Untacked july-august-2017

The Chronicle of the Horse

THE EQUESTRIAN LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

THE DAVIDSON DYNASTY THE LEGACY LIVES ON AT CHESTERLAND FARM

15

MUST-HAVES FOR YOUR CANINE’S CLOSET

TERCEIRA PONIES The Unknown Island Breed Revealed

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s t n e t n o C

Untacked The C hronicle of the Horse

VOL. 5, NO. 4

J U LY/ A U G U S T 2 017

34 Legend And Legacy:

34

Bruce & Buck Davidson

46 Pónei Da Terceira 52 Suzanne Stettinius:

Everything, All Of The Time

68 Tom Bass Broke Barriers

In The Horse Show World And Beyond

74 The Salt River Horses Are AMY DRAGOO PHOTO

Still Wild And Free

74

PAULA DA SILVA PHOTO

46

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EVALYN BEMIS PHOTO

ON THE COVER: Shannon Brinkman Photo

RIDE 5° COOLER • STAY DRIER • UV 50+ PROTECTION OvationRiding.com

s t n e t n o C

PHO

TO C OU

RTE

SY F LY

IN G

EYE

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Departments

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14 Editor’s Letter 16 Contributors 20 Around The Arena 22 Editor’s Picks: Flying Eyes Sunglasses 24 Tech Spotlight: Megasus Horserunners 26 Test Lab: Riding Underwear 30 The Clothes Horse: Accessories For Canines 62 Seeing The World With “Life Between The Ears”

PHOTO COURTESY MEGASUS HORSERUNNERS

84 City Guide: Bend, Ore. 92 Book Reviews 94 Charity Spotlight: GallopNYC 98 Best Of Web & Print 100

Parting Ways

24

30

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EQUINE APPROVED

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Bruce Davidson: World Champion, Olympian, Dad While Bruce Davidson’s often considered the “King of Kentucky” for his six wins in the nation’s premier event, I’ll admit I spent years walking by his statue at the Kentucky Horse Park without fully appreciating his impact on the sport.

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It’s safe to say he’s doing it. Bruce is breeding future equine stars, including two horses for this year’s Rolex Kentucky four-star. (Make sure to check out the photo of him galloping one of his homebreds with a big grin on page 43.) He’s riding, competing and teaching.

But most importantly to him, he’s also a father of two. His son is four-star rider Buck Davidson, who’s just moved back home to the family’s Chesterland Farm—a property with its own extensive and important equestrian history. And as you can see on this issue’s cover, he’s a very proud grandfather as well. He marks the moments his children and grandchildren were born as his happiest and proudest.

It’s easy to get caught up in who wins what every week, and there’s no doubt that winning the biggest competitions in the world was Bruce’s focus for many years. Winning can inspire, and winning can be your legacy, especially if you have an entire horse park to show for it, but it can also be just the beginning. For Bruce, it’s been the latter.

ANDREW HOCK PHOTO

Sure, I knew he’d won the 1978 Eventing World Championships in Lexington, but I didn’t contemplate the extent of his contribution to the very existence of the Kentucky Horse Park and our continent’s only four-star until we started working on this issue’s cover story on the Davidson family (p. 34).

Without Bruce’s 1974 World Championships victory, which earned the United States its 1978 hosting rights, which was the impetus for making both the KHP and Rolex Kentucky what they are today, where would the sport in this country be today?

Of course there’s no way to know, but it’s safe to say those World Championship gold medals and their ripple effect on U.S. eventing were just the start of Bruce’s wideranging influence on equestrian sports. It continued with his other major victories—Olympic team gold medals and wins at Badminton (England), the Pan American Games (Argentina), Rolex Kentucky and prestigious three-days across the world. The list of everything he’s won is almost unbelievable.

But the story in this issue of Untacked reaches far past those wins—showing a side of Bruce many probably haven’t seen and demonstrating that his riding accomplishments, of which there are so, so many, are just one small piece of the legacy he’s still building today.

“I don’t get involved in a lot of things in the sport, but I am very glad that I have been able to have a positive influence for the benefit of the next generation,” he says in the story.

“That’s what it’s all about. Whether you do it through whatever means, if you can make it better for the ones coming behind you, that’s what I want to do.”

—Lisa Slade

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CONTRIBUTORS

RACHEL FLORMAN PHOTO

MAARTEN DINGS PHOTO

Kat Netzler

Paula Da Silva

After growing up eventing in the Midwest and attending journalism school at the University of Georgia, Kat spent nine years serving on The Chronicle of the Horse’s editorial staff, first in its Middleburg, Va., main office and then in Chicago. She’s now the director of communications at a youth-focused social change non-profit in Memphis, where she lives with her husband Brett, Fitz the corgi and Burger the pit bull.

MATT MENDELSOHN PHOTO

In This Issue

Born in Angola, Africa, to Portuguese parents, Paula Da Silva has been based in Italy for the past 35 years. She’s been an equine photographer for 30 years, with a focus on travel, behavior and veterinary issues.

She’s traveled to many countries to shoot—with a camera, of course—endangered breeds of horses and to capture the cultural background in which they exist.

Her work’s been featured in magazines worldwide, and she also hosts traveling photography workshops.

Megan Brincks

Leslie Wylie

Eliza McGraw

A former staff reporter for The Chronicle of the Horse, Megan now lives with her dog and cat in Midland, Texas, where she works for a local community college. With time spent in almost every kind of saddle over the years, she rides whenever she gets the chance, recently focusing on eventing. In addition to spending time with and riding horses, she enjoys reading, traveling and hiking.

Leslie is a failed upper-level eventer, successful equestrian journalist and amateur Champagne connoisseur.

She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., where she bankrolls the lives of many spoiled rotten animals, including her current competition pony, Princess. She co-edits the website Eventing Nation and is the creator of sister websites Horse Nation and Jumper Nation.

Eliza McGraw is the author of Here Comes Exterminator!, which was published in April 2016 and is about the 1918 Kentucky Derby winner. She has also written two academic books and is a contributing writer for numerous equestrian publications. She has contributed to The New York Times’ racing blog, and The Washington Post.

Eliza has been riding since she was 3, and she keeps her American Paint Horse Association mare Dude’s Cupid Prize (or “Sugar”) in Potomac, Md. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, two children and two corgis.

CONTACT US: SUBSCRIPTIONS & RENEWALS: Mail: The Chronicle of the Horse, P. O. Box 433288 Palm Coast, FL 32143-3288 Phone: 800.877.5467 Email: subscriptions@coth.com

Manuscripts and photographs, accompanied by return postage, will be handled with care. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Evalyn Bemis

Lauren Baker Davis

Evalyn’s interest in photography started at 12 when her grandfather upgraded her from a Kodak Brownie Fiesta to a Zeiss SLR. She learned darkroom techniques in high school, worked for a commercial photo lab and studied photography in college.

When the advent of digital technology and the internet made it possible to shoot with nearinstant transmission of images, she started using photography as a means of getting close to the action in horse sports and to delve into all facets of the horse world. Her Instagram account is @ebemisphoto.

Lauren’s background includes editing, technical writing, promotional writing and writing for magazines. She started Flying Changes magazine in 1992 to promote sport horse disciplines in the Northwest and ran it for 21 years. She has since moved on to pursue writing on a freelance basis.

An avid dressage fan, Lauren chronicles her successes and struggles in her blog, “Dressage for Mere Mortals,” at dressagemortals.com. She lives in Bend, Ore., where she enjoys cycling and nordic skiing in addition to riding.

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Copyright© 2017 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 January 16, January 23, February 6, February 20, February 27, March 6, March 20, March 27, April 3, April 17, April 24, May 1, May 15, May 29, June 5, June 19, July 3, July 10, July 24, August 7, August 14, August 21, September 4, September 18, September 25, October 9, October 16, October 23, November 6, November 13, November 27, December 11, December 18 and December 25 in 2017 by The Chronicle of the Horse, LLC, 108 The Plains Road, Middleburg, Virginia.

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The C hronicle of the Horse

Untacked Volume 5 • Number 4 • July/August 2017

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tidbits from across the industry

Aroundthe Arena

KIMBERLY LOUSHIN PHOTO

ers My Faves: Lucy Deslauri

20 JULY/AUGUST 2017

Lucy Deslauriers has come a long way since her first ride as a 5-year-old at the Hampton Classic Horse Show (N.Y.), where she rode in a leadline class on her pony Chocolate Soufflé.

But even before that her mother, Lisa Deslauriers, would balance Lucy in front of her on the saddle. Lucy continues the balancing act today as she attends The Dalton School in New York City during the week and spends her weekends riding at her family’s farm on Long Island.

“It’s all consuming. I don’t get a lot of sleep,” she said with a laugh. “Riding provides a great relief from school and the stress of my work during the week. It’s something I look forward to at the end of every day. At school I eternally have a countdown for how many days until I get to ride.”

Lucy’s amassed a massive number of wins in all three rings, including individual gold and team silver at the 2015 Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (Ky.) and top-10 finishes in numerous big equitation finals, including second at the 2015 ASPCA Maclay Finals (Ky.).

She also won the $100,000 USEF U-25 National Championship at the 2015 CP National Horse Show (Ky.) on Hester.

“That one was really exciting for me because it showed the consistency that I’ve been able to have with my top horse Hester,” Lucy said. “It shows the dedication that my father [Mario Deslauriers] has put into training both me and the horse, and the connection that I’ve developed with this horse we’ve trained together.”

Lucy, 18 and last year’s recipient of the Lionel GuerrandHermès Trophy, is now tackling more international grand prix classes with the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood (Wandor van de Mispelaere—Winde d’Artevelde, Palestro VD Begijnakker) Hester. This winter the pair topped the $100,000 1.50-meter Suncast Classic out of 49 entries at the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.).

“It was a Saturday night class against almost all professionals, with a very fast jump-off,” Lucy said. “It was my first Saturday Night Lights, which was pretty special for me.”

Breeches: Equiline Footwear: Parlanti riding boots and Rag & Bone streetwear boots

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Food: “Margarita pizza for sure or a good yellowtail cucumber roll.”

Book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. “It’s a classic. And I also like Shakespeare.”

Non-horsey hobby: Working out.

“I have a good boxing trainer and play tennis.”

Yoga pose: Child’s pose Guilty pleasure: “A pint of coffee chip ice cream would just make my day.”

Place to shop for non-horsey items: “I like to shop online, but for workout clothes I like Bandier.”

App: Instagram Quality in a person: Loyalty and humor Family activity: “Besides riding, traveling. Once a year we go away with extended family. The last time was Mexico.”

Season: Fall City: “I love Rome. I’ve been there twice separately to watch my parents compete in the Piazza Di Siena. I also love Paris. I was actually lucky enough to compete in the Hermés horse show there.”

Emoji: The crying laughing face Famous person: “I never grew out of the Bieber phase.”

Song: Either “Passionfruit” by Drake or “Unforgettable” by French Montana TV show: Grey’s Anatomy Most embarrassing horsey experience: “A funny one was in Central Park when I did the under-25 grand prix, and I actually won the class.

My horse got very excited in the victory gallop, and I fell off. When the music started playing he started bucking, and I lost my stirrups. The cooler was really slippery, and as he was cantering I just slowly started to fall off.”

Mark your calendar with these upcoming important dates. u Every Monday This Summer Your horse isn’t the only one who needs fitness work. Spend the summer honing your own cardio skilly by attending the Kentucky Horse Park’s Run/Walk Club every Monday from June 5 through Sept. 28 (minus Labor Day), from 5-8 p.m.

Participants can go at their own pace— choosing between a 2-mile loop or an extended 3.5-mile route.

But it’s not all work and no play. There will be food trucks, local craft beer vendors, yoga, massages and music on site each week as well.

Participation is free, and leashed dogs are always welcome.

Visit kyhorsepark.com or contact Annie Hickey at 859-259-4267 or KHPrunclub@gmail.com for more information.

PHOTO COURTESY THE KHP

Drink: Water or iced coffee

On Deck

u July 1-2 The U.S. Dressage Federation is making education of the next generation of breeders a priority with its inaugural USDF Youth/Young Adult Dressage Sport Horse Breeders Seminar, taking place July 1-2 at DG Bar Ranch in Hanford, Calif.

The two-day seminar is open to participants ages 14-27, and they’ll learn from experts Melissa Creswick and Willy Arts, with Kevin Reinig incorporating a dressage sport horse handler component. Sessions will include information on mare and stallion management, the handling of foals and young horses, training strategies for young horses, and the ideal conformation and movement of young dressage sport horses.

For more information on the seminar, you can visit the USDF website at usdf. org or contact the USDF Sport Horse Committee liaison at sporthorse@usdf.org. u July 22 What’s (nearly) as much fun as riding a horse, only much, much less expensive and completely safe? Riding a hobby horse!

The U.S. equestrian scene is getting into this worldwide phenomenon thanks to the Tryon Resort Hobby Horse Series of competitions July 1, 8 and 15, and then a final championship July 22, at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C. Young riders will mount their stick horses and tackle courses of fences ranging from 6" tall (for the youngest competitors) through 3' tall (for middle schoolers). Each competition will also feature a high jump class as well. A rider must complete the entire course with his or her hobby horse and will incur 4 faults for every rail lowered. Results will be based on the time in which the rider completes the course, with the fastest rider taking first place. The top eight places will be awarded ribbons for each division.

Special awards will be given each week to the best hobby horse, best turned out rider and best stable.

Entry forms and all additional information can be found at tryon.coth.com.

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

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EDITOR’S PICKS

Partnering Sun Protection With Perfect Comfort

By K IMBERLY LOUSHIN Photo Courtesy FLY ING EYES

S

ometimes I feel like I’m Goldilocks when it comes to sunglasses.

I’ve lost track of the number of pairs I’ve sent to their grave because they weren’t durable enough for the hard knocks of barn life, and then there are the others that end up unworn or discarded because they’re not comfortable enough for daily wear.

My eye doctor is always reminding me that it’s equally important to protect my skin and eyes from the sun, so I’ve starting wearing sunglasses while riding. However, finding sunglasses that are comfortable under a helmet starts the Goldilocks complex all over again.

Enter Flying Eyes.

Since they were originally designed for use under aviation headsets, Flying Eyes sunglasses are primed for an easy transition to the equestrian world. The frames and temples are made of Resilamide, a polymer primarily used in the aerospace industry, making the glasses incredibly lightweight. The material is also durable, which makes the glasses far less likely than plastic to bust or shatter when dropped on concrete.

Thanks to the quality materials used, the earpiece is a mere 1 millimeter thick, which reduces pressure when 22 JULY/AUGUST 2017

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worn under a helmet. It did take some fiddling when I wore the sunglasses with a hairnet, but once I made sure the temple was entirely under the hairnet, rather than caught in one of the holes, it alleviated any pressure.

My sunglasses live a rough life as they’re often shoved into a pocket for storage following a ride, but the Flying Eyes glasses have a flexible frame, so they retain their shape regardless of how poorly they’re treated. As a bonus, they’re also toddler proof! Though watching said toddler bend the sunglasses made me nervous, they suffered no damage.

The lenses are polycarbonate, which makes them shatter resistant—another plus considering the rough and tumble life my sunglasses live around horses.

A quick wipe to remove the dirt, and they’re good to go—no scratches or busted lenses.

At UV400, the lenses are ideal for preventing exposure to UVA and UVB rays—and eliminating lectures from the eye doctor.

Because the sunglasses were designed for use in an airplane cockpit, the lenses have a lighter tint than many sunglasses, something I liked. The glasses are dark enough to reduce glare on the brightest

days, but on days when the clouds are moving a lot, your vision never seems suddenly too dark. And it means you can still read your phone without difficulty.

One of my biggest complaints about sunglasses when riding is that they slowly creep down my face, so I’m always shoving them back up while on course. The Flying Eyes sunglasses have an adjustable nosepiece with soft pads, so they stay exactly where I put them— even remaining in place after a long cross-country school.

Flying Eyes offers eight styles, ranging from more fashionable titanium to sportier frames that hug your face. Each style is available with a variety of frame options and lens colors. The standard lenses aren’t polarized, but that option is available for an increased price. Prescription, bifocal or gradient tint lenses can also be put into any of the frames.

Each pair comes with a case and a microfiber bag that doubles as a cleaning cloth. Flying Eyes can be purchased online at flyingeyesoptics.com and run from $149 to $299.

Editor’s Note: Flying Eyes provided a pair of sunglasses to Untacked for unbiased testing and review free of charge. After testing, the product was donated to a charity.

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$10,000 USHJA Pony Derby

Featuring fun family-friendly activities, offering a prime opportunity to practice and perfect rounds by USEF Pony Finals

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TECH SPOTLIGHT Inventor and farrier Charly Forstner couldn’t accept the current logic behind rigid metal horse shoes, so he developed a synthetic equine sneaker—the Megasus Horserunner.

No More Nails Farrier and innovator Charly Forstner thinks his Megasus Horserunners can take hoof care out of the Iron Age and into the 21st century.

By A N N GL AVA N Photos Courtesy M EGA SUS HOR SERU N N ER S 24 JULY/AUGUST 2017

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I

t’s a trade as old as time—well, at least nearly as old as the recorded history of human and horse interaction.

Since about 400 B.C., humans have been nailing metal shoes to hooves. Advances have been made in the types of metal and the finesse with which we apply shoes, but the basic components remain unchanged—until Austrian farrier and inventor Charly Forstner came along.

Forstner started experimenting with new materials in shoeing when he was working as a farrier and animal welfare inspector in Austria about 25 years ago.

In his work as an inspector, Forstner dealt with horses caught in tough

situations and was disheartened by how many issues and injuries he saw with hooves and legs that forced veterinarians to euthanize the horse.

Forstner started researching the physiology of the hoof to better understand the issues.

“I stumbled upon the one sentence that I would never forget,” Forstner said. “Science said that iron horse shoes are a necessary evil. But I’ve always been absolutely convinced that there must be a better way.”

Forstner dedicated himself to furthering his understanding of hooves and hoof problems. In the early 1990s, he began conducting experiments at the University of Zurich to develop a synthetic hoof protection. He invented two products, Dynamix and Easy Walker, both of which came on the market in the early 2000s. They were shoes made from hard plastic and rubber that could be nailed on like a traditional steel shoe.

“Both were first developed to be products that the blacksmith wanted to work with using familiar tools, while the needs of the horses remained secondary,” Forstner said.

He wanted to take his invention a step further; he wanted a synthetic shoe that wasn’t nailed or even glued on. He wanted a removable shoe riders could put on for exercise and take off for turnout, allowing the horse to spend most of his time barefoot.

“Our horses’ hooves are very

sensitive, tactile organs, and with every step, they feel the ground,” he said. “We want to give horses the opportunity to walk barefoot to strengthen their bones, tendons and ligaments whenever it’s possible. And when it’s time for performance, we need shock-absorbing hoof protection that gives stability and a good feeling while allowing all-natural hoof movements.”

Enter the Megasus Horserunner—a synthetic shoe developed over the past three years with the first prototype made in 2016. Last year, the company’s introductory video went viral, and internet crowdfunding raised more than three times the original goal.

The Megasus shoes remove the need for nails by using an industrial-strength Velcro tape applied directly to the hoof.

Clips attach the shoe to the Velcro, and the foot pad is made from a mixture of hard and soft plastics to help it fit closely to the bottom of the hoof while offering strength and durability.

“When fixing the hoof with rigid material such as iron, tendons and ligaments will become immobilized—a feeling comparable to wearing a cast,” Forstner said. “Megasus Horserunners are flexible and allow all threedimensional natural hoof movements on any type of terrain. Flexible doesn’t mean soft, as the hoof itself isn’t soft. It means that the hoof protection should only move under the weight of the horse.”

The Horserunners can be used on front feet only or on all four hooves.

After giving a traditional barefoot trim, a farrier fits the hoof sneakers by tracing the shape of the hoof on the foot pad and marking on the hoof wall where the Velcro tape will be placed. A farrier or owner can then use either nippers or a band saw to cut the hoof pad into shape.

Velcro may sound like a weak adherent for a horse shoe, but the type of Velcro the Megasus Horserunners use is so strong that the early prototype needed its clips modified to make removal easier. The final product has small holes at the top of the clips, and a tool is used to loosen the clips for removal. Forstner also came up with a cover for the Velcro tape to keep it clean while the horse is turned out barefoot.

A set of Megasus Horserunners are expected to last a horse three to six months, depending on frequency of usage, though the Velcro tape must be replaced every eight to 12 weeks. Each pair of shoes comes with enough tape for the intended wear period.

The current model is marketed toward pleasure and trail riders.

Forstner, his wife, company CEO Louisa Forstner, and daughter all ride recreationally. Charly plans to develop variations of the shoe for race horses, jumpers and western disciplines.

“I think the biggest change will be in the material and the thickness of the ground plate,” said Karin Puffer, the marketing director for Megasus.

“They have different demands, and they need different shapes. For example, if you think of the western disciplines, they need to slide, and our current model has lots of traction for trails and different terrain.”

The first model of the shoes can be preordered now directly from Megasus

The Megasus Horserunners alternate rigid and flexible plastics to give support and stability while allowing for natural hoof movement, and they’re held to the hoof without nails.

and are scheduled to ship later this summer. Each pair retails for about $177.

While Charly intends for horse owners and trainers to be able to fit their own Horserunners, the company is also making instructional videos and will host seminars to teach farriers how to fit and use the sneakers.

“We have constantly developed and enhanced our own sports shoes, while horses still wear iron shoes on their hooves,” he said. “Bottom line, I strongly believe that we all have the same goal: We want the best for our partners and to contribute actively to their health and well-being! Our approach is to give them 21st century hoof protection.”

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TEST LAB

What’s Best Under Breeches Finding the perfect underwear for riding is no simple matter. Every woman wants something that stays in place, feels comfortable, and does its job of protecting your sensitive parts from the saddle while remaining invisible to the outside world. If it looks cute to boot, that’s a serious bonus. We put a variety of options to the test.

By SAR A LIESER

COMFORT:

COMFORT:

4/4

4/4

STAY-PUT FACTOR:

STAY-PUT FACTOR:

3/4

4/4

VPL:

VPL:

3/4

3/4 MEUNDIES WOMEN’S BIKINI

Comfort is internet sensation MeUndies’ claim to fame, thanks to the Lenzing MicroModal material used to create “softer-than-soft basics for everybody.” The company makes underwear in a variety of patterns and colors—ranging from adorable to downright odd—and features all the normal cuts: cheeky brief, bikini, boyshort, thong and lacy thong. You can also subscribe and get underwear delivered monthly or save by buying by the pack (but beware—you don’t get to control the colors in your pack).

These lived up to their billing as super soft and comfortable underwear for riding, although the bikinis did shift a little after a good round of sitting trot in a dressage saddle. They are not quite invisible under white breeches, but close. However, if quick drying material is your No. 1 priority, these wouldn’t be my first choice. The material feels more soft and cotton-y rather than high-tech.

Learn more: meundies.com Sizes: XS to 2XL Cost: $16

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EXOFFICIO GIVE-N-GO SPORT MESH BIKINI BRIEF ExOfficio aims to remove one of the hassles of travel by offering quick drying, lightweight, odor-resistant basic underwear, as well as other travel-friendly clothing. Their Give-N-Go Sport Mesh line is perfect for riding. They are indeed ultra-light and breathable, but the fabric stays put while flat seams prevent chafing.

While the bikini model did show lines, they also offer a “hipkini” model, which offers more coverage, as well as 2" boy shorts, 4" boy shorts, thongs and a high cut bikini brief.

The colors and cuteness factor leave a little to be desired, but if sport performance outweighs your fashion concerns, definitely give these a try.

Learn more: exofficio.com Sizes: XS to XL Cost: $24

R

TESTER’S CHOICE

Derriere Equestrian Performance Panty

D

erriere bills itself as “The Equestrian Underwear Experts,” and their products don’t disappoint. This company was started in England by Claire Galer, an equine nutrition expert, sports therapist and masseuse as well as an amateur dressage rider.

The underwear has bonded material with no seams and soft, supportive fabric from Italy. All Derriere underwear also feature a sporty wide elastic band at the top with the brand’s logo.

Once you try them in the saddle, you may have a hard time going back to anything else. They don’t move, they don’t rub, and they feel cool and silky against your skin. Basically this underwear doesn’t do anything to distract you from enjoying your ride.

The Performance Padded Panty actually made it easier to sit the trot, as the cushioning absorbed some of the shock and made it feel like my horse had a bit more suspension in his gait.

And if you don’t want so much as a hint of a line, they make the Derriere G, which disappears under any garment.

COMFORT:

STAY-PUT FACTOR:

VPL:

4/4

4/4

3/4

Sizes: S to XL

Learn more: derriereequestrian.com Cost: around $25 for unpadded; $50 for padded

Timber Frame Horse Barns HANDS-ON APPROACH TO QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP

Few things are more rewarding than building a horse barn from the ground up. Timber by timber, each piece is cut, milled and carved with fine precision. We know that the success of an authentic timber frame structure rests on expert engineering, quality materials and craftsmen who are skilled in traditional post and beam construction techniques. At B&D Builders, we build it right, or we don’t build it.

Request a quote or meeting with Ben or Daniel 717.687.0292 CustomBarnBuilding.com

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TEST LAB

COMFORT:

STAY-PUT FACTOR:

VPL:

COMFORT:

STAY-PUT FACTOR:

VPL:

COMFORT:

STAY-PUT FACTOR:

VPL:

4/4

4/4

2/4

3/4

3/4

4/4

4/4

4/4

3/4

ANDIAMO! WOMEN’S PADDED BRIEF

KNIXWEAR ATHLETIC BOYSHORTS

Padded underwear has come a long way from the diaper-like knickers I remember from my youth, and Andiamo! has mastered the science of providing a little extra protection where riders need it most. Geared toward cyclists and equestrians of every variety, these padded briefs and “skins” (shorts) feature a seamless one-piece crotch with a low-profile open-cell foam pad. The fabric is a mixture of flexible Lycra and wicking polyester, the product is machine washable, and everything Andiamo! makes carries a lifetime guarantee.

While I wouldn’t choose these underwear for a night out, they were really comfortable for riding, and the padding was unobtrusive enough that I wore them for the rest of the evening after my ride without noticing. If long days in the saddle are rubbing you raw, these are absolutely worth checking out.

The boyshorts cut has never been my favorite because they tend to travel, roll or otherwise shift around without even looking all that adorable. But the KnixWear boyshorts really changed my mind in that regard. The “athletic” model, which is made of nylon and Lycra, was pretty much everything you could want in sport underwear.

They stay in place and are extremely lightweight and cool. They also are about as invisible under breeches as non-thong underwear can be thanks to the seamless design and smooth edges. And they are available with a built-in leak-proof liner.

If boyshorts aren’t your thing, KnixWear makes thongs, bikinis and cheeky cuts in the athletic material as well as a new thigh-saver short that guarantees no lines.

Learn more: andiamounderwear.com Sizes: XS to XXL Cost: $23.25

Learn more: knixwear.com Sizes: S to XXL Cost: $23

PATAGONIA BARELY BIKINI Patagonia makes quality gear for every type of athlete and outdoor enthusiast, and the company’s underwear are no exception. Want breathable, comfortable, no-shift underwear that will take you from the barn to the office and then to the gym after work? Patagonia offers a vast variety of choices!

I tried the “barely” bikini, which features a quick drying crotch and a featherweight polyester and recycled spandex material that wicks. They were just barely visible under breeches, but those panties were staying put.

I also rode in the “daily” style, which is a jersey fabric with bonded side seams and leg openings to prevent lines. They were truly invisible under clothing, even in a bikini cut, but they did shift around more.

Patagonia also has an “active” line of underwear, which are lightweight, seamless and feature odor control.

All of these come in different cuts, including bikinis, thongs, briefs, boyshorts and hipsters, as well as a variety of colors.

The company offers an “ironclad guarantee,” so if you aren’t satisfied with a product you can return it.

Learn more: patagonia.com Sizes: XS to XL Cost: $22

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THE CLOTHES HORSE

ONLY THE BEST FOR MAN’S BEST FRIEND Second only to the horse itself, the trusty barn dog is a great uniter of the equestrian masses.

Whether you’re a Jack Russell addict or a serial mutt collector, we see you, and we’ve found some next-level accessories befitting that noble canine who keeps watch over your farm or follows you faithfully at every clinic, lesson and show.

By K AT N E T Z LER

HURTTA MICRO VEST & COOLING COAT Finnish brand Hurtta bills itself as “The North Face for dogs,” so their products are tough enough for the scrappiest of barn dogs.

The Micro high-visibility vest comes in blaze orange, hot pink or fluorescent yellow for safety during hunting season and features a large reflective panel for evening or early morning jaunts. And the cooling coat, which is activated by a quick soak in water, will keep your trusty canine friend cool as a cucumber on the hottest horse show days. Micro vest sizes XXS-XXL. $45. Cooling coat available in blue or lilac, sizes XXS-XXL. $59. Also available in a cooling vest or harness. Amazon.com.

BAKER COLLAR & BLANKET

SLEEKEZ GROOMING TOOLS

Featuring the same iconic plaid webbing Americans have loved since the 1800s, the durable Baker dog collar and blanket are guaranteed to never go out of style.

Collar with leather accents and neoprene lining comes in sizes 12"-24", $27.95.

Machine-washable blanket is waterproof and breathable with a full nylon lining and a touch of insulation. Sizes XS-XXL. $49.45.

BakerBlanket.com.

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With a patented tooth pattern that works on all shedding coats, the SleekEZ is a godsend for the whole pet family, particularly those who are sensitive to longer-toothed tools. Plus it works on upholstery, carpeting, bedding and the underside of all your saddle pads. 2.5" for $12.95, 5" for $15.95, 10" for $19.95, or three-piece combo pack for $44.95. Sleekez.com.

LEGOWISKO NAP BED This round felt bed filled with silicone granulate is the perfect size for the Jack Russell who’s ready to recharge after a long day of keeping the barn cats in line. The polyester cushion case is machine washable. One size, 19.6"W x 6"H. $62. ModPetLife.com.

LUCKY DOG PET RESORT

PAWNOSH PORTABLE WATER BOWL These durable, collapsible travel bowls are handmade in California from upcycled old firehoses taken from schools, movie theaters and office buildings where they may have lived for years without ever being deployed. Now your pooch has the chance to put them to good use! The hose’s non-toxic interior is foodgrade silicon, and all the materials are sourced in the United States. Available in royal, khaki or cabernet. $34. PawNosh.com.

When your pup needs to post up at the horse show for several weeks, this heavy-duty steel kennel is the perfect home away from home.

It requires no tools for set-up and includes a waterproof cover.

Available in three sizes: 4'6"H x 4'W x 4'L for $133.36, 4'6"H x 4'W x 6'L for $190.20, or 6'H x 4'W x 8'L for $279.03. Amazon.com.

DURA-TECH COAT Summer’s the perfect time to snag discounted blankets for the whole menagerie, including the insulated and waterproof Dura-Tech dog model, with a 600 denier breathable nylon shell.

Available in royal, purple, orange, red, green or pink (all with black bottom). Sizes XS-XXL. $12.99-$24.99. SSTack.com.

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THE CLOTHES HORSE BACK ON TRACK THERAPEUTIC MESH BLANKET & CRATE LINER

BILLY WOLF SQUEAKY TOYS These adorable tartan wool squeakies handcrafted in Brooklyn make great gifts for friends with dogs, but they’d look pretty cute in a child’s room as well.

100 percent faux sherpa back. $16 each.

ScotchandHound.com.

The lightweight mesh Back On Track blanket is perfect for older, injured or hard-working dogs in the summer months, and the crate liner makes travel a luxurious experience for the pet who goes with you everywhere. Both feature the Back On Track ceramic powder Welltex fabric you’ve probably already come to love for yourself and your horses, which reflects the body’s natural warmth and increases blood circulation to relieve aches and pains. Blanket sizes toy-XXL. $79-$109. Crate liner available in XS-XL. $45-$75. BackOnTrackProducts.com.

SILIDOG QUIET TAGS As seen on the hit series Shark Tank, these puppies are made of silent silicone that’s durable, stretchy and won’t rip or fade. Plus, they come in a variety of shapes and colors, with some quirky messages like “Oh s*%t, I’m lost!” or “Have your people call my people.” $19.99 each or buy one, get one 25 percent off with the promo code SHARKTANK. SiliDog.com.

ARVIN GREX ANGUS BEDS These high-design Australian-made beds are minimalistic works of art—a major splurge for the Rex in your life who deserves a real throne. Steel frames available in white or matte black; cowhide covers in gray, tan or black. Sizes small or large. $495-$675.

ArvinGrex.com.

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WEAVER SUNDANCE COLLAR Clincher browband and laced reininspired dog collars are as beautiful as ever, but they’re ubiquitous. If you’re looking for something more unique, and perhaps with a more western flair, the scalloped Sundance collar is a real standout. Features hand tooling and oil-rubbed copper berry conchos for an antique look. Sizes 11"-25". $16.18$25.47. EquestrianCollections.com.

SAINT FRANCIS COLLAR TAG Whether you’re a spiritual person or just slightly superstitious, a talisman of protection can be a calming influence in moments of powerlessness, like when your dog disappears for the umpteenth time in the middle of a long hack. Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology (known more colloquially as the protector of pets), will keep your wayward hound safe from harm—and the many curses you’ll inevitably be uttering— until he finds his way home again. $11.99.

Amazon.com.

LIXIT TRAVEL WATER BOWL A must-have for the pet on the go, this ingenious design holds 3 quarts of water and is completely spill-proof, even when turned upside down. No more water sloshed all over a crate or the back of your car! $15.95.

SmartPakEquine.com.

BARBOUR COATS, COLLAR & LEASH Trends come and go, but Barbour gear is iconic. If you’ve already invested in one of their signature jackets, pick up a matching one for your pooch, too. They’re available in classic quilted or traditional waxed cotton, and Barbour’s collar and leash features leather lining in addition to its signature tartan print.

Coat sizes XS-XXL. $59.99-79.99.

Collar sizes S-L. $49. Leash one size. $69. Barbour.com.

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COVER STORY LEGEND AND LEGACY:

Bruce & Buck Davidson

The name Davidson is synonymous with eventing in the United States, and the father/son duo are now adding another dimension to their symbiotic relationship as Buck returns home to Chesterland Farm with a young family of his own.

By JENNIFER B. CALDER

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gleaming jewel of equestrian sports and home to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI****. He would compete there under the watchful eye of his dad, both literally and in the form of the sculpture honoring the elder Davidson for his role in bringing international eventing to the United States.

While the father/son duo came to eventing from different trajectories— Bruce with an intense love of the animal, and Buck, fueled by a love of sport and competition—they share a dedicated commitment to the game.

“It’s like a dream come true for a dad, isn’t it?” says Bruce.

“To have not only a son who is interested in your business but is good at it makes it even better.”

And, as of 1½ years ago, they bonded over another passion project: fatherhood. Buck and wife Andrea Leatherman Davidson made Bruce a grandfather for the third time with the birth of their daughter, Aubrey.

Now, with Buck and his family moving home to ChesterAMY DRAGOO PHOTO

B

ruce Davidson rode a victory lap at the Eventing World Championships in 1978 after securing an individual gold medal at the brand-new Kentucky Horse Park. His back-to-back individual gold medal streak started at the World Championships at Burghley (England) four years prior and resulted in the United States being awarded hosting duties in 1978, for the first time in the country’s history.

As he waved to the cheering crowd of more than 170,000 people on that September day, Davidson searched the spectators for one of the sport’s youngest fans, his son Bruce Davidson Jr. Spotting him, Bruce dismounted from Might Tango and draped the gold medal around his 2-year-old’s neck and then, taking the toddler’s chubby hand in his, they walked out of the stadium.

In the decades to follow, that little boy would eventually find his way back to the same grounds, now expanded into a

KIT HOUGHTON PHOTO

Bruce Davidson holds his son Buck after winning his second World Championship in 1978 at the Kentucky Horse Park.

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COVER FEATURE land Farm more than a decade after striking out on his own to build his business, a new chapter of the Davidson legacy is being written.

I arrive at Chesterland Farm, 80 acres of bucolic hills in Unionville, Pa., on a late spring morning. The undulating topography is ideal for conditioning event horses. The land and the farm have been in the family for generations, and Bruce has been based here since marrying his first wife, Carol Hannum, in 1974.

Although they divorced in 1998, and Bruce is remarried to his second wife, Susan Tuckerman, the two remain good friends. In addition to Buck, his sister Nancy Davidson Wood—named for the matriarch of the family, Nancy Penn Smith Hannum, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 90— lives on the sprawling property with her husband, Crosby Wood, and two children.

I wander around the barn, at first softly calling out for Bruce and Buck, then a bit louder. Horses lazily lift their heads as I walk down the aisle before returning to their hay. The indoor is also deserted, save for two huge peacocks perched in the rafters. (It will be one of these peacocks in the week after our interview that spooks a horse Bruce is schooling, resulting in Bruce breaking his leg.)

The stillness transitions into a flurry of activity as Buck pulls up next to the barn. He is just returning from Rolex, and not far behind him is Bruce, who has been offsite giving a lesson.

We settle in the seating area overlooking the indoor.

Faded color photographs line the walls, and bookcases are crammed with ribbons.

“Excuse the mess,” dismisses Bruce, 67, with a wave of his hand. “We’ve been in Florida all winter.”

While the property—with its electric green pastures dotted with jumps and long, tree-lined driveway—is stunning, the barns and indoor ring are workmanlike and no-nonsense.

Nothing is designed to impress; there are no airs. The focus here is on the horses and the sport.

It was on a working farm, his grandfather’s dairy farm in upstate New York, where Bruce started riding following a fated pony ride on the way home from his family’s summer house in Kennebunk, Maine.

“I can remember very vividly on one trip home we stopped just outside Kennebunk, and they were giving pony rides,” Bruce recalls. “I was probably about 4 or 5 and always, 36 JULY/AUGUST 2017

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AMY DRAGOO PHOTO

Make It Better For The Ones Coming Behind You

After a decade away from home, Buck Davidson (center) has returned to his father Bruce Davidson’s Chesterland Farm with his wife, Andrea Leatherman Davidson, and daughter, Aubrey.

always begged for a pony, and my grandfather, my mother’s father, was very supportive. He was a contractor, but he also loved to farm and had a great dairy farm, and in his day they had work horses, obviously. He was very keen on me being involved with the farm and the horses.

“I was born in the last hour and half of 1949, and at that time in the country 98 percent of the population was some-

USEA ARCHIVES PHOTO

Although Buck Davidson (left) spent his childhood around horses, thanks in large part to his father, Bruce Davidson, he questioned for many years whether he wanted a career in the industry.

how involved in agriculture,” he continues. “As a very small child I wanted a pony. I got one, and then I got involved in the Pony Club and foxhunting.”

As he grew, so did his passion for riding. Every spring, Bruce would buy an inexpensive young horse and school it over the summer to be sold that fall. The money he earned allowed for the purchase of a slightly fancier horse the fol-

lowing spring, and so it continued.

His mother, Annette, a concert pianist prior to staying home to raise her children—Bruce is the third of four siblings—had ridden a bit before marrying, but Bruce was the only one bit by the horse bug.

He would follow traditional stepping stones to most untraditional success: U.S. Pony Club and then the junior hunters and equitation before answering the siren call of eventing while attending boarding school at the McDonogh School in Maryland. During this time, Bruce got his first broodmare, and his interest in breeding, which continues to this day, piqued. (See sidebar p. 43.)

Bruce attended two years of Iowa State University in their pre-veterinary program, dropping out before his junior year to ride full-time for the team in 1971, after trying out in front of Bertalan de Némethy.

“At that point, Jack Le Goff was contracted to come [and coach the eventing team], but he wasn’t there yet, and Bert was C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

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COVER FEATURE

“I remember having to listen to the British anthem and thinking that it would be much nicer to stand here and listen to the U.S. anthem.”

doing the screening trials,” Bruce says. “I went to the team for a three-week screening trial and never left. I knew if I was sent home, that would be the end of my riding because my father wouldn’t be supportive.”

While Bruce would later encourage and delight in his own son’s interest in the sport, his experience with his own businessman father, Francis Davidson, differed.

“It never thrilled my father until way later,” Bruce says. “But it wasn’t his fault. He just grew up in a generation that didn’t understand you can turn sports into a livelihood. It wasn’t a normal thing at that point.”

And turn it into a livelihood he did.

In 1972, he rode in the Munich Olympic Games, helping the team secure a silver medal.

“I remember having to listen to the British anthem and thinking that it would be much nicer to stand here and listen to the U.S. anthem, and so the next time I had a chance to make that happen was the Worlds in ’74,” he says with a chuckle.

More significant than hearing the U.S. anthem play in 1974 was that the Eventing World Championships would next be held in the United States. As was the tradition at the time, the winning country was awarded the honor of hosting the next games, and for the first time that prestigious honor had been earned by a rider from the United States.

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FINDLAY DAVIDSON/USEA ARCHIVES PHOTO

—BRUCE DAVIDSON

“I went to the team for a three-week screening trial and never left. I knew if I was sent home, that would be the end of my riding because my father wouldn’t be supportive,” says Bruce Davidson, pictured at the 1974 Badminton Horse Trials on Irish Cap.

When asked to reflect on what his contribution meant to growing eventing in this country, Bruce is humble.

“I don’t get involved in a lot of things in the sport, but I am very glad that I have been able to have a positive influence for the benefit of the next generation,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about.

Whether you do it through whatever means, if you can make it better for the ones coming behind you, that’s what I want to do.”

One of those many beneficiaries is his son.

Same Sport, Different Approach

It’s impossible to overstate the impact Bruce has had on eventing in the United States. He was on Olympic gold medal teams in 1976 and 1984, silver medal teams in 1972 and 1996, as well as the World Championship wins in the 1970s.

“Even when dad would win a medal at the Olympics, there was no pot of gold that came with it, you know?”

HOWARD ALLEN PHOTO

—BUCK DAVIDSON

“I don’t get involved in a lot of things in the sport, but I am very glad that I have been able to have a positive influence for the benefit of the next generation,” says Bruce Davidson, pictured after winning the advanced division at the 1975 Ledyard Farm Three-Day Event.

After helping usher international eventing into the United States in 1978, with development of the Kentucky course that would become this country’s first four-star 20 years later, he picked up wins there in 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989 and 1993. Bruce also became the first U.S. rider to win the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (England) in 1995 on Eagle Lion.

A legacy like that casts quite a long shadow, and for years it wasn’t a place Buck chose to stand.

The reasons are varied.

Like his father, Buck fostered dreams of becoming a professional athlete. Unlike his father, he didn’t envision this would come on the back of a horse but rather on a baseball diamond or ice rink.

“I went to boarding school [The Lawrenceville School

outside of Princeton, N.J.] and played ice hockey,” says Buck.

“That’s what I wanted to do, and I played pretty high level. We were one of the top teams in the country, so that was cool, but I pretty well realized I wasn’t going to go to the NHL in hockey.”

Injuries were also a factor, and he found himself back at the barn.

“I had a couple of knee surgeries, and that got me more into riding. When I got out of school, I sort of didn’t know what else to do. I started going with this, and here we are,” he says with a small shrug.

In response to my question of whether he would have found his way to horses without his family’s involvement, he pauses before answering.

“That’s a good question,” he says. “I have no idea—that’s such a hypothetical question because, I mean, they were here.

That was what happened.”

As for his initial hesitancy in making this his career, he explains, “It just seemed like a lot of work, and it didn’t seem like there was any money in it. A lot of work and a lot of disappointment.

“Even when dad would win a medal at the Olympics, there was no pot of gold that came with it, you know?” he adds. “You come back more broke than when you left, and I didn’t really understand that. But I think dad and I come at it from different perspectives. Dad loves the horses, and I really enjoy the people and community that comes together.”

Becoming a professional athlete did check off a box for Buck.

“I don’t like doing anything that’s not competitive, and I wanted to be some kind of professional athlete,” he says. “I’m C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

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COVER FEATURE endeavor to pursue.

“The year I rode in Kentucky [Three-Day Event] the first time, I think I was 17,” he says. “I got offered to ride in the [Maryland] Hunt Cup or ride at Kentucky. It’s the same weekend. I figured there was more of a career in doing what I am doing now than in race riding. It’s very difficult to make a living in this country being a jockey.”

It didn’t hurt that, in the years immediately after making that choice, Buck was a two-time winner of the USET Markham Trophy—the award given to the highest-placed U.S. young rider at Rolex Kentucky—in 1996 and 1997. In his four-star debut at

PHOTO COURTESY DAVIDSON FAMILY

not somebody who is going to sit behind a desk and survive.

That’s not going to work, but the competitive part, and the community and dealing with the people? That I really liked.”

Buck has been riding for as long as he can remember. It was inevitable, growing up in the family he did, and with his grandmother the master of foxhounds for Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds for 58 years. Foxhunting alongside his family evolved into pony and later timber racing at esteemed venues like Radnor (Pa.), Fair Hill (Md.) and the New Jersey Hunt Cup. “He did a lot of serious racing,” says Bruce proudly.

For a time Buck teetered on the edge of which equestrian

Buck Davidson’s childhood was largely spent on the back of ponies, sometimes under the watchful eye of grandmother Nancy Hannum.

Start Small

BETH RASIN PHOTO

Rolex Kentucky in 1998, he placed sixth on Trans Am A Flirt.

As the years unfolded, so did his accomplishments: In 1999, aboard Pajama Game, he finished fourth at the Rolex Kentucky CCI****, and the duo made the U.S. squad for the Pan American Games (Manitoba).

There were numerous wins in three-stars and top placings in four-stars during the early 2000s, culminating in being named an alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team in 2008 with Ballynoe Castle RM, or “Reggie.” Buck placed third at Rolex Kentucky in 2009 with My Boy Bobby, and in 2010 he rode on the U.S. team at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (Ky.) and again at the 2014 WEG in France, both with Reggie, just to list a few.

Buck Davidson found early four-star success with Trans Am A Flirt, earning the Markham trophy for highest-placed young rider at Rolex Kentucky in 1996 and 1997.

Despite early success in the sport, financial practicality still factored into Buck’s business plan from the start.

“Everything in my head is trying to figure out the business part,” he says. “How do you make money at something that is really not possible to make money doing?”

In this way, he jokes, he’s different from his dad.

“I started out really small,” Buck says. “I just sort of built it up, whereas dad would always get what he wanted and figure out how to pay for it. I always had to make sure I had more than enough to make it.”

Bruce, ever the proud father, chimes in, “He’s the brains!”

Buck looks at his dad, sitting next to him on the couch and gives his head a small, bemused shake, chuckles and then continues.

“I made a pact with myself,” he says. “In my experience with people and horses, most of the time they get so far behind that they end up having to screw somebody over, and they end up getting caught by that. I always wanted to make sure that I never got bigger than what I could afford. Yes, I love the horses, but it’s my job. I think dad, if he had nothing else to do, would still go ride a horse.”

But Bruce admires his son’s more balanced life.

“There is nobody who works harder than Buck, but Buck is better at the recreation side and the take-a-break side,” says Bruce. “If I take a break, I still like to look at horses. I’m a little bit lopsided.”

Buck agrees.

“Yeah, I’d go play golf or something,” he says. “For me, if I can get away and do that stuff, I do this job better, but that took a while to learn because for the eight or 10 years, I never took a day off.”

While perhaps they differ in this regard, it was observing his dad ride where Buck honed his skill in the saddle.

“Buck can do anything through visual aids,” explains Bruce.

“If he sees something done, he can copy it. He pretty much watched me ride, and when he needed help, he asked for it. But he is an athletic person. When he wanted help in the dressage, I was lucky that I had some wonderful horses that were very well made, and I could say to him: ‘Look, follow me, and I’ll ride the test, and you just stay right behind me and learn to get in the corners.’ So he would do that a little bit and every once in a while he’d say, ‘Dad, I need help with this,’ but he pretty much just absorbed what was happening.”

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COVER FEATURE Buck’s Dad, Bruce’s Son

—CAROL DAVIDSON Buck good-naturedly takes them in stride.

“I never really cared what anybody thought. I just kind of did my thing. I mean, it’s pretty unrealistic to think that you can compare to what Dad did. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to have a statue of me anywhere,” he says with a laugh. “And nor

ANN E. CLEMMONS PHOTO

Navigating the same career as your legendary father seems potentially complicated. But Buck, rather than trying to step out of his father’s shadow, focused on casting his own, and there were few nepotistic shortcuts.

“He certainly was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth [for] eventing,” says his mother, Carol. “He had all the hard knocks behind it. He grew up mucking out stalls. He grew up riding, and he does love it. He loves the animals, so I am going through a second generation of the whole thing.

“I keep saying that’s why I’m prematurely gray,” she says with a laugh.

“But,” she adds, “there are two sides like there are to everything. I mean, he certainly got some opportunities from having his father be so successful, but it also was very difficult.”

As for their careers, there are comparisons of course, but

“He certainly got some opportunities from having his father be so successful, but it also was very difficult.”

Bruce Davidson became the unofficial king of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event starting in the 1970s. In addition to earning 1978 World Championships individual gold there, he won the event five times—including with J.J. Babu in 1983.

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am I really worried about it.

“In this country, at this point, it doesn’t matter. I have my own thing. You go to Europe, and especially with the language barriers, they come out and blatantly say, ‘Oh, how is it to be Bruce’s son? He was so great, and you’re not as good,’ ” Buck adds and chuckles again.

“But whatever. It’s just different. It’s a different time—.”

At this point, Bruce interrupts him.

“Oh, don’t say that! He’s always been able to handle it,” he says. “When he was 4 years old, I tucked him in, and I said to him, ‘I am really proud to have the same last name as you,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, well someday you are going to be known as Buck’s dad.’

“And that’s what people ask me now, when I walk Kentucky. ‘Excuse me, are you Buck senior?’ ” Bruce adds with a laugh.

Carol remembers a story from 2013 when Buck was closest to the optimum time on cross-country at Kentucky, and he won a year’s lease on a new Range Rover.

“They took a picture of the two of them with the Range Rover and then another in front of Bruce’s statue,” says Carol. “And Bruce said, ‘I’ve been competing for a long time, and I never won a Range Rover,’ and Buck said, ‘I’m going to be competing for, I hope, a lot longer, and I don’t think they’ll ever make

Bruce Davidson started breeding horses when he was in boarding school, and the work continues today. Here he competes homebred Holy Moses, out of his former four-star mare Jam and by Chesterland Farm stallion Keltic Lion.

BREEDING FUTURE EQUINE CHAMPIONS

B

ruce Davidson became interested in breeding while in high school, and he’s still heavily involved with breeding today at Chesterland. He stands stallion Keltic Lion in addition to breeding several mares a year.

“I’ve always enjoyed raising them and either selling them or competing them, and I enjoy watching them,” says Davidson. “Now I get to enjoy my son doing it for me. And I just like horses. That’s what I do. Part of my understanding of becoming who I wanted to become was to breed horses and make them good in life or whatever sport they do.”

Bruce bred two of the starters at this year’s Rolex Kentucky CCI****: Petite Flower, ridden

by Buck Davidson, and Truly Wiley, ridden by Kelly Prather.

“He’s an amazing horseman,” says Prather of Bruce. “In the horse world, there are not a ton of people who breed for straight eventing. We tend to get a lot of off-track Thoroughbreds; we import a ton of horses from England and Ireland and now Germany—from all over Europe.

So to have somebody as dedicated to developing the eventing horse and breeding the event horse as Bruce is—he plays a huge part because there are not many people who do that.”

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COVER FEATURE a statue of me!’ ” So there you have it. One gets a sculpture, the other gets a new car, and it’s all good in the Davidson barn.

Lest you think everything is perfect, the two admit to butting heads outside of the barn on occasion. (“None of your business,” Bruce responds with a smile when I ask about what.)

But in terms of training, they’re usually on the same page.

“I mean, life’s too short,” says Buck, 41. “If you think you’re having a bad day, turn on CNN. Like, it’s not that bad. We’re talking about horses here. We’re not talking about something that is going to solve any world problems. But if we can give people some happiness and some joy, that’s good.”

LISA THOMAS PHOTO

ously doesn’t have a string of horses like he once did in his day, so it makes a bit of room for Buck.”

Buck’s wife and eventer, Andrea, is thrilled with the move.

“To see Buck and Bruce working together is great,” she says. “Bruce certainly has a lot to offer as well as Buck, and to see them working together and figuring stuff out as a team—I think it’s really unique and special.

“Certainly they each have their own opinions,” she says and laughs. “So there is that line of working together and also accepting each other’s differences, but both of them are mature enough I think that will be fine. I think it’s great for the horses, for our You Can Go Home program, but I think it’s Again really great for our family.

Part of Buck finding his own For Aubrey, my parents are way involved leaving the family still down in South Carolina, farm and moving his eventing but she at least has Bruce, operation to Bucks County, Pa. Carol and Susie all right A statue of Bruce Davidson at the Kentucky Horse Park honors his He’s been away for more than a around here.” contribution to U.S. eventing in bringing the first World Championships onto this decade and, as of two days before Indeed the birth of country’s soil in 1978. our interview, he’s back—based daughter Aubrey on March at Chesterland again.

14, 2016, has been a pivotal “I just thought it was time,” he says. “I kind of left because I moment in Buck’s life, although he admits to a few growing pains, had to be myself. I had to be Buck Davidson. I didn’t want to be like any parent trying to juggle working and family. dad’s kid anymore. But I need a place to make home, and there is “It’s been great!” he exclaims when I ask him about fatherhood, no better place to do what I do than here.” the sudden outburst of emotion surprising me a bit. Throughout Fellow four-star rider Kelly Prather was also based at Chesterour conversation, Buck has been more reserved than Bruce. land for a time and now lives a 10-minute hack away. She’s looking “It takes some adjusting. I pretty much did whatever I wanted forward to having Buck back in the neighborhood. to do [before], and I was good calling people back and talking on “They work well together,” she says. “Bruce lets Buck ride a the phone,” Buck says. “But I would usually do that in the evening, lot of the young horses for him and loves keeping it in the family. and now I come home, and I have like an hour before Aubrey goes I think Bruce is obviously slowing down his side of the business to sleep. I play with her, and then it’s a bit late, so I have to figure a little bit. He’s still breeding and has some horses, but he obviout that part of it.”

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He is awed by As to whether fatherAndrea’s seamless tranhood has changed his son, sition to motherhood.

Bruce thinks a moment “Andrea is amazing. and then answers.

I don’t know how she “I don’t think he has knows to do what she changed since becoming knows how to do, but she a father. I think he was a just does, and I try, but pretty good guy before he sometimes I do it wrong,” became a father, and now he says. he just has something to Andrea was never appreciate like the rest of worried, regardless of us who get to be a parent whether Buck thinks he’s appreciate,” he says. flailing a bit.

Buck looks at his dad “Buck always has and nods and then turns really cared for other peoto me, “Somebody said to ple, so I always knew he me: At this age, this is the was going to be a fantastic only time you can actually dad,” she says. “He always decide how much time you put other people first. As spend with them, because far as how fatherhood has as they get older they go changed him, I think the and do their own thing, biggest thing is that when and they don’t want to something goes wrong, it spend time with you.” puts it in perspective. He Bruce concurs softly, obviously still wants the “That’s right, that’s right.” horses to do well, and he In that regard, Buck still wants to win, but if is paying his father the there is a bad day he comes ultimate compliment home, and he has Aubrey, by returning home and Buck Davidson’s grown up to be a team rider like his father, competing with Ballynoe and it makes everything choosing to spend time Castle RM at the 2010 and 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. much better.” with him—both profesIt’s not just at home. sionally and personally.

His fellow competitors have noticed a difference as well.

As we wrap up, and I’m gathering my things, I ask Bruce one “He really loves her. Just seeing them interact at the shows, last question. I’m curious if one or two highlights stand out when he has Aubrey around all the time,” says Prather. “It’s pretty cool he reflects on his illustrious life. to see because some of the riders are a bit more focused on themAnticipating an answer pertaining to his gold medals or selves sometimes—especially the guys! But Buck is very caring his back-to-back World Championship wins, I’m caught off and loving and has a lot of fun with her. And I think Bruce is guard by his answer. pretty excited about Buck being back and having his grandWithout missing a beat, his bright blue eyes dancing in his daughter around. He loves kids.” now-lined face, he beams. “My two highlights would be when my Bruce is unabashedly besotted with his youngest grandkids were born,” he says. “Those would be my biggest highlights. daughter.

“Or when my grandchildren were born,” he adds with a “We see Dad more because he wants to come and see our smile. baby,” jokes Buck.

Buck smiles too.

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GLOBAL CULTURE

On a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a breed of pony descended from Portuguese ancestors lives in paradise.

Story And Photos By PAULA DA SILVA

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magine an island where all the fences are made of hydrangeas, the beaches are black lava, and the hills are old volcanoes. There’s

Like many other Iberian breeds, Terceira ponies are predominantly bay and gray.

green grass and sparkling blue ocean

water—and a moderate climate year-round.

There are horses there, too, on this small island paradise about halfway between the United States and Europe.

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GLOBAL CULTURE

The Association Of Breeders And Friends Of The Terceira Pony is working to preserve the breed for future generations of riders on Terceira Island.

Trovão is considered a foundation stallion of the modern Terceira pony breed. The breed is defined as being “wellproportioned with a small and narrow head” and with “a long neck well placed between the long shoulders and leaving the withers without any convexity.”

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Terceira ponies have excellent temperaments, which makes them perfect mounts for even very young children.

This magical place? It’s the island of Terceira, part of Portugal’s Azorean archipelago, and the horses belong to an old breed, mostly unknown abroad, called Pónei da Terceira, or the “pony of Terceira.”

These small equines average around 12.2 hands, which combined with their docile temperaments makes them perfect for children. They have smooth trots and lovely, round canters. They do well in dressage, driving and hacking competitions, since they are generally sure-footed and smart. The ponies are mostly bay and gray, and their conformation is similar to other Iberian breeds like Lusitanos.

But few have heard of these ponies.

Less than 125 exist anywhere in the world, and most of them live on Terceira, which is nearly 900 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the closest major mainland city in Lisbon, Portugal.

The University of the Azores owns several of them. In 2015, the university’s researchers (Maria S. Lopes, Duarte Mendonça, Horst Rojer, Verónica Cabral, Sílvia X. Bettencourt and Artur da Câmara Machado) conducted a study of the breed’s DNA to discern their background.

Children drive Terceira ponies down the streets of Angra do Heroísmo, a city and UNESCO World Heritage site on the island of Terceira.

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GLOBAL CULTURE “These animals are believed to have descended from horses first brought from mainland Portugal to the islands during the 15th century and were selected for size and adaptation to the local conditions,” said the study report. “These extremely hardy and well adapted horses were very important during the colonization for transportation of goods and people, for agriculture and, if necessary, for meat and milk.

“Although they contributed substantially to the development of the islands, due to new agricultural practices and the introduction of horses from other origins, their importance gradually declined, and therefore the sustainability of the Terceira Pony now depends on a shift toward new market needs,” it continued.

A group of broodmares and foals enjoy a temperate day on Terceira. The Terceira Pony breed has a newly developed studbook that’s working to ensure future genetic diversity despite the relative small number of horses currently in the breed.

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But the ponies are gaining traction again. They were recognized by official entities as a Portuguese breed on Jan. 27, 2014, and now the Association Of Breeders And Friends Of The Terceira Pony is working to preserve the existing animals. They’ve launched a series of tests and inspections for evaluating future breeding stock and have also started a studbook.

Thanks to their excellent temperaments, most males can remain stallions, even if they’re ridden and handled by children—a boon for their future numbers.

I traveled to Angra do Heroísmo, a city with about 35,000 people on Terceira, and its volcanic hills nearby, where I enjoyed watching children ride and drive the ponies.

There are less than 125 Terceira ponies now, and most of them reside on Terceira Island in the Azores archipelago, about 900 miles from mainland Portugal.

Despite their diminutive size, Terceira ponies possess the gaits of much larger horses, making them well suited for dressage.

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PROFILE

This Olympic pentathlete, equestrian

speed demon, new mother and all-around superhuman has always been a champion multitasker, propelled by passion.

n over her head” is the zone in which Suzanne Stettinius thrives.

Growing up she filled her days with horses, sports and school. She juggled college with training for the 2012 Olympic Games in modern pentathlon, a test of fencing, swimming, show jumping, shooting and running. Since then, on top of riding, athletics, work and marriage, she’s taken up what may be the most demanding pursuit of all: motherhood.

“Full-time job, 14-month-old baby, training for triathlons with my mom and giving a few riding lessons during the week—even now that I’m finished with school and pentathlon I find myself filling my day up to the last minute,” she says.

The slender, ponytailed 29-year-old bounces from one activity to the next with curious ease.

“If I don’t think about it and just keep on moving through the day, it just feels normal,” Stettinius says with a laugh. “If I sat down to take a break, I’m not sure I’d get back up.”

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“I

By LESLIE W YLIE

“If I don’t think about it and just keep on moving through the day, it just feels normal,” says Olympian Suzanne Stettinius (leading) of her multi-faceted life. “If I sat down to take a break, I’m not sure I’d get back up.”

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PROFILE

DAN EDELSTEIN PHOTO

Suzanne Stettinius passes her passion for riding races down to pony jockeys through her family’s Mint Meadows.

“

HORSES WENT FROM BEING IN MY LIFE TO BEING MY LIFE.”

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A SELFOVERSCHEDULED KID

Intensity is in Stettinius’ DNA. Her father Willie is a former Navy SEAL, and the first few years of her life were spent living wherever he was stationed, whether it was Indonesia or Italy or the States. He retired when Suzanne was 8 but settled his family on a farm in Virginia three years prior.

“I am one of five kids, and I think they thought it was time to not have to pack everyone up to move every year!”

Suzanne says.

That’s when they bought their first pony from a rescue. “His name is Chip, and I say ‘is’ because he is still wandering around our farm!” Suzanne says. “Thirtyfive years young.”

When Willie retired from the Navy and took a job in Baltimore in 2001, they relocated to a new farm, Mint Meadows, in Maryland. Suzanne got swept up in the area’s equestrian tide, joining the Pony Club and foxhunting alongside her father, a whip for the Mount Carmel Hounds.

“Horses went from being in my life to being my life,” she says.

Willie confirms, “All the kids grew up riding, but the one who caught the bug was Suzanne. She couldn’t get enough. She was the one who wanted to take it to the next level.”

Her riding mentor was Colleen Murk, who galloped race horses and ran a business buying and selling off-track Thoroughbreds. Suzanne and her older sister Tallie spent countless hours at Murk’s farm; Murk jokes that they were her “adopted daughters.”

“I had these 4- and 5-year-old Thoroughbreds that were still really fit that I was retraining for foxhunting or jumping, and I could throw Suzanne up on anything,” she says. “She was naturally game and good at it. Where her sister was a very pretty, precise rider, Suzanne was gutsy, and she just got the job done.”

Pony racing caught Suzanne’s fancy, and she began training with Regina Welsh, former executive director of the North American Point-to-Point Association and founder of U.S. Pony Racing.

“Suzanne was so little and scrawny,” Welsh says. “There were lots of tears, but she’s a tough cookie, and she comes by it honestly. Her dad is a former Navy SEAL, and he definitely wasn’t going to let his kids be wusses.”

Meanwhile Suzanne earned her Pony Club C-2 rating, and tetrathlon— running, riding, swimming, shooting—

Suzanne Stettinius and her husband Dan Edelstein had their son Daniel Lyon in 2016. “We have a lot of help from our family, and so far it has been a lot of fun!” says Stettinius.

PHOTO COURTESY SUZANNE STETTINIUS

emerged as her discipline of choice.

Willie got involved as shooting coach for the club, then for the region. Tallie, younger brother Edward and youngest sister Reilly were all avid tetrathletes.

It was always expected that one of the Stettinius kids would win the shoot, and they’d all been on swim teams since kindergarten.

But it wasn’t enough for Suzanne to live, eat and sleep horses—or even tetrathlon.

“She always wanted to do the next most exciting activity,” Willie says. “We didn’t push Suzanne. We restrained her.”

Willie recalls one particularly memorable case of Suzanne selfoverscheduling. “She was fencing five days a week, doing indoor soccer, running cross country and riding, and she walks in and says, ‘I want to do indoor lacrosse.’

And I said, ‘What do you want to drop?’

And she didn’t talk to me for two weeks.

“That’s very classic Suzanne,” he says.

“It doesn’t matter what the sport is; she wanted to try it. And once this girl makes up her mind about something there’s nothing you can do to stop her.”

Willie never told her no. He simply encouraged her to consider that there are only so many hours in a week. And he instilled in her the value of hard work.

Suzanne admits that her dad could be “pretty intense,” recalling the summer she qualified for her first Pony Club championships in tetrathlon. Her dad woke her up at 6 every morning to do interval runs and took no mercy on his whining, sleepy-eyed, 9-year-old daughter.

“He never backed down,” Suzanne says. “But I think it shaped me into a pretty tough kid!

“My parents were amazing with how much they let us get involved with,” she adds. “We all played so many

sports and joined Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts and did school plays. All five of us wanted to try everything, and my parents somehow made it happen. I have no idea how they kept up!”

Suzanne’s parents made sure their kids had plenty of free rein as well.

“Outside of sports they let us run around pretty freely!” she says. “I wish more kids these days were raised the way we were.”

Suzanne, her siblings and their neighbors spent a lot of time in the woods, playing or having paintball wars. She can still hear her father’s big, booming voice calling them in for dinner.

“Our parents were so supportive of everything we did,” Suzanne says. “Win or lose, they were always so proud and made sure we knew that.”

OLYMPIC DREAMING

Suzanne’s mother Avis is no slouch, either. The vivacious now-grandmother competes in triathlons and 10Ks, training alongside her daughter, although their competitive goals are quite different. Whereas Avis is happy just to place in her age group, Suzanne is always out to win.

“Suzanne is something else,” Avis says. “You look back at your children when they are babies, and it’s hard to know what they’re going to be like when they grow up. I look back on my five and think, ‘Why didn’t I catch this?’

Suzanne’s gift was very early onset.”

Even as a girl Suzanne took no prisoners. Her heroes were more Joan C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

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Suzanne Stettinius (mounted second right) started foxhunting at a young age before jumping into pony races and then tetrathlon through the U.S. Pony Clubs.

Suzanne Stettinius twice started in the Maryland Hunt Cup, including in 2013 on NoGo Stable’s Bug Eyed Willy.

DAN EDELSTEIN PHOTO

of Arc, less Disney Princess, and her slight build coupled with her fierce tenaciousness often took competitors by surprise.

“She was this little scrap of a girl,” Avis says. “We call her ‘Scrappy.’ She was always the one in soccer who we’d say, ‘Please, don’t hurt another child.’ She had a few yellow cards growing up.”

She took up fencing at age 13 and competed in the national championships and Junior Olympics for several years.

With the fifth piece of the puzzle in place, she competed in her first pentathlon as a senior in high school.

It was the Canadian nationals, and she won the junior division, catching the eye of U.S. pentathlon coach Janusz Peciak. He invited her to compete in the NORCECA Modern Pentathlon Championships in Buenos Aires— “Which was incredible! I never thought I would be competing in Argentina!”— after which she did a few more international competitions and made the World Cup team. After high school she moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, aiming for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

It was perhaps the first time in Suzanne’s life that she hit a wall.

Competition after competition was disastrous, mostly because of her swimming. It became apparent that she wasn’t going to make the team. “She couldn’t do it,” Avis recalls. “She was just a little girl. She wasn’t ready to be in that environment with Olympic athletes in their late 20s, early 30s.”

Suzanne came home and commenced her own training program, joining the swim team at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., under coach Jeff Hiestand. Her hard work paid off: “I got my butt kicked in the pool every day

PHOTO COURTESY SUZANNE STETTINIUS

PROFILE

and came back in 2010 with a 20-second faster 200-meter swim time! I got back on the World Cup team, and as you can guess things went much better this time around,” she says.

Her goal—the 2012 London Olympics—was set. And this time nothing was going to stand in her way.

Except … horses.

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE

When Suzanne didn’t make the 2008 Olympic squad she started galloping race horses for Jack Fisher and fell in love with steeplechasing. It was a natural but big step up from the pony and junior racing.

“Riding is her passion,” Avis says. “It’s

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A COLLEGE OLYMPIC PENTATHLETE

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ost athletes keep plenty busy with the pursuit of excellence in one sport, much less five. But pentathlon seems to mesh perfectly with Suzanne Stettinius’ personality.

She admits, however, that there have been times when keeping up with it all got stressful, particularly her senior year of college when she was trying to graduate on time and train six hours a day for the Olympics.

“You can imagine how much fun I had trying to write papers or study for exams!” she says.

Living at home helped, not only for the support from her family, but also because Mint Meadows served as a makeshift training facility. In addition to riding, Suzanne could practice running on a mown hillside track or practice target shooting.

MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY

Shoot and run first thing in the morning followed by breakfast on the way to class. After class, a gym workout like core work or lifting, lunch on the go, more class, swim practice, then fencing in Washington, D.C.

TUESDAY/THURSDAY

Shoot first thing, swim, breakfast, classes all day to make up for M/W/F lack of classes, then speed running workout with her coach and private fencing lessons on Thursdays. Shooting again, then trying to catch up on school work.

SATURDAY

Swim practice in the morning followed by run/shoot practice with her coach and riding.

SUNDAY

Ride and rest day.

Suzanne notes that all her coaches—Jeff Hiestand (swimming), Tom Bernier (running), Damien Lehfeldt (fencing), Karen Dubs (yoga and resistance stretching)—were volunteers. “They all wanted to see me succeed, and as a thank-you we took all of them to the Olympics with us!” Suzanne says.

a love of the animal. And she’s brave. Oh my God, she’s brave. She’s not the prettiest rider, but she is the bravest rider.”

She recalls one trainer’s description of Suzanne’s gutsy but rather seat-of-thepants riding style: “She rides like she has a quart of whiskey in her.”

Suzanne contested dozens of races, including My Lady’s Manor (Md.), the

Grand National (Md.) and the prestigious Maryland Hunt Cup. She attempted the latter twice, making it to fence 16 in 2013 and fence 2 in 2014.

The racing was hard for her family to watch. “None of us like it,” Avis says.

“We’ve seen what happens to some of the riders, and we didn’t want that to happen to Suzanne.”

Suzanne was fortunate to have Joe Davies, a well-respected steeplechase rider and trainer, as her coach.

“He was the one who got her rides and cautioned her about what not to ride,” Willie says. “When she’s been injured, every time it was because she rode a horse Joe told her not to ride. Most jockeys get hurt on something that shouldn’t be in the C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

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PROFILE race in the first place.”

Suzanne doesn’t always take kindly to orders. In 2009 it caught up with her when she broke her neck in a fall during a timber race at Shawan Downs (Md.) aboard Big Bad Joe. The injury set her training back for months and opened Suzanne’s eyes to the realities of risk. Avis says, “Before that she admits that she felt invincible, but no longer after that fall. She realized, ‘Wow, that could have been worse.’ ” After recovering she decided to re-focus on pentathlon. In 2011, with the Olympics within sight, Suzanne was on track to make the team. She was ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 18 in the world.

But she just couldn’t stay away from the steeplechase world. What started as a few flat races led to racing over fences, which led to another spill. The timing couldn’t have been worse; she was supposed to be heading to Poland for a qualifier.

“The horse I was riding rolled over a fence, and I broke my collarbone,” she says.

“I thought my career was over.”

Avis remembers hearing her daughter sobbing to the doctor: “I’ve done it now.”

The doctor got her a consultation with the Baltimore Ravens’ orthopedic surgeon, who had her in surgery the next day. He put a pin in her collarbone, and within three days she was back in training.

The pentathlon team coach told her, “You can go to the Olympics, or you can ride races, but you can’t do both.” This time around Suzanne listened, and at least for the moment her favorite sport was on hold.

A month and a half later, with a pin still in her collarbone, Suzanne earned a bronze medal at the World Cup Final in Chendu (China), sealing the deal on her ticket to the 2012 Olympic Games.

ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND LONDON

Every detail of the Games is etched in Suzanne’s mind: getting fast-tracked

“In the last couple years I just didn’t have that game heart anymore,” says Suzanne Stettinius (leading) of her eventual decision to give up steeplechasing. “You can’t be riding with any fear. You have to be out there to win the race.”

through Heathrow, leaving the uniform fitting with bags full of Ralph Lauren and Nike gear and exploring the Olympic village.

“We went to the cafeteria, and it was like nothing you could imagine,” she says.

“There were so many different food options, so everyone around the world could have their home cuisine. And, of course, there was a McDonald’s if you preferred.”

PHOTO COURTESY SUZANNE STETTINIUS

Competing in the 2012 London Olympic Games in pentathlon was the culmination of years of hard work for Suzanne Stettinius (second right) after not making the squad in 2008, and she made sure her support crew, including (from left) sister Isabel Wersen, brother Ed Stettinius, mother Avis Stettinius, sister Tallie Nguyen and sister Reilly Stettinius could all attend as well.

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the glow of a career high.

Once back in the States, though, Suzanne had a hard time adjusting. She was a goal-driven athlete who suddenly found herself with no goal, and she wasn’t sure what to do next.

She did have one significant new development, however. A couple months before the Olympics she had begun dating Dan Edelstein, the older brother of a grade school friend.

Edelstein gravitates toward a less structured and go-go-go existence than Suzanne, but they share a lot in common.

They’re both active, enjoy traveling and are always up for adventures.

“He loves to surf, so I humor him with attempting, and he learned to ride to be with me,” she says.

Learning to surf is a process of trial and error, Edelstein explains, and most people get their fill after they’ve been pummeled by a big wave or two. Suzanne, of course, doesn’t fall into the category of “most people.” She’ll go after an impossible

PHOTOS COURTESY SUZANNE STETTINIUS

She remembers the opening ceremony, an over-the-top spectacle unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II and produced by British film director Danny Boyle. “So incredible,” she says. “You walk into a stadium with everyone screaming!”

The morning after, Suzanne and her teammates left for two weeks of training in Poland, as pentathlon was the final Olympic event. “And then when we got back it was

game time,” she says.

Walking into the stadium she scanned the crowd for her coaches and her family.

A community fundraising effort raised $50,000, enough to get her family and crew to London. “They were definitely not hard to find, screaming and waving the American flag right in the front row!” Suzanne says.

Unfortunately, her nerves showed up just in time for fencing. “It started off great, but the pressure got to me a bit—well, a lot—and I lost focus,” she says.

She went on to have a solid swim, good ride and one of the fastest combined shooting times. The fencing put her too far behind to be in medal contention, but for Suzanne it was still the experience of a lifetime.

“After I finished I ran up into the stands to hug my family, and everyone was crying with excitement,” she says. “It was a very emotional day.”

Following the closing ceremonies Suzanne spent five days exploring London with her family, still awash in

Suzanne Stettinius fulfilled a dream by competing at the 2012 London Olympic Games in modern pentathlon—which includes show jumping, running, fencing, shooting and swimming.

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wave, go under and then pop right back up, grinning and ready to try again.

Edelstein describes himself as a “lazy athlete” and says training alongside Suzanne encourages him to challenge himself. “She’s taught me how rewarding it can be to push it,” he says.

On one memorable trail ride, he pretended to fall off, then asked Suzanne to give him a leg back up. She dismounted, he popped the big question, and they got married in June 2014.

MAKING ROOM FOR MOTHERHOOD

Not quite two years later, Suzanne gave birth to a blue-eyed baby boy named Daniel Lyon. Motherhood can be demanding, but as with most things in life, Suzanne has taken it all in stride.

“She finds a way,” Avis says. “She goes out there and gives riding lessons on the farm with him on her back. She cleans stalls with him in the baby walker. She just takes him with her. She has him on one arm and a horse on her other arm.

“Some moms can’t go anywhere because it’s naptime or lunchtime, but she’s not tied to following every day a certain way,” Avis adds. “And that makes her happier, too. She’s relaxed, and she’s got a very relaxed child.”

Both Edelstein and Suzanne work full time. Suzanne got a job as a regional sales manager for KeVita, a beverage brand

“

owned by Pepsi, after the Olympics, and they rely on family for help with the baby.

Suzanne has taken up triathlons, and she got talked into a pentathlon national qualifier in Colorado Springs this summer. Their gym offers free child care, or they’ll take Daniel out in the running stroller or let him run around their home gym while they work out.

“We don’t really think about it,” Suzanne says. “We just take every day as it comes and figure it out as we go. We have a lot of help from our family, and so far it has been a lot of fun!”

One thing that Suzanne has sacrificed for the sake of family is steeplechasing. And, she admits, she was rattled by her falls.

“In the last couple years I just didn’t have that game heart anymore,” she says.

“You can’t be riding with any fear. You have to be out there to win the race.”

Suzanne pulled up in her final timber race at the Old Dominion Hounds PointTo-Point (Va.) in spring 2015. “It’s just a very risky game, and it’s not worth it to me anymore,” she says. “Thinking back on all the injuries I’ve had, the last thing I want with a 14-month-old baby is a broken arm.”

Suzanne still rides, foxhunts and teaches lessons, and she’s always been a natural teacher. After she aged out of pony racing but still had her string of race ponies, she passed on her experience to a batch of students, coaching them and hauling them to race meets.

“She’s been a really big asset to pony

IF SHE HAS A PASSION FOR SOMETHING, SHE GOES AND GETS IT.”

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PHOTO COURTESY SUZANNE STETTINIUS

PROFILE

Suzanne Stettinius (second right) grew up in an active family, and she still participates with her mother Avis (right) in local triathlons.

racing,” says Welsh. “She’s still providing opportunities for kids in the sport. She has a great spirit, and it’s where her heart is. She’s taken a step back this past year to focus on being a mom, and she’s doing a great job of that, too.”

Whether coaching pony racers or hosting a pentathlon at Mint Meadows, as she did in May, Suzanne does what she can to nurture the sports that have shaped her life.

“She shares. She has enough to give, and she gives it,” Avis says. “There’s never been any snottiness about her, either. She’s humble, and she gives and she shares her knowledge. If she finds something good she shares it with everybody.

“I don’t know how she does it all,” Avis marvels. “It’s a passion. If she has a passion for something, she goes and gets it.”

SIX QUESTIONS WITH SUZANNE STETTINIUS

1

IF YOU COULD TAKE A SPIN ON ANY HORSE, PAST OR PRESENT, WHO WOULD IT BE? Easy. Zenyatta!

2

IF WE LOOKED IN YOUR FRIDGE, WHAT WOULD WE FIND? Not much, haha. Yogurt, cheese, eggs, milk, smoothie supplies, juice and beer.

3

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM VACATION? I would love to go to Iceland and see the Northern Lights. And ride the Icelandic ponies of course.

4

WHAT IS THE WORST RIDING INJURY YOU’VE ENDURED? Fractured C1 in a steeplechase race.

5

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN? Get back on!

6

WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT? In riding? The Olympics and the Maryland Hunt Cup. In life? My baby boy!

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LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS Seeing The World With

“Life Between The Ears” Contributors to the “Life Between The Ears” social media accounts transport us to the world’s most interesting and beautiful places—all viewed from the saddle. Each issue, we share a few of their images.

BAYLEY DAVIS/@BAYLEYANN034 PHOTO

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. Bayley Davis captured this image on her uncle’s farm, where she grew up riding.

“The farm sits on 80-plus acres with two ponds, multiple flower gardens, and countless places to explore and ride,” she said. “This photo overlooks one of the ponds we photograph frequently. If you catch the sunset just in time, you will catch the sun right between the trees, while the pond acts as a mirror to the lovely landscape. We are often accompanied by our resident great blue heron who watches with us.”

Davis, 23, is a graduate student at the University at Albany, SUNY, where she’s pursuing her master’s degree in healthcare economics.

“Even though it can be difficult spreading my time, I always find time for my horse,” she said. “No matter what I do, where life takes me, he will always be there with me.”

That horse is Fleance, or “Flea,” a 17-year-old Holsteiner-Swedish Warmblood that Davis has owned for seven years. Davis grew up showing in the hunters, jumpers and equitation, and she used to show Flea. But four years ago he suffered a severe ligament injury and required 18 months of recovery.

“Our relationship really blossomed and grew much stronger when we were faced with that,” Davis said.

“During his recovery, we really took advantage of our new life together, a more relaxed and adventurous life.

We haven’t competed since his injury, which is OK because we’ve tried many new things. We’ve tried some fun cross-country jumping (not competitively), splashing and playing in the ponds (he’s not a fan of water, so this was a big accomplishment), trail riding and exploring, galloping through the open fields, and even riding amongst our very friendly deer families living on the property. We’ve been able to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings.

“Flea is the smartest horse I’ve ever known or ridden,” she added. “He’s the type of horse that will watch and learn (very mischievous), hence he taught himself how to open his stall door, the tack room, the grain bins, even his treats! Sometimes he’s too smart for his own good!

He can be sassy, but I always feel safe.”

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MANDY RETZLAFF/@FARANDRIDE PHOTO

VILANCULOS, MOZAMBIQUE Mandy Retzlaff and her family started the Mozambique Horse Safari in 2006 with a herd of horses they brought with them when they fled their homeland of Zimbabwe.

“We were farmers in Zimbabwe and were kicked off our farm by Robert Mugabe’s thugs,” said Retzlaff. “Our horses are all rescued from the farm invasions. We brought 104 into Mozambique, a country that had just come out of a civil war.”

Retzlaff and her husband, Pat Retzlaff, collected horses from neighboring farms in Zimbabwe when the Mugabe-led government took over white-owned farms and evicted the occupants, often in violent attacks, starting in 2001.

While many evicted families fled Africa, Mandy and her family settled in Mozambique. There they guide guests on custom rides on the beautiful beaches of Vilanculos in five- or eight-day safaris.

“We have international clients and a volunteer program,” said Mandy. “We also have seven horses on Benguerra Island. This particular photo is the ride of the red dune, and this horse is Black Magic.”

The Vilanculos region is coastal, with Vilankulo as its central town, and over the last decade it’s grown in popularity with tourists. The area is the gateway to the Bazaruto Archipelago, a group of six islands that make up a national park known for surfing, fishing, gorgeous beaches and coral reefs.

Mandy has written an autobiography about her family’s eviction. One Hundred And Four Horses: A Memoir Of Farm And Family, Africa And Exile details their dedication to finding a new home and to saving and caring for as many horses as they could. It’s available on Amazon.com in Kindle, hardcover and paperback editions.

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JORJA GREEN/@JORJIEGREENIE PHOTO

LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS

WAI-ITI, TARANAKI, NEW ZEALAND “Nothing beats exploring our backyard on horseback,” said Jorja Green, who lives in North Taranaki, New Zealand. “We enjoying trekking in the hills and often go away for two or three days at a time, camping out in the most beautiful places.”

The Wai-iti Beach Retreat is in the Taranaki region on the West Coast of New Zealand’s North Island, and the area is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The coastline is home to world-class surf breaks, and the volcanic mountain of Mt. Taranaki overlooks the area.

Green rides for pleasure, and the ears in the photo belong to Juneau, a 7-year-old station-bred.

“Station-bred is a New Zealand term for a crossbreed designed to be an all-rounder,” Green said. “He is lovingly referred to as ‘Nono,’ as he is lazy by nature, but that is what I like best about him, as it makes for a very relaxing ride on the buckle wherever we go.

“I have a day job that funds our adventures, but I’m also the person who ends up with the horses no one else wants—which I re-train and rehabilitate from any pain issues,” Green added. “It is very rewarding, and I have some fantastic horses to show for it, including this boy Juneau!”

The Wai-iti beach is less than half an hour’s drive from Green’s home. “My friends and I often ride at the public beach at Wai-iti, but this particular day we were able to explore the private land surrounding, which was a nice treat,” she said. “It is home for us, so that makes it special.”

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JAYE GANIBI/@VINOVAQUEROS PHOTO NATHALIE PORLIOD/@NATHALIE1497 PHOTO

AOSTA VALLEY, ITALY Nathalie Porliod, 19, is an Italian vaulter who lives in the Aosta Valley region of Italy. She’s currently finishing high school and hopes to make a career in horses.

“The place in the picture is where I was born and raised, and where I live, a small village on the hill of Nus,” she said. “It has a particular meaning for me because it’s a hidden place; there are no houses or roads around, so you can only hear the birds singing and the sound of the wind that moves the trees’ leaves.”

The donkey ears in the photo are Prugna’s. Porliod got Prugna (Italian for prune) this spring as a companion for her horse Malibu after her other horse died at age 28. Prugna and Malibu became fast friends.

According to Porliod, Prugna’s favorite treats aren’t apples or carrots; she prefers pizza crusts. Because, you know, she’s an Italian donkey.

But Prugna has naughty moments. “Last week she escaped from the pasture by passing under the fence, and she did a really nice tour of the village,” Porliod said.

“I only do trail rides around Aosta Valley, but I also [vault] and teach vaulting at a barn in Nus, the little city where I live,” she said. “Malibu is so full of energy and a really strong horse, and I hope one day I will try something new by entering her in an endurance competition.”

Aosta Valley is a mountainous area in northwestern Italy. Its highest peak is Mont Blanc, which features frequently in the background of Porliod’s Instagram photos. As the Aosta Valley is nestled between France and Italy, both French and Italian are spoken.

SANTA YNEZ, CALIF. These ears belong to Gravy, a 13-year-old American Paint Horse.

“I love riding this horse because he does really well with my 6-year-old daughter’s horse,” said Jaye Ganibi, who took the photo. “They stay together nicely and get along great. We were riding together at the time of that photo, and our rides together are absolutely priceless. Gravy also was the horse that has taken me to [the] next level of confidence in my riding.”

Ganibi rides western and competes in team sorting and team penning. Her family leases a 1,000-acre cattle ranch and vineyard where they run Vino Vaqueros Horseback Riding, a riding tour company that offers guided trips through Santa Barbara, Calif., wine country.

“I’m not sure that running a dude string falls under professional horse person—I am surrounded with so many amazing horse professionals that I am humbled and reminded of the extensive learning curve daily,” she said. “But it is my main job. My other ‘full-time’ job is mother of a 4- and 6-year-old, as well as 20 years in the fitness industry.”

In addition to leading the guided tours, Ganibi and her family love to ride out on the ranch for fun.

“This ranch will always have such special meaning as the place my kids have learned to ride, appreciate nature and trust their horses,” she said.

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CHARLOTTE HUNTER/@CHACHA_HUNTER PHOTO

LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS

RICK DAHMS PHOTO

Sharing Life Between The Ears

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND That vivid green plant growing alongside the path through the woods? It’s wild garlic! Charlotte Hunter says it smells fresh and bright as she rides along the hacking track near the River Esk at the Edinburgh Equestrian Centre in Scotland, which offers boarding and lessons.

The ears belong to Harry, a Section D Welsh belonging to Hunter’s friend. He was 27 at the time the photo was taken, but he was recently euthanized after sustaining a pasture accident.

“He will be very deeply missed by all who knew him,” said Hunter, who rode him a few times a week.

“He was the kindest natured horse I’ve ever known and looked after.

He always looked after his rider no matter what level they were. His owner enjoyed quiet hacks, and I took him out jumping and crosscountry. He was doing very well for his age!

“I don’t compete a lot but take part in showing and dressage when I do. I enjoy days out cross-country jumping as well though, so a bit of everything,” Hunter continued.

Hunter, 21, is from Edinburgh and doesn’t work right now due to poor health.

“Harry played a major role in getting me out and fighting the depression and anxiety I suffer from,” she said. “I owe a lot to that horse.

I aim to work with horses—I studied equine in college and hope to start back in the working world with horses soon, all thanks to Harry.”

Since 2008, Life Between The Ears founder Kristine Dahms has posted stunning photos shot by riders in all corners of the world with one hand on the reins and the other on the shutter. Dahms mines photos with the hashtag #lifebetweentheears, contacts the original poster of the image, then features the photo, complete with educational details about the place that’s portrayed.

Life Between The Ears photos appear on a LBTE Facebook page, an Instagram feed, a dedicated website (lifebetweentheears.com), a Twitter feed and a Pinterest page (all under lifebetweentheears account names).

Dahms—who lives in Vashon, Wash., with her Welsh Cob, mini horse, pygmy goats, two dogs and two cats—rides dressage and takes quite a few photos herself on the picturesque Vashon-Maury Island.

Dahms has taken some of the Life Between The Ears images from cyberspace to print, creating three lines of greeting cards with selected photos from her social media pages. A portion of the proceeds from the card sales goes to the Equine Land Conservation Resource (elcr.org). Cards are available at lifebetweentheears.com/retail.

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HISTORY

TOM BASS

PHOTO COURTESY THE AUDRAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Broke Barriers In The Horse Show World And Beyond

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Though he was born a slave, the Saddlebred trainer climbed to the highest ranks of the competition world in the early 20th century thanks to his horsemanship skills.

By ELIZA McGR AW

GEORGE FORD MORRIS PHOTO

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hen Tom Bass rode his brilliant black mare Belle Beach into a show ring in the early 1900s, large crowds were often stunned into silence—and then brought to their feet to cheer for him.

Today Bass, considered by many to be one of the greatest horse trainers of the early 20 th century, remains an idol for Saddlebred enthusiasts. But he’s also known for his impact on larger U.S. horse show history.

Bass was the first African-American to participate in many horse shows, including New York City’s Madison Square Garden. He invented

a bit that’s still used for gaited horses today, and he rode in one of President Grover Cleveland’s inauguration parades. Presidents William McKinley and William Howard Taft visited him in his home of Audrain County, Mo. President Theodore Roosevelt and Buffalo Bill Cody owned Bass-trained horses, and when Bass died, Will Rogers eulogized him.

“I call him the original horse whisperer,” says Lori Pratt, director of the Audrain County Historical Society, “because he could tell you anything about a horse, he could make a horse do anything you wanted him to do, and he was gentle. He never used a whip.

He didn’t raise his voice.”

Tom Bass was so dominant in the show ring with his most famous mount, Belle Beach, that when the pair showed up to a competition organizers usually turned it into an exhibition instead.

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HISTORY The Best In The Business

PHOTO COURTESY THE AUDRAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Bass was born enslaved in Missouri in 1859, writes Bill Downey in his 1975 biography of Bass, Whisper On The Wind.

His owner was his father, William Hayden Bass, and his mother was slave Cornelia Gray.

Gray’s parents, who had been emancipated, raised him, and he grew up helping in the stables on the Bass family farm, riding his father’s mare, Helen MacGregor, before he was 3 years old.

“My interest in saddle horses was by breeding and environment,” he said.

“I slept in the stables when I was so tiny I got covered up in the straw, and I rode the old mares when I was no bigger than a horsefly.”

By 1879, Tom had moved to Mexico, Mo., the center of the saddle horse world.

He was only in his 20s but was already a highly regarded trainer, and by 1883 he’d started his own stable. He trained threeand five-gaited horses, and people referred to a horse as “Tom Bass-gaited.”

“People questioned how good he was,” says Pratt, “so he took a mule, and he gaited the mule to walk the way he wanted, and he gaited it backwards also.”

Newspaper articles from those years are filled with notes about his frequent wins. Though one story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on Oct. 20, 1901, notes he was “seriously if not fatally hurt” when a mount fell on him at a New York competition—and a few other publications

Tom Bass was born into slavery but eventually became one of the best-known horsemen of the early 20th century.

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PHOTO COURTESY THE AUDRAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

reported he had died—by early 1902 he was winning again.

In 1904, Tom met the New Yorkbased rider and trainer Belle Beach at a horse show in Kansas City, and she bested Tom, who was riding a horse named Paris.

After that, he renamed a black mare he’d been calling Blackbird Belle after Beach.

She became his favorite mount.

Belle Beach excelled in the competition called “high school,” a dressage-like series of movements—including passage, pirouettes, renvers and travers—performed solo in a ring. Belle Beach could “salute” by waving a foreleg.

When Calvin Coolidge was the governor of Massachusetts, he walked down from his box at a show to see the mare, and Tom had her kneel on her forelegs to show respect. She became so dominant in the high school division that show organizers would change any Belle Beach appearance to an exhibition rather than a contest.

A long interview from 1909 provides some rare insight from Tom about how he trained horses to achieve such extraordinary heights.

“I get the first line on the best ones when they are being handled for ordinary saddle horses,” Tom told the reporter, Henry Ten Eyck White, “and it does not take long at that stage to pick out the naturally smart beasts, that also are capable of being educated above the ordinary, for not every brainy horse will let you use his intelligence to its full extent.”

The first thing Tom taught horses was a Spanish march—imagine an extended walk, with forefront-pointing energy. It was a crucial gait, the trainer said, because, “It is like the alphabet to a child learning to read. With it thoroughly mastered the infant will surely progress, although, as everybody knows,

some children will acquire proficiency much easier and earlier than others.”

Trickier, Tom said, was the “military mount,” where the horse stretches out with fore and hind legs.

“I noticed horses doing that in their stalls,” he said. “And it occurred to me that, inasmuch as it was a natural thing for the horse to make that long stretch when he felt like it, just as a man stretches when in the mood, it could be used in high school work. Once the idea was in my head I never stopped until I had discovered how to make a horse do it at will. It is accomplished by use of the bit, and [is] not now considered a difficult trick to teach in a horse.”

His emphasis on watching the horse at liberty reflects the idea of natural horsemanship but also pushes farther. With his methods, Tom integrated what the horse does when no one is asking.

“He could make a horse do anything you wanted him to do, and he was gentle,” says Lori Pratt, director of the Audrain County Historical Society, of Tom Bass.

Not A lways Welcome Another long interview took place in 1917, and, while Tom explained his views on training with patience in the same way, the piece also demonstrates the racism he encountered.

The reporter attributed Tom’s success to the fact that he “knows his place and keeps it,” which is why “more than one horse show association has ruled that ‘entries shall be accepted openly only from white exhibitors save that an exception is made in the case of Tom Bass, colored.’ ” C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

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Sometimes, they didn’t. One of Tom’s allies, a white man and Saddlebred trainer named John Hook, told a story about being presented with a petition that sought to bar African-Americans in Saddlebred shows. Hook was a leading trainer, and when he refused to sign, the matter was dropped.

Other times, Tom would have to leave a show upon learning he was not allowed to compete.

As Downey writes, “Tom Bass was often held up as an example of how the black man could rise above the circumstances of humble birth. Yet, very few of Tom’s admirers had any idea how eternally haunted he was by the very racism they thought Tom had managed to overcome.”

Belle Beach died in 1933, and newspapers eulogized her passing. She was 31 and had been retired since 1927.

Tom Bass died the next year at 75, with a Nov. 20, 1934, article in the Moberly Monitor-Index noting he died “suddenly at home in Mexico” and that friends thought the death of Belle Beach left him “grief-stricken and probably contributed to his death.”

After Tom’s death, showman Will Rogers wrote about him: “You have all seen society folks perform on a beautiful three-, or five-gaited saddle horse, and said, ‘My, what skill and patience they must have had to train that animal.’ Well, all they did was ride him in. [Tom] trained thousands that others were applauded on. A remarkable man, a remarkable character.”

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PHOTO COURTESY THE AUDRAIN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

HISTORY

To this day, Saddlebred riders and trainers still use Bass bits. Tom also helped start Kansas City’s famous American Royal Horse Show, which bore that name because it was similar to the British Royal agricultural fair. It started as a livestock show and now includes a rodeo, hunter/jumper competition and barbeque contest, but for many years its Saddlebred competitions took center stage. A warm-up arena at the American Royal is named for Tom, and there’s a Tom Bass Road in Missouri.

And at the Audrain County Historical Society, Pratt says visitors can view Tom’s

After Tom Bass died in 1934, he was eulogized

by Will Rogers. “A remarkable man, a remarkable character,” Rogers said.

show outfits, ribbons, an early Bass bit, paintings, photographs, hats, spurs and a golden horse pin he wore on his lapel.

These artifacts make up the tangible part of his legacy. But according to Audrain County Historical Society docent Jackie Cauble, Tom left much more.

“He didn’t care for the money at all,” she says. “He didn’t care for the glory or that part of it. Everything he did was to benefit the horses and their owners.”

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TRAVEL

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T H E S A LT R I V E R H O R S E S A R E S T I L L

The story of a threatened herd of feral horses in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest inspires a trip to find and photograph them.

Story And Photos By EVALY N BEMIS

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hat do you do when of ours. In turn, I signed onto their account and was intrigued the wind, snow, rain to learn that wild horses live in and hail are blowing the Tonto National Forest, right sideways in March, and you want next to the booming suburbs of to get a horse fix in nicer weather?

Phoenix.

You go to Arizona to visit the At the time I started folSalt River wild horses, of course. lowing the group, the herd of I learned about the Salt River about 100 horses was threatened horse herd through Instagram. by a U.S. Forest Service plan to It’s the one social media I use round up and sell them, most because it’s pure fun, the equivlikely meaning they’d be shipped alent of sending and receiving to slaughter in Mexico. A small daily postcards. If you don’t get Two yearling colts practice fighting, a skill they’ll use as stallions in their own bands later in life. group of enthusiasts, who had been to it daily, no big deal. watching the horses for years, banded together to form a nonI run an Instagram account for a Santa Fe, N.M.-based profit organization to fight their removal. Soon the Forest Service horse rescue group, The Horse Shelter. The Salt River Wild had received more than 65,000 emails in protest.

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TRAVEL

Wanting an escape from winter weather, photographer Evalyn Bemis took a road trip toward Phoenix in March to see the Salt River wild horses.

The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group is working to institute a contraceptive system for mares, but right now the herd still grows an estimated 12 percent a year.

The SRWHMG drafted a 48-page proposal asking for permission to participate in a management plan that would preserve the wild horses, including the use of annual contraceptives to maintain a level herd size. They filed suit to halt the impoundment notice and won a 120-day stay, followed by the Forest Service’s rescission of the order shortly before Christmas in 2015.

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The group lobbied the Arizona legislators, and H.B. 2340 was introduced, passed and signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey last year. The bill establishes that the horses are not stray livestock, makes harassing them illegal, and requires a codifying of their humane management between the Forest Service, the state’s agricultural department and a private party.

Such a management plan, a memorandum of understanding, has not yet been agreed upon, but meanwhile the SRWHMG monitors the herd daily with volunteers, has built safe horse crossings along the Bush Highway on the southern end of their territory, and fenced stretches along the road to keep horses from wandering into traffic. They have rescued orphaned or abandoned

The wild horses travel wellworn paths to their water source at Salt River every evening.

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TRAVEL foals and provided medical care to injured animals in some cases.

Recently a beloved band stallion, known as Wisdom by volunteers, suffered hip failure. He had lived well past the age at which most wild stallions can maintain control over a band, and finally the vicissitudes of daily skirmishes, as well as breeding duties, took their toll. When Wisdom could no longer get up from the ground, SRWHMG sent their veterinarian to humanely euthanize him.

Obviously, most wild horses don’t get this degree of interaction with humans. This is a consequence of the horses’ “range” being near a major urban area.

Access to water is the principal limitation for the horses now, and once upon a time they had the better of a 200-plus mile stretch of the Salt River Canyon.

Now the Granite Reef Dam in Mesa sends most of the Salt River into a canal running through Phoenix, and 18 miles to the east the Stewart Mountain Dam at Saguaro Lake creates an impediment to the horses’ travel in that direction.

To the north, Highway 87, also known as the Beeline Highway, cuts through the Tonto National Forest, and the horses rarely venture above it.

Winter seeps and small streams provide water, so the horses can often stay in the mountains, but forage becomes scarce at times. When grass is unavailable in higher elevations, the horses move back down to the river, where eelgrass in the river can sustain them, along with warmer-climate grasses and the bean pods of acacia trees.

The Salt River is the main water source for the wild horses, and they also eat the river’s eelgrass when other grasses aren’t available.

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Finding Them In The Flesh After following the postings on Instagram for about two years, I wanted to see the horses in person. I convinced my partner, David, that we should take a road trip to Arizona. We took the scenic route from New Mexico, passing through the White Mountains and the Salt River Canyon along the way.

We got to Mesa around dusk and pitched our tent at Usery Mountain Recreation Area since it was the closest camping area to the Salt River. A fee of $20/night included use of restrooms with hot showers and picnic tables near a fire pit.

Curve-billed thrashers were busy feeding their young in a nest hidden in the branches of a large cholla cactus next to our tent, and Gila woodpeckers and cactus wrens woke us at dawn with their songs from atop the saguaros.

The desert floor was blooming with golden poppies and other wildflowers. Altogether it was a nice escape from C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M

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TRAVEL

Their proximity to the Phoenix suburbs means the Salt River wild horses are accustomed to humans, but you should still stay about 40' away from their herds when visiting.

wintery Santa Fe. We set out early in the morning to find the horses. Since they’re wild, there was no certainty that we would see any. We found tracks and old manure leading down an arroyo to the lake at the Butcher Jones Recreation Site, but no one had seen any horses.

A wrangler at the Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch was helpful, saying just to keep our eyes peeled while driving along the Bush Highway.

So that was what we did. We stopped here and there to check out the river and scenery, having a good time birding and snacking on our travel food. We went into Mesa for an early dinner—inexpensive and fabulous Thai cuisine—and returned to the river with a few hours of light left.

David spotted the horses before I did, a few hundred feet back from the road and somewhat hidden among the saguaro cacti and the palo verde trees.

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The Tonto National Forest is home to the approximately 100 Salt River wild horses.

“It is a special gift to see something wild and free,” writes photographer Evalyn Bemis of observing the horses in their natural habitat.

I moved as stealthily as I could toward them, stopping every few feet to photograph. The horses weren’t in the least perturbed, continuing to graze northwestward toward the river.

I finally sat down and focused on two yearlings that seemed to want to graze in the exact same spot, and they came so close to me that my long lens couldn’t fit them in the frame.

It was wonderful to sit and watch the interactions between family members. There was a gorgeous red roan mare with a foal a few days old, and she allowed the band stallion to touch noses with her foal but then shooed him away.

A yearling with two blue eyes and an unusual fawn-colored coat was brashly challenging his brothers to mock-fight him. The mares that were heavy with foal whisked flies from each other’s faces.

This first band moved at a leisurely pace toward the river as I trailed them. Soon they encountered another band of a similar size, approximately six or seven adults and assorted youngsters with a lead stallion. The two stallions approached one another with arched necks. After a few squeals and strikes at the dirt, one sent the other packing.

The one being pushed away doubled around, gathered his family and trotted off to the river.

I noticed at this point we were following a well-worn path, with many small branches braiding into the main one. Other bands joined in what was obviously the nightly passage to water.

All the groups seemed respectful of

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TRAVEL each other and kept a discreet distance.

Eventually it became too dark to take any more photos, and I figured it was time to make my way to the rendezvous point to find my patient traveling companion and Sam the dog. David and Sam were happy I’d had my time with the horses and even happier that we could now go to the campground and climb into our tent and sleeping bags.

March proved to be a great time to visit the horses. They looked uniformly sleek, shiny and healthy. Grass was abundant from early spring rains, and life was sweet. Temperatures in the mid 70s in the daytime meant the horses could spend long days grazing without having to trek to the river to cool off.

If you go, take a good camera and have fun. Be quiet and do not approach too closely. Most importantly, please respect the horses and remember they aren’t pets. It is a special gift to see something wild and free.

Wild horses have been living in the Salt River area for centuries. They likely originate from Spanish stock brought there in the 1600s.

The Salt River horses now roam about a 20-mile area.

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SWEIRA ALJASSIMYA info@aljassimyafarm.com | www.aljassimyafarm.com

Photography by: Emma Maxwell

Visit our breeding stock in California for the ultimate destination in Arabian horse breeding.

Design by: mickeandoliver

Timeless Beauty

CITY GUIDE

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Experience The Outdoors At Its Best In

BEND

By LAUREN DAVIS BAKER

C. LEVERS/SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO

N

estled along the eastern edge of the Cascade Range of mountains, Bend, Ore., boasts a high desert lifestyle with a bit of everything for outdoor and equestrian enthusiasts— including the Oregon High Desert Classic horse shows, held July 18-23 and July 26-30.

(This year’s edition of the competition will also host the USHJA Children’s & Adult Amateur Hunter Championships: West for the first time.)

The resort town welcomes skiers in winter and an influx of golfers, kayakers, campers, cyclists and hikers for the sunny summer months. But it’s also known for another beloved feature: Bend is called “Beervana” by enthusiasts who come just for the breweries.

In your horse show off time, wander through town, along the scenic Deschutes River or make your way into the mountains for a more adventurous outing. Picnic in Drake Park along Mirror Pond—or venture a bit farther afield to a mountain lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks. No matter your preference, you’ll find plenty to see, do, eat and drink #inBend.

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CITY GUIDE DOWNTOWN BEND

DANITA DELIMONT/ALAMY PHOTO

Bend’s downtown area is compact and makes for easy walking. Browse the unique selection of shops, galleries, jewelers and restaurants—or get serious about shopping.

Fashionistas will love Hot Box Betty and Local Joe’s fun and trendy styles. Pick up a feather-light puffy coat to ward off Bend’s chilly summer evenings with a quick trip to Patagonia. Or do a little treasure hunting at Cowgirl Cash, which specializes in vintage Western wear.

Grab a cup of coffee at Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe and check out the local art on display or page through the great collection of new and used books.

You’ll find most of the action along Wall and Bond streets, between Greenwood on the north end and Louisiana to the south.

downtownbend.org

BONTÀ NATURAL ARTISAN GELATO

Head to Bontà’s downtown scoop shop for out-of-this-world gelato in 18 amazing hand-crafted flavors. The rich and creamy texture will please even the most critical gelato enthusiast.

Walk on the wild side by pairing a scoop of lemon cream and candied ginger with the roasted strawberry rhubarb. Or play it safe with the winning marriage of rich dulce de leche and a scoop of salted chocolate. For a dairy-free option, try a sorbetto in mango, lemon, or Oregon blackberry.

If you truly can’t decide, order a gelato flight and choose up to six flavors at 2 ounces each.

920 NW Bond St #108 Bend, OR 97701

(541) 306-6606 bontagelato.com

PHOTOS COURTESY BONTÀ GELATO

ZYDECO KITCHEN & COCKTAILS

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While the name Zydeco implies Cajun heat, don’t be afraid of burning your lips.

Zydeco’s fine northwest cuisine has just a hint of southern style. Choose from the beautifully prepared meats, fish and poultry, or try the sesame-seared ahi tuna served with sticky rice. For more spice in your life, the shrimp etouffee or house-made Jambalaya are tangy and rich in flavor.

On a warm summer’s day, nothing is as relaxing as a lazy float along the Deschutes River. It’s a great way to spend a day off from showing—and has become an annual tradition for hunter/jumper trainers Sara Petersen and Cindy Daniels.

Rent an inner tube at Riverbend Park to join the floating party.

Life jackets are free for children under 12.

To keep the pace mild, or if traveling with young ones, use the well-marked walk-around to avoid the floating channel, a short section of manmade rapids. When you reach Drake Park, the Ride The River shuttle service will return you to your starting point.

For more exercise, rent a kayak or stand-up paddleboard at Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe and take a paddle upstream.

799 SW Columbia St. Bend, OR 97701 (541) 389-7275 bendparksandrec.org/bend-whitewater-park/ passageway-channel/

JESS KRAFT/SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO

FLOAT THE RIVER

5 FUSION & SUSHI BAR

PHOTOS COURTESY ZEYDECO

Adventurous eaters will love 5 Fusion. Chef Joe Kim has been nominated several times by the James Beard Foundation as a semifinalist for Best Chef: Northwest—and with good reason.

Kim brings a blend of Korean, Japanese and American influences, and he just as easily tosses in touches of French, Chinese and Italian cuisine.

Choose from 5 Fusion’s impressive nigiri and sushi offerings; make a meal out of savory starters; or select one of the unique multicultural entrees.

Open only for happy hour and dinner, 5 Fusion’s eclectic mix of flavors will make you forget you’re in a small town. It’s little wonder that World Champion Hunter Rider John French makes it a point to dine here when in Bend. His favorite? The Geisha Roll.

821 NW Wall St. Bend, OR 97701

(541) 323-2328 5fusion.com

PHOTO COURTESY 5 FUSION

Trainer Julie Winkel frequents Zydeco for the innovative vegan and vegetarian options, as well as its extensive wine list. Excellent service and an upscale ambience make Zydeco a local favorite.

On your way out, ask for one of the free Lady’s homemade dog biscuits to keep your canine happy.

919 NW Bond St. Bend, OR 97701 (541) 312-2899 zydecokitchen.com

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CITY GUIDE SUNSET DINNER ON MT. BACHELOR

JESS KRAFT/SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO

A busy ski area in winter months, Mt. Bachelor offers an entirely different kind of fun in summer—keeping the main chairlift open for spectacular sunset dinners. Ride the lift up to the Pine Marten Lodge for jaw-dropping views of several Cascade peaks, and then linger as the setting sun lights up the sky.

Open only Friday through Sunday evenings, July 7 through Labor Day. Make a reservation to enjoy the globally themed buffet dinner. Dinners cost $59 for adults and $39 for children 12 and under.

If you have a lighter appetite or reservations aren’t available, you can still enjoy small plates with wine, cocktails and locally crafted beer as you take in the sights.

No matter how warm the day is, you’ll be grateful for the blankets the lift staff will wrap around you for the chilly ride back down the mountain.

13000 Century Dr. Bend OR 97701

(800) 829-2442 mtbachelor.com/dining/sunset-dinner/

BACK PORCH COFFEE ROASTERS

PHOTO COURTESY BTBS

Northwesterners are known for their love of good coffee. In fact, many are self-proclaimed coffee snobs. And for the hippest coffee in a hip town, head to Back Porch Coffee Roasters, which now has two locations in Bend.

This locally owned business takes coffee seriously, sourcing the highest quality beans. They roast in small batches three to four times per week to maintain small-batch freshness.

Order a cold-brewed coffee, latte, espresso or house coffee and enjoy a bit of people-watching from an outdoor table. Bring home a bag of freshroasted beans for yourself or as a gift for a friend.

PHOTO COURTESY BACK PORCH COFFEE ROASTERS

1052 NW Newport Ave. 70 SW Century Dr. Bend, OR 97701 Bend, OR 97702 (541) 617-3984 (541) 323-3224 backporchcoffeeroasters.com

BROKEN TOP BOTTLE SHOP RESTAURANT

Named after one of the more rugged peaks in the Cascade Range, Broken Top Bottle Shop is casual and welcoming for diners of all ages. It’s one of the best restaurants in town for vegans, vegetarians and the gluten-free—without depriving the carnivores. The food is delicious, and the menu is varied enough to offer something for the pickiest of eaters.

Pair the roasted beet salad, garnished with goat cheese and arugula, with the portobello mushroom philly dip for a rich, satisfying meal. Or try one of the house-smoked meats, which make the baby back ribs and tri-tip philly dip sandwich local favorites.

In addition to the oft-changing tap menu, you’ll find more than 400 varieties of chilled single bottle and canned beer, cider, mead, sake, wine and non-alcoholic beverages.

1740 NW Pence Ln. Bend, OR 97701

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(541) 728-0703 btbsbend.com

255 SW Century Dr. Bend, OR 97702 (541) 385-7002 cogwild.com

WILD ROSE NORTHERN THAI

Move over pad thai. Wild Rose offers an exotic mix of flavors you won’t find elsewhere. This casual, family-run restaurant serves up Northern Thai specialties intended for sharing.

Eat the sticky jasmine rice with your hands by forming it into a ball and dunking it in an array of flavorful sauces, dips and fresh chili paste. The shredded papaya served in spicy dressing makes a wonderful compliment to the whole game hen marinated in yellow curry.

The fresh ingredients and pungent flavors of Wild Rose are the perfect invitation to step out of your comfort zone and experience a very different sort of Thai cuisine.

Beer, wine and a small but interesting selection of cocktails are also offered.

150 NW Oregon Ave. Bend, OR 97701 (541) 382-0441 wildrosethai.com

DESCHUTES BREWERY TASTING ROOM & TOUR

The oldest and best known of Bend’s famous breweries is the Deschutes Brewery, founded in 1988, and the tasting room is well worth a trip. Taps are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends, with four free samples per person offered from 3 to 5 each day.

Try Deschutes’ flagship beers, such as Black Butte Porter, Fresh Squeezed IPA and Bachelor Bitter. Or try the non-alcoholic, homemade root beer and ginger ale; they are far beyond ordinary.

If you plan ahead, you can make online reservations for a tour of the facility. Take a fun, fascinating look at the community-oriented culture of the business—and see for yourself how and where the magic happens.

For a bite with your beer, stop by the downtown Deschutes Brew Pub, which has an extensive bar menu.

901 SW Simpson Ave. Bend, OR 97702

(541) 385-8606 deschutesbrewery.com

THE OLD MILL DISTRICT

The Old Mill District’s three signature smokestacks serve as a reminder of the two large lumber mills that were once the mainstay of Bend’s economy. In the 1990s the area was renovated, and today the district includes a top-notch selection of shops, galleries and restaurants.

Shop your way through the Old Mill, stop for coffee at Strictly Organic or enjoy happy hour at any of the waterfront restaurants. You’ll catch great views of the Cascade mountains as a parade of kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and inner tube riders make the most of summer with a day on the Deschutes River.

Dogs are welcome on leash on the district’s scenic riverfront trails.

GREG VAUGHN/ALAMY PHOTO

Bend is known as a mountain bike mecca—and for good reason. There are trails for riders of every level.

Ride along the Deschutes River Trail for knock-your-socks-off scenery, explore the world-famous Phil’s trail system or do a (mainly) downhill jaunt from Mt. Bachelor back to town. Bring your own bike or rent one from one of Bend’s many bike shops.

For a bit of guidance on choosing a trail, as well as a shuttle to the trailhead, Cog Wild offers family-friendly tours as well as longer options for riders wanting more time in the saddle.

Book a guided tour with friends or ask for recommendations for a self-guided ride.

You’ll be glad you did.

PHOTO COURTESY DESCHUTES BREWERY

COG WILD MOUNTAIN BIKE TOURS

450 SW Powerhouse Dr. Bend, OR 97702 (541) 312-0131 theoldmill.com

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CITY GUIDE

SPARROW BAKERY

In a town full of bakeries, Sparrow stands out as a local fave. Visit one of their two popular locations for breakfast or lunch, and enjoy lox and bagels topped with spicy capers and pickled red onion; an egg and bacon sandwich garnished with avocado and arugula, served on a hand-rolled croissant; or the homemade soups and salads.

Known for its cardamom-spiced Ocean Roll, Sparrow is a great place to dine in or pick up a loaf of bread, scone or cup of coffee.

The original location on Scott Street offers little indoor seating but has outdoor picnic tables for larger groups. The newer, Northwest Crossing location is spacious enough to handle a crowd and serves wine, beer and cocktails.

915 NW Wall St. Bend, OR 97703

(541) 389-2025 barriobend.com

2748 NW Crossing Dr. #110 Bend, OR 97701 (541) 647-2323 PHOTO COURTESY HIGH DESERT MUSEUM

50 SE Scott St. Bend, OR 97702 (541) 330-6321 thesparrowbakery.net

This hip Latin-inspired eatery draws from Mexican, Spanish and South American cuisines.

Barrio is best known for its mixta paella, a smoky blend of chicken, chorizo, seafood and rice that’s seasoned with olive oil, parsley and paprika.

Order several of the Spanishstyle tapas to share—making sure to include the Calamari Americas, an unlikely sounding but fantastic mix of calamari, bacon, radish, mango and basil.

The grilled green beans are also mouth-watering treats—tossed with lemon, manchego cheese, almonds and crispy jamon.

Pair your meal with the house-made sangria or a margarita on the rocks and snag a seat in the outdoor patio area.

CYCLE PUB

PHOTO COURTESY CYCLE PUB

Gather a group of six to 12 of your craziest friends and rent a cycle pub for a hilarious Bend experience. Several companies offer guided tours on the trolley-like, pedal-powered vehicles, which wind their way through town with stops at local beer establishments.

Because a driver is provided, it’s legal to enjoy a glass of wine or a pint of beer along the way. Bring your own playlist, a growler to fill with your favorite beer and snacks to munch en route.

It’s a popular outing for tourists and locals alike. Singing is encouraged. (Note: Most cycle pubs have an electric-assist motor should your legs need a break.)

While there are several companies offering this service, the following information will get you started.

550 SW Industrial Way (541) 678-5051 Bend, OR 97702 cyclepub.com

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PHOTO COURTESY BARRIO

PHOTO COURTESY SPARROW BAKERY

BARRIO

HIGH DESERT MUSEUM

Just a short drive south of Bend, the High Desert Museum is a fun and educational outing for visitors of all ages. The playful river otters of the Autzen Otter Exhibit tend to steal the show, and you can watch their antics both above and below the water.

You’ll also be entertained by the museum’s rescue animals, including birds of prey, porcupines, Viv the bobcat and other desert dwellers. Come for a “show and tell” session and get a close-up view of snakes, lizards and a Gila monster.

Living history characters at the 1904 Miller Family Ranch bring alive the flavor of Bend’s early homesteading life, sharing tales and local history. Kids can participate in vintage games and try their hands at ranch chores.

59800 S Hwy 97 Bend, OR 97702

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(541) 382-4754 highdesertmuseum.org

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@yulrusse

@animo05

FRIENDS TRUST FRIENDS. NOT ADS.

We could go on and on about all there is to see and do in The Palm Beaches. Fact is, though, most people won’t believe our ads. So instead, we asked real people to share real experiences via their social media photos and videos. See for yourself just how much there is to discover at #ThePalmBeaches or see some of our favorites at ThePalmBeaches.com Discover The Palm Beaches, The Official Tourism Marketing Corporation for Palm Beach County | The Best Way to Experience Florida ®

BOOK REVIEWS Seven Sets Of Horseshoes: An American Journey

By LYNN LLOYD

C

onfession: I am incredibly fond of Lynn Lloyd.

I met her when I was assigned to write a profile on her for this magazine a few years back. She took me foxhunting—a first for me—with the Red Rock Hounds, the hunt she established outside of Reno, Nev. It remains that state’s first and only Masters of Foxhounds Association-recognized hunt.

I spent a few exhilarating days getting to know her and came away impressed by her authenticity, moxie, optimism, determination and appreciative world view. (I know that’s a lot of adjectives, but she is worthy.)

Reading her new book Seven Sets Of Horseshoes: An American Journey, which chronicles her seven-month, 3,100-mile trek

across the country solo on horseback in 1973—when she was 23—I realized those qualities Lloyd displayed when I met her were present from the start.

This book is an inspiring read for anyone who wavers on whether an idea is too foolish or too daunting. It’s a book about saying yes to adventure, learning to trust your instincts, and the bond between people and animals.

Setting out from eastern Pennsylvania and riding to southern California, the freespirited Lloyd is accompanied by her dog, Puddles, an abandoned puppy she found prior to her trip.

Lloyd’s enthusiasm for life and her sunny outlook is captured in her writing

New Track, New Life: Understanding And Retraining The Off-Track Thoroughbred

By KIMBERLY GODWIN CLARK

T

his book came across my desk at exactly the right moment.

I’d just picked up my new off-the-track Thoroughbred and was excited to start his retraining. I’ve brought along two other OTTBs in my life—one straight from the track who was quite simple and sweet, 92 JULY/AUGUST 2017

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and the second who came to me with walk, trot, canter and knowledge of basic jumping, but after reading Kimberly Godwin Clark’s book, I realized there was a lot about the breed that I didn’t know.

Clark has galloped, trained and owned Thoroughbreds for 30 years and has been promoting them for adoption since 2007, both on her own and through her non-profit, Thoroughbred Placement Resources, so she brings a wealth of detailed knowledge.

Before I bought my OTTB, the only time I’d ever been to the track was to watch a race on a summer evening, so

style. She introduces us to various snapshots of America in 1973 through the people she encounters on her way west—the majority generous of spirit and wanting to be part of the adventure, offering a warm bed and food or helping her keep her horses in shoes.

Lloyd is one of those rare people who inspires and whose example nurtures the little voice in our heads that asks, “Why not?”

If you get the chance to hunt with Lloyd and spend a bit of time with her, take it! If not, her voice, outlook and zest for life are alive on these pages.

—Jennifer B. Calder This book is self-published by Lynn Lloyd. It retails for $25 and can be purchased by visiting www.redrockhounds.com.

Clark’s step-by-step description of how the track works was extremely interesting.

She describes the details of everyone’s job at the track, what kind of tack your OTTB wore, and how they were ridden and trained. She then walks the reader through a first trip to the track and what to expect—researching the horse online before you go, etiquette in the barns, evaluating a horse for sale, and how to make an offer.

In the second half of the book, Clark offers advice on everything from how to start a recently retired race horse to what to feed, how to deal with turnout, behavior modifications and when things go wrong.

If you’re new to OTTBs, it’s always a good idea to get help from an experienced person. But before you embark on the journey, New Track, New Life is an educational read to help you have a positive experience with your new partner.

—Lindsay Berreth

Horse country, Florida style.

Must be the sunshine.

There’s so much about Florida that relaxes the mind, body and soul. With more than 825 miles of beaches, thousands of spas, and endless ways to bask in nature’s beauty, the Sunshine State is your perfect escape. Plan yours at

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

A Closer Look At: GallopNYC The Big Apple-based nonprofit provides therapeutic horsemanship experiences for students at facilities across the city.

By MEGAN BRINCKS Photos Courtesy GALLOPNYC

F

rom world-class shows to riding stables nestled in between skyscrapers, equestrianism has a long and storied history in New York City.

But for the past decade, GallopNYC has brought a different type of horse culture to the metropolis. The nonprofit organization provides therapeutic horsemanship to people with developmental, emotional, social and physical challenges across Thanks to GallopNYC, riders in New York City now have access to a therapeutic horsemanship program where they can learn skills related to horses and life.

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several facilities in Manhattan’s boroughs.

“Our vision now is to make therapeutic horsemanship available to all people with disabilities in New York City,” said Suzy Marquard, a longtime volunteer and president of the group’s board of directors.

“It’s pretty aspirational, but that guides us.”

Executive Director Alicia Kershaw first learned about using horses for therapy during a stint in Hong Kong in 1998, and when she returned to New York, she started volunteering at a small program located at the Claremont Riding Academy on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

“It was a tiny program—about nine kids a week,” said Kershaw. “A group of us decided we wanted to do more and better. It was one of those, ‘How hard can it be?’ moments. It’s been good, but it’s been hard!”

GallopNYC was officially started in 2005, but the program took a few more years to really get off the ground.

“We didn’t get regular lessons going until 2007 because we had problems finding stables to accommodate us,” said Kershaw. “Then for a while, we were like, ‘Where are all the riders?’ Suddenly word of mouth took off.”

Marquard joined GallopNYC as a volunteer instructor just as the organization began offering lessons at its first base, which was at Brooklyn’s Kensington Stables. She rode as a junior, and her family owned a Thoroughbred farm outside Lexington, Ky. After taking a lengthy break from horses as an adult, she returned to riding, and her father sent her a horse needing a career outside of racing.

“He arrived just a couple days after 9/11, and it really cemented the idea that horses can be healing—to have that interaction with a horse while your emotions are raw,” Marquard said. “I found it was better for me to go riding on the weekend when I

was working as a lawyer than to go play golf or something. It was more effective.”

A Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanshipcertified instructor, Marquard taught some of the first GallopNYC students.

“We had three riders lined up,” she said. “When I saw the effect it had on the riders, I was just hooked. It just confirmed my belief that riding is therapeutic for everybody.”

Big City, Big Breakthroughs

Originally the organization operated out of one stable in Brooklyn, using that facility’s horses to teach lessons— many of which it conducted in adjacent Prospect Park with permission from the city. But GallopNYC now teaches out of several locations, including one barn the organization owns in Forest Hills, Queens, which is adjacent to a 3-mile bridle path, and another it has exclusive use of with a nine-year agreement in Howard Beach, Queens.

Staff trailer horses from Howard Beach to Prospect Park four days a week, about 30 minutes away, to serve the approximately 100 students there. The organization holds those lessons on the park’s Bowling Green field.

“It’s fenced with a wrought-iron fence, and it’s thankfully too small for a soccer field, so there aren’t a lot of other people wanting to use it,” said Kershaw.

“The fencing is safe, and it’s green; it has gardens on the edge. We go around in a circle basically and use cones to mark off

Longtime GallopNYC volunteer, board of directors president and PATH-certified instructor Suzy Marquard first experienced the healing effects of horses after 9/11, and now she helps GallopNYC students reap the rewards of barn time.

whatever area we want to ride in.”

The program also utilizes other facilities in the Bronx and in Brooklyn. Each week they serve about 450 students, but there are hundreds more on a waiting list.

“We began to branch out because we knew there was a huge population of people in New York City who could be served by this and could benefit from working with horses,” said Marquard, who received the 2016 EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award.

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CHARITY SPOTLIGHT GallopNYC instructors find that students with physical issues get stronger, and students with cognitive issues learn focus thanks to their time at the therapeutic horsemanship program.

“The demand is huge,” added Kershaw.

“The waiting list is not a good thing. My staff hates telling people they can’t ride. We have doubled and plan to double again.”

GallopNYC relies on financial, product and service donations to run and maintain their facilities and keep students with financial need in the saddle. About 80 percent of students have their lessons subsidized by donations.

The organization is also always looking for volunteers in a huge range of roles, from maintaining the barn and caring for horses to assisting with lessons and even serving on the board of directors.

Depending on the student, lessons might include only groundwork, or students might sit on the horse with a side-walker on each side and a leader at the horse’s head, or they might ride more independently. But no matter what they do in their sessions, the students reap huge rewards from time at the barn.

“We had a kid who was just getting into first grade, and there were a lot of family issues; his mother was seriously ill,” said Kershaw. “When he came to us, he was about to be thrown out of school because he was such a troublemaker. He started riding and just adored it. He loved riding.

His parents came and said, ‘Not only is he staying in school, but he’s gone up three levels in reading.’ He completely turned around. He was a kid on a negative course, and the feelings of self-confidence and empowerment and agency he got riding horses carried through to the rest of his life.”

GallopNYC staff and volunteers have also witnessed the first words of several students.

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“We had one kid who did come to us with the diagnosis of being non-verbal on the [autism] spectrum, and we try really hard not to limit our expectations of our riders, so even if a child comes with a diagnosis of non-verbal, we do encourage them to communicate,” said Kershaw. “The instructor was saying to [the student], ‘Tell your horse to walk on,’ and his schoolteacher came running over saying, ‘He’s not verbal!’ and just as she got there, he said, ‘Walk on!’ At the end of his lesson, he got off and said, ‘Thanks a lot, buddy.’ Now his teachers know he can talk, and his parents know he can talk. It was really a breakthrough.”

GallopNYC is also home to an equestrian team that competes in the Long Island Horse Show Series for Riders with Disabilities, a girls’ empowerment program led by a mental health professional, a veterans’ leadership program, a hippotherapy program, which uses horses for targeted physical therapy, and many other programs for specific populations. They host a yearly on-site horse show to let students show off

their skills to family and friends.

And now that GallopNYC operates its own facilities, the leadership is aiming to become a PATH International Premier Accredited Center.

“All of our instructors are certified by PATH, but we haven’t been in a position to have the facilities [accredited] because we didn’t own and operate them,” said Marquard. “Once we are, we’ll have a lot easier time expanding our programs.”

Regardless of the facility, GallopNYC connects people in need with horses—and the organization will keep fulfilling that mission.

“Whatever the disability, the horse seems to have an answer,” Marquard said.

>> LEARN MORE: Visit gallopnyc.org. >> G ET IN TOUCH: Email info@gallopnyc.org or call (646) 233-4507.

>> G ET INVOLVED: Monetary donations are accepted through the GallopNYC website at gallopnyc.org/donate, or you can contact the organization to discuss donations of horses, products or services.

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BEST OF WEB & PRINT

What’s Hot On The Web u Hunter Princess Completes First Event, Places Only Almost Last What happens when an avowed hunter princess turns to the dark side? COTH staffer Ann Glavan is finding out—and blogging about it with hilarious results!

“I felt like I was about to go whitewater rafting as I strapped myself into my life vest and pinney, complete with the medical armband and Moji’s seriously intense tendon-guard boots. All function, no frills. I kind of felt like an Avenger putting my battle garb on versus a courtier on her way to hunter land,” she writes in her account of her first event with her Friesian-Thoroughbred cross, Moji.

SHANNON BRINKMAN PHOTO

MOLLY SORGE PHOTO

XPRESS PHOTO

Read about her decision to give eventing a go: coth.com/article/hunter-princessgoes-rogue, and all about her first foray into the land of three phases: coth.com/ article/hunter-princess-completes-first-event-places-only-almost-last

u COTH Horse Show Dad: Why They Ride

u Being A Hero Vs. Being A Horseman

Chad Oldfather, professor and non-horsey dad of horseobsessed daughters, shares his insight and wisdom on coth. com with thought-provoking blogs. In this one, he addresses the question of just why he supports his daughters’ riding considering the financial and time commitment it involves.

“And yet, you may be thinking to yourselves, here you are,” he writes. “So what gives, Horse Dad? Why not just send your kids out for soccer or softball instead?

“I’ve tried to puzzle my way through that,” he continues.

“Just what might my daughters get from riding that they wouldn’t get somewhere else? What’s the added value? I can’t say that I’ve got a complete list, but I think I’ve managed to identify a few things that are more effectively learned in riding even if they may not be unique to the sport.”

Read more: coth.com/article/coth-horse-show-dad-why-they-ride

Riders who represent the United States abroad carry a unique weight on their shoulders—not just of their own expectations but also those of the general public and fans. After a disappointing outing at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI**** (England), Lynn Symansky took to the keyboard to explain her week and discuss how public scrutiny affects a rider.

“It’s easy to have an answer for everything while hiding behind a computer screen, but it’s much harder to back up that scrutiny face to face and accompany it with realistic expectations,” she writes. “I believe that constructive criticism and difficult discussions are necessary to bringing about positive change, but not at the expense of mudslinging those who are trying to give it their all.”

Read more: coth.com/article/being-a-hero-vs-being-a-horseman

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Don’t Miss In The Magazine u The One And Only Pam Baker

SPRING HORSE SHOWS ISSUE: Julie Winkel Examines Abuse p. 50

We ran out of our May 1 & 8 issue thanks to readers calling in to buy extra copies of the magazine featuring Virginia trainer Pam Baker on the cover.

In the latest of our Living Legends series (p. 30), Laura Lemon takes a look back at Baker’s roots, the family atmosphere at her Hillcrest Farm, and Living Legend the philosophies that have seen her PAM BAKER inspire decades of young riders as she Inside: passes on solid horsemanship and life lessons.

“I’ve taken a lot of horses that people have thought were difficult, and they were,” Baker said. “But you know, you work through it, and they can learn. And that’s I think the passion I have right now.”

Vol. 80, No. 12

May 1 & 8, 2017

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p. 30

•••

Meet Hunter Horse Whisperer Tyler Klees p. 40

Bev Bedard: On People, Pooches & Being Present p. 46

MONICA ADAMS PHOTO

The Mule Who Scored A 10 p. 76

u The Disciple Of Classical

Dressage

“Dawn had yet to lighten the sky as Charles de Kunffy, then around 20, set out on the deserted streets of Budapest to make his way from his apartment to the riding academy. The city on that early November morning in 1956 was under martial law, imposed by the occupying Soviets. The curfew lifted at 6 a.m., and de Kunffy had six horses in training.”

Thus begins the tale of one of dressage’s most prolific writers and trainers, a classicist who arrived in the United States and has since spent decades sharing his passion for dressage and the horse. Jennifer Calder’s piece “Charles De Kunffy: Saved By Horses” is the centerpiece of our annual Dressage Issue (June 5 & 12, p. 40), illuminating his past as well as what he hopes will be his legacy.

u The Evolution Of College Equestrian Sweet Briar College student Susanne Strassburger posed in front of the Mary Helen Cochran Library in 1935—a special moment that Sweet Briar students continue to capture. PHOTO COURTESY

What was riding like at schools before The Changing Face Of Collegiate Riding the Intercollegiate Horse Shows C Association came along? This historical feature, “The Changing Face Of Collegiate Riding,” (May 29, p. 54) in our annual Intercollegiate Issue looks back at a different mentality for a different time, when riders enjoyed foxhunting, clinics and casual shows. From Skidmore to Sweet Briar, the concept of “physical education” prevailed before the competitive show environment we see today.

“It was just an atmosphere that kept you interested and kept me wanting to grow as a rider and to learn as much as I could,” said Dudley Macfarlane of her years at Hollins University (Va.).

OF THE MARY HELEN COCHRAN LIBRARY AT SWEET BRIAR

Before their graduation, Sweet Briar College seniors like Madison Cromwell take one final ride through the main campus, capturing photos in front of the Mary Helen Cochran Library, just as students before them have done for decades. ELIZABETH FISCH PHOTO

INTERCOLLEGIATE ISSUE

Before the establishment of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association, schools like Sweet Briar, Hollins, Centenary and Skidmore found different ways to offer their students an equine fix.

BY LAURA LEMON

louds covered the sky as Sweet Briar College student Madison Cromwell swung her leg over the school’s Lord Of The Dance.

But despite the gloomy weather, it was an exceptional day for her and her 2016 graduating class—it was the day for the senior ride. Before she turned the tassel left and threw her cap in the air,

Cromwell and the equestrian seniors adventured on one last hurrah—a ride through campus.

While the stables and main campus nestle together on more than 3,000 acres in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Sweet Briar, Va., the school always reserved riding on the pristine quad for special occasions, with

the senior ride being one of them.

Wandering down from the Harriet Howell Rogers Riding Center, Cromwell stopped to pose by the president’s house before cantering in front of the Mary Helen Cochran Library. “Click” goes the photographer’s camera.

In 1935, Susanne Strassburger similarly meandered down to the library.

She perhaps won at the annual Sweet Briar College Horse Show or wanted to commemorate some other special event.

Strassburger stopped squarely before the building to present her noble steed.

“Click” goes the camera.

Despite numerous fashion shifts, safety regulations and cultural changes separating them, Strassburger and Cromwell’s shared moment eight decades apart symbolizes the long arc of collegiate riding.

Since Bob Cacchione led the charge at Fairleigh Dickinson University (N.J.) and established the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association, the organization has brought riding to nearly 400 colleges. But prior to its 1967 inception, colleges like Sweet Briar, Hollins University (Va.), Centenary University (N.J.) and Skidmore College (N.Y.) found different ways to incorporate equines into their college experiences.

54 The Chronicle of the Horse

Collegiate Riding Is Born

Once women’s colleges, Centenary and Skidmore transitioned to coeducation in 1988 and 1971, respectively, while Hollins and Sweet Briar remain all women’s schools. All began offering riding in the earliest decades of the 1900s, although some of the initial documentation and history appears lost or murky.

In 1925, Sweet Briar hired Wilmer Carter Blackwell to act as the farm manager of the former estate turned college. During the interim between the first and second world wars, Sweet Briar women weren’t allowed to venture outside the campus. So when “Pop” Blackwell bought a livery stable from a nearby town, he brought those horses for the students to ride.

Almost simultaneously at Centenary, the community’s resort operator at Budd Lake, Jack Santoris, shipped the horses on campus during the tourist

off-season to teach lessons in front of the main building.

With Skidmore and Hollins, such a definitive start is difficult to pinpoint.

In addition to the racing culture in Skidmore’s hometown of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., student handbooks from the 1920s detail horses available to rent for rides as well as ads from a local saddlehorse renting company. At Hollins, meanwhile, the first mention of a campus horse show in 1931 alluded to an equine culture already set in place.

From these various beginnings, each college started to incorporate riding in their physical education, with students bringing their own horses or using donated ones. Physical education, former director of riding at Sweet Briar Paul Cronin commented, differed from today’s ideal of athletics.

“Women’s colleges had physical education and athletics, so the

May 29, 2017 • chronofhorse.com 5 5

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PARTING WAYS

You’re Never Too Good To Grab Mane Photo by JACQUES TOFFI FOR ARND BRONKHORST PHOTOGRAPHY Italian Olympian Emanuele Gaudiano made a last-ditch effort to stay on Caspar 232 in the 2015 $300,000 Grand Prix of Mannheim CSI***** (Germany), held during a legendary wind and rain storm. Gaudiano wasn’t successful that day, but the pair was back at it soon after this incident, winning two classes at the Aachen CHIO (Germany) about a month later.

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2017 TRYON SUMMER SERIES PRIZE LIST SUMMER I

SUMMER IV

June 21-25 USEF B/Level 3

July 5-9 USEF AA/Level 6 CSI 3*

SUMMER II

SUMMER V

SUMMER VII

May 31-June 4 USEF AA/Level 6/CSI 3* June 7-11 USEF AA/Level 6/CSI 4*

SUMMER III June 14-18 USEF B/Level 3

June 28-July 2 USEF AA/Level 6 CSI 2*

SUMMER VI

July 12-16 USEF B/Level 6 CSI 2*

SUMMER VIII July 19-23 USEF B/Level 6

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