FROM THE PUBLISHER

Family Matters

As I sit here in February, my two daughters, Ella (nine) and Piper (six-anda-half), are just a week away from going back to in-person school. They will be in a hybrid program, still partially remote at almost a year since stepping foot into a classroom. While remote learning has had its highs and lows, one of the unquestionable benefits of canceled sports, activities and a more relaxed social calendar has been having the time to take the girls to the barn with me more often and to focus on their riding. Sharing something I love with the ones I love is a treasured experience that I embrace every day we have together at the barn – much the way amateur rider Mara Johnson and her mother bonded over barn time (read her fascinating story in the debut of our new “Rider Stories” column on page 116).

And, while spending more time at the barn – and also channeling my inner Kris Jenner – I put together a kids spring fashion shoot with the help of some of my girls’ favorite equestrian brands (pg. 62). Though I typically enjoy spending more time behind the lens than in front of it, it was fun to play photo shoot with the girls. Thank you, Tara Arrowood, for capturing the fun spirit of being a young equestrian.

One of the most iconic families in equestrian sport is the Millar Family, lead by Ian Millar, who is still the most decorated Canadian equestrian in history and owns and operates Millar Brooke Farm with daughter Amy Millar, son Jonathon Millar and daughter-in-law Kelly Soleau-Millar. We are honored to have such a legendary family in the sport grace the cover of our first issue of the year. A true testament to the family’s kind and loyal nature is their impressive thirtyplus year partnership with Prestige Saddles. With the launch of the new Renaissance collection, Prestige Saddles is preserving their respected position in the saddle market, and further setting the standard for precision and excellence. Read about the partnership between Prestige and Millar Brooke Farm on page 72.

If a book could inhabit ‘life goals,’ it would be Horse Crazy by New York Times staff reporter Sarah Maslin Nir. Since its launch in 2020, following Horse Crazy on social media has been as exciting as following a favorite globetrotting celebrity. The book, which details Nir’s love of horses and her venturesome travels through the world, also tells the tales of horse lovers across the globe and Nir’s adventures discovering them (pg. 82).

To vest or not to vest has become an increasingly popular topic in our sport. With professional riders following suit, airbag vests are becoming more and more the norm in safety gear. We care about this topic so much, we have two articles dedicated to it; Helen Pollock dives into the importance of the safety vest – and also literally took a dive in the dirt wearing one – talking about her experience on page 38. Plus, with so many options to choose from, Pollock sourced the best of the vest for this issue’s “Trend Report” on page 42.

While we have been yearning to bring back our beloved “Destination” column, this issue’s “Horse Corner” is a destination in and of itself. Set in a fairy tale tropical location in the Brazilian countryside, Interagro is home to 450 of the Lusitano breed’s finest mares, foals and stallions. Read about the stud, its idyllic setting and how, over its forty-plus year history, Interagro has become the world’s largest breeder of Lusitanos, on page 120.

By the time this issue hits the horse shows, we will be a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. With what now seems to be an end in sight, I look forward to horse shows and everyday life slowly returning to normal. While we will likely still be masked up for the 2021 show season, each passing week brings a more hopeful outcome. I’m looking forward to another season of being a pony mom, with both girls planning to show this year!

Best,