Photo courtesy: Bo Derek
Center Board of Trustees. Illegal wildlife trade is a particular issue of interest to her as she currently serves as Special Envoy against wildlife trafficking to the Secretary of State. She supports Richard Branson’s organization Wild Aid and YasuniITT rainforest preservation. She has also developed a specially formulated line of organic shampoo and conditioner for dogs, “Bless the Beasts” in which a portion of the sales can be donated to Canine Companions for Independence, an organization training dogs to assist people with disabilities. For nine years, she has also served as national honorary chairperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Rehabilitation Special Events, overseeing four annual therapeutic and rehabilitative events designed to help veterans overcome their disabilities through competition. Bo Derek is one of only four Americans to receive the award of becoming an Honorary Green Beret in 2002 by the Special Forces Association. In Early 2002 her memoir was published, poignantly titled Riding Lessons: Everything that Matters in Life I Learned from Horses, tracing all these different pursuits in life back to her love of the horse. Today, Bo Derek admires her five horses outside her window, as she does every morning. Her Andalusians and Lusitanos
graze on their beautiful pastures, the wine country of central California in the background. Owning these horses was Bo Derek’s childhood fantasy: “I remember the first time I got on a Spanish horse, in 1982 – and that was it! That was the horse I dreamed about as a little girl. The arched neck, the mane, the incredible gait, the power but sensitivity….That was it for me. They’re very comfortable, they’re very generous and they make me look like a good rider.” Derek laughs, “If you’d seen me on any other breed, I’d just be all over the place!” While she cares for her horses, pursuing a daily routine known to horse-girls the world over, she continues to serve the racehorse and its sport. Currently she is a Breeder’s Cup Ambassador, and oftentimes, she is surprised by how few people know of the great, international racing extravaganza. “I’ve always been an advocate for the Breeders’ Cup and an ‘ambassador’ even before the ambassador program began! It is our world championship but nobody knows about it and I want to change that.” Her life-long passion is evident in her story and her words. Her “break-out” role on the California Horse Racing Board proved how she has helped eagerly to positively influence the sport of horse racing in the past and will continue to do so wherever and whenever she can in the future. INTERNATIONAL RACEHORSE
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