhunt. Today, countless professionals in disciplines from racing to dressage to polo to eventing, and everything in between, call Loudoun and Fauquier Counties home. There are multiple tack shops in this tiny village (population just 724), and every dining establishment is named with some equestrian reference or other. In June, the nearby Upperville Colt and Horse Show, the oldest horse show in the country, will celebrate its 161st year.

Johnson, a resident of the town for more than a decade, designed her resort to work in concert with the landscape and the community.

She said she lobbied to have the hotel incorporated into the town limits so Middleburg could benefit from generated taxes, and she employs 280 people from the neighboring area. The majority of the resort’s acreage has also been placed into a conservation easement to preserve open space.

“It took about three years to convince people that this was a healthy thing for the community, that it wasn’t going to be a 17-story, glitzy eyesore, that it was going to be something that could fit in and augment both Middleburg and horse country,” said Trey Matheu, Salamander’s general manager.

“I think the resort is uniquely positioned to offer something to those people who always

Salamander’s guest rooms are all named with equestrian themes. Pictured here is the well-appointed bathroom of the lavish Dressage Suite.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

109

JUSTIN KRIEL/CONTRAST FX PHOTO

TRAVEL

wanted to be involved with the lifestyle but didn’t know how,” he continued. “Because it can be a bit intimidating—a little bit of a closed society. We offer an ease of access, whether that’s the events like the Gold Cup [steeplechase in nearby The Plains], the Middleburg Races or the Upperville Shows, or riding again after a hiatus. People can come here and experience those things without necessarily needing to know someone.”

In this way, Salamander functions as a gateway into the equestrian lifestyle—a lovely setting in which the uninitiated can be gently bitten by the bug.

That said, the resort still accommodates

Salamander has 17 of its own horses for trail rides, yoga sessions and carriage tours, but a full wing of the spotless 22-stall barn is reserved for guests’ horses.

110

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

and welcomes the dyed-in-the-wool horseman.

Salamander offers first-class accommodations for horses, humans and hounds. A wing of the spotless 22-stall barn and a beautiful private paddock are reserved for visiting horses, each assigned his own personal groom and customized care package.

“We have many riders who bring their horses to participate in the local hunts,” explained Equestrian Director Sheryl Jordan. “We take care of all of it—tacking them up, feeding, turn-out, and all they have to do is show up and ride. They are given the best paddock, closest to the hotel, where their owners can watch them from their room.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF SALAMANDER

Testing The Waters

Alas horseless, but bearing a suitcase packed with riding clothes, I arrived at Salamander on a glorious spring weekend. Beyond riding, the equestrian center offers “Yoga at the Stable,” which begins at sunrise in the immaculate center aisle of the new barn and ends on horseback in the round pen. The 23,000 square-foot spa also caters to the equestrian, providing a “Rider’s Relief ” massage focusing on the muscles most used in riding. While you probably shouldn’t come here to buckle down and perfect your dressage test, you’ll definitely leave with a feeling of serenity.

Massive and bearing a distinct air of new-

ness, the hotel is still reminiscent of a gracious old manor house and is based on Johnson’s own nearby estate. The equestrian motif echoes throughout the decor and is tastefully integrated along with an impressive collection of original paintings and sculptures, most by local artists, including many by Johnson herself.

The wing housing the 168 guest rooms is four stories, one for each season, and the art and decor corresponds accordingly (room numbers are displayed on silhouettes of riding helmets).

The first floor is reserved for those traveling with dogs, each accessible to the outside for quick walks around the grounds.

Many rooms include their own fireplaces

Yoga on horseback is one of the many novelties offered at Salamander Resort and Spa.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

111

TRAVEL

Non-horse lovers, or equestrians who just need a taste of something new, will appreciate the in-house cooking studio.

112

SUMMER 2014

and private balconies overlooking the sweeping back lawn. Scattered across the tranquil grounds are several fire pits, a life-sized chess board, yard games such as croquet and bocci, and a farmhouse table set with pitchers of lemonade for thirsty guests.

There are two restaurants at the resort. Harriman’s Grill, the more formal, is named for the original owners of the property, Pamela and U N TAC K E D

Averell Harriman (the former a socialite, political activist and U.S. ambassador to France; the latter a prominent Democratic politician who also served as U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union and to the United Kingdom), and it features cuisine influenced by the Virginia Piedmont region. The space is circular and, like the rest of the resort, equestrian-inspired.

The second, the Gold Cup Wine Bar and

PHOTO COURTESY OF SALAMANDER

Billiard Room, has a chummy, clubby atmosphere with leather chairs and dark paneling.

Both restaurants boast an extensive wine list prominently featuring Virginia labels. There are half a dozen wineries within a 5-mile radius of the resort, and the state is now the second largest producer of wine in the country.

The local area is known for a dearth of ethnic food, something the Gold Cup is remedying with a menu highlighting sushi and even Ethi-

opian cuisine. And the kitchen boasts its own 2-acre culinary garden, along with a modern cooking studio for classes.

A short stroll from the main hotel, the 14,000 square-foot barn is home to 17 resort horses and is surrounded by nine picturesque turn-out paddocks lined with black split rail fences.

With more than 40 years of experience, its director, Jordan, has whipped-in with local hunts and is certified by the American Riding Instructors Association and the Certified Horsemanship Association.

In a fancy equestrian resort in an even fancier equestrian town, “We’re not trying to take business from any of our neighbors,” Jordan explained. “We’ll never be a show barn or a competition barn. Our focus is on programming for the resort guests and helping both equestrians and non-equestrians understand what animals can teach you about yourself.”

To this end, the center offers riding classes such as a two-hour “Mindfulness Trail Ride,” “Human/Horse Synergy” rides and “the EquiSpective Experience,” which requires no riding at all and focuses on non-verbal communication between horses and humans.

During my hour-long Yoga in the Stable class (a bargain at $25 per person), I soaked in the morning sun and stretched into various poses as two purring barn cats wrapped themselves around my ankles, and horses whinnied in the background. We then made our way to the round pen, where I attempted to continue on an equine partner, the idea being the horse’s back functions as the yoga mat. (An assistant stands on either side of you in case you lose your balance and topple off.)

Our breathing synchronized, the horse’s warmth was comforting in the chilly morning air. I must admit, however, that I didn’t find it exactly easy to relax with three assistants focused on me intensely for 30 minutes straight, and the $150 fee felt a bit out of proportion to the experience. This may be a reflection of my sub-par mental and physical yoga skills, though.

Next, Jordan led me through the Equi-Spective Experience—essentially a natural horse-

THE LOCAL AREA IS KNOWN FOR A DEARTH OF ETHNIC FOOD, SOMETHING THE GOLD CUP IS REMEDYING WITH A MENU HIGHLIGHTING SUSHI AND EVEN ETHIOPIAN CUISINE.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

113

Above: Salamander offers several pools, both indoor and outdoor. This infinity pool overlooking the bucolic landscape is part of the spa wing and is heated yearround.

Right: Salamander’s spa wing includes tepidarium chairs and offers rasul treatments in its beautifully tiled domed interior.

114

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

manship training session.

Working from the ground in a round pen, it’s a multi-level, hands-on approach created to develop understanding of our equine partners and ourselves.

“Horses listen to our body language and do not judge you based on who you are, what position you have [in society], what title you have, what color you are,” said Jordan. “They just give you pure bio-feedback that is not prejudice.”

Participants are given a worksheet and, in the spirit of mental wellbeing, encouraged to journal about their experiences.

After my session concluded, I made my way to the stunning and immaculate Salamander Spa, which occupies its own wing of the resort.

I’m a bit of a spa junkie, and this was, by far, the

JUSTIN KRIEL/CONTRAST FX PHOTO

PHOTO COURTESY OF SALAMANDER

TRAVEL

nicest I’d ever been to.

Open to guests of the resort and locals alike, the space is overwhelmingly beautiful, with a muted and soothing color palette. No detail has been overlooked, from the deliciously soft, fleece-lined robes to the year-round heated outdoor infinity pool for spa guests. The resort has

FIND OUT MORE

its own seasonal family pool a short walk away.

The treatments available are endless and varied. Beyond the expected massages and facials, this place has its own hair salon and make-up studio, and it also offers tepidarium chairs and rasul, a Moroccan-inspired treatment that takes place in a tiled, domed room. Once you’re slathered in self-applied mineralized mud, the temperature rises, and steam draws impurities out of the skin.

This is followed by a refreshing rinse shower.

Salamander Spa also has a chamber shower room that allows you to select the type of experience you’d most enjoy, be it a gentle rain shower or a thunderstorm, complete with changing lights and sound, plus a dining area featuring a healthy spa menu.

JUSTIN KRIEL/CONTRAST FX PHOTO

The atmosphere at this five-star resort feels refreshingly inclusive, but the price point and ranking clearly qualifies a stay here as luxury.

Room rates during peak season (April through June and September and October) start at $475 per night; in the off season, rates start at $275 per night. Packages and group pricing are available. Visit salamanderresort.com for more information.

Boarding for equine guests is $125 per night. To find a complete listing of equestrian activities and pricing, including trail rides, carriage tours and the Equi-Spective Experience, visit salamanderresort.com/ equestrian.

The Salamander experience is all about relaxation and wellness, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to indulge.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

115

CITY GUIDE

JAYBOIVIN/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM PHOTO

The historic Spanish mission at San Juan Capistrano, founded in 1776, is known as the birthplace of Orange County, Calif.

116

The Show-Goer’s Guide To San Juan Capistrano

By JAMIE KRAUSS HESS

Anyone who’s ever sat atop a horse and looked out over the mountains and pristine showgrounds of the Blenheim Equisports Horse Show in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., can tell you it’s one of the most beautiful competitions on the West Coast.

Colloquially known as “The Oaks,” the Blenheim show circuit runs

through most of the spring and summer, allowing many longterm exhibitors

to settle in and consider it a second home. Luckily for them—and for the occasional competitor as well—the show is nestled in the heart of Orange County, one of the country’s best locales for drinking, dining, relaxing

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAVIER’S

and enjoying the good life.

Javier’s Cantina & Grill

Javier’s Cantina & Grill

A fun option for home-style Mexican cuisine is Javier’s Cantina & Grill.

“Javier’s is always packed, lively and fun,” says trainer Marc Grock. “Lots of horse show people go there, and it’s great for people watching.”

Be prepared to hang out and enjoy the vibrant bar scene, as wait times can often be lengthy.

But Javier’s features the largest selection of premium tequilas in Orange County, so if you’re feeling saucy, come thirsty. If you live life on the spicy side, try their jalapeño cucumber margarita.

45 Fortune Drive, #400, Irvine.

949-872-2101. javiers-cantina. com.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

117

CITY GUIDE Orange County isn’t short on luxury hospitality, and one of the best hotels is the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel.

Resting atop a 150-foot bluff along the coastline, this place offers a stunningly beautiful setting for a meal with friends or some serious relaxation.

Need to work out the kinks from a tough week in the tack? The Ritz-Carlton Spa was named one of the top 100 spa resorts in the United States in Conde Nast’s 2013 readers poll, and it includes tranquil water features that add to your soothing sensory experience.

The resort offers several dining options, including pan-Latin coastal cuisine at Raya (once named Restaurant of the Year by Riviera Orange County) and the oceanfront 180BLU ˜ , which offers specialty drinks like Tequila Sangria.

Staying the night? Bring Fido along, because dogs are welcomed with open arms.

1 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point. 949-2402000. ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/ LagunaNiguel.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RITZ-CARLTON

Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel

118

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAVANNAH CHOP HOUSE

The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel

Savannah Chop House

Savannah Chop House

Nearby Dana Point is popular amongst the horse show crowd for its great restaurants and romantic ocean views, and Savannah Chop House in Laguna Niguel tops the list as a crowd favorite.

“I love Savannah Chop House!” says hunter rider Chelsea Samuels.

“The quality control is great. The food is consistent, and they have live music in the bar that is actually quite good.”

Trainer Archie Cox agrees. “After a long day at the horse show, nothing beats a good steak,” he says.

While the food speaks for itself (try the stroganoff!), many are also quite taken with the ambiance. Mimicking an old-school, swanky lodge, the stone fireplace and overstuffed booths invite guests to cozy up and dig in.

32441 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel.

949-493-7107. savannahchophouse.net.

Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop

“We love our equestrian customers,” says Greenleaf owner Jonathan Rollo, who has the advantage of being friends with many show circuit regulars, which helps him understand the lifestyle.

“The horse show crowd tends to appreciate our carefully curated menu,” Rollo explains. “We’ve arranged Greenleaf to be everything the aware and healthfulminded person could want, while remaining quick, casual and affordable.”

Standout dishes? Try any of the 10 signature salads (the lemongrass chicken salad is out of this world), many of which feature fresh California produce. But lest you think Greenleaf has nothing but greens, Rollo points out that there’s plenty of decadence to be found.

“We have a carrot cake that is sinful!” he says. “We like to say it’s good for your soul.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREENLEAF GOURMET CHOPSHOP

Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop

Sundried Tomato Café

A little gem nestled in the historic area of downtown San Juan Capistrano, Sundried Tomato Café has it all: a delicious American bistro-style menu and delightful ambiance, which includes a cheery dining room, an upstairs bistro and bar, and a cozy patio.

“I love this place,” says trainer Marc Grock. “It’s a charming little café with quality food and a cute bar. What more could you want?”

The food will not disappoint: think

3321 Hyland Ave, Costa Mesa. 714-8622480. greenleafchopshop.com.

Downtown San Juan Capistrano is mere minutes from the showgrounds and offers a host of dining choices. One standout is Cedar Creek Inn, a favorite of the equestrian crowd for its convenience, reliability and simple charm.

“And the food is amazing,” says trainer Denise Finch. “There’s something for everyone, and the place is enchanting. We especially love to eat on the patio.”

Brad Goldstein of Equisport Custom Saddlery enjoys dining out with his daughter Lauren, who added: “The cedar plank salmon is the best I’ve ever had.”

Come hungry and save room for dessert: They have a dreamy coconut cake that keeps people talking for days.

26860 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. 949-240-2229. cedarcreekinn.com.

31781 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 949-661-1167. sundried tomatocafe.com.

Sundried Tomato Café

>>

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUNDRIED TOMATO CAFE

Cedar Creek Inn

hearty salads, light pasta dishes and mouthwatering burger selections that come with a variety of french fries, including sweet potato, truffle or spicy gorgonzola. Happy hour specials are available Monday through Friday.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

119

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROOFTOP LOUNGE

CITY GUIDE

Rooftop Lounge Rooftop Lounge

1289 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. 949-497-2446. rooftoplagunabeach.com.

120

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

The St. Regis Monarch Beach is not only a favorite place to stay amongst show-goers, but also offers a wealth of dining and leisure activities. Located on the ocean in Dana Point, this Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond awarded resort offers six ocean-view restaurants, three swimming pools, a championships golf course and

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. REGIS

Laguna Beach is just 20 minutes from the showgrounds, and with worldrenowned sunsets, picturesque coastlines and lots to do, it’s worth the drive.

The Rooftop Lounge at La Casa del Camino hotel offers a front row seat to these truly spectacular sunsets.

“I would definitely recommend the Rooftop Lounge for drinks and their incredible ocean view,” says trainer Nick Haness.

Rider Annie Finch agrees: “Whether celebrating your wins or soaking your sorrows, the sunset view from the Rooftop Lounge is the perfect end to a horse show day.”

Known for their signature handmuddled fresh fruit mojitos served with a sugar cane stick, Rooftop Lounge welcomes people from all over to enjoy the laid-back vibe and the panoramic ocean views.

St. Regis Monarch Beach

a spa that was voted one of the Top 25 Hotel Spas in the World by Travel & Leisure.

If you’re lucky enough to snag a room, indulge in their drool-worthy room service menu.

“Staying at the St. Regis and eating from the great room service menu is almost as good as sleeping in my own bed,” says rider Harriet Posner. “It is the perfect respite after a long day of showing.”

Rider and trainer Teddi Mellencamp-Arroyave adds: “I always get excited when the parents of my students ask if I can watch their kids for the night if it means staying over at the St. Regis.

They have a Truffle Burger that is to die for!”

Rider Laura Wasserman, who often checks in with her pony-riding daughter, Stella, is a fan too. “Not only does the St. Regis have the best Truffle Burger, they always put a little horse on the pillow.

The service is amazing.”

St. Regis Monarch Beach

1 Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point.

949-234-3200. stregismb.com.

Grand Prix Village: Far m has a beautiful and spacious owners lounge with covered patio and includes a 4BR, 2BA grooms quarters with storage. Property has 32 stalls total in 2 barns. Each barn consists of 16 stalls, 2 wash stalls, feed room, tack room, and laundry room.

Tons of storage. The ring is top of the line. Offered at $14,950,000

Grand Prix Village: Second phase of Gr and Prix Village, the most prestigious subdivision of world class barns in Wellington. Fresh water, sewer and electric is complete and has been brought to each property line.

Grand Prix Village: Brand new r emar kable construction. This 20 stall barn is hacking distance to Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Owners lounge with private bath, 2Br grooms quarters. Custom fireplace and outdoor kitchen near the owners patio creates a great entertainment area. Offered at $11,500,000

Palm Beach Polo • Winding Oaks: Exceptional custom home has been totally remodeled. There are 3Br, 3.5Ba plus office in the main house and 2Br, 2Ba plus living room, kitchen and laundry room in the guest house. Offered at $3,800,000 Fully Furnished

Grand Prix Village: The only 6 acre far m available.

Property has a grass grand prix field, all weather ring.

12 stalls, 2 one bedroom grooms apartments with kitchen and living room. Also has owners lounge with office. Barn has tack room, feed room, 2 car garage and lots of storage. Price is right. Offered at $11,250,000

Palm Beach Polo • Winding Oaks: Elegant state home has 4Br, 5Br plus office. There is a large pool area with additional screened loggia great for entertaining. Marble floors in all living areas, engineered wood flooring in guest rooms.

Offered at $2,295,000

Palm Beach Polo • Kensington: Wr ought iron gates lead into the courtyard surrounding the elegant entry and lush landscaping. The foyer features a grand staircase to the second level with solid limestone steps and elegant railings. The living room has soaring ceilings and overlooks the incredible rear patio and spa, fountains and a beautiful free form pool with stunning golf views. Offered at $,3800,000

Southfields: Close to the hor se show. This exceptional farm is situated on 5.37 acres of well-maintained grounds. Property includes 2 barns with a total of 38 stalls. There is a large ring with all-weather footing, and a second ring for lunging. The property also has access to an exercise track. There is plenty of living space with two 2- bedroom apartments plus staff quarters. Offered at $4,350,000

Palm Beach Polo • Mizner: Tons of enter tainment areas and beautiful pool with spa. Separate patio with a sitting area and summer kitchen/grill. Light and bright with impact windows and doors, open kitchen with gas range and double wall ovens. There are 5 Br and 5.5Ba with billiard room, exercise room and second family room. Offered at $2,950,000

Carol A. Sollak, P.A. • Phone +1-561-818 9476 • Fax +1-561-791 2221 www.carolsollak.evusa.com • Wellington, Florida • Carol.Sollak@evusa.com

122

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

FEED ROOM

Modern Iterations of Classic Cocktail Creations Beer and wine are fine, but if you need a little something special for your next equestrian event, try wetting whistles with these tasty tipples.

By K AT N E T Z LER A N D L ISA SL A DE

YZ

e t a g il a T t x e N r u For Y o THE TENNESSEE BRUSH JUMPER & THE VIRGINIA TIMBER JUMPER

AARON NIX-GOMEZ PHOTO

I

f ever there was a professional-grade tailgater, Aaron Nix-Gomez would be him. His annual Keeney/Nix-Gomez party won the Best Tailgate Award at the International Gold Cup Races in The Plains, Va., every October for five consecutive years.

Nix-Gomez, who runs the wine blog HogsHeadWine.

Wordpress.com, also created a blog specifically dedicated to his eighth annual Gold Cup tailgate, Timber + Brush (Tim-

berandBrush.Wordpress.com), in 2012.

“While I always serve wine, I also have fun with mixed drinks and beer,” said Nix-Gomez, of Silver Spring, Md. “Our drinks were the Tennessee Brush Jumper and Virginia Timber Jumper, reflecting the fences and different locations where the race had taken place [since its inception in 1930]. The Tennessee is certainly more fall-oriented, with the cinnamon, but the Virginia is fresher.

“I’ve always had liquor at the party, but this was the first time I bottled it in bulk ahead of time,” he continued. “They still looked good on race day. I find at race time people just want to pour a drink, not mix it. So I used 1-liter swing-top bottles, which I kept on ice in an old steel drawer, and we drank them out of Weck canning jars. I must admit they were a big hit!”

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

123

FEED ROOM

THE VIRGINIA TIMBER JUMPER Ingredients: 1½ oz. Catoctin Creek Gin ½ oz. Mathilde peach liqueur ½ oz. Tarragon simple syrup (requires sugar, water and fresh tarragon leaves) Lemon wheel, for garnish

LISA SLADE PHOTO

Special Note: Tarragon simple syrup is tough to find bottled, so you’ll likely need to make it yourself.

But don’t worry, it’s called “simple” for a reason!

THE TENNESSEE BRUSH JUMPER Ingredients: 1½ oz. cinnamon-infused Dickel’s Tennessee Whiskey (requires cinnamon sticks) ¾ oz. apple syrup (requires sugar, water and apples) 2 dashes The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters Orange twist, for garnish Instructions: First, you’ll need to infuse your whiskey with cinnamon by adding two sticks per bottle for about 48 hours (give the bottle a shake every now and then).

To make the apple syrup, simmer apple chunks (including peels) in a bit of water until they’re soft. Add in sugar using a 1:1 ratio with the liquid. After sugar dissolves, press the apple pieces to release juice, then strain out chunks and set syrup aside to cool.

To create the cocktail, combine all ingredients and stir well, then pour over ice and garnish with orange peel.

124

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

Instructions: To make syrup, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, then stir in 1 cup sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and toss in a handful of tarragon sprigs. Allow to steep for about 15 minutes as the mixture cools, then strain out leaves.

Once your simple syrup has cooled, combine all cocktail ingredients together and stir, then pour in a glass over ice. Garnish with lemon.

y t r a P g in h c t a W G E W r u o Y For THE AMERICAN IN PARIS

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

R

eady to gather round ye olde computer screen and cheer on our U.S. teams at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy this fall? The American In Paris makes the perfect tipple for the occasion.

This drink is a modification of the famous French 75, named after a piece of WWI artillery.

It is a punch-packing concoction of Champagne, gin, simple syrup and lemon. But by substituting rye whiskey for gin and adding a touch of bitters, you can achieve a perfect co-mingling of classic French and American flavors.

Ingredients: 1½ parts Knob Creek rye whiskey ½ part lemon juice ¼ part simple syrup Top off of brut Champagne 2 dashes aromatic bitters Orange peel, for garnish Instructions: Combine whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup together in a shaker with ice and mix well. Strain into coupe or Champagne glass. Top with Champagne. Add a few dashes of aromatic bitters. Garnish with orange peel.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

125

FEED ROOM

g in d d e W d e m e h T n ia r t s e u q E r u o Y r Fo THE LAVENDER BLACKBERRY MINT JULEP

I

Special Note: If making lavender simple syrup from scratch just isn’t your bag, you can purchase it by the bottle from companies like Sonoma Syrup or Monin. Or check out the Nashville-based Bang Candy Company, which sells the ultimate julep helper: handcrafted, small-batch lavender-mint simple syrup.

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

conic as they may be, mint juleps don’t actually have a broad appeal outside of the first Saturday in May. Stiff bourbon, a sprig of mint and sprinkle of sugar may be traditional, but most people don’t actually find the julep that tasty.

But this lavender blackberry twist on the old classic is the perfect wedding combination of something old and something new. By adding just a splash of this and a dash of that, you can create a refreshing, modern signature cocktail for your next equestrian-themed celebration.

Ingredients: 3 oz. Bulleit bourbon 1 oz. lavender simple syrup 1 dash lemon juice 6-8 mint leaves 4-6 blackberries Ice (crushed or small cubes) Mint sprig, for garnish

126

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

Instructions: First, create a rich simple syrup by combining in a saucepan 2 cups sugar with 1 cup boiling water. Stir constantly until the sugar is fully dissolved, then remove from heat. While the syrup cools, steep a small amount (approximately 2 tablespoons or less—a little goes a long way!) of dried culinary-grade lavender buds in the mixture. Try using an emptied-out tea bag or a tea infuser ball for this step. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Next, muddle your mint and blackberries together, then strain (while crushed mint leaves in your cup are fine, you won’t want those bothersome blackberry seeds floating around). Combine that with your bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup and ice in a shaker and mix well. Then pour into your julep cup, garnish with a sprig of fragrant mint, and enjoy!

For Y our Next Foxhunt

W

hen it comes to flask recipes, there’s no better place to find creative concoctions than the hunting section of the Chronicle’s online forums (chronofhorse. com/forum). User Wheel Whip, aka Linda Romeo, who serves as a vehicular whip for the Old Chatham Hunt in Eastern New York, shared this recipe for a tasty treat to warm the cockles of one’s heart on a cold and damp day in the field.

“I love to make my own flask fillers, complete with homemade bitters and sometimes a killer cherry bourbon or wild blackberry cordial.

There’s nothing better than hounds, horses and a tasty adult beverage,” said Romeo. “Although I never drink when I’m driving!”

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

THE FIRST FLIGHT

Ingredients: 2 parts cognac (or whiskey, bourbon or rye) 1 part St-Germain elderflower liqueur 2 dashes aromatic bitters Instructions: Combine all three ingredients in a shaker and mix well, then funnel into your flask.

Red Rock Hounds’ Sticky Voila! You’re Toffeedone!

Pudding

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

127

FEED ROOM

n io t a r b e l e C n o b ib R e u l B t x e N r u o For Y The Champ

Ingredients: 1½ tsp. crème de cassis (black-currant liqueur) 3 tbsps. fresh-squeezed, strained blood orange juice Top off of brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine Blood orange slices, for garnish

128

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

LISA SLADE PHOTO

V

ictory always calls for Champagne, and the classic mimosa is a favorite to sip back at the barns after a top dressage test or supremely smooth hunter round—especially if it’s before noon. But what if you break 70 percent or score a 92 on your handy trip?

Then you want a drink as special as the achievement.

Enter: The Champ, a chic and beautifully colored twist on everyone’s favorite brunch cocktail. The Champ uses blood orange juice instead of regular, and it adds crème de cassis for a bit of additional flavor. The dryness of the Champagne helps temper the sweetness, and the small number of ingredients make this drink easy to put together stall-side.

Special note: If blood oranges aren’t in season when you complete an achievement worthy of The Champ, some specialty grocery stores sell bottled blood orange juice.

Instructions: Spoon the crème de cassis into a Champagne flute, then add blood orange juice. Fill remainder of glass with Champagne, then stir mixture gently and garnish with orange wedge.

Featuring

the Fall Fashion august 2014 SUBSCRIBE TODAY chronofhorse.com/subscribe

The Chron iCle of

the horse

WINTER 2013 VOL.1, NO. 1

Georgina

The ChroniCl

ERN THOROUGHLY MOD

On Motherhood, Marriage & Making Your Own Way

e

of the hors

e

THE FAITHFUL

FAMILY PETERSEN

Vol. 2, No. 1

Think You Know Them?

Think Again rootEd In rId

spriN g 2014

Ing

NavigatiNg

Romance Outside The Ring

EvEntErs Jimmie and dominic Schramm

7Easy

solution

Holiday Gift Guiede For Him, Her & Hors A SUPPLEMENT

TO THE CHRONIC

LE OF THE HORSE

IMAGE COURTESY OF WILLIAMS TREW SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY WWW.WILLIAMSTREW.COM

s FoR PReseR vin YouR Ribbon g s

a sporting life lega

InsId

cy

Huntlae HIs nd ’s

to Wa llsrIc a supplemen

t to tHe

cHronIcle

oF tHe Horse

sprIng FasHIon pr ev IeW

PUBLISHED BY

Preview

FILM REVIEW

50 To 1: A Movie For Horse Lovers And Optimists The latest Thoroughbred racing drama to hit the big screen proves well worth the price of admission.

BY M A R SH A H AY ES

I

n 2009, a small, plain brown gelding from Roswell, N.M., won the Kentucky Derby, coming from more than 20 lengths back as a 50to-1 pick and paying $103.20 on a $2 bet.

Mine That Bird’s odyssey to the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs was a journey rich in themes Americans cherish: money, class, speed, the western frontier and the triumph of the underdog. So naturally, it’s become a movie.

Co-writer, director and producer Jim Wilson and his collaborator Faith Conroy have deftly accomplished the task of building suspense and keeping their film, 50 to 1, moving at a brisk gallop, even when viewers already know that Mine That Bird will win.

The movie opens with a bar room brawl in a rural New Mexico dive. It’s here that future horse trainer Chip Woolley (Skeet Ulrich) comes to the rescue of future rich race horse owner Mark Allen (Christian Kane). Very few stories that begin this way end with the characters guzzling mint juleps together in the shadow of iconic twin spires on the first Saturday in May, but Mine That Bird’s life story is one that proves truth can be stranger than fiction.

After an obligatory “we survived the bar fight” bonding session, Allen immediately roars off to Alaska to strike it rich in

130

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

the oil industry, while Woolley stays local and struggles to eke out a living. Ten years trot by.

As his feed, vet and farrier bills pile up, Woolley learns his old rescue project from the bar has returned to the area and now owns a stable of high-class horses. Naturally, the two men strike up a partnership.

Meanwhile, up in Canada, Mine That Bird (played in the movie by Sunday Rest) has been winning stakes races to the tune of $138,705. The plot breezes on when rich boy Allen partners with New Mexico equine veterinarian Leonard “Doc” Blach (William Devane) to buy “Bird” (who originally sold for a measly $9,500 as a yearling) for $400,000. Under Woolley’s training, Bird can’t seem to win a single race, but Allen’s loyalty remains steadfast.

This movie perfectly captures the way horses can unite the most unlikely individuals around a common passion. Doc is seen as a devoted family man with a stable career and doting family, while we see Allen continually partying and, in one great scene, unable to even remember his current girlfriend’s name. Woolley, meanwhile, is the perpetually down-on-his-luck protagonist; he may have won that first bar fight, but not much has gone his way since.

When the call comes in that Bird has

inexplicably qualified for the Derby (despite his inability to win a race since the previous autumn), the three unlikely amigos, infused with the spirit of the West, oil money and good tequila, decide to go for it.

But first, Woolley must endure yet another blow from fate, breaking his leg in multiple places in a motorcycle accident. Crutches at his side, he insists on personally hauling Bird across the country in his humble trailer to their Derby destiny.

The trip east is an example of a plot point where the writers took creative liberties. On the real trip, Woolley was accompanied by Charlie Figueroa, Bird’s groom and exercise rider, but in the film, Charlie has morphed into Alex, a young, snaketattooed female groom and rider. The road trip sees plenty of arguments between Alex (Madelyn Deutch) and Woolley, but they eventually bond over a compromise of diet preferences. But be forewarned, this is not a chick flick—it’s all about the horse.

From the moment Team Bird sets foot on the Kentucky Bluegrass, it’s painfully

Skeet Ulrich plays down-on-his-luck trainer Chip Woolley in 50 to 1, the new big-screen saga based on Mine That Bird’s fateful Kentucky Derby bid.

obvious that they don’t fit in with the local crowd. Their black cowboy hats and crutches make for plenty of fodder for mockery, and actor Bruce Eckelman as famed trainer Bob Baffert gets in some very cutting lines.

Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel, playing himself as Bird’s Derby pilot, proved to be the highlight of this film. He lights up the screen with comedic timing, slapstick humor and a physical presence that defies his small stature. And Wilson and Conroy’s wise choice to use actual race footage, enlarged and enhanced, gives viewers the spine-tingling satisfaction of Bird’s comefrom-behind, Horatio Alger-esque finish.

Watching Borel on the big screen, weaving through the field of 19 with enough horse to win by more than six lengths, definitely justifies the cost of a movie ticket or the price of a DVD. Is the film perfect? Of course not.

Unlike Secretariat or Seabiscuit, 50 to 1 comes up short on facts about how Bird was trained and leaves unanswered questions about why he first ran so poorly under Woolley, only to turn it all around in Kentucky. The writers, probably wisely, also leave out characters like the brilliant filly Rachel Alexandra and the plotline of her subsequent duel with the Bird in the Preakness, where some think he might

have caught her had the race been a few furlongs longer.

Writers Wilson (who produced major hits like Dances With Wolves and The Bodyguard) and Conroy (who’s worked as a script supervisor for Robert Redford) are horse people themselves, and their passion and commitment to telling this story inspired them to raise $8.5 million to fund their run to the screen. With no major studio to promote the film, they’ve taken to the road, by bus, to promote and distribute 50 to 1.

To find a showing near you or help bring the film to your local theater, visit 50to1themovie.com.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

131

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

F

Windrush Farm, which the late Majorie Kittredge founded to help children with mental and physical disabilities, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014. Today, the organization welcomes participants of all ages and champions land conservation, as well.

>> WHAT IT IS: Windrush

Farm is a therapeutic riding facility in Massachusetts that helps clients with behavioral problems, physical or mental disabilities, at-risk youth, and veterans.

A CLOSER LOOK AT:

Windrush Farm

A strong tradition keeps this therapeutic program forging ahead in its 50th anniversary year.

By MEGAN BRINCKS Photos courtesy of WINDRUSH FARM 132

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

ifty years ago, Marjorie Kittredge found herself faced with a conundrum. Her family had purchased Windrush Farm in North Andover, Mass., 14 years prior, in 1950, but as her children grew up and moved away, the farm’s four-legged residents began to far outnumber the two-legged to enjoy them.

To Kittredge, the solution was clear: Create a place for children with behavioral problems to come learn about horses, nature and farming. In doing so—partnering with Mrs. Gifford’s School for Emotionally Disturbed Children—she formed one of the first therapeutic riding centers in the United States. This year marks Windrush Farm’s golden anniversary.

For the first decade, Kittredge focused her efforts on youth with learning disabilities and behavior disorders, but in the 1970s, she began branching out to helping those with physical disabilities.

It was right around then that Mandy Hogan joined the program. As a college student, she was working on a degree in early childhood education with a focus in special education, and she spent three summers taking lessons from Kittredge.

“When I graduated in 1975, ‘Marj’ said, ‘Come see what we do here,’ and I got hooked,” Hogan said. “The program included everything I loved: the students, the horses, and I could be outside.”

She’s been there ever since. Hogan succeeded Kittredge as executive director following her retirement in 1996, and she’s seen the program grow by leaps and bounds into a top-notch facility that helps individuals of all ages with

behavioral, learning, physical and mental disabilities, from very young children to World War II veterans.

“We found they become less isolated and more willing to socialize when they have the beauty of the farm around them and something to talk about,” Hogan said. “Horses aren’t without baggage sometimes, and they react if they get startled. That can be a wonderful learning tool with people who might be a little bit brusque.”

Kittredge passed away in 2010 at the age of 86, but she “was determined to use horses to challenge those with disabilities to realize their potential,’’ said her son, Charles Kittredge, who serves on Windrush’s Board of Directors today.

That mission is continuing through programs that use equine therapy to help people discover freedom, mobility and emotional healing. With 28 horses on site, PATH-certified instructors, hundreds of volunteers and more than 195 acres of land to explore, the program is only improving with age.

In 2009, Windrush also joined forces with the nearby towns of North Andover and Boxford and the Trust for Public Land to raise $3.5 million to purchase and preserve an additional 160 acres of land around the core 35 acres of the farm. Windrush now maintains the miles of trails that traverse the property, which are free and open to the public.

“Windrush has a lot of history, and I think what makes us different is we still are a working farm,” Hogan said.

“Maintaining trails, haying fields—with the experienced staff and the incredibly trained horses, we’ve been able to reach

“For somebody who has not had the opportunity to get out into the woods or get out into a beautiful field and observe nature, a horse gives them four good legs to get out there and do what they want and see what they haven’t been able to see,” explained Windrush Farm Executive Director Mandy Hogan.

out in many different ways to our clients and respond to the community needs around us.”

For many visitors, a trip to Windrush is more than just a chance to pet or ride a horse—it’s an increasingly rare opportunity to connect with nature.

“So many people don’t have the opportunity to visit with animals, learn about their behaviors, be exposed to the wonderful wildlife that’s out here,” Hogan said. “For somebody who has not had the opportunity to get out into the woods or get out into a beautiful field and observe nature, a horse gives them four good legs to get out there and do what they want and see what they haven’t been able to see. And that’s the beauty to what we do.”

>> LEARN MORE: Visit the Windrush website at windrushfarm. org. >> GET IN TOUCH: Call the office at (978) 682-7855 or email info@windrushfarm.org. >> GET INVOLVED: Windrush is always looking for good therapy horses, monetary donations and onsite volunteers. Visit their website for information on how to contribute to the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

133

BEST OF WEB & PRINT

What’s Hot On The Web

u Heather Blitz’s Path For Paragon Is Clear In this illuminating Q&A, associate editor Molly Sorge talks candidly with Grand Prix dressage rider Heather Blitz about her talented horse’s career, his declining scores, and why we won’t see the duo at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy this fall.

Many dressage fans had expected Paragon to be a lock after he was selected as the traveling reserve for the 2012 London Olympic Games, but the leggy chestnut gelding has struggled in the ring since then.

“A lot of negativity came my way this season, and one of my biggest challenges was to get through all the rumors and 134

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

the negativity. Training Paragon is not nearly as hard as getting though that kind of stuff,” says Blitz.

Visit chronofhorse.com/article/path-paragon-clear to read the full interview.

MOLLIE BAILEY PHOTO

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

“I have recently made it my personal resolution to ride (almost) every day like it’s all on the line in the hopes that one day, in the heat of the moment over a tough combination on a big course, I will have practiced ‘dig-deep’ riding to the point that it is second nature to me, and I will that much more easily rise to the occasion,” writes eventer Katy Groesbeck in this recent blog. “But discipline in riding starts long before our feet ever reach the stirrups.

“No, scrubbing water buckets even though no one is looking, or checking that it was done, will not make us world class riders,” she continued. “But the self-discipline and integrity to try our hardest at everything we do, day-in and day-out, will carry over into our riding and our careers as we make that kind of behavior a habit.”

Read at chronofhorse.com/article/champions-made-noone-looking.

SUSAN J. STICKLE PHOTO

u Champions Are Made When No One Is Looking

u Turning Lemons Into Lemonade Hunter trainer Tom Brennan always tries to lead by example with his Winter Hill Farm students, so when strangers started criticizing his position in a competition photo posted on the Chronicle’s Facebook page, he used it as a teaching tool. Our subsequent story of his admirable move went immediately viral.

“The next morning, he headed to Walmart at 6 a.m. to buy posterboard and markers,” writes Mollie Bailey at chronofhorse.

com/article/turning-lemons-lemonade.

“Before his first rides he got to work, attaching a print-out of the Facebook photo and another three pages of comments and writing a note to his students underneath. He hung up the poster in the Winter Hill Farm tack room alongside the circuit champion coolers, so it was there

when his junior customers arrived. It reads: “‘Attention Kids of Winter Hill. This is what some people thought of a round that scored an 88 this week… You will meet many ‘experts’ in life… most of them sit on the sidelines where it is safe to say, ‘They are not good enough.’ The only one who can tell you ‘You Can’t’ is you—and you

don’t have to listen! No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. We do not let anyone else make this sport unfun for us. The only expert opinion that matters when you ride is right underneath you. Listen to your horses and treat them with tact and kindness today, and I will be proud of you. Good luck and have fun.”

Don’t Miss In The Magazine It’s a treacherous path, rife with unexpected surprises and lots of suspense, and the Chronicle is documenting it with the help of six hopeful riders in three disciplines.

Will eventer Boyd Martin be able to bounce back from a broken leg and the imperfect spring prep that followed in time to make the team? Can Shelly Francis make her first world championship dressage squad since 1998, this time with the sensitive young horse Doktor? Was Charlie Jayne’s 10thplaced finish at the Longines FEI Show Jumping World Cup Final in Lyon enough to secure a return ticket to France this fall?

Follow along with us each week in The Chronicle of the Horse as these riders and more fight for a coveted spot at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIR HILL TRAINING CENTER

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

World Games

u Kim Severson’s

Not Done Yet

Her name is etched in Rolex Kentucky CCI**** history— upon trophies, on results lists and in fans’ memories. She and Winsome Adante won the event a remarkable three times together—in 2002, ’04 and ’05. But just 18 months ago, Kim Severson felt a bit rudderless. She certainly didn’t self-identify as a threetime winner of the only U.S. four-star.

“I just lost control of who I was and what direction I was going in and what I was doing,” Severson says in our annual Rolex Kentucky Preview Issue of the Chronicle. “I just didn’t know. When I thought about myself, it wasn’t as a Rolex winner.

I didn’t know who I was.”

Pick up a copy of the April 21 & 28 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse to read this shy champion’s insightful analysis of her past, present and future in eventing.

u The Underwater Treadmill Is A Powerful Tool While some horsemen still swear by swimming for conditioning or rehabilitation, the underwater treadmill has emerged to combine all that’s good with the pool with the additional benefits of lowlevel concussion, better control, and more natural carriage of the animal for subsequent muscle development.

Should you be aqua-tredding your equine athlete? Find out in our horse care section of the May 12 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse.

C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

SUMMER 2014

135

JOHN STRASSBURGER PHOTO

u The Road To The

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH COLBURN

PARTING WAYS

A Winner Despite The original Chronicle caption for this photo—of British rider John Lanni and Huntsman Six in the Aga Khan Nations Cup competition at the 1956 Dublin Horse Show in Ireland—reads simply: “Mr. Lanni of the English team landed on his feet, remounted and finished the course. The English won this class.”

136

SUMMER 2014

U N TAC K E D

From the Past to the Present

Setting the Standard

www.MooreBroker.com

Kathy Moore • 561-779-2387 • kcm@moorebroker.com Delray • Gulfstream • Jupiter • Palm Beach • Stuart • Wellington