HIS
& HERS
Jeremy Reynolds: Look Mom, No Bridle with L.A. Sokolowski, equinista Last summer, Jeremy Reynolds and Treasured Moments (DA Adios+/ x Hidden Treasure) became viral sensa�ons when photographer Lynn Glazer captured Jeremy, en route to his fi�h 100-Mile Western States Trail Ride (Tevis Cup) championship, riding his 13 year-old, 15.2hh, bay Arabian mare, from start to finish, in nothing but a customized hybrid neck rope. “I’d like to say I’m that good of a horseman but really, I just have that good of a horse,” he said. How can you not like this guy? Jeremy bought Treasure as a three year-old racehorse where he was a track farrier. In their 2017 Tevis Cup debut, Treasure earned the Haggin Cup for Best Condi�oned Horse and the pair were third overall. In 2018 and 2019, Treasure was ridden to comple�on by Jeremy’s friends Bob Gauthier and Sarah Hunt; and in 2021, Jeremy rode Treasure to their first Tevis Cup win together. Their 2023 bridle-free win adds Treasured Moments’ name to the Robie Cup and an elite list of horses to have completed the Tevis Cup at least five �mes. Our chat with Jeremy wasn’t nearly as lengthy but we promise, it’s s�ll a great ride. HERS: What do you remember about your first horse or pony? HIS: She was a Connemara/Arabian and kind of wild. No one wanted to ride her. I had to hold her feet up for the farrier so she wouldn’t kick his head off. She jumped anything I pointed her at; I once jumped something higher than her withers HERS: What do you like best in a horse? HIS: I like a horse that will tune in and actually listen to you. The type that follows you with their ears, and really ‘gets it.’ With a good work ethic, who enjoys their job and seems to have as much fun as I am. HERS: What do you like best in a person? HIS: The same, LOL.
EQUINE Lifestyle
HERS: What was your first job and how old were you? HIS: My first job, when I was 13, was holding feed and water buckets up for the draft horses on their breaks between sleigh rides. HERS: If you worked outside the horse world what would you be doing? HIS: In college I thought I would get into law HERS: Favorite quote? HIS: “Race your own race.” HERS: Who has inspired and/or mentored you as an endurance rider? HIS: Jackie Bumgardner (owner/breeder of American endurance riding Hall of Famers Zayante, Sierra Fadwah+/) mentored me and introduced me to the sport. (The late Nevada ranch horse trainer) Terry Kauffman taught me 32
how to ride and become a horseman. And my wife, Heather Reynolds (they share three National Husband and Wife High Point Awards) taught me the rest. HERS: How did you connect with Untamed Tack, maker of that now-famous neck rope? HIS: Pam (Untamed’s founder) lives nearby and we’ve all been friends for years. I knew she could braid anything, so we got together and created the neck rope. I prototyped it using an old lead rope made of rock climbing webbing. HERS: Can other riders get the same neck rope that you used for Treasure? HIS: Yes. They can get it directly from Untamed Tack. HERS: How would you like to see endurance riding evolve – nationally and/or internationally -- in the next decade? HIS: I’d like to see more interest in 100’s (100-Mile Rides), and especially from a younger crowd, so the longevity of our sport will continue. HERS: You can invite three guests (past or present, real or fictional) to dinner. Who joins you and what’s served? HIS: Nicola Tesla, my late father, Mark Reynolds, and Rodrigo Pessoa. We would be eating smoked steak, with a nice wine, and discussing ideas and life. I’d like to add that one of the most important things about riding horses, in general, is spending time with them, to discover how to listen to them. Not by buying their friendship through food, but through a mutual bond of understanding and enjoyment through a discipline that you and your horse both enjoy.
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