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TABLE of CONTENTS 18
34
BARBARA D. LIVINGSTON WHITE SANDS RIDING
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ON THE COVER: Barbara D. Livingston Photo Photos from left to right: Barbara D. Livingston Photo, Evalyn Bemis Photo, Barbara Lowell Photo, Photo Courtesy Evelyn Webb-Carter, Shawn Hamilton Photo, Photo Courtesy The University Of Kentucky Archives
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LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS
52
EVELYN WEBB-CARTER
62
BELIZE’S TREASURE
70
PACK HORSE LIBRARIANS
10 EDITOR’S LETTER
14 AROUND THE ARENA 38 CLOTHES HORSE
78 FEED ROOM
82 CITY GUIDE
88
TEST LAB
92 BOOK REVIEWS
94 CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
AROUND THE ARENA
STAY COOL & DRY
TIDBITS
FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY In This Issue
INSTAGRAM Feature :
A MUST-FOLLOW PHOTOGRAPHER Great Britain-based photographer Sarah Farnsworth spends plenty of time following horses and hounds, capturing lovely images of the hunt field. Lucky viewers can see some of her favorites on her Instagram account
“I was 14 and wrote in my diary then, ‘I am going to be a horse racing photographer.’ ”
Introducing the new Tri Factor ¼ Zip Top & Tri Factor Breech with Icefil® cooling fabric and exceptional fit.
(@SarahFarnsworthFieldSports) and occasionally in the pages of this magazine as well.
-Barbara Livingston
Read the full article about the award-winning photographer on
p. 18
Available at equestrian specialty retailers and ariat.com.
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DEVON HORSE SHOW
If you need some of that famous fudge (see p. 78) don’t miss the Devon Horse Show in Devon, Pennsylvania.
MAY
DEVON HORSE SHOW MAY 24-JUNE 3 Molly Sorge Photo
ON DECK
Top right: “The huntsman’s horse,” writes Sarah Farnsworth. “What days in the field he must have seen!” Above: “The Percy hounds heading back in to kennels after walking out,” writes Farnsworth.
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Devon Horse Show Begins
26
Radnor Hunt Night
27
WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Arena Eventing
28
WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase
31
$250,000 Sapphire Grand Prix
COVER STORY What began in childhood as an inexplicable infatuation
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with horses evolved into a vocation—and an obsession—for the five-time Eclipse Award-winning photographer.
SEEING THE WORLD AS A PHOTOGRAPH Photography wasn’t the logical career choice for Livingston, who has very limited vision in her left eye and only sees shapes and colors out of her right eye. As such, she has no depth perception. “I was born seven weeks premature,” she says. “Back in 1961 that was a big deal. They put me in an incubator for a while. My mom wouldn’t even tell anybody I was born because she thought Standing at the rail of the fabled Saratoga Race Course, Barbara
it would jinx whether or not I survived, but the eyes are one of the
D. Livingston raised her parents’ Instamatic 126 camera to her left
last things to develop.”
eye, her “good” eye, and pressed the shutter. She took another.
Survive she did, but she was extremely cross-eyed. At the
And another. And another. It was 1974, and she was 13 years old.
age of 8 she had corrective surgery, which reoriented her eyes
Prancing in front of the teen, still on her toes after a blistering trip around the track in the Spinaway Stakes where she crossed the wire
forward but did not remedy her sight issues. But rather than be a hindrance to her work, Livingston believes her vision is an asset.
nearly 13 lengths ahead of her closest challenger, the nearly black
“Basically, I see the world in two dimensions. I see the world
filly, Ruffian, tossed her mane, dragon snorts escaping her nostrils.
like a photograph!” Livingston says, with her typically optimistic
The images Livingston captured that day of the 2-year-old
outlook.
horse at the start of her racing career—a career that would include the filly being undefeated in her first 10 races and setting track records in every graded stakes she entered—decorated the walls of her bedroom in upstate New York, about 25 miles from the track in Saratoga Springs. And as Ruffian racked up victory after astonishing victory, the elegant filly pulled the teen along with her, captivating Livingston’s imagination and helping set her vocation into motion. “The Spinaway was the most exciting race I’d ever seen. It still is the most exciting race I’ve ever seen because I was 13,” Livingston says, her throaty laugh coming out in bursts. “She was black. She was tall. She didn’t even go with the ponies; I know that because of my pictures. She crushed that horse who was supposed to go with her, Laughing Bridge—just made her look like nothing. And obviously what happened to her in The Great Match made her mythical. [See sidebar.] “I already had the pictures I took of her on my wall because she was already so exciting,” she continues. “She was this incredible Walter Farley creature, and then she became one for the ages the next year, and I thought it was so cool that I still had her with me in a way by having her pictures on the wall. I had captured just the
Barbara D. Livingston Photo
littlest, tiniest bit of her to keep forever. That was actually a really
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powerful feeling. I was 14 and wrote in my diary then, ‘I am going to be a horse racing photographer.’ I knew that was what I was going to do, for whatever reason.”
I've tried to think what makes horses as magical as they are, and what makes Thoroughbreds even more magical than your average horse, and I don't know how to put that into words. I am not religious, but it's really spiritual.” – Barbara Livingston
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“Garrett, sigh. I was in the Saratoga chute photographing horses loading in the gate when, if memory serves correct, a horse was scratched,” says Barbara Livingston of her photograph of Garrett Gomez, who died in 2016 of an apparent drug overdose. “The other horses were all backed out of the gate, and jockeys dismounted for a few minutes. That’s not unusual, but I’m not used to seeing a jockey choose to sit it out like this. The background was so simple, the lighting just right.
Tom Keyser Photo
“That the image is of Garrett makes it extrapoignant for me. He was such a good man with such unimaginably dark times,” she adds. “I’m not immune to deep depression myself and see this image—or others of him—and still wish we could have reached him, helped him.”
“Basically, I see the world in two dimensions. I see the world like a photograph!” says Barbara Livingston.
THE
GREAT MATCH
The Great Match Race of 1975 was originally conceived to pit the three winners of the three legs of the Triple Crown against each other, along with Ruffian, winner of the Filly Triple Crown and believed by many to be the best 3-year-old in the country. Then the connections of the Belmont Stakes winner, Avatar, backed out, followed by the winner of the Preakness Stakes, Master Derby, leaving the filly to run against Foolish Pleasure, that year’s Kentucky Derby winner. The match between filly and colt took on a weighted significance, evolving into a battle of the sexes in equine form. Tragically, the question of which horse was better remained unanswered, as Ruffian broke down along the backstretch. She was euthanized afterwards, but she’s still considered one of the best race horses in history.
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COVER STORY
COVER STORY
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LIKE SOMETHING IN A CHILDREN’S BOOK
Livingston wears glasses with a high correction in the left eye,
Luckily words are not necessary, as she is so deftly able to
but if she has them on too long they make her ill, so her cameras
While the photos of Ruffian were the first Livingston shot that
capture not only how horses look, feel and sound, but also these
are outfitted with a diopter on the viewfinder. Coupled with the
“weren’t completely awful, and they were still pretty awful,” they
other, more elusive qualities. Now the chief photographer for
correction she can set on the camera itself, it makes the image
were preceded by attempts taken with a Brownie camera when
the Daily Racing Form, Livingston has also sold her work to
sharp enough for her to see. Just don’t be insulted if she doesn’t
she was 10. Her first negatives, which she still has, are from 1971.
mainstream magazines, including Sports Illustrated, GQ, People,
acknowledge you on the backside.
“Brownies have the little crank on them,” she says. “I still have
“I don’t wear my glasses when I am walking around or anything, so I don’t really recognize people from more than 5 or 10 feet away. Somebody just this morning said, ‘Yeah, so-and-so walked
ESPN Magazine and Vanity Fair. In addition, she has authored
that camera, which is crazy. It was our family camera again, not
seven books, including the “Old Friends” series, which lovingly
mine, but I still have it.”
chronicles the lives of racing’s superstar horses—and some not as
Although not from a horsey family nor one that followed
well-known Thoroughbreds—after their time on the track.
racing, Livingston was from a supportive one, and her parents
hi to them. I told them that you actually just couldn’t see them,’ ”
often made the half-hour drive to take her to the track where she
the momentous occasions in racing, the moments away from the
Livingston says and laughs again.
watched Secretariat, among others, breeze in the early dawn.
finish line still intrigue her most.
Barbara D. Livingston Photo
by you and couldn’t understand why you were rude and didn’t say
“Part of the excitement of racing is never knowing quite what’s going to happen next. When Associate got loose this morning, it seemed it would be a routine ‘loose horse’ situation, where he simply galloped back to his barn, as countless horses do,” says Barbara Livingston, who took this photograph in 2013. “Associate seemed bound to do just that when he suddenly took a right-hand turn and did this odd Heisman-trophy-like leap off the track,” she continues. “He landed fairly well, gathered himself and headed on his way. He was fine and raced not long thereafter, and someone recently mentioned he’s doing well in retirement now too. This photo is odd enough—with very good lighting and compelling action—to be a favorite.”
It wasn’t only photographing the animals that consumed her;
While a large chunk of her work witnesses and immortalizes
“I really was never all that thrilled with doing the race finishes,”
Livingston also loved to ride. Although she didn’t have a horse
she says. “I knew I had to, and that is obviously a very important
of her own, a generous neighbor with polo ponies taught her.
part of it, but the one thing people don’t tend to have the
Starting at the age of 7, she spent nearly every afternoon at his
patience to figure out, or maybe don’t have the experience with
barn, galloping bareback up and down the road with only a halter
horses to figure out, is to take photographs where you actually see the spirit of the horse, not just a fill-in-the-blank race horse,
and twine on the horse. “I loved horses. I was crazy about them, no matter what,
silks, jockey, racetrack, but something where you say: ‘That
just any type of horse, but especially a Thoroughbred, and I
horse looks proud.’ ‘That horse looks quiet.’ ‘That horse looks
was totally crazy about racing,” she says. “I’ve tried to think
intimidated.’ ‘That horse looks intimidating.’ I try to capture the
what makes horses as magical as they are and what makes
basic spirit of the horse as I see it in the timeframe I see them.”
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Thoroughbreds even more magical than your average horse, and I don’t know how to put that into words. I am not religious, but it’s really spiritual.
MORE THAN A PASSION
“But literally, I see them turn their eye your way or shake their head up and toss their mane around,” she continues. “Just that way they snort on a cold morning—there is just something
Throughout her teenage years, Livingston’s obsession with racing,
incredibly magical about them, like something in a children’s
horses and photography only deepened, and she traveled with
book. But why? I don’t know. I can’t put it into words. I’ve never
friends to watch Seattle Slew and Affirmed in their Belmont
been able to.”
Stakes, and thus Triple Crown, wins. She gave galloping horses a try in Saratoga but jokes, “I was too lazy to get up that early.” Upon graduating from high school, she set off for Kentucky at
Photographs she took of a 2-year-old Ruffian winning the 1974 Spinaway Stakes decorated the teenaged Barbara Livingston’s bedroom and were among her earliest works.
18 with the hopes of finding photography work. It was a shortlived experience—only a few days—as homesickness immediately set in, and she returned to upstate New York. After taking a year off, Livingston enrolled at Syracuse University
says. “Let’s be realistic—we are all like a bunch of nuts together. But the thought of Livingston being unfriendly is comical, as she is one of the most beloved fixtures at the track. Now 57,
was the world’s nicest person; she was no Polly Purebred—but she
Livingston is always in motion, whether it be scurrying to get a
liked to make people laugh and smile and have a better time. She
better vantage point of her equine subjects, or even during the
just never saw a reason not to do that. And it was a sharp sense
quieter moments on the backside, taking photos of the grooms
of humor; it wasn’t always sweet.
and hot walkers for her Saratoga Smiles or Belmont Beamers
“I love what I do, obviously, and that shows,” Livingston
series. And always, always, behind one of the three cameras she
continues. “I don’t see any reason not to make peoples’ days
has slung over her body there is a genuinely delighted smile on
brighter if I can. Smiling, making people smile, making them feel
her face. There is no faking the joy she finds in her work, and she
better and seen, especially on the backside, where a lot of people
credits her sunny outlook to her mother, Nancy Thorkildsen.
are sort of hidden from the world and don’t get a lot of positive
“I love horses, and I love people who work with horses,” she
I was 14 and wrote in my diary then, ‘I am going to be a horse racing photographer.’ ”
It’s fantastic! But also, my mom was really big—and not like she
– Barbara Livingston
feedback. Why not?”
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(New York) and graduated with a degree in experimental photography. But throughout her education, she met some resistance. She only wanted to photograph race horses and managed to turn every assignment into an opportunity to do so. “You were supposed to do a cemetery or a graveyard, so I did Man o’ War’s grave. Then you were supposed to do an ethnic situation so I, of course, went to the backside, whereas most people went to the inner city,” she says. Livingston was encouraged to diversify her work, but she held firm.
COVER STORY
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THAT MUCH BETTER “Barbara always seems to have had an eye for the unusual—a
While she did not trail them around or work directly with them,
different angle of a race, using something in the background to
Livingston nonetheless cites several mentors who influenced her,
help frame a shot, or taking advantage of light and surroundings
spending hours and hours poring over their photographs. The first
to get something that stands out,” Paulick says. “I get the feeling
was Tony Leonard.
she would hang around the stable area even if she didn’t have a
“Tony Leonard was basically the greatest horse photographer of our
camera strapped around her neck. She loves the horses and the
time, and a lot of what he did was conformation photography, which
people who work with them. A lot of photographers work 9-5
is an incredibly difficult art form—incredibly difficult, and people have
jobs or do photography outside of horses, but she’s dedicated her
lost that,” she says. “He died, but Tony was the master. He also could
life to doing this.”
do other work incredibly beautifully. He could do a mare and foal, or if it started snowing, he’d make Seattle Slew’s folks take the horse out, and he’d drag him around in the snow. His legacy was incredible.” Two of her other influences, Inger Drysdale and Katey Barrett, were based in California. “They were both incredibly talented,” she says. “They worked with early morning light. They tried to get the essence of the horse—its spirit rather than just shooting a race finish or your more standard fair.
Barbara D. Livingston Photo
In their pictures you can see John Henry’s whiskers. You could see Affirmed’s golden eye with his golden coat because they shot him at 6:30 in the morning when the sun first hit him. So I really learned a lot looking at their work.” Searching and waiting, often for hours, until the light is just right to capture that elusive shot has been paramount to Livingston’s continued success in the new digital age of photography, where anyone with an iPhone—which is to say, everyone—is now a photographer. Often before Livingston can get her images uploaded, the internet is flooded with amateur shots of big finishes in consequential races. Therein lies the challenge. “If people have already seen the basic image, they’ve already seen
“I kept saying, ‘Do I really have to? Is that a rule? I don’t want reason, I can’t do anything else,” says Livingston, who defines her work as an obsession rather than a passion. “An obsession is not always good because basically it takes over your life,” she says. “If there is a pretty afternoon where I see good light or whatever, I can’t help but try to figure out how to use it, and that actually gets in the way of my life sometimes. In a way, I envy people who can go home from work and watch television, have a good night with their friends and not feel guilty—not feel like, ‘Oh my God, why am I not editing Irish War Cry? Why!’ ” Not long after graduation from Syracuse, Livingston’s obsessive tendencies paid off when one of her images was selected for
that horse, with that color, with that jockey, in that situation, winning. Though it’s not a splashy action shot, Barbara Livingston counts this 1999 photo of Wagon Limit, handled by Hall Of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens, at Saratoga Springs (N.Y.) as one of her all-time favorites. Jerkens died in 2015. “Conformation photography is an incredibly difficult art form— incredibly difficult, and people have lost that,” she says. “I have never revered a trainer more than Allen Jerkens, so imagine the chance to do a conformation shoot of one of his Grade 1 winners, with Allen on the shank! “He dressed up so nicely, was so proud of his horse, used the ‘security blanket’ fly-swatter Jerkens’ saddlecloth, with the timeless Saratoga Jerkens’ barn backdrop,” she continues. “Wagon Limit posed perfectly in just the right leg position. It’s like Wagon Limit, who could be a handful, knew this was a shot for the ages.”
They are not really going to care that it was a little out of focus or whatever,” she says. “They are just going to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve already seen that.’ So how can you make it that much better? I want to be that Barbara D. Livingston Photo
to branch out.’ I couldn’t help it. I could not help it. For whatever
much better. I want to keep the image as special. I want the horses to remain special. It makes me think, ‘How can I make it so special that even though someone has seen 300 photos of that race, they are going to find mine more special?’ ” In 2008, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Racing Form, Rich Rosenbush, offered Livingston the job as chief photographer on staff. “Her portraits of horses were beautiful, and her work sometimes had a dreamy quality that was compelling despite my natural instincts,” says Rosenbush. “Morning scenes at the racetrack can get numbingly predictable. But some of her photos had this weird, “California Chrome was always photogenically inspirational—a very good, gorgeous and playful sport who loves people,” says Barbara Livingston. “His rider during the Triple Crown season, Willie Delgado, made the most of their time: enjoying his horse, the media, fans, the whole moment in time. They made for lots of fun images.”
the cover of The Blood-Horse magazine. She has never looked back, later winning her first of five Eclipse Awards in 1992 for a photograph the magazine published. Ray Paulick, now of The Paulick Report, was editor-in-chief of The Blood-Horse in 1992.
otherworldy lighting, and I wanted to give her a shot at working for the Racing Form.” “It took me so long to think it through,” Livingston says of making the change. The decision to accept, however, was both life and career changing.
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COVER STORY
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FAVORITE MOMENTS Because of a childhood spent around horses, Livingston’s work is alive with qualities only a horse person would discern. Although she rides sporadically these days due to her travel schedule, her dream is to one day have a Thoroughbred of her own. She remains that horse-crazy 7-year-old and believes this love of the animal strengthens her work. “No matter how many times you may take a photograph of a “Basically, Daily Racing Form looks forward. The photographs I
horse, you’re much more in tune with the horse than you are with
take are generally for events that are going to happen,” she says. “So
your camera,” she says. “For me, the camera is simply a means to
I try to show the horse well, so that people can see if they’re muscled
an end. You get instinctual about them, and you know when they
and looking good, dappled, and I try to put a bit of that in my work
lower their head, what they might do. Or when they start to look
rather than taking photographs that were a look back at what had
back your way, what they might do, and that is why I am willing
happened. I had to change the way that I thought and shot, and it
to wait forever to get those shots that are reflective of what they
was fantastic for me—the best thing in my life, and my editor at DRF
might do that also show them in their best light. I don’t want to
at the time was the best photo teacher I ever had.”
make a horse look really ugly, for instance.
Rosenbush, who was with The New York Times for 18 years prior to the DRF, helped shape the way Livingston approached her work.
“There is no doubt that growing up living for horses, and living for the smell of them and the feeling, that is a tremendous part of
“Basically I came back to life at whatever age I was in 2008—I
it for me,” she adds. “Think of what a horse’s muzzle feels like, and
was really old,” she says with a laugh, “and basically was born again
think of what it looks like when they look you in the eyes with that
because this guy literally looked at my first day’s work, and I thought
pathetic, ‘I need a carrot’ look. The horse is absolutely it for me,
I had done a great job. It was like 12 of the horses in the Kentucky
and the reason for me, 100 percent. The horses are it. They are the
Derby. I shot them all and sent them, and he said, ‘Good job of
reason I am alive, for some reason, and the camera is just a way to
photographing over half the field. Did you get anything extra good
record them forever.”
today?’ And I was like, ‘Oh. Gosh.’ “He said basically, ‘Think of what thing is the most important to
Beyond that magical childhood moment capturing Ruffian the year before her sad demise, Livingston counts photographing
you today. Do the best you can do at it.’ And that was really fun
Cigar’s victory in the 1996 $1.05 Million Citation Challenge at
for me and completely different from what I was used to,” she
Arlington Park (Illinois), where the horse won his 16th consecutive
continues. “And also, just the reward of having somebody to talk to
race, as a professional highlight.
you and literally say, ‘Did you get anything where the horse’s mane is swept a little bit more to the side?’ or, ‘More horizontal?’ It was fantastic. He was like my savior.” Rosenbush scoffs at this. “There was nothing I could tell Barbara about her aesthetic with a camera,” he says. “She already took great pictures. But to be a news photographer, that’s not enough. You have to be smart about exactly where to stand, what to watch for, who to talk to. In short, you need to be a good reporter to be a really good photographer.” On what makes her so talented, he continues, “It’s her loyalty to the sport—can’t emphasize that enough—her patience, attention to detail, appreciation of the horses and their handlers. All these things put her in a position to see things that other photographers don’t see. Also, she has a deep sense of history, which is evident when she takes pictures of old horses, farms, horse cemeteries, the backstretch and the racetrack itself.”
“I fell in love with Rachel Alexandra when she won the Kentucky Oaks, and that love affair (Can a person have a one-way love affair?) continues,” says Barbara Livingston. “As such, it was an immense honor to photograph Rachel in 2013 at her Stonestreet Farm home. “Amy Kearns worked there at the time and was kind enough to allow my visit very early, when the lighting was brilliant and shadows long,” she adds. “The cold morning leant itself to various unusual images, but this was a favorite—Rachel being brushed before heading to her paddock. “Rachel, literally and figuratively, casts a long shadow.”
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COVER STORY “Chris was one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever photographed—both inside and out,” says Barbara Livingston of late jockey Chris Antley. “I miss him still. This image actually shows him watching a [disqualification] on a Saratoga television screen. I was trying out some black-andwhite film, and the textures on this dark, dreary day made it a strong image at the time. After Chris’ death, the image became something else—it became spiritual. I was honored that the family chose to have this photograph put onto Chris’ tombstone.”
“The crowd was unbelievable. The crowd’s reception to this great, great race horse was overwhelming,” she says. “It was deafening. It was exuberant. The crowd was incredibly excited about the greatness of this horse, and the fact that they also were part of that moment. That still gives me goosebumps, thinking about that.” Maybe surprisingly, the other stand-out moments for the photographer are not splashy wins, as she must divorce herself from the action in front of her in order to do her job. “Even American Pharoah—there he was winning the Belmont Stakes and therefore the Triple Crown,” she says, drawing out the last word. “I’d been there for the last one in 1978, and there he is winning the Triple Crown, and in my head I’m thinking, ‘I hope the remotes are going off. Don’t screw up this exposure.’ I was changing the lens because he was all by himself. Barbara D. Livingston Photo
I was actually just thinking technically
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about it.” Not to say she is unemotional about certain wins. For the past three years, she has been dating trainer Dan Hendricks. “The most exciting race for me in recent time, my boyfriend’s horse, Om, just won for the first time in 2 ½ years, since 2015,
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VIEW MORE OF BARBARA LIVINGSTON’S WORK and I was crying in the winner’s circle like an idiot,” she says. “I didn’t get good pictures because I was upstairs with Dan. But when I am working, I try to separate myself from the moment.
Her feature on Springsteel’s grave marker: drf.com/blogs/springsteel-and-moving-history
I am aware of what the moment is, but I try to separate myself from it mentally, so I can just do the best I can. “And I haven’t—and I shouldn’t say this—but I haven’t messed
The entire story of Lord Avie and trainer Danny Perlsweig: drf.com/news/lifelong-bond-forgotten-champion
up an important race finish in 20 years,” she adds, and knocks wood.
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STILL AT 50 PERCENT
The Eclipse Award-winning piece on tracing Man o’ War’s history: drf.com/manowar Livingston’s collections of favorite images of the year, going from 2018 back to 2013: drf.com/news/barbara-livingston
Yet despite winning five Eclipse Awards in her more than 40 years as a photographer and spending over 200 days of the year on the road crisscrossing the country to various tracks, Livingston does not feel she has reached the pinnacle of her profession. “In my head, the next great picture I take will be my favorite picture ever,” she says. “I don’t necessarily think I am all that good yet! I mean, that is the fun part. I sort of feel I am at 50 percent of what I could do, which is good! It’s good! It’s also really bad
overgrown bushes, and rather than have it go into the trash, she
because I have no downtime—time doesn’t really allow you to do
lobbied to move it to Old Friends in Kentucky. It is a long story—
all you want—but it’s great for me to have a reason to still exist
one she tells beautifully in her blog (see sidebar)—but suffice it
and not just that I’m just shooting a race finish every year of the
to say, Livingston ended up renting a truck and driving the stone
latest star.
there herself.
“I am still not quite sure what that thing is I am supposed to
Her hope is for Springsteel’s remains to be reunited with his
be doing, but I will figure it out,” she adds with another of her
marker and reinterred at Old Friends. But when the turf course
signature laughs.
was installed at Rockingham Park, the stone was moved without
Some of those “things” are multi-media projects focused on
his body, and now no one is exactly sure of his actual burial site.
history, like her recent piece on Man o’ War, for which she won
She remains hopeful though, that during the development of the
her latest Eclipse Award in 2017. Written, narrated and, of course,
property, she will get the call he has been located.
photographed by Livingston, it chronicles the various places,
Accompanying her blog are stunning photographs of the
some now gone, some decrepit, where the great champion spent
process, Livingston again patiently waiting hours for the sun to
his days.
rise and backlight the marker in golden light.
In fact, chronicling what soon could be relics of the past remains one of her driving endeavors. “In the last few years, I’ve photographed Calder [Race Course]
“I wondered how many star canopies, sunrises, rains and snowstorms the monument had seen,” Livingston writes. “I thought of how the stars must have shown much more brightly
being torn down, Hollywood Park on its last day, Rockingham
decades ago, before the area was so heavily developed. And
[Park] after it closed,” she says. “They let me go through and take
I pondered, how many people had visited the stone over the
things, like part of the quarter pole, so that was nice! But I try
decades—those who remembered the name etched thereon and,
to record the things, so that 100 years from now, people will still
later, who did not?
have images of them they can find.” One such passion project, which she wrote about and
“Springsteel’s last Rockingham sunrise was visually lovely, as a few red-tinged clouds painted the horizon. Patchy fog slipped
photographed for the Daily Racing Form, was the relocation of
over the toteboard and drifted across the once meticulous, now
the gravestone for a horse named Springsteel, who was buried on
weed-covered, turf course. An overnight chill had resulted in frost,
the infield of the now-defunct Rockingham Park.
but the sun soon warmed the stone’s final New Hampshire day.”
Livingston took notice of the stone, nestled among the
Obsession indeed.
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LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS
S f L
Reggie and Sera take a break by the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, watching the mules that carry tourists down the Bright Angel Trail.
Sera specializes in narrow cliff trails like the famous Bright Angel Trail, the route from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River at the bottom. It’s one of Barbara Lowell’s favorite rides. “When you look out in the morning over the edge of the Grand Canyon, it gives you goosebumps,” she says. “You do kind of think, ‘I am crazy for doing this!’ It probably provides me with more anxiety than any other trail I’ve ever done, but I can’t stop myself. I still want to do it again and again.”
eeing The World
For Barbara Lowell, “life between the ears” isn’t just a hashtag—it’s a lifestyle. “It makes my heart feel full,” she says. “I
just feel so free more than anything else. It’s the best-case scenario out of everything in life, all at the same time. You have a pretty view, a nice horse, and it’s quiet and peaceful. I just love everything about it.” Lowell grabs every opportunity to load
After starting out from the Mosquito Flats Trailhead in the Inyo National Forest (Calif.) in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, Barbara Lowell and Manny trek through the Little Lakes Valley and its chain of lakes carved by glaciers.
her horses in the trailer and set out from her San Diego home to explore the country. On horseback, she’s traversed trails in the Grand Canyon (Arizona), Bryce Canyon
Barbara Lowell’s viewed many parts of the United States, including the Grand Canyon, through Arabian mare Sera’s ears.
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(Washington) and many more. Her husband, Titus Lowell, is frequently by
sometimes spending a few weeks riding and camping in national parks.
National Park (Utah), Zion National Park
her side on these trips, but since he serves
(Utah), Yosemite National Park (California),
as a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, Barbara
on a Facebook page, “The Wonderful
Goat Rocks Wilderness (Washington), the
also rides by herself when he’s deployed.
Journeys of Sera the horse and her friends.”
Sierra National Forest (California), Grand
“I’m certainly not shy about riding alone,
Many of their adventures are documented
Barbara started the page after posting
Staircase-Escalante Monument (Utah),
and I have that wanderlust disease like you
to her personal Facebook account an
Capitol Reef National Park (Utah), North
wouldn’t believe,” she says.
astonishing video taken from the saddle
Cascades National Park (Washington),
Barbara works as a farrier, which gives
as her beloved Arabian mare SA Saraphim,
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (California),
her a flexible schedule. And whenever Titus
or “Sera,” navigated a narrow, rocky path
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
has leave, they embark on long adventures,
called the Kendall Katwalk along the side
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LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS of a mountain on the Pacific Crest Trail near Snoqualmie Pass. The video got tens of thousands of views, and Barbara found herself overrun with friend requests, so she started the @SerasJourney community as a place to share her adventures with fans. Recently someone commented on one of her Facebook posts full of amazing photos: “You need to write a horse trail and travel book!” Lowell replied jokingly with the prospective title, “Time And Money So Well Wasted.”
SERA STARTED IT ALL Sera, 22, is Barbara’s eager companion for most of her rides. The bay Arabian came to Barbara as a giveaway 5-year-old in 2001. “She was the most rank, nasty mare I’ve ever met in my life,” says Barbara. “She wasn’t mean; she was just really difficult. I think I had the trailer hooked up and was
Barbara Lowell on Reggie in one of the uniquely formed sandstone slot canyons at Willis Creek Canyon.
crying twice because I wanted to take her back. But she just turned the page one day. I worked with her for six months and made no progress, and one day I went out there, and we’ve been best friends ever since. There wasn’t any one event that sparked it—maybe she had a good dream that night. Who knows?” Barbara and Sera did Arabian shows, dabbled in team penning, and they competed in endurance and competitive trail rides, but they’re happiest out on the trails. “She’s very smart and very in-tune to everything. And she takes care of me,” Barbara says. “She trusts me to take care of her, and she watches out for me. It’s a very good relationship. She’s not an easy mare, but she’s a very good mare. “She’s very special to me. If bombproof exists, this is the horse that is it,” she adds. Titus Lowell and Reggie pose in the Nautilus Rock, a famous sandstone formation near the White House Trailhead in Kanab, Utah. C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M | MAY/JUN E 2018
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“We’ve had some of the most astounding things happen, and she just doesn’t care.” Barbara recalls one ride in Swaddle Valley, Washington, where she and Sera were on a trail high in the mountain when two F-18 jets
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Sera looks out over Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, which houses the world’s largest collection of hoodoos, pillars of rock left standing due to erosion.
LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS On the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail, there’s a suspension bridge to cross over the Colorado River. “You enter a tunnel first, a very narrow tunnel that’s long and dark,” says Barbara Lowell. “And then you come out of the tunnel, and you’re about 500 feet above the river. And all of a sudden, you’re in bright light, and the bridge is there. You go over it, and it moves, and it goes forever. It’s absolutely mind-blowing. When I came out of the tunnel, I clenched up, and that was another moment when Sera was like, ‘Come on!’ She never missed a beat; she was just like, ‘Hold on, here we go. This is normal.’ ”
flew right overhead. “All of a sudden I saw
The couple spends a lot of time
the dirt move, almost like a rock slide under
conditioning in the state forest near their
her feet, and the ground rumbled. They
home, but Barbara also makes sure to put a
were level with us, going about 500 miles
good base of training on the horses.
an hour. Boom, boom. They were so close—
“Our horses are really broke,” she says.
within a few hundred feet of us,” she says.
“We’ll work them in the arena and work on
“After they passed, I was just shaking,”
getting them to listen to us and bond with
Barbara continues. “Sera just looked back
us. They know that if they’re afraid, they can
at me with her hip cocked, just totally
go to us, and we’ll take care of them. They
disgusted, like, ‘Wow, you’re really stupid.’
have a strong survival instinct, and they
It was like nothing happened for her. That’s
take good care of themselves and you.
the kind of horse she is; she just doesn’t
You just have to be calm and non-reactive
care at all.”
with them. Like if they’re on a cliff, and they
Sera’s forte is narrow, steep trails on the side of mountains.
lose a leg slipping off the trail, they can’t over-react. Or if they get caught in some
“If it’s the Grand Canyon, you ride Sera. If
branches or something, you need a horse
it’s Thunder Mountain, you ride Sera,” says
that will sit there and let you take care of
Barbara. “If Sera’s on a narrow trail, she’ll
it or pull themselves out slowly without
almost single-foot it. She’ll condense herself
panicking.”
and walk one hoof at a time in a straight line.”
Barbara has plenty of knowledge to draw from when she’s training the horses. She
In July, Barbara made the difficult
grew up taking dressage and hunter/jumper
decision to have veterinarians remove Sera’s
lessons and showing locally. Her parents
right eye after a misdiagnosis of a fungal
emigrated from Poland to the United States
infection led to a melting ulceration. But
as political refugees escaping communism
Sera was back on the trails by September,
in 1991 when Barbara was 8. Starting in 1994,
and Barbara says she doesn’t see any sign
Barbara began to travel back to Poland to
that the loss affected the mare at all.
visit family for a month or two, and she rode during those trips. Washington was Barbara’s home in her youth and early adulthood, and she
A SPARK
embraced the outdoor lifestyle. “I used to go camping every chance I
Manny, a bay gelding, and Reggie, a gray
got,” she says. Trail riding was a fun break
gelding, are the other two Arabians that live
for her and Sera between shows. Eventually
with the Lowells and Sera on their 9-acre
Titus, who wasn’t a rider before he met
San Diego property. Barbara and Titus
Barbara, joined them and bought Reggie.
choose which horses to take depending on
“Then we just went nuts,” she says. “We’ll
the demands of the trails and the horses’
probably go on at least 10 camping trips
talents. Sometimes they’ll bring the third
a year, some of them small, some of them
horse and pony it.
big.”
“They love it. They love it,” Barbara says. “When we go to load them, there’s almost a fight at the trailer of who gets to get on. There’s like a spark to them, especially in
“It is pretty amazing. It was one of those places that was just pretty weird,” says Barbara Lowell of riding over the Ross Lake Dam in North Cascades
Sera and Reggie. Reggie really lights up on the trail; he is so happy out there. He was such a miserable horse when we got him. He was so neurotic. And now he’s so bold,
National Park in Washington. “You ride across thinking, ‘Am I really doing this?’ That was the only option to get from point A to point B, so we did. It’s actually a very beautiful ride going way into the back country.”
and he wants to be in front and explore.”
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Sera looks out over Upper Cathedral Lake in California’s Yosemite National Park.
GLOBAL CULTURE
9
There is a timelessness to Maj. Gen. Sir
the River Marne in France harkened back to the start of World War I and the two-
paintings of intrepid military men spanning the centuries, atop nameless precipices,
week journey made by British forces that bookmarked the end of the western world
compelling visual narrative, and one into which Webb-Carter slots elegantly.
Photo Courtesy Evelyn Webb-Carter
Formerly a foxhunter with the Vale of the White Horse Hounds, Webb-Carter’s gung-
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Photo Courtesy Brooke
That first ride from Mons in Belgium to
as he recalls his favorite expeditions. Around him at his England home are oil
observing with calculating eyes a middle distance of territories yet to explore. It’s a
Evelyn Webb-Carter and his group embarked on a series of adventures around the world, which included visiting this chateau in France.
BELGIUM & FRANCE
Evelyn John Webb-Carter, who tells his stories eloquently, a twinkle in his eye
Evelyn Webb-Carter retired from the British Army about 17 years ago, but he’s spent the years since traveling the world and serving as Brooke chairman.
ho equestrian pursuits have always fit in well with his career ambitions. Not content with simply following his father’s footsteps into the British Army, he advanced through the ranks and became a commander during the Bosnian War in 1996. The following year, he was appointed Major General Commanding the Household Division, which includes the Household Cavalry and Foot Guards. It was in this role that he bucked the
fondness for nature as seen from the back of a horse—and embark upon a series of adventures around the world.
status quo, tackling inequality and systemic racism in the ranks with alacrity and efficiency. In 18 months, he had increased the number of black, Asian and minority ethnic recruits from eight to 50. In his work to open the conversation to people of color and close the doors to inherent racism he visited black communities in London, Birmingham and Nottingham, frequented mosques, spoke to activists, and he listened, learned and improved both his own mindset and that of the army division he led. Meanwhile, in his own time, he hopped hedges and connected with the countryside from the back of his foxhunter. Perhaps then it was only natural that he would find a way to weave a thread through these elements—a deep-seated interest in the military and its history, a desire to continually broaden his mindset, and a
Since his first expedition in 1994, in which he rode from Mons to the Marne with the historian Richard Holmes, Webb-Carter has clocked an impressive number of miles in the saddle and revisited some of the British Army’s most poignant routes. On each adventure, Webb-Carter and his companions—ex-army men, military historians and, often, his children, particularly daughter Rose Webb-Carter— would follow the paths as authentically as possible. This meant sleeping under the stars or in rudimentary tents, sourcing meals as their predecessors would have done, and using local horses. For this, Evelyn needed eyes on the ground. “I never go to anyone in this country to organize the trips,” he says. “Instead of using travel agencies, I find a contact in the country I’m planning to ride through.”
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as its citizens had known it. The Battle of Mons, held Aug. 23, 1914, saw the British Expeditionary Force— the branch of the army sent to the Western Front—undertake its first major battle of the war. It wasn’t a successful one, and despite a counter-offensive by the allied French Fifth Army, the German advance took the Belgian border town. Over the next two weeks, the British and French forces retreated to France’s River Marne, where, just about 19 miles from Paris, their success against the Germans in the First Battle of the Marne ended the retreat. “Richard, who I had no idea rode, had the idea for the trip, and I offered to organize it for him if I could come along,” says Evelyn. “We brought our own horses—the only time we’ve ever used our own on a trip—and we found it all rather jolly.” Which is not to say it was without stumbling blocks. One memorable evening, the men spent the night on a farm in France. The horses were kept in a barn with enormous double doors, typical of the area, and one of their party tied Jeopardy, an Irish-bred army horse, directly to the door. Jeopardy, perhaps more accustomed to regimental music and traffic, was startled by a pigeon. As he shied away, the weight of the door stopped him short, and, frightened by the sudden pressure, he pulled back against it. And pulled. The door came crashing down, and Jeopardy’s halter broke just in time for him to scramble out of harm’s way, but the infrastructure wasn’t quite so lucky. “It pulled down all the electrics for the
GLOBAL CULTURE
ETHIOPIA
It was through a mutual contact at a
Many hours of hard riding can build—and
dinner party that he connected with Solomon Berhe. (“Probably one of the
“When we got to our starting point, there were perhaps 200 mules lined up
break—bonds with a horse, and Evelyn remembers well the sheer variety of
most admirable people I’ve ever met,” says Evelyn.) Berhe was Evelyn’s man on the
as though for an inspection and absolute chaos all around—just a cacophony of
horseflesh he partnered through his rides. There was Balti, the Marwari stallion
ground when he rode through Ethiopia in 2002, following the route taken by Gen. Sir
braying and shouting,” says Evelyn. “We got the real measure of Solomon Berhe
whose ears curved inward, touching at the top (“They looked as though they’d been
Robert Napier in 1867 when he defeated Emperor Theodore.
when he managed to get the whole crowd to quieten down, and they all sat together
stuck on with superglue, the wrong way round.”) and who proved a loyal, capable
and negotiated. Of course, the moment
companion to Evelyn as he traversed the route of the 1895 Chitral Expedition in
hardest but perhaps most interesting that he has undertaken, was completed aboard mules rather than horses. “Most people have a very derogatory view of mules, but they’re great animals— very determined and very footsure,” he
they spotted that their potential customers were European, the prices promptly tripled. But somehow, Solomon managed to get us the right number of mules at the right price, and we were away.” The route was over tricky terrain, and
says.
the riders had to carry all their supplies with them, buying food and seeking shelter along the way in the tiny villages they rode through. They lived primarily
Photo Courtesy Evelyn Webb-Carter
house and the barn,” says Evelyn. “So we weren’t very popular! Where there’s horses, there’s inevitably drama.” The trip became the subject of Holmes’ book “Riding The Retreat,” and the catalyst for a series of horseback adventures tracing the trials and trails of the British military across far-flung and challenging routes.
on eggs, with shells so thin that the yolk could be seen through them, and injera, a flat, spongy pancake made from teff, a staple grain that thrives in the nutrient-poor soil of the mountains. “It looked like a gray flannel, and it tasted disgusting,” says Evelyn, “although when you’re hungry, you find you don’t mind what you eat.” Tullah, the local beer, was found to be similarly unpalatable. “It looked like the liquid from a frequently disturbed puddle,” he says. The party returned to England after their trip both considerably thinner and far fitter than when they’d left.
what is now northeast Pakistan. The ride followed a British relief expedition, sent to aid the beleaguered Chitral, who faced attacks from tribesmen, treacherous conditions, and more than a hint of the unknown along the way. Fortunately for the riders, the unknown— and the tremendous heights of the plateaus—were the only remaining risk factors. From the back of a good horse, Evelyn could enjoy the immensity of the Shandur Pass. “The man who organized the ride for me was a member of the Chitrali royal family, and he knew I liked the horse very much,” says Evelyn. “He told me that at the end of the ride, they would like to present the stallion to me. I thought, ‘What on earth am I going to do with a Marwari stallion?’ And so I ended up telling him that it was very kind, and perhaps they could hang onto it until the next time I came to Chitral. “I suppose, really, that it was more of a diplomatic gesture than an offer they expected me to accept,” he adds with a laugh.
After a ride along the path of the 1895 Chitral Expedition, Evelyn Webb-Carter was offered Marwari stallion Balti as a gift. He opted to leave the horse in Pakistan.
For the ride through Ethiopia, Evelyn Webb-Carter and his group rode mules instead of horses.
55
I thought, ‘What on earth am I going to do with a Marwari stallion?’ ” says Evelyn Webb-Carter of the unlikely gift from the Chitrali royal family.
PAKISTAN
adventurers would require both riding and pack mules.
The ride, which Evelyn describes as the
Evelyn Webb-Carter undertook his first military horseback trek with historian Richard Holmes.
9
Berhe had put word out locally that the
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The ex-polo pony, tall for his type at 16 hands, may have been the ideal mount for the passes, valleys and blazing sunshine of the Hindu Kush, but he would have fit in less well in the hunts and hedgerows of Gloucestershire. But the honor didn’t escape him, nor did it when, after two
Photo Courtesy Evelyn Webb-Carter
9
weeks and 200 miles of riding from Gilgit and over the looming Shandur Pass, the travel-weary team was welcomed into Chitral’s bazaar by a procession of pipes, drums and applauding bystanders. This, says Evelyn, must have been how the relief force of 1895 felt upon arrival.
GLOBAL CULTURE Lawrence’s expedition as they could into their two-week window of opportunity. Their route covered a swath of Jordan and the spectacular Wadi Rum desert. Most nights, they forwent their tents entirely in favor of sleeping under a starfilled sky. Companionable evenings were spent reading excerpts of Lawrence’s “Seven Pillars Of Wisdom,” indulging in piecing together the past—and unpacking the very place they sat. They did make one concession to authenticity: Rather than riding camels, as Lawrence had done, they opted for local horses—small, hardy Arabians and Arabian crosses. Because of this, they needed reliable sources of water, and so
Photos Courtesy Evelyn Webb Carter
their man on the ground, Hanna Jahshan, organized a truck stocked with water and supplies to follow the group. “I wasn’t prepared to do it on camels
Above: “It might sound terribly boring, but it wasn’t at all—it offered the opportunity for introspection,” says Evelyn Webb-Carter of his 10-day trek across the desert in Jordan. Above left: Evelyn Webb-Carter’s daughter, Rose Webb-Carter, has accompanied him on several expeditions, including the one to Jordan.
9
because I hate the bloody things!” says Evelyn. “It was a very therapeutic trip actually because for the first 10 days before we reached Wadi Rum, we rode across a great expanse of nothingness. It might sound terribly boring, but it wasn’t at all—it offered the opportunity for introspection. Having the supply truck too meant that we could have a few little extras to help us along, and so it really was very therapeutic!”
9
JORDAN
Chasing these parallels, and the desire to connect with his army forebears in a more sensory-rich way than through the pages of a book, fueled Evelyn’s formidable hunger for adventure. It was only natural that, at some point, he would emulate the most revered military adventurers. The year was 1917, and T.E. Lawrence’s expedition was to cross the desert from Hejaz, part of modern-day Saudi Arabia, to
reclaim the Port of Aqaba, now in Jordan, which was held by the Ottomans. The twomonth trek and the subsequent successful attack on the port was a key part of the Arab Revolt and would go on to be immortalized, with some creative liberties, in the film “Lawrence Of Arabia.” In real life, the long trek was mostly uneventful. In fact, the most pressing dangers along the way were those
presented by venomous snakes, scorpions, and the oppressive heat and scarcity of supplies. But Lawrence was not traveling with unseasoned men—these were Bedouins, with all the knowledge needed to traverse the difficult route. With this in mind, Evelyn and his four companions selected part of the route to tackle, hoping to fit in as much of
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ANDES
Less therapeutic was Evelyn’s trek across the Andes in 2014, following in the footsteps of José de San Martín, a key player in South America’s liberation from Spanish rule. The route from Mendoza, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile, required the riders to tackle two ranges of the Cordillera through narrow passes at altitudes of 14,000 feet. But they didn’t go head-to-head with the mountains
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once: They devised a return route, this time following Charles Darwin’s path in “The Voyage Of The Beagle.” “The problem was that the relationship between Argentina and Chile wasn’t great,” Evelyn says. “As a result, we couldn’t bring our horses across the border. So we had to get ourselves to a 14,000-foot plateau, in the howling wind and freezing cold, to change horses. It wasn’t at all like changing horses during a day’s hunting in Leicestershire; this required our bags
being checked and our passports stamped by a government official. But there wasn’t a building in sight, just a couple of statues, some rather weather-beaten people, and this howling wind, which threatened to send our papers flying. “On the second or third day of our return journey, the weather turned. We were at an altitude of about 12,000 feet, and we were all a bit miserable, looking as though we’d just ridden the Retreat from Moscow,” he continues. “The snow
GLOBAL CULTURE “We had to get ourselves to a 14,000-foot plateau, in the howling wind and freezing cold, to change horses,” says Evelyn Webb-Carter of his trek across the Andes.
just kept on coming. By the next morning, it was incredibly high. Our horses were petite Criollo types, only about 15 hands, and they were all a bit miserable. We weren’t in great spirits either—we were cold, tired and wet, having packed completely insufficiently for this type of weather. We picked our way down, changed horses at the border, and sought
Henry Dallal Photo
refuge in the first building we found. It was an army outpost, and because of the hostility after the Falklands War, we thought it best to keep it quiet that we were all ex-military. They figured it out quickly though—and fortunately were thoroughly charming.”
WHAT'S NEXT? Henry Dallal Photos
Maj. Gen. Sir Evelyn John Webb-Carter, now 72, is looking Riding across the Andes proved harrowing for Evelyn Webb-Carter and his group thanks to the elevation and some severe weather.
“India has been the most interesting of the Brooke’s
ahead to what may be his final spate of campaign tours,
beneficiaries. You think of it as being a very rich, colorful
ending where he began.
country, but when you go into the rural areas, it’s very poor,”
“We plan to cover the Battle of Waterloo, which took place in Belgium,” he says. But it doesn’t mean his adventuring days are over: In his
he continues. “The poorest of the poor have to cope with supplying what they can for their families, and often, the donkey occupies the bottom rung. So we focus on educating
work as chairman of the Brooke, he has covered some familiar
people rather than giving money. If you step in and give aid
ground, as well as new frontiers.
freely, you remove the necessity of learning how to treat and
“The charity works in 14 countries around the world,
care for these animals properly. If, however, you teach people
educating the locals about the care of these animals,” he says.
how to do it, how to care for them and keep them healthy and
“It’s mostly donkeys, a certain number of mules and some
treat them if they’re ill or lame, the whole thing can become
horses too—each country is slightly different. There’s been a
self-sustaining.”
common thread running through my rides, and what I do with
Signed on for another two-year term, Webb-Carter hopes
the Brooke, it’s going to new places and seeing them from a
to leave a legacy for the Brooke in much the same way as
new perspective, and it’s all about these four-legged chaps.
he did for the army: one that promotes unity, progress and
I love it because you see a different dimension to all of these
working across the divide to achieve common goals. To those
countries.
who know him as a man who has never feared a new frontier or the hard work it takes to traverse it, this comes as little surprise.
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TRAVEL For a country with less than 9,000 square miles of land, nestled between Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea, bordering Mexico to the north, Belize certainly packs a lot of punch. Many flock to the destination, once known
housing 200 cows, 30 horses and a flock
down the river, and tasting fresh oranges
or two of sheep and goats—has been
right off the tree while riding through a
in the host Santiago Juan’s family since
300-acre orange grove.
1922, originally purchased by his great-
monkeys echoed from the trees along the
14 doctors from the Ohio Children’s
nearby Mopan River, named after the local
Hospital who were screening patients for
Mayans. Getting to know Santiago made
operations, gave him the idea to turn his
each day better, and we hated to leave
passion for riding into a business. Early in
him when whisked off southeast, to just
his childhood Santiago rode his horse to
outside the small village of San Antonio,
primary school but never really wanted to
population 5,000, to Mountain Equestrian
dismount to attend school; he would have
Trails—higher in the mountains, as its
rather stayed in the saddle all day. Now his
name would indicate.
business allows him to do just that while sharing his pride of his country. Santiago is a wealth of information, and
as British Honduras, for its coral reefs and
if you know anything about Thoroughbred
Mayan ruins. But off the beaten track,
racing, endurance, agriculture or politics
hidden gems are waiting to be explored—
the conversations may last through the
and to do that from the saddle on lovely
night.
horses makes it even better. In just nine days and in two locations
Our stay at Hanna Stables included crossing a ferry with our horses to get a
close to the Guatemalan border, the Unicorn
personal tour of the Xunantunich ruins,
Trails Mayan Tropical Explorer ride took us
drinking the milk from a freshly picked
on a ferry with our horses to ancient Mayan
coconut, enjoying a lovely lunch at Black
ruins, swimming in rivers next to waterfalls,
Lodge overlooking the kayakers floating
exploring caves with artifacts embedded in the walls, and galloping through pine forests on the top of mountains whose lower walls were abundant with tropical plants.
FERRY CROSSINGS AND HOWLER MONKEYS Our journey began at Hanna Stables, just outside the city of San Ignacio, where mornings were spent sipping tea as the dew slowly dripped off the roof of our cabin, and a variety of birds chirped their morning rituals. A short stroll through a colorfully blooming garden brought us to the porch of the dining area where breakfast was served as the sun’s warmth burned off the fog, revealing the view of the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich in the mountains towards the Guatemala border. The 400-acre San Lorenzo Farm—
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Each morning the calls of the howler
aunt. Santiago’s first guests at the ranch,
After trekking through lush fields in Belize, riders shared oranges picked off the trees.
HISTORY
The Pack Horse Library Project of Eastern Kentucky blunted the ravages of Great Depression poverty and spread a love of reading to rural areas.
H
unting for the latest bestseller, researching a topic for a college essay
or buying a novel for an upcoming vacation has never been easier. Today public libraries, bookstores, websites, apps and Kindles satisfy our literary itch. Books, however, were not always readily available—and neither were jobs. During the Great Depression, families lost farms and houses owned for generations, dating back to the Revolutionary War. Men abandoned wives and children; babies died from malnutrition. In good times, the state of Kentucky ranked as one of the poorest in the nation, but by the mid-1930s the unemployment rate in Appalachia soared to 40 percent of working-age adults, high above the national average of 25 percent. Closure of half the region’s mines by 1933 and flooding of the Ohio River drove the final nails into any hope of recovery. Unpaved gravel roads, only accessible on foot or by horseback, severed thousands of Kentucky residents from the outside world, even from their closest neighbors in some circumstances. Unemployment shielded an insidious problem too: illiteracy. Some estimates state as many as 30 percent of the area’s residents were illiterate. Coupled with The WPA Pack Horse Library Project delivered books and magazines, serving nearly 100,000 people in Eastern Kentucky between 1935 and 1943.
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HISTORY
Muddy terrain presented obstacles for pack horse librarians, but teams charted courses of their own.
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Summer days offered a warm respite for a team of pack horse librarians. The riders worked year-round and were often forced to wade through icy waters in other seasons.
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Children clamored around a pack horse librarian, eager for her to unload her literary cargo.
residents did not have access to a public library at the beginning of the Great Depression. Mountain schools rarely had libraries, meaning that many students living in rural areas had never checked out a book. A visit from a pack horse librarian unlocked the futures of families. In the early days librarians on horseback encountered deep-rooted suspicions of outsiders, views long held by mountain families. The librarians recognized the depth of religious belief in the community and offered to read Bible passages aloud to gain the trust of potential patrons. A visit from a book woman also offered comfort to the infirm, whether from injury or age. Many read to their patrons or taught family members to read. Riders also brought news from other family members, and in some cases fetched a doctor for an ailing person. Pack horse librarians became part of
the family for many, and the popularity of the WPA project soared. Upon the arrival of one of the traveling librarians to a school, hordes of children would swarm the woman in the saddle. Picture books ignited interest in reading, and once students knew how to read, children read to their parents and grandparents. Books by Mark Twain and “Robinson Crusoe” were in high demand, but as children grew, so did their interests in the outside world. Travel and adventure titles flew out of saddlebags into inquisitive hands. Parents squeezed for time preferred magazines. Women’s Home Companion and Popular Mechanics, the most soughtafter magazines, kept readers in touch with new fashions or taught them to repair farm implements or sewing machines, even if the magazines were six months old. National
Geographic and Western Story Magazine fed a growing curiosity in the world beyond the mountains of Kentucky. Female readers were more prone to seek out beloved novels like “Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm.” Within two years of the program’s inception, more than 100,000 people in mountain communities received regular visits from the librarians, and over 155 schools awaited their visits. Though considered highly successful, the program ended in 1943 when President Roosevelt severed funding for the project. Demand for workers to fuel military efforts of World War II put the previously unemployed back to work. But when the program folded, its legacy was evident: Nearly 1,000 literary equestriennes had served Kentucky residents in 48 counties, cementing the pack horse librarians’ place in history.
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CITY GUIDE cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/CastlewoodCanyon
Parker GARAGE
parkergarage.com
Located in a Parker landmark in SWKrullImaging/iStock Photo
the heart of downtown, Parker Garage is the best in town for farm-to-table fare. Owner Brent
Steeplechase Dr
Walker and executive chef Photo Courtesy Parker Garage
Duy Pham source fresh, local ingredients from their 1,000-acre Lone Star Ranch. The bar’s selection of whiskey is second to none, and while the menu varies seasonally, get a
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Castlewood Canyon STATE PARK
taste of Colorado with the green
Just 15 minutes down the road from the CHP, Castlewood Canyon provides a
tasting table for an evening with
shady respite from the summer sun. Cherry Creek winds through the canyon
the chef.
chili poutine. For a truly upscale experience, reserve your own
floor, and a forest of ponderosa pine trees covers part of the park. There are
1
trails appropriate for all fitness levels, and make sure you don’t miss a piece
19420 East Mainstreet Parker, CO 80138 (720) 389-8105
of Denver history on your walk—built in 1890, Castlewood Dam burst open in 1933, flooding the city. Ruins of the original dam and the historic homestead kurosawaparker.com
still exist for hikers to see.
Kurosawa JAPANESE DINING
To access the Creek Bottom Trail, enter on the west side of the park. You can 2989 S. State Highway 83 Franktown, CO 80116
(303) 688-5242
use a credit card to pay the $7 entrance fee at the main park entrance on the east side, but make sure to have cash on hand if you’re on the west side. Check
2
For sushi, look no further than Kurosawa in Parker. The restaurant has a unique
the website before going for a list of hours and open trails.
take on Asian food, fusing traditional Japanese plates with French cuisine. Located just outside of downtown Parker, Kurosawa has a chic, modern feel with top-notch service. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the pineapple fried rice
17002 East Mainstreet, Unit A Parker, CO 80134 (303) 805-5985
or Crazy Dragon Roll.
elkmountainbrewing.com
Elk Mountain BREWING Denver’s craft beer scene has earned national attention, but you don’t have to venture all the way into the city for a taste of the good stuff. Elk Mountain Brewing in Parker has been a favorite since 2009. Local couple Tom and Marcia Bell founded and ran the brewery before retiring in 2017,
fikacoffeehouse.com
Fika COFFEE HOUSE
Jordan Rd
handing over the reins to a duo, Jake Minturn and Doug Hyndman, who met in the most Colorado
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18921 Plaza Drive, Unit 104 Parker, CO 80134 (303) 805-2739
way possible—slamming into each other on a ski run at Arapahoe Basin. Elk Mountain’s Kölsch won a bronze medal at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, and it’s
t
ree Mainst
a good bet for easy drinking. But on a hot summer’s
Horse shows make caffeine a necessity. But if you have a bit more time to spare in the
2
day, nothing beats a refreshing, fruity beer like the Raspberry Golden. Elk Mountain hosts trivia every
morning or afternoon, stop by Fika Coffee
13
S Progress Way
are parked out front. Note: Minturn and Hyndman are rebranding the brewery’s name to Downhill Brewing later this year as a
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fika loosely means “to have a coffee date,” so 3
E Hess Rd
r
er Rd S Park
S Parker Rd
Longs Way
and another a bit closer to the CHP. In Sweden, both locations are cozy spots with spaces for
Plaza D
location and with the same quality brews.
House, with one location in Old Town Parker
Hilltop rd
Mountain Man Dr
Monday night, and a rotating cast of local food trucks
nod to the way they met, but it will remain in the same
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Hillto
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p rd
friends to sit and chat over a mug. Both Fikas serve organic, fair-trade beans and a nice selection of teas too.
3 Fika Old Town 19559 East Mainstreet Parker, CO 80138 (303) 840-3166 Fika Idyllwilde 22040 East Idyllwilde Drive Parker, CO 80138 (303) 952-9348
C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M | MARCH/APRIL 2018
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BOOK REVIEWS “The Foxhunter’s Guide To Life & Love”
“Ten Horse Farm” By Robert Sabuda
By J. Harris Anderson
Looking for a whimsical,
If you laughed all through J. Harris Anderson’s “The Prophet of
unique gift for the young
Paradise,” you will enjoy his reflections on foxhunting and living
horse lover in your life? Then
a good life in “The Foxhunter’s Guide To Life & Love,” which was
you must check out Robert
released in late 2017.
Sabuda’s new pop-up book
It’s amusing to follow the romantic foibles of this mature—
“Ten Horse Farm.”
though in the chronological sense of the word only—Master of Foxhounds, even though the outcome of his love story is never
More art than story, this
in doubt.
book displays an intricate
This is the story of Anderson’s main character, Thumper
picture of equine life on every page. Pop-up horses leap
Billington, looking for love in all the wrong places while offering
out of the paper as they race
good, practical advice,
across the field with friends,
which he almost never
jump giant fences or drink from a cool forest stream. Each time
follows himself. According to
you open the book to look at it again, you’ll notice new details in
Thumper, life is all about the
the carefully crafted scenes.
chase.
Sabuda is a New York Times best-selling artist with almost 30
Anderson writes
pop-up books to his credit, and “Ten Horse Farm” is based on his
intelligently and wittily, and
real farm and art studio in upstate New York. Take note: While
the foxhunting descriptions
this book is beautiful and fun, it may be too delicate for very
are glorious, as you would
young readers. The suggested age range is 5-8 years old.
expect from this lifelong
—Sara Lieser
follower of the hounds. The “wink, wink, nod, nod” moments don’t seriously detract from the romp through the pomp and humor of the hunt field and hunt breakfast scene. This is a lighthearted romantic novel interspersed with somewhat sententious directions on hunting and finding, foxes, romance and, occasionally, true love. It would make an amusing bedside book or gift to an older friend with a love of foxhunting and bawdy sense of humor, or even a tongue-in-cheek gift to a young man starting out in life.
—Clarissa Edelston
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PARTING WAYS
LEARN MORE:
Visit the Victory Alliance Ranch website at victoryallianceranch.com or the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/VictoryAlliance-Ranch-Inc-283136695041894.
As horses filled the pastures, Chillcott
programs involve a lot of talking and not
began envisioning a place where a partnership might exist between her horses, most
much doing. This was nothing like that.” Although talking is never required, Chill-
of which were recovering from trauma and abuse, and veterans she knew who were
cott’s experiences abroad taught her unique ways to engage veterans in conversation
struggling against the effects of combat—an alliance, she imagined, that might lead both
about their experiences, which she says is vital for reentry into civilian life.
Contact owner Karen Chillcott via email at karenchillcott@victoryallianceranch.com or by phone at (256) 420-7310.
to victory. Her idea immediately took hold in the
“For veterans, maps are the ultimate icebreaker,” Henson says. “There’s this shed
GET INVOLVED:
community. “I put up a sign advertising Victory Al-
where Karen put up a bunch of really detailed maps, and everyone who comes to the
liance Ranch, and right away, a Marine Corps wife just stopped by and asked to
ranch can mark where they were stationed and where they went. You get a couple of
bring her husband over,” Chillcott says. “She told me, ‘He doesn’t talk to people because he’s really having issues with [posttraumatic stress disorder], but I grew up around horses, and my kids love horses.’ So I said, ‘OK, come over.’ ” There is no set program for veterans who come to the ranch. They might ride if they like, but more likely they’ll be asked to help fix a leaky tank, mend a fence, or erect a new shed in one of the pastures. Participants help
vets in front of a map, you’re going to hear some stories.” In eight years, more than 500 veterans and veteran family members have visited Victory Alliance. But word also spread throughout the local children’s community, and Chillcott’s facility soon became a training ground for Special Olympics kids, eight of whom currently train out of the ranch, as well as other area kids who needed a safe place to spend their free time.
feed and muck stalls, often with their kids and spouses, who are invited to work right alongside them. Their contributions make the ranch possible for Chillcott, who works full time out of her home office as a vice president of contracts, procurements and compliance for Agility Defense and Government Services. And in return, veterans earn a sense of purpose that traditional therapy can’t always provide. “I’m honestly more of a cat person—I’d never really been on a farm or spent any time around horses,” admits Byron Henson, a medically retired U.S. Army sniper. “Getting outside and building something tangible, doing work that produces real results, that has a lot of appeal to somebody coming back from places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Most rehabilitation
On any given weekend, you might see a veteran leading a rescue horse with a special needs child on its back—a triple alliance forged in the low-pressure atmosphere of the ranch. “One of our veterans told me recently that this was the most incredible, productive, impromptu, who-would-have-thought-it support group he’d ever seen,” Chillcott says with a laugh. “To me, it’s just a lot of people who might look normal but can’t participate in normal activities, but they can still ride. They can work. There’s something for them here.” Chillcott’s friend Cosumano died in 2011, but Chillcott’s set her roots in Huntsville. Already an Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Equine Specialist, the 66-year-old hopes to return to school this fall to become a mental health specialist. In the meantime,
GET IN TOUCH:
If you’re local to Huntsville, Alabama, you can contact Karen Chillcott about volunteering at the farm.
“Most rehabilitation programs involve a lot of talking and not much doing. This was nothing like that,” says medically retired U.S. Army sniper Byron Henson, pictured building a new shed at Victory Alliance Ranch.
she’s waiting on the paperwork to clear for the farm’s 501(c)(3) status, which will allow her to work with horses, veterans and kids full time. Until then, she’ll continue funding the ranch out of her own pocket. “It’s a passion for horses and a passion for what horses can do for people—for veterans, for special needs children, for anyone who has maladies that you can’t necessarily see but that manifest in anger and other issues,” Chillcott says. “There’s just something about a horse that makes everybody feel better.”
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Meet You Back At The Barn! Photo By Kit Houghton
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Murphy Himself raced away from a fallen Ginny Leng (now Ginny Elliot) at the 1988 Badminton Horse Trials in Great Britain. The giant gray gelding took a flying leap off the top of the fence, dubbed the Ski Jump, and Leng broke her ankle in the fall— though she still rode her other mount, Master Craftsman, to third, and she didn’t discover the break until later. Though Leng and “Murphy” had won the Burghley Remy Martin Horse Trials in 1986, Ian Stark took over the ride on the notoriously strong horse not long after this incident. Together Stark and Murphy won individual and team silver at the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Games in Sweden.
T R A N S F O R M I N G U N TA M E D P O W E R I N T O B R E AT H TA K I N G PRECISION SEEMS UNTHINKABLE TO SOME. IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO US.
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