The Chronicle of the Horse
THE EQUESTRIAN LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
AMERICA’S FIRST LADY OF FOXHUNTING Daphne Wood SUN, SURF AND HOOFBEATS
13
TOP TO-DOS IN DEL MAR
EXPLORE THE WORLD WITH “LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS”
TAKING HER SHOT
HOW SHARIAH HARRIS RODE FROM INNER CITY TO IVY LEAGUE A SUPPLEMENT TO THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
Special Fall Fashion Preview Where Classic Meets Cool
LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS Seeing The World With
“Life Between The Ears” By harnessing the power of a hashtag, one amateur rider has created a stunning collection of photos from every corner of the world—all taken from the saddle. Now it’s also Untacked’s newest department. B y Molly S orge
T
HESE PICTURES WILL MOTIVATE YOU to grab a suitcase, pack your breeches and book a ticket to pretty much anywhere. Photo after photo of breathtaking views from around the world, always with two pointy equine ears peeking up into the frame. These are images from Life Between The Ears, a social media phenomenon that started with a Facebook page. Founder Kristine Dahms posts stunning photos from around the globe, all shot by riders with one hand on the reins and the other on the shutter button. Dahms mines photos with the hashtag #lifebetweentheears and features them after getting permission and details about the shot. It all started in 2008, when Dahms had just returned to riding after a 20-year hiatus. A horse-crazy girl, she’d put her saddle aside to develop her career as a graphic designer. “I just started taking pictures of my own horse,” Dahms said. “He was my first horse as an adult. My friends started sharing their photos with me, and I’d share them on my page. And then I decided to make a public page on Facebook.” The Facebook page was soon joined by an Instagram feed, a dedicated website (lifebetweentheears.com), a Twitter feed and a Pinterest page, all under lifebetweentheears account names. Then Dahms started searching the #lifebetweentheears hashtag, and people began sending images to her directly. “I’d occasionally see some stunning shots from other parts of the world, and I figured the more the merrier!” she said. “It’s one big horse party. I never imagined it would take off like this. It’s so fun; it’s like a treasure hunt to look for new ones all the time. “People will also alert me to photos I might be interested in,” she continued. “Everybody gets involved, which is fun. I’ve made some friends across the world.” >>>
76 S EP TEMBER /OCTOBER 2016
U N TAC K E D
DAMARA ANN MULLENS/@HORSEPOOR4EVER PHOTO
MIRROR LAKE, CALIF. Damara Mullens is an amateur rider from Bakersfield, Calif., who loves to trail ride and take photos. “We are fortunate to live within a few hours of scenic areas that attract people from all over the world. We visit Yosemite several times a year,” she said. This shot was taken from the back of Apple Jack, a 13-year-old Appaloosa-Arabian cross. “He was born at my parents’ house and came to my house when he was 3 years old,” said Mullens, who also has an 11-year-old Arabian, Gimli. “My horses live in my back yard. I usually find a scenic area to horse camp twice a month. We explore lots of mountain and desert trails.” Mirror Lake is a small lake in Tenaya Canyon in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Yosemite National Park (Calif.).
C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
S EP TEMBER /OCTOBER 2016
77
ADRIANE CUMMINGS/@CHARLIEZJALAPAE PHOTO
LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, UTAH Adriane Cummings is a college student in Louisville, Ky., who juggles school, working and trail riding when she can. “I used to show hunter/jumper, but now I just ride for fun with college and work taking up so much time,” she said. This photo is taken from the rim of Bryce Canyon, which is not so much a canyon as a collection of naturally formed amphitheaters. Stream erosion and frost weathering have created its distinctive geological pillar-like structures, called hoodoos. “We had a friend who had a house out in Las Vegas who invited us out for a vacation,” Cummings said. “My aunt and uncle, who are also horse people, highly recommended the Bryce Canyon riding tour over the Grand Canyon. The mule I rode was named Bungee. He was a big gray mule. He was very sweet and very surefooted going up and down the rock faces.” At home, Cummings takes to the trails on Winston, her 5-year-old Tennessee Walking mule. “We might look into doing some local schooling shows in the next year or so just to have something different to do,” she said.
78 S EP TEMBER /OCTOBER 2016
U N TAC K E D
CLAUDIA GOBBI/@CLAUDIAGOBBI96 PHOTO
CAELEN KELLY OF DUNFANAGHY STABLES IRELAND/@CAELEN_KELLY PHOTO
TRAMORE STRAND, IRELAND “This photo was taken overlooking Tramore Strand, from the Tramore Sand Dunes in County Donegal, Ireland, outside of the village of Dunfanaghy, which lies along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way coastal route,” said Caelen Kelly, who took the photo. “Tramore Beach can only be accessed via foot or by horse, as it is totally secluded by the surrounding sand dunes.” Kelly works as a mounted trail guide for the Dunfanaghy Stables, which is owned and operated by John and Helen McDaid. Dunfanaghy Stables offer rides ranging from 30 minutes to weeklong journeys, as well as lessons for children and beginners. The ears in the photo belong to Cassidy, one of more than 60 horses used for the trail rides that navigate the beaches and mountain ranges around the village. Cassidy is an Irish Sport Horse who was bred in County Donegal and who has hunted with the Donegal Harriers.
LAKE GARDA, ITALY This photo is from Claudia Gobbi’s hometown of Arco, situated in the region of Trentino Alto Adige in northern Italy. “I do most of my riding here,” said Gobbi. “I don’t need to go far because there are already lots of places to discover. I really love the place where I live, even if it’s a small town between the mountains. There are so many things to do and to see, both with the horse and not, because we have Lake Garda for summer sports (windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing) and relaxing and the Dolomite mountains for winter sports and hiking.” Gobbi, who is a student, rides western on her 10-year-old Haflinger mare Maffi, whose ears appear in this photo. Gobbi’s parents have a small farm with cows, but Gobbi has been horse-crazy since she was small. “One day they surprised me, giving me Maffi’s mum as a wonderful gift,” Gobbi said. “A year later, Maffi was born, and that was the beginning of our story. “I really can say that we grew up together,” she continued. “She is my first experience with a horse because she is actually (with her mum) the first horse I’ve ever had. It’s surely for this reason that we have such a deep feeling, and we can understand each other. She is sometimes a bit crazy, but I’m proud of her; she’s only mine, and we have a special relationship. Because of this, riding her is something magic. I can really say that dreams can come true, and this is the story of mine.” C H RO N O F H O R S E .CO M
S EP TEMBER /OCTOBER 2016
79
SARA KLYMKOWSKY/@SARA_KLYMKOWSKY PHOTO
RÁQUIRA, COLOMBIA Sara Klymkowsky works in private equity in New York City, but she’s “obsessed with seeing new places on horseback,” she said. In fact, she competed in the 2015 Mongol Derby and has ridden in Kenya, Colombia, Patagonia and Brazil. This shot was taken in Ráquira, Colombia, in the desert near a sacred indigenous site, while Klymkowsky was on a guided ride. The horse was a CriolloArabian cross named Azafran. “They use him for endurance and these rides,” Klymkowsky said. “I adored him.” Klymkowsky grew up riding western. She rode in the rodeo and western pleasure and also worked as a ranch hand. She tried English tack three years ago because she knew her Kenyan safari trip would involve an English saddle. She recently moved from New York City to North Salem, N.Y., where she keeps her own horse, Napoleon. “I don’t compete him,” she said. “I mess around with lots of trail riding, trying dressage and foxhunting—so really all English these days—but I do throw a western saddle on Napoleon every now and then.”
LUCY SAUNDERS/@JOCKEYCLUBROOMS PHOTO
NEWMARKET, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND Lucy Saunders works for The Jockey Club in Newmarket and spends her mornings riding out for local trainer James Owen. “This is one of his 2-year-olds, who James and his team broke in as a yearling,” Saunders said. “She has now gone into training in a racing yard. “This filly is particularly relaxed and well behaved. It was a lovely spring-like morning to be out on the heath as the mornings started getting lighter,” Saunders continued. The picture is of Newmarket Heath, next door to the Rowley Mile racecourse. “This beautiful heath land has been used for more than 350 years to train race horses, since the reign of King Charles II,” Saunders said. “Comprised of 2,500 acres, the training grounds include 50 miles of turf gallops and more than 14 miles of artificial tracks, manicured on a daily basis by over 35 heath staff. The gallops are used by more than 2,500 horses in the care of more than 80 trainers, with the names including the very best known horses and trainers in the world. The town also has two racecourses and is a hub of equestrian and racing-related enterprise, much like a smaller version of Kentucky.” Saunders rides for fun and competes when she can in eventing, showing or team chasing. She’s also ridden as an amateur jockey. She works in The Jockey Club Rooms, which is a private members’ club. “Although I don’t work directly with horses, I’m never far away from one and always feel part of the sport,” she said. “Most of the time when I’m not at work I can be found on a horse or asleep.”
80 S EP TEMBER /OCTOBER 2016
U N TAC K E D
KRISTINE DAHMS/@LIFEBETWEENTHEEARS PHOTO
Sharing Life Between The Ears RICK DAHMS PHOTOS
VASHON ISLAND, WASH. The woman behind Life Between The Ears, Kristine Dahms, captioned this shot with, “Nothing better than a ride after work on a warm spring evening with the dogs. It’s days like this that make up for months of winter rain and mud so deep it sucks your muck boots off.” Dahms lives on a small farm on Maury Island, which is part of Vashon Island, the largest island in Puget Sound (Wash.). They are actually two islands connected by a manmade isthmus, which was constructed in 1913. The view in the distance is of Mt. Rainier, which is 54 miles southeast of Seattle and is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest. The ears in the photo belong to Wyn, Dahms’ Welsh Cob. She mainly rides dressage along with some trail riding. “I believe it’s important for horses to get out of the sand box and into the world, plus it’s good for me and the dogs as well,” Dahms said. “Wyn was very green when I got him, and I’ve come off him more times than I’d like to admit, but he’s made me a better rider. Quickly. He’s athletic and talented, so my goal is to keep up with him and start recognized shows next year. As one of my trainers used to joke, ‘You guys are doing great for the blind leading the blind.’ ”
Founder Kristine Dahms has taken some of the Life Between The Ears images from cyberspace to print, creating two lines of greeting cards—one of her own photos and one of international submissions to #lifebetweentheears—with selected photos from her social media pages. “Everyone wanted a way to share them with other people, and since I’m a graphic designer, it seemed like kind of a no-brainer,” Dahms said. “I put stories on the back of them—there’s a paragraph about the rider and a paragraph about the location.” A portion of the proceeds from the card sales goes to the Equine Land Conservation Resource (elcr.org). Cards are available at lifebetweentheears.com/retail.