60 Plus Omaha - January/February by Omaha Magazine

60 OMAHA s u l p

Jan./Feb. 2022

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60+ active living // story by Kamrin Baker photography By Bill Sitzmann // design by Derek Joy

Two Hundred Jan Mactier, Acres of Keeper of Horse-Riding Ponca Hills Farm Heaven

an Mactier’s parents often told her anything worth doing was worth doing well. Mactier, now 71, runs the family business: Ponca Hills Farm, a premier equestrian facility in the metro. She maintains the Mactier legacy with purpose…and of course, dozens of horses. The story of the facility is simple. “My mother always wanted a pony for her birthday,” Mactier said. “Every birthday. Every Christmas.” Jan’s mother fell in love with her high school sweetheart, got her pony, and raised children who loved horses just the same. Ponca Hills Farm opened in 1964, after Ann and J. Allan Mactier, Mactier’s parents, bought 60 acres of pastures and forests on the highest hill in Douglas County. Allan was an avid fox hunter and wanted a property on which to practice the hunt, while Ann wanted to teach people about riding horses. Together, they created one of the best equestrian facilities in the Midwest. At the time, it was reported to be the largest indoor arena between Denver and Chicago. The barn was modeled after a World War II aircraft hangar—wide, open, and sturdy for their dreams of indoor riding. The space seems boundless for an indoor ring: measuring 100 by 200 feet with wind blowing through the interior. In that same space and beyond, Ponca Hills Farm now offers summer camps, teaching programs, boarding, hunting, and jumping on its 200 acres. Its riding options are ample: trails, cross-country jumping, a pond to ride through, and indoor and outdoor arenas. The life and legacy of the Mactier family trots along with the persistence of the almost 50 horses who board, train, and thrive at Ponca Hills. Their spirit is palpable and can be felt on every inch of the acreage, punctuated by old-fashioned, Nebraska-grown family pride. “The legacy of my parents was to have Ponca Hills Farm to be inclusive, rather than exclusive; a place where all are welcome, where there is always more to learn,” Mactier said. “We are definitely local. My children are fifthgeneration Nebraskans.” She and husband Mick Moriarty married on the property. Her grandmother’s ashes were spread in one of the pastures. She swims in the pond on the grounds every summer and picnics underneath the rustling leaves whenever she gets // 72 //

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the opportunity. In the winter, she takes guests on horse-drawn sled rides throughout the property. Moriarty builds cross-country jumps. The couple sell walnut trees, and they regularly host competitions, rallies, and clinics. Mactier took over the business in 2000 at age 50. This transition came after 30 years of competition. It was easy for her to get into the saddle of the family business; after all, loving horses was in her blood. “I remember, I was 3 years old,” Mactier said. “A horse came up to me, I touched his nose, and it felt like velvet. He breathed on me, and I was in love.” Mactier acquired her first horse when she was 9 years old, a $350 pony. It was wanted by five Olympic teams. Mactier refused to sell her horse, which ultimately competed in Munich. This was the start of Mactier’s international travels and passion for the sport. “It’s all about the friends I’ve made and the places I’ve traveled,” Mactier said. “If you’re a Pony Clubber, you can go anywhere in the world to ride. There’s this beautiful camaraderie of loving horses. At the barn, people aren’t necessarily the same age, but they all have one thing in common: they love horses.” The Pony Club is an international organization of riders who often compete in horsemanship competitions and engage in regional and national rallies. Ann started the Pony Club chapter in Omaha. As a competitor, Mactier went to a horse show at Windsor Castle (about which she said: “it’s always good to make friends with the security guards. Prince Philip could drive and he could dance.”). She flew from New York to Amsterdam with her horse. She rode on Pebble Beach countless times. Beginning in 2003, she worked as a road and competition manager, traveling throughout Europe. She always came home. “Nebraska makes for good footing, trails, and space,” she said. “A lot of people don’t have that anymore.” The area is so ideal, in fact, the Fédération Équestre Internationale hosted the World Cup in Omaha in 2017. Mactier housed many friends, and Ponca Hills Farm was a sponsor of the event. Mactier said the competition was so successful that Omaha became the criteria for the federation to follow for the World Cup. She added that her coffee and food offerings 24/7 likely helped when it came to the hospitality of riders and FEI members.

Ponca Hills is mostly known as a place for local riders to call home. Students trickle in after school to take lessons, businessmen end their days with a ride around the ring, and in the summer, the property is abuzz with the wide-eyed youngsters who engage in summer camps. Vicki Krecek, a longtime friend of the Mactier family and author of I Will Build A Barn: A History of Ponca Hills Farm, took lessons from Mactier in 1989 and has been a rider and hunter on the property ever since. “Ponca is special because it was created on land that is hilly and has a climate influenced by the Missouri River,” Krecek said. “The land, the wildlife, the forests, are all very unique in Omaha. It is special because [the] Mactiers created it out of love for the land, horses, and educating young riders with the best instructions and facility. Jan is a task master instructor and keeper of tradition.” Pat Tschetter has been a part of the Ponca Hills family since 1983, still taking lessons and clinics almost 40 years later. “I love sharing all that life has to offer in terms of love of animals, love of exercise, love of knowledge and a desire to participate with the Mactier family and Ponca Hills Farm,” Tschetter said. Some of Mactier’s sweetest memories are the simple ones on her home turf. “When I first got my horse, I would ride bareback through the woods and into town,” Mactier said. “I would save my money and ride to the store to buy candy. My pony liked licorice.” Her free-spirited joy rides are a little fewer and farther between, but Mactier’s essence remains that of a girl who simply loves to ride her horse. These days, she spends her time managing the business, conserving the property, planting flowers, maintaining beehives and enjoying every moment she can within her own little slice of heaven. “It’s one big ecosystem,” Mactier said. “People wonder if we’ll always be here, and we are. The trees get taller, flowers spread, fences get replaced, people leave and return, and I’m just always trying to make it better. Horses keep you humble.” Visit poncahillsfarm.com to learn more about Ponca Hills Farm.

, "At the barn, people aren t necessarily the same age, but they all have one thing in common: they love horses." -Jan Mactier

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s ’ o j o M His ng i k r Wo

a h s u l a G ck i R

s e u l B e th s e h s i D , m th y h R s Ke ep

60+ Profile

STORY BY DWAIN HEBDA PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN DESIGN BY DEREK JOY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 • 60 PLUS

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“He’s got such an intense b ackground in t he blues music, going b ack to Muddy Wate r s and some of t he or igin ator s of t he blues.” -Bill Bone

“[ Jaz z] was not re ally m y t hing at t he t ime, but I wante d to be in r adio, and t hat was t he doorway to get in.” -Rick Galusha ick Galusha has packed a lot into 61 years—myriad ventures and passions that include college professor, radio show host, businessman, would-be Douglas County Register of Deeds, newspaper columnist, and general, genial community rabble-rouser. He has done so much in so many fields, that at first glance it’s hard to spot the thread that binds them all. Music comes closest. Galusha has known music as art, livelihood, and community, defining as it does our social, political, and generational story. These themes and more he has debated and discussed both in the college classroom and, most notably, as host of Pacific Street Blues & Americana, a fixture on KIWR 89.7 FM, The River, for three decades. “I began dabbling in radio when I went to the University of Wyoming very briefly in the late ’70s and then came back to UNO and got into jazz and classical music,” he said. “[Jazz] was not really my thing at the time, but I wanted to be in radio, and that was the doorway to get in.” He continued, “Then, probably in the late ’80s, there was a new radio station, KKVU, which was soft jazz. I went in and talked to the music director and he had a bunch of tapes on his desk of nationally syndicated blues programs. I’m like, ‘I can do that for you.’ He said ‘OK.’”

Galusha’s pitch, lowkey though it was, was not mere bravado. His musical knowledge was honed and curated during nearly a quarter-century working at Homer’s, the legendary Omaha record store at which he would rise from college-student clerk to CEO. “As a kid in the ’60s and really, the early ’70s, my sister would take us down to the Old Market and the original Homer’s Music store. It was just a land of enchantment,” he said. “Homer’s had a store in Westroads Mall that I would go and work in… for free, because I wanted to work there so bad.” Working Homer’s counter in college was Galusha’s bliss, and when he rejoined the company in the late 1980s after a brief period away, he thought it would be more of the same. It wasn’t, but it taught him other sides of the music business that would inform his later endeavors. “At that time, the guy that was running the organization was stepping out,” Galusha said. “He’d been there since the founding and he was going to move on to do other things. Eventually that gave me the opportunity to step into the lead role.” “Things were pretty loose,” he continued. “It wasn’t a corporate environment by any stretch of the imagination. It was kind of a mom-and-pop operation and we were developing some guidelines to be a better-run organization. There were growing moments and there were painful moments, and I loved it. But running the organization was not as much fun as running the counter.”

With Pacific Street Blues, Galusha got the chance to return to his favorite part of the music business, which is educating others on various genres, turning people on to new artists, and connecting the dots. “I can play straight blues for three hours and I’d be quite happy, and the eight people that listened I’m sure would really enjoy it,” he said with a laugh. “The challenge is, how do I weave together a show that brings in a larger audience?” That’s where Galusha’s knowledge of music comes in. “I’ll focus on the blues roots of Aerosmith, for instance. We’ll play an Aerosmith track everybody knows, but not the hits. They cover Bull Moose Jackson’s “Ten Inch Record”; they cover Rufus Thomas’ “Walking the Dog.” They cover Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Eyesight to the Blind.” “He’s got such an intense background in the blues music, going back to Muddy Waters and some of the originators of the blues,” said Bill Bone, a longtime listener and friend. “He then incorporates that into the more modern music and how the old ones influenced the new ones. He’s introduced me to some things, Johnny Winter for one.” Galusha counterbalances his expertise in classic rock and roots music with today’s influences, something he’s exposed to through his teaching gig at Bellevue University. His musical sphere seeps into his lectures and their tracks reverberate back to him. In many instances, he likes what he hears.

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“I think modern music is much more overt than it was for a very long time,” he said. “When we look at the political messaging in popular music, there was a significant lull in the ’80s and ’90s. But when I hear music the students are listening to, it’s highly politicized. I would describe it as very socially aware, very socially engaged while they’re getting that beat into their head.” Galusha uses the same tactics with students as he does with listeners to drive home the point that the messages of today were written yesterday in the hopes of a better tomorrow. And if there’s a running theme for his radio show—which, with the addition of a podcast, shows no signs of slowing down—he wants that to be it. “Someone once told me, ‘You’re a teacher. That’s all you do,’” he said. “I enjoy building that bridge of using classic rock, tying it back to the blues, and helping people begin to build those connections. And I love doing that. That’s the art of what I’m trying to accomplish, to make it entertaining and yet informative and challenging.” Visit 897theriver.com for more information.

We don’t need help to burp, and our lower esophageal sphincter works much better than an infant’s. -Dr. Amber Tyler

d i c e i n M e k with c a u Q Staying Power Silly, and Dangerous, Medical Myths from the Past 60+ nostalgia // story by Tamsen Butler // photography provided // design by Derek Joy

ocaine being used as a cure for depression; tobacco for constipation; and lobotomies for mental illness. Medical science has boasted some bizarre treatments and theories in years past, but some medical myths have staying power thanks to grandparents passing down “medical knowledge” that are accepted as fact in families.

Sugar makes kids hyper. Medical research shows no link between sugar consumption and hyperactivity with neurotypical children. Sugar is typically present in social situations in which kids are expected to be high-energy, such as cake at a birthday party, but in these instances it’s probably the child’s excitement causing the hyperactive behavior as opposed to the sugar consumed.

Cracking your knuckles leads to arthritis. Cracking knuckles has not been proven to be detrimental nor beneficial to joints, but there is also no research to support the idea that cracking knuckles will eventually lead to arthritis. Some knuckle crackers may experience temporary inflammation in their fingers, but actual injuries from cracking knuckles are rare.

Nurse practitioner Amy Wallingford said there are some medical myths that she encounters frequently with patients that she has to debunk, much to the patients’ surprise.

You need to stay awake if you’ve had a concussion. It was once assumed that allowing a person with a concussion to fall asleep might lull the person into a coma or death, but this isn’t necessarily true. In fact, sleep is one of the most powerful recovery methods for people with brain injuries within the first few days of the injury. It’s important to note that sleep isn’t advised in concussed patients until they receive medical care if they’re unable to carry on a conversation or walk, or they have dilated pupils.

Wandering uteruses and hysteria, oh my! “This is straight up funny,” said Wallingford, explaining that medical professionals once believed in “wandering uteruses.” Depending on where the uterus wandered within a woman’s body, physicians could pinpoint the reason for her various maladies. Of course, in modern society, it’s well known that the uterus doesn’t actually travel throughout the body mischievously.

Putting butter on a burn. “This can actually hold the heat and it creates a good environment for bacteria to grow,” Wallingford said. This myth can be traced back to a battlefield medicine manual in the 19th century, but going even further back to ancient Egypt, mud and excrement were the remedies of choice for burns and injuries. Using whiskey for teething babies. Though it’s not known when this medical advice first came to be, it is known that doctors gave this advice to parents in the mid-1800s. It was more about getting the baby to sleep and less about relieving gum pain. Consider the ratio of a baby to an adult and it becomes clear how even a little alcohol rubbed on a baby’s gums can translate into a dangerous dosage. Cold/wet weather makes you sick. The cold isn’t directly responsible for getting people sick, although some viruses thrive in lower temperatures and cold air can indeed lower the immune system’s ability to fight off infections. Spending more time indoors during cold weather means more time spent around other people and therefore more opportunities to encounter germs. But cold weather alone won’t make you sick; that’s the work of a virus or bacteria.

Chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years. While it’s true that your body won’t digest chewing gum after it’s swallowed, the body does still move the gum through the digestive system safely. The gum winds up in stool, fairly intact, and takes a few days to work its way through the body—but not seven years. You should wait an hour after eating before you go swimming. This myth originally stemmed from the idea that the stomach pulled so many bodily resources to digest food that the arms and legs wouldn’t be able to function properly while swimming, leading to drowning. While it’s true that some foods at certain quantities might cause stomach discomfort if you exercise right after eating them, it’s unlikely to lead to anything more than uncomfortable cramps.

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Is it possible that there are medical practices accepted today as fact that will someday be regarded as myth? Consider this advice from Dr. Amber Tyler: “Babies don’t need to be burped,” said Dr. Tyler. “At some unknown point a long time ago, someone was probably trying to soothe a fussy baby by patting them on the back and the baby burped, and they decided babies must need help to burp and told all their friends. So now everyone burps babies. Physiologically that doesn’t make much sense. We don’t need help to burp, and our lower esophageal sphincter [opens easily as] an infant. With their laxer lower esophageal sphincter it should actually be easier for them to burp than it is for adults.” “There have now actually been studies done that show that the only significant difference between babies who were burped and babies who weren’t is that burped babies spit up more,” explained Dr. Tyler, shattering a medical myth long-held by parents in Western culture.