The CHRONICLE of the HORSE
THE EQUESTRIAN LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
THE PESSOAS RETURN TO RIO
BRAZIL’S FIRST FAMILY OF SHOW JUMPING HEADS HOME FOR THEIR 12TH OLYMPIC GAMES
FEED THE FLAME OLYMPICS PARTY RECIPES
8
HORSE POWER IN MOTOR CITY
DETROIT’S EQUINE ENGINES FOR CHANGE
FROM SEA TO SKY THE LONG, CURIOUS HISTORY OF GETTING HORSES FROM A TO B
16 MUST-SEE SPOTS IN MILLBROOK, NY
A SUPPLIMENT TO THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE
JULY/AUGUST 2016
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RONALD PICCARI
e state prope rtie s & hor se farms
Lakes, Hills and Horses
old ballender mill farm — 228 acres
hummingbird hill farm
Rolling pastures, forests, creeks, pond, mtn views. Spacious 4 BD, hand hewn log home, wrap-around porches, decks. Guest home, bass pond, grapevines, barn, wkshop. Unlimited possibilities. $3.25M
In Golden Hills of Fairview Farm: Unique floorplan w/ 2 master suites, chef’s kitchen, spa-like bathrooms, media room, sunroom and two FPs. 4-Stall barn, riding arena, paddocks, private trail system. $1.60M
the sanctuary on the green river Exceptional privacy on 14+ acres: woodlands, grasslands, creeks, Green River frontage. Immaculate home: hardwd flrs, kitchen w/ granite tops, office. Separate, large 2BD/2BA guest house. $749K
Advantage Realty 177 N. Trade St. Tryon, NC 28782
828-606-7441 828-859-5454
hh classical farm – turn-key farm On CETA equestrian trail system in the heart of Tryon Hounds hunt country, 3 miles to TIEC. 10-Stall Morton barn, covered arena, equip. barn w/2 stalls. 3BD contemporary home. Mountain views. $899.5K
pine valley farm Contemporary home with pool & awesome mountain views on 16+ acres. In-law suite in lower level with separate entry. 6 stall barn, riding ring, pastures with run-in’s. Separate studio building. $945K
bent oak farm – stirrup downs On 14+ acres, well-appointed, low maintenance, Victorian style home. 2-3 Stall barn, tack room w/laundry, equip. barn, run-in shed and large fenced pasture. On CETA riding trails, 5 mins to TIEC. $890K
LakesHillsAndHorses.com
Home of Tryon International Equestrian Center
BONNIE LINGERFELT Fine Equestrian Properties & Country Homes
think field stone farm Set on 22 tranquil acres: Tom Hollis designed 3 BD/2BA home, stacked stone FP; 3-Stall barn, multiple pastures, riding arena, neighborhood trail system & fully-updated log cabin guest house. $1.250M
think two feathers farm
think motlow creek treasure
Stunning 3 BD/3.5BA Arts & Crafts home on 18+ acres. Well-appointed 3-stall barn, each stall w/separate paddock and pasture. FETA trail system. Guest house. Riding arena. 8 miles to TIEC. $1.150M
Beautiful 4BD/3.5BA, traditional home – quality & elegance abound. The 4-stall barn with meticulously maintained pastures makes this a perfect mini horse farm. 5+ acres. Priced below appraisal. $675K
think bluebird haven
think spacious
Pristine 11+ Acre Horse Farm. 3 BD, 3 BA home. 2+ stall barn w/ wash rack, tack/feed room, space for more stalls. 2 paddocks, 2 pastures & private trails. Mature landscaping, bold creek. 3 min to TIEC. $549.9K
Roomy 4BD/3.5BA home on 30+ acres. Main level with tile entry. All bedrooms are on main level-have spa-like bath. New 4-stall barn w/ matted stalls, tack room, covered trailer parking. 14 mi to TIEC. $599K
TryonProperties.com
think c hoic e s in tryon hor se coun try
think french country elegance Farms at Mill Spring 4BD/4.5BA French country home set on 23 acres. Luxury abounds: soaring ceilings, walnut floors, custom cabinetry, 3 Mendota FPs. Private flagstone balcony & minutes to TIEC. $1.450M
Advantage Realty 177 N. Trade St. Tryon, NC 28782
828-817-0166 828-859-5454
Meet the Arabian Horse at Aljassimya Farm in Santa Ynez, California. pictured: Stallion, Monther Al Nasser by Ansata Hejazi contact: info@aljassimyafarm.com | www.aljassimyafarm.com
Meet the Arabian Horse at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show. Wednesday 21st September 2016. Brought to you by Aljassimya Farm.
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Mount Gordon Farm
Old Goose Creek Farm
Faraway Farm
The Plains, Virginia
Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg Area
128 acres and immaculate 3 level, 13,000+ sq ft stone & shingle main house with 5 BR and 8 FP. Exceptional finishes on every floor. 4-car garage, terraces. Caterer's kitchen, elevator, spa, professional offices. Separate guest cottage, pool, farm manager residence. 3 additional tenant residences. 12 stall center-aisle stable. Extraordinary land with incomparable views extending beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains. Orange County Hunt. $11,750,000.
Immaculate equestrian property in turnkey condition. Exceptional location. Stone home expanded to approx. 7,000 square feet & includes 4 main level suites, lovely gardens, extensive pool, garage apartment & pond. Blackburn designed 6 stall center aisle stable with 70 x 210 indoor arena. Addtional 4 stall barn. Entire property is fenced and cross fenced on 26 acres & 8 paddocks. $5,995,000.
Impeccable solid stone home with copper roof & original portions from the 1700’s. Expanded to include a 1st floor bedroom & 3 additional suites. Original floors in library, den & dining room with 8 fireplaces throughout. 70 acres in a dream-like setting with 2 ponds, mountain views, pastures & stone walls. Home is surrounded by mature gardens, pool & primitive log cabin. Piedmont Hunt. $2,975,000.
Helen MacMahon
Helen MacMahon Paul MacMahon (703) 609-1905
Helen MacMahon
(540) 454-1930
(540) 454-1930
Fairview
Greystone
(540) 454-1930 Ann MacMahon (540) 687-5588
Westwind Farm
Boyce, Virginia
The Plains, Virginia
Middleburg, Virginia
Circa 1904 Colonial home with 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 baths, high ceilings & notable room sizes, gourmet kitchen and 5 fireplaces. 90x200 covered arena, 12 total stalls, main barn redesigned by John Blackburn. 4 bay garage with apartment. 12 paddocks. Asphalt drive & security gate. Heated pool. Property has 2 DUR's and whole house generator. Hilltop setting with mountain views. $2,300,000.
Circa 1807. 33 acres ideally located between Middleburg & The Plains. Rare quarried stone exterior, 10-foot ceilings. Period mantels, original wood floors, two-story front porch. 3 bedrooms/ 3 baths, each a private suite. Historic stone barn includes one bedroom/bath apt, heated tack room, 6 stalls. Carriage barn. 3 paddocks, large turnout field, run-in sheds, auto waterers. Whole farm generator. Pond. Orange County Hunt. $1,900,000.
Classic Middleburg colonial, completely redone in 2009. 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 2 half baths. 2 fireplaces. Gourmet kitchen. Top of the line finishes throughout. 2-car attached garage. Beautifully landscaped. Sweeping unobstructed mountain views. 21.08 gently rolling acres. Fenced & cross fenced. 3 stall barn, tack & hay storage. $1,825,000.
Paul MacMahon
Helen MacMahon
(703) 609-1905
Paul MacMahon
(703) 609-1905
(540) 454-1930
Willow Way Farm
Duck Pond
Middleburg, Virginia
Boyce, Virginia
Bluemont, Virginia
Prime Middleburg location. House completely redone by current owners. Hill top setting with panoramic mountain views. 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Main level master suite. Pine floors. Beautiful millwork. 3 fireplaces. Attached 2-car garage. Beautiful windows. Gracious room sizes. 4-stall barn. Riding ring. Inground pool. Lovely gardens. 31.05 acres recorded in 3 parcels. $1,625,000.
Fine 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house on 39 acres. Well cared for and well maintained. Wrap-around porches. Master bedroom on main level. Kitchen and baths updated. Lovely property. Excellent 4 stall barn with H/C wash stall and heated tack room. Board fencing, paddocks, very good run-in shed. Level land, mostly open. Pond. Invisible fence on 10 acres. Blue Ridge Hunt territory. $1,027,000.
Circa 1860 Virginia Farmhouse, updated & enlarged in 2004. 3/4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, hardwood floors, 3 fireplaces, exposed beams & gourmet kitchen. 10 acres, fenced & cross fenced. 2 stall barn with tack & hay storage. Spring house & smoke house. Protected with mountain views. Piedmont Hunt Territory. $785,000.
Paul MacMahon
Tom Cammack
(703) 609-1905
info@sheridanmacmahon.com www.sheridanmacmahon.com
Palmer’s Mill
(540) 247-5408
Paul MacMahon Helen MacMahon
(703) 609-1905 (540) 454-1930
110 East Washington Street P.O. Box 1380 Middleburg, Virginia 20118 (540) 687-5588
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The C HRONICLE of the HORSE
Untacked VOL. 4, NO. 4
J U LY/ A U G U S T 2 016
44 The Passion Of The Pessoas
62 History: Horse On Board
70 Feature: New Horse Power For Motor City
DIRK CAREMANS/HIPPOFOTO PHOTO
76 Travel: The Wild
West, Any Way You Like It
84 Profile: Blending
Science With Art
44
ON THE COVER: Dirk Caremans/Hippofoto Photo
INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HORSE—KENTUCKY HORSE PARK PHOTO
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ROBIN PETERSON ART
84
RIDE THE LINE KNOW WHERE YOU STAND.
s t n e t n Co Editor’s Letter
20
Contributors
24
Around The Arena
28
Editor’s Picks: Portable Saddle Rack
30
Tech Spotlight: The “Smart Saddle”
34
Test Lab: Fly Masks
38
The Clothes Horse: Gone But Not Forgotten
94
Feed Room: Olympic Games-Inspired Party Food
98
City Guide: Millbrook
106
Film Review: Harry And Snowman
108
Charity Spotlight: Horse & Family Institute
110
Best Of Web & Print
112
Parting Ways
98
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38 PHOTO COURTESY OF INNISFREE GARDEN
18
CATIE STASZAK PHOTO
Departments
EDITOR’S LETTER
Horses And The Art Of Meticulous Noticing
This keen sense for detail and nuance is one of the many things horses can give us, and this gift of attentiveness is something horsemen try to teach successive generations of riders and trainers. In our cover story (p. 44), the Brazilian father-and-son show jumping stars Neco and Rodrigo Pessoa describe it as a foundation for their success, from a lesson first handed down by Neco’s father, Nelson. “That was the advice of my father: observe,” Neco says. “Observe the riders. Observe the horses.” “Horsemanship is being interested in knowing more, in learning,” adds his son Rodrigo. The habit of observing and a desire to learn are valuable far beyond the stable and the riding ring—they’re life skills, too, and that’s prompted some horsemen to bring equines and people together (sometimes in unexpected settings) in order to teach and inspire. Former three-day eventer David Silver’s Detroit Horse Power (p. 70) proposes to build an inner-city equestrian and community center on vacant land in the Motor City; the non-profit already uses equine-based programs to help disadvantaged city kids develop their most empowering characteristics—responsibility, empathy, perseverance, patience and self-confidence—as well as conflict resolution abilities. More than 800 miles away in Jacksonville, N.C., horses at the Horse & Family Institute (p. 108) are helping everyone from troubled spouses to combat veterans improve their interpersonal communications and problem-solving. Meanwhile, in the Northwest, artist and former equine surgeon Robin Peterson (p. 84) has found yet another way to share horse-related knowledge: through layered illustrations of the equine anatomy that reveal what’s going on beneath the surface, quite literally. If you’re interested in horses, chances are you’ve also had new worlds open up to you because of them. I never knew how fascinating veterinary science is until I got my first horse, 18
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for example, and my curiosity about all things equine has introduced me to other ideas, places, and people that I would never have known existed if it hadn’t been for horses. As a result, I’ve gained a wider perspective than I might otherwise have had. That kind of learning tends to excite a greater interest and optimism in those it touches, so it’s only natural that people whose lives have been changed by horses want to pass that positive energy along to others. Horses are always teaching us, whether we’re receptive to—or even conscious of—the lesson at the time. My first pony taught me how to dust myself off, remount and try again. My off-the-track Thoroughbred schooled me in the art of patience and made me a more thoughtful rider. My little paint, Moo, only spoke rudimentary western when we bought him; as he has become more fluent in dressage and jumping, he’s taught me how to communicate more clearly and inspired me to try seeing the world—with all its brightly painted obstacles and human eccentricities—through his eyes. I hope all of these lessons have helped me navigate human society a little more sensitively, too. Each horse has his own language, and so does every person—and wherever these two species can meet, listen to and learn from each other, and begin to communicate, the world surely will be a happier and more peaceful place.
—Glenye Cain Oakford
CHRISTOPHER OAKFORD PHOTO
That’s how a friend of mine, rider and author Susan Nusser, once described a core principle of life around horses: meticulous noticing. I’ve always loved that phraseology, which came to mind again as I read through the stories in this issue. The ability to notice subtle signals—whether with eyes, ears or hands—is vital to good horsemanship. Is that right foreleg slightly larger or two degrees warmer than the left? Does the small scrape on this gelding’s hindquarters suggest he’s being bullied by a pasture mate? Is the change in that mare’s head carriage due to her bit or a tooth problem?
CONTRIBUTORS
In This Issue
Melaina Balbo Phipps
Laura St. Clair
Christina Keim
A native New Yorker, Melaina is a horsewoman and animal lover, a reformed academic and bibliophile, and a freelance writer and editor. She’s a former staff writer for Blood-Horse and has contributed to various equine publications and media sources on topics including Thoroughbred racing and pedigrees, horse welfare, polo and the people and places of the horse world. She looks forward to many more years with her off-the-track Thoroughbred, My Violin.
Laura is a writer, adult amateur dressage rider, and the fresh voice behind the equestrian style blog SHADBELLY. Raised on her family’s farm near Nashville, Laura still holds dear her Middle Tennessee Pony Club pin. She recently returned to her love of all things equestrian after a notable career in commercial real estate. Laura, her husband George, and their two Hanoverians now reside in Litchfield, Conn., and Naples, Fla.
Christina is a self-diagnosed equine addict who has been around or on top of horses for a nearly uninterrupted span of more than 30 years, beginning when she was first given riding lessons “just for the summer.” She has enjoyed many disciplines including hunters, equitation, jumpers, dressage, eventing, Pony Club and, most recently, competitive trail riding. Christina is based at her Cold Moon Farm in Rochester, N.H., and currently is a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire Equine Program, where she also coaches the intercollegiate hunt seat team.
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. Copyright© 2016 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.
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THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE (ISSN 0009-5990) is published January 11, January 25, February 1, February 15, February 22, March 7, March 21, April 4, April 11, April 25, May 2, May 16, May 30, June 6, June 20, July 4, July 11, July 25, August 1, August 15, August 29, September 5, September 19, September 26, October 3, October 17, October 24, November 7, November 14, November 21, November 28, December 12, December 19 and December 26 in 2016 by The Chronicle of the Horse, LLC, 108 The Plains Road, Middleburg, Virginia. Periodicals postage paid at Middleburg, VA and additional mailing offices. THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE UNTACKED is published bimonthly. It is part of your subscription to The Chronicle of the Horse. To order single copies, call 800-877-5467 or e-mail subscriptions@coth.com. SUBSCRIPTION RATES United States and possessions $59.95/yr. Canada $79.95/yr. Foreign (other than Canada) $159.95/yr. For all subscription options see www.coth.com. POSTMASTER SUBMIT ADDRESS CHANGES TO P.O. Box 433288, Palm Coast, Florida 32143-3288 CANADA POST Publications Mail Agreement #40612608 Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C6B2
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The C HRONICLE of the HORSE
Untacked 6OLUME s .UMBER s *ULY !UGUST
produced and published by The Chronicle of the Horse
PUBLISHER
KATHERINE BELLISSIMO PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE EDITOR
BETH RASIN, brasin@coth.com
Editorial EDITOR
GLENYE CAIN OAKFORD, goakford@coth.com MANAGING EDITOR
SARA LIESER , slieser@coth.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR
MOLLY SORGE, msorge@coth.com ASSISTANT EDITOR
LISA SLADE, lslade@coth.com SENIOR REPORTER & MARKETING COORDINATOR
MOLLIE BAILEY, mbailey@coth.com EDITORIAL STAFF
SHARON ROSE, srose@coth.com LINDSAY BERRETH, lberreth@coth.com JENNIFER CALDER, jcalder@coth.com KIMBERLY LOUSHIN, kloushin@coth.com CATIE STASZAK, cstaszak@coth.com ANN GLAVAN, aglavan@coth.com EDITORIAL INTERN
HALEY WEISS, intern@coth.com EDITORIAL PRODUCTION MANAGER
LAUREN FOLEY, lfoley@coth.com
Design & Production ART DIRECTOR
JOSH WALKER, jwalker@coth.com SENIOR DESIGNERS
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tidbits from across the industry
Aroundthe Arena My Faves: !NNA "UFlNI
When Anna Buffini began riding at age 9, she zeroed in on dressage and has never looked back. Now 22, the Del Mar, Calif.-based rider is dominating the CDI Under-25 Grand Prix division, and she successfully took on her elders earlier this year when she topped the open Grand Prix Special on Sundayboy in the Burbank CDI-W (Calif.) on Feb. 25-28. This season, she’s focused on competing in Chicago at the USEF Young Adult “Brentina Cup” National Championship, where she hopes to place on both Sundayboy and Wilton 11. She’s also dedicating every ride this year to fellow competitor Catherine Chamberlain’s mount Verdicci, a gold medal winner at the 2014 Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships who would have been a formidable rival this season had he not died late last year after colicking. Looking ahead, Buffini hopes to someday make a senior international team.
Breeches: Equiline Footwear: DeNiro Food: Acai bowls Drink: Virgin strawberry margaritas Book: Mastery by George Leonard Guilty pleasure: Cheese pizza City: San Diego Memory in the saddle: When Sundayboy and I rode our LISA SLADE PHOTO
Young Rider team test to win the national championship in 2014. It was so harmonious, and we were really clicking. To really be able to nail it at a championship on the final day was definitely my favorite ride ever.
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On Deck Competition venue: Gladstone
(N.J.) was incredible.
Mark your calendar with these upcoming important dates.
Shop for non-horsey items:
Lululemon
Quote: “Success comes in life
when you simply refuse to give up with goals so strong that obstacles, failure and loss only act as motivation.” Workout exercise: Push-ups
with my feet on a yoga ball and my hands on the hard back of a bosu ball Quality in a person: Honesty Dressage move: Passage Family activity: Playing sports
together Emoji: The laughing face with
the tears coming out Late night snack: Vegan
protein bars T-shirt: It says, “Do what you
love; love what you do.” Type of restaurant: Italian Sport to watch: Gymnastics Song: “Break Every Chain” by
Tasha Cobbs Picture in your house: A
family picture of us in Hawaii, which is our favorite spot
X July 27-28 On Chincoteague’s Pony Swim Day, the “Saltwater Cowboys” will round up wild ponies on coastal Virginia’s Assateague Island and swim them across the Assateague Channel to neighboring Chincoteague Island. The swim takes place at “slack tide,” a 30-minute period between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. when there is no current; organizers announce the exact swim time earlier in the week of the swim. The first foal to come ashore is named King or Queen Neptune and given away in a raffle, while the others head to auction at the local fairgrounds on July 28. Proceeds from the auction benefit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. To learn more— including other events around the swim and the exact time the ponies will cross the channel—visit chincoteague.com. X May 6-July 31 The National Sporting Library in Middleburg, Va., is hosting an exhibition of 19th-century French equine art, The French Horse from Géricault to Picasso: Works from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, through the end of July. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has drawn on its extensive holdings—including pieces from the collection of the late Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon—to organize a group of more than 40 works in a variety of media. Pablo Picasso’s 1905 oil Jester on Horseback is only one jewel among pieces by Edgar Degas, Isidore-Jules Bonheur and Raoul Dufy, among others. nsl.org. X Aug. 12 That’s the day the wildly popular race mares Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra enter U.S. Thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame
in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The 10:30 a.m. ceremony takes place at historic Fasig-Tipton, the Thoroughbred auction house across Union Avenue from famed Saratoga Race Course. Tickets are required, but they’re free of charge. Rachel Alexandra, whose victories included the 2009 Preakness Stakes (Md.), was racing’s Horse of the Year in 2009. Zenyatta, beaten just once in her 20-race career, was 2010’s Horse of the Year. Racingmuseum.net.
C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF RACING AND HALL OF FAME
Anything that can win. Right now Sundayboy is easily my favorite horse to ride—he’s a Dutch Warmblood. He’s so strong, but he’s so light in the contact. He moves beautifully, and he has a great brain.
JAY DIEM PHOTO
Type of horse to ride:
JULY/AUGUST 2016
25
Where you FLY before you RIDE Asheville Regional Airport your easy connection to Tryon International Equestrian Center Frequent Daily Flights ALLEGIANT | AMERICAN | DELTA | UNITED
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C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
JULY/AUGUST 2016
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Finally, A Proper Ride For Your Saddle
CATIE STASZAK PHOTOS
EDITOR’S PICKS
By CATIE STASZAK
M
y saddle is my prized possession. A college graduation present from my parents, my CWD comes with me just about everywhere. When I recently dropped d my car off to be serviced, I drovee p a half hour back to the dealership to get my saddle from my trunk, k, because I didn’t want to leave it there overnight. The mechanic nic asked me if I was coming to check on my “baby,” in reference to my vehicle. I said, “Yes,” and grabbed my saddle. The look he gave me was priceless. I’m on the road a lot, and it’s important to me that my saddle is always properly supported and stored. I’d cringe when I’d hear it fall forwards or backwards in the trunk of my car every time I turned a corner or tapped the brakes. I wanted a proper rack for my saddle’s car trips, but after hours of searching, I began to question whether such a thing even existed. Then I found Tripp Chiles’ Penrose Woodworking on Etsy. Chiles, located in Penrose, N.C., creates standing saddle racks for vehicles. He got the idea about five years ago from his wife Bonnie, an avid hunter/jumper rider. After creating several prototypes and giving the saddle racks away as birthday and Christmas gifts, he decided to put his
28 JULY/AUGUST 2016
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product on the market. He makes the stands in his personal shop and sends orders out across the United States. The racks are handmade of a finely crafted stained wood—oak, poplar or birch. The standard saddle racks are 14" high, 15" wide and 24" long, but they can also be made to accommodate longerflapped dressage saddles. My standardsized version easily fits in the back of my trunk and is short enough with a saddle on it to also be fully obscured by my trunk cover, keeping my saddle out of sight from passers-by while I’m out and about. Chiles covers all the bases with this stand. It has felt on its underside so that it can’t scratch the car’s interior. It’s incredibly durable and waterproof—which comes in handy when your saddle is sweaty after a midsummer ride. Mine doesn’t have a scratch on it and hasn’t faded, easily holding up to the rigors of a traveling equestrian lifestyle. The stand also comes with a drawer that perfectly fits underneath, allowing for
the most organized car trunk a horse person has ever seen. It boasts enough room to store my half-chaps, gloves, spurs and more. Your saddle will not budge, even when you’re running late for a riding lesson and overestimate the duration of a yellow light. Instead of balancing the saddle along a center support under the gullet, the stand provides a more stable base, supporting the saddle along the panels on each side. It’s lightweight and easy to transport if you need to clear out your trunk for more space or simply want to bring the entire stand with you into the tack room when you arrive at the barn. Every time I open my trunk to get my saddle out before a ride, someone new gushes over my saddle stand and asks where I got it. When I pack up for this summer’s travel, I’ll be packing around my saddle rack. Penrose Woodworking’s portable saddle racks come in a variety of wood stains, including special walnut, dark walnut, cherry, mahogany and natural blonde, among others, providing options to match your car interior—or your stall doors. You can purchase one directly from penrosewood.com for $70.
TECH SPOTLIGHT
The World’s First “Smart Saddle� Voltaire’s new Blue Wing saddle can tell which horse you’re riding, how long that horse’s stride is, and it even knows what courses you jump, relaying all the data back to an app on your phone. By A N N GL AVA N Photos courtesy of VOLTA IR E
E
ver since someone first dared to swing a leg over a horse thousands of years ago, people have been coming up with different ways to improve the ride with a saddle. But it wasn’t until recently we had the technology to make saddles more than a device to aid your seat. When connected products first started coming on the market in the form of activity trackers and phone apps, Voltaire Saddlery’s Brice Gouget wondered, “Why not horses?� What if your saddle could collect and report data to improve the rider, the horse, the whole athletic team? “The first version of the saddle was made less than a year ago,� Gouget said. “Everyone involved had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, and even within the company nobody knew about the product.�
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The Blue Wing saddle features a SmartRide™ tree, A CARBON lBER POLYURETHANE BLEND TREE WITH EXTRA mEXIBLE POINTS TO ALLOW FOR MORE SHOULDER FREEDOM
Gouget hosted a posh launch party at The Breakers Club in Palm Beach, Fla., and even Voltaire-sponsored riders like Beezie Madden were in the dark about what was to be unveiled. Gouget whipped a black cloth cover off a large glass case and revealed his masterpiece: the Blue Wing saddle, the first saddle capable of collecting and transmitting data. “There are two parts,� Gouget explained. “There is a chip in the saddle, and in the girth there is another chip, a geo-sensor that gives you ups and downs and steps.� Everything is connected through Bluetooth, and the saddle has a battery system that can be removed and charged. The battery charge should last about a week for the rider working one horse per day or a few days for a busy professional.
The app receives the information and organizes it into ride-by-ride and historical-per-horse data sets. The tricky part wasn’t actually collecting the data. It was figuring out how to organize the information in a useful fashion. “We found a few things that are easy to understand,� Gouget said. “It tells you how much time you spend at each gait. It tells you if you work more on the left hand or right hand. It analyzes the symmetry of your horse; it can detect if your horse is lame. It analyzes the length of the stride, the jumps, the number of jumps, and the intensity of the sessions.� While the cost of the saddle may limit its initial market share—it retails starting at $6,900—Gouget believes the Blue Wing will benefit everyone who rides in it. “I think the amateur
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This fantastic equestrian property on over 3 acres consists of a 12 stall barn and a 9,000+/- square foot home totally renovated in 2011. 7KH HTXHVWULDQ IHDWXUHV LQFOXGH SDGGRFNV KRUVH ZDONHU RYHUVL]H arena and a 2 groom’s quarters consisting of a 2 bedroom apartment and a studio with bath and kitchenette. The residence features a heated SRRO J\P RIÀ FH ODUJH IDPLO\ URRP JRXUPHW NLWFKHQ EHGURRPV bathrooms, a media room and outdoor BBQ. The village will soon be paving the road and providing public water and sewer service.
."3*" .&/%&-40)/ 3&"-503 "440$*"5& 7 &OREST (ILL "OULEVARD 7ELLINGTON 3TE &, # WWW MARIAMENDELSOHN COM © 2015 Douglas Elliman Real Estate. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings DUH GHHPHG UHOLDEOH EXW VKRXOG EH YHULÀ HG E\ \RXU RZQ DWWRUQH\ DUFKLWHFW RU ]RQLQJ H[SHUW (TXDO +RXVLQJ 2SSRUWXQLW\
TECH SPOTLIGHT
Voltaire bills the Blue Wing saddle as the world’s ďŹ rst “smart saddle,â€? A SADDLE WITH CONNECTED TECHNOLOGY TO MONITOR DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF YOUR RIDE AND SEND DATA BACK TO A CELL PHONE APP
who rides one horse is going to look at the data on a daily basis,â€? Gouget said. “The pro, I think, is mostly going to look at the macro data: What’s going on with different horses, trends, how is it different one month to the other, is there a pattern where, if this happens to the horse, does this other thing happen? “I think it’s a really good tool to say, ‘Hey, this is what happened in the training session; look at how it was translated in the data,’ â€? he continued. In addition to the connected technology, the Blue Wing saddle also uses a SmartRide™ tree, a technology originally developed by Tad Coffin. Voltaire utilized the unique tree design for its emphasis on fitting the horse in motion. “It comes with really flexible tree points, so it gives a lot of freedom to the shoulder of the horse,â€? explained Gouget. “We say it’s a smart tree because the whole tree understands how the horse moves and is going to move with it, so it’s a saddle that really maximizes the horse’s potential.â€? The Blue Wing is the lightest saddle
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Voltaire makes, and that’s due to the new combination of materials used in the tree. “A carbon-fiber tree alone is, in my opinion, a bad solution, because carbon fiber propagates vibration,� Gouget said. “Tennis rackets are not made out of carbon fiber only anymore, because it created injuries. So our tree incorporates some carbon fiber, but we also take polyurethane, so it really can reabsorb the vibration or shock.�
The Blue Wing features an ultratacky calf leather to help riders stick in the saddle, and it’s produced in an environmentally friendly manner. “This leather is tanned without chrome, so it’s more eco-friendly,� Gouget explained. “There’s no metal in the tanning process.� Chromium sulfate is widely regarded as the most cost effective and efficient way to tan leather, but the runoff it creates is carcinogenic and can cause health problems when it enters the water supply. And there is one more fun, new feature on the Blue Wing. Voltaire saddles have traditionally been identifiable by the blue, white and brown stripes on the gullet, but Gouget said they will now offer custom colors. Voltaire’s website gives examples of brushed aluminum (as either a color or the actual material) and blue alligator leather, but Voltaire will try to make any color or design a rider wants. “We want everybody to express their potential,� Gouget said. “It’s true for our horses and our riders: We want them to really be able to express themselves.�
Voltaire saddles are traditionally identiďŹ able by their blue, brown and white striped gullets, BUT A NEW SET OF COLORS AND MATERIALS DEBUTS WITH THE "LUE 7ING SADDLE INCLUDING ALLIGATOR LEATHER AND BRUSHED ALUMINUM
The Winning Formula for Champions
The ONLY FDA approved equine PSGAG for the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the carpal and hock joints proven to: s DIMINISH the destructive processes of degenerative joint disease s REVERSE the processes which result in the loss of cartilage components s IMPROVE overall joint function and associated lameness Available for order! For more information about equine joint health and treatment with Adequan® i.m., please visit www.adequan.com.
Georgina Bloomberg and Lilli won the Adequan® Grand Prix CSI 3* at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL. INDICATIONS For the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal and hock joints in horses.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
There are no known contraindications to the use of intramuscular Adequan® i.m. brand Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan in horses. Studies have not been conducted to establish safety in breeding horses. WARNING: Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Not for use in humans. Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children. CAUTION: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Please see Full Prescribing Information at www.adequan.com. Adequan® and the Horse Head design are registered trademarks of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. © Luitpold Animal Health, division of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2016. Image of Georgina Bloomberg and Lilli © Sportfot® used with permission. AHD189 Rev. 2/2016
TEST LAB
Shoo Fly, Out Of My Eye A fly mask’s job is simple: keep flies out of a horse’s eyes and sometimes ears, and perhaps block dust and debris during a trailer ride. But at the same time, we do ask a lot of them. They must stay secure in all weather, and they must survive playful pasture mates, tree branches, mud, and the general wear-and-tear horses put them through. We put six to the test. By LISA SLADE
Cashel Crusader Fly Mask 4HE #ASHEL #RUSADER &LY -ASK IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MASKS ON THE MARKET AND IT S THE MASK NEARLY EVERY HORSE AT MY BARN WEARS 4HOUGH ) LIKE THE mUFFY mEECE LININGS ON SOME OF THE MASKS ) DO WORRY ABOUT mEECE ANYTHING BEING JUST TOO HOT DURING A 4ENNESSEE SUMMER 3O ) APPRECIATE THE LINING OF THE #ASHEL MASKS WHICH IS MORE OF A FELT OR VERY TIGHT KNIT mEECE )T DOESN T RUB BUT IT ALSO DOESN T MAKE A HORSE SWEAT MORE THAN USUAL ) ALSO LIKE THE FORELOCK HOLE DESIGN ON THIS MASK IT S IN A TRIANGLE SHAPE OVER THE FOREHEAD AND YOU SIMPLY THREAD THE HAIR UP THROUGH IT ) LIKED THE lT THE EYE DARTS LINED UP IN THE CORRECT PLACE AND IT STILL LOOKED PRETTY GOOD AT THE END OF ITS TEST PERIOD WITH ONLY MINOR SIGNS OF WEAR 4HE DOUBLE LOCKING 6ELCRO DOESN T FEEL AS STRONG AS SOMEˆIT WAS YET ANOTHER MASK MY HORSE MANAGED TO TAKE OFF DURING NIGHTLY TURNOUTˆBUT ) LIKED THE ELASTIC AROUND THE 6ELCRO BAND FOR COMFORT 3INCE BOTH THE lT AND COMFORT FACTOR ARE HIGH WITH THIS BRAND ) D SAY THIS IS A GOOD OPTION "UT BE PREPARED TO REPLACE YOUR MASK AT LEAST ONCE A SEASON IF YOU HAVE AN AGGRESSIVELY PLAYFUL HORSE AND YOU MAY SPEND SOME TIME SEARCHING FOR IT IN THE lELD ONCE EVERY FEW WEEKS 4HE MASKS COME WITH OR WITHOUT EARS AND WITH OR WITHOUT THE LONG NOSE COVER )T S AVAILABLE AT VARIOUS ONLINE RETAILERS FOR WITHOUT EARS AND WITH EARS CashelCompany.com.
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Farnam SuperMask Mask II 4HE &ARNAM 3UPER-ASK IS THE OLD S THE OLD STANDBY IT S BEEN AROUND FOR D FOR YEARS NOW 3O CLEARLY &ARNAM HAS NAM HAS CTING PUT SOME TIME INTO PERFECTING THEIR DESIGN 4HERE S A LOT TO LIKE ABOUT THIS MASK )T SEEMS S COMFORTABLE FOR THE HORSE E WITH mEECE AROUND THE EARS AND NOSE AND IT HAS WELL FORMED EYE DARTS )T DElNITELY KEEPS AWAY THE mIES )T NOW COMES IN A COOL SELECTION OF N OF h3HIMMER 7EAVEv COLORS DESIGNED TO ACCENT DESIGNED TO ACCENT YOUR HORSE S COLORING "UT THERE WERE A FEW DOWNSIDES TOO 7HILE THE MESH FEELS STURDY AND DIDN T SHOW ANY WEAR DURING THE TEST PERIOD ) FELT LIKE THIS MASK MIGHT NEED SOME HELP WITH SIZING /N MY DAINTY 4HOROUGHBRED ONE SIZE WAS TOO LARGE IN THE NOSE AND JAW BUT THEN THE SMALLER SIZE WHICH lT WELL IN THOSE AREAS HAD THE EYE DARTS IN SLIGHTLY THE WRONG PLACE (OWEVER ON MY RETIRED 4HOROUGHBRED CROSS THE HORSE SIZE WAS JUST lNE 4HE MASK NEVER RUBBED EITHER HORSE 4HE 6ELCRO ON THIS MASK FEELS MORE THAN ADEQUATE BUT IT WAS ONE MY TEST SUBJECT GOT OFF ONCEˆWITH THE 6ELCRO STILL INTACT (OWEVER ONCE ISN T BAD AND IT CLEARLY WASN T A mAW WITH THE ACTUAL ATTACHMENT PERHAPS JUST THE WORK OF AN EXTRA CRAFTY EQUINE 4HE REGULAR MASK WITHOUT EARS IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST ECONOMICAL ON THE MARKET )T SEEMS LIKE AN EXCELLENT OPTION IF YOU HAVE A FULL BARN YOU NEED TO OUTlT AT ONCE OR IF YOU JUST WANT A RELIABLY GOOD MASK FOR YOUR NORMAL SIZED HORSES !VAILABLE AT VARIOUS ONLINE RETAILERS FOR WITHOUT EARS AND WITH EARS Farnamhorse.com/supermask/index.htm
5
TESTER’S CHOICE Kensington Protective Products
Fly Mask With Fleece Trim HE +ENSINGTON mY MASK HAS SOME OF THE BEST REVIEWS ONLINEˆAND FOR GOOD REASON IN MY EXPERIENCE 4HE MASK FEELS STURDY THE FACE IS MADE OF 4EXTILINE MESH A 06# COATED POLYESTER DESIGNED FOR DURABILITY AND IT CERTAINLY FEELS THAT WAY WHEN YOU TOUCH IT 4HE FABRIC ALSO BLOCKS PERCENT OF 56 RAYS WHICH IS A BONUS FOR HORSES WITH EYE CONDITIONS OR INJURIES )N ADDITION THE DOUBLE LOCKING 6ELCRO IS SOME OF THE STRONGEST ) FELT )N FACT THE lRST TIME ) TOOK IT OFF MY HORSE IT WAS SO LOUD THAT SHE ACTUALLY JUMPED BACK A BIT 3HE QUICKLY GOT USED TO IT 4HERE ARE DOUBLE EYE DARTS WHICH HELP THE MASK HOLD ITS SHAPE MEANING ) NEVER WORRIED THE MASK MIGHT IRRITATE HER EYES BY TOUCHING THEM 4HE ATTACHMENT HAS ELASTIC FOR ADDED COMFORT 4HIS MASK NEVER CAME OFF IN TURNOUT AND IT DIDN T SHOW ANY SIGNS OF WEAR WHATSOEVER AFTER ITS TEST PERIOD 0RETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES BUT ) LIKED THE DIFFERENT COLORS OF PLAID AVAILABLE )F THERE IS A DOWNSIDE TO THIS MASK IT S ONLY THAT THE MATERIAL IS SO HEAVY AND STURDY IT FEELS LIKE IT COULD BE A BIT WARMER
T
FOR THE HORSE WEARING IT 4HE +ENSINGTON MASKS ALSO COME IN A WEB TRIMMED VERSION IN CASE YOU DON T WANT mEECE ON YOUR HORSE S FACE IN THE DEAD OF SUMMER AND OPTIONS ALSO INCLUDE THE LONG NOSE AND EAR COVERS )F YOU RE SEEKING AN ENTIRE COORDINATED WARDROBE FOR YOUR EQUINE THERE ARE ALSO mY SHEETS AND WRAPS AVAILABLE IN MATCHING COLOR SCHEMES !S AN ADDED BONUS +ENSINGTON MASKS CARRY A LIFETIME WARRANTY )T S MORE EXPENSIVE THAN SOME OPTIONS BUT ) THINK THIS MASK STANDS A GOOD CHANCE OF LASTING MORE THAN ONE FULL SEASON !VAILABLE AT VARIOUS ONLINE RETAILERS FOR WITHOUT EARS AND WITH EARS Kensingtonproducts.com.
With a snake or ostrich printed cuff you’re bound to make a statement in the Limited Edition Heritage Ellipse.
KNOW WHERE YOU STAND.
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TEST LAB
Noble OutямБtters Guardsman Fly Mask
Absorbine UltraShield Fly Mask
)N A lELD OF HORSES WEARING MORE TRADITIONAL MASKS THE 'UARDSMAN STANDS OUT 4HE lT AND OVERALL APPEARANCE OF THIS MASK ARE UNUSUAL IT MADE MY HORSE LOOK A BIT LIKE AN ALIEN WHICH SHE PROBABLY DIDN T MIND SINCE SHE DIDN T HAVE ANY BUGS IN HER EYES .OBLE /UTlTTERS &LEX 3PLINE 4ECHNOLOGY hCREATES A CANOPY AWAY FROM A HORSE S EYES v ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY S WEBSITE AND THE MASK ALSO FEATURES SOME ADDITIONAL CONTOURING TO KEEP BUGS FROM GETTING INSIDE THE MASK !T lRST ) THOUGHT THE MASK WAS TOO BIG BUT WHEN ) LOOKED AT PHOTOS ) REALIZED THAT S JUST HOW IT S SUPPOSED TO lT 4HE MESH ON THIS MASK FEELS STURDY AND IT STILL LOOKED GOOD AFTER ITS TEST PERIOD 4HE DOUBLE LOCKING 6ELCRO SEEMED STRONG BUT MY HORSE DID REMOVE IT A FEW TIMES ) M NOT SURE IF THAT WAS A WEAKNESS WITH THE 6ELCRO ITSELF OR WHETHER ITS UNUSUAL AND SLIGHTLY BULKY DESIGN MADE IT EASIER FOR A PASTURE MATE TO HELP REMOVE 7HILE THE HORSES FORELOCKS NESTLE NEATLY INSIDE ON THE PEAKS OF THE MASK ) DO PREFER ONES WHERE YOU CAN THREAD THE FORELOCK OUT THROUGH A HOLE !LL VERSIONS OF THIS MASK COME WITH A 6ELCRO REMOVABLE NOSE COVER┬ИA NICE FEATURE
4HIS MASK S MESH FEELS LIGHTER THAN SOME OF THE OTHERS AND INDEED IT PROVED SLIGHTLY LESS DURABLE PICKING UP SOME SMALL SNAGS IN THE TESTING PROCESS )T WAS ALSO ANOTHER MASK THAT JUST DIDN T SUIT MY 4HOROUGHBRED FROM A SIZING STANDPOINT THE LARGER SIZE WAS TOO BIG AND THE SMALLER ONE PLACED THE EYE DARTS IN THE WRONG PLACE SO THAT THEY ACTUALLY SEEMED LIKE THEY COULD TOUCH HER EYES )T lT OTHER HORSES AT THE BARN lNE 4HIS MASK HAD SOME DElNITE UPSIDES 4HE 6ELCRO WAS STURDY AND THE MASK NEVER CAME OFF 7HILE THE lNER MESH DOESN T SEEM AS DURABLE AS SOME OF THE OTHER MASKS ) LIKED THAT IT FELT LIGHTER COOLER AND SOFTER )NTERESTINGLY THE DIAMOND KNIT AROUND THE EARS AND THE EAR COVERS THEMSELVES ARE DESIGNED FROM HUMAN ATHLETIC CLOTHES FABRICS 4HE 5LTRA3HIELD MASK MIGHT BE A NICE OPTION FOR A HORSE WHO S VERY SENSITIVE ABOUT HIS OR HER FACE AND PRONE TO RUBS )F ) WERE A HORSE OUTSIDE ON A HOT DAY ) D PROBABLY CHOOSE THIS MASK PROVIDED IT WAS THE CORRECT SIZE 4HE FABRIC ALSO BLOCKS PERCENT OF 56 RAYS
4HE 'UARDSMAN COMES WITH AND WITHOUT EARS IN BLACK AND GOLD !VAILABLE AT VARIOUS ONLINE RETAILERS FOR WITH AND WITHOUT EARS NobleoutямБtters.com
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)T S AVAILABLE WITH OR WITHOUT EARS AT VARIOUS ONLINE RETAILERS FOR WITHOUT EARS AND WITH EARS Absorbine.com/ products/ямВy-control/ultrashield-ямВy-mask.
MannaPro Opti-Force Equine Fly Mask 4HE -ANNA0RO /PTI &ORCE MASK OFFERS SOME UNUSUAL FEATURES &OR STARTERS IT S TREATED WITH PERMETHRIN INSECT REPELLENT AN ADDITIONAL BARRIER AGAINST ANNOYING PESTS 4HE COMPANY SAYS THE TREATMENT SHOULD LAST ABOUT WASHINGS 9OU CAN T SMELL THE PERMETHRIN OR FEEL IT IN ANY WAY 4HE MESH ON THE MASK IS VERY LIGHT┬ИGOOD WHEN IT COMES TO A HORSE WEARING IT OUTSIDE IN THE HEAT BUT A POTENTIAL DOWNSIDE IN TERMS OF DURABILITY 4HE MASK HAS TWO DOUBLE LOCKING 6ELCRO CLOSURES AND MY TEST SUBJECT NEVER GOT THIS MASK OFF 4HE MESH IS SO LIGHT ESPECIALLY THE PART THAT GOES UNDER THE JAW THAT ) ASSUMED SHE D TEAR IT ON THE lRST NIGHT OF TURNOUT BUT SHE ACTUALLY KEPT IT INTACT DURING THE TEST PERIOD )T S MUCH STRONGER THAN IT LOOKS "UT THE LIGHT MESH lTS LOOSELY AROUND THE FACE AND ) WORRIED THAT THE LACK OF DElNED EYE DARTS WOULDN T KEEP IT OUT MY HORSE S EYES AND FACE )T DID SEEM TO TOUCH HER EYELASHES AT TIMES ESPECIALLY IF ) DIDN T BEND THE FABRIC OUT A LITTLE BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THOUGH THAT CERTAINLY NEVER SEEMED TO UPSET HER )T ALSO SEEMED COOLER THAN SOME OF THE HEAVIER WEAVES 4HE EDGES ARE MADE OF A WEBBING MATERIAL THAT DOESN T FEEL SUPER SOFT BUT WHICH NEVER RUBBED HER FACE /VERALL THIS IS A GOOD OPTION IF YOU PRIORITIZE A TREATED MASK !VAILABLE AT A NUMBER OF ONLINE RETAILERS FOR Mannapro.com/products/ямВy-control
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THE CLOTHES HORSE
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN It’s a hard truth every horse ownerr faces: ive as long Our beloved equines simply don’t live as we do. Saying goodbye can be devastating. evastating. But having a physical object like a jewel, a work of art, or even a memorial stone in your horse’s honor can ease the grieving mbrance. process and provide a unique remembrance.
QUEEN CITY ECLECTICS CREMATION URN PENDANT +EEP YOUR HORSE S MEMORY CLOSE WITH THIS NECKLACE AND PENDANT DESIGNED TO HOLD A SYMBOLIC PINCH OF ASHES OR A STRAND OR TWO OF PRECIOUS HAIR 3TAINLESS STEEL " CHAIN WITH A WATER RESISTANT ALUMINUM CYLINDER THAT CAN BE ENGRAVED PLUS ENGRAVING Stores.eBay.com/QueenCityEclectics.
By L AU R A S T. CL A IR
MARY SAND STUDIO 3CULPTOR AND PAINTER -ARY 3AND CAPTURES THE MAGIC OF OUR MAGNIlCENT HORSES IN HER HIGHLY ACCLAIMED WORKS &ROM TABLETOP TO TROPHY TO LIFE SIZED WORKS 3AND S MASTERY OF MOVEMENT AND CHARACTER AND HER SKILL WITH ANATOMICAL ACCURACY ARE EVIDENT IN PIECES LIKE THE LIFE SIZED BRONZE Hickstead WHICH IS ON PERMANENT DISPLAY AT 3PRUCE -EADOWS IN #ALGARY !LBERTA 0RICES FOR A LIMITED EDITION SCULPTURE START AT ABOUT AND COMMISSIONED WORK PRICING IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST EquineSculptor.com
LIFEGEM ,IFE'EM WILL CREATE A CERTIlED DIAMOND FROM THE ASHES OR HAIR OF YOUR BELOVED EQUINE PARTNER "ECAUSE REMAINS HAVE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON THE RATIOS OF ELEMENTS NO TWO DIAMONDS ARE EXACTLY ALIKE 0RICES START AT LifeGem.com
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VALERIE SEABERG (IGHLY ACCLAIMED 7YOMING ARTIST 6ALERIE 3EABERG MELDS MELDS HAND BUILT CLAY FORMS WITH WOVEN ORGANICS TO CREATE PIECES PIECES WITH A LIFE ALL THEIR OWN 5SING HAIR FROM YOUR HORSE 3EABERG 3EABERG WILL CREATE A MUSEUM QUALITY WORK THAT WILL RETELL YOUR STORY R STORY IN TEXTURE MOVEMENT PATTERN AND MATERIAL FOR GENERATIONS ATIONS TO COME 0RICES START AT FOR A SMALL VESSEL 4HE WAVE E WAVE PIECES SHOWN ARE ABOUT ValerieSeaberg.com. om.
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THE CLOTHES HORSE
PERPETUA LIFE JEWELS EQUESTRIAN LJ PENDANT !RE HORSES IN YOUR $.! 0ERPETUA ,IFE *EWELS CREATES SHIMMERING PENDANT NECKLACES THAT ENCASE A UNIQUE DOUBLE HELIX OF YOUR HORSE S $.! 0ERPETUA CAN EVEN COMBINE $.! SAMPLES IN A MEMORIAL TO YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUR HORSE #HOOSE FROM HELIX COLORS LIKE hBAYv AND hCHESTNUTv OR GO FOR CONTRAST WITH GEM INSPIRED TONES OF TURQUOISE OR EMERALD 0RICES FOR THE CLASSIC ,IFE *EWEL IN STERLING SILVER START AT PerpetuaDNAJewels.com
DENISE DONOVAN
PICTURES IN STONE (AVE A SPECIAL RESTING PLACE ON YOUR FARM FOR YOUR BELOVED PARTNER -ARK IT ELEGANTLY WITH A LASER ENGRAVED MEMORIAL STONE FROM 0ICTURES )N 3TONE 9OUR PHOTOS POEMS OR SPECIAL SENTIMENTS WILL BE ETCHED IN IMPORTED BLACK GRANITE THAT WILL SERVE AS A REMINDER OF YOUR ENDURING BOND 4HE STONE LIES mUSH TO THE GROUND FOR EASE OF CARE AND MOWING 0RICES FROM TO DEPENDING ON SIZE PicturesInStone.com.
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(ORSEHAIR POTTERY AND JEWELRY ARE THIS 0ENNSYLVANIA BASED ARTIST S SPECIALTY $ENISE $ONOVAN HAS MEMORIALIZED 'RAND 0RIX DRESSAGE SUPERSTARS SUCH AS "RENTINA 2HETT AND -YTHILUS WITH HER HORSEHAIR POTTERY A TECHNIQUE IN WHICH HAIRS ARE BURNED INTO THE POTTERY S SURFACE TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL LINES #HOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF STATUES FOR ONE THAT BEST RESEMBLES YOUR HORSE 4HE HORSEHAIR YOU PROVIDE WHICH TURNS BLACK IN THE lRING PROCESS REGARDLESS OF ORIGINAL COLOR MAKES EACH PIECE UNIQUE !LTERNATIVELY CUSTOM PAINTING OF THE SCULPTURES IS ALSO AVAILABLE 7ITH HER 2ESIN 3TONE (EART 0ENDANT $ONOVAN ARTFULLY CAPTURES A FEW WISPS OF MANE IN RESIN AND STERLING SILVER 7ITH THE RESIN PROCESS THE HAIR RETAINS ITS ORIGINAL COLOR &OR A MODERN TWIST $ONOVAN INCORPORATES CREMATION ASH INTO A LAYERED STERLING SILVER RING 0RICES FOR CUSTOM PAINTED OR lRED SCULPTURES START AT AND JEWELRY AT MyHorseArt.com
THE CLOTHES HORSE KENTUCKY HORSE PARK CELEBRATION WALL PLAQUE
JAMES SHAMBHU PHOTO
4HE +ENTUCKY (ORSE 0ARK &OUNDATION S #ELEBRATION 7ALL LOCATED IN THE PARK S -ILLER "ARN OFFERS A LASTING MEMORIAL THAT ALSO SUPPORTS THE PARK S COMPETITION FACILITIES 4HE FOUNDATION OFFERS THREE PLAQUE SIZES RANGING FROM " BY " TO " BY " AND ALL PROCEEDS GO TO MAINTAINING OR IMPROVING THE +ENTUCKY (ORSE 0ARK S BARNS FOOTING AND SHOW ARENAS 0RICES RANGE FROM TO KHPFoundation.org
NANNA SALMI JEWELRY !NCIENT TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS COME TOGETHER IN SLEEK MODERN HORSEHAIR JEWELRY FROM %UROPEAN DESIGNER .ANNA 3ALMI 4HE NANNASALMI» COLLECTION INCLUDES HEIRLOOM QUALITY HANDMADE BRACELETS NECKLACES AND BROOCHES AS WELL AS TIE BARS AND CUFmINKS THAT FEATURE WOVEN HORSEHAIR WITH PRECIOUS METALS AND DIAMONDS 0RICES START AT ABOUT NannaSalmi.com
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COVER STORY
DIRK CAREMANS/HIPPOFOTO PHOTO
“My father’s life IS ONLY ABOUT HORSES v 2ODRIGO 0ESSOA SAYS OF .ECO 0ESSOA h(ORSES FROM DAY TO NIGHT AND THAT HASN T CHANGED (E STILL GIVES VERY GOOD ADVICE x +NOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE ARE NOT THINGS YOU CAN TEACH THEY ARE SOMETHING YOU ACQUIRE AND HE IS VERY GENEROUS IN SHARING IT v
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The
PASSION Of The
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro bring a family legacy full circle for Neco and Rodrigo Pessoa, Brazil’s father and son show jumping legends. BY JENNIFER B. C ALDER
They were clever hiding spots, he thought. Sure, the first one under the bed was a bit predictable, but the clothes hamper seemed ingenious. But that, too, had been discovered, and now 7-year-old Nelson “Neco” Pessoa stood petrified on trembling legs in the riding arena of the Deodoro Military Club outside of Rio de Janeiro, dwarfed by the equine before him. His father, a real estate developer and amateur show jumper also named Nelson, had insisted—he wanted to mitigate Neco’s fear of horses and other animals—and so the younger Pessoa choked back panic and forced himself to climb into the saddle. That was in 1943. Now, 73 years later, legendary show jumper Neco Pessoa will stand ringside on those very same grounds and proudly cheer on his own son, the equally famous Rodrigo Pessoa, and the rest of team Brazil in the 2016 Olympic Games, to be held for the first time in South America, Aug. 5-21. Many of the original structures from Neco’s childhood remain at the military sports complex in Deodoro, and the poignancy of his return is not lost on him.
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COVER STORY
PHOTO COURTESY OF PESSOA FAMILY
“It’s incredible! I was just there visiting, and it’s the same arena, the same door! They haven’t changed anything; it’s absolutely the same place,� he marvels. “I would like to jump in the Olympics there, if it were possible,� adds the octogenarian with a laugh. “But it’s a little too late.� It is not too late for Rodrigo, however. And when the dynastic duo returns home to Brazil—one as anchor of the show jumping team, the other as a mentor and father— they’ll bring the family’s riding legacy, which started with grandfather Nelson and continued with Neco despite his rather inauspicious beginning, satisfyingly full circle.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PESSOA FAMILY
While Neco Pessoa WAS AWAY SHOWING HORSES FOR LONG PERIODS YOUNG 2ODRIGO DEVELOPED A CLOSE BOND WITH HIS MOTHER 2EGINA A NON RIDER
Unlike his own father .ECO 0ESSOA WAS CAUTIOUS ABOUT ENCOURAGING HIS YOUNG SON TO RIDE h) WAS SCARED v HE SAYS h) HAD A VERY LONG CAREER AND A LOT OF SUCCESS 7HAT IF ) PUSH MY SON INTO RIDING AND HE S NOT TALENTED v
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rom ages 7 to 11, this pattern continued on a loop: Neco (so nicknamed by an older sister who couldn’t pronounce Nelson) would hide, eventually be found, then involuntarily and fearfully ride with the officers at the cavalry school near their weekend house outside Rio. His own father had begun riding at 35 years old as an amateur. “He was very into athletics and very severe,â€? Neco says of Nelson Sr. “He knew I was very afraid and that it would be good for me to lose this fear.â€? When Neco was 11, the family moved their four horses from Deodoro to the Sociedade HĂpica Brasileira, the riding club in Rio. In Neco’s first experience there, he lost the war of nerves riding in front of everyone. “My introduction there finished very badly. We went home, and you can imagine how that was ‌â€? His voice trails off. “The next day I was so ashamed of myself. I went back to the club by myself and told my teacher I wanted to ride all four of our horses. The guy said, ‘Yesterday, this kid was scared like crazy, and today he wants to ride?’ â€? he reminisces with a chuckle. And ride he did, guiding each horse over jumps. “I went home and told my dad I rode all four horses, and he said, ‘I have never heard such a lie!’ â€? Neco says, his chuckle now erupting to laughter. “From that day, I was never scared again in my entire life. From the day to the night, it was that quick,â€? and he snaps his fingers. “I never had a problem again.â€?
DON’T SAY THAT TWO TIMES
PHOTO COURTESY OF PESSOA FAMILY
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hat started as a terrifying endeavor soon evolved into passionate obsession. “Our house was 20 minutes away [from the HĂpica],â€? he says. “My life was: school to the club, the club to the house, school again in the morning.â€? Repeat. Day after day, year after year, on every mount stabled there. By the age of 13, Neco began to win competitions against seniors, as there were no junior classes at that time in Brazil. “I never once competed against another boy,â€? he says. “My father was a very competitive person. He always wanted to win, and he pushed me. He had a lot to say, and I was only able to listen,â€? he recalls. But Neco is grateful for his father’s influence, and he and Nelson were very close. “My father was a really great person,â€? he says. “He was self-made. When my grandfather died, my father was only 15 and the oldest. My grandfather worked as a railroad employee, and my grandmother didn’t work at all. I don’t know how my father did it. He worked very hard and gave us a fantastic life.â€? At 18, Neco qualified for Brazil’s National Team, making him the first and only civilian member of a military team. And this wasn’t some rag-tag group of show jumpers: They had placed fourth in the Olympic Games in Helsinki two years earlier, in 1952. “After that, I also became very competitive. When I turned 18, I was on my own. My father gave me a couple of very good horses, and then it was up to me to take care of my career,â€? he explains. The following year, with Neco’s help, the National Team won the Nations Cup in Aachen (Germany), and in 1956 Neco made his Olympic debut, riding for Brazil –Neco Pessoa in Stockholm (Sweden).
Neco Pessoa says he ďŹ rst saw his son 2ODRIGO S TALENT AS A HORSEMAN WHEN THE YOUNG RIDER WAS 2ODRIGO QUIT SCHOOL AT TO WORK WITH HORSESˆAND HIS FATHERˆFULL TIME
The 1956 Olympic Games had been awarded to Australia, but quarantine laws there forced the equestrian events to relocate to Sweden. Brazil did not medal, but the 1956 Games launched the Pessoa family’s Olympic tradition. After getting a taste of international competition in the United States and Europe, Neco moved to Switzerland to become a professional rider in 1961, traveling on a cargo ship with his two horses and new bride, Regina (“who had never seen a horse in her life,â€? he jokes). “I had an invitation from a friend of mine who lived in Geneva. She said, ‘Look, I have a stable, and I want to compete, and it would be great if you come and stay with us and help me.’ I said, ‘Don’t say that two times!’ â€? Neco jokes. In Switzerland, he built his business from the ground up, securing one of the first corporate sponsors for equestrians, the famed MoĂŤt et Chandon winery. He modeled this sponsorship after the Formula 1 example, race cars being another of his passions (see sidebar). Sadly, Nelson Sr. died in 1964, but not before on the 2016 Olympic witnessing one of Neco’s
“I would like to jump in the Olympics there, if it were possible. But it’s a little too late.� Games in Rio
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THE OPPOSITE APPROACH
ELISABETH MILLAY PHOTO
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Neco and Regina Pessoa, MARRIED FOR YEARS CONTRIBUTED EQUALLY TO THEIR SON 2ODRIGO S SUCCESS SAYS LONGTIME FAMILY FRIEND 'EORGE -ORRIS h*UST BECAUSE YOU ARE .ECO 0ESSOA AND SUCCESSFUL YOU DON T NECESSARILY HAVE A SON LIKE THAT v -ORRIS SAYS h4HE FACT THAT HE DID -UCH OF THAT IS DUE TO .ECO AND ALSO 2EGINA 2ODRIGO HAS A GREAT MOTHER TOO v
important early achievements: taking both first and second in Germany’s Hamburg Derby. “I was so humbled by this first big success in Hamburg in 1963,â€? Neco says. “I was the only rider in 100 years to take both first and second with two different horses, and my father was present. Then he went home and, a year later, had a heart attack. I never saw him again.â€? But Neco’s career was on the rise. For the next four decades, he racked up victory after victory and secured his reputation as one of the greatest international show jumpers. George Morris, who has known Neco since the mid1950s, says of his friend, “Neco was a great horseman and a great rider. What he did, in my opinion, greatly influenced—to the point I would say he revolutionized— Europe to the fact of galloping horses between fences. The old European style was slow-to-fast, and he was fast-to-slow. They would jump a fence and pull up, jump a fence and pull up. It was much more stop/start. He took what he learned here [in the United States] from Bert de NĂŠmethy and was a great influence in Europe. “He is an iconic figure in the sport of show jumping,â€? he concludes. Neco’s obsession for the sport was all-consuming. It was also contagious and, in time, would be passed down to his only child, Rodrigo, although Neco took a different, gentler approach than that of his own father.
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t’s a balmy day at 15-acre Sasco Creek Farm in Wellington, Fla., two weeks before the end of the winter circuit. The walls of Rodrigo Pessoa’s elegant barn are dotted with framed competition photos from World Championships, Nations Cups and Olympic Games. The brick center aisle is void of even a single stray strand of hay, as horses poke their heads over the stall doors. A massive bay gelding in the cross-ties lowers his head for me to scratch his ears as his groom nods permission. It’s Jordan II. He was Rodrigo’s first choice for the upcoming Olympic Games but has been sidelined due to a fractured sesamoid bone. Another horse exercises, unaccompanied, on a nearby treadmill. “So sorry I am late!� calls out the silhouette at the end of the barn a few moments later, walking forward with an outstretched hand. His English is colored by a combination of French and Portuguese accents. “We were filming a video for Pessoa saddles, and it took a bit longer than expected,� Rodrigo explains (see sidebar). Unfailingly well-mannered, he is no more than two minutes tardy, per the Rolex clock—courtesy of his sponsor—hanging in the aisle. Rodrigo, 43, heads out of the barn toward a ringside gazebo to chat. There is a decisiveness and professionalism in his actions. None of this, “Where should we sit?� No hemming or hawing. He’s done this before, many, many times, yet he remains fully engaged and gracious. Still in his riding gear—tan breeches, boots, a white polo shirt, his now salt-and-pepper hair hidden beneath a Rolex baseball hat—he leans back, crossing his boots at the ankles, and drapes his arm along the railing. His posture and demeanor are languid, but he has an attentive energy about him. The man you see inside the ring, composed yet focused, is consistent with the person you meet outside of it. Rodrigo is admittedly more measured and guarded than his gregarious father, but both share a directness and sweetness in addition to their skillful mastery in the show jumping ring. “I think my dad was very smart in not wanting to push horses on me in the beginning. He just left me really at ease if I wanted to ride or not,� Rodrigo says. It was a question that didn’t take long to answer.
TEAM BRAZIL REUNITES OLD FRIENDS
BETH RASIN PHOTO
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“I am Brazilian,” SAYS 2ODRIGO 0ESSOA SHOWN HERE AFTER WINNING INDIVIDUAL GOLD AT THE 7ORLD %QUESTRIAN 'AMES IN 2OME hEVEN IF ) WAS BORN IN %UROPE AND AM THE MOST %UROPEAN OF THE "RAZILIANS AND THE MOST "RAZILIAN OF THE %UROPEANS ) FEEL A LITTLE BIT %UROPEAN BECAUSE ) HAVE LIVED THERE SO LONG "UT THE BLOOD THROUGH MY VEINS IS "RAZILIAN AND THAT IS UNDENIABLE v
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
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eco and Regina waited 10 years to have their first and only child. “We just wanted to concentrate on the one,” Neco explains. By that time, Neco had moved his business to Chantilly, the town outside Paris where Rodrigo was born. There were a couple of ponies in the backyard that 5-yearold Rodrigo would clamor aboard now and then, but they vied with other interests like judo, soccer and tennis. “When I was around 10, we moved to Belgium, and I started competing on my ponies. I really got this bug for competition,”
ECO 0ESSOA HAS BEEN AN IMPOR TANT INmUENCE ON GENERATIONS OF "RAZILIAN SHOW JUMPERS BUT HE RELISHES HIS MINIMAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE TEAM SELECTION WHICH IS STILL UNDERWAY h)T WOULD BE A VERY DIFlCULT SITUATION FOR ME /F THE TOP EIGHT RIDERS SIX HAVE COME THROUGH MY BARN AND IT WOULD BE VERY DIFlCULT TO SELECT SO ) DON T WANT TO BE INVOLVED .OT AT ALL ) AM VERY HAPPY 'EORGE -ORRIS HAS THIS PROBLEM v HE SAYS WITH A LAUGH -ORRIS WAS BROUGHT ON AS THE TEAM COACH IN *ANUARY TO SUCCEED FORMER "RAZILIAN #HEF D %QUIPE *EAN -AURICE "ONNEAU WHO HAD COACHED "RAZIL S SHOW JUMPING TEAM SINCE h) WAS VERY FOND OF *EAN -AU RICE v SAYS 2ODRIGO 0ESSOA h5NFOR TUNATELY SOME POLITICAL PROBLEMS TOOK HIM OUT OF HIS SEAT AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND FOR DIFFERENT REASONS HE COULD NO LONGER CONTINUE WHICH WAS A SHAME ) STILL TALK TO HIM OFTEN AND REALLY LIKE HIM AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED BETWEEN US BUT UNFORTU NATELY HE COULD NOT CONTINUE h7E VE KNOWN 'EORGE A LONG TIME v HE CONTINUES h7E VE HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND ;IT WILL BE BENElCIAL= TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN BRING AN OUTSIDE LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE DOING TECHNICALLY (E OBVIOUSLY HAS TREMENDOUS KNOWLEDGE !S ) AM THE OLDEST ONE AND THE MOST EXPERI ENCED RIDER THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE MY OPINION INTO CONSIDERATION ;IN HELP ING SELECT THE TEAM= EVEN IF ) AM ALSO GOING FOR A SPOT 4HEY KNOW THAT IF MY HORSE IS READY IT S lNE v
!S FOR HOW HE VIEWS HIS ROLE -ORRIS SAYS h) AM ON BOARD MAINLY TO SUPPORT AND GIVE CONlDENCE TO WALK THE COURSE AND HELP SELECT THE TEAM ) AM NOT CHANGING THEM OR TRAINING THEM ) GIVE THEM TIPS ) AM NOT CHANG ING THEM THAT IS NOT MY JOB ) AM NOT GOING TO TRY AND ROCK THE BOAT RIGHT BEFORE THE /LYMPICS v !ND WHILE OTHERS EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT "RAZIL S READINESS FOR THE UPCOM ING 'AMES -ORRIS IS LESS WORRIED h-OST /LYMPICS HAVE A CLOUD OF SOME KIND OVER THEM v HE SAYS h) HAVEN T BEEN TO ONE WHERE THERE WASN T -UNICH HAD TERRORISM THEN THEY BOYCOTTED -OSCOW THEN ,OS !NGELES WAS GOING TO BE TOO HOT !TLANTA WAS GOING TO BE TOO HOT 3YDNEY WAS GOING TO BE THIS (ONG +ONG WAS GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE !LL /LYMPICS HAVE THAT )T SHOULD ALL WORK OUT IN THE END v !LTHOUGH 2ODRIGO S TOP MOUNT *OR DAN )) IS SIDELINED WITH AN INJURY NEITHER 2ODRIGO NOR -ORRIS ARE WORRIED h2ODRIGO 0ESSOA IS SUCH A GENIUS ON A HORSE v -ORRIS ADDS h9OU REALLY WANT TO TAKE HIM ON ANYTHING BECAUSE HE HAS PROVEN IN CHAMPIONSHIPS TO DO VERY WELL WITH LESSER HORSES v h%H IT S JUST HORSES v SAYS A PHILO SOPHICAL 2ODRIGO h9OU RE DISAP POINTED BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS 7E TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR HORSES AND TRY TO AVOID INJURIES BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN T CONTROL v )NSTEAD HE WILL AIM TO MAKE THE TEAM WITH 3TATUS OR &ERRO #HIN 6( ,IN DENHOF 4HE lNAL TEAM WILL BE DECIDED IN *ULY
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PHOTO COURTESY OF PESSOA FAMILY
“I was never pushed to ride, AND THAT IS WHAT ) AM DOING WITH MY KIDS AS WELL v SAYS 2ODRIGO 0ESSOA WITH (from left) WIFE !LEXA AND DAUGHTERS 3OPHIA AND #ECILIA h) THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS NEVER TO PUSH OR FORCE IT $OING ANYTHING WITH
DIRK CAREMANS/HIPPOFOTO PHOTO
RESENTMENT IS NEVER A GOOD THING v
“I think, for me, MOST IMPORTANT IS THE RECOGNITION THAT MY KIDS ARE GOOD RESPECTABLE HUMAN BEINGS v SAYS 2ODRIGO 0ESSOA WITH WIFE !LEXA AND DAUGHTER 3OPHIA h) THINK THAT IS THE BEST COMPLIMENT YOU CAN GET v
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ECO 0ESSOA S CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL SHOW JUMP ING HAVEN T BEEN LIMITED TO THE RING 7HEN HE CAME TO %UROPE HE FOUND THE SADDLES THERE EITHER TOO HEAVY OR TOO mAT SO HE BEGAN VISITING TACK SHOPS AND REASSEM BLING NEW ONES FROM THEIR PARTS 4HE RESULT THE 0ESSOA SADDLE 4HEY WERE MADE WITH &RENCH LEATHER MANUFACTURED IN %NG LAND AND THE SIZES WERE OFFERED IN HALF INCH INCREMENTS 4HE 0ESSOAS HAVE SINCE SOLD THE NAME TO A MANUFAC TURER IN !RGENTINA AND RETAIN AN ADVISORY ROLE
,IKEWISE THE 0ESSOA LONGE SYSTEMˆA SYSTEM OF ROPES CLIPS AND PULLEYS DESIGNED TO WORK VIA PRESSURE AND RELEASE AND HELP DEVELOP THE HORSE S TOPLINEˆWAS ALSO CREATED OUT OF .ECO BASED NECESSITY 2ODRIGO EXPLAINS h(E WAS ALWAYS THINKING ALWAYS COMING UP WITH STUFF INVENTING THINGS BECAUSE HE WAS ALWAYS THINKING OF HOW HE COULD MAKE IT BETTER h(E IS PERMANENTLY UNSATIS lED v 2ODRIGO ADDS LAUGHING h7HAT CAN WE DO BETTER (OW CAN IT BE IMPROVED (E S NEVER RESTED ON HIS LAURELS (E ALWAYS WANTED TO DO BETTER AND DO MORE v
DIRK CAREMANS/HIPPOFOTO PHOTO
FATHER OF INVENTION: THE PESSOA SADDLE AND LONGE SYSTEM
Neco Pessoa’s younger granddaughter 3OPHIA CALLS HIM .ECO OR Vovo 0ORTUGUESE FOR hGRANDFATHER v
he recalls. “That was the drive. Then when I was 14 or 15, I really decided this is what I wanted to do. I loved it and never looked back. “And if I did it,� he adds, “I wanted to be the best and try not to spoil the opportunities I had been given, and that really drove that competitiveness to another level.� Having a famous equestrian father heightened his ambition—not to mention his work ethic. “I was lucky to have really great people around me who gave me all these wonderful opportunities,� he says. “It was very obvious to me that I had to do my best and not disappoint them, but also create my own first name. All of that contributed to this desire. There was a lot of history, and I didn’t want to be the ‘the son of’ my whole life. The pressure of carrying the name and the attention of people was always there. Many people are not very forgiving, but to me that was a motivation. All of that drove me to work very hard.� For his part, Neco was unsure if he wanted to encourage his son’s riding. “I was scared,� Neco admits. “I had a very long career and a lot of success. What if I push my son into riding, and he’s not talented? If he’s not good, it will be terrible. He will make
a very bad living if he’s not a good rider.� He need not have worried. “When he was 15, I realized he was very talented,� Neco recalls. “I was with [Olympic show jumping medalist] Norman Dello Joio. I remember it very well. We were watching him ride, and he was jumping, and I remember going home to my wife and saying that he could be a good rider one day, no problem.�
A SHARED OBSESSION
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hroughout Rodrigo’s childhood, Neco was away often for weeks or months at a time. “He traveled a lot and was always working very hard. I was home with my mother, and we formed a very tight bond. We grew very, very close,� Rodrigo says. When his enthusiasm for horses grew to mirror Neco’s, Rodrigo began accompanying his dad to international competitions. “That, in turn, brought him and me closer,� Rodrigo says. “This is really when my interest for the horses became—� He pauses.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF PESSOA FAMILY
“Everything,� he finally concludes. “My mother understood this was my passion, and they both have always been very supportive. You know, I wasn’t great in school because I just had horses on my mind the whole time.� He quit school at 17. “I knew already there was nothing else for me but the horses,� he explains. “I was starting to ride at a big level. It was obvious this was going to be my job. I wasn’t going to be a lawyer. I wasn’t going to be an accountant. I wasn’t going to be a doctor. I spoke and wrote four languages [he now is proficient in seven], knew how to count and write. And my mom just gave up, gave up on getting me to school.� He laughs, then adds seriously, “It was a hard decision for my parents, to let me drop out of school. But they could see I had the talent and drive.� Rodrigo immediately began working full time with Neco, and the two became partners. “It really became an obsession. I was obsessed with it,� Rodrigo acknowledges, brushing an imperceptible smudge of dirt off his breeches. “Obsessed with results. You know, I didn’t go out. I had very few friends because it was just horses, horses, horses, day in and day out. If I was going to stop school, it was to work and not to just fool around. I had to behave like a grown-up at a very young age, and my friends were all grown-ups from the shows. When you are surrounded by people who are five, 10, 15 years older, you can’t act like a fool. There were no other teenagers there with me.� In hindsight, does he regret things he missed? Parties? College? A less nomadic lifestyle? “How can I regret the life that I had and the time I had? That’s unregrettable. It is unregrettable,� he repeats. “I am very, very fortunate to do what I love. Not everybody has that chance—to do what you really, really love. It is not something given to everybody. People who get in their cars at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. and get on the road and sit in traffic every single day to go to an office? That is hard!� he says. When asked what about the horse captivates him, he
Neco, shown here with granddaughters 3OPHIA (left) AND #ECILIA LIVES WITH 2ODRIGO AND !LEXA DURING THEIR WINTERS IN 7ELLINGTON AND VISITS THEM EVERY DAY WHEN THEY ARE ALL AT HOME IN "ELGIUM
A DIFFERENT “FORMULA�
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ECO AND 2ODRIGO 0ESSOA SHARE ANOTHER PASSION &ORMULA RACING BUT EVEN THIS INTEREST CIRCLES BACK TO THEIR lRST LOVE HORSES h) VE ALWAYS FOLLOWED &OR MULA RACING VERY CLOSELY v SAYS 2ODRIGO h)T S ONE OF MY PAS SIONS )T S A SPORT ) HAVE ALWAYS LIKED AND ADMIRED BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH YOU CAN COMPARE IT TO EQUESTRIAN SPORT 4HAT IS THE TUNE UP AND SET UP AND TECH NIQUE IS SO lNE AND SIMILAR %VEN IF IT S WITH A CAR A LOT OF THE TELEM ETRY AND MECHANICS IT S VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DO v .ECO AGREES h)T S THE SAME THING v HE SAYS h! CAR IS A HORSE
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A HORSE IS A CAR )T S THE SAME SENSIBILITY ! CAR CAN BE GOING FANTASTIC AND THEN THE DAY OF THE RACE THE MOTOR DOESN T WORK 9OU HAVE LUCK SOMETIMES YOU DRIVE WELL SOMETIMES YOU RIDE WELL 3OMETIMES YOU RIDE BAD SOMETIMES YOU DRIVE BAD )T S REALLY A VERY SIMILAR SPORT v .ECO AND 2ODRIGO HAVE LOGGED HOURS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THESE OTHER HIGH PERFOR MANCE hANIMALS v WITH .ECO CONCEDING THAT HIS SON IS THE BETTER RACE CAR PILOT h2ODRIGO IS A VERY GOOD DRIVER (E WAS MUCH BETTER AND MUCH QUICKER THAN ME v HE SAYS WITH A LAUGH
pauses thoughtfully before answering: “Different from other sports, it’s not a racquet, it’s not a car, it’s not a boat. It’s a living being. This is what makes it so special. It has a life, has a personality, has a character and is very challenging because not only do you have to do your part right, you have to know how to help the horse do his part right. That makes it like no other sport and is why it is very special in comparison.”
good advice. Obviously, with all his experience he can detect things very quickly, just by looking. Knowledge and experience are not things you can teach; they are something you acquire, and he is very generous in sharing it.” “I still learn because, with horses, we never can say, ‘I know everything,’ ” says Neco.
FROM FATHER AND SON TO TEAMMATES
OBSERVE AND LEARN, MY SON
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eco’s father has been gone for more than 50 years, but father-son pair on the same Olympic team was unprecedented he is still an influential presence in Neco and Rodrigo’s until Rodrigo, then 19, and Neco, 56, competed together in horsemanship. the 1992 Barcelona Games. Though Neco’s riding days are mostly “My father’s advice to me was this,” Neco reveals. “ ‘Do behind him now, the uniqueness of their intertwined careers and one thing, my son. Observe. Observe!’ And I think that lives remains profound to both father and son. is fantastic. I never forgot it. Observe. Look at the people. Between them, Neco and Rodrigo have competed in 11 I can come into a clinic, and in 10 minutes I can tell you Olympic Games. With a berth to the 2016 Games in Rio, Rodrigo everything. If one person’s stirrup is longer than the other, will have represented Brazil seven times at the Olympics, the most how is the rein of that one? I see everything. Everything that of any Brazilian in any sport. is good and everything that is bad. That was the advice of my Neco and Rodrigo were teammates first at the FEI World father. Observe. Observe the riders. Observe the horses.” Equestrian Games in 1990, again in the 1992 Olympics and 1994 Neco, in turn, bequeathed this philosophy to Rodrigo, World Games, and they won team gold in the 1995 Pan American and it forms a central tenet of their horsemanship. Games. They continued riding together until their final joint “Horsemanship is being interested in knowing more, competition, in the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome (where in learning,” Rodrigo explains. “Being there when the Rodrigo won the World Championship). veterinarian is there, when the blacksmith is there, when the “We have made some really great memories,” Rodrigo says chiropractor is there. You need to know everything that is fondly. going on from the morning to the night. It’s not only about “We’ve always spent a lot of time together. Spending the riding. The riding is almost the last piece of the puzzle time together is one thing, working together is one thing, but that comes in. competition at this level is “And watch,” pushing it even a step farther, Rodrigo continues. which is really nice or cool,” “You can learn a lot he says, laughing. “Whatever from watching other you want to call it, it is people. What they do something very unique, right, what they do because very few people get to wrong. Observation is compete with their father.” a very important part As Rodrigo’s star began of all of this. to shine more brightly—he “My father’s life won three consecutive is only about horses,” FEI World Cup Finals on Rodrigo adds. “Horses Baloubet du Rouet in 1998, from day to night, and 1999 and 2000—Neco let that hasn’t changed. his own dim. n2ODRIGO 0ESSOA He still gives very “With the possibility of
“Horsemanship is being interested in knowing more, in learning. ...Observation is a very important part of all of this.”
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COVER STORY AT A GLANCE CAREERS RODRIGO PESSOA To date, Rodrigo Pessoa has ridden in six Olympic Games and four Pan American Games. His 13 FEI World Cup Finals include three consecutive victories with the same horse, Baloubet du Rouet, in 19982000. He also has more than 80 grand prix wins. 1990: 7ORLD %QUESTRIAN 'AMES 3TOCKHOLM
NELSON “NECO” PESSOA Neco Pessoa has ridden in five Olympic Games and nine World Championships, along with more than 150 grand prix classes in Europe. 1956: /LYMPIC 'AMES 3TOCKHOLM 1959: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES #HICAGO TEAM SILVER 1964: /LYMPIC 'AMES 4OKYO
1992: /LYMPIC 'AMES "ARCELONA TH PLACE INDIVIDUAL
1967: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES 7INNIPEG TEAM GOLD
1994: 7ORLD %QUESTRIAN 'AMES 4HE (AGUE
1967: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES 7INNIPEG INDIVIDUAL SILVER
1995: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES -AR DEL 0LATA !RGENTINA TEAM GOLD
1968: /LYMPIC 'AMES -EXICO #ITY
1996: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL 'ENEVA TH PLACE 1996: /LYMPIC 'AMES !TLANTA TEAM BRONZE lRST "RAZILIAN /LYMPIC EQUESTRIAN TEAM MEDAL 1998: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL (ELSINKI ST PLACE 1998: 7ORLD %QUESTRIAN 'AMES 2OME INDIVIDUAL GOLD 1999: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL 'OTHENBURG ST PLACE 2000: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL ,AS 6EGAS ST PLACE
1972: /LYMPIC 'AMES -UNICH 1980: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL "ALTIMORE 1984: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL 'OTHENBURG 1985: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL "ERLIN 1987: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES )NDIANAPOLIS 1989: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL 4AMPA 1990: 7ORLD %QUESTRIAN 'AMES 3TOCKHOLM 1991: &%) 7ORLD #UP &INAL 'OTHENBURG
2000: /LYMPIC 'AMES 3YDNEY TEAM BRONZE 2004: /LYMPIC 'AMES !THENS INDIVIDUAL GOLD 2007: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES 2IO DE *ANEIRO TEAM GOLD 2007: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES 2IO DE *ANEIRO INDIVIDUAL SILVER 2008: /LYMPIC 'AMES (ONG +ONG 2011: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES 'UADALAJARA TEAM SILVER 2012: /LYMPIC 'AMES ,ONDON
1992: /LYMPIC 'AMES "ARCELONA 1994: 7ORLD %QUESTRIAN 'AMES 4HE (AGUE 1995: 0AN !MERICAN 'AMES -AR DEL 0LATA !RGENTINA TEAM GOLD 1996: (ICKSTEAD 3HOW *UMPING $ERBY 'REAT "RITAIN ST PLACE 1998: 7ORLD %QUESTRIAN 'AMES 2OME
2015: .ATIONS #UP #ALGARY TEAM GOLD
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“Rodrigo has incredible nerve. He doesn’t get nervous.” n'EORGE -ORRIS Rodrigo becoming a really top rider, I decided it was better for him to be alone and get more horses,” he explains. “It was much more clever than continuing to compete together. “I just stopped like that,” he adds. “I didn’t put on white breeches again. I went to the shows and, instead of riding, I helped people. I don’t miss competition at all. I am very clear about that. I knew the time had come to retire. I never missed it.” “He was very good about stepping back,” says Rodrigo. “He is a very generous person. He was able to match me with the right horse at the right moment, which made my progression easier and quick—very quick—because of that. It can be hard to step back. Not everyone can do that. It is not an easy thing to do, but he managed it very well.” Despite their shared fervor for show jumping and horsemanship, the two men have their differences. “My father is a very anxious person, very anxious,” Rodrigo explains. “Even if he doesn’t show it, he’s very nervous, and that always got in the way for him when it came to very big moments, very big championships. We are very different in that way. I am much more laid back and let everything unfold. He wants to anticipate a lot. In our careers, I have been lucky to be a quieter person, not nervous at all. “As people, we are also opposite,” he continues. “I am much more of a closed person than he is. My dad is very social and wants to talk to everybody and can talk for hours. He is very generous, with his time and with people. I am more like my mother. She’s more of an introvert.” “Rodrigo has incredible nerve,” says Morris. “He doesn’t get nervous. He’s very talented, one of the most talented riders in the world. Just because you are Neco Pessoa and successful, you don’t necessarily have a son like that. The fact that he did? Much of that is due to Neco and also Regina. Rodrigo has a great mother, too.”
BRUMSHAGEN/ULLSTEIN BILD FOR GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
Neco and Rodrigo 0ESSOA CELEBRATE TOGETHER DURING THE AWARDS CEREMONY AT THE (AMBURG $ERBY IN
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COVER STORY What the two do have in common—beyond their prowess in the show ring—is an adoration and respect for one another. Neco lives with Rodrigo and Alexa during the winter months in Wellington, and when they are all home in Belgium, he visits them every afternoon. “I am very proud of Rodrigo. Very. He rides the way I like to see, and I like the way he takes care of his stable, his horses, his staff. He is also a fantastic father. Fantastic!� exclaims Neco.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PESSOA FAMILY
FAMILY TIES
Rodrigo’s 11-year-old daughter Cecilia, WHO LIVES WITH HER MOTHER +ERI 0OTTER IN #ALIFORNIA IS VERY MUCH A PART OF THE 0ESSOA FAMILY h(E IS VERY VERY COMMITTED TO HER BEING A PART OF OUR LIVES AND SHE AND 3OPHIA ARE VERY CLOSE v SAYS 2ODRIGO S WIFE !LEXA
Noting his father’s anxiousness, Rodrigo purposely cultivated a more tranquil mentality. “I saw that it always got in his way a little bit, and I try to practice and maintain calmness, and it has worked out really well for me,â€? he explains. Neco laughs at this. “He should have been a little less quiet, and he would have learned a little bit more,â€? he jokes. Neco and Rodrigo have also come at the sport from slightly different angles. “Neco sees the best in any horse and believes if you work hard enough you can really bring out the greatness in a horse that seems really complicated or quirky,â€? says Alexa Pessoa (nĂŠe Weeks), Rodrigo’s wife of seven years and a show jumper herself. “He is famous for loving a challenge and has a great way with them. He is extremely dedicated and a true horseman. “Rodrigo’s passion, I think, is more connected to the sport. He loves not only working with the horses, but also working with the federations to help grow the sport. Neco is very passionate, and that still shows today,â€? Alexa continues. “Whereas Rodrigo could potentially take a break from the sport and do something else, Neco could never have done that. He’s absolutely obsessed with horses and working every single day with horses and making them better.â€?
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odrigo has two children, Cecilia, 11, from his first marriage to American show jumper Keri Potter, and Sophia, 5, with Alexa. Asked to talk about them, Rodrigo absentmindedly begins to fiddle with a chain he is wearing beneath his shirt, and it makes a jingling sound. On it are various charms, including two with the names of his daughters, another one his mother gave him when he was a child, and various Catholic medals, including one for the Virgin Mary. He never takes it off. Ever. “I am very religious, but it is very personal,� he reveals. “I pray twice a day. For protection and thanking for health. It’s part of the routine.� He is also superstitious: black cats, numbers and walking under ladders—the usual. Still touching the chain, Rodrigo says that it is his daughters he considers his greatest accomplishments, not his individual gold medal in the Olympic Games nor three FEI World Cup Final titles. “I think, for me, most important is the recognition that my kids are good, respectable human beings. I think that is the best compliment you can get. That they are kind, they are generous, they are polite. The things I did in my sporting life? Pffffffft,� he exhales. “That doesn’t really matter. It’s not important enough.� The end of his first marriage—and Potter and Cecilia’s return to California—was challenging. “My daughter Cecilia was 2 years old,� Rodrigo recalls. “It was the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make, to finalize that. But I think now, when I look back, we made the right one. My ex-wife is a great mother, and we are both happy in our lives now. She is remarried and
As Sophia Pessoa, APPROACHES SCHOOL AGE CHANGES LOOM FOR HER FATHER h) DON T WANT TO BE AWAY FROM THEM v 2ODRIGO SAYS OF HIS FAMILY h4HIS IS WHY ) AM PROBABLY GOING TO BEGIN TO TAKE A STEP BACK v
DIRK CAREMANS/HIPPOFOTO PHOTO
has a stepdaughter and a new daughter as well, and I have a new daughter, so everybody is happy. Unfortunately, we cannot all be together, but that is modern existence. In the beginning, it was tense. Divorce can never be happy, but as time went by, we both found our stability, and nowadays it’s all OK. “We all get along very well, but that was the most difficult thing for me, obviously,� he says quietly. “He is an unbelievable father,� says Alexa. “With Cecilia living in San Diego, that is obviously a long distance and complicated, but he does a great job of being involved in her life and involving her in ours. He is very, very committed to her being a part of our lives, and she and Sophia are very close. “I think there are so many ups and downs in this sport,� she continues. “Horses are relatively unreliable, and if you pin your happiness on the success of the horses, it’s going to be a really rough ride. Horses are a huge part of our life, but at the end of the day if everybody is happy and healthy, that’s all that really matters. It’s important to have that balance. “He’s also unflappable, so that is a great quality for a dad,� Alexa adds with a laugh. As of now, both girls show minimal interest in riding. Rodrigo is taking a page from his father’s playbook when it comes to this. “I was never pushed to ride, and that is what I am doing with the kids as well,� he says. “If they want to ride, fine; if they don’t, fine. I think the most important
“You have to have dedication and passion and love for what you do, and you have to put in the hours, do the hard work.� n2ODRIGO 0ESSOA thing is never to push or force it. Doing anything with resentment is never a good thing.� Another lesson Rodrigo learned from his parents has nothing to do with horses. “They taught me to respect people and be respectful of others,� he says. “Respect is something you earn, and you have to give respect in order to receive it. Afterwards, dedication and hard work: Whatever you are doing, if you are a journalist, a sportsman, a chef, you have to have dedication and passion and love for what you to do, and you have to put in the hours, do
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PIERRE COSTABADIE/ARND.NL PHOTO
the hard work. There is no way around it.� With his youngest daughter approaching school age, changes are looming for Rodrigo. “I don’t want to be away from them,� confesses Rodrigo. “This is why I am probably going to begin to take a step back. I will definitely do way, way, way less. I feel like I have done everything I need to do and don’t have to be chasing things anymore. I have done this for 27 years and have been very lucky, very fortunate with the life I’ve had. It’s been a great, great run, and yes, I know that it is coming to an end soon. “I think this will be my last Olympic Games,� he reveals.
RODRIGO’S GRAND FINALE?
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t is hard to imagine a more fitting finale for Rodrigo’s final Olympics than the upcoming Games in his home country, riding at the site of his father’s first lessons. But what began as excitement when Brazil won the bid to host the Games is now tinted with trepidation over the Zika virus and political instability, including the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. “When we first won the bid, our reaction was, ‘This is great!’ To have the Olympics in your home country, in your hometown, is unbelievable! It’s a great opportunity,� Rodrigo says. “Fast forward six years, and things have really changed. We are facing big political turmoil. It is a country that is very wealthy, and because it’s wealthy, the corruption is 1,000 percent. The money is going into the wrong pockets, and it is a major, major problem.� Neco echoes the sentiment. “Brazil hosting the Games was a big surprise, and it will be very nice for us, but I don’t think it will be very nice for the country because after hosting the Games, the country is going to be completely broke. The political point of view is a very bad situation. Right now, nothing is ready. But in the end, they will make everything work well. Nobody in the world can improve things more than the Brazilians,� he says with pride. Sadly, although Neco will be ringside, Alexa won’t. “We are trying for another baby this year,� she explains. “It
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Rodrigo was Brazil’s mAG BEARER AT THE /LYMPIC 'AMES OPENING CEREMONY IN ,ONDON 4HE 'AMES IN HIS HOMETOWN WILL BE HIS SEVENTH /LYMPICS A RECORD FOR A "RAZILIAN ATHLETE
is unthinkable to me that I won’t be there. We are always together at all the shows. The horse he is thinking of riding [Status] is one I rode all circuit in Wellington, and we worked with him together a lot. I can’t even imagine. But it’s just the reality of this, and it’s not worth risking health.� She is talking, of course, about the Zika virus, which poses a particular danger to pregnant women and their fetuses. Brazil has endured an outbreak of Zika since May 2015 and has since seen a marked increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly, a severe brain defect. The virus is implicated in a range of other serious problems in babies, too, including vision and hearing defects. “It’s hard to imagine not being there for your husband,� Alexa says. “It’s really sad. It’s sad because they are so proud, and for this particular group [of riders], they are really looking forward to it. We were all together at a horse show the night Brazil won the bid. They were so excited and couldn’t believe the opportunity they were going to have to jump in Rio. And now, over the last six months, it has evolved and become more challenging. It’s been a little heartbreaking for them to witness.� But Rodrigo is still optimistic. “I am excited,� he says. “I am excited to get ready for this. At this point in my career, I really need big objectives to get motivated, and obviously there is nothing bigger than the Olympic Games. “Yes, a lot of the constructions are late,� Rodrigo continues. “They are late on purpose so they can charge and steal more money, and that is a difficult situation. But, apart from that, as a sportsperson, we are really looking forward to competing in our own country in the Olympic Games. It is a unique opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for us to compete in our home country.� And so it is back to where it all started for this formidable father-son duo, to the place where a frightened young Neco Pessoa tried to hide from what would become a legendary legacy. Back to Deodoro in Brazil.
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INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HORSE—KENTUCKY HORSE PARK PHOTO
HISTORY
HORSE
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ON BOARD Horses were once our primary means of transportation, but more recently they’ve been the passengers—in planes, trains, automobiles and ships. By K IMBERLY LOUSHIN KHQ WKH 8 6 (TXHVWULDQ 7HDPಏV GHVLJQDWHG 2O\PSLF PRXQWV ERDUG D SODQH IRU WKH *DPHV LQ 5LR GH -DQHLUR WKH\’OO WUDYHO HYHU\ PLOH LQ WKH ODS RI HTXLQH OX[XU\ (YHU\WKLQJ IURP WKH SODQHಏV FDUJR KROG WR WKH �LJKW SODQ LWVHOI LV GHVLJQHG WR HQVXUH WKH KRUVHVಏ PD[LPXP FRPIRUW $IWHU ODQGLQJ LQ %UD]LO WKH HTXLQH DWKOHWHV ZLOO ERDUG D FXVK\ DLU ULGH YDQ IRU WKHLU �QDO VWUHWFK WR WKH 2O\PSLF (TXHVWULDQ &HQWUH LQ 'HRGRUR But how did we get to this point? People have been tinkering with the best way to transport horses since at least 1500 B.C., when the main reason to move them long distances was for military, rather than sporting, battles. Over time, as horses gradually transformed from vehicles themselves into our competition partners and companions, the ways we move them from point A to point B have also evolved, thanks to human ingenuity and equine tolerance.
Gaining Their Sea Legs Perhaps the earliest reference to transporting horses dates back to 1500 B.C., in a seal that depicts a horse on a boat. Horses were shipping by sea on Sept. 26, 1066, when William the Conqueror launched 750 vessels carrying 3,000 horses from the Norman coast toward England for the Battle of Hastings. From at least 1500 BC until the 1950s, HORSES TRAVELING OVERSEAS LITERALLY hSHIPPEDv BY BOAT #ROSSINGS COULD BE PERILOUS BUT EVEN WHEN WINDS AND SEAS WERE FAVORABLE IT WAS A STRUGGLE TO KEEP EQUINES lT ON LONG OCEAN JOURNEYS &OR THE VOYAGE TO THE /LYMPIC 'AMES IN !MSTERDAM THE 5 3 %QUESTRIAN 4EAM USED A TREADMILL FOR THEIR HORSES
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INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HORSE—KENTUCKY HORSE PARK PHOTO
HISTORY
Early vans and trailers were built for short distances, BECAUSE FEW VEHICLES WERE CAPABLE OF PULLING A HORSE OVER MANY MILES 'RADUALLY AS TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVED SO DID TRAILERS 4HEY BECAME LIGHTER AND SAFERˆAND OFFERED MORE AMENITIES FOR HORSE AND HUMAN
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Conditions on the ships were poor at best. Horses were either housed below deck, where inadequate ventilation took its toll on their respiratory systems, or above deck, where they were strung up in slings so they wouldn’t lose their footing as the boats pitched and rolled on the waves. The Crimean War (1853-1856) is probably best known for the dramatic cavalry action called the Charge of the Light Brigade. But the British horses who carried out that charge had already endured plenty of less romantic-sounding hardships on the crossing from England. Close confinement and crude disembarkation methods contributed to many shipping casualties: The horses— blindfolded, to prevent them from panicking—were hoisted in slings over the side of the vessel and lowered into the water, where crew members waiting in boats would swim them ashore. Ocean crossings were perilous for other reasons, too. Stormy seas could splinter a ship, but fair, windless skies also were risky, because a becalmed ship could easily run out of fresh drinking water for man and beast. That’s one theory behind the name of the horse latitudes, the large stretches of ocean between 30 and 38 degrees latitude north and south, notorious for their calm seas. According to one persistent legend, they earned their name from the number of dead or dying horses thrown overboard when sailing ships stalled, and the drinking water ran out. As accommodations on ships improved for human passengers, horses also got more creature comforts. A report by Gen. William Carter of the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps in the early 1900s prompted significant upgrades, like the discontinuation of slings for horses. Even so, technology brought new dangers for equines shipping overseas for war duty. During World War I, U-boats stalked transport ships, and on Dec. 2, 1916, the SS Palermo—carrying horses and ammunition from New York to Genoa, Italy—sank in the Mediterranean after U-72 torpedoed it. The 1916 Olympic Games in Berlin were canceled due to the war, but otherwise from 1912 until 1956, horses bound for the Games traveled by ship. Their human caretakers improvised to keep horses fit on the long ocean journey. According to the FÊdÊration Equestre Internationale, for the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, the U.S. team rented a treadmill that filmmakers had used for a chariot-race scene in a 1925 production of Ben-Hur. The Dutch team built its own shipboard treadmill when they traveled to the 1932 Games in Los Angeles.
From Hooves To Wheels and it traveled 40 miles a day—twice the distance a horse typically would travel on foot. Over time, transporting horses became more popular among the wealthy. In 1836, the English race horse Elis traveled three days from Goodwood to Doncaster in a custom horse-drawn van that was large enough for two horses. “It had padded sides and a hard-stuffed mattress over the floor and was fitted with proper stable appliances,� according to The History of the St. Leger Stakes, 1776-1901. “Drawn by six post-horses and attended by outriders, it attracted a good deal of attention on the 250 miles of road between Goodwood and Doncaster.� Elis and his companion The Drummer arrived well-rested, and Elis won the St. Leger, leading others to believe his owner, Lord George Bentinck, might be on to something. Bentinck must have been pleased, too: He later commissioned a painting titled Elis, and The Drummer, with
After more than a century of casual experimentation with horse-drawn trailers, DEVELOPERS lNALLY PRODUCED THE MOTORIZED HORSE BOX IN TIME TO TRANSPORT HORSES FOR 7ORLD 7AR ) "Y THE S WHEN THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN THE MODERN VANˆTHOUGH PRIMITIVEˆWAS STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE
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INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HORSE—KENTUCKY HORSE PARK PHOTO
Once back on land, horses were expected to carry themselves from town to town. Until the 18th century, race horses usually walked to race meets, and trainers would have to carefully schedule their trips to ensure their horses were rested enough to run. It was a retired race horse, the undefeated 18th-century English champion Eclipse, that historians believe was the first to travel long distance in a horse trailer—in this case, a purposebuilt, four-wheeled cart pulled by two less celebrated horses. In 1789 Eclipse, then 25 and as famous at stud as he had been on the race course, relocated from Epsom to Middlesex after the death of his owner, Dennis O’Kelly. But old Eclipse had foundered and could not make the 20-mile trip on foot. As the peculiar vehicle trundled its prized occupant slowly through the English countryside, village residents sometimes ran alongside, hoping to peer in and see the great horse. In 1816, cattle-breeder and race horse owner John Terrett shipped his runner Sovereign to the Newmarket races in one of the carts he normally used to transport bullocks. The modified trailer—Terrett had added springs for the horse’s comfort—was drawn by three draft horses, two at the wheel and one in front,
HISTORY
CHRONICLE ARCHIVES PHOTO
the caravan, which was shown in 1838 at the Royal Academy. Injured horses also benefitted from the new mode of travel. Some city fire departments used horse-drawn ambulances to pick up horses after accidents, and during World War I, special ambulances collected injured but salvageable chargers. This early equine rescue squad featured a stall that rotated on its base so that the patient could load and unload facing forward. By 1914, the motorized horse box, fitted to an automobile chassis, was in mass production. The British Army, fighting in World War I, relied on them to transport horses to war. These early vans initially were intended for short distances, because few vehicles were capable of pulling a horse for sustained distances. As technology improved and infrastructure grew, in the 1950s long distance road travel became an option. It was faster, more reliable and less stressful for the animals. Over the next several decades, the “traveling horse boxes� would become more sophisticated and specifically designed for horses. Researchers and designers studied ideal airflow in an enclosed space, came up with ways to make trailers lighter and sturdier, and reconfigured the simple box to allow for carrying not only the horse, but tack and dressing rooms, too.
Inevitably, horsemen and airlines spotted air travel’s POTENTIAL FOR HORSES LIKE THESE PASSENGERS 4RANSOCEANIC HORSE mIGHTSˆFASTER AND SEEMINGLY LESS STRESSFUL FOR THE EQUINE PASSENGERˆHELPED OPEN THE WAY FOR MORE GLOBAL HORSE TRADING AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
While the horse trailer was evolving, modern technology provided another solution for moving horses over long distances: the “iron horse� of the railway. From the 1840s to the 1950s, whenever foxhunters shipped to faraway meets and show horses arrived at prestigious competitions, when race horses left their winter quarters for the racetrack and yearlings headed to public auction, they traveled by train. But rail transportation had its hazards. Loading and unloading presented a challenge at best and an outright risk at worst, as J. Wortley Axe, president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, wrote in his famously damning 1905 report on rail transportation. Of the standard railway horsebox, Axe fumed sarcastically, “Every portion of it appears to have been designed with the special object of making the most alarming noises calculated to frighten the inmates. The same description applies with even greater force to the doors, which open upon the platform, or ‘dook,’ as it is called. It is too heavy for a man to let down steadily, and the traditions of the railway would be altogether violated if
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INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE HORSE—KENTUCKY HORSE PARK PHOTO
The Iron Horse
Railroads were the fastest way to get a horse FROM ONE END OF THE COUNTRY TO THE OTHER BETWEEN THE S AND S THOUGH SOME CONDEMNED THEIR NOISY CLATTER AS TOO FRIGHTENING FOR MANY HORSES 4HE hIRON HORSEv ALSO HELPED SPARK A FASHION FOR EQUINE TRAVELING CLOTHES FROM SHIPPING BLANKETS AND BOOTS TO HEAD BUMPERS C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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HISTORY Today’s equine air passengers travel in crate-like pallets, WHICH HOLD AS MANY AS THREE STALLS AND A GROOM S COMPARTMENT
it were not allowed to fall with great violence upon the siding. Everything about a horse box comes undone with a jerk and closes with a bang.� The dangers and inconveniences of rail travel led to specialized equipment for equine passengers. To prevent expensive blankets from getting ripped or soiled, owners could spring for more disposable traveling blankets. Wraps, shipping boots and head bumpers became commonplace, and as horses could travel farther afield to compete, increasingly they, like their human counterparts, also boarded with their trunks.
Airlines revolutionized cross-continental and international travel in 1924 when KLM Royal Dutch flew Nico from the Netherlands to Paris in the first documented air transport of a live animal. Nico was a bull, not a horse, but the future of long-haul equine travel was clear. In 1946, eight horses traveled from Shannon in Ireland to what is now John F. Kennedy International Airport (N.Y.), and three years later the famed Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien added some cachet to flying horses when he put two top runners, Cottage Rake and Hatton’s Grace, on a plane for the short hop across the Irish Sea to England for the 1949 Cheltenham National Hunt Festival—and both horses won. The jet age was in full swing by the 1960s. Fueled by a growing global horse breeding business, equine transatlantic air travel became almost mundane. This was particularly helpful when it came to international events like the Olympics. Rather than losing muscle-tone and fitness over a weeks-long ocean crossing, equine athletes now could arrive at competition venues in a matter of days. By today’s standards, the air travel then was fairly primitive. Horses walked up a ramp into a Boeing 70, and the plywood stalls were built around them once they were inside. At this time, airlines favored open stall systems that were similar to large crates: The stall fully surrounded the horse, and its head was free, but the ceilings were so low a horse could easily hit its head. Tragedy struck the 1964 U.S. Olympic team en route to Tokyo. The airplane was an hour out from its departure at Newark airport and flying at about 12,000 feet when three-day eventer Mike Plumb’s mount, Markham, panicked and tried to jump out of his crate.
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Flight Of Fancy
“He broke the stall apart,â€? team veterinarian Dr. Joseph O’Dea later told The New York Times. “He took part of the ceiling of the plane apart and was almost out of the stall.â€? Seven men tried to hold the gelding steady but could not, O’Dea added. Markham, who had recently endured a bad van ride, managed to get his front feet over the edge of the box and cracked one of the interior windows. All attempts to settle him, including sedatives, reportedly had little effect, and team coach Bertalan de NĂŠmethy ultimately instructed O’Dea to destroy Markham. The first widely publicized equine flight accident happened four years later when an Airspeed Ambassador aircraft carry-
Horse ights have become commonplace AND ARE PART OF THE SMALL BUT LUCRATIVE AIR FREIGHT BUSINESS FOR A RANGE OF CARRIERS FROM THE HORSE SPECIALIST 4EX 3UTTON &ORWARDING #O TO THE FAMILIAR PASSENGER LINE +,- TO MAJOR CARGO SHIPPER &ED%X ! SINGLE mIGHT OF VALUABLE EQUINE ATHLETES OR BREEDING STOCK CAN MEAN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A SHIPPER BUT THEY MUST BE HANDLED WITH CARE !S %MIRATES !IRLINE CARGO CHIEF 2AM -ENEN ONCE CONlDED TO Bloomberg News h4HE HORSES WE MOVE ARE WORTH MORE THAN THE PLANE ITSELF v
ARND BRONKHORST/ARND.NL PHOTO
compartment, and horses walk into them on the ground; airport crew then lift the pallet into the air and load it on the plane. Like their human counterparts, equine passengers can travel on varying ticket classes, too. An economy pallet holds three horses, business accommodates two, and if an owner feels particularly generous, he can buy the equivalent of a first-class ticket: an entire three-horse pallet for a single animal. Costs can vary widely, and most shippers—including everything from specialized livestock handlers to FedEx—work up a custom quote for each trip. Domestic tickets typically range between $3,000 and $6,000, while an international ticket can start at around $7,000. As a rule, there is one “flying groom�— that’s the official title for professional horseflight attendants—for three horses. During flights, horses have free access to hay, and grooms offer them water every six to eight hours and during landing or refueling stops. There are no such comforts for the grooms. “On a flight full of horses, there are no air stewards or stewardesses, so the grooms and vets are left to fend for themselves,� traveling race horse groom Leanne Masterson told Horse & Hound in 2014. “No in-flight entertainment, either, so a good book is essential!� After all, the horse’s comfort and safety are the priorities on these planes. While most find flying about as uncomplicated as a normal van ride, more sensitive horses will wear earplugs to help deaden any disturbing sounds. Even the flight plans are planned with the precious equine cargo in mind, so there’s less steep banking on turns, for example, and pilots use the full length of the runway to make takeoff and landing smoother. Those details count, especially when your freight is a living animal that’s carrying a nation’s medal hopes to the Olympic Games.
ing three crew members, five grooms and eight race horses from Deauville, France, crashed on landing at London’s Heathrow airport; investigators later attributed the crash to metal fatigue. Only two grooms survived. But equine air travel was here to stay. It was becoming fast and efficient, and regular service from Europe to the United States, Japan and Australia put international competitions, sales and stud farms within easier reach for horse owners, buyers and breeders. And as horse flights became routine—and a big business—shipping methods evolved, too. Today, our equine partners often travel in pallets when they fly. Each pallet includes stalls for three horses, as well as a groom’s
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FEATURE
NEW HORSE POWER FOR MOTOR CITY Eventer-turned-schoolteacher David Silver plans an equestrian center in urban Detroit to encourage homegrown leaders and help revitalize a great American city. By CHR ISTINA KEIM
D
etroit’s inner-city streets are a long way from the galloping lanes of a cross-country course, but former three-day event rider David Silver is equally at home in both. The Westchester, N.Y., native competed up to the CCI* level before taking on another daunting challenge: teaching a class of energetic fourth- and fifth-graders at Burns Elementary and Middle School on Detroit’s west side. Silver arrived there in 2012 as a 22-yearold with Teach For America, a program that places teachers in under-resourced
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and poverty-stricken districts in rural or urban areas. His two-year stint at Burns gave him a “crazy idea” for an urban equestrian center that will reclaim some of Detroit’s vacant city land and bring horses, the original horsepower, back to the Motor City to drive positive change. By any measure, Detroit is a large city. Nearly 140 square miles fall within city limits and provide a home for almost 700,000 people. But the population was close to 1.8 million in the 1950s, and the decades-long shift in demographics and changes in the local economy have left a city that is ripe with opportunity or teetering on the brink of collapse, depending on whom you talk to. Darlene Walker grew up in Detroit, and
she’s now raising her four children there. Her two youngest—daughters Shatese, 11, and Ariel, 9—attend Burns, where Darlene volunteers, and Shatese was one of Silver’s students. Darlene is frustrated, and she worries about her children’s future. “There are no resources here,” Darlene says. “It’s not just the school. There are not enough resources to help families and kids in Detroit. “Mr. Silver is great,” she adds. “To see how he interacts with the kids and how much the kids look up to him gives me such joy.” Silver forged deep bonds with his students, and at the end of his tenure, he determined that his work with them was
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not done. “This is an area where students experience neighborhood violence, residential transiency, and limited resources and support in their schools,� says Silver. “These are obstacles which prevent kids from reaching their full potential. “My experience with horses as an event rider [gave me] a deep belief that I can tackle new challenges and set goals,� he adds. “Having the right people around me allowed me to rise to new levels. I started to think about the connections between the experiences that I had as a kid with horses and what they could do.� In August of 2014, Silver left teaching behind, inspired now by an idea for a new nonprofit, Detroit Horse Power, which
brings together urban youth and horses to provide opportunities for social and emotional growth. According to its mission statement, the organization—which received its tax-exempt status in April 2015—intends to “address two persistent problems ‌ the shortage of opportunities for metro Detroit’s vulnerable populations and the abundance of vacant land.â€? And it will focus on developing six character traits in its students: responsibility, empathy, perseverance, patience, self-confidence and conflict resolution. But if Silver’s full vision comes to fruition, Detroit Horse Power will do even more—it will help to rebuild and unify a community and provide hope where, for some, there is little left.
Detroit Horse Power founder David Silver (far right) HAS A PERSONAL TIE TO THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF HORSES h-Y EXPERIENCE WITH HORSES AS AN EVENT RIDER GAVE ME A DEEP BELIEF THAT ) CAN TACKLE NEW CHALLENGES AND SET GOALS v HE SAYS !S $(0 EXPANDS 3ILVER HOPES TO BRING HORSES TO THE HEART OF THE CITY BY BUILDING AN URBAN BARN AND COMMUNITY CENTER
From Barn To Classroom Growing up in Westchester County, Silver had the sort of childhood that most equestrians dream of: a supportive, horseloving family, a horse of his own, and opportunities for lessons and competition. An H-A graduate of the U.S. Pony Clubs, Silver was a working student for Boyd Martin as a teen and trained with many
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FEATURE notable equestrians up and down the East Coast. He spent time riding and competing in Ocala, Fla., and Aiken, S.C. Silver competed successfully through the CCI* level, finishing eighth at Bromont (Quebec) in 2009 on With A Rush. But the horse’s soundness issues began to limit him, and after a few unsuccessful attempts at
Ariel Walker, 9, is one of the participants learning to work with and ride horses through Detroit Horse Power. h4HEY VE ALL GROWN SO MUCH v HER MOTHER $ARLENE 7ALKER SAYS OF THE $(0 STUDENTS SHE KNOWS h-OST DElNITELY THIS PROGRAM CAN SUCCEED HERE 7E NEED IT v
intermediate, Silver retired him from upperlevel competition. Horses took a back seat to his studies at Dartmouth College (N.H.), from which Silver graduated in 2012 with a degree in government and a minor in educational policy. “Growing up with opportunity and privilege, it’s been a journey to figure out how to use my experience to lift up others,� says Silver. “I became much more set on increasing opportunity for underprivileged youth in the U.S.� His longtime riding coach and mentor, Jeanie Clarke, encouraged Silver to join Teach
For America. Coming from a background that placed a high value on education and the resources to make it possible, Silver was profoundly affected by his experience with Teach For America. “I have a deep respect for classroom teachers,� says Silver. “[Teaching] is the most challenging thing I will ever do.� “This is a population of kids who hasn’t had people want to do things for them,� says Clarke, who saw how teaching in Detroit solidified Silver’s commitment to educational reform. “The path he has taken keeps building on itself. He is drawing on all of the experiences and practice and thoughts to bring this forward.�
City At A Crossroads
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Through Teach For America, Silver also met Paul Mack, a fellow educator and advocate for Detroit revitalization. Their friendship led to long conversations about how to better serve the needs of Detroit youth. “All parents want better for their kids,� says Mack, now the president of Detroit Horse Power’s board of directors. “Right now, for an impoverished parent in Detroit, the options are not good.� “Kids give up,� says Darlene. “We just push our kids to try to get through poverty now. But so many kids don’t make it.� Mack says Detroit’s population is 80 percent African American and is demographically segregated, mostly by neighborhood. And while the central downtown area is seeing economic growth and development, the rest of the city isn’t keeping pace. “The downtown area of Detroit extends about three to four miles out in most directions,� says Mack. “[These] 10 square miles are seeing a boom in economic development. Which begs the question: What is happening in the other 98 percent of the city?� Detroit’s shrinking population has left nearly 23 square miles of vacant land within its borders—a surface area equivalent to the 72
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size of Manhattan. These lands were once homes, factories and schools, but a lack of human and financial resources have left many buildings to rot. Most will require total demolition; some land is contaminated, while other properties have become weedy, overgrown fields where people dump trash. Local residents try to mow or maintain these grassy areas themselves because the city lacks the resources to do it. Mack believes the only way to bring money into a city is to attract people with money to spend, and there are pockets of Detroit that are enticing the lucrative 25to 35-year-old demographic, as these “neoDetroiters� recognize they can afford good housing and lifestyles there. Property values in these neighborhoods are rising, but Mack explains that it’s a tricky balance to bring desperately needed financial resources into the area without simultaneously creating a gentrification gap between the new residents and those still living in poverty. Detroit’s public schools haven’t been immune to the economic contraction. “The student population has decreased precipitously,� says Silver. “Some schools are in a deplorable condition, and there is a lack of resources to support teachers and students. Charter schools have become an option for some, but they pull students and resources away.� Many of these former schools stand vacant. Some, abandoned and vandalized, have been destroyed. Others remain standing on acres of land, creating eyesores and havens for pests and waste that frustrate the surrounding neighborhoods. But Silver sees them as nearly ideal sites for Detroit Horse Power, and he believes an urban equestrian center could be a bridge over the gentrification gap, a way to restore a sense of unity, joy and pride to the local community. “There are not enough recreation centers for kids here,� says Darlene. “I am in favor of any program that can help our kids get out of poverty.�
Before the Teach For America program took him to Detroit, $AVID 3ILVER COMPETED THROUGH THE ##) LEVEL lNISHING EIGHTH AT "ROMONT IN ON HIS OWN 7ITH ! 2USH
Life Lessons From Horses Mack says teaching urban kids how to succeed is a unique challenge. “You hear that kids just need to go to school and try,� says Mack. “But learned helplessness is real. These are kids who are totally capable of learning and solving problems, but they don’t think that they are worth it. It isn’t that the challenge isn’t worth it. It’s that these kids need to learn that they are worth it.� Mack’s voice wavers. “The behavioral problems associated with urban youth are just things which come into the empty space left by a lack of self-esteem, self-confidence and self-efficacy,� he says. In pilot programs last summer, Detroit Horse Power brought 18 children, aged 8 to 13, from inner-city Detroit to facilities like Liz Snoblen’s Equinox Farm in Highland, Mich. Many of the participants were former students of Silver’s, but some also came from Alternatives for Girls, a program for homeless and at-risk girls. Detroit residents
and members of the local equine community volunteered to help run the programs. “They got to feed the horses,� says Darlene, whose daughters Ariel and Shatese attended the course. “They got to train the horses. They got to clean the horses. [Shatese] was too sheltered from the outside world, and it enhanced her social skills when she got introduced to this program. She talks more now and is more confident.� For Darlene’s girls, horses were a new experience. “I told my kids that someone has to take care of the horses like people take care of [them],� says Darlene. “Urban kids have no frame for the horses,� explains Mack. “They have never been around something like this—a docile, giant animal, but one which is sizing them up, too. It breaks down a barrier. You have to find a balance between being confident and a leader with being too strong and aggressive in order to interact with horses.� Mack grew up in a rural area but had C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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little previous experience with horses before Detroit Horse Power. “The process that we take kids through in a week is world-shattering,â€? says Mack. “The comments at the beginning are typically super-negative and self-derogatory. But being around the horses and learning how to care for the horses gives an opportunity for [students’] deficits to be matched exactly with the opportunity to grow. They go from thinking, ‘I didn’t think I would ever be the kind of person who could ‌’ to thinking, ‘I could be the person who ...’ â€? Darlene knows many of the young people who attended the 2015 program, and she’s witnessed positive changes in those children, too. “They have all grown so much,â€? she says. “My girls are so excited and ask all the time when they are going back. It brought me joy to see how much fun they really had.â€?
Forging Community Connections Growing up as an equestrian, Silver recalls, meant the barn was a place to go and to belong. It was where his mentor, Clarke, provided guidance and direction, not just with horses but also at critical life milestones. Silver sees an opportunity for Detroit Horse Power to create a similar safe haven where urban youth, local residents and educators can work together. “I see an urban barn as being like a school, a community hub,� says Silver. “An urban barn can host community events, birthday parties and barbecues. It can be a place where students can get tutoring and where residents are always welcome.�
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FEATURE
Until Detroit Horse Power can use some of Detroit’s 23 square miles of vacant and blighted land to build its own facility, IT IS PARTNERING WITH AREA FARMS TO BRING HORSES AND KIDS TOGETHER $(0 TEACHES CHILDREN LIKE 3HALMA 4ORRES (left) TO CARE FOR AND RIDE HORSES BUT IT ALSO FOCUSES ON DEVELOPING RESPONSIBILITY EMPATHY PERSEVERANCE PATIENCE SELF CONlDENCE AND CONmICT RESOLUTION
Detroit is poised to make such a place possible. A decades-old ordinance prohibits residents from keeping livestock within city limits, although some do keep chickens, goats and bees there illegally. But via a draft ordinance expected to come before the City Planning Commission and the City Council this year, Detroit could approve horses and other urban livestock on a case-by-case basis. Silver and his team have been working to educate city leaders and residents about the benefits and the logistics. “We prepared a 30-page research document on urban horse care best practices,� says Silver. “We have spent a lot of time trying to answer the question of why horses should be a part of the urban environment. We have a lot of local support. The revision to the law is just trying to
h)T ISN T THAT THE CHALLENGE ISN T WORTH IT )T S THAT THESE KIDS NEED TO LEARN THAT they ARE WORTH IT v n0AUL -ACK 74
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catch up with where people are at in the city today.� Silver sees repurposing a 15- to 20-acre parcel of vacant land as a chance to bring Detroit Horse Power close to the people it’s most intended to serve—underprivileged urban youth. The parcel must not be contaminated from its previous use, it must be big enough and close to a dense population of children, and nearby residents must support horses as part of their community’s future. “This center is an opportunity to promote synergy with other resources within Detroit,� says Silver. “For example, open areas could be used to grow hay. We have a big problem with dumped tires. Could components be extracted to make synthetic footing? There is also a strong urban gardening movement, and so our composted manure could be useful there.� DHP’s model calls for city residents to board their horses at the facility, which would provide income to support operations
In its next phase, Detroit Horse Power plans to bring its programs into schools. h) SEE AN URBAN BARN AS BEING LIKE A SCHOOL A COMMUNITY HUB v SAYS $AVID 3ILVER (center) SHOWN HERE WITH !LEXIS ,AWSON (left) AND 8AVIER ,AWSON
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DUO Cordova Tight™ 0JLÄSŽ Jersey
DETROIT HORSE POWER PHOTO
superior function meets super attering
while strengthening the residents’ ties to the city. The boarding operation should make the DHP center self-supporting, so when grants come in, they can go entirely toward developing youth programs. The center also would run equestrian events, adding value for the community. But these activities are not the main objective; they are a means to get horses around the kids in urban Detroit. “What is unique here is the community connection and making links between groups in the community that don’t usually do so,� says Mack. “Detroit Horse Power’s facility will be deeply connected to the people around it.� This summer, DHP’s expanded activities will bring 75 kids to a series of five-day programs over a total of six weeks. Area farm owners—including Snoblen of Equinox Farm—will once again provide facilities and horses. “The goal is that these intensive five-daylong programs will serve as a launch point for
after-school programming,� says Silver. This fall, DHP will bring its activities to Detroit schools to teach horse management and help students translate the social and emotional growth they experience with horses to their everyday lives. In the meantime, DHP leaders have a short list of potential sites for the proposed equestrian center, and they’re preparing to move ahead as soon as city ordinance allows. While the political gears turn slowly, DHP is focusing on both the small steps and the big picture. “Detroiters are working people, and they will find a way to thrive,� says Silver. With Detroit Horse Power, young residents may soon get a leg up on that brighter future. “I wish I could be the kid that could get to do it,� says Darlene. “I am praying that the year-round program happens, and we can be a part of it. Most definitely, this program can succeed here. We need it.�
irideonridingwear.com C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RESORT AT PAWS UP
The Wild West,
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Any Way You Like It
Equestrians have plenty of exciting options when it comes to exploring the American frontier. By K AT NETZLER
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TRAVEL For New Experiences In The Lap Of Luxury
THE RESORT AT PAWS UP Greenough, Mont. | PawsUp.com lenty of resorts are prone to the “we offer something for everyone,” hyperbole, but it’s not an exaggeration at Paws Up. The trick is deciding just who you want to be while you’re there, because their smorgasbord of awesome activities is enough to incite an identity crisis. If you’re looking to focus on horses first and foremost, you won’t be bored. Paws Up offers enough equestrian activities to fill a whole week—everything from participating in an authentic cattle drive to taking a private lesson at The Saddle Club, the largest private equestrian center in the state, with a stunning 23,000-square-foot indoor arena. The staff also offers horse care lessons on the ground, hacking over 100 miles of trails, and wagon-team driving lessons (with the adorable Pete and Repeat, full-brother Norwegian Fjord geldings). But you can be a horse person at home, right? This is vacation, so try something new! Indulge your inner sportsman with archery, fly fishing, or shooting at the rifle or sporting clay ranges. Venture outside your comfort zone with ATV tours, rappelling, geocaching (described as “a high-tech version of an Easter-egg hunt”), or the high ropes challenge course. Or test your physical prowess on the Grizzlyman Fitness Trail. Looking for something more traditional, like water sports? Don’t worry, they’ve got those too. You can water ski, tube and paddleboard on the lake, or ride the river in a canoe, kayak or whitewater raft. But if adrenaline is the last thing you look for in a vacation, you’ve still come to the right place. Paws Up’s Wilderness Workshop series connects guests with cultural and creative experts throughout the summer for intensive multi-day learning. There are the expected workshops, like writing, landscape painting, and starry night photography, but you can also dive into the world of knit graffiti or learn to build kites with professional kite flyers (yes, that’s a thing!). Paws Up’s phenomenal dining menu is a treat no matter when you visit, but if you’re a foodie and a cook, be sure to check out their special cooking and baking camp workshop weeks, such as Upper Crust, “a sophisticated cookie, pie and pizza camp,” or BBQ-U for the ultimate education in meat. The resort also hosts events like Montana Master Chefs week, when James Beard Award All-Stars from around the country converge to create a world-class culinary experience for guests. All that’s just a taste of your activity options in summer; Paws Up also welcomes guests throughout the snowy season for dogsledding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snow tubing, ice skating, private indoor riding lessons, a WinterFest food and wine festival, and more. Situated on 37,000 acres of a working cattle ranch in Montana’s Blackfoot Valley, The Resort at Paws Up is located 35 minutes northeast of Missoula. Guest rates include round-trip transfer from Missoula International Airport. 78
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Even the humbly named “cook shack” at The Resort at Paws Up is Instagram-worthy.
Guests at The Resort at Paws Up can choose between private lodges or tents like this one, which include luxury amenities like soaking tubs.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RESORT AT PAWS UP
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RESORT AT PAWS UP
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RESORT AT PAWS UP
Rise before dawn to float above the breathtaking Montana skyline in a hot air balloon.
Whether you want to take a lesson at the top-class indoor equestrian center or cut loose on a mountain trail ride, Paws Up is a perfect fit for equestrians of all skill levels.
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TRAVEL For A Formative Family Experience
7D RANCH Cody, Wyo. | 7DRanch.com aving children isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying a stay at this working Wyoming ranch— there are plenty of adults-only weeks on their summer schedule—but 7D has a reputation when it comes to excellent kids’ programming. Tailored to children ages 3-12, their optional and flexible children’s curriculum includes riding and horsemanship for all skill levels (in the arena or, for kids 6 and up, out on the trail), daily hikes, and lessons in ranch life, cowboy culture, ecology, wildlife, and the area’s Native American history. Long days are capped off with campfire singing and s’mores, and the week culminates in a gymkhana on Saturday afternoon so kids can show off their freshly honed skills in the saddle. 7D also offers daytime babysitting services for infants and toddlers so parents and older siblings can make the most of their stay. A family-run business since 1958, the ranch keeps their guest list limited each week (they have just 10 guest cabins), so you’re ensured a top-notch customized experience. All meals are served family-style in the main lodge, and in the evenings you can expect everything from yard games, live music, cowboy poetry readings and hay rides to a Wicki-up—a traditional sweat lodge experience followed by a bracing jump in the river and a campfire. Guests are also encouraged to check out Cody’s world-famous Cody Night Rodeo and Buffalo Bill Historical Center. 7D maintains a herd of 80 horses and more trails than you can experience in one visit, so if you’re aiming to soak up as much wilderness as possible during your stay, consider crafting a custom pack trip. These long-distance rides can span from three to 14 days in the Wyoming high country, traversing stunning landscapes with the help of an experienced guide, a horse wrangler and an excellent cook. The ranch also offers hiking and climbing for all skill levels, excellent fly fishing opportunities for expert trout fishermen (and lessons for beginners), and an annual horsemanship clinic to which guests are welcomed with their own horses (though it’s not required—you can also take your pick from 7D’s extensive herd).
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PHOTO COURTESY OF 7D RANCH
Riding off into the sunset on a 7D Ranch pack trip.
Located in the Absaroka Mountains in northwest Wyoming between Yellowstone National Park and Cody, 7D Ranch is best reached via Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody (52 miles) or Logan International Airport in Billings, Mont. (125 miles). Guests are recommended to rent a vehicle, but van transfers to/from Cody are available.
Since 1958, 7D Ranch has welcomed guests to Wyoming’s scenic Sunlight Basin.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF 7D RANCH PHOTO COURTESY OF 7D RANCH
7D Ranch boasts a herd of 80 horses, which guarantees everyone in the family will ďŹ nd the perfect partner.
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TRAVEL For A Roughing-It Experience You’ll Always Remember
SOMBRERO RANCHES GREAT AMERICAN HORSE DRIVE Craig, Colo. | Sombrero.com ombrero owns one of the largest herds of horses in North America, usually numbering around 1,500. Most are used as mounts at their dude ranches, lesson stables, and scout and church camps during the summer and as deer and elk hunting camp horses in the fall. After hunting season concludes, Sombrero’s herds are put out to winter pasture at several ranches, including their biggest, Brown’s Park Ranch, where 400-500 horses are kept on 90,000 acres until the first week of May. That’s where you come in. For the past 18 years, Sombrero has been inviting guest riders to participate in their annual spring tradition: the Great American Horse Drive, which moves the Brown’s Park herd more than 60 miles to the company’s Big Gulch Ranch near Craig, Colo. It’s not an easy ticket to get. The company accepts only a limited number of riders, and repeat business is high, with priority given to past participants. The experience begins at Big Gulch with a short orientation, riding assessment and instruction and a briefing on drive procedures. Guests are assigned in groups with a head wrangler and an assistant before venturing out across the spectacular sagebrush country of western Colorado. Sombrero provides each rider with two mounts, tack, lodging and three hearty meals a day. And when you finish? You’ll also earn your Great American Horse Drive jacket and trophy belt buckle that proves you completed the drive, “gate to gate.” The 2017 drive is slated for May 3-7.
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The Great American Horse Drive from Brown’s Park Ranch to Big Gulch Ranch takes place every year during the first week of May.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOMBRERO RANCHES
Yampa Valley Regional Airport near Steamboat Springs in northwest Colorado is your closest stop for air travel, and transportation to and from the airport is included in the cost of the ride.
You, too, can earn a belt buckle like this! You’ll just have to help drive 500 horses for 60 miles to do it.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF SOMBRERO RANCHES
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOMBRERO RANCHES
The Sombrero Ranches Great American Horse Drive has been a tradition in western Colorado for more than 40 years, and guests are now welcomed into the hard work and fun.
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PROFILE
Horses have played a central role in Robin Peterson’s life, EVEN AS SHE S PURSUED TWO VASTLY DIFFERENT CAREER TRACKS VETERINARY MEDICINE AND ART 3HE SPENDS HER FREE TIME AT .ORTH 7IND &ARM WITH HORSES SUCH AS 'WEN -ARSHALL S 4RAKEHNER !RABIAN STALLION 7" #ORRE #ON %L 6IENTO
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BLENDING SCIENCE WITH
Robin Peterson puts a creative spin on showcasing horses’ physicality with her layered anatomical illustrations. By CATIE STASZAK Artwork courtesy of ROBIN PETERSON
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBIN PETERSON
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f you were both left- and because it’s really hard to see right-handed, you’d be that in a photograph.� ambidextrous, but what if Peterson works from her you were equally left- and secluded FernWood Studio right-brained? Well, you’d on 21 acres in the heart of the be Robin Peterson. Key Peninsula woodlands. Peterson, 62, of Vaughn, She draws inspiration from Wash., gave up a career as an her environment by taking equine surgeon to become long hikes and kayak excura full-time artist, and she’s sions, and from her workplace become known for her ana“in the trees� on the top floor tomic illustrations of her forof her house. Some of Robin Peterson’s earliest illustrations DETAILED WOBBLER S SYNDROME AND THE SURGERY TO lX IT WHICH WAS DEVELOPED WHILE 0ETERSON STUDIED mer patients. Combining the “I can bird watch if I get VETERINARY MEDICINE AT 7ASHINGTON 3TATE 5NIVERSITY analytic, science-craving part distracted,� she said. of her personality with her But her greatest inspicreative side, her pieces can be found hang- a niche there because, obviously, having an ration—and most frequent subject—is, ing on walls and printed in scholarly jour- extensive medical background helps when of course, horses, the constant in her two nals. She has her doctorate, but she teaches you can help interpret and make things decidedly different career tracks. more sketching classes than biology. “I was a typical horse-crazy girl,� Peterclear visually,� Peterson said. “Illustration “I got out of the veterinary industry and remains one of the best ways to describe son said. “I always had that little girl conwent to illustration and found a little bit of surgical techniques and layered anatomy, nection in the beginning.� C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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PROFILE
Robin Peterson often creates WHAT SHE CALLS LAYERED ANATOMY ILLUSTRATIONS IN WHICH SHE DEPICTS THE FULL PHYSICALITY OF THE HORSE FROM SKELETON TO OUTER SKIN USING A VARIETY OF MEDIA INCLUDING ACRYLIC PAINT AND COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
Trading Spurs For A Scalpel Peterson grew up in Tacoma, Wash. Horses were an important part of her life, but she didn’t spend her youth dreaming of becoming a veterinary surgeon. “I started riding when I was young and spent a lot of high school years on horses and not in school,� she said. “But I was a good student, so that helped.� For a while, she appeared more likely to trade stocks on Wall Street than don a lab coat. She became a junior horse dealer of 86 JULY/AUGUST 2016
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sorts, purchasing, trainme a business to make it ing and re-selling offwork out on his taxes!� track Thoroughbreds at When she went to her local hunter/jumper college, Peterson slowed stable. down the riding and “I remember, a little picked up the studying. –ROBIN PETERSON bit to my parents’ chagrin, In 1973, she began taking I bought and sold about classes at Fort Steilacoom seven different horses,� she recalled. “I guess Community College (Wash.), where she I was just looking for the right one or some- enrolled in a veterinary technician program. thing, but I ended up buying and selling [a But after receiving an associate degree lot of them]. My dad said he had to make in 1975, the admittedly all-or-nothing-
“I decided I liked to sleep at night!�
minded adventurist wanted more. “When I started working in the field, I realized that I could go all the way,� Peterson recalled. “With some very supportive family, I went back to school and got a veterinary medicine degree.� She graduated from Washington State University with a DVM behind her name. During her time there, she also nurtured the artistic leanings that would someday become her livelihood. “I’m really a visual person, and that’s how I learn. In veterinary school, my notes were quite popular,� Peterson said. “Art has always been a part of my life. “I always used it through school,� she continued. “That’s just how I learned. Anatomy is the perfect example. If I could draw it, I could usually remember it and figure things out.� While at WSU, Peterson studied under Barrie Grant, DVM, MS, DACVS, MRCVS, who would influence both her veterinary and art careers. Grant, along with fellow veterinarian Pam Wagner and human orthopedic surgeon George Bagby, developed a surgical treatment for wobbler’s syndrome, which causes a “wobbly� or unstable gait due to cervical vertebral malformation. Grant’s surgery used fusion to relieve spinal cord compression and stabilize the spinal cord. “That’s probably one of the early anatomical areas that I illustrated, the cervical fusion process, which was a new technique at the time,� Peterson recalled. Peterson went to work at a private practice in Escondido, Calif., that specialized in equine ambulatory care. She also spent a year at the Delaware Equine Center in Cochranville, Pa., before conducting a three-year surgical residency at the University of California, Davis, from 1983 to 1986. From there, it was back to the East Coast, where she worked as an instructor at North Carolina State University. After that, she
joined the staff at the San Luis Rey Equine Hospital (Calif.), where she reunited with Grant, who became a co-owner of the practice with Jay and Ethel Rose. “My own personal surgery approach was more generalist,� Peterson said. “I did a lot of colic surgeries and some orthopedics. I wasn’t doing really high-end stuff as far as orthopedics, but I certainly was exposed to some of the best.�
A Major Career Change After more than a decade of the all-consuming large-animal veterinarian lifestyle, Peterson felt burned out. In 1991, she decided she needed to step away from her work. She’d always enjoyed art, so she enrolled in the nine-month science illustration graduate program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “I was in a hospital practice doing emergency intensive care. It was a busy place with a lot of great work to do, but maybe I didn’t learn the balance of lifestyle quite as well as I might have,� Peterson said. “I discovered this program, a science
This composite illustration of bit placement IN THE HORSE S MOUTH IS ONE OF 2OBIN 0ETERSON S FAVORITES h)T WAS A REAL CHALLENGE TO TRY TO VISUALIZE THAT BECAUSE THERE S SO MUCH GOING ON IN A SMALL AREA v SHE SAID
illustration program that was a pretty intense introduction to different illustrative techniques,� she continued. “It focused on the animal science disciplines like paleontology and different ways to use artistic illustration to describe topics, which, when you think about natural history, is pretty much most of what you see. So I took a sabbatical from the practice and went to Santa Cruz for those nine months, and I got hooked on that.� So much so, she elected to make a “pretty major career change.� In 1994, she returned to Washington and took up art full time. “Life happened,� Peterson said. “Things pushed me toward wanting to come back toward the Pacific Northwest and focus on other things that I wanted to do. “I decided I liked to sleep at night!� she added, only half-jokingly. C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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PROFILE
Robin Peterson painted this artwork, CALLED Between The Stirrup And The Ground TO TELL HER OWN PERSONAL HISTORY )T DEPICTS EVERYTHING FROM HER CHILDHOOD RIDING EXPERIENCES TO HER VETERINARY CAREER AND SPECIAL HORSES IN HER LIFE
Peterson found a niche creating illustrations for various equine publications and journals. Early on, she worked extensively with the Associated Press and The Horse magazine, for which she contributed to a serial column called “A Closer Look.� “It was a series of really short blurbs about common issues with horses—deworming, tendon injuries, the whole gamut,� Peterson explained. “The text was very brief, but the 88 JULY/AUGUST 2016
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illustrations kind of told the story. I have a lot of resources from those illustrations.� Word of her skills and talent spread, and she soon began creating illustrations for other publications, including The American Quarter Horse Journal and The Chronicle of the Horse. “The publication would start with an idea or the written article, and then usually the illustrations would come from that— occasionally the other way around, but not usually,� Peterson said. “I’ll figure out a couple different ways that I can show their intent the best. Then it’s kind of a collaborative deal between the editors and myself to make something obvious to people.�
Horses aren’t the only animals she’s illustrated. “When I first got out of the UC Santa Cruz [program], I worked a little bit with Scripps Oceanography and Monterey Bay Aquarium,� Peterson said. “We had some contacts there, so I’ve done some animalrelated artwork of octopi and different fish and habitats. I did some comparative anatomy stuff with different species, some publications out of UC Davis and a few articles in scientific publications that needed a little bit of illustrative material, mostly line work. I don’t do much of that now, but that was fun. My niche is more in the equine realm now.�
Precision, Spirit And Storytelling Peterson’s is an art that does not allow for error. “My knowledge and experience in the veterinary field definitely influence how I put together illustrations, but you can’t make this stuff up,� she said. It’s a complex process for Peterson to create her anatomic illustrations, which, after undergoing exhaustive research, can take anywhere from six to eight hours “for average illustrations� to complete. She plans out her projects using in-house resources— including bones, models and books—and digital examples. She frequently creates what she calls
“layered anatomy pieces,� in which she puts together the physical structure of the entire horse, from skeleton to outer skin. “You have the whole horse with the bones and then the muscles and the whole bit comes together,� Peterson said. “Those have been really good projects. They’re a little more unique and something that captures more attention.� To create these pieces, she starts by making a photographic model. She then draws a sketch of each body layer that she paints before putting the tiered pieces together on the computer. “What I’ve tried to do, using the computer, is make the layers have a little bit of
Robin Peterson created this illustration of Tebenkof Bay IN THE 4ONGASS 7ILDERNESS WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM SPONSORED BY THE .ATIONAL 0ARK 3ERVICE IN SOUTHEAST !LASKA
depth so that you can appreciate where they are in the body, but you can also still see the outer shell of the animal in as close to a 3-D approach as I can,� Peterson explained. “I start with the anatomical drawing—let’s say, the skeleton. I’ll have a basic photograph of my model horse. Then I’ll work from the line version, building a skeleton and then building the muscular system over the top of that. Some of them have been completely C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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PROFILE “With illustration, I’m trying to be fairly accurate and precise, AND WITH PAINTING ) M ALWAYS TRYING TO LOOSEN UP AND LET A LITTLE SPIRIT SHOW ) THINK THE BLENDING OF THAT IS MY ONGOING CHALLENGE v SAID 2OBIN 0ETERSON WHO PAINTED THIS PORTRAIT ENTITLED Afternoon Ride.
painted and some have had the actual photograph used as the final layer, or the top layer. Then I just use Photoshop to play with the depths and what shows and what doesn’t, so I can highlight different areas. “I did one that involved bit placement in the horse’s mouth,� she continued, “and it was a real challenge to try to visualize that, because there’s so much going on in a small area. I like those composite portraits. They’re a lot of work and sometimes a fairly significant challenge, but they’re a little different. It’s more than just a floating head there, and that’s what I like—that kind of challenge.� A classic perfectionist, she admits she doesn’t always get the illustration right the first time. “There are a lot that don’t work,� she said. “Fortunately, I paint a good amount with acrylics and oil. If I need to, I can scrape it all down and start over.� To allow her creative juices to flow more freely, Peterson also paints occasional portraits and commissioned work. One piece, called Between The Stirrup And The Ground, is a reflective painting that depicts Peterson’s own life story. 90 JULY/AUGUST 2016
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“It actually is kind of my history,� she said. “It has a photograph where I’m jumping, and then it has some bones and images of some of the horses I’ve had over the years and some of the things I’ve done. When I was working with Dr. Grant, there was an early Secretariat test foal. He was an Appendix Quarter Horse that ended up being a wobbler. We did surgery on him during my last year in school [at WSU]. I got to gallop him at the racetrack as a demonstration after he had wobbler surgery. There are all those big stories in there for me, that lifestyle stuff, and I like doing that.� She refers to her work as having a constantly evolving, “representational� style, and she seeks a balance between the exact-
ness of her illustrations with the imaginativeness that comes with more free-form paintings. “With illustration, I’m trying to be fairly accurate and precise, and with painting, I’m always trying to loosen up and let a little spirit show,� Peterson said. “Sometimes it gets a little bit frustrating, because I feel like I want to be somewhere in between, so it’s always an ongoing project. I think the blending of that is my ongoing challenge. When I’m painting for myself and doing more portrait work, there’s something beyond just the precision of getting the drawing right that needs to come through. On both ends of it, I think the [contrasting] styles help each other.�
A Return To Riding Peterson never strayed from the presence of horses, but she spent more than three decades out of the saddle during her time as a veterinarian. Since much of her young adult life involved riding hunters and jumpers and even working on the race track— she groomed and exercised Thoroughbreds at Longacres Race Track in Renton, Wash., where she worked for Washington Racing Hall of Fame trainer Kathy Walsh, and at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.—it was a difficult transition. “After high school, I ended up not having a horse and dropping away from [riding],” she said. “I was a little bit ‘all or nothing,’ so I kind of avoided it, to tell you the honest truth, because I wasn’t in a position to have a horse or ride regularly, so I decided I was just going to stay away from it completely. In veterinary medicine, you don’t have a whole lot of time to do some of that stuff. Obviously I worked with [horses], but I didn’t do much riding for a good 30 years.” Peterson didn’t remount until last year. When her niece, Jessie Peterson, expressed a desire to take up riding lessons, Robin took her to ride with her friend Gwen Marshall, an instructor at North Wind Farm in Port Orchard, Wash. Jessie didn’t quite catch the riding bug, but Robin did, all over again. “I went with her the first time, and then I thought, ‘I want to do it!’ so I started taking lessons, too,” she said. She now rides up to four times a week, going on leisure rides and working with Amaluna, a 16-year-old Arabian broodmare who wasn’t started under saddle until later in life. “There’s an eventer, a dressage horse, a stallion and a broodmare—I’ve gotten to ride them all!” Robin exclaimed. “In January I got to start [Amaluna] as a little proj-
ect, and I kind of help exercise the horses that are in training with the professionals. I get to ride them on their off days. Auntie Robin doesn’t have to make them bend and have flexion and work too hard. I’m their leisure days but still exercise days. It’s just really been great for me. “I’m riding better than I did even as a kid,” she added. She also returned to veterinary medicine but in a smaller capacity. In her spare time, she helps out at the local clinic, Rocky Bay Equine in Gig Harbor, Wash., where she assists Bo Weeks, DVM. “I do their website and computer PR things for them, and I fill in when they need an extra hand here and there,” Robin said. “It keeps my fingers a little bit involved in the veterinary part of it.”
“Most of the things I like to do require personal protective devices!” –ROBIN PETERSON
A Thirst For Adventure Don’t let Robin fool you. She may have left the fast-paced life of an equine hospital for a tranquil art studio, but she’s still a thrillseeker at heart. She’s completed 11 marathons and several more “ultra runs,” which are longer than standard marathons and often take place over more varied terrain. “I love the Pacific Northwest because I’m really active,” she said. “I like to backpack and kayak and do outdoor stuff.” When Peterson isn’t painting horses, she’s most often depicting wilderness scenes. On several occasions, she’s participated in
artist-in-residence programs at national parks, living and working deep within the parks in areas normally shut off to the public. “They’re sponsored by the U.S. National Park Service,” she explained. “Several of the parks basically exchange access to the park and special privileges in return for producing a piece of artwork for them. It gets the artist in the park, and it also gives the parks some great PR. I visited Glacier National Park [Montana] and got to go up in the arctic, which is something I would never be able to do on my own.” Her adventures have led her to the ends of the earth. “I did another one in southeast Alaska, and in the Brooks Range, above the Arctic Circle, they dropped us by float plane,” she recalled. “We floated down the river a ways, and then they picked us up. “I always laugh, because most of the things I like to do require personal protective devices!” she added. “Fortunately, I’ve stayed healthy, and I think I have a few more years left in me, so I’m going to make sure they’re out there.” At home, Peterson’s hikes are less extreme. She frequently explores the wooded areas around her house with Arne, her 7-year-old German Shepherd, who was given to her by the dog’s breeders after he didn’t pan out as a police dog. “Life is good,” she said. “I’ve been very lucky. I sort of chose lifestyle over making much money a long time ago, and so far, with everything, that’s been a good choice.” This time around, she’s showing no signs of a career burnout. “I love science, but then I also like to interpret it,” she said. “[My artwork] appeals to both sides of my brain. It’s really just a great blend, and I don’t see any end to that inspiration. I’m as excited to do it now as I ever was before.” C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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summer is
A STATE of mind Come Show with Us!
4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC 28756 | (828) 863-1000 | www.tryon.com | info@tryon.com
Tryon International Equestrian Center and Tryon Resort offers spectators, exhibitors, and competitors a wide variety of on-site lodging options, all located just steps aw a convenient and stress-free stay. If interested in booking lodging for the 2016 Tryon Summer Show Series, please contact lodging@tryon.com for more informa
way from facility stabling to ensure ation regarding weekly rates.
The 2016 summer Series
TRYON SUMMER 1 (JUNE 29 -JULY 3)
FEI CSI 3*/ AA PREMIER HUNTERS/LEVEL 6 JUMPERS
TRYON SUMMER 2 (JULY 6 - JULY 10)
FEI CSI 3*/ AA PREMIER HUNTERS/LEVEL 6 JUMPERS
TRYON SUMMER 3 (JULY 13 - JULY 17) FEI CSI 4*/ B HUNTERS/LEVEL 6 JUMPERS
TRYON SUMMER 4 (JULY 20 - JULY 24) FEI CSI 4*/ B HUNTERS/LEVEL 6 JUMPERS
FEED ROOM Throw An Olympic Games Viewing Party This year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro run Aug. 5-21, so invite some friends over to cheer on the U.S. eventing, dressage and show jumping teams with an easy menu that combines the best of American and Brazilian cuisines. By MOLLIE BAILEY
RED, WHITE AND BLUE POTATO SALAD The only thing more American than potato salad? Red, white and blue potato salad.
10 oz. RED SKINNED BABY POTATOES 10 oz. lNGERLING OR WHITE BABY POTATOES 10 oz. BLUE POTATOES 2 CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS 2 tbsp. CHOPPED FRESH PARSLEY 1 tbsp. CHOPPED FRESH DILL 1 tbsp. CHOPPED FRESH CHIVES 3 HARD BOILED EGGS CHOPPED ½ cup RED WINE VINEGAR 2 tbsp. OLIVE OIL 2 tsp $IJON MUSTARD 1 ¼ tsp. SALT ½ tsp. FRESH BLACK PEPPER 1 GARLIC CLOVE MINCED
MOLLIE BAILEY PHOTO
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1. Chop all the potatoes into bite-sized pieces that are approximately the same size (usually halved or quartered, depending on the potato’s size). Place the red-skinned and white potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Place the blue potatoes in a separate saucepan and cover with water. Bring both batches to a boil, then simmer until tender. The red and white potatoes will be ready in about 15 minutes,
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and the blue potatoes will take about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool. 2. Meanwhile, prepare onions, herbs and eggs and add to a large bowl. Add cooled potatoes and mix gently. 3. Combine vinegar, Dijon mustard, oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Pour over potatoes and toss gently to combine. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.
MOLLIE’S COLORFUL VEGGIE SALAD ).'2%$)%.43 For the salad 3 CARROTS CUT INTO THIN STICKS 3 CELERY RIBS CHOPPED 1 RED PEPPER CHOPPED INTO THIN SLICES 1 ORANGE PEPPER CHOPPED INTO THIN SLICES
1 YELLOW PEPPER CHOPPED INTO THIN SLICES 2 GREEN ONIONS CHOPPED 2 cups SHREDDED OR CHOPPED RED CABBAGE 1 CUCUMBER PEELED AND CHOPPED INTO STICKS
MOLLIE BAILEY PHOTO
This gorgeous salad is a potluck favorite and a great complement to heavier dishes. The recipe makes a pretty big bowl. If you’re concerned you’ll have extra, just dress and serve half the salad at first. Leftovers are great on their own or mixed with your favorite protein.
1 cup SNOW PEAS SLICED INTO STICKS 1 cup COOKED COOLED SHELLED EDAMAME OPTIONAL 1 AVOCADO CHOPPED
For the dressing *UICE OF ½ LEMON cup OLIVE OIL ½ cup APPLE CIDER VINEGAR 1 tbsp. AGAVE SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Layer the vegetables in contrasting colors in a large glass bowl, then dress and stir just before serving.
ALL-AMERICAN BURGERS Nothing says summer party like hamburgers on the grill. This simple recipe makes four perfect burgers, and you can adjust according to how many equestrians will be piling in front of the TV. This recipe is adapted from the Food Network Kitchen.
).'2%$)%.43
FAMILY BUSINESS/SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO
1 ½ pounds PERCENT LEAN GROUND BEEF CHUCK
&RESHLY GROUND PEPPER AND KOSHER SALT 4 SLICES CHEDDAR CHEESE
4 SPLIT SESAME BUNS ,ETTUCE AND SLICED TOMATO RED ONION AND SWEET PICKLE FOR TOPPING
1. Preheat grill to high. In a large bowl, sprinkle the ground beef with ½ tsp. salt. Gently form into 4 balls, then lightly press into patties that are 4 inches wide and about an inch thick. Make a 2-inch-wide indentation with your thumb to prevent the burgers from bulging when grilling. 2. Season the patties with salt and pepper, and grill, undisturbed, until marked on the bottom, about 3-5 minutes. Turn and grill until the other side is marked and the patties feel firm, about 3-5 more minutes. If desired, top each burger with a slice of cheese during the last two minutes of cooking and cover with a disposable aluminum pan to melt. 3. Serve the patties on buns and garnish with toppings.
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FEED ROOM
AMOR EM PEDAÇOS This sweet treat, which translates to “love in pieces,â€? is a Brazilian favorite. The lime juice in the dough gives it a distinct flavor and contrasts nicely with the pineapple.
1 PINEAPPLE CHOPPED AND PUR�ED IN THE BLENDER 1 COCONUT GRATED OR 1 CUP UNSWEETENED COCONUT 3 EGGS 1 tbsp BUTTER 2 ½ cups SUGAR 4 CLOVES 1 CINNAMON STICK
1 tbsp. BUTTER 2 tbsp. SUGAR 3 EGGS ½ tsp. BAKING POWDER JUICE OF ½ LIME 1 cup ALL PURPOSE mOUR ADDITIONAL ALL PURPOSE mOUR AS NEEDED
For the topping 1 EGG BEATEN WITH 1 tsp WATER 2 tbsp. REGULAR OR LARGE CRYSTAL SUGAR
1. Put ingredients for the filling in a medium-sized saucepan and heat on medium, stirring regularly, until filling reduces and thickens, coating the bottom of the pan, between 20-40 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
MOLLIE BAILEY PHOTO
For the dough
).'2%$)%.43: ‘” –Š‡ ϔ‹ŽŽ‹�‰
2. Using an electric mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add eggs, baking powder and lime juice, plus 1 cup of flour. Then stir with a wooden spoon and continue adding flour in small amounts until the dough is a consistency that can be rolled easily—you might add quite a bit more. Let the dough rest a few minutes. 3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and butter an 8-inch by 12-inch metal pan. 4. Coat a clean surface and a rolling pin in flour. Roll half the dough into a rectangle large enough to cover the sides and bottom of the pan. Add the filling and spread evenly. Roll out the remaining dough and lay it on top of the filling, pinching the edges of the dough to seal it. Brush lightly with the beaten egg (you might not use all of it) and sprinkle with sugar. 5. Place the pan in the oven, and turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Bake until golden, approximately 30 min. Cut into 2-inch squares to serve.
CAIPIRINHA There’s no substitute for Brazil’s potent national cocktail. Cachaça is a Brazilian liquor made from fermented sugarcane juice.
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LAZYLLAMA/SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO
2 ½ oz. CACHA¼A 1-2 tbsp. SUGAR 1 LIME WASHED AND CUT INTO WEDGES 1 cup ICE Muddle lime and sugar together in an Old Fashioned or rocks glass. Add cachaça and ice and shake.
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OLYMPIC TORCH SNACK HOLDERS LINDSAY BERRETH PHOTO
Forget passing the popcorn bowl when McLain Ward’s about to go on course. Keep your own snacks at your fingertips with an individual torch. 4 PIECES OF GOLD CARDSTOCK CRAFT PAPER 0OPCORN WE SUGGEST CHEDDAR mAVORED OR #HEETOS Cut the craft paper in half across the diagonal. Roll each triangle into a cone and tape closed, then cut so the top of the “torch” is even. Guests can fill (and re-fill) their snack holders.
MANGO SPRITZER
BRIGADEIRO
If you’re driving home after watching the dressage freestyle, stick to something a little less dizzying than caipirinhas, like this refreshing treat.
These traditional Brazilian truffles are easy to make ahead of time and always a huge hit at parties (and at the Chronicle office).
).'2%$)%.43 1 BOTTLE MANGO NECTAR 1 LITER SELTZER WATER LIME SLICES MINT LEAVES ICE
MOLLIE BAILEY PHOTO
Combine mango nectar and seltzer water in a pitcher. Serve in glasses with ice, sprigs of mint and thin lime slices.
EVERYTHING/SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO
).'2%$)%.43: 1 CAN CONDENSED MILK 3 tbsp. UNSWEETENED COCOA 1 tbsp. BUTTER PLUS ADDITIONAL BUTTER FOR HANDS AND PLATE CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES
1. Combine condensed milk, unsweetened cocoa and 1 tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. 2. Lightly grease a plate with butter. Drop ½ tablespoons of chocolate mixture onto greased plate to cool. Pour out half a container of chocolate sprinkles onto another plate. 3. Once the chocolate on the plate is cool enough to handle, grease clean hands and roll each of the ½ tablespoons of chocolate into a ball. Gently roll each ball in chocolate sprinkles until coated, then drop into a bonbon wrapper. Put in the refrigerator to cool. Serve cool or at room temperature. C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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CITY GUIDE
Town And Country, All In Millbrook By MELAINA BALBO PHIPPS
hances are, if you’re a horse person (particularly on the eastern seaboard), you have either visited Millbrook, N.Y., or know someone who has. Home to The Millbrook Hunt and the annual Millbrook Horse Trials, Millbrook is located about midway between New York City and Saratoga Springs, N.Y. It’s a perfect spot for a day-in-the-country side trip or a last-minute weekend escape. In the heart of Hudson Valley hunt country, the landscape is beautiful, there are four perfect seasons, and the people are welcoming. If you’ve never been, you’ll fall in love with the horse farms and with the town’s charm and sophistication. There’s something for everyone here, whether you’re a horseman, sportsman, foodie, shopaholic, art lover or bookworm. There are as many lifelong residents as there are transplants from the city, but you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference; spend enough time here and you’ll likely notice a growing desire to extend your visit—permanently.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF AURELIA
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4HE LOCAL BOOKSTORE IS ALWAYS THE lRST PLACE ) SEEK OUT WHEN VISITING A NEW PLACE AND lNDING ONE LIKE THE -ERRITT "OOKSTORE IS DElNITELY A COUP ! BOOK LOVING STAFF WILL HELP YOU lND YOUR NEXT BEST READ SPECIAL ORDER A TITLE FOR YOU AND SHARE THEIR PICKS 9OU LL lND A SELECTION THAT RANGES FROM lCTION AND NONlCTION BESTSELLERS TO CHILDREN S HOME LIFESTYLE COOKBOOK AND SPORTING TITLES "UT IT S NOT JUST BOOKSˆSTOP IN THE SHOP TO lND CARDS STATIONERY SMALL GIFTS AND TOYS AS WELL !CTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY THE SHOP S FOUNDER 3COTT -EYER INSPIRED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE -ILLBROOK ,ITERARY &ESTIVAL NOW IN ITS EIGHTH YEAR AND ATTRACTING HUNDREDS OF VISITORS FROM THE SURROUNDING AREA UPSTATE .EW 9ORK .EW 9ORK #ITY AND ALL OVER .EW %NGLAND )N STORE -ERRITT HOSTS LOCAL BOOK CLUBS AND BOOK SIGNINGS PROMOTES LOCAL AUTHORS AND OFFERS BOOK SELECTIONS TO COMPLEMENT REGIONAL HAPPENINGS LIKE THE ANNUAL $UTCHESS #OUNTY 3HEEP AND 7OOL &ESTIVAL OR THE -ILLBROOK &ARMERS -ARKET !ND IT DOESN T END THERE ! RECENT RENOVATION CREATED A SECOND mOOR GALLERY SPACE WHERE THE SHOP EXHIBITS ARTISTS ON A ROTATING MONTHLY SCHEDULE 3IMPLY PUT TIME AT THE -ERRITT "OOKSTORE IS TIME VERY WELL SPENT 57 Front Street, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 677-5857. merrittbooks.com
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MERRITT BOOKSTORE
PHOTO COURTESY OF MILLBROOK VINEYARDS
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CITY GUIDE 4HREE GENERATIONS OF THE "ALDWIN FAMILY HAVE FARMED THIS LAND 4ONELWIN &ARM WHICH HOUSES THE 3HUNPIKE $AIRY (OLSTEINS HAVE CONSISTENTLY PROVIDED MILK HERE BUT TODAY THE DAIRY ALSO HAS A VARIETY OF OTHER BREEDS INCLUDING !YRSHIRE "ROWN 3WISS *ERSEY 'UERNSEY AND ,INEBACK 4HE DAIRY IS OPEN DAILY TO THE PUBLIC AND VISITORS CAN LEARN ABOUT DAIRY FARMING STRAIGHT FROM THE COW S MOUTHˆOR AT LEAST FROM THE DAIRY FARMER S )F THE COWS COULD SPEAK THEY D PROBABLY TELL YOU THEY RE NOT TREATED WITH UNNECESSARY ANTIBIOTICS OR HORMONES AND THAT THEIR MILK PRODUCTS ARE DELICIOUS #HILDREN AND ADULTS ALIKE WILL ENJOY MEETING THE COWS AND CALVES AS WELL AS THE PIGS HORSE DOG AND CATS THAT CALL THE FARM HOME "EFORE YOU LEAVE YOU CAN BUY SOME OF 3HUNPIKE S RAW MILK OR CREAM TO TRY THE DAIRY WAS CERTIlED BY .EW 9ORK 3TATE IN TO SELL RAW MILK OR STOCK UP ON FRESH EGGS LOCAL MAPLE SYRUP AND HONEY $ROP IN ANYTIME BETWEEN A M AND P M BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE MILKING PROCESS IN ACTION YOU LL HAVE TO BE THERE AT EITHER A M OR P M 1348 Shunpike Road, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 702-6224. shunpikedairy.com
7).' 3 #!34,% "%$ "2%!+&!34 .O MATTER WHERE YOU VE BEEN OR HOW MANY EXOTIC PLACES YOU VE SEEN CHANCES ARE YOU VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE 7ING S #ASTLE ! PRIVATE HOME A PERMANENT ART INSTALLATION A PERSONAL TREASURE TROVE AN ARCHITECTURAL PASTICHEˆALL THESE DESCRIBE THIS 'AUDI ESQUE CASTLE CREATED BY THE LATE ARTIST AND ARCHITECT 0ETER 7ING AND HIS ARTIST WIFE 4ONI !NN 4HEY BEGAN BUILDING THE #ASTLE COMPLETE WITH MOAT SHORTLY AFTER THEY WERE MARRIED IN AND CONTINUED THEIR LABOR OF LOVE OVER MORE THAN FOUR DECADES THE #ASTLE GROWING AND MORPHING OVER TIME 4HANKS TO URBAN RENEWAL IN THE (UDSON 6ALLEY IN THE PROJECT S EARLY YEARS THEY ACQUIRED BUILDING MATERIALS FROM CITY TEARDOWNS AND AS A RESULT 7ING S #ASTLE WAS BUILT WITH PERCENT RECYCLED MATERIALS PERCENT OF THE STONE USED IN THE #ASTLE WAS REPURPOSED FROM AN OLD RAILROAD BRIDGE "UT IT S NOT JUST THE STRUCTURE THAT TELLS A STORY EVERY ROOM IN THE #ASTLE IS lLLED WITH ANTIQUES COLLECTIBLES ARTWORKS MILITARIA AND OF COURSE SOME TCHOTCHKES 4HE #ASTLE HAS BEEN THE BACKDROP FOR MOVIES VIDEOS AND PHOTO SHOOTS IT S BEEN FEATURED ON ('46 S Extreme Homes AND ON THE (ISTORY #HANNEL AND IT S EVEN BEEN LISTED ON .EW 9ORK S (AUNTED (ISTORY 4RAIL THOUGH ) WAS UNABLE TO VERIFY OTHERWORLDLY ACTIVITY 4HE " " ACCOMMODATIONS INCLUDE A SURPRISINGLY QUITE LOVELY DUNGEON ROOM AND A TOWER ROOM AS WELL AS A THREE BEDROOM COTTAGE THE COTTAGE HOWEVER IS WITHOUT 7I&I OR 46 7HILE THERE ARE MANY AND VARIED PLACES TO STAY IN AND AROUND -ILLBROOK ) D READILY SURRENDER TO THE DUNGEON AT 7ING S #ASTLE "UT IF YOU RE NOT SO INCLINED BE SURE TO VISIT FOR A GUIDED TOUR OFFERED 7EDNESDAY THROUGH 3UNDAY 717 Bangall Road, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 677-9085 (Reservations by phone only) wingscastle.com
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF WING’S CASTLE
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHUNPIKE DAIRY
3(5.0)+% $!)29
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MILLBROOK FARMERS’ MARKET
-),,"2//+ &!2-%23 -!2+%4 ) DON T KNOW ANYONE WHO DOESN T LIKE A GOOD FARMERS MARKET IT S LIKE A COMMUNITY COCKTAIL PARTY EXCEPT INSTEAD OF COCKTAILS AND CANAPÏS YOU HAVE LEMONADE AND MUFlNS -ILLBROOK S &ARMERS -ARKET IS NO EXCEPTION 4HE TOWN COMES OUT LOCAL MERCHANTS PROVIDE THE FRESHEST OF WARES AND IN -ILLBROOK THE BAND PLAYS ON WITH LIVE MUSIC ALL SUMMER LONG !SIDE FROM LOCAL PRODUCE DAIRY ARTISANAL CHEESES MEATS AND lSH YOU LL ALSO lND MAPLE SYRUP ""1 SAUCES AND RUBS BAKED GOODS AND DESSERTS GOURMET CHARCUTERIE OLIVE OIL GRANOLA FRESH CUT mOWERS AND ORGANIC JUICES AND SODAS )F YOU RE LOOKING FOR CRAFTS YOU RE IN LUCK THERE TOO 3ELECT FROM HANDMADE QUILTS LINENS CASHMERE CRAFTS CHILDREN S TOYS AND MORE !ND HERE S ONE THING ) VE NEVER SEEN AT A FARMERS MARKET BEFORE BOURBON RYE VODKA AND GIN ALL FROM .EW 9ORK 3TATE S 9ANKEE $ISTILLERY -AYBE WE SHOULDN T RULE OUT THE COCKTAILS JUST YET x 9 3263 Franklin Avenue, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845)243-4410. millbrooknyfarmersmarket.com
JESSICA BENNETT PHOTO
!S A TEEN IN .EW 9ORK #ITY IF ) D KNOWN THERE WAS A HIGH SCHOOL IN THE STATE with its own zoo WELLx ) SUSPECT ) MIGHT HAVE PESTERED MY PARENTS UNTIL THEY MOVED US UPSTATE 4HE LUCKY PARENTS IN -ILLBROOK HOWEVER DON T HAVE TO ENDURE SUCH TACTICS BY THEIR KIDS 4HE -ILLBROOK 3CHOOL A COED PREPARATORY SCHOOL DOES INDEED HAVE ITS VERY OWN ZOO AND IS THE ONLY HIGH SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY ABLE TO MAKE SUCH A CLAIM )T WAS FOUNDED IN WHEN BIOLOGY TEACHER &RANK 4REVOR JOINED THE SCHOOL S FACULTY AND BROUGHT WITH HIM HIS OWN FAMILY OF ANIMALS 4HIS UNIQUE RESOURCE MEANS -ILLBROOK STUDENTS CAN EXPAND THEIR COURSEWORK TO INCLUDE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR ANIMAL BIOLOGY ECOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY 3TUDENTS ALSO HELP DESIGN THE ZOO S EXHIBITS AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES FOR THE ANIMALS /N A DAILY BASIS THEY HELP FEED AND CARE FOR THE ZOO S RESIDENTS AS PART OF THE SCHOOL S COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM LEARNING ABOUT CONSERVATION AND ECOLOGICAL AS WELL AS PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY "UT YOU DON T HAVE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE -ILLBROOK 3CHOOL TO VISIT THE ZOO WHICH WELCOMES GUESTS DAYS A YEAR -ORE THAN SPECIES FROM SIX CONTINENTS CALL -ILLBROOK HOME AMONG THEM SUCH ENDANGERED SPECIES AS THE 7HITE .APED #RANE ,AKE 6ICTORIA #ICHLID 2ING 4AILED ,EMUR 2ED 7OLF "LANDING S 4URTLE +AISER S 3POTTED .EWT 'OLDEN ,ION 4AMARIN "LACK AND 7HITE 2UFFED ,EMUR AND 2ED 0ANDA FOR WHICH THE ZOO PARTICIPATES IN SPECIALIZED BREEDING PROGRAMS )F YOU D LIKE TO KEEP UP WITH SOME OF YOUR NEW FRIENDS AFTER YOUR VISIT OR IF YOU CAN T lT A VISIT INTO YOUR SCHEDULE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ZOO S LIVE FEED AT www. Millbrook.org/TrevorZooLive. 282 Millbrook School Road, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 677-3704. trevorzoo.org
PHOTO BY RON GINSBURG
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-53%5- ). 4(% 342%%43© 4HE -USEUM IN THE 3TREETS© PROGRAM ORIGINATED IN &RANCE AND THE IDEA IS TO ALLOW VISITORS AND RESIDENTS TO LEARN THE HISTORY AND PRESERVE THE HERITAGE OF THEIR TOWNS AND CITIES THROUGH SELF GUIDED WALKING TOURS 4HERE ARE CURRENTLY -)43 PROGRAMS IN THE 5NITED 3TATES AND ABOUT IN %UROPE -ILLBROOK S WAS INSTALLED IN -)43 PLAQUES INDICATE THE STOPS ALONG THE TOUR AND ALONG WITH A BROCHURE AND MAP ARE BILINGUAL IN %NGLISH AND )TALIAN TO PAY HOMAGE TO THE HERITAGE OF MANY OF -ILLBROOK S BUILDERS THEIR DESCENDANTS REMAIN STRONG COMMUNITY MEMBERS TODAY 9OU CAN PICK UP YOUR OWN MAP AND GUIDE AT MANY OF THE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND HEAD OVER TO 3T *OSEPH S #HURCH ON .ORTH !VENUE TO START YOUR TOUR (845) 266-3505. millbrookmits.org info@themuseuminthestreets.com
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PHOTO COURTESY OF INNISFREE GARDEN
)..)3&2%% '!2$%.
7!,"2)$'% &!2- -!2+%4 -ORE THAN ACRES COMPRISE 7ALBRIDGE &ARM A SUSTAINABLE REGISTERED "LACK !NGUS OPERATION 4HEIR CATTLE ARE NOT EXPOSED TO PESTICIDES OR INSECTICIDES AND ARE lNISHED WITH NON '-/ GRAIN FROM 7ALBRIDGE S OWN CROPS )F YOU RE LIKE ME AND FOND OF EATING YOUR WAY THROUGH PLACES YOU VISIT THEN YOU MIGHT lND YOURSELF PICKING UP A COOLER TO lLL AT THE 7ALBRIDGE &ARM -ARKET )N ADDITION TO THEIR OWN !NGUS BEEF THEY SELL THEIR FARM FRESH EGGS MAPLE SYRUP AND HONEY AS WELL AS OTHER LOCAL PRODUCTS INCLUDING MEATS DAIRY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND FRESH BAKED BREADS AND SWEETS 538 Route 343, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 677-6221. walbridgefarm.com
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.OTED AS ONE OF THE WORLD S BEST GARDENS IT S WHERE -ARTHA 3TEWART LIKES TO TAKE VISITORS TO .EW 9ORK )NNISFREE 'ARDEN IS NOT MERELY BEAUTIFUL BUT ALSO A MASTERPIECE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BY ,ESTER #OLLINS !RTISTICALLY IT MELDS -ODERNIST AND 2OMANTIC IDEAS WITH TRADITIONAL #HINESE AND *APANESE PRINCIPLES OF GARDEN DESIGN BUT PRACTICALLY SPEAKING IT S A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO SPEND A SUMMER AFTERNOON 4OURS TAKE ABOUT MINUTES BUT THERE IS SEATING THROUGHOUT THE GARDEN AND A DESIGNATED PICNIC AREA SO YOU CAN WHILE AWAY THE TIME AND SMELL THE ROSES LITERALLY "EFORE YOU GO BE SURE TO CHECK THE CALENDAR OF EVENTS ON THE )NNISFREE WEBSITE FOR SPECIAL GUIDED WALKS DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGS TALKS OR EXHIBITS 4HE GARDEN IS OPEN -AY THROUGH /CT THIS YEAR 362 Tyrrel Road, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 677-8000. innisfreegarden.org
4HERE ARE LOTS OF INTERESTING SHOPS IN TOWN BUT IF YOU ONLY HAVE TIME FOR A COUPLE MAKE SURE ONE IS 0UNCH !CCORDING TO OWNER 2UTHIE "ONTECOU THE INVENTORY HERE CHANGES hALMOST DAILYv TO KEEP UP WITH THE SHOP S DEDICATED LOCAL CLIENTELE "EST OF ALL NOT ONLY CAN YOU lND SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE WITH APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES FOR WOMEN MEN AND CHILDREN BUT YOU CAN ALSO lND ALL MANNER OF GIFTS DÏCOR AND objects FOR EVERY AREA IN YOUR HOME AND GARDEN )T S THE PERFECT SPOT IF YOU hNEEDv TO PICK UP A NEW PAIR OF (UNTER WELLIES A GIFT FOR YOUR HOST SOMETHING TO BRIGHTEN YOUR PERSONAL SPACE OR JUST SOMETHING TO REMEMBER YOUR TIME IN -ILLBROOK 15 Merritt Avenue, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 677-6796. shoppunchnow.com
-),,"2//+ 6).%9!2$3 !.$ 7).%29 &OR THE PAST YEARS -ILLBROOK 6INEYARDS HAS BEEN VOTED h"EST 7INERYv IN THE (UDSON 6ALLEY THAT S MORE THAN ENOUGH RECOMMENDATION TO VISIT A WINE TASTING OR TWO TO SAMPLE THEIR PORTFOLIO ,OCATED ALONG THE $UTCHESS #OUNTY 7INE 4RAIL THE WINERY OFFERS TOURS AND TASTINGS DAILY AND HOSTS SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SUCH AS A 3UMMER 3OLSTICE ,OBSTER "AKE *AZZ AT THE 'RILLE AN ANNUAL (ARVEST 0ARTY AND A + OBSTACLE RACE &ROM -EMORIAL $AY THROUGH /CTOBER THE 6INEYARD 'RILLE AN OPEN AIR CAFÏ IS AVAILABLE TO GUESTS AND THERE S A PICNIC AREA TO ENJOY AS WELL )F YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE AN AFTERNOON OF IT HIKE ALONG THE VINEYARD S WALKING TRAIL TOO #ONVENIENTLY IF YOU D LIKE TO CONTINUE TO ENJOY -ILLBROOK S WINES YOU CAN PURCHASE ON SITE AND THE VINEYARD WILL ALSO SHIP TO YOUR HOME 26 Wing Road, Millbrook, NY 12545 (800) 662-9463 or (845) 677-8383. millbrookwine.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF MILLBROOK VINEYARDS
TOM MOORE PHOTOS
PHOTO COURTESY OF PUNCH
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/26)3 3!.$!./.! 3(//4).' '2/5.$3 &OR A DAY OF OUTDOORSY ACTIVITY THE /RVIS 3ANDANONA 3HOOTING 'ROUNDS IS A GREAT PLACE TO SPEND SOME TIME IN THE OPEN AIR AND LEARN OR PERFECT YOUR SHOOTING AND lSHING SKILLS 4HE 3ANDANONA SHOOTING CLAY COURSE IS AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY /RVIS INTRODUCED ONE OF THE lRST SUCH COURSES AS ITS 6ERMONT SHOOTING SCHOOL AND THE STAND COURSE WILL CHALLENGE NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED SHOOTERS ALIKE !LTERNATIVELY THE 3ANDANONA 7INGSHOOTING 3CHOOL PROVIDES HUNTERS OF ALL LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE WITH A SYSTEM TO USE FOR hUPLAND WATERFOWL AND SPORTING CLAYS v 0ARTICIPANTS RECEIVE EXTENSIVE HANDS ON lRING INSTRUCTION CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND COMPLIMENTARY GUNlTTING )F lSHING IS YOUR PREFERENCE THE 3ANDANONA GROUNDS ALSO HAVE TWO PRIVATE PONDS AND A TROUT STREAM AND THEIR mY lSHING SCHOOL WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO mY CASTING TECHNIQUES lSHING KNOTS AND A FOUNDATION IN FRESHWATER ENTOMOLOGY !LREADY A SEASONED lSHERMAN !RRANGE FOR A GUIDED lSHING TOUR TAILORED TO YOUR PREFERENCES SO YOU CAN GET YOUR BEST CATCH YET !SK ABOUT SPECIAL HAPPENINGS LIKE THEIR $OG 4RAINING 3EMINAR 3HOTGUN #LASSIC AND #LAYS #LUBS SPORTING CLAYS AND GOLF EVENTS !ND JUST IN CASE YOU NEED FURTHER OUTlTTING THERE S A SHOP ON THE GROUNDS TOO 3047 Sharon Road, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 677-9701. orvis.com/sandanona
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)T S EASY TO PERCEIVE THE NATURE LOVER IN &RANK "ARTOW OWNER OF -ILLBROOK S "ELVOIR 'ALLERY 4HE WALLS ARE lLLED WITH LANDSCAPES AND SPORTING AND WILDLIFE ART !MONG THE ARTISTS ADORNING THE GALLERY SPACE ARE SPORTING ARTISTS (ENRY #OLLINS "ISPHAM !RTHUR ,ORING "RACKETT (ENRY $UTTON -ORSE AND !RTHUR &ITZWILLIAM 4AIT LANDSCAPE ARTISTS /GDEN 0LEISSNER *OHN 0IRNAK AND *OELLYN $UESBERRY AND WILDLIFE ARTISTS $OUGLAS !LLEN AND 0ETER #ORBIN TO NAME A FEW 4HIS SUMMER "ELVOIR IS FEATURING A NEW EXHIBIT OF PASTEL PAINTINGS BY -ARLENE 7IEDENBAUM h! 3LICE OF 3UMMER v 3URELY WHILE IN -ILLBROOK "ELVOIR WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO CATCH YOUR EYE 3278 Franklin Avenue, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845) 605-1130. belvoirgallery.com
-),,"2//+ !243 '2/50 3PONSORING MUSICAL AND THEATRICAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR -ILLBROOK !RTS 'ROUP ORGANIZES A SUMMER CONCERT SERIES ON 3ATURDAYS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON COVERING ALL GENRES OF MUSIC FROM BIG BAND TO JAZZ AND SWING FROM BLUES TO COUNTRY TO ROCK 6ISIT THEIR WEBSITE FOR DATES AND TIMESˆAND BRING A PICNIC millbrookartsgroup.org
"!"%44% 3 +)4#(%. 3TART YOUR DAY LIKE A LOCAL WITH A LATTE PASTRY AND BREAKFAST SANDWICHES FROM "ABETTE S +ITCHEN hSIMPLY GOOD FOODv SO GOOD IT WILL INSTANTLY BECOME YOUR MORNING -ILLBROOK lX 4HE CASUAL DINING SPOT IS ALSO A TOWN FAVORITE FOR LUNCH AND TO GO DINNERS WITH ECLECTIC OFFERINGS LIKE )TALIAN PANINI SAVORY PIES SOUPS BURRITOS AND THEIR FAMED MEATLOAF A MUST TRY )NGREDIENTS ARE SEASONAL AND LOCALLY SOURCED MAKING EVERYTHING ON THE MENU ESPECIALLY TASTY 3293 Route 44, Millbrook, NY 12545 (845)677-8602. babetteskitchen.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF BELVOIR GALLERY
PHOTO COURTESY OF ORVIS SANDANONA
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FILM REVIEW
Harry And Snowman Gives New Life To Show Jumping’s Favorite Love Story The film based on the bestselling book The Eighty-Dollar Champion is a documentary that plays like a fairytale. By CATIE STASZ AK Photos Courtesy of FILMRISE
Harry de Leyer paid just $80 for Snowman, THE HORSE WHO BECAME SHOW JUMPING S (ORSE OF THE 9EAR IN AND
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arely is the movie better than the book, and even less often does the movie tell the true story. Films are usually based on true stories, but what the tag lines so often fail to include is the fine print—that “based,� means loosely based, at best. Which is why director Ron Davis would not sign on to tell the story of legendary show jumper Harry de Leyer and his “Cinderella Horse� Snowman, notably told in the 2011 No. 1 New York Times bestseller The Eighty-Dollar Champion, unless he could do it his way. “I didn’t want to do an archival film
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with a dead horse and dead people,� Davis said. “Harry is not only alive and well, but he is still going to horse shows and to the barn. When I found that out, I thought it would be a really cool film where something that happened in the ’50s could be told today. I thought things could go really well. To be able to tell the real story—not the story that may get made by a feature film, a fictionalized story—but to really be able to tell the true story, is really remarkable.� Davis’ film is a heartwarming documentary, but the word “documentary� shouldn’t deter you from bringing
the family to theaters to see it (it was released internationally on May 19 and is scheduled for a Sept. 30 release in North America; Magnolia Pictures acquired the North American rights to the film in early February). The film is not a boring recollection of facts; it eloquently tells the story of a relationship so strong that it had the power to turn a Dutch immigrant and an Amish plow horse into beloved American darlings. It’s a story even the most esteemed creative directors in Hollywood couldn’t dream up, and it’s told straight from the horse’s mouth— well, his owner’s mouth.
Harry de Leyer—the real Harry de Leyer, fondly nicknamed show jumping’s “Galloping Grandfather”—is the star of the film. Now 86 and living in Dyke, Va., he still has a farm and continues to ride and train. De Leyer takes the viewer through the story of Snowman, interspersing personal reflection and narration with brutally honest, laugh-out-loud oneliners. In 1956, de Leyer was an instructor at the all-girls Knox School in Long Island, N.Y., when he drove a few hours south to the New Holland Sales Stable’s auction in Pennsylvania to purchase a cheap lesson horse for his program. There, he found a big gray plow horse bound for the glue factory. He bought the horse, whom he and his family named Snowman, for just $80. Not only would Snowman become the best lesson horse and “family pet” de Leyer ever had—there are adorable photographs of de Leyer’s 10 children lined up in a row along the horse’s back—but he would also display an uncanny ability to jump. The ex-workhorse took the man who saved his life to the pinnacle of the sport, winning the prestigious Open Jumper Championship at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden (N.Y.) two years in a row, in 1958 and
1959. He was also named Horse of the Year in each of those seasons, besting wellbred horses owned by some of the wealthiest members of American society. Harry and Snowman were household names in the ’50s. Now, the millennial generation will get to know them too. Yes, it happened, and no, it’s not an exaggeration. Even Davis himself was skeptical at first, but the proof is in the hours of high-quality historical footage and home movies—as well as the more than 1,200 photographs—from the Knox School, the de Leyers’ Hollandia Farm, and nearly every major horse show in the 1950s. There are also particularly fun scenes in which Harry and Snowman, full-blown celebrities, are shown on nationally broadcast talk and game shows. There are interviews with Harry’s brother Willy, his daughter Harriet, and his sons Andre and Marty, as well as with fellow show jumper Rodney Jenkins, horse show commentator Peter Doubleday and the equally legendary George Morris, who also add their own anecdotes and perspectives. “At first, I thought the whole story had been romanticized, that the relationship between Harry and Snowman had been romanticized over the years, and that when you found out the real story, I was going to find out that Snowman was just a good horse, and Harry was lucky,” Davis admitted. “I was surprised that the horse clearly loved Harry on so many different fronts and experiences. He gave and gave and gave to Harry and the
family and did so many things that you couldn’t argue that this horse really loved him. The movie is ultimately not about the winning and the championships; it’s a love story between Harry and Snowman and Snowman and the family. That’s really what makes it good.” And it is good. In one of the best parts of the film, de Leyer describes how Snowman showed up on his doorstep after jumping a wood fence—with a tire attached to his lead rope. There’s also a heartwarming scene in which the de Leyer children go swimming with Snowman in the ocean. Can you imagine a top-level show jumper being a child’s personal diving board in today’s sport? The film is a tearjerker at times as well, as sacrifices must be made to achieve great heights. You’ll have to watch Harry and Snowman to get the whole story, which has no greater endorser than de Leyer himself. “I think it’s great,” said de Leyer, who attended an advanced screening of the film Feb. 21 in Wellington, Fla., as part of a fundraiser for the Equestrian Aid Foundation that raised $116,000 for equestrian professionals suffering from illness or catastrophic injuries. “It was very well done. Ron did a very good job, and he told it right down to the bottom like it is. It’s the true story.” Harry and Snowman debuted at the 2015 Full Frame Film Festival (N.C.) last April and has received numerous awards, including the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Nantucket Film Festival (Mass.), Prescott Film Festival (Ariz.), New Hampshire Film Festival, Middleburg Film Festival (Va.) and New Orleans Film Festival (La.); the People’s Choice Award for Best Feature at the Equus Film Festival (N.Y.); and the Audience Award for “Best of the Fest” at the Woods Hole Film Festival (Mass.). C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
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CHARITY SPOTLIGHT A CLOSER LOOK AT:
Horse & Family Institute A North Carolina charity shows how interacting with horses helps people communicate better with each other. By HALEY WEISS Photos by HFI
n their first day at a Horse & Family Institute communication program in Jacksonville, N.C., one couple walked into class completely silent. The husband sat up high on one set of bleachers, while the wife took a lower seat on another set. The pair appeared so disconnected that Kristen DelVecchio Fraessdorf, HFI’s co-founder and chief operations officer, had to assure the staff that the two individuals were in fact married. But after four weeks of working with HFI’s instructors and horses, the couple showed up to class holding hands. “What the couple realized is that they just didn’t know how to talk to each other anymore,� Fraessdorf recalled. Once they learned how to effectively communicate, Fraessdorf said the couple told her, “It’s like we’ve just gotten married again.� From veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to families, from straight-A students to children with learning disabilities, HFI helps clients improve their communication skills in order to form meaningful connections with others.
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HFI offers programs for a variety of ages. 7ORKING DIRECTLY WITH HORSES PARTICIPANTS ALSO LEARN ABOUT THEMSELVES A KEY TO DEVELOPING BETTER HUMAN TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The 501(c)(3) uses horses to teach people “effective/reflective� communication: how to communicate what they see instead of what they feel something looks like. “For example, if you do something in the round pen with a horse, someone might say, ‘You looked frustrated,’ � said Fraessdorf. “Well, no, what I saw happen was you clenched your fists, and your elbows straightened out, and the horse got faster. Effective/reflective communication is stating what we observe somebody doing as opposed to what we think they’re doing.� HFI also teaches people how to question others effectively in order to get thoughtful responses. Fraessdorf said clients often complain that people don’t listen to them. “What is actually happening is they’re not asking the right questions,� she explained. “If you ask someone, ‘How was your day?’ usually the answer is ‘fine,’ or sometimes you don’t get a chance to respond because people just walk away. So the question is really–– especially with people we care about and the people we work with and our family members––‘Tell me something about your day that was different than anything else that you’ve experienced.’ � The non-profit offers youth, adult and
family programs in an outdoor classroom environment, and classes range in length depending upon clients’ needs. HFI is also in the process of expanding its three-day veterans’ program into a longer curriculum that will focus on one’s overall demeanor and how to give an effective presentation to others. The institute also has a new HorseSense Club, a faith-based program for youth aged 5 to 18 that teaches life skills, character building and horsemanship on the ground as well as in English and western tack, and there’s a three-day facilitation program for those wanting to learn the organization’s specific teaching methods. HFI’s seven horses are key to the positive changes in clients’ lives. “Since horses are super-sensitive to pressure, they make great teaching tools,� said Fraessdorf, “and because they’re so large, they can be intimidating, so people pay attention. Horses work because people pay attention, and the feedback that the horses give is instantaneous.� HFI participants agree that the horses make influential teachers. “I think horses have the ability to identify what type of person they’re dealing with right off the bat,� said Aldo Cox, an active-duty Marine
Aldo Cox, a Marine on active duty, SAYS HIS INTERACTIONS WITH HIS FAMILY HAVE IMPROVED hDUE TO PATIENCE ASSERTIVENESS BODY LANGUAGE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND NOT BEING SARCASTIC BECAUSE THE HORSES RESPONDED TO THOSE THINGS v
participating in HFI’s Equine-Assisted Communication program, which receives funds from the Semper Fi Foundation. “I have a traumatic brain injury, some anxiety, depression, PTSD issues, a lot of anger, a lot of aggression, and I kind of just closed off from people and isolated myself,� said Cox, of Jacksonville, Fla. “I can say that therapy with the horses has helped, because I became aware of the way I was acting. To see [the horses] respond and react to the way I presented myself shed a lot of light on some of the issues I was having with people. There’s a noticeable difference between when I’m being aggressive or passiveaggressive with the horse versus when I’m being assertive. It painted a picture of how I’m acting throughout my life at home and with my kids.� Such self-awareness leads to better interpersonal skills, says HFI’s chief executive officer, Chris Robbins, himself a Marine Corps veteran. “We’re always learning something about each other,� Robbins said. “We can learn from the 5-year-old, and we can learn from someone who’s been doing it forever. We’re always open-minded in that we can learn something new and fresh about our activity and interactivity with other people.� Although every exercise affects people
differently, Fraessdorf has seen the most “a-ha� moments triggered by two in particular. In one exercise, participants are divided in two groups in the round pen with a horse. Using traffic cones and jumps, one group builds a physical representation of a problem, often a communication problem that they experience in life. Once the obstacle is complete, the observing group gives feedback to the builders on how they worked together as a team. The instructors then surprise the observers by asking them to get the horse to go through the obstacle, while the builders watch. “Very few people will actually break the obstacle down into pieces,� said Fraessdorf. “If people don’t break it down, we will ask the builders for their input, and then we will ask, ‘What would have happened if you had taken the obstacle apart one piece at a time, instead of having it be one big mess?’ Most of the time people are like, ‘You know, I didn’t think about it,’ and I say, ‘Well, think about the problems you have with communication. What if you just focused on one thing?’ The point of the exercise is to have people identify that we all have obstacles, and they may look different to everybody. The horse represents the participants in that exercise: ‘Did you stay away from the obstacle while it was being built?’ How did you get yourself through it?’ � For the other exercise, participants assemble a round pen, put a horse in it and then disassemble the pen. “Some people are blindfolded, some can talk and others can’t,� Fraessdorf said. “So it’s dealing with limitations that we have, how we accomplish tasks when we have limitations that we may or may not be
aware of and what that looks like.� Through her work with HFI, Fraessdorf has combined her previous career in corporate education with her longstanding equestrian passion. She started riding at age 5 and had her own horses in a dressage and hunter/jumper barn. College and career kept her out of the saddle, but she’s made up for lost time. She founded HFI—originally called Coastal Carolina HorseSense—12 years ago with the late horse trainer Aleck Barnard, who died last year. Fraessdorf also is an equine sports massage therapist. “I made it my mission to really get back into horses, because I was missing it,� she said. “I thought, ‘I really want to take what I’ve learned and develop it and share it with other people.’� “The instructors are amazing,� said Cox, who was in his seventh week of classes at the time of this interview. “They are patient and understand that they may be dealing with people who can’t communicate as effectively as one would want. They’ve taken the time to teach us about the horses and about ourselves. The experience has been great and almost overwhelming. I’m super-grateful for the program. I’ve put into practice some of the things that I’ve learned, and I could see how the conversation went differently [with my wife and kids] due to patience, assertiveness, body language, facial expressions and not being sarcastic, because the horses responded to those things. My communication efforts and abilities have definitely improved because of the tactics that I’ve learned.�
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WHAT IT IS: (ORSE &AMILY )NSTITUTE IS A NON PROlT LEARNING ORGANIZATION THAT USES HORSES TO TEACH MEANINGFUL COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO ALL AGES (&) HELPS PARTICIPANTS UNDERSTAND BODY LANGUAGE AND TEACHES LISTENING SKILLS QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES AND HORSEMANSHIP
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BEST OF WEB & PRINT
What’s Hot On The Web We’re following six Olympic hopeful riders on their Road To The Olympics. They check in every few weeks with details about their horses’ preparation, care and training as they travel the road to Rio. Behind-the-scenes photos, fun facts and insightful looks at horse care at the top level—you can find all the Road To The Olympics stories at coth.com/category/tags/road-olympics. Here’s who we’re keeping up to date with:
X Clark Montgomery Clark Montgomery isn’t leaving anything to chance in his preparation plan for his Olympic hopeful, Loughan Glen, as he looks toward Rio. He fills readers in on his event schedule, how he’s schooling “Glen,” and what he’s choosing to do to get the best out of the horse. “He’s earned himself a few tickets to some dressage shows this month to get ready for Bramham, which is absolutely hilarious because I’ve never had to do that with him before. We’ll go and do a couple of different tests that he doesn’t know and make sure he gets a bit softer. It’s not to drill him, but to take him in the arena and take a lot of the pressure off so that he just goes in the ring and starts to be his real soft, happy self again,” Montgomery said.
coth.com/category/author-name/mclain-ward-told-catie-staszak
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X Laura Graves U.S. dressage’s breakout star from 2014 is looking to add an Olympic Games to her résumé with her best friend, Verdades. Graves lets readers into “Diddy’s” downtime as well as his show ring moments in the spotlight. She also talks about how she and coach Debbie MacDonald are fine-tuning their performances as they look to the Games. “[We’ve been] really picky on ourselves, and me in the way that I ride and the way that I correct my horse, and making sure that he never feels that we’re being as picky as we really are, because he’s quite good and proficient at his job. So it’s important to keep that stress within myself knowing how badly I want things to improve and not letting him bear the brunt of that,” Graves said.
X Kasey Perry-Glass She and Goerklintgaards Dublet are this year’s Cinderella story in dressage, as in their first year of Grand Prix CDI showing, they’re in contention for an Olympic team spot. She’s sharing just how she got to this point and how she’s managing the new demands. “From the moment we bought Dublet, the Olympics was our goal and something we wanted to shoot for. We knew he was special, and we knew believing in the process was always our goal. To come from where I came from before I got him to now, it’s just a huge step,” Perry-Glass said.
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X McLain Ward This two-time Olympic team gold medalist is aiming for his fourth Olympic Games with a young mare that has set the world on fire this spring. As Ward jetted from Rome to Devon to Rotterdam, he’s kept us informed about how he’s planned his schedule, how he deals with the pressure, and just what makes HH Azur so special. “She’s so much horse and has so much power that you just have to make sure that you keep that a little bit under wraps so that she’s not so fit and so fresh that it’s not completely in control. We try to find weeks and time where we can let her down a little, so that she does take a breath and stays relaxed within herself,” Ward said.
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X Callan
BOB LANGRISH PHOTO
Solem In her quest for her first international championship team spot, Callan Solem is being incredibly insightful and detailed about her journey with VDL Wizard. She’s new to the team selection process and fiercely devoted to her horse. “In another interview someone asked me, ‘Have you taken a moment to enjoy that this dream is coming true?’ But it’s not over. The dream wasn’t to be on the short list or go to the Olympics. The goal is to be useful at the Olympics. I’m not interested in going and being the drop score. I will keep working, making sure that my Ts are crossed and my Is are dotted,” she said.
Don’t Miss In The Magazine DRESSAGE ISSUE: Take
X The Future Of Judging
A Tour Of Adventure
Farms p. 58
In our annual Dressage Issue, June 6 & 13, Lisa Slade examines the lack of young riders and trainers coming up the long and demanding pipeline to judge dressage at the international level. Officials argue it shouldn’t be an easy process and that it’s not for THE LOOMING CRISIS IN everyone, but then how do you convince trainers to DRESSAGE JUDGING leave their businesses for the licensing process? Inside: “If you look at us on the USEF Dressage Committee—I’ve been on that for 25 years, and I look around, and I think, ‘There’s nobody under 60 here,’ ” says FEI four-star judge and L Program instructor Janet Foy. Vol. 79, No. 14
Ale\ - (*# )'(- $4.99
p. 42
Nicho Meredith On Pronunc iations & Poker p. 64 Jeremy Steinberg’s Commen cement Address p. 66 Three Perspectives On Eventing Accidents p. 78
coth.com/category/author-name/ callan-solem-told-mollie-bailey
X Phillip
Dutton and Emma Ford Making an Olympic team is nothing new for five-time Olympian Phillip Dutton, and this year it’s more a case of “which horse” than “if.” Dutton’s head groom, Emma Ford, is joining in with her take on how she cares for Dutton’s top horses behind the scenes as well. “They’re such individuals. It’s very easy in a barn of 40 to just go through the day and make it happen, but I try very hard to treat them as individuals,” Ford said. “Some of them like their hay in a certain spot in the stall, otherwise they won’t eat it, stuff like that. Whatever I think helps them be happy through the day, I try to make that happen for them.”
coth.com/category/author-name/ phillip-dutton-and-emma-ford-told-ann-glavan
X Living Legend And
X Riders Weigh In On
Horseman Patty Heuckeroth
Eventing Accidents
Patty Heuckeroth has accumulated the kind of year-end titles and prestigious honors that earn you a place in the sport’s history, but even more importantly, she’s been an advocate for the horse and for oldfashioned horsemanship. In the May 2 & 9 Spring Horse Shows Issue, Mollie Bailey explores Heuckeroth’s career, in which she’s spent as much time with young horses as with national champions, seen the promise in equines of all types, and passed on her expertise to many others. “I respect someone as a rider and trainer who can show me many [horses] they’re winning with that they started, not ones who bought the best and did well,” she said.
We asked prominent riders Will Faudree, Tamie Smith and Doug Payne how they feel about the challenges faced by their sport this spring. In the June 6 & 13 issue, they discussed how they cope with competing in a risk sport and the work being done to make it safer— but they’re not ready to write off the heights or speed of the upper levels, either. “If we can quantify the problem— say at so much force this fence has to fall, I think you’ll see more innovation in collapsible jumps,” says Doug Payne. “If you’re not comfortable at the upper levels, do a lower level,” says Will Faudree. “If you’re hiking, and you go to Mount Everest, you know it’s going to be hard.”
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PARTING WAYS
Ahead By A Whip Photo by TOD MARKS Jockey Kieran Norris’ whip briefly took a narrow lead from Hooded ( Jack Doyle), after Norris fell from Help From Heaven during the 2016 Sport of Kings maiden hurdle at the Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville, Tenn., on May 14. No one was injured in the spill.
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