Untacked winter 2014

The Chronicle of the Horse

Vol. 2, No. 4

WINTER 2014

The Free Spirit of Foxhunting REVISITING

WINTER PLACE FARM riding with the Butteri

Tuscany’s Legendary Cowboys holiday gift guide A supplement to The Chronicle of the Horse

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Untacked The C hronicle of the Horse

Photo Courtesy Of TITO BUSTILLO MUSEUM

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44 56 66 74 86

The Annie Oakley Of Foxhunting The Camelot Of The Show World The Man Behind The Curtain: Alan Davies The Way Of The Butteri 10,000 Years Of Horses

On the cover: Gretchen Pelham Photo

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74

ELENA LUSENTI photo

44

GRETCHEN PELHAM PHOTO

V o l . 2 , n o . 4 W i n t e r 2 0 1 4

Introducing the Monaco Stretch.

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s t n e t n Co 92

Departments 12

Editor’s Letter

14

Contributors

20

Around The Arena

24

Editor’s Picks

26

Tech Review

28

Test Lab

30

The Clothes Horse

92

City Guide

98

Do It Yourself

102 Charity Spotlight 104 Best Of Web & Print 108 Parting Ways

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Kat Netzler Photo

102

Evalyn Bemis photo

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Winter Chester Glove featuring

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Editor’s Letter

More Of Us To Love

It’s hard to believe we’re already closing out our first full year of Untacked—it seems like just yesterday that our inaugural issue, Winter 2013, was heading to press. But we’ve come a long way in the past year, and to celebrate our first birthday, we’re thrilled to announce a special gift for our loyal readers—one that keeps on giving, in fact.

Throughout 2014 we heard such overwhelmingly positive feedback from long-time subscribers, first-time readers, contributors, advertisers and even our competitors that we reached an obvious conclusion: Why not offer a little more of a good thing?

So starting in 2015, Untacked will be moving from a quarterly to a bimonthly publication schedule. That means you’ll receive six issues of Untacked with your annual subscription to The Chronicle of the Horse, free of charge, and we’ll have hundreds more pages to devote to the most riveting stories in the equestrian world.

That means more features like this issue’s exhilarating cover story (p. 44) on Lynn Lloyd, a legend of American foxhunting and one of the most fascinating personalities in the horse world at large. It means more historical features like our look back at the brief but shining heyday of Winter Place Farm, the Camelot of the show world in the 1970s (p. 56). And it means more stunning travel photography and explorations of global equestrian culture, The Chron

The ChroniCle of the

iCl e

of the hor

se

WINTER 2013

THOROUGHLY MODERN

Vol. 2, No. 1

THE FAITHFUL

FAMILY PETERSEN

On Motherhood, Marriage & Making Your Own Way

NavigatiNg

Think You ?

Know Them THE CLA RKES OF CALIFOR NIA Think Again

Romance Outside The Ring

An Equestria n Dynasty

SHOW JUM PER AND JOC KEY KATHY KUS NER

AT HOME WITH

Peter Wylde Eduard Mul& lend

MONGOLIA

Holiday Gift Guide For Him, Her & Horse

Land of the Wild Horse Last s

A SUPPLEME NT TO THE

THE HORSE

CHRONICL E OF THE

HORSE

ers

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VOL. 2, NO. 3

spriNg 2014

HIstorIc Walls

Lynn Lloyd

EvEntErs Jimmie and dominic Schramm

THE FREE SPIRIT OF FOXHUNTING

REV ISIT ING

THE CROOKS FAMILY

FALL FASHION PREVIEW

Huntland’s

VOL. 2, NO. 4

NYC’S

COCK TA for everyILS CCASION legacy a sporting lifeO

InsIde

FALL 2014

HORSE SHOW HISTORY

solutions FoR PReseRving YouR Ribbons

horse

WINTER 2014

Saving The World, One Child At A Time

a supplement to tHe cHronIcle oF tHe Horse

12

2014

HISTORIC HORSEWO MEN Breaking Th e G la ss C eiling rootEd In rIdIng

VOL.1, NO. 1

Georgina

The ChroniCle of the

The ChroniCle of the horse SUM MER

THE CHRONICLE OF

Untacked The ChroniCle of the horse

horse VOL . 2, NO. 2

A SUPPLEMENT TO

like Elena Lusenti’s breathtaking images of Tuscany’s rare but storied cowboys, the butteri, on page 74.

On top of all that, of course, expanding Untacked will allow us to highlight and support more charities and non-profit organizations, to provide you with more valuable product reviews, and to feature even more equestrian art, literature, film and fashion. And we want your input on phenomenal features as well! Story ideas and feedback are always welcome via email at kat@chronofhorse.com.

As we work toward our future goal of offering standalone subscriptions to Untacked, we hope you enjoy this added benefit of additional issues in 2015. There’s truly never been a better time to subscribe to the Chronicle or to give a subscription as a gift, so be sure to visit chronofhorse.com/subscribe this holiday season to share the Untacked experience with everyone on your list.

Happy holidays, and thanks for reading!

—Kat Netzler, Editor

sprIng FasHIon prevIeW

WINTER PLACE FARM RIDING WITH THE BUTTERI

Tuscany’s Legendary Cowboys

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE

A SUPPLEMENT TO

THE CHRONICLE OF

THE HORSE

HOLIDAY GIF T GUIDE

contributors

In This Issue

Deborah Rubin Fields Deborah is a features writer based in Israel. She’s author of the tri-lingual (English, Hebrew, Arabic) Take a Peek Inside: A Child’s Guide to Radiology Exams and Moon Days: The Week Mr. Moon Visited the Hours of the Day (available in Hebrew). Deborah enjoys spending her spare time with her husband, four children and twin granddaughters and is an active volunteer in environmental affairs.

SABINE SCHARNBERG PHOTO

Erin Mullen Erin has been involved with horses since the age of 5, primarily riding her Paint horse, Jack. She’s currently finishing her final year at Saint Vincent College in her hometown of Latrobe, Pa. Erin enjoys working on the restoration project that she calls a home and hopes to turn her hobby of writing into a career one day.

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@chronofhorse.com Manuscripts and photographs, accompanied by return postage, will be handled with care. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Copyright© 2014 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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Evalyn Bemis Evalyn lives in Santa Fe, N.M., where the sunny days, few bugs, and miles of riding across Bonanza-like vistas suit her and her horses Rolle and Booker T. She has loved horses since her first encounter with them at the age of 7 in her hometown of Concord, Mass. Photography and writing about horses come a close second to riding on her list of passions.

Jamie Krauss Hess Jamie has been immersed in the equestrian world since childhood. She was a competitive jumper and equitation rider as a junior, winning the Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals in 1996. She now resides with her husband, George, in Manhattan and is a director at The Narrative Group, a boutique PR firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

She still enjoys her time in the saddle and rides every chance she gets.

Elena Lusenti Originally from Milan, Italy, Elena is a photographer of horses and riders around the world. She brings her insightful eye to an equestrian culture she knows well, having competed with great success in high amateurowner show jumping. Her travels around the globe always bring her back to her equestrian roots in Wellington, Fla., where she currently resides.

THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE (ISSN 0009-5990) is published weekly except for January 6, February 3, March 3, March 24, April 28, June 2, June 30, July 21, September 8, October 6, December 8 and December 29 by The Chronicle of the Horse, Inc., 108 The Plains Road, Middleburg, Virginia. Periodicals postage paid at Middleburg, VA and additional mailing offices.

THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE Untacked is published quarterly on February 17, May 26, August 25 and November 10. It is part of your subscription to The Chronicle of the Horse. To order single copies, call 800-877-5467 or e-mail subscriptions@chronofhorse.com.

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The C hronicle of the Horse

Untacked Volume 2 • Number 4 • Winter 2014

produced and published by The Chronicle of the Horse publisher

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Editorial editor

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sharon rose, sharon@chronofhorse.com Mollie Bailey, mbailey@chronofhorse.com Lisa Slade, lisa@chronofhorse.com Lindsay Berreth, lindsay@chronofhorse.com Jennifer Calder, jbcalder@chronofhorse.com taylor joyce, taylor@chronofhorse.com haley burton, haley@chronofhorse.com editorial production manager

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Š2013 Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. All rights reserved.This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder.

tidbits from across the industry

Aroundthe Arena igan My Faves: Jennie Brann National CCI*** champion Jennie Brannigan hails from Northern Illinois by way of Southern California, but she’s made her home and built her business in bucolic Chester County, Pa. After her win aboard Cambalda at The Dutta Corp. Fair Hill CCI*** this October, we caught up with this snowboarding, motorcycle riding, race horse galloping 27-year-old to learn more about her favorite things.

➜ Breeches: Kingsland

➜ Hunt coat: Royal blue Kingsland show coat ➜ Riding boots: American flag Sergio Grassos

➜ Street footwear: Rainbow flip-flops in any weather

➜ Comfort food or drink: Tito’s Handmade Vodka and

Indian food

➜ Guilty pleasure: My roommate Kelley Merette’s homemade chocolate chip cookies

➜ App: Horse Races Now

➜ Band: Lil Wayne! I know, he’s a rapper, not a band… ➜ Book: Anything that’s fictional and entertaining. I love Jilly Cooper novels. (Maybe that should be my guilty pleasure.)

➜ Vehicle: My Suzuki Katana motorcycle

➜ Vacation destination: California to see my friends ➜ City: Saratoga, N.Y., is the coolest place

➜ Place to shop: Superdry. Leading jump jockey Willie McCarthy turned me on to it.

➜ Stress reliever: Galloping race horses! [She works as an exercise rider for Thoroughbred trainer Michael Matz in her spare time.] ➜ Non-horsey hobby: I miss snowboarding.

➜ Type of workout: I do CrossFit in Ocala, Fla., with the Pollards and Jon Holling.

➜ Non-equestrian sport to watch: Any extreme sport ➜ Pet: My dog Bizzie

➜ Memory in the saddle: Winning the first Galway Downs CCI*** [Calif.] and my horse Cooper’s memorial cooler in 2010.

KAT NETZLER PHOTO

➜ Competition venue: Plantation Field in Pennsylvania,

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“The best event ever.”

➜ Type of horse: You cannot beat a great Thoroughbred.

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Lellie Had A Little Lamb

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LELLIE WARD

“At night he has a dog bed that he sleeps He may not be your ordinary barn pet, but he Cloudy the sheep is no longer the on,” Ward said. “But sure acts like one. wee little lamb sometimes if there’s a “He’s just like a dog!” said eventer Lellie that eventer Lellie Ward brought really bad storm, I just Ward of Cloudy the sheep, who joined her home 10 months bring him in and put him Paradise Farm family in Aiken, S.C., in February ago, but he’s still as cuddly as ever, in my bathroom.” after she stumbled across the then 3-week-old and he makes a unique barn pet and Like any trusty lamb at an expo. mascot at Paradise farm “dog,” Cloudy is “I was walking around and looking at all the Farm in Aiken, S.C. welcome almost everylittle shops, and this lady had a little baby sheep. where, including on the And all the children were playing with this lamb, golf cart and tractor. so of course I had to go up there and see him,” Recently he even took she said. his companion-animal The last thing Ward was looking for was nature to a whole a new level, enduring being another animal to add to her menagerie, but dressed up as an Old English Sheepdog for in speaking with Cloudy’s owner, she learned the canine costume contest at the Paradise the lamb’s twin brother had died and that their Farm Aiken Hunter Trials and Dog Show. (He mother had stopped producing milk. won, by the way. Check out Cloudy’s own “She said she was going to put him down,” Facebook page, Facebook.com/Lellies Ward explained. “I took my credit card out of my Cloudy, for some fantastic photos from the pocket, and I said, ‘I’ll give you $100 for him.’ ” day.)

Just like that, Cloudy secured a permanent So what else does Ward have planned place in Paradise, and he’s wasted no time for her wooly friend? growing accustomed to life on the farm.

“I think my ultimate goal would be to get “During the day he has free range,” Ward three more of them and teach them to drive a said. “I have a lot of people that come to my four-in-hand,” Ward said. “They have them out west at farm to school and everything, and he always goes and sees rodeos and stuff. When I get done with all these projects that everybody.”

I have going on right now, that’s a long-term goal of mine.”

Cloudy goes into horses’ stalls during the day, but when —Ann Glavan bedtime rolls around, you’ll find him on Ward’s porch.

Equus Film Festival Coming To NYC Tickets are on sale now for the Equus Film Festival, Nov. 21-22, held for the first time in New York City. The MIST Harlem venue will host the event, which is set to screen more than 100 equestrian films, shorts, music videos and commercials from around the world.

“From Japan to France, the wilds of Mongolia to the inner cities, horses have a tremendous impact on our lives,” said Lisa Diersen, the event’s founder. “The Equus Film Festival celebrates them in all their magnificence.”

Passes are $25 per day, and tickets to the VIP Awards Party are an additional $25. But children under 15 can attend the festival for free, and some special screenings will also be held free of charge, such as Black Rodeo, returning to Harlem for the first time since 1972, and Dakota 38, scheduled as part of a special celebration of Native American Heritage Month.

To purchase tickets or learn more, visit EquusFilm Festival.com. Tickets will also be available at the door. c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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Aroundthe Arena

Horse People Have A Lot On Their Plates In their spare time outside of riding, training and caring for their charges, Chronicle readers across the country get creative with vocational vehicular phonetics.

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c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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Editor’s PICKS

Majyk Equipe Boyd Martin Cross-Country Boots Cross-country boots that don’t slip are my holy grail of equine equipment. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve jumped off my horse after the finish only to see her boots— which I knew were secured tightly before the start— slouched and water-logged around her ankles, I’d have at least several more dollars than I do now. (Maybe enough to buy some decent boots.)

So the Boyd Martin Majyk Equipe Cross-Country Boots intrigued me, especially after I saw Boyd himself was brave enough to take the boots around advanced tracks without taping them. If they could stay put for him, surely I could expect the same level of performance at a few training level events.

And lo and behold, I could! Thanks to the interior material—which Majyk Equipe calls Hyperflex Foam—the boots don’t move a millimeter. The material is so tacky that you can’t even slide the boots down the leg if you place them too high at first; they won’t budge. I took this as a good omen that they wouldn’t be doing any sliding during events either.

They also don’t hold water at all, so they don’t get heavy on the legs, another contributor to that loathed downward drop.

But one of the coolest features is the strike guard that runs along the back of the tendons on the boots. When the boot is flattened in your hand, everything about it feels soft.

But when you curve it around the leg, it becomes a tough and seemingly impenetrable protective barrier.

“The flexible shape of the strike guard creates a reverse response feature, whereby impact from outside is met with a rigid protective wall, but the accordion-like construction is soft enough to flex with the horse’s movement during its natural stride,” says the company about their proprietary technology.

The boots are easy to wash; I usually just hose them off in the wash rack at the same time I bathe my horse, but you can throw them in the washing machine too. Their lightweight and breathable material means they dry quickly, an asset if you need them for a muddy trot set one day and a cross-country school the next, or if you use one pair on multiple horses.

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The Velcro holds up too, never coming loose or getting worn during testing. It’s going to take me a while to feel comfortable enough to stop wasting duct tape on my boots, but I’m confident I’ll get there with the help of the Majyk Equipes.

My only qualm would be that these boots come in just two sizes—medium and large—and one color currently. The medium front boots were borderline too large for my 15.1hand mare, so they likely wouldn’t fit anything smaller.

If eventing isn’t your discipline, the company also makes boot options for other sports. I’m currently eyeing the sleek dressage ones for my next purchase.

The cross-country boots retail for $89.99 for fronts and $99.99 for hinds. Visit majykequipe.com for a complete list of in-person and online retailers.

—Lisa Slade, Editorial Staff

There is

NO GENERIC ® ADEQUAN Get the facts at www.adequan.com

BRIEF SUMMARY : Adequan® i.m.: For the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal and hock joints in horses. 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.

Each 5 mL contains 500 mg Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan. 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.

Adequan® I.A.: For the intra-articular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal joint in horses. Inflammatory joint reactions and septic arthritis have been reported following administration of Adequan® I.A. Joint sepsis, a rare but potentially life threatening complication, can occur after intra-articular injection. Use only in the carpal joint of horses. Each 1 mL contains 250 mg Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan. WARNING: Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. 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.

SEE PRODUCT PACKAGE INSERTS AT WWW.ADEQUAN.COM FOR FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION. Adequan® is a registered trademark of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ©LUITPOLD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., Animal Health Division, Shirley, NY 11967. AHD 010, Rev. 9/2014

TECH REVIEW

The SpeedCheck App One of the hot topics at this year’s U.S. Eventing Association Annual Meeting is a rule change proposal that would increase the pace required to meet optimum time on cross-country at beginner novice through training levels.

The reason for these changes? “It has been observed that horses moving forward at a reasonable pace for these levels have either had to slow down and circle or have gained speed faults.”

Whether the new speeds make it into the rulebook or not, pace is always going to be a topic of serious discussion amongst the eventing crowd. What does it feel like to go novice, training or

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preliminary speed? How does 350 mpm feel on a pony? On a Thoroughbred? On a draft cross?

In the old days, the only way to learn pace involved quite a bit of hassle and a number of traffic cones. You had to measure out a variety of longish distances between the cones, and then use a stopwatch and trial and error to figure out if you were going the right speed. But today, there’s an app for that: SpeedCheck.

I’m not the kind of person who leads the charge when it comes to cutting-edge tech. I’m more the “cling-to-my-old-things-because-Ialready-understand-how-to-use-themand-they-work-just-fine-thank-you” type.

So while I understood in theory why this app would be incredibly useful, I had my doubts about whether I’d be able to use it effectively.

Fear not. It’s actually super simple. If all you want to do is figure out how fast you’re going, then hit start and begin moving. Hit stop when you’re done. The app tracks your time, actual speed, average speed and distance for every second. No muss, no fuss.

But if you’re into data, SpeedCheck also provides a whole lot more information. Graphs of average speed and actual speed are useful if you want to use it over fences. You can see how much you slowed down for the jumps, how fast you went between them, and how that averaged out.

(Be aware, though, that you aren’t allowed to compete with a cell phone, so consider this an educational tool for schooling only.)

Under the settings tab you can record

and save information by horse (ideal for trainers who are trying to track a conditioning schedule for multiple mounts), set a target speed, control the sound and vibration alerts that help you reach that target speed, and change the measurement units. Then you can export and share the data if you wish; of course it’s got a Facebook option.

SpeedCheck is designed specifically for riders, so you can set it to start automatically in a certain location. That way you’re not tapping at your phone when you want both hands on the reins. You can set an automatic stop location as well, and you can pause the app by tapping anywhere on the screen while it’s running in case you need to stop for some reason. Just tap the screen to start again.

This is a simple, easy tool for anyone who wants to learn pace, from eventers to jockeys to endurance riders to the merely curious.

Available for $11.99 for iPhone or iPod in the iTunes App Store.

—Sara Lieser, Managing Editor

test lab

Natural Cleaners Put To The Test We put five organic products through their paces to see which can rise to the dirty barn challenge.

By Er in Mullen

>> Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner This product has a lot going for it.

In addition to its reasonable price and wide availability at many chain retailers, this non-toxic and biodegradable cleansing solution can handle the toughest dirt and grime, including all the epic messes that horses can make.

Because Simple Green is safe on concrete and brick, it’s the perfect cleanser for your center aisle. It can be utilized in either a concentrated or diluted form, so it’s versatile and easily tailored to each individual barn owner’s needs.

While I was glad to have the doors and windows open when I tried this product in my own barn, I was grateful for the lack of strong chemical smell. I chose the diluted form and was very pleased by just how far a gallon of this liquid could go.

Overall, I was very pleased with how Simple Green All-Purpose cut through the manure stains and real grime—the kind that was packed into the grout between the bricks for lengths of time I’ll not mention! As I scrubbed, I could really see the dirt disintegrating. It also did very well on the rough exterior concrete slabs that go into my barn.

This is probably the most powerful cleaner, able to handle the worst of the worst. Reach for this if you need to tackle a neglected center aisle.

Available in lemon or fresh scent; gallon size retails for around $15. Visit simplegreen.com to order online or find your local retailer.

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>> Citra Solv Concentrated Cleaner & Degreaser

Sometimes less is more, at least when you’re talking ingredients I want to inhale, and this product definitely takes that mindset into account. It’s made of only three ingredients (limonene, which is derived from peels, a surfactant made from plants and orange peel oil), but it’s still capable of taking on both stains and grease.

This cleaner smells exactly as you’d expect, filling the barn with a pleasant scent of orange (but it’s also available in lavender bergamot scent). And overall, the cleaning power was pretty satisfying. It cut through the intimidating build-up, and it was fairly easy to spread across the rough floor. I’d say this was most likely the second most powerful cleaner I tested, able to tackle just about any dirt I threw at it.

Citra Solv also dried the fastest of all the cleaners I tested. The directions don’t call for rinsing, so if you want to get an aisle clean and dry in one quick step, this is the product for you.

It’s a bit more expensive than some other cleaners, with retail prices for a gallon starting at around $60. Visit citrasolv.com to check out their range of sizes and the other products in their line.

>> Benefect Botanical Disinfectant >> Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds

This product may be the king of all natural cleaners.

The bottle says it all: This nearly clear liquid is biodegradable and cruelty free, and it contains no preservatives or added color. Sal Suds is so mild that you can even wash your dishes with this mixture. If a surface is water-safe, then you can clean it with this substance, period.

After mixing the concentrate with water, per the label, I was astonished by the amount of suds it created. The area felt clean after washing, reminding me almost of a shampoo effect. The scent was very pleasing as well, probably attributed to the fir pine oil.

A little bit goes a long way. I was able to wash my center aisle and still have plenty left over for pretty much anything else I’d like to clean (though the label states Sal Suds aren’t a body wash, so I should draw the line there).

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this cleaner. It made tons of bubbles, lathered the aisle well, and left a clean, non-headache inducing scent that seemed to last long after I finished. I felt like I could get a tremendous amount scrubbed with just one bottle of this product.

But I didn’t feel that this cleaner was as strong as others. However, I believe once I got most of the builtup grime under control, Sal Suds would be the one I utilized as a regular maintenance product to keep my aisle in good condition.

Sal Suds are available from drbronner.com for $44.99 per gallon.

Most people don’t give much thought to disinfectant in the barn setting, but many diseases are transferrable from animal to human or animal to animal, so a good, natural disinfectant can be a horseman’s best friend.

Benefect Botanical Disinfectant is marketed as being able to kill 99.99 percent of germs in five minutes. If you have small children (Benefect’s inventors were inspired to create the product when their first son was born with a severe immune disorder), a boarding barn, or just like to eat off the center aisle, this can do the trick. It’s both a deodorizer and a decontaminant, operating with a natural active ingredient called thymol. It does not contain any dyes, fake fragrances or bleach.

It’s important to note that previous cleaning is needed prior to this product’s use; Benefect is used purely to disinfect. I’m regrettably lazy, so I didn’t like having to clean the aisle twice, but I do keep in mind that Benefect doesn’t require rinsing, so it’s technically not that much work.

Overall, I’d give it an A+ in terms of disinfectant and germ-killing abilities. This product is sold through distributors, which you can locate on benefect.com. Wal-Mart also carries the gallon version of this product for about $53.

>> Simple Green Oxy Dog Stain & Odor Oxidizer

Yes, it says dog. But like their canine counterparts, horses can make giant messes in highly inconvenient areas.

This product boasts oral non-toxicity and only four ingredients, one of which is water.

Also containing cosmetic-grade peroxide, a surfactant derived from plants, and fragrance, Simple Green succeeds in using the minimum to create optimum results.

This particular cleaner is not for the entire aisle, but instead, is a spot treatment for stains.

Safe on brick and concrete, this cleaner need only be sprayed onto the affected area, left on for about five minutes, and then removed.

I found that it worked very well on manure stains, however, it was a bit less effective on bird droppings. This cleaner would be exceptional for getting a messy aisle into tip-top shape, and then it could be a routine maintenance for the areas that don’t respond to the all-purpose cleaners.

Gallons retail for around $20, and you can find retailers at simplegreen.com.

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THE clothes horse

Our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide For horses or humans, from splurges to stocking stuffers.

By k at N e t z ler

<< Horsey

Holiday Cards

Available in five different designs with different interior messages. $12 per set at BitofBritain.com.

<< Hunt Club Apron

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Pocket Knife Hoof Pick Keychain

A handy dual tool available in black, blue, red or silver. $16.95 at BitofBritain.com.

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>>

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Stirrup Leather Bookmark

Miniature pewter stirrups on a knotted leather strap. $19.95 at BackInTheSaddle.com.

Kerrits Bit Of Horse Zip Neck

Four-way stretch microfiber available in white (pictured), fern, bluesky or otter. $69 at Kerrits.com.

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THE clothes horse

<< Vintage Bit & Boot Pillow Pure linen fabric with down and feather filling, made in Connecticut. $125 at LoftandLivery.com.

Stone Pony Browbands >>

Custom sized and designed with your choice of unique gemstones, from classic black or brown onyx to shimmering mother of pearl to stunning green sea sediment jasper (pictured). $125-$155; Facebook.com/StonePonyBrowbands.

Interchangeable Belt Buckles >>

Equestrian designs by artist Julie Browning Bova, with several customizable or monogrammable options. $45; BucklesinaSnap.com.

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THINK IT. DESIGN IT. OWN IT. CUSTOMIZE YOUR

OWN

EQUILINE

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Snaffle Bit Bracelet

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By Catherine Canino. 18K matte gold over brass with turquoise accents. $295 at LoftandLivery.com.

Zonza Bit Key Fob

By LILO Collections, made of rich Spanish bridle leather. $41.95 at BitofBritain.com.

Dressage Collection Leatherworks >>

The Rhythm Satchel ($495) comes in five vibrant colors, while the Stature Tote ($495) is available in four hues.

DressageCollection.com.

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>>

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<<

Rebecca Ray Racing Stripe Collection

Tack-inspired duffels ($525), totes ($350) and dopp kits ($65) in a range of beautiful color combinations. RebeccaRayDesign.com.

c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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THE clothes horse

<<

Likit Boredom Breaker Starter Kit

Includes the Likit Boredom Breaker with one large Likit for the top and two small Likits, one for each side. Assorted flavors. $59.95 at SmartPakEquine.com.

Back On Track Therapeutic Mesh Sheet

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Made of Welltex fabric to reflect the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body heat, creating a soothing infrared thermal warmth to ease the pain of sore muscles. Available in sizes 66"-90". $269 at BackOnTrackProducts.com.

The Camden Crossbody: Hunter/Jumper

www.tuckertweed.com 36

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THE clothes horse

<< Toasty Soles

Warming shoe inserts for $6.95 per pair at BitofBritain.com.

<< On The Bit & Stirrup

Wrap Bracelets

Full-grain leather with authentic brass hardware. On The Bit available in black and black (silver), oak and havana (brass), havana and wine (brass), and havana and blue ribbon (brass). Stirrup Wrap Bracelet available in black and silver, havana and brass, and oak and brass. $22.99 each at NobleOutfitters.com.

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速

BIG THE

RAMBO TRADE IN

$50 off a new Rambo turnout when you donate any turnout to charity.

Visit horseware.com/rambotradein for participating retailers.

Terms and conditions apply.

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THE clothes horse Double Bit Appetizer Board >>

Handmade with American maple and Santos mahogany by Connecticut artisans. $95 at LoftandLivery.com.

<< Wine Down Hoof Pick

Classically styled hoof pick with easy-access corkscrew, made of stainless steel and wood. $22.99 at NobleOutfitters.com.

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Der Dau Custom Boots & Shoes is pleased to partner with Georgina Bloomberg’s charity,

The Rider’s Closet to make riding boots available to more equestrians.

TRADE-IN PROGRAM Receive credit towards a new pair of Der Dau Dream Boots when you trade-in your existing riding boots.

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THE clothes horse

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<< Baker Plaid SaddleLockers

Available in various sizes, from mini lockers to international travel trunks. $235-$4,155 at SaddleLockers.com.

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PHOTO ©ESI 2011

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SHEA EVANS PHOTO

COVER STORY

The

Annie Oakley Of

Foxhunting Lynn Lloyd grew up poor in a non-horsey family and worked to fund her formal training as a horsewoman in England, then rode solo across America at the age of 23 and established Nevada’s only hunt, the Red Rock Hounds.

She’s also held a man at gunpoint, used Bibles as kindling and taught prostitutes to hunt.

And people love her for it.

By Jennifer B. Calder

“She is one of foxhunting’s treasures,” says MFHA Executive Director Dennis Foster of Lynn Lloyd, the founder and MFH of Nevada’s only hunt, the Red Rock Hounds. “She’s her own person, she’s unique, and she shares her love of hunting with anyone who’ll give it a try. She’s our Annie Oakley of foxhunting and is as tough as she is dedicated.” c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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SHEA EVANS PHOTO

Lynn Lloyd started her Red Rock pack of American Walkers up from a single couple, and today she knows the name and face of every one of her 150 hounds.

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GRETCHEN PELHAM PHOTO

Part cowgirl, part hunting traditionalist and all passionate free spirit, Lynn Lloyd thrives in the rough country of western Nevada that she started hunting more than three decades ago.

“C

ome on, Smith and Ulysses! You too, Snyder and Nascar! There you go. Go on in; good boys.”

It’s dinnertime for the Red Rock Hounds, and their baying chorus echoes out into the vast desert 30 miles north of Reno, Nev. As 150 of these cheerful, wriggling American Walkers—from pups to seasoned veterans— rotate through the feeding area, their master Lynn Lloyd summons each hound by name and gives it a warm embrace before relocating them into a different pen.

“Don’t you like to hear your name?” Lloyd asks, glancing over her shoulder at me as the bends down to pat one. “It’s the same with them. Everyone deserves to hear their name at least once a day.”

The sentiment behind this effort defines Lloyd. To the uneducated eye, her pack is a mere jumble of black, tan and white spots, of floppy ears and wagging tails and slobbery jowls. But Lloyd not only discerns the faintest of differences, she revels in them.

After all, it was her commitment to individuality and appreciation for uniqueness that first led Lloyd, 64, to the life she now leads in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

It’s bold, dramatic terrain. The landscape is dry and desolately beautiful, with oceans of silvery green sage-

brush stubbornly growing in the tawny dirt between boulders. And Lloyd, part cowgirl, part hunting traditionalist and all passionate free spirit, thrives here.

“I just feel so lucky to even have this part of nature that I’m taking care of at the moment,” says Lloyd, who has called the desert home for more than 30 years now.

“It just amazes me.

“Being open to whatever comes into your life? That makes life! Who would think I’d be sitting here and supposedly ‘owning’ this whole thing?” she marvels, punctuating the sentiment with an enthusiastic sweep of her arm toward moody, distant hills rising from the valley.

“I always say about ‘owning’ it—we’re just the caretakers for whatever power is up there,” she says, pointing to the sky. “I can be here, and all these incredible people come into my life rather than me having to go anywhere.

How lucky is that? It all happens here. And the horses are the catalyst behind the whole thing.”

The Mail-Order Pony That Started It All

Lloyd’s serendipitous journey to Reno began in rural Eastern Pennsylvania, she tells me as we sit back and relax outside the Red Rock Hounds clubhouse at her 640-acre Ross Creek Ranch. We’re drinking Bloody c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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“It was better than college,” says Lynn Lloyd, shown here in a local newspaper clipping aboard her horse Sielem and with her dog Puddles, of her experience riding solo across the country at age 23. “I spent at least 50 percent of my nights in people’s homes. You’re a girl with a horse and a dog—there’s nothing threatening about that, and what I learned is that people want to be part of the adventure, so they’d invite me in.”

Marys (“Give yourself a strong pour, baby! It’ll make it more fun!” she tells me) and sitting on wooden bench displaying the pokerworked phrase, “Hounds in the kennel, horses tied short. Let’s toast the staff for a great day of sport,” one of several on the property gifted to her by a friend.

It’s a world away from the ramshackle farm near the Delaware Water Gap where Lloyd grew up in a family with little money and even less interest in horses.

“Of the five of us children, I was the only one who was horse crazy. I came out of my mother this way. It was hardwired,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

Despite money being tight, Lloyd’s parents surprised her with a pony on her third Christmas, ordered from the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue.

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“It was a yearling—a yearling stud pony! Because it was cheaper, and they didn’t have to operate on the...” she explains, gesturing toward her groin. “It came with a little red saddle with a chrome horn and a curb bit. My dad picked it up in a U-Haul trailer.

“The fact that I survived it, well...” she trails off, shaking her head, then lights a cigarette.

“His name was Spotty, because I was what, 3?” she chuckles. “At that time you’re learning how to read, and I think the first book I ever looked at was See Spot Run, so that’s about all I had in my vocabulary to name a pony or anything.”

Lloyd would continue to be what she calls a “backyard rider” until her graduation from high school in 1968.

“In my family, you get out of high school, you bet-

ter do something,” she says. “And did we have enough money to go to college? Only if you made it happen.

“I am not college material, I gotta tell you that right now,” Lloyd continues. “I’m not dumb. I am terribly dyslexic—which I love—because it gives you ability with the horses. But college wasn’t my thing.”

Instead, Lloyd’s “thing” was her growing natural horse sense. With money she had saved from part-time jobs throughout school, Lloyd applied for a training program in England her mother had heard about. To save the cost of a flight over, she chose to journey across the pond via a 10-day sail on the RMS Queen Elizabeth, that historic ship’s final voyage east.

“They fed you three meals a day!” Lloyd exclaims even now. “And my other thinking was, ‘I can swim, but I sure can’t fly.’ ” With only enough money for a one-way ticket and a bag filled, for the first time, with “appropriate” riding attire—no more jeans and sneakers—Lloyd embraced exciting new possibilities and delighted in the experience.

“It was a great education, because you learned all about clipping and blanketing and wrapping horses,” she says. “They actually get their teeth done! And their feet!”

Lloyd completed the program in three months, but she needed a job to fund her return ticket. So in the first of many happy accidents throughout her life, she took a position as a groom for a wealthy foxhunter, and her passion for the sport ignited almost immediately.

“She’s Lady Blah, Blah, Blah—whatever she is—and lives in the manor house, and my job was to take care of her four horses,” she says. “She had a retired horse named Fernando and told me I could hunt him in the local packs. The first time I heard those hounds cry, a cell inside of me that I didn’t even know existed went, ‘Oh my God!’ “I hear a baby crying, and I’m running the other way,” she chuckles, pausing to light another cigarette. “I hear those hounds, and I want to go with them. That was it for me. I decided I had to hunt.”

Fresh Ideas For Foxhunting

GRETCHEN PELHAM PHOTO

In 1973, Lloyd, then only 23, saddled up her horse and set off from just outside New York City. She had no plan other than to ride to San Diego.

“It shouldn’t be so elitist,” says Lynn Lloyd of foxhunting.

Lynn Lloyd’s inclusive, welcoming approach to life is evident in the way she conceptualizes hunting.

“How are we going to continue to get people interested in hunting?” she asks.

“We need them, so you’ve got to bring them in without intimidating everybody, [making them think] that they have to dress or look a certain way.

Like, if I’m going yachting tomorrow, I’m going to start in my cutoffs and sneakers. If I get into it, I’ll buy the ‘uniform,’ but you don’t do that at the beginning.

“I think every sport should be that way. It shouldn’t be so elitist,” she continues. “It’s the same with some hunts who make the juniors ride in the back. My philosophy is, get ’em to the front, because that kid’s going to take over someday! Juniors don’t get inspired riding in the back.”

Lloyd has also come up with a clever answer to the perpetual question of what to do with aging hounds: “Old Farts’ Days.”

Around age 7 or 8, most

hounds are generally retired from the pack because they can no longer keep up, but they’re not ready to be couch potatoes yet either.

“They’re used to being the frontrunners and are now in the back,” Lloyd explains. “Old age gets them, but they still want a job. So I have a whole old pack that the kennel huntsman hunts twice a month.

“That way people who are young or old or infirm can also hunt, and it’s a slower pace,” she continues. It’s the perfect icebreaker experience for inexperienced or cautious riders, and it’s also an opportunity to just enjoy watching hounds work more methodically. Plus, the elder canines help train new hounds and hunt staff as well.

“Those old hounds still have a nose,” Lloyd says.

“They may not be able to hear or see, but they’ve got that!”

To read more about the concept and execution of Red Rocks’ “Old Farts’ Days,” check out our feature story in the June 16, 2014, issue of The Chronicle of the Horse.

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SHEA EVANS PHOTOS

Red Rock’s base at Lynn Lloyd’s Ross Creek Ranch, 30 miles north of Reno, Nev., isn’t fancy—it’s workmanlike, functional and brimming with evidence of her unique personality.

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“I hear a baby crying, and I’m running the other way,” she chuckles, pausing to light another cigarette.

“I hear those hounds, and I want to go with them. That was it for me.

I decided I had to hunt.”

Bibles And A Gun: A Girl’s Best Friends

Lloyd cherished her year in England, but she came to accept that the class system there would make it tough for her to rise beyond the position of groom, so she returned to the States.

“I think grooms are great, but I had other aspirations. I didn’t know what they were,” she says, laughing, “but I had other aspirations.”

She’d carried one such ambition since childhood: to ride a horse alone across the United States.

“When I came out of my mother, I had that desire. Don’t ask me why. I just knew, even when I was this big,” she says, her hand measuring about a foot off the ground, “I was going to ride a horse across the United States.”

So in 1973, Lloyd, then only 23, saddled up her horse and set off from just outside New York City. She had no plan other than to ride to San Diego. Her route undetermined, Lloyd traveled on small country roads and zigzagged herself west, grabbing a new road map whenever she crossed state line.

“I didn’t care if it took me 10 years. I had no time frame at all,” she says.

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COVER STORY

After running out of money and gas with her trailer full of horses near Reno, Nev., at age 30, Lynn Lloyd found her calling in the desert.

“I looked around and thought, ‘I have to hunt here,’ ” she recalls.

She began with one horse, a 21-year-old ArabianQuarter Horse named Sielem who’d been given to her by a friend, and her beloved Collie mix, Puddles. She had rescued the puppy before leaving England, where she found him discarded in a box as the sole survivor in a litter of seven.

It didn’t take long—only until she reached Ohio— for her to realize that even though she was traveling light, she needed another horse to carry her pack. So she switched horses, to a Thoroughbred/Arabian cross named Bojangles, and she added a pack pony. And a tent.

“One of the most interesting things was that there was a religious bent to the whole thing,” Lloyd recalls of the adventure. “People were always asking me if I was a Christian and giving me Bibles and religious literature.

“What do you do with a bunch of Bibles when you’re trying to travel light?” she asks, laughing. “So every night 52

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I would start my campfire with Bibles. I always was sure to say, ‘Thank you, God,’ and I’m sure he or she didn’t mind. But you feel a little guilty, in the moment, tearing up the Bible.”

But Lloyd needed paper, and paper was somehow, someway, always provided.

“I’m very spiritual but have no particular religious affiliations,” she explains. “I always say I go to church every day, because I’m out here in all this.

“I also think, scientifically, everything changes form,” Lloyd continues. “Water is our best example. Snow, ice, steam and the liquid we drink. To me, it’s right there in front of us, every day. So there’s a little bit of science involved in my belief, too. Nothing goes away. I feel spirits around me all the time. I can feel them, and I think they guide us. I think everybody is born hardwired, and then your environment has a lot do with how you end up being.”

GRETCHEN PELHAM PHOTO SHEA EVANS PHOTO

The Red Rock territory is as vast as its conditions are punishing. Hunt mornings may dawn in the single digits with snow, as is shown here in the Nevada ghost town of Belmont, one of the hunt’s fixtures, but the extreme heat and dry conditions can be even more demanding.

The environments Lloyd experienced on her transcontinental ride were certainly formative. Most of the people she encountered were friendly and supportive, but there were also a few scary moments that, she claims, “just made the adventure more fun.”

Such as the time a man in a semi-truck blocked her on a back road, jumped out, grabbed her horse’s bridle and tried to wrestle her into the back of his rig. “He just wasn’t cute enough, you know what I mean?” she jokes.

Presence of mind and spurs got her out of that jam. As she rode away, she considered using the gun she’d brought with her to shoot out the tires of his rig but decided against it. That gun would come in handy, though, one night in Arizona.

“My dog alerted me that someone was outside my tent,” she recalls. “I put my gun in my pants and came out, and there was a Mexican walking toward me. I don’t speak Spanish, but I understood ‘agua.’ But just the look on his face—I knew there was more to it than water. He was walking towards me with this grin. I pulled out my gun and noticed his two buddies walking my two horses away on their lead shanks. I said, ‘I’ll blow your f***ing...’ ” Lloyd hesitates and looks at me.

“Sorry for the language, but this is exactly what I said to him: ‘I’ll blow your f***ing head off.’ At first I was

scared, but then I knew exactly what I was going to do.

He realized I was serious and yelled to his buddies, and they dropped the horses and all ran. That’s how I got out of the whole thing. I knew I was in trouble there.

“I would have killed them,” she confesses. “And I wouldn’t have told you the story. I didn’t have to do that, thank God. It was interesting, too, how shaky I got after they all left, because I [had been prepared] to kill them.”

But on the whole, Lloyd says the journey was the best education in the world.

“It was better than college,” she surmises. “I spent at least 50 percent of my nights in people’s homes. You’re a girl with a horse and a dog—there’s nothing threatening about that, and what I learned is that people want to be part of the adventure, so they’d invite me in.”

The same is true today. Four decades later, people travel from all over the world to be a part of the adventure Lloyd has created in Western Nevada, in that state’s first—and only—recognized foxhunt.

As The Fates Allow

Following the completion of her cross-country sojourn in 1974, Lloyd returned to Pennsylvania to start a horse business, which eventually unraveled.

“When the partnership went sour, I was going to c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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COVER STORY

shoot someone,” she jokes. “And you really shouldn’t do that, so I thought I would just leave.”

Once again, she packed up Puddles and her horses, this time in a trailer, and left the East Coast with nothing more than the little money she had in her pocket.

“I had no idea what I was going to do. I thought I’d just let the world dictate,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “Best thing to ever happen to me. God knew what she was doing. Or whoever that is up there.”

She made it as far as Reno before she ran out of both gas and money. And so she stayed.

“I couldn’t buy a cup of coffee, but I was 30 years old and had my health and a profession—horses,” she says, ticking off the three plusses on her fingers.

And the permissive, anything-goes cowboy atmosphere of the state particularly suited Lloyd.

“I love the freedom of Nevada. You can carry guns openly. Prostitution is legal. I love that, I really do.

Drinking is legal, smoking is legal, gambling is legal. It’s all legal!” she says exuberantly.

But it was more than that. The landscape itself seemed to be “hardwired,” as she’s so fond of saying, into Lloyd’s spirit.

“I looked around and thought, ‘I have to hunt here,’ ” 54

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GRETCHEN PELHAM PHOTO

“If I wanted to hunt for 20 hours, they’d hunt for 20 hours,” says Lynn Lloyd of her American Walker hounds.

“They have tremendous try. They are the Thoroughbreds of the hound world.”

she says.

Eventually, she would buy the 640-acre parcel of land she now shares with 65 horses (45 of which are boarded) and 150 hounds, and make her home a former bunkhouse dating from 1892. She built the kennels and barns herself—literally.

“Every time I would teach a lesson, I’d buy another 2x4,” she says.

Just as she knew her life would involve horses, she was equally sure it would never include more traditional pursuits.

“Marriage and children were never part of my plan,” she explains. “I knew, [from] the time I came out of my mother, that I wasn’t getting married and I wasn’t having children.”

But Lloyd serves as the magnetic nucleus of a huge, warm and devoted family comprised of close friends as well as one of her sisters, Carol, who lives in a hilltop house on the property with her husband. The group even includes a childhood friend from back East whom Lloyd just happened to bump into in 2006 while camping in California; her husband is now Red Rock’s whipper-in.

You can’t make this stuff up.

A Hunt Like No Other

By 1980 Lloyd’s hunting goals were well defined, so she approached the members of the Los Altos Hunt, some 300 miles away near San Francisco, for help. She returned to Reno with six couple of bona fide, registered English hounds to begin the business of pioneering the first hunt in Nevada.

She had a bit of a slow start.

“I’d let the hounds out of the kennel, and they would go in 12 different directions,” she recalls. “I had no staff; I had no help; I had nobody. In this part of the country, we have no scenting and no water. Those poor hounds didn’t know what they were supposed to do. There’s so much space.

“Those first two years, hunting with those hounds was a heartbreak for me and a heartbreak for them, and that’s always sad. And not because they were bad hounds,” she adds. “This country is just so different. It’s like having a relationship that’s not working, you know? Nobody’s bad in it.”

Frustration finally led Lloyd to a neighbor who had hunted bear with Walker hounds. He had two he couldn’t break off of tracking coyote, and that couple would eventually be the start of Lloyd’s new pack.

“I started hunting these two hounds, and they would go all day for me. They were incredible,” she says. “This goes back to, ‘Hunt the hound that is suited for your country.’ ” Lloyd’s only hiccup was that American Walker hounds weren’t recognized by the MFHA because they weren’t of hunting packs that chased fox.

“In my books I have the original 12 hounds from a recognized hunt registered with the MFHA, crossbred with my two American Walkers,” she says. “From then on out, I brought in more and more purebred Walker [blood]. English hounds are bred in England with water every footstep and thick cover. It’s totally different out here. I just needed to find a hound that would work for me, and so I had to think outside the box.”

The Walkers hunt all day for Lloyd with no water, undeterred by the rocky terrain and sagebrush.

“If I wanted to hunt for 20 hours, they’d hunt for 20 hours. They have tremendous try. They are the Thoroughbreds of the hound world,” she says.

And with a million acres available to hunt, try is imperative.

“It’s quite amazing, the room. I’m spoiled rotten out here, honey, because we never have to stop the hounds,” she says. “I’ve always said, ‘The West is the future of hunting.’ It’s really fun!

“Nobody has to ride like this,” she continues, hunching herself into a ball. “We have all this space. Your horse gets wild? Turn him up that mountain. I guarantee he’s not going to make it to the top.”

And Lloyd takes pride not just in the rare experience

her hunt constitutes, but the fascinatingly diverse array of people the experience has attracted over the years.

“I’ve had all kinds of people in my hunt,” she says.

“Whether they be strippers, prostitutes, slot mechanics, you name it—as well as people from all over the world and other hunts. That’s. What. Makes. Life. Interesting!”

In short, Lloyd’s approach to foxhunting takes every preconceived notion about the stodgy, tradition-bound sport of the elite and turns it directly on its head.

“Her style is different—somewhat unorthodox,” says MFHA Executive Director Dennis Foster diplomatically, “but effective and loads of fun. She is one of foxhunting’s treasures. She’s her own person, she’s unique, and she shares her love of hunting with anyone who’ll give it a try. She’s our Annie Oakley of foxhunting and is as tough as she is dedicated.

She’s just very special.”

Writer, editor and foxhunter Norman Fine is even more effusive when you mention Lloyd’s name.

“I love her,” he declares simply. “She is one of my most unforgettable characters of all time. I have so much respect for somebody who just goes out and does it, whatever the hell it is she wants to do.

She is so ebullient and so enthusiastic about life—it’s just always bubbling over.”

Even without the vibrant pop of her red hunt coat against the muted, scrubby Nevada landscape, Lloyd would stand out. She is a dynamo—ballsy, big-hearted and bold; a whirling dervish of an experience and, like each of her hounds, a true individual.

Lloyd defies the conventions of both hunting and life, and you leave her world thinking maybe, just maybe, you’ve glimpsed something both remarkable and simplistically beautiful: an example of someone not only being true to her inner voice but also having the courage to act on it. Hunting and the people she has touched are better for it.

“If you really want to know the truth, I’ll be honest about myself,” she says. “I know nothing about anything, but I do love to hunt. That, and I’ve never had to work a day in my life. How lucky is that? I’m enjoying the heck out of it.”

“I have so much respect for somebody who just goes out and does it, whatever the hell it is she wants to do,” says Fine. “She is so ebullient and so enthusiastic about life—it’s just always bubbling over.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

HISTORY

The massive indoor ring at Winter Place Farm was adorned with three enormous chandeliers and ornate fountains.

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The Camelot

of the show world For a brief time in the 1970s, Winter Place Farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was the center of the horse show universe.

By MOLLY SORGE

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

For nearly a decade, Winter Place Farm served as the home base for some of the best hunter and jumper horses and riders in the country.

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HISTORY Prudent and Robert Ridland quietly schooled their horses, sharing ideas and joking as music played. Nelson Pessoa, George Morris, Frank Chapot and Kenny Wheeler visited and taught.

There was a perpetual “blank check” available for buying top horses. Tricolor ribbons were collected by the armful. The farm’s horse Southside represented the United States at the 1976 Olympic Games.

An imaginary Shangri-La? A wistful dream? No.

No expense was spared—at home or away at shows—in the heyday of Winter Place Farm.

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magine a place where hunter legend Gozzi hung his head out of a stall just a few doors down from the grand prix jumper star Jet Run. National champion after national champion walked past decorative fountains burbling in the aisles and under crystal fixtures dotting the ceiling.

Massive, sparkling chandeliers cast a soft glow over an enormous indoor arena where riders like Bernie Traurig, Melanie Smith Taylor, Katie Monahan

For seven years in the 1970s, this was a fantastical reality, a remarkable convergence of talent that resulted in unprecedented success. This was Winter Place Farm.

“It was an amazing place. Never before and never since has there been any place even remotely like it,” said Ridland. “We could have fielded two Nations Cup teams with all the riders there.”

Not many would have picked the flat farm fields of the Eastern Shore of Maryland to build what would for a time become the Camelot of the hunter/jumper world. Known for its soybeans, chicken farms and waterfowl, the region doesn’t have the rich horsey heritage, of, say, Middleburg, Va. But the Eastern Shore, more specifically the area of Ocean City and Salisbury, Md., is where James Caine made his fortune. It’s where his daughter, Bradley Caine, fell in love with horses. And so it was where James built Winter Place Farm and created a golden era.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

The horses of Winter Place enjoyed an indoor swimming pool and this therapeutic whirlpool.

“It was a little bit like Field of Dreams—he built it, and they came. We brought the world to us,” said Ronnie Beard, who, as resident trainer, was the conductor of the symphony of talent that collected at Winter Place.

At its peak, Winter Place housed 70 horses, comprising a legendary string that included national championship hunters like Gozzi, Royal Blue, Old Dominion, Magic Parade, Rivet and Perfect Stranger.

Jet Run and Southside, jumpers who went on to the Olympic Games and World Cup Finals glory, got their start there.

Traurig, Taylor, Prudent and Ridland all rode for Winter Place—for a time all at once. They were joined

by Mike Elmore, Matt Collins, Jane Womble Gaston, Norman Dello Joio and Scott Nederlander.

Articles appeared in magazines like Practical Horseman and Horse Play showcasing photos of the spectacular barn and indoor and lauding the successes

“It was a little bit like Field of Dreams—he built it, and they came. We brought the world to us.” —Ronnie Beard c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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HISTORY “My mother’s favorite saying was, ‘And then there was Winter Place,’ because it popped up almost overnight.” —Bradley Caine of Winter Place horses. There was even an article in the March 29, 1976, issue of Sports Illustrated.

“That place was years before its time,” Beard said.

“The people that I hired as very young people, and where they’ve gone with their lives and what that farm did for them—that’s the real story.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

Ronnie Beard was the mastermind behind gathering the talented horses and riders who made Winter Place famous.

The Field Of Dreams

Like so many stories about horses, this one starts with a young girl—Bradley Caine—in love with her fourlegged friends. But Bradley’s father, James Caine, wasn’t just any father. He was a real estate developer who made a tremendous fortune in the beach resort town of Ocean City in the ’60s.

“When he ran out of land, he filled marshes in so that he had more land to sell,” Bradley recalled.

“He didn’t know the first thing about a horse, but my father was very eccentric,” she said. “When I was lit60

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tle and wanted a horse, he bought me a horse and built me a barn behind the house. Eventually, that became Winter Place. He thought that was what needed to be done, because that’s the way he did everything— over the top. He said, ‘If my little girl wants to do this, it’s going to be the best in the world.’ ” Bradley showed ponies out of her first small barn behind the house, but when she moved up to horses in 1970, things escalated. The Caines hired trainer Jimmy Lee and bought some top-of-the-line junior hunters.

Lee didn’t want to move to Maryland, so he sent Beard, who was just in his mid-20s, to the Eastern Shore to supervise Bradley, then 14, and the horses on a daily basis in 1971. Elmore also came on board to help with the riding and showing duties.

“It really seemed like the middle of nowhere,” Beard recalled. “When I first drove over there, it scared me to death. I thought, ‘I’m the only one in town!’ ” Bradley’s horses needed a bigger home, and James was interested in helping Beard create a top show stable.

So James and Beard worked together to create Winter Place on 1,000 acres right off Rt. 50 in Salisbury.

“I helped him design the barn. It started out with the single building, and as the barn got built, he became very excited with the project, and it got grander and grander,” Beard said.

Bradley remembers the skyline being lit up by round-the-clock construction at Winter Place; with his contractor contacts, James completed the first phases of the project in a matter of months.

“My mother’s favorite saying was, ‘And then there was Winter Place,’ because it popped up almost overnight,” Bradley said.

By May of 1972, Winter Place was operational.

“It was over the top but very functional,” said Beard. “I put all the functional parts in, and Mr. Caine put all the glamour in. He really enjoyed the building of it, and it was well done in a very tasteful way. It had a very serene look to it. One end of the indoor ring was

horses like Perfect Stranger, Rivet, Regardless and Laserbeam. She wanted for nothing.

The most successful—and expensive—hunter in the country at the time, Gozzi, was her Christmas present.

“It was literally a dream come true,” Bradley said. “And it was all I knew. I didn’t realize it was unusual. I can remember riding in our tractor-trailer filled with 15 horses and looking over, and there was a tiny tag-along trailer.

“I said to my mom, ‘They have horses in that! Why would you put a horse in that?’ My mother looked at me and said, ‘Bradley, that’s how some people trailer their horses.’ I had no concept,” she recalled. “I liked the glam and the glitter and all that, but first and foremost, I loved my horses.”

Bradley’s showing career came to an end in 1978 when she had a bad fall with her favorite jumper, Surf’s Up. The farm at Winter Place was closed, and Bradley went on to a horse-less life for 10 years, selling real estate with her father’s company.

But she couldn’t stay away from the horses, and in the early ’90s she started a training business in the Ocean City, Md., area. She now holds her “r” judging license and does clinics in addition to training a select group of riders.

“What I instill in my students is that you have to have the bond with your horse. None of my students have grooms; these kids take care of their own horses,” she said. “I missed that when I was a kid. I’d take care of some of the horses because I adored them, but I feel I missed something—that connection.”

Bradley Caine (right) uses the lessons she learned growing up at Winter Place in her teaching of students like Emily Todd.

Does she sometimes wish she’d been that kid with a pony in a two-horse trailer?

“You know, a little bit,” she said with the perspective of years gone by. “It was all so overwhelming. But I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world because I wouldn’t know what I know now to pass on to the kids I teach. I got such an amazing education from it all.”

Bradley occasionally judges local shows at the Wicomico Equestrian Center, which is a county park located on a back section of the old Winter Place Farm. “Where I go really wasn’t Winter Place to me, so it’s not really strange at all,” she said. “I drive past the old farm all the time, but I never go in. I think it would be weird if I walked into what was that indoor.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

The genesis of Winter Place’s creation was Bradley Caine’s show career, even though it was the famous horses and riders who made the most headlines.

She was just 14 when her father built the farm and hired Ronnie Beard to make it all happen.

Bradley’s mother, Joyce, had ridden a bit as a girl and passed her love of horses to her daughter. Her father, James, was definitely not a horse person.

“My father was petrified of horses.” Bradley said. “He didn’t know anything about them, but because my mom and I loved them, he said, ‘OK, we have to have the best.’ That’s just the way my dad was.”

Bradley recalled buying her first junior hunter, an Appaloosa named Across The Nation. This was before Winter Place, before Beard.

“I don’t know how my father even found this horse, but he drove me to Harry Gill’s farm in Pennsylvania to look at him. No trainer, just us,” she said.

“Mrs. Gill got on him and was doing dressage. We’d never seen dressage. My father said to me, ‘He’s dancing; it’s perfect.’ They put me on him, and I got him to dance, and all I could think was, ‘This is awesome,’ ” she continued. “We were driving home, and I said, ‘Dad, I really like this horse, but do you think he’ll jump? Because that’s kind of what I do.’

We pulled over, my father found a pay phone, and he called the Gills. He asked them, ‘Does that horse jump?’ They said yes, and he said, ‘OK, we’ll be up to pick him up.’ That was the start of it.”

Bradley went on to much success with Across The Nation and many of the Winter Place

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

It Was All For Her

Across The Nation, an Appaloosa Bradley Caine and her father bought when she first started riding horses, was one of Bradley’s favorite junior hunters. c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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HISTORY It’s tempting to dismiss Winter Place as a showy whim, but the talent—both equine and human—that Beard collected under its roof out-sparkled the chandeliers. equine swimming pool and a full-size whirlpool with hot- and cold-water settings that could accommodate two horses.

And everywhere there were extravagant lights.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

all glass; when the chandeliers were lit in the evening, you could see the chandeliers from Rt. 50.”

No detail was overlooked. The stalls lined two sides of the massive 200' x 175' indoor ring, and the entire structure was climate-controlled—air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter to maintain a consistent 60 degrees. The stall and aisleway floors were Tartan, a poured rubber surface. Each stall had automatic waterers, and the air was kept clean with dust filters and flycatchers.

Along with the usual amenities of wash and grooming stalls and tack rooms and lounges were an indoor

Winter Place Farm as seen from above in its glory days.

An advertisement from a 1974 issue of the Chronicle congratulated Winter Place riders on their winter circuit results.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

A young Jet Run, shown with (from left) Melanie Smith Taylor, groom Roger Brabant and Katie Monahan Prudent, got his start at Winter Place Farm.

Where Jet Run Took Off

A Convergence Of Talent

It’s tempting to dismiss Winter Place as a showy whim, but the talent—both equine and human—that Beard collected under its roof out-sparkled the chandeliers.

“The hallmark legacy of Winter Place is the riders and horsemen that got their start there—even the grooms went on to really be so important,” Beard said, referencing professionals like Karen Golding, Jimmy Herring and Georgia Dunaway Coyle. “There were a lot of really good people who have gone on into the industry and done great things.”

“It was opulent for sure, but even more than that, it was such a collection of great horses and people,” recalled Taylor. “Ronnie was the one who had the vision and created it all. He brought the horses and the people together. I certainly appreciated the opportunity to be able to ride the horses I got to ride there.”

James was competitive, and he made it clear that he was willing to spend money to win. Beard had a blank check to buy any horse and free rein to hire the best young riders he could to ride them.

The results were a lot of blue ribbons and a team of talented riders who learned from the top echelon of mounts.

In 1976, Ridland represented the United States at the Montreal Olympic Games aboard the Winter Place-owned Southside. He and Beard had coaxed the notoriously difficult horse into top form over numerous water jumps James

the Pennsylvania National, were second in While Jet Run’s fabulous career with Michael the President’s Cup Grand Prix at the WashMatz is what people think of when they hear ington International (D.C.) and then won the the famous Thoroughbred’s name, the foungrand prix at the National Horse Show at dations of that success were built at Winter Madison Square Garden. Caine was looking Place Farm. to recoup some of his investment in the horsRonnie Beard saw Jet Run in 1972 showes, and Jet Run was a hot commodity. ing in the preliminary jumpers as a 4-year-old Mexican rider Fernando Senderos won with Jimmy Kohn. People were clamoring to the bidding war and bought Jet Run in Nobuy the bay Thoroughbred, whose talent was obvious. vember for mid-six figures without even trying “Jimmy knew he had a really nice horse, the horse. Bradley Caine remembered the and he priced him quite high. Jimmy was a scene like it was something out of a movie. great rider and horseman. He told me, ‘Ron“[Senderos] came in with his bodynie, this horse will do anything you want, and he’ll take you anywhere you want,’ ” Beard recalled.

James Caine wrote the check, and Jet Run joined Winter Place that fall. Beard knew Jet Run was ridiculously talented, but he also saw that he was a bit difficult and in need of basic training. Jane Womble Gaston was the first to work with him, since Melanie Smith Taylor, whom Beard chose to show him, was traveling and competing.

“Jane got him jumping into the preliminary level, nothing big,” Beard said. “She did a really nice job with him and got him a lot more stabilized.”

In the fall of ’72, Taylor took the reins.

The legendary jumper Jet Run got his start at Winter Place “She really brought him up through Farm with Melanie Smith Taylor (pictured) and Bernie Traurig. the ranks and made the horse,” Beard said. guards, and one guy had this metal suitcase By the summer of 1974, Taylor had begun handcuffed to his arm. He put the briefcase making her mark in grand prix classes with Jet up on the wall of the indoor, and it was full Run. of cash,” she said. “Dad has his comptroller “He was so talented that he could go right there to count it. It was a very strange scene.” into the grand prix, but I always loved training Jet Run went on to win individual gold at the young ones and knew he needed to wait. the 1975 Pan American Games with SenBecause of Winter Place we could take him deros, after which he returned to the United slow and really develop him the right way,” States when Eugene Dixon bought him for Taylor said.

Matz to ride. They won team and individual But in the fall of 1974, Caine requested gold at the 1979 Pan American Games, that Bernie Traurig take over the ride. countless grand prix classes and the 1981 “It was an immediate success,” Beard FEI World Cup Final. Second to Jet Run in said. Sadly, though, it was only a four-month that World Cup Final was another Winter partnership.

Place-trained horse, Southside, with Donald Traurig and Jet Run won the Big Jump at Cheska then riding.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

“My father loved lights, so everything had to be lit up,” Bradley said.

“He had chandeliers in the indoor and down the aisles. He’d seen pictures of the Spanish Riding School, and I think he had that idea in his head.”

The electric bill for one month at Winter Place? $12,000.

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HISTORY

PHOTO COURTESY OF BERNIE TRAURIG

The legendary hunter Gozzi was a Christmas present for Bradley Caine. Bernie Traurig (pictured) rode him to countless wins for Winter Place.

built at Winter Place.

From 1972 to 1978, Winter Place Farm would rumble into top shows like Devon and the indoor series with its tractor-trailer full of a dozen competitive horses and then leave with championship coolers and grand prix victories. At one point, they were taking 40 horses to the shows.

“I think we won everywhere we could possibly win.

There wasn’t anywhere we went that we didn’t leave our mark,” Beard said.

Taylor came to Winter Place in 1972 when she sold Mississippi Mud to the Caine family. She remembers being taken aback when she first saw the luxurious façade, especially since, at her home base in Tennessee, she kept her horses outside and rode in a grass field. She was thrilled to sign up as a Winter Place rider, showing top horses.

“It was in the early days of my career, before I’d even ridden on the team,” Taylor said. “All I’d done really was ride in the amateur jumpers and one or two 64

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grand prix. It was a fabulous thing for me, not only getting to ride those wonderful horses, but also watching all the other riders and getting exposure. I didn’t have money, so the only way I was going to get rides was to win on some horses, so it was a tremendous opportunity for me. It really gave me a leg up on my career.”

Traurig also came to Winter Place after selling them a horse, and he brought famous groom Golding with him. He sold them the jumper Springdale and the working hunter Royal Blue and continued to win on both under Winter Place ownership. In fact, he won his first grand prix in 1973 on Springdale for the farm.

“That opened the door to riding some of their superstars like Gozzi and Jet Run, who were both amazing, amazing animals,” Traurig said. “They were invaluable to my career in terms of getting the results one gets on horses like that. I think we all were very appreciative of the privilege to be able to ride for the Caine family.”

Even though James liked the Winter Place horses to win, he almost never went to shows to watch them perform. But “he liked the fact of them doing well,” Beard said.

“I had to keep in constant contact with him about the horses with their results; I was always looking for a pay phone,” he recalled. “He wanted the best horses in the world, the best riders in the world, the best stable in the world. We provided it for him.”

While many of the top riders of the era cut their competitive teeth while riding for Winter Place, and James demanded results, it wasn’t a cut-throat environment by any means.

“Ronnie was fantastic to work with,” Traurig said.

“He did a wonderful job at managing quite a lot of different personalities vying for top horses, which couldn’t have been easy. That was an amazing job of juggling and keeping people happy. We all had a good time there together. The other side of his job was getting results for the Caine family as owners. He picked and made winners one after another.”

One of the famous stories about Beard involves the well-known Gozzi. When he came to Winter Place from the Wheelers’ Cismont Manor Farm, Beard took him to the indoor and let each rider take a spin on him to decide who was to show him. Traurig won that audition.

“To be able to school with so many of the other top riders was amazing,” Taylor said. “We used to have so much fun schooling each other. I always felt like there was a lot of camaraderie because we were kind of on the same team, riding for Winter Place. And the Caines were such nice people.”

Beard and all the staff lived on-site at Winter Place and had cookouts and social gatherings. There might have even been the occasional episode of skinny-dipping in the whirlpool, but I promised I wouldn’t say who told me that story.

The Caine family embraced the Winter Place staff, hosting riders and grooms for dinners at their beachfront house and taking them out on their boats.

“We were just people,” Bradley said. “My dad made a lot of money, but we weren’t high society. We didn’t hobnob with the hobnobbers.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRADLEY CAINE

All Good Things Must End

The barns of Winter Place were heated and air conditioned and had chandeliers decorating the aisles.

And while Winter Place was truly a top show barn, it was also the Caine children’s playground. Bradley had her horses, and her brother, Jamie, had a paved track behind the barn for his go-karts.

But by 1978, James was ready to stop spending such lavish amounts of money on the horses. The economic climate had changed as well.

“So we had a very nice parting,” Beard said. “I sold the horses that he asked me to. We never had a harsh word about it; it was just time. All good things come to an end.”

The property was sold. Wicomico County now owns 377 acres of it and built Winter Place Park, which includes an equestrian facility, sports fields and a playground. The former showplace barn and indoor were converted into office space and now house CreditPlus, a mortgage information services business.

Beard went on to a successful career as trainer and judge. He also became active in programs like the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Emerging Athletes and U.S. Equestrian Federation Developing Riders.

“My time at Winter Place was like a college education,” he said. “I was young at the time, and a lot of the people who I had working for me were very knowledgeable. I think it set my path for life. I made mistakes, but I learned a lot.” c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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d in h e B an M The rtain u C e Th

ProfilE

Alan Davies has become one of the most famous grooms in the world thanks to Valegroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meteoric rise, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s played integral roles behind the scenes his entire life, for everyone from a top U.S. show jumper to members of the British royal family.

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World dressage champion Valegro and groom Alan Davies shared a quiet moment in the middle of the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games awards ceremony as rider Charlotte Dujardin stood atop the podium.

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he crowd’s applause fades as Alan Davies and Valegro walk from the ring, in step.

Davies rests a hand on Valegro’s gleaming neck and whispers, “Good boy, ‘Blueberry.’ ” The horse exhales, lowers his head and walks on, content.

He’s adored by the public; they flock to the schooling areas at shows, piling in 10 deep to catch a close-up glimpse of the reigning Olympic gold medalist, World Cup champion and World Champion. But when they get back to the barns, as Charlotte Dujardin is doing her star turn in front of the press and the fans, Valegro and Davies step into the dance of post-competition routine.

Wash. Unbraid. Groom. Wrap legs. It’s the same for this giant of the dressage ring as it is for horses the world over. Away from the big stadiums, the cheering crowds, the world record-displaying scoreboards and the eyes of the world, Valegro is just a horse. He needs a simple routine, with grass, feed and water. He needs kind hands smoothing his coat. He needs a reassuring voice and a compassionate touch. He needs quiet time. And Davies, a charming yet unassuming chap, is the one who provides all that for the famous dancing horse.

“Valegro has no idea what’s going on around him,” Davies says. “He has no idea he’s won a gold medal. He doesn’t really care, either, as long as he gets to graze in his field and hack and have time with his mates.

He’s not a diva at all.

“He’s very laidback and straightforward.

He’s not one for undue fuss,” Davies con-

tinues. “He has a very clever mind; he loves to work, and he knows when work time is.

But then he knows when down time is. He goes into his stall and knows that’s his time; he doesn’t fret or fuss. Blueberry likes to be left alone when it’s his time. He just lets the world go by and doesn’t worry.”

An Incredible Ride

But saying that Valegro is just a horse is like saying Davies is just a groom; it doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the importance of their roles. Valegro has become the face of British dressage, and decades of experience have helped Davies become a a caretaker capable of making a horse like Valegro thrive.

Of course, Dujardin is Blueberry’s partner on stage, the guiding force behind his greatness in the ring. Their partnership is the stuff of legends. But it’s a bond strengthened and bolstered by the relationship Davies also has with the great horse.

“I know it’s cheesy to say, but he’s really special,” Davies says of Blueberry. His voice takes on the soft tone of someone who truly loves the subject they’re discussing. “He’s a delight to take care of and such a personality. It’s a dream come true to have the champion of the world in my care. I get to spend every day with him, and I know there are a lot of people out there who are so jealous of that!”

Valegro isn’t the only superstar in Davies’ care. At the start of 2011, Carl Hester knew he had some special chemistry going on in c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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ProfilE “They needed someone to go to America, and I thought, ‘That’s great! I want to travel and get paid to do it and take care of horses.’ It was everything I wanted to do.”

—Alan Davies

His day job may be caring for some of the world’s best dressage horses, but as a hobby, Alan Davies enjoys showing miniature Shetland ponies.

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his yard. Valegro and Uthopia were both poised to break out into greatness, and Hester sought out a groom to help guide them on that journey.

He knew just who to call—a man with decades of experience managing top-level horses.

Davies, 47, has cared for horses professionally since he was 17, and his experience encompasses jumpers, hunt horses and show horses as well as dressage stars. He’s traveled the globe with his four-legged charges.

At first, Davies was only supposed to accompany Valegro to his first international shows, at the Vidauban and Saumur CDIs in France.

“I was supposed to stay for a couple of shows, and here I am still,” says Davies. “It was luck and timing that was just right. I was between jobs, and Carl wanted someone to come in, get to know these horses inside and out, and take them to competitions. He wanted to feel confident in the fact that he could leave everything to me and not have to worry.”

And so, for the last four years, Davies has supervised the day-to-day care of two Olympic gold medalists and British heroes—Valegro and Uthopia.

“They’ve both always been huge personalities in their own right. They’ve both distinguished themselves for sure. I didn’t quite imagine, when I took on the job, quite where it would take me, to the level that it has,” Davies says. “We always knew Valegro was great, but to now have him be World Champion, World Cup winner, Olympic gold medalist—we never imagined that. It’s been an incredible ride.”

Blueberry’s Bodyguard

But it’s not been a ride free of bumps in the road.

With the level of fame that Valegro and Uthopia have achieved, there are some challenges that call for Davies to assume the role of bodyguard, as well. It’s not a responsibility that many grooms have had to tackle.

“They’re national heroes because they’ve done so much for British dressage,” he says.

“They do get a lot of attention. Sometimes it seems as if the general public thinks they almost

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lan Davies has made horses his life and profession for 30 years, beginning when he was 17 and graduated from school. He never quite anticipated that the career path would take him not only to the top of the sport, but also to a royal wedding.

“I was never any good in sports at school. My family were all sportsmen, but I remember them kind of giving up hope for me,” he says. “I started at a local hunt stables in our village. I did that for quite a while. That’s where I got most of my education and learned how to ride. I hunted quite a lot.”

But like so many young people, Davies heard the siren song of world travel. He’d switched to grooming show jumpers in England, then jumped at the opportunity to travel to the United States with Australian show jumper Susanne Bond, who trained with American rider Anne Kursinski.

“They needed someone to go to America, and I thought, ‘That’s great! I want to travel and get paid to do it and take care of horses.’ It was everything I wanted to do,” he recalls.

He spent three years traveling between Europe and the States with Bond’s horses, then in 1992 he started working for U.S. rider Michael Matz after becoming friends with Matz’s barn manager, Karen Golding.

“Karen called me saying they needed one more groom for Florida that year, so I went and then ended up staying the whole year,” Davies remembers. He had horses like The General in his care.

“That was amazing—I learned so much from Karen Golding,” he says. “It was an incredible time of my life; I’m eternally grateful to her. She’s a legend in the sport.”

But in 1993, he returned to England and started his own business, teaching, training and showing. He concentrated on show horses, winning at such prestigious British shows as Horse of the Year and the Royal International.

He also freelance groomed, including taking care of British dressage team member Emile Faurie’s horse at the 2004

Sydney Olympic Games.

It was during this period that he got the opportunity to rub elbows with some British stars of the two-legged variety.

He taught Carol Middleton, mother of the famous Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, on her horse.

And as Kate’s commitment to the royal family grew, she wanted to develop her riding skills a bit so she could feel confident in the saddle when she needed to.

“I had Enniskean, an ex-show horse that was retired, and I used him as a schoolmaster. I told Kate she could come and sit on him,” Davies says. “She did, and she loved him. He was an absolute saint.

“I spent three summers working with Kate, building her confidence and getting her comfortable to hack out and ride in the fields and feel in control,” he continues.

“We had a great time, and she loved it.”

Then an invitation arrived in the mail to Kate’s April 2011 wedding to Prince William.

“Carl and Charlotte were competing in Saumur, so I drove the horses there, flew back for the wedding, then flew back to France to carry on grooming at the show,” Davies says. “It was rather incredible! I sat in a nave under a tree, behind [London mayor] Boris Johnson and in front of [soccer star] David Beckham. It was pretty unreal.”

And while he spends his work days caring for gentle giant dressage horses, as a hobby Davies spends time with a very different kind of equine. He owns, breeds and shows in-hand miniature Shetlands.

That’s not to say, however, that he’s always around horses.

“I do try and get away every now and then,” he says. “A few of us dressage grooms met up in Spain this summer.

We all got together and had a break near Barcelona for a long weekend. I think it’s important to get away too.”

Alan Davies’ own competitive career includes showing at the famed Horse of the Year show aboard Enniskean in 1998.

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As Valegro’s fame has grown, so has that of Alan Davies—shown here being interviewed for CNN— and he’s thrilled grooms are getting a share of the recognition.

own them, and it’s so important to some people to just be able to touch Valegro.

“But at some point I have to say, ‘No, he needs a bit of space.’ I have to be ‘that guy,’ and I feel bad, but I have to do it for the horses’ sake,” Davies continues. “They are horses, and they need to be allowed to be horses and have that chill-out time.”

While every groom worries about every horse in their care, most would acknowledge that Davies has to have a pretty level head to be in charge of two of Britain’s most famous.

“A lot of people say to me, ‘How on earth do you put that horse on the lorry and drive without worrying?’ Of course I worry. I worry about

all the horses I take care of. But I can’t worry unduly, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do my job,” he says. “I wouldn’t be able to put him on the truck or a plane.

“Luckily I haven’t been intimidated, because I’ve been around for quite a long time. I’ve been traveling with horses since I was 17,” he adds.

“I’ve enjoyed the ride, and I’ve appreciated it at the same time. I’ve been excited by everything.

It’s possible because I’m pretty experienced, and because Carl keeps everything very down to earth. We go and do some amazing things, but then the horses still have to be horses—they come home and turn out and have as natural as possible a life.”

“The royal wedding was rather incredible! I sat in a nave under a tree, behind Boris Johnson and in front of David Beckham. It was pretty unreal.”

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ALAN DAVIES PHOTO

Alan Davies and Charlotte Dujardin celebrated after she rode Valegro to a record Grand Prix score at the 2014 Longines FEI World Cup Final, where they ended up as overall winner.

MOLLY SORGE PHOTO

When he’s at home, Valegro spends plenty of time turned out in his paddock like any other horse.

Can We Have Your Autogr aph?

Hester and Dujardin are well known for not taking their fame too seriously and always finding the humor in a situation, and Davies fits right into that dynamic. He’s got a bit of a cheeky, wry attitude toward life.

One can imagine that the humor helps loosen the tightly wound thread of expectation that binds this team together now as the world looks for ever-impressive results.

“To me, [Valegro’s] brilliant always. But to have all the expectation and everyone putting their hopes on him, there’s quite a bit of pressure on those of us around him,” Davies admits.

“The London Olympics were a huge highlight for everybody, but it was quite stressful with the amount of pressure that was put on the riders and the horses. It all seems like a whirlwind now, thinking back. It was a huge relief coming out of London knowing that we’d done what everyone wanted us to do.”

A Day In The Life Of Blueberry

A

lan Davies arrives at Carl Hester’s Gloucestershire yard by 6:30 a.m. every day to feed and muck out his horses. By 7:30 a.m., he’s swinging a leg over Valegro’s back.

“He and I’ll go for a wander around the farm or through the fields or down the lane,” he says. “Charlotte will come and get on at about 8. She’ll work him, then I’ll get back on and take him for another stroll. Carl is very into having a good warm-up and cool-down. It’s good for their mind and their body. Then ‘Blueberry’ has some chill-out time.”

The horses at Hester’s yard work four times a week—Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday and Saturday they hack out, and then they have Sunday off.

“After I’ve cooled Blueberry down, I wash and groom him, and he goes out in his field for an hour,” Davies explains. “He then comes in and has downtime while I look after some of the other horses.

“In the afternoon, he goes for a stroll or he goes to a water treadmill two or three times a week,” he continues. “We find it very good for keeping them in shape and doing the extra fitness work without any stress on the lower limbs.

He gets that little bit of extra fitness work without stressing his legs too much.

He’s a bit of a chunky chap, so it’s good for keeping his waistline down.”

A groom must know every hair and tendon on his charges to the minutest detail, and Davies takes this task to heart.

“It’s knowing them inside out at home, so when I take them away, I can do my best at trying to keep their routine as similar to home as possible and making sure they have everything they need while they’re away,” he says. “Then it’s getting to know their little quirks, so I can tell immediately if something’s off. That’s always my biggest worry.” c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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ProfilE “Of course I worry. I worry about all the horses I take care of. But I can’t worry unduly, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do my job.”

SUE STICKLE PHOTO

—Alan Davies

Alan Davies has had the chance to travel the world with his best friend, the British dressage star Valegro.

If you can drag your eyes away from Valegro and Dujardin while they’re doing their thing in the ring, you’ll see Davies standing at full attention at the in-gate, intently focused on his charge, and sometimes with his hands clasped to his head.

“I do get emotional when I see him go out there and try his hardest,” he says. “The last day of the [2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games], he was a little bit tired, but he dug deep and tried so hard. I could see on his face the expression, ‘OK, let’s go, one more test.’

It can be quite emotional when you know them so well.”

The bright spotlight of fame doesn’t stop at Dujardin, Hester and the horses, however.

Davies himself has become a bit of a star.

“It’s been amazing the profile I’ve had. Carl and Charlotte have been doing TV programs and all sorts of things like that, and they’ve

His Favorite Highlight

“I

think one of the biggest highlights I can remember was taking Valegro to Hagen [Germany in 2012],” says Alan Davies. “He went and got the record score in the Grand Prix Special. It was very unexpected for everybody, that we’d do it there, at a German show. That memory always stands out to me, and the test was amazing.

“He was just incredible that day,” he adds. “He did the most beautiful test, then everyone was going crazy in the prize-giving, and he just stood there as calm as you like. It was like he was saying, ‘I’m not sure what all this is about, but it’s pretty nice.’ ”

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included me many times, so people are recognizing me now and seeing how much I do behind the scenes and what goes into it,” Davies notes.

“Charlotte’s so good at always saying thank you and acknowledging me in public. She and Carl have both worked from the bottom up, so they’re very appreciative of what I do. It’s made my job even more worthwhile, knowing that.

“People will come up to me at shows and want to speak to me and want my autograph,” he continues. “It’s quite bizarre, but it’s great for the whole industry and for all grooms, too. It was a bit of a shock to start with, but I’m getting used to it now! It’s great that grooms are getting recognition.”

And while he’s left his own riding career behind to become Valegro and Uthopia’s righthand man, Davies doesn’t have a single regret.

“I enjoy competing, but it wasn’t the be-all and end-all for me. My main love is taking care of the horses,” he says. “When I took this job, the fact that I wasn’t going to get to compete wasn’t important to me. The important thing was that I was going to have a major position in this set-up for people I admired and liked.

It’s one of the most important jobs, taking care of those two. They’re the two best horses in the world in my eyes.

“I can’t see what else I could do now,” Davies adds. “I always say that when Valegro retires, I’ll retire too, but Carl and Charlotte seem to have other ideas about that. They have some young horses coming on, and they keep talking about the next championships and the future. So I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to retire. But I’m so lucky to have a job I love. I just absolutely adore it. I’m lucky to get paid to do what I do.”

photo feature

Butteri, the Italian cowboys who work the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rare Maremmana cattle, have passed their riding and herding skills down through the generations for centuries.

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The Way Of The

Butteri

These Italian cowboys have galloped across Tuscany for centuries, and while their way of life and the rare cattle they tend are threatened by modern progress, a determined few are keeping the culture alive.

Photos by ELENA LUSENTI

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Photo Feature Daily life for a buttero revolves around the rounding up and tending of large herds of cows, the vacche maremmane, on horseback. The entire Maremma region was once covered in marshes and swamps that stretched all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, but after it was drained during Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fascist era, these swamplands are much fewer and farther between.

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The branding of cattle is a process of pride and celebration for the butteri and the farms they work for, showcasing the beauty of their livestock and the cowboysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; skill.

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Photo Feature

A Maremmano bull seems to have found a formidable opponent in a butteroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tiny terrier.

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The Maremmana cattle breed is distinguished by beautiful but imposing lyre-shaped horns. While this beef breed isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t officially an endangered species, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still quite rare, with a population hovering around 10,000 in the marshy Maremma region of Tuscany.

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Photo Feature

Azienda Agricola Alberese is the largest, most authentic working farm in Alberese, Tuscany, and the largest employer of the few remaining working butteri. This is a glimpse into their beautiful, traditional tack room.

Ancient traditions are alive in every aspect of the butteroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, including the military-style tack thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone largely unchanged since the 15th century.

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Stefano Senserini serves as the president of the Associazione Butteri Alta Maremma. The group organizes regular exhibitions of the butteriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills to keep traditions alive, teach younger generations how to be a buttero, and educate tourists in the local ways.

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Photo Feature

This is typical scenery in Azienda Agricola Alberese, where you can spend a day working alongside the butteri, starting at sunrise by helping them tend to and move herds of cows throughout the large and stunning farm. Agritourism is gaining steam in the region, and rental apartments or houses are available in the old Villa Granducale or in the surrounding Maremma Regional Park.

A buttero shows off his equine partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills.

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The butteri only ride Maremmano horses, a breed which is typically hardy, athletic and dark bay in color.

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Photo Feature

G et I n v o lv e d

elena lusenti will be leading a photography tour in Maremma in late May 2015 (exact dates still to be determined). You can find out more about the excursion and contact her directly via her website, elenalusenti.com.

Lear n M o r e

Want to visit the butteri of Tuscany on your own? These organizations can help you plan your adventure.

• azienda agricola alberese offers “A Day with the

Buttero” on horseback for riders and local accommodations. Learn more at alberese.com.

• daniele contarino and catia liverani organize one-day

and multi-day tours in some of the area’s most scenic spots. They can also organize accommodations in both historic residences and modern suites on their beautiful home farm.

Check out their options at tuscany horsetrail.com.

• the associazione butteri alta maremma puts on weekend demonstrations in Northern Maremma for the public. Find their schedule at butteri-altamaremma.com.

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The butteri live and work in one of the most unspoiled and authentic pockets of Tuscany, Maremma, in the southwest corner of the region.

Butteri usually devote their entire lives to their work and consider it a passion and a calling.

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THE HORSE IN ART

10,000 years

of horses

Why did our Paleolithic ancestors immortalize equines— over the course of thousands of years—in this underground cavern in a remote corner of Spain?

By DEBORAH RUBIN FIELDS Photos Courtesy Of TITO BUSTILLO MUSEUM 86

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The Paleolithic cave paintings at Tito Bustillo feature human forms and puzzling collections of dots, but what stands out most is the amazing gallery of equine figures.

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THE HORSE IN ART

O

ne April day in 1968, a group of young Spanish cave explorers rappelled down an unassuming sinkhole in the northern part of their country, and what they found upon hitting bottom would inspire many questions that are still unanswered today, nearly 50 years later.

But a half-century is but the blink of an eye in the Paleolithic history of the Tito Bustillo cave, named in honor of one of the explorers who discovered the chamber that day, only to die in a climbing accident shortly thereafter. Researchers would eventually discover that this cavern had not only been occupied by early humans, it had also served as both a shelter and canvas for an amazingly artistic and creative civiliza-

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tion. Today Tito Bustillo is judged to be the earliest human-made exhibition of art—up to 40,000 years old.

And while the cave paintings deep underground near the village of Ribadesella, on Spain’s northern coast, reveal a beautiful and odd mix of motifs including stenciled hands, vulvas, anthropomorphic figures and red dots, what stands out most is the amazing gallery of equine figures.

While the majority of Tito Bustillo’s horse figures were probably done 11,000 to 15,000 years ago, some may date back 18,000 years. These horses— both drawn and painted—appear in a variety of poses, from profiled representations of the head and chest to fully fleshed-out figures. In some illustrations, eyes, manes and tails are visible, while in others they are

These horses— both drawn and painted—appear in a variety of poses, from profiled representations of the head and chest to fully fleshed-out figures.

Could the lack of hunting scenes indicate that horses were indeed revered, as some archeologists maintain, as divine animals in the Paleolithic period? absent. Some horses remain alone; others are shown formed in herds. They appear both standing still or in motion, walking, trotting and galloping. Some of the horses are as large as six feet.

What all the horses have in common is how remarkably realistically they’re captured, indicating the well-practiced hand coordination and interpretation skills of the early humans who immortalized them. They overlay earlier red paintings, which, from dating elsewhere in the cave, might be older than 29,000 years.

Curiously, the Tito Bustillo horses bear a striking resemblance to the Asturcón (also known as Asturian) pony, an ancient, now-endangered native horse of the Asturias region where the cave itself is located. The breed has a heavy but smallish head with a straight

profile, a curved neck, rounded barrel and deep chest.

Its long, even back features straight shoulders and a low-set tail, and it’s most commonly either brown or black, but occasionally minimal white markings occur.

The artists painted some of their horses in shades of black, violet and ochre. Researchers believe they mixed their pigments from mineral deposits located in other parts of the cave, routinely preparing the colors close to where they were found and then carrying them to the designated gallery space. Lighting for the entire process would probably have come from burning torches.

In addition, some of the figures appear high on the gallery wall, indicating that the painters would have used some form of ladder or scaffold. The creative process took a lot of ingenuity, and perhaps even c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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THE HORSE IN ART

Some of the horses found in the Tito Bustillo cave measure as large as six feet across.

See It For Yourself Visits to the Tito Bustillo cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located near the coast of Northern Spain, must be pre-arranged, as the number of daily visitors to the cave is strictly observed. Be sure to check their visiting hours at centrotitobustillo.com.

Visitors are taken through the cave with a flashlight-equipped guide. There is very minimal electricity in the cave, and in places it is a bit slick underfoot. Photography is not allowed. Moreover, guests are prohibited from touching the cave’s beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.

Even with these precautions, moss has been found growing in one area of the cave—a potential threat to the continued sustainability of the cave images.

Guiding is only provided in Spanish, but English-only speakers shouldn’t be deterred from visiting. Set aside at least 1½ hours to first visit the excellent Spanish/English cave museum, located next to the modern cave entrance.

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group effort, suggesting tasking or division of labor.

In order to date the works, scientists have taken very thin films of calcium carbonate (calcite) deposits that form on top of the paintings and applied these films to refined uranium-thorium dating technology. The testers took advantage of state-ofthe-art mass spectrometry, meaning they didn’t require much material for the sample.

This has helped to reduce damage to the paintings, but sadly, faulty treatment in some European caves has resulted in the disappearance of other fragile cave paintings. After studying Tito Bustillo’s calcite crusts, scientists believe that some of its faintly seen painted red dots may go back at least 40,800 years, opening up the possibility that Neanderthals could have founded this rustic gallery. Moreover, researchers now believe that generations of early Homo sapiens continued painting the horses over an astoundingly long period of time, perhaps as long as 10,000 years.

But the horses’ existence still raises countless questions. Were the painters telling a whole story (no small intellectual feat) or attempting graphically to understand the animal—its anatomy, its grace, its speed, its personality? Could the lack of hunting scenes indicate that horses were indeed revered, as some archeologists maintain, as divine animals in the Paleolithic period? In a cave so large as the Tito Bustillo, why did the artists choose to paint over earlier work?

And what of the placement, so high on the walls? Did they suspect something might happen to the paintings if they were left at eye level?

Hopefully these questions and many more will be answered in time, but Tito Bustillo’s beautiful underground cathedral makes one thing very clear: Humans’ awe of horses is a tale as old as time.

CITY GUIDE

Head To Thermal’s Hidden Hot Spots

By JAMIE KRAUSS HESS

F

or scores of riders and equine professionals, wintertime on the West Coast means packing up and heading to the desert. The HITS Thermal Desert Circuit, just 40 minutes south of Palm Springs, Calif., plays host to thousands, from short stirrup contenders to international show jumping stars.

The circuit has expanded this year from eight weeks to nine, and the 2013 debut of the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix only added fuel to the fire of the

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show’s popularity. “HITS is now considered the destination circuit on the West Coast and beyond,” says HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri.

The mountainous backdrop makes for jaw-dropping natural scenery, but a remote location comes with its own challenges: horsemen and women have to dig a little deeper than usual to find amenities nearby. We asked Desert Circuit regulars to share their favorite spots to drink, dine, and enjoy Thermal’s warm desert nights.

RosAmarillo’s

Southern California is famous for Mexican food, so it makes sense that this zesty hot spot sits at the top of our list.

“RosAmarillo’s is the cult favorite for Mexican food,” says California trainer Hope Glynn definitively.

Just a couple short miles from the showgrounds, this little gem offers not only spicy and traditional Mexican dishes, but also an abundance of creative margarita offerings that are sure to quench your thirst after a long day at the show.

ally don’t eat meat, but this is my exception. The house salad is amazing too, served with a special dressing, and the tomato bisque soup rocks. It’s a big part of going back to the desert each year!”

82-347 Highway 111, Indio. (760) 3421889. cactusjacks-indio.com.

Shields Date Garden And Café

Lisa Slade Photo

RosAmarillo’s “They have the best grande margaritas—you can swim in them!” says barn manager Alex Wilson with a laugh.

“They also have really good enchiladas.”

RosAmarillo’s is also a favorite of California native Demi Stiegler, who signed on to ride for the Auburn University Equestrian Team in Alabama but counts this restaurant as a must-visit whenever she’s back in town.

“Every time I go for dinner, the place is filled with horse show people,” she says. “I love their steak fajitas, and my mom orders the chicken mole every time.

Everything is simply delicious!”

a lively bar scene that fuels the furnace of Cactus Jack’s vibe. And the food hits the spot as well.

“The prime rib tastes better than anywhere I’ve ever had it,” says Katie Frank, a Desert Circuit official.

“The taste has a unique quality Shields Date that’s hard to Garden And describe. I usu-

Café Bistro

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the desert is often hot, even in January. And after long, sweltering days spent ringside, there’s little Chronicle staffer Lisa Slade craves more than a refreshing “world-famous date shake” from the walk-up counter at the Shields Date Garden.

This Indio establishment is something of a local institution—it’s been around since 1924—and it’s popular among horse show-goers, tourists and residents alike. If you’re craving something more than a milkshake, there’s also The Café at Shields, which features

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49-990 Jefferson St., Suite 120, Indio.

(760) 777-1175. rosamarillos.com

Cactus Jack’s

If you like prime rib, a good strong drink and old-fashioned friendly service, head over to Cactus Jack’s. While the name may sound like a Mexican joint, what you’ll actually find is a simple bar and grill with huge portions and drinks that are “like doubles, served in a bucket!” according to one bartender.

While the crowd skews a bit older (mostly retirees in the off-season), there’s c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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CITY GUIDE LG’s Prime Steakhouse

JON EDWARDS PHOTO

terhouse offerings, the 24 oz. “Jewel in the Crown” and 30 oz. “The Gold Strike 49er.”

But if red meat isn’t your thing, fear not, as LG’s has a wealth of yummy options for those less-inclined carnivores.

Try the “Wagon Wheels” (giant onion rings), Colossal Poupon Lobster Tail, roasted chicken breast or simply enjoy LG’s famous Caesar salad, made from scratch right in front of you.

“Where else can you get such a great Caesar salad made table-side to your own specifications?” asks rider Montana Coady. “The wonderful servers at LG’s really make it feel

some typical SoCal fare: salads galore, along with omelets, burritos, pancakes and sandwiches. Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m., so there’s time to stop on the way to Thermal if you’re not in the first class.

“The first few times I went out there, everyone was asking me if I’d tried a date shake yet,” Slade says. “Finally, I did. It’s impossible to explain what they taste like until you’ve tried one, but once you’ve had it, you’ll crave them constantly after that—especially when the temperatures have been above 100 all day at the horse show.”

Make sure to leave a little extra time to browse the kitschy and fun gift store, where you can pick up some dates, and other California produce, to take home.

80-225 Highway 111, Indio. (760) 347-0996.

shieldsdategarden.com.

LG’s Prime Steakhouse

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like home.”

LG’s wine list also offers more than 350 selections, the largest of any steakhouse in the Coachella Valley. With over 100 Napa Valley cabernets to choose from, you’ll always find the perfect bottle of wine to accompany your meal.

78525 Highway 111, Suite 100, La Quinta.

(760) 771-9911. lgsprimesteakhouse.com.

Okura

The horse show crowd is obsessed with Okura, and for good reason: This robata grill and sushi bar has earned The Desert Sun’s “Best of the Valley” award in the Japanese restaurant category for eight years in a row.

“It’s a great place to bring friends or clients, and you can come straight from the show,” says Joe Norick, a Marshall & Sterling Insurance representative.

Norick suggests starting off with the Jalapeño Bomb and the Kobe Beef Carpaccio, and then diving into rolls like the Baked Alaskan,

Okura

La Quinta

49-499 Eisenhower Drive, the Hamachi Jalapeño and the Resort & Madonna.

La Quinta. (760) 564-4111.

Club laquintaresort.com.

“Their signature roll is awesome,” adds rider Heidi Kane. “I Cunard’s Sandbar look forward to it every time we go.”

“Everyone who is anyone eats at 78370 Highway 111, #150, La Quinta.

Cunard’s on Thursdays,” explains Mer(760) 564-5820. okurasushi.com. edith Herman of Burgundy Farms. “It’s La Quinta Resort & Club the coolest place in Thermal!”

One of the most popular places to dine This is the general consensus on and stay during the HITS Thermal cirCunard’s Sandbar, an unassuming haunt cuit is La Quinta Resort & Club, nestled with consistently Cunard’s at the foot of the spectacular Santa Rosa good food, a warm Sandbar Mountains. and friendly atmoOnly 12 miles from the show, this pet-friendly hideaway is a Waldorf Astoria property and comes with all the luxe accoutrements one would expect, including 41 pools, a top-notch spa and several restaurants.

“I love the Adobe Grill—the setting is so beautiful,” says rider Caroline Ann Lynn. “It’s the perfect spot to grab a drink with my friends after the show. I especially like the Pepino Diablo, made with jalapeño-infused tequila.”

The Morgan Grill is another staple for the equestrian crowd. “There’s a wonderful ambiance and great food,” says Montana Coady. “I love their salmon steak and ginger-scented Coachella sweet corn.”

sphere, and a nightly live piano player. The menu is eclectic, with offerings ranging from New York steaks to panko-crusted sole to crispy roast duck to Mediterranean pasta.

Bob Cunard, who founded the restaurant 33 years ago, still makes it a point to personally welcome patrons to his establishment, and he especially enjoys the HITS crowd.

“We love the horse show gang,” he says. “They return to the Sandbar every year.”

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78-120 Calle Tampico, La Quinta.

cunardsandbar.com.

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CITY GUIDE

The Tack Room Tavern

The Tack Room Tavern at the Empire Polo Club is a favorite spot for both hunter/jumper riders and polo players to celebrate their weeks’ accomplishments, with Sunday nights being particularly horsefolk heavy.

“The bar stools are saddles, and the atmosphere is all horse!” explains California-based rider and trainer Kristin Hardin. “The food is great, and they stock the best tequila.”

Nelson Amaya, who has tended bar at The Tack Room for seven years, suggests the Jugador Margarita. The aptly named concoction (it means “the player” in Spanish, giving a nod to the polo community) is a simple mixture of fresh lime, agave nectar and tequila.

Not so simple is his culinary suggestion, another polo-themed offering.

“Try the Ten-Goal Kobe Burger,” he says. “It’s a half-pound of beef, bacon, 96

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The Tackroom Tavern gorgonzola and caramelized onions. It’s out of this world!”

With happy hour from 3-7 p.m. daily, many come in for a drink or a bite after the show or polo match, and live music on the weekends keeps the nighttime crowd partying until last call, which is just after midnight.

81800 Avenue 51, Indio. (760) 347-9985.

tackroomtavern.com.

Wilma And Frieda’s Café

“After a friend invited me to Wilma and Frieda’s for brunch, I kept finding more and more excuses to go,” admits Selena Frederick, the photographer behind Cheval Photos and a HITS Thermal regular.

Named after the owner’s grandmothers, this breakfast and lunch joint on Palm Desert’s shopping thor-

oughfare, El Paseo, features jams and recipes from the original Wilma and Frieda. The service is fast, the staff is friendly, and the up-beat ’50s-inspired atmosphere is refreshing when you’ve been on the road or at the horse show for weeks.

“The food is delicious and fresh, and the coffee is purchased from local roasters,” says Frederick. “My favorite dish is the Soy Rizo Scramble. Always be sure to choose the homemade biscuit—its flakey goodness is to die for! And don’t forget to grab a homemade pastry or dessert from the beautiful display on your way out.”

And thanks to its prime location in Palm Desert’s luxury shopping district, you can pick up some sartorial treats as well; Wilma and Frieda’s is right next door to Saks Fifth Avenue.

73575 El Paseo Drive, Palm Desert. (760) 773-2807. wilmafrieda.com.

Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant

Even if you’re not a fan of the game, you’ve likely heard of golf superstar Arnold Palmer. But his skills on the green and creation of his eponymous teaand-lemonade concoction aren’t his only claims to fame; his signature restaurant has been a mainstay of Coachella Valley dining since 2004, treating visitors to an array of well-crafted meals like homemade meatloaf, double-cut pork chops, and indulgent mac and cheese.

Try visiting with a regular, like Revolution Farms’ Joie Gatlin, for insider tips.

“The best thing on the ‘secret’ menu is homemade potato chips with blue cheese dressing for dipping,” Gatlin says. “They also have a great wine list.”

The various dining areas at Arnold Palmer’s have golf-centric names like the “Masters Room” and the “U.S. Open Room,” and the walls are lined with

Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant memorabilia from Palmer’s impressive career. There’s even a heated patio for al fresco dining with a putting green for a little post-feast fun.

“I’m not even a big fan of golf, but it’s so cool to walk in and look at the trophies and the photographs,” says Tommi Clark of Chosenbrook Stables. “I really love putting a few golf balls when we’re done with dinner. Such fun!”

Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs

After a long week showing in the sun, you may want to let your hair down from under that helmet and shake your booty a bit—and who could blame you?

Luckily, the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs awaits.

This 163-room resort is less than an hour away from the barns but offers a complete departure from the horse show world, serving up the type of party 78164 Avenue 52, La Quinta. (760) 771atmosphere for which the Hard Rock 4653. arnoldpalmersrestaurant. brand is famous.

Hard Rock com.

Grab a cocktail in a pool-

side cabana as the sun slips down behind the San Jacinto Mountains, but don’t expect a quiet oasis; the Hard Rock means hard partying, and a D.J. and a sexy crowd keep things lively around the pool until long after the sun has set.

The restaurant, Simon Kitchen + Bar, is the latest offering from celebrity chef Kerry Simon. The menu promotes a “social environment,” featuring shared plates like tempura green beans with pepper jelly and cream cheese, bacon jam served with brie and toasted baguette, and “Devil’s Eggs” complete with crispy pancetta and caviar.

And of course, what Hard Rock experience would be complete without a rock-n-roll themed bar for some rock star-style conviviality? With a bartending staff of master mixologists, you’ll be able to take full advantage of your Monday rest day.

150 South Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs.

(760) 325-9676. hrhpalmsprings.com.

Hotel Palm Springs

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DO IT YOURSELF

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Horsey Holiday

DĂŠcor made easy b

Use the simple elegance of equestrian elements to set the mood this holiday season.

Photos By Kat Netzler

Keep it simple. Thanksgiving is all about celebrating what we have, so what better time to incorporate your existing equestrian wardrobe into dĂŠcor? Let the natural beauty of leather take center stage by using a pair of boots as vases for dried wheat and pheasant feathers, which you can find at almost any craft store. Be sure to stuff the ankles with newspaper so theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll remain upright and use a paperclip at the top to keep them standing side-by-side.

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>>

DO IT YOURSELF Start small. If you never find yourself with the time or energy to go all-out on holiday decorations, this five-minute project is for you. Collect your extra pieces of hardware from around the barn, such as stirrups, bits, spurs or horse shoes. Then use whatever small decorations you have at your disposal—bells, ribbons, berries, pine cones, sprigs of evergreen or holly—to fashion a simple holiday door hanger.

(Tip: Snaffle bits work especially well as doorknob hangers.) There are no wrong answers! Some thin craft wire will help you secure your items if you don’t want to commit to superglue. This is a great group project for a cold, dark winter’s eve, so gather your friends, crack open a few bottles of wine and channel your inner Martha Stewart.

>> >>

Let it shine. Sure, there’s plenty of caked-on dirt and well-worn leather involved in the horsey lifestyle, but equestrians do “clean up pretty good”—and so do our metal accessories. Metallics are always a classic at Christmas, and there’s no limit to the ways you can include them in your holiday. A well-shined old bit can take your gift-wrapping game to the next level.

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More Ideas For Horsey Holiday DÉcor

>> Stirrups, bits, spurs and the like often end up being a bit too heavy to hang on a tree, but you can easily string them together with bits of craft wire, add in some pine boughs and a string of twinkle lights, and voila! You’ve got yourself a beautiful equestrian-themed garland for your mantel or entryway.

>> Hosting Thanksgiving dinner? Ask your farrier if you can buy a few sets of his smallest pony shoes; they make adorable placecard holders. >> Old top hats make great centerpieces. Throw in a few sprigs of evergreen or holly, some pretty ornaments, and you’re set. >> Forget stockings over the fireplace and use boots instead. Wellies, Dubarrys and even paddock boots make for adorable mantel-hangers.

>> Too many ribbons?

Cut the tails off them and make a colorful “paper” chain for your Christmas tree. Keep your favorite rosette from the year to use as your tree-topper.

>>

>> Collect your old reins, stirrup leathers, belts and other leather straps and spiral-wrap them around vases, securing with a glue gun or super glue.

Mix it up. Good DIY décor is all about mixing and matching— working with different textures, shapes, colors and sizes until you find a balance that’s pleasing to the eye. Create vignettes by playing dark elements against light, soft against smooth, and natural against industrial. c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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charity spotlight

Through his participation in Ginger Gaffney’s horsemanship course for residents of a drug and alcohol recovery program, Brandon Olcott discovered a new love and talent for training horses. After his graduation from the course, he went on to co-train Root Beer, Gaffney’s mount for The Horse Shelter’s 100-day Gimme Shelter challenge.

A Closer Look At: >> What It Is:

The Horse Shelter is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to not only serving as a sanctuary for New Mexico’s abandoned, abused and neglected horses, but also rehabilitating and rehoming those equines in healthy and safe environments.

The Horse Shelter

Through its unique “Gimme Shelter” training competition, this New Mexico organization rescues unwanted horses and equips them for new careers.

Stor y and Photos by Evalyn Bemis

Ginger Gaffney (second left) not only competed in the Gimme Shelter training challenge, but she also included participants from her horsemanship course for members of a substance abuse recovery program in the training process. Her students (from left) Brenda, Sahaja, Ayla and Katrina saw their hard work with Root Beer pay off at the exhibition and auction on Day 100.

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P

ippi Longstocking was only a tiny foal when she was found near Gallup, N.M., just a couple of months old and severely dehydrated.

Root Beer was skin and bones when she showed up at the shelter as a 3-year-old with her mother. She had a big scar on her flank, probably from a bad branding job, and was wary of humans.

Guerro was as cute as can be, a beautiful little 3-year-old palomino gelding with an affectionate nature. All he needed was someone to spend time with him to show him the ropes.

In the summer of 2014, these three equine residents, plus five more candidates—all unbroken—were chosen to participate in The Horse Shelter’s inaugural “Gimme Shelter” program, a training challenge designed to find unwanted horses permanent homes.

THS was founded in 2000 to satisfy New Mexico’s need for a statewide rescue organization. It started out with just two elderly horses, a small barn and three paddocks on acreage south of Santa Fe. But horses started showing up at THS quickly and for a variety of reasons: some were abandoned, others had been abused and confiscated, and some had been surrendered by owners unable to care for them.

Today THS hosts upwards of 80 horses at a time, so providing the basics of feeding, cleaning and veterinary care can be tough enough. But for members of the THS board, training horses to make them more adoptable is the ultimate goal. Finding a way to pay for it, then, is their ultimate challenge.

So board member Beth Longanecker borrowed the idea of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, proposing THS offer a 100-day

Trainer Michelle DeCanditis built such a bond with Blue over the 100 days of the Gimme Shelter challenge that she ended up buying the mare herself with help from her clients and friends.

training challenge to eight local trainers as a way to showcase their expertise and the adoptable horses.

The trainers would select a horse through a draw. They would have 100 days to prepare for a competition where, in five minutes, they would load and unload the horse from a trailer, show it at all three gaits, and do a freestyle of their choosing. The trainers would receive $1,000 to offset the cost of feed, veterinary and farrier care, and there would be prize money for the competition, garnered through one THS fundraising event.

The draw took place in April. Eight horses were chosen out of 18 presented as candidates. The trainers who took them home came from a variety of backgrounds including dressage and at-liberty work, polocrosse, roping and moving cows, and wilderness trail riding.

One of these trainers, Ginger Gaffney, had an extra challenge. She’d been teaching a horsemanship course to residents of Delancey Street, a drug and alcohol recovery program facility, and decided to involve her students in training her Gimme Shelter candidate.

Brandon Olcott, a 30-year-old recent graduate of Gaffney’s course, did all the riding on Root Beer until the last two weeks, when Gaffney got on for some finishing touches. Olcott worked with Root Beer to stand for the farrier, be dewormed, step over poles, drag a line with a parachute, and jump

over small obstacles. He’s now actively pursuing an equestrian career, due in large part to his positive experiences with Root Beer.

Naturally, every Gimme Shelter contestant had its own issues: One panicked when left alone in the trailer, another refused to be tied to anything (but was happy to stand ground-tied all day long), and one found fly spray application to be an especially traumatic experience.

Jackie O, a 7-year-old Quarter Horse mare, was fearful and resistant in her training until about Day 85, when trainer Clint Mortenson introduced her to cows. When she discovered she could push the cows around, her confidence blossomed almost overnight, and she began to enjoy herself— to the point that during her freestyle performance, Mortenson roped a steer while only using a neck rope to guide her.

A large crowd gathered at the Mortenson Arena in Santa Fe on Day 100; the competition was the last event of the National Day of the Cowboy. Trainers had five minutes to show off their horse and to tell the audience a little bit about them, and it was impressive to see how far each horse had come.

But what was even more impressive was the philosophy expressed by Gaffney and echoed by others, that, “As the trainer, you need to be thinking about what the horse needs more than what you hope to accomplish in 100 days.”

To that end, trainer Michelle DeCandi-

tis decided her mount, Blue, needed more than the allotted time to be ready, and she only showed her at the walk and trot. But she’d fallen so in love with the 8-year-old Pony of the Americas mare over the course of the 100-day test that her friends and clients chipped in to help her bid on the horse.

When the bidding reached $825, DeCanditis revealed that she had $1,715 in checks for THS, thereby ensuring Blue would remain with her.

The high-selling horse was Jackie O, who won the competition by showing off her newfound ranch skills and received a top bid of $2,000. But all eight horses found new homes, most with the offer of continued assistance from their Gimme Shelter trainers.

In addition, The Horse Shelter gained invaluable public awareness of its mission and raised $10,000—a resounding success that THS members aim to improve upon in their second annual Gimme Shelter competition, in 2015.

>> Learn More: Check out The Horse Shelter’s website, thehorse shelter.org. >> Get In Touch: You can reach a member of The Horse Shelter’s team by emailing info@thehorseshelter.org or calling (505) 471-6179. >> Get Involved: If you live in the Santa Fe area, The Horse Shelter is always looking for dedicated volunteers, but monetary donations keep the facility going and will help fund the second annual Gimme Shelter competition. One of the easiest ways to support THS’s mission is to designate it as your charity of choice when shopping on Amazon. com. You can launch your shopping search directly through THS’s website, or visit Smile.Amazon.com and search for “The Horse Shelter” to set your charity preference. Through the Amazon Smile program, THS will receive 6 percent or more of the proceeds of your purchase, at no cost to you. c h ro n o f h o r s e .co m

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BEST OF web & Print

What’s Hot On The Web

u When In Doubt, Kick On If you haven’t yet read blogger Kristin Carpenter’s post about the process of losing—and regaining—your passion for riding, now’s the time: coth.com/article/whendoubt-kick. In this candid and moving piece, Carpenter addresses her own struggle with a problem most riders face at one time or another.

“No matter how great a ride was, I couldn’t seem to get the bubble of the horse world to inflate again,” she writes. “I struggled to feel that sense of immersion in the joy of riding. I kept showing up to ride every day, doing my lessons, and planning my competition schedule, but it all took a backseat to my business and my family. I cycled the questions we all face at times: Why do I spend all my money on this? When will I want to start a family?

Are the few moments in the saddle worth the thousands of hours I spend commuting to and from the barn each year? And for months, the answer was just silence.”

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u No Where To Hide The newest addition to the Chronicle’s stable of bloggers is Susanna Thomas, director at Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center, which re-schools off-the-track Thoroughbreds for second careers and is based in Lexington, Ky., at the Kentucky Horse Park. She’s got stories upon stories to tell about the horses who come through their program and touch her heart.

“But then, there is always that special horse,” Thomas writes in her inaugural post at coth.com/ article/no-where-hide. “The one I seek out during the day no matter what I am doing because it gives me peace beyond understanding. The one that inspires me to be of service to something greater than mere dayto-day human life. The one that fills me with that most powerful force of all: Love.

“And this year, that horse is No Where To Hide.

And in the next few blog entries I am going to tell you ‘Noah’s’ story. It’s one that amazes and uplifts me. From beginning to end, it’s a tale and a labor of love. It’s the reason why re-schooling Thoroughbreds is such a joy and a privilege to do.”

COMING IN 2015. UNTACKED GOES TO 6 ISSUES PER YEAR! THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO SUBSCRIBE.

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On Motherhood, Marriage & Making Your Own Way

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Think You ? CLARKES Know ThemTHE OF CALIFORNIA Think Again A

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Don’t Miss In The Magazine u Living Legend:

THE BOOK LLC-2014 PHOTO

Although he’s renowned for his sixth sense with horses, this 89-year-old veterinarian is equally adored by the humans who own and manage them. And in the Chronicle’s Sept. 29 & Oct. 6 Horse Care Issue, writer Jennifer B. Calder delves into Dr. Steele’s incredible life story, his unsurpassed talents in the veterinary field and his enduring passion for the horse. “He is just a person of complete excellence all the time,” says John Madden of Steele. “His standards? He doesn’t even think of his standards. They just are. That is just him.”

SHANNON BRINKMAN PHOTO

Dr. John R. Steele

u The Past, Present And Future Of The

World Equestrian Games

In the wake of what some have called the “Worst Ever Games,” the concept of the FEI’s flagship event is under fire. In our Oct. 13 WEG Analysis Issue, reporter Lisa Slade explores the question of whether this championship is merely a logistically challenging competition with unlimited potential or an outdated concept that’s already seen its day.

u No Definites Exist In Diagnosing

Lyme Disease

ZILLI/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM PHOTO

This tick-borne illness gets plenty of publicity, but when it comes to sick horses, there’s a lot that owners and even veterinarians don’t know. You won’t want to miss this important update on one of America’s most troubling and confusing diseases in our Oct. 27 issue of the Chronicle. And it’s just one of the many valuable educational tools you’ll find in our Horse Care section every month, where we keep you informed of the latest developments in subjects from breeding to physiotherapy to emergency care.

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VDL Sporthorses Successful showjumpers coming from the VDL Stud

Imothep

(Indoctro x Calvados) Grand Prix jumper with Darragh Kenny

Brugal VDL

(Indorado x Guidam) International jumper with Jonathen Mc Crea

Wizard VDL

(Gentleman x Ahorn) Grand Prix jumper with Callan Solem

Southwind VDL

(Baloubet du Rouet x Ahorn) Grand Prix jumper with Tiffany Foster

Chester VDL

(Silverstone x Matterhorn) Winner $100k Grand Prix Tryon with Amanda Flint

Waliba VDL

(Quite Easy x Wellington) Grand Prix jumper with Danielle Goldstein

Alpha VDL

(Corland x Emilion) Grand Prix jumper with Darragh Kenny

Chin Quidam VDL

(Chin Chin x Quidam de Revel) Winner Young Horse Final at Aachen with Darragh Kenny

• Sporthorses for sale from young talented horses up to Grand Prix horses for jumping.

• Continuously we have mares and stallions for sale, from foals to pregnant broodmares and approved stallions.

• Partner of the WEF VDL Sport Horse Auction.

For more information feel free to contact us!

Bearsterdyk 14, 9025 BR Bears (Frl) Holland Tel. (+31) 58-2519473 - Fax (+31) 58-2519573 E-mail: info@vdlstud.com • internet: www.vdlstud.com

Bellefleur

(Cardento x Emilion) High JuniorAmateur and Grand Prix jumper with Nicole Bellissimo

REX/PAT HEALY/ RACINGFOTOS .COM PHOTO

parting ways

Rarinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; To Go Arbitrageur lent jockey Johnny King some airtime as groom Aidan Wall looked on at the Laytown Races on the beach in County Meath, Ireland, on Sept. 4. Both horse and rider were fine (King vaulted right back into the saddle, unaided) and went on to finish seventh in their race.

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Winter Equestrian Capital of the World

Grand Prix Village: 20-stall equestrian facility adjacent to the Winter Equestrian Festival. Jump arena and grass Grand Prix field.

Offered at $11,900,000

Grand Prix Village: Pr oper ty has 32 stalls total, in 2 bar ns. 4Br , 2Ba grooms’ quarters with storage. Top of the line sand ring.

Offered at $14,950,000

Southfields

Southfields: Adjacent to Palm Beach Equine Clinic. 38 stalls, 11 paddocks, 3 tack rooms and two 2Br, 2Ba apartments. Offered at $3,750,000

Grand Prix Village: Situated on 4-acres of lush land, is an amazing 20-stall barn with 4 wash stalls, 2 tack rooms, a laundry room, and a feed room. Offered at $12,950,000

Southfields: 2.8 acr es with main house, cottage, 7-stall barn and large paddocks. Main house has private pool and outdoor fireplace.

Offered at $4,500,000

Grand Prix Village: 20 stall bar n hacking distance to Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Owners’ lounge, 2Br grooms quarters and outdoor kitchen. Offered at $10,750,000

The real estate agency with the international network: wellington.evusa.com Amy Carr • +1-561-662 0728 www.amycarr.evusa.com Amy.Carr@evusa.com

Carol A. Sollak • +1-561-818 9476 www.carolsollak.evusa.com Carol.Sollak@evusa.com