The Plaid Horse Stallion Issue 2022

NORTH AMERICA’S HORSE SHOW MAGAZINE • PUBLISHED SINCE 2003 • FEBRUARY 2022 FEATURING: Shine • Tacorde • Utopie Combina • Cabardino • GK Calucci • Gare Du Lyon • Imothep Friend or Foe • Obi Wan B • Beau Balou • Conteros • Cadouch Z • Warcloud • Landkonig • Don Quixote

The Stallion Issue

COVER STORY

RiverCross $8.99 (ISSN 2573-9409) theplaidhorse.com PHOTOGRAPH BY TOM VON KAPHERR

A Breeding Program that Puts Horses First

2022 Saddle Lake *Telynau Royal Charter

Royal Party Shoes

13-7/8h imported welsh stallion 11x USEF Leading Pony Hunter Breeding Sire Leading Pony Hunter Sire Sire of many Pony Finals winners, USHJA Zone, Devon & Upperville Champions

12.2h half welsh stallion sire: *Telynau Royal Charter dam: Tristans Party Shoes (Overall Pony Finals Grand Champion)

NEWS FLASH

Royal Monarch

Overall Pony Finals Grand Champion Pony

owner Ingate Farm, LLC trainer Emily Belin-McDonnell 2021 Zone 2 Pony Hunter Breeding 3 year old Champion 2021 Kym Smith Young Hunter Pony Championships Champion 3 year old pony colts/geldings Reserve Best Young Pony

offering a full line of in-house breeding & reproductive services with access to top notch reproductive veterinarians. saddle lake equestrian center / missy jo hollingsworth

Stallion Line-Up *Telynau Gallant 12.2h imported welsh stallion sire of Devon, USHJA zone & Upperville Champions

Wellen Gold Point 14.2h connemara-welsh cross stallion sire of 2021 Best Young Pony at USHJA Young Horse Championships and of Devon, Upperville & USHJA Zone Champions

Call me gallant

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COUNTERPOINT

owner Dr. Barbara Schmidt, DVM trainer Emily Belin-McDonnell 2021 Zone 5 Pony Hunter Breeding Yearling Champion

owner Missy Jo Hollingsworth

trainer Drew Taylor 2021 Kym Smith Young Hunter Pony Championships Yearling Filly Champion & Best Young Pony Champion

full sibling available

Capital Challenge qualified

Photo Credit: Liz Callar

cooled semen available for all stallions . domestic & export frozen semen available ONLY for *Telynau Royal Charter 859.750.7568 . me@missyjo.com . www.saddlelakeequestrian.com

Victoria Hunton and Maggie Fullington are excited to announce a joining of forces!

Olde Oaks Farm and Marabet Farm will aim to be THE premier hunter breeders in the US and expand both our breeding programs. To that end we have purchased a new 264 acre farm in Paris, Kentucky called Alesi Farms. All the Marabet Farm horses, including stallions, broodmare’s and young horses will be moving in January and the Olde Oaks Farm broodmares and youngsters will be moving there also. Olde Oaks Farm will continue to show in Texas, while spending summers in Kentucky.

Alesi Farms consists of 42 stalls, in 3 separate barns, 13 large pastures and 12 paddocks.

We also have a 6 horse European walker. Plans include building a large arena and derby course.

Our new facility has enough space and stalls to be able to stand stallions, foal out mares, board broodmares and foals/young horses. Our foals will be born and raised in the Bluegrass and then shown in hand by Olde Oaks’ own Sharon Soderquist. Then, when they are ready, Sharon will start them. The next phase of our operation is for Hunter’s Run Farms’ Liza Richardson to show them.

We will have a comprehensive program for all the young horses born at our farm.

Please join us in celebrating our new farm and partnership! We will be hosting a farm warming party this summer...so please plan to tour our farm and enjoy the festivities!

Vicki Hunton Olde Oaks Farm

Maggie Fullington Marabet Farm

Oldeoaksfarm.com & Marabetfarm.com

Thank You!!!

Liza Richardson

We have worked together since 2000, and from the very beginning Liza has had the welfare of my horses as her top priority. Our first horse together was my mare Dot to Dot. Liza rode her in the Pre Greens while teaching me to ride her at the same time.

They went on to become Green Conformation Hunter Champi,on and we won many championships in the Adult Hunters.

When Shine was first imported, by October Hill Farm, she encouraged myself and another client to breed to him and we did. I loved my baby, and when we saw he was for sale…… well. It was a match made in Heaven! Through all these years Liza has encouraged me to stretch my wings and she has been there for me through the good times and bad. I would not have had the knowledge to make Olde Oaks Farm a success without her. And, without Olde Oaks Farm, there would be no Alesi Farms.

In 2016 we added Sharon Soderquist to our team. I cannot thank Liza and Sharon enough for all their hard work and I look forward to us making Olde Oaks Farm even better with the addition of the Kentucky farm!!!

SISTERS SISTERS who who ride ride together together LAURACEA LAURACEA exists exists because because I have I have twotwo girlsgirls whowho ride.ride.

Over Over the the years years I was I was often often driving driving to the to the barn, barn, or toor to the the shows, shows, andand overover the the years years I ruined I ruined a lotaof lotbags of bags andand I lostI lost a lotaof lotthings of things - lots - lots andand lots lots of crops. of crops.

ThisThis eventually eventually compelled compelled me me to create to create a better a better option. option.

OneOne thatthat is functional, is functional, made made withwith lasting lasting quality, quality, andand is also is also beautiful. beautiful.

I wanted I wanted a bag a bag thatthat could could holdhold everything everything at the at the horse horse shows, shows, but but it also it also needed needed to be to be ableable to go to out go out to dinner, to dinner, andand travel travel as well. as well.

I wanted I wanted a bag a bag thatthat could could go from go from work, work, meetings, meetings, or lunch, or lunch, to the to the barn. barn.

I needed I needed a bag a bag thatthat could could spend spend timetime at the at the barn, barn, or aor horse a horse show, show, andand still still looklook good good (hello (hello waterproof waterproof leather). leather).

AndAnd so the so the LAURACEA LAURACEA Convertible Convertible Backpack Backpack ToteTote waswas bornborn - because - because I have I have twotwo girlsgirls whowho ride.ride.

Over Over the the years, years, theythey went went to the to the barnbarn together, together, six days six days a week. a week.

They They drove drove to shows to shows together; together; theythey got got up at up4am at 4am together. together.

They They shared shared a common a common bond. bond.

When When the the girlsgirls were were young young andand the the short short andand longlong stirrup stirrup classes classes were were combined, combined, theythey sometimes sometimes found found themselves themselves competing competing against against each each other. other.

AndAnd thatthat waswas hard. hard.

But But when when my older my older daughter daughter firstfirst left left for college, for college, andand my younger my younger daughter daughter went went to her to her firstfirst show show without without her,her, there there waswas a void. a void.

TheThe younger younger oneone realized realized thatthat her her older older sister sister hadhad always always been been there, there, alongside alongside the the trainer, trainer, to send to send her her intointo the the ring.ring.

TheThe girlsgirls are are grown grown now.now.

OneOne is a is few a few years years out out of college of college andand the the other other is iniscollege. in college.

Every Every Friday Friday night, night, my younger my younger daughter daughter heads heads downtown downtown to her to her sister’s sister’s apartment. apartment.

SheShe sleeps sleeps overover andand theythey get get up on up on Saturday Saturday andand drive drive to the to the barnbarn together. together.

They They continue continue to share to share time, time, andand stories, stories, experiences experiences andand challenges, challenges, as riders. as riders.

I hear I hear about about what what theythey hadhad for dinner for dinner together together on Friday on Friday night night andand howhow things things are are going going at the at the barn. barn.

As aAs mother a mother I amI am so thankful so thankful for the for the many many lessons lessons this this sport sport has has taught taught my girls, my girls, but but most most of allofI all amI am thankful thankful for the for the bond bond thatthat theythey share share - because - because theythey rideride together. together.

ThisThis series series is comprised is comprised of various of various sisters sisters whowho rideride together. together.

They They maymay be in bedifferent in different stages stages of life of and life and levels levels of the of the sport, sport, but but theythey all share all share an exceptional an exceptional bond bond because because of this of this sport. sport.

ThisThis series series is dedicated is dedicated to ALL to ALL the the siblings siblings andand families families whowho share share this this bond. bond.

Sincerely, Sincerely, Tamara Tamara Makris Makris Creative Creative Director Director LAURACEA LAURACEA

The The Redman Redman Sisters Sisters

No.No. 3 in3ainSeries a Series

Maggie Maggie Redman Redman (L) Sarah (L) Sarah Redman Redman (R) (R)

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Klondike Victory Farm Farm Klondike Victory

Ilana (Tacorde x Contender) Ilana (Tacorde x Contender)

Tacorde - 2000 Chestnut 17.2hh Tacorde Chestnut 17.2hh (Concorde x- 2000 Goodtimes x Damiro)

• Approved GOV,xCWB, SilverxPremium (Concorde Goodtimes Damiro) CSH •• Competed 1.60m CWB, Silver Premium CSH Approved GOV, •• Offspring 1.50m Competedcompeting 1.60m •• Sire of 2021 U25 Canadian Offspring competing 1.50mChampion • Sire of 2021 U25 Canadian Champion

Nesquick TN - 2018 Bay 16.3hh Nesquick TN - 2018 Bay Rouge) 16.3hh (Eldorado x Quantum x Papillon

(Eldorado • Licensed AESx&Quantum CSH x Papillon Rouge) Licensed AES & •• Sire producing topCSH showjumpers Sire producing showjumpers •• Dam produced top 1.50m show jumper’ Dam produced 1.50mDe show jumper’ •• Mare-line of Quidam Revel • Mare-line of Quidam De Revel

Johnny Be Good (Don Quixote x Calvados) Johnny Be Good (Don Quixote x Calvados)

Don Quixote - 2008 Bay 16.2hh Don Quixote - 2008xBay 16.2hh (Gervantus x Burggraaf Voltaire)

• Licensed CWB &xCSH (Gervantus Burggraaf x Voltaire) • Dam competed 1.40m Licensed CWB & CSH • Offspring successful Dam competed 1.40min hunters & jumpers with Jr/Am successful riders • Offspring in hunters & jumpers with Jr/Am riders

My Pleasure Z - 2017 Black 17hh My Pleasure Z - x2017 Black 17hh (For Pleasure x Cumano Cor de la Bryere)

(For Pleasure x Cumano x CorCWB, de la CSH Bryere) • National Licensing Champion National Licensing Champion CWB, CSH • Dam competing 1.40m • Competing Dam competing 1.40m in young horse jumpers • Competing in young horse jumpers

Jethro Tull - 2014 Black 17hh Jethro Tull - 2014 17hh (I’m Special de Muze x Black Voltaire x (I’m Special de Muze x Voltaire x Heartbreaker)

• Lic Hann, West, GOV – Appr CWB & CSH Heartbreaker) TopHann, scoring stallion, at 1.40m • Lic West, GOVcompeting – Appr CWB & CSH Sire of highest sellingcompeting horse in the 27 yrs of • Top scoring stallion, at 1.40m CWB Fall Classic - Estrella Norte •the Sire of highest sellingSale horse in the del 27 yrs of – 3 CWB yo hunter prospectSale - Estrella del Norte the Fall Classic – 3 yo hunter prospect

O’Concor - 2019 Bay 16.2hh O’Concor - 2019xBay 16.2hh (Tacorde x Carthago Voltaire)

Carthago x Voltaire) • Dam (Tacorde competedx 1.55m • Dam competed 1.55m show jumper produced 1.60m • Dam produced 1.60m showfor jumper Granddam of the alternate the Gold team - of 2020 Olympics •Medal Granddam theTokyo alternate for the Gold Medal team - 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Stud Fees: Tacorde & Jethro $1,550 – My Pleasure Z $1,350 – Nesquick $1,050 Stud Fees: Tacorde & Jethro $1,550 – My Pleasure Z $1,350 – Nesquick $1,050 – O’Concor $950 – Don Quixote $850 – O’Concor $950 – Don Quixote $850 Stud Fee includes $250 Booking Fee | All prices in CDN Stud Fee includes $250 Booking FeeDiscounts | All prices| in CDN Sport Horses Available Fresh Cooled Shipped Semen | Performance/Multiple Mare Quality Fresh Cooled Shipped Semen | Performance/Multiple Mare Discounts | Quality Sport Horses Available Red Deer, Alberta Red Deer, Alberta

www.kvf.ca ~ kvf.admin@kvf.ca ~ cell 403.358.0487 www.kvf.ca ~ kvf.admin@kvf.ca ~ cell 403.358.0487

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★ Jumping technique and Rideability score 9

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www.coruscantstables.com | Leesburg, VA

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief:

PIPER KLEMM, PH.D.

Art Direction:

L/BAILEY DESIGN

Online Editor:

LAUREN MAULDIN, MFA

Advertising:

NANCY HALVEY LIZ D. HANCOX ANN JAMIESON DAWN KIRLIN

Subscriptions & Plaidcast Manager:

CIRA PACE MALTA

Online Manager:

CATIE STASZAK

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RENNIE DYBALL

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CONTACT & CONNECT WITH THE PLAID HORSE WEB:

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TYLER BUI

20 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

PHOTO: LINDSEY LONG PHOTOGRAPHY

The

PLAID HORSE

FEBRUARY The Stallion Issue Offers for 2022 COVER:

RiverCross Farm

2

Saddle Lake Equestrian Center

4

Olde Oaks Farm & Marabet Farm

8

Ryan Pedigo Farms, Inc.

11

Klondike Victory Farm

13

W. Charlot Farm

15

Hilltop Farm, Inc.

17

Ulterra Equestrian Ltd

19

Obi Wan B / Coruscant Stables

33

Magnolia Ridge

41

Hyperion Stud, LLC

47

Smallwood Farm

49

CWB Stallion Service Auction

58

Ponies & Palms Show Stables

60

Conteros

68

Cover Story: RiverCross Farm

80

Maye Show Ponies

101

Melanie Brock

101

Vaquera Equine

105

Whispering Palms Farm

109

Whispering Palms Farm

109

Hunter Hill Farm

111

Winning Oaks

111

Ponyville Farm

114

Hassinger Farm

BACK COVER:

Eurequine Stallions

22 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

Jacqueline Steffens, Amy Millar, and Conor Swail SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 76

PHOTO: LINDSEY LONG PHOTOGRAPHY

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

23

NORTH AMERICA’S HORSE SHOW MAGAZINE • PUBLISHED SINCE 2003 • FEBRUARY 2022 FEATURING: Shine • Tacorde • Utopie Combina • Cabardino • GK Calucci • Gare Du Lyon • Imothep Friend or Foe • Obi Wan B • Beau Balou • Conteros • Cadouch Z • Warcloud • Landkonig • Don Quixote

The Stallion Issue

COVER STORY

RiverCross $8.99 (ISSN 2573-9409) theplaidhorse.com PHOTOGRAPH BY TOM VON KAPHERR

A Breeding Program that Puts Horses First

Sally Harrington Philippo with hunter stallion RiverCross Restoration

24 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

The

PLAID HORSE

FEBRUARY The Stallion Issue (continued) 30

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

34

COMMUNITY

36

78

Piper Klemm, Ph.D.

Reader Notes: The Good Old Days SPOTLIGHT

JumpClear

82

Tyler Bui

42

HORSES

American Bred: Henrietta Is a Little Rocket Tori Sheehan

48

HORSES

5 Strides with Nanini van D’abelendreef As Erynn Ballard tells TPH

52

90

94

98

Rennie Dyball

62

SPOTLIGHT

Julia Salisbury Finds Her Sport

Conor Swail and Theo160 at Major League Show Jumping

106

SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 76

76

112

RIverCross Farm: Putting Horses First

113

PHOTO GALLERY

Major League Show Jumping Lindsey Long Photography

PHOTO: LINDSEY LONG PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO GALLERY

Desert Horse Park Sunshine Series PROS

Questionnaire with Lindsey Smith SPOTLIGHT

Smart Earth Camelina: Improving Equine Issues BOOK EXCERPT

A Man Walks into a Barn Chad Oldfather

COVER STORY

Tyler Bui

Inside the Equestrians of Color Photography Project: Featuring Luna Guo, Maya Nakano, & Alex Travis

Annie Birmingham

Tyler Bui

68

INITIATIVE

Sara Shier Photography

SPOTLIGHT

Arista Equestrian: Quality, Authenticity, & the Next Generation

RIDERS

It Happens! With Abby Blankenship, Erynn Ballard, Stacie Klein Madden, & Melanie Smith Taylor

RIDERS

Select Champions RIDERS

Equestrian Chloe Kim returns to the 2022 Olympics as reigning gold medalist in halfpipe Tyler Bui

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

25

Balmoral los angeles

Congratulations Carleton Brooks

Traci Brooks 310-600-1967

BalmoralFarm.com

Carleton Brooks 760-774 -1211

Balmoral los angeles

2021 USHJA Lifetime Achievement Award

Traci Brooks 310-600-1967

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Carleton Brooks 760-774 -1211

Balmoral los angeles

Congratulates Record Year

USEF Horse of the Year Green Conformation Hunter PHOTO: KIND MEDIA LLC

Traci Brooks 310-600-1967

BalmoralFarm.com

Carleton Brooks 760-774 -1211

Balmoral los angeles

Congratulates Deja Blue

USEF Horse of the Year High Performance Conformation Hunter PHOTO: ANDREW RYBACK PHOTOGRAPHY

Traci Brooks 310-600-1967

BalmoralFarm.com

Carleton Brooks 760-774 -1211

Who Are You Breeding For? WE ALL DON’T spend enough time watching, paying attention, and learning. But that’s a publisher’s note for another day. I am guilty as well— we’re so busy, and all those emails need to be returned, and the texts keep pouring in, and it’s hard to watch a whole class.

One of the classes I did have the opportunity to watch in person was the FEI World Cup Qualifier at the National Horse Show (Lexington, Kentucky). I couldn’t have picked a better one. The course was huge, the riders were the best in the game, the jump-off was fast, Kent Farrington lost a stirrup and kept right on rolling around jumping 1.60m, and it was just a great class.

The horses handily sailed over the massive and technical course. And, oh yes, they all looked incredibly difficult to ride.

They should be. They’re opinioned, scopey, hot, and have an excess of personality. They know they’re good.

They know they’re fast and powerful and the bright lights are on them. All those personalities, human and horse, are hard. That’s okay.

But what about the horses who aren’t quite right? The waste in this system. The horses that don’t quite jump that but have the brain of a professional’s top horse. They lack the skills. Where do they go?

30 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

Members of The Plaid Horse Adult Amateur Lounge at the Las Vegas National Horse Show in November

As we have seen so many bifurcations in our sport, I propose another one. Either you’re breeding for top level FEI or Olympic scope, ability, etc., OR the horse can’t be hard. While everyone can breed a nice quality horse with a great brain, it might not be at the highest level. Frankly, that’s what 99% of us need, so we need 99% of breeders to cater to us.

Horses who do not have jobs do not have good lives. It is a sad reality of our country and their situation.

Horses who perform any job well are not insulated, but are much more statistically likely to have a life in which their needs are met and they are cared for.

Think when you breed. Who are you breeding for? Do you know how yourself, or have the connections

to produce a horse to the level you believe it is capable? Are you really watching these big classes and understanding the tests and asks of these animals? If you are breeding horses that juniors and amateurs can ride as young horses, you’re helping curate the next generation of involved horse people, the backbone, and the economic engine of our sport. Let’s all find our place in this industry of what gives every horse the best opportunity to excel in their careers.

Piper Klemm, PHD TPH PUBLISHER

(Follow me on Instagram at @piperklemm)

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Scenes from the Road Piper at Rollingwoods Farm in Olive Branch, Mississippi in June 2021

32 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

PHOTOS: DR. RUTH WILBURN

WENDY ARNDT OF TEAM IEC, SIMPLY HENRY, VENICE & MAGNOLIA RIDGE PONIES WISH ALL PASSIONATE PONY RIDERS LOTS OF SUCCESS AT PONY FINALS 2022!!

THE PLAID HORSE COMMUNITY

We asked the Plaid Horse Adult Amateur Lounge and other equestrian Facebook groups:

What is one thing you did in your younger days at the barn that would never fly now?

While we obviously advocate for all safety precautions today, we loved reminiscing about our childhoods with you!

Jumping double with a bareback pad. The person in the back could only hang on to the back of the pad with their eyes closed while the person riding in front told you when we were leaving the ground.

—MAGGIE HOUSE-SAUQUE

Riding bareback with just a halter and lead shank in Topsiders, no helmet, on the trails for hours. Alone.

—WENDY SAUNDERS COADY

Crop jousting/sword fighting.

I used to stand on my tack trunk in the aisle of our barn and my friend would let my pony loose down the hill…in true pony fashion, she would canter back into the barn and I would try to grab and jump on as she ran by. This is what happens when you let your kids watch Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken.

—KAREN ITIN

—LINDSAY SHAPIRO SKRMETTA

Midnight trail rides in the snow with no helmet. It really is amazing any of us survived!

—ANGELA STEINMAN PARLOW

34 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

Jumped a picnic table freestanding for a case of beer.

—KAREN STEINFELDT

A saucer-type sled tied to the saddle with lunge lines. Then let my dear but not so saintly pony gallop around the snow-covered field. Not an adult in sight…we both lived to do it many times —SUSAN HEALEY

No helmet ... wouldn’t be caught without one now —MISSY VENDOLA BRUCATO

Spurs on tennis shoes, bikini top.

—KIM BOYD KANTENWEIN

Stick our feet in our leathers and play jockey galloping around the property.

—DEBBIE RIVERA

PHOTOS: MARY DOORNBOS (LEFT); COURTESY BERNHARD FAMILY COLLECTION (TOP)

Getting dropped off at any one of your horsey friends’ barns to ride, completely unsupervised. Galloping in the woods and through fields or tackling the cross country course bareback on strange horses with zero fear. The word “waiver” was not in anyone’s vocabulary and as long as you mucked a stall or three in exchange for the ride, all was well.

Running up to the ponies and mounting John Wayne-style in the field! In retrospect, a really poor life choice. —LISA NOLTE SOLAKIAN Just a piece of baling twine for a bit, galloping around on lesson ponies, not a helmet to be seen.

—LESLIE LAMBERT POST

—TORY DEVONSHIRE

Jump bareback with my dog in front.

—LYNN TAYLOR

Taking the horses off property bare back, galloping down the golf course, then blaming the barn down the street.

—BARBARA LERNER GETZ

If you’re not driving the truck, you’re riding in the dressing room. Covered thousands of miles in that dressing room with friends. Gotta go to the bathroom? Put the sock on the hanger out the window and Mom will try to find a truck stop.

—MOLLIE MURPHY

We rode without helmets, we laid down in ditches and jumped over each other, and we rode through the McDonald’s drive-thru on our horses.

One of my fondest childhood memories: Playing capture the flag bareback.

Riding became more of a contact sport.

No helmets, even when jumping, tearing around on the ponies with only halters and lead ropes, jumping lawn furniture, riding in a bikini top with cutoffs under my full chaps and Chuck Taylors.

—JULIE BETTS LUZICKA

—ALEXANDRIA REED

—SUSAN GLOVER

PHOTO: JAMIE ISAACS PHOTOGRAPHY

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

35

SPOTLIGHT

BRINGING

FANTASY SPORTS TO THE HORSE WORLD Michael Cruciotti is launching Jump Clear Fantasy to drum up more interest in show jumping WORDS: TYLER

BUI

36 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

MICHAEL CRUCIOTTI is all about bringing innovation

to the horse industry—from the creation of M.A.C. Sports International, LLC, to the launch of Jump Clear Fantasy, he aims to bring fresh, new ideas to the show jumping world.

Cruciotti has been involved in the horse world his whole life, with his mother, Cindy Cruciotti, and sister, Kelli Cruciotti-Vanderveen, having a strong influence on his desire to work in the industry.

“I remember talking to my mother about the lack of sports agents in the equestrian world. This is what set me on the path of creating M.A.C. Sports International and eventually Jump Clear Fantasy—the idea of helping to raise the profile of our sport so the athletes can warrant bigger and better sponsorships,” says Cruciotti.

PHOTOS: COURTESY MICHAEL CRUCIOTTI

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

37

SPOTLIGHT

“Jump Clear Fantasy has the ability to engage people with these athletes and become a part of their journey.

It allows users to be a part of the action for that split second where they’re rooting for that athlete.”

—MICHAEL CRUCIOTTI

He first began developing M.A.C. Sports International in his dorm room during his junior year of college, doing research to figure out the best way to market and represent equestrian athletes.

Cruciotti taught himself how to build websites, learned about social media advertising, and eventually launched the company as a young entrepreneur.

“I developed a lot of key skills that really allowed me to promote Kelli, as well as work with other equestrian-related companies,” he tells The Plaid Horse. “We have grown to work with over 20 different companies and associations. I was able to find my niche in the horse industry—and from that I was able to meet my wife, Kelsey. I really meshed into the horse industry, and met a lot of key people who would eventually help me with Jump Clear Fantasy.”

Cruciotti recalls one crucial conversation with a mentor where he was told, “You’re never going to get these big-time sponsors because show jumping lacks one critical detail.” He realized then that despite the large following behind show jumping, not many people outside the industry followed the sport, and this is where Jump Clear Fantasy was born. While not gambling, Jump Clear Fantasy adds a gaming and fantasy component to show jumping to engage show jumping loyalists at a level the sport has never experienced.

“I spent the next couple of months thinking, and it finally dawned on me.

Who wants to sit at an event for four hours to try and pick one out of 50 riders to win? What if you could place a bet on someone jumping clear? Rather than trying to pick one winner out of 50 riders,

38 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

why not try to pick 14, 15, 16 different riders to jump clear and have a chance to do that every minute and a half ? With the creation of Jump Clear Fantasy, we have created the world’s first, exclusive to show jumping, daily fantasy sports platform which allows users to be a part of the action.”

Jump Clear Fantasy has been programmed to make the process as simple as possible. Whether on the couch at home or ringside at the event, users will be able to place their picks and know the outcome immediately following the conclusion of the class.

Entry fees can range from $10 to $200, but regardless of the fee, each user gets 1,000 points they use to make their picks. Based on the results of the class, users get points back in return—and whoever has the most amount of points wins the pool.

“Show jumping is very simple: Keep the jumps up and complete the course in the time allowed. That’s called jumping clear,” says Cruciotti. “With Jump Clear Fantasy, you can get into the action by picking which riders you think will jump clear and podium finish. Jump Clear Fantasy will be a true daily fantasy sport platform that allows users to test and display their knowledge and skill of the sport—and, not to mention, win cash prizes!”

The launch of Jump Clear Fantasy will allow usage in Florida, North Carolina, and Colorado to begin. Following the launch, Jump Clear Fantasy will expand across the U.S., excluding states that prohibit fantasy sports.

“Just like walking into a casino, we have to make sure we verify all of our users. We’ve done a tremendous amount of work to ensure that anyone who uses Jump Clear Fantasy is over the age of 18 or 21 depending on the state, and also making sure that you are who you say you are,” says Cruciotti. “We’re not an offshore sportsbook. We are regulated in the U.S.—we’ve taken the necessary steps to be regulated and compliant. This is a solid platform that has done the work to protect its users.”

Cruciotti says that his goal for Jump Clear Fantasy is to bring visibility to the sport and all that it has to offer.

“I want Jump Clear Fantasy to be the catalyst that brings the world to show jumping. I want it to show the world that this sport has so much amazing talent, and that it’s for everyone—men, women, of any race, age, it doesn’t matter,” he says.

“I want it to show people that the sport is interesting, and that there’s a way to engage without knowing a single thing about horses.”

Jump Clear Fantasy launches in March 2022.

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HORSES

AMERICAN BRED

“A Little Rocket” Henrietta is a budding superstar in the jumper ring for Cypress Point Stables & Platinum Capital Management LLC WORDS: TORI

SHEEHAN

PHOTOS: ANDREW

RYBACK PHOTOGRAPHY

S Team Henrietta, celebrating a successful horse show day

42 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

OEHNKE THEYMANN takes pride in the journey of important things. He’s worked riding, training, and developing countless horses in his career. He knows that while the process is rewarding in and of itself, some horses have a knack for reminding him why he loves what he does.

“I have had a lot of young horses,” Theymann says. “But one like this, that’s consistent and that’s top three every time she goes in the ring—it’s pretty rare to find. It’s very, very exciting.”

He’s talking about 6-year-old American Holsteiner Henrietta (Contefino—O Black Cherry).

Henrietta was born in California, owned and bred

by Thea and Peter Sprecher’s Platinum Capital Management LLC. She’s claimed top finishes in

Henrietta and Soehnke Theymann compete in 2021 USHJA Young Jumper Championships in Traverse City at the Silver Oak Tournament. Henrietta won overall in the 6-Year-Old division

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

43

HORSES

the 6-Year-Old Jumper divisions in Kentucky, New Jersey, Tryon and Michigan.

She finished 2021 as the best 6-year-old in the USEF national rankings with more than 100 points. In their last thirty classes, the pair has 25 top-five finishes and 14 wins.

“She’s just so quick. She can turn, she can jump, she can slice, she can pretty much do anything you ask her to do,” says Thea Sprecher, Henrietta’s owner and breeder.

“You really do forget how young she really is.”

Watching her in the show ring, one may notice Henrietta’s sleek bay coat, her beautiful canter, and probably her game face—ears turned back, waiting on Theymann’s next cue. But one of the things that can get overlooked is her size.

“She’s barely 15 hands,” Theymann says.

“She’s like the smallest horse that I’ve ridden.

But every time you think, ‘Oh, it might be a little bit big for her, it might be a little much for her’, she just says, ‘No, it’s not!’ She finds the scope, she has a huge stride.”

THE FIRST SURPRISE When Henrietta came into Theymann’s life, he was already working with her full sister, Greta Garbo PCM. Greta is another American-bred horse, also bred and owned

by Platinum Capital Management LLC. Physically, Greta is a stark contrast to Henrietta. She stands 17h tall with long legs and a dapple-gray coat reminiscent of her sire, Contefino. She and Theymann enjoy a partnership that continues to this day. At the beginning, Henrietta was simply an add-on.

“Soehnke almost didn’t want to take Henrietta because she was so small,” Sprecher says. “I made him take her. I said, ‘If you want to keep Greta, you’re going to take this one at least to see what she can do.’

And you know? It was one of the best chance things that has ever happened.”

“When I first rode Henrietta, I thought she was slow, lazy…honestly, I thought she would be maybe a small junior hunter,” Theymann says.

At home, there was little thought that the mare would ever want to step into the jumper ring. Luckily, all it took for Henrietta was a change of scenery and a chance to show off to change Theymann’s mind.

“First horse show,” Theymann says.

“She hits the ring and she just wants to win. She’s like a little rocket every time. It’s unbelievable.”

44 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

Henrietta and Soehnke at the 2021 USHJA Young Jumper Championships. Soehnke says working with Henrietta has been “very inspiring”

“We didn’t realize what she was going to be at that point,” Sprecher says. “We just thought she was nice and pretty and rideable. But we had no idea that she had such a competitive heart.”

HENRIETTA NEVER LOOKED BACK From the first horse show on, Theymann knew he had a special horse. Henrietta went on to take top honors at the 2021 Princeton Young Jumper Championships in New Jersey as well as the 2021 USHJA Young Jumper Championships in Traverse City, MI, where she was awarded the best U.S Bred Horse award. Beyond

the accolades and success on paper, the speedster times and impressive double clear rounds, Henrietta is also blowing people away by how she wins.

“She’s just extraordinarily elegant. She does everything with style,” says Sprecher.

Henrietta’s attentiveness, effort, and speed in the ring at shows is remarkable.

But at home, it’s a totally different story, making Henrietta even more endearing to those who know her well.

“At home, you can barely get her in the ring, she’s so lazy,” Theymann says. “She loves turnouts. She really does lay down and sleep if she can all day, she loves to

BELOW: Henrietta’s full-sister, Greta

Garbo PCM, competes with Soehnke in the 7-Year-Old Jumper division at Traverse City Fall. The week before, Greta placed 2nd in the 7-Year-Old classic

“She’s just extraordinarily elegant. She does everything with style.”

—THEA SPRECHER

Talent Runs In the Family Henrietta’s family is filled with top-caliber talent FULL SISTER: Greta Garbo PCM • 2021 Champion in 7-Year-Old Jumpers at Tryon • Awarded Best American Bred Horse for the 7-year-olds at the 2021 Princeton Young Jumper Championships.

DAM: Black Cherry • Born in the U.S. • Sire: Ganaletto • Dam: Izora • Top Grand Prix finishes with riders Richard Spooner and Will Simpson SIRE: Contefino • Stands in the U.S. • Sire: Contender • Dam: Kyra XIII • Grandsire: Corofino

eat. Eat and sleep. When you’re at home for a while she’s really lazy and you don’t even think she can jump a big fence, but then you go to the show where she can show off ? She just gets wings. I never had that before, to be honest.”

While the level of Henrietta’s talent has left her trainers and owners in awe, as her breeder, Thea knows that she is an embodiment of the work and detail that went into creating the right breeding match.

“Even before you get to the development, the most important basis is breeding and bloodlines, and being very, very diligent about who you breed in the first place,” says Sprecher. “Both Greta and Henrietta are taking the best qualities from their parents.”

Henrietta and Greta’s sire, Contefino (Contender – Kyra XIII) was brought to the U.S. from Italy more than 8 years ago. He still stands in the U.S. and has shown in the 1.50M and 1.60M. Their mother, Black Cherry (Ganaletto— Izora), is also owned by Platinum Capital Management LLC and lives in California. She was a prominent fixture competing in the 1.60M, carrying both Richard Spooner and Will Simpson to several top finishes.

Sprecher and Theymann both get an air of whimsy when talking about the qualities they see passed down to Henrietta and her sister. For Greta, with her father’s grey coat, she inherited her mother’s build and jump. For Henrietta, they see Contefino’s effortless gaits, his elegant aura, and intelligence. But perhaps most of all, they see what Black Cherry handed down to Henrietta—heart.

“Henrietta’s mom, Black Cherry, was obviously very athletic to be able to do the 1.60M throughout her career. But she never looked that pretty doing it.

She was one hundred percent heart.

Henrietta has that. Henrietta just gives it everything out there, every single time.

And I mean, every…single…time.”

It is an undisputable source of pride

for the Sprechers to continue such top American Holsteiner bloodlines. Both Sprecher and Theymann agree that strengthening the American breeding system makes the sport stronger and makes the process of developing young horses even more enjoyable.

“Lots of breeders stopped breeding in Europe 10 or 15 years ago…and there’s actually a shortage of good horses,” Theymann says. “I really enjoy knowing what was with them when they were a foal.

We know Henrietta and Greta Garbo from since they were born. We know every step, and it’s very important to me that we know they’ve never been in the wrong program.”

As he does with most horses who hold tremendous potential, Theymann tries to stay grounded when talking about hopes for Henrietta’s future. Their goal is to continue success in the 7-Year-Old Jumper divisions with hopes of doing Spruce Meadows in the 7 and 8-Year-Old divisions.

“I don’t want to put an exact wording on it, but I hope she’s going to be like, a big-time horse,” says Theymann.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME With the Sprechers’ care in her breeding and Theymann’s upbringing, this little mare seems to have filled her human counterparts with an excitement that is both palpable and inspiring.

“Not only does it inspire me to continue the breeding program we have, but it also reminds me of those once-in-a-lifetime horses that we all have,” says Sprecher.

“The ones that you really have a relationship with that are just special animals.

They just want to win, they give you everything they have, they love their job, and they really contribute to the sport.”

“It’s very inspiring,” Theymann says.

“Everything I asked from her, she has done more than 100 percent.” After a short pause, he utters a phrase that embodies how he feels every time he gets into the saddle and steps into the ring with Henrietta.

“The sky’s the limit with her.”

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

45

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What is your favorite thing about the jumper ring?

I know that I am very, very, very good, so my most favorite thing is people watching me jump! In California we jumped at night and that was so cool.

2

What sort of advantage do you think mares have over geldings and stallions?

I have so much #GirlPower. I don’t know if it’s an advantage, but I know it makes me good!

3

You turn 9 this spring.

What would you love to try that you haven’t done yet?

I just started FEI with Erynn this

48 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

fall, and she has told me about all the stars. This year I know I’m going to make 5*.

4

Can you tell us what life is like at home when you’re not training or showing?

I have a great home life! They call me Queen here. I love being groomed. I get beautiful dapples and I love when my coat shines.

I really am a queen.

5

Which is more fun: Bigger jumps or tighter turns?

I love going fast—that’s how you win classes. It’s very natural and easy for me to be fast. Also, with my natural speed, the BIG jumps are easy!

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SPOTLIGHT

ARISTA EQUESTRIAN A clothing brand focuses on quality, authenticity— and the next generation WORDS:

RENNIE DYBALL

PHOTOS:

COURTESY ARISTA EQUESTRIAN

JOCELYN KIVORT doesn’t just tell customers that her

clothes will last them many years—she shows them.

As the owner and manufacturer of Arista Equestrian, a boutique brand of riding and lifestyle pieces, Kivort will sometimes wear her own favorite Arista pieces to work for the day. And sometimes, those pieces will have lived in her closet for a decade.

“People will ask, ‘Can I buy that?’ and I tell them it’s a 10-year-old piece,” Kivort tells The Plaid Horse. “I sprinkle those into my wardrobe because it’s important for people to see how our products last. Even if you’re hard on it, wearing it and washing it a lot.”

That high quality is at the forefront of Kivort’s mission with her brand.

“We’re constantly trying to build value for our customers. Our business is probably run differently than the majority in that it’s not about the profit as much as it is about the product and the consumer,” she says.

“We absorb a lot of the costs. I’m proud of Arista. It speaks to people, and they get a good value. Compared to other brands, spending $130 on a shirt is a lot of money. People tell me, ‘It’s so beautiful, I don’t even wear Arista to the barn. I tell them, ‘Please wear them! We put so much effort into choosing durable fabrics and doing test washes to make sure the pieces will hold up, wash well, and stains will come out. It’s a sin not to wear them to the barn.”

52 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

“I find equestrian women to be a unique group.

A lot of us share the same values.

We always want to be authentic.

No hidden agenda. As a group, we’re very straightforward and authentic.”

—JOCELYN KIVORT

With products mostly made on shore in Canada, the team at Arista “has a great hands-on approach to design work and manufacturing,” says Kivort.

“Every decision about product is made with the intention of giving the consumer the most value. Our fabric is a proprietary blend, we use the very best Japanese stretch piping, and we use only the best YKK zippers.”

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

53

SPOTLIGHT

“I get ideas and inspiration from dealing with customers specifically. I’m really a retailer at heart—that’s my passion.”

—JOCELYN KIVORT

ARISTA SPORT AND A NEW HOME AT WEC While Arista previously set up shop at various horse shows throughout the year‚ along with being sold through a network of retailers, the brand now as a permanent home at World Equestrian Center in Ocala, FL. Kivort says the clothes were originally beloved by dressage riders and older adult amateurs across disciplines.

Now, from their new boutique at WEC, Kivort is expanding the line to appeal to a younger crowd in the hunter-jumper rings. “The sophisticated designs were what initially attracted the mature amateur rider,” says Kivort. “However, throughout the past several years we have intentionally added designs to appeal to a more youthful consumer.”

Kivort is currently designing a separate line within the brand, Arista Sport, with younger competitive riders in mind.

“We are very excited to be developing the Arista Sport line to appeal to the modern rider with solid pieces in sportier silhouettes, with a more trendy and youthful look,” she says. “Both the fabrics and components used for this line will offer the same quality as the Arista Classic line with designs that will appeal more directly to the hunter-jumper rider.” Arista Sport will offer short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, sweaters, vests and breeches.

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE BRAND Long before Kivort ran this business herself, she got a holiday gift from her sister—an Arista vest. Kivort loved the high quality, design, and fit so much that

54 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

Premium fabrics, proprietary designs and the highest quality components make the Arista stand out in the marketplace, says owner and manufacturer Jocelyn Kivort (pictured above).

she went looking for more pieces by the brand. “It was 2 a.m., I had just had a baby a few weeks before, and I saw a note on the website that said, ‘Do you want to become an Arista retailer?’ I’d had an extensive career in retail, so I started selling Arista under the business name In The Stirrup,” she says.

“The brand was my singular focus as I loved the styling, details and quality of the product. My business quickly became the largest Arista Equestrian retailer. As I myself was the core Arista customer, I had an intimate understanding of her needs.

Throughout the years I became more involved with the designs by providing feedback to the owners to help curate the fashion direction for the following season. When I had the opportunity to purchase the brand four years ago, I did not hesitate. It was such a natural progression in my Arista journey.”

Kivort always had an affinity for horses, but didn’t begin riding herself until age 30. “It was a very quick road from lessons to leasing to purchasing

my very first horse,” she says. With her horse Nemo, she’s competed in special hunters and adult equitation classes, and she recently imported a 5-year-old Holsteiner name Quirano. “He is currently in training with a professional but I am hoping to be showing him in a few months,” says Kivort. “He made is show debut at WEC this past week and got great ribbons in big classes.”

But her greatest moments with horses have always included her two daughters—Olivia, now 20, and Mirielle, now 18. “From pony days to competitive horse showing, we have enjoyed many hours in the barn, traveling to shows and supporting each other’s horse endeavors,” says Kivort. “My fondest childhood memories of my girls definitely include horses. Now they are a great resource as well, as sounding boards for Arista designs!”

Visit Arista Equestrian in person at World Equestrian Center, Ocala, or online at www.aristaequestrian.com

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SPOTLIGHT

EVERY MOMENT WITH HORSES IS WORTH IT Julia Salisbury on her roundabout route to show ring success WORDS: TYLER

BUI

JULIA SALISBURY has always been passionate about

horses. But it wasn’t until a chance encounter that she discovered the hunter jumper world five years ago and immersed herself in it. Today, she competes as an amateur and owns a ranch full of horses and other rescue animals. Through hard work, curiosity, and determination, Julia found her way through the stages of life to her true place of happiness—looking through the ears of her beloved horses.

62 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

63

SPOTLIGHT

Julia grew up in Hermosa Beach, CA, and was brave as could be. Getting on her first horse at age three, she began her riding career participating in gymkhana events such as pole bending and barrel racing. In addition to riding, she enjoyed other daredevil activities like motorcycle racing.

Throughout middle school, high school, and her young adult life, Julia took any opportunity she could find to be in the saddle. Spending her free time as an exercise rider, she found herself on a wide range of horses— from English to Western, she was just happy being involved with horses in any way she could.

During her mid 20s to early 30s, Julia found herself in the Arabian world.

“I heard that somebody had horses down the road—it turns out they owned Arabs. If I would have known there was a hunter jumper-barn down the street, then I would have gotten involved in this world a lot sooner,” says Julia.

She had her three children during this time and the whole family fell in love with horses together. Her daughter Christina still shares that bond with her mother as a rider herself.

In the early 2000s, Julia temporarily shifted her life away from horses—she moved, wrote a cookbook, became a hairdresser, and began buying and flipping homes, all while raising her kids.

Her cookbook led her to be featured as a celebrity chef at the Super Bowl, and she also had the opportunity to travel to different countries for book signings. She was single, eager to achieve, and trying to figure out her true passion.

She met her current husband, Doug Salisbury, in 2006, and they have now been married for eight years. “My husband supports me one hundred percent.

He’s always there for me, whatever I need.

Today, he’s even my groom at the horse show,” says Julia. “He’s an amazing man.

We traveled all over the world together, it was wonderful. I’d ride in different countries—anytime I would see a horse I would get on and ride.”

Julia knew she wanted to get back into riding, but didn’t know where to start. After struggling for months with pain and injuries related to her feet, she underwent major foot surgery where

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both her ankles and feet were completely reconstructed. At the time, things seemed quite bleak— but a chance encounter at her physical therapist’s office led her to a hunter jumper barn.

It was Julia’s first true interaction with the hunter jumper world, and she quickly became involved in all aspects of it. Not too long after she began taking lessons, she went to her first horse show in Del Mar, CA. When her trainer asked her if she knew how to jump, the fearless amateur told her trainer “yes”—when, in fact, she did not. At the show, Julia recalls her trainer shouting colors to direct her from jump to jump, and she ended up winning the class.

After this horse show experience, Julia says she officially caught “the horse bug.” She began taking lessons, and soon after was determined to own her own horse—and impulsively did so without the guidance of her trainer. This horse, a Holsteiner named Landego, was as sweet

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Guns N Roses at Sonoma Horse Park in 2021; Julia at home at her ranch; At Temecula Valley National with Caresso; At home with family

as could be but very green. Despite a few falls, she didn’t give up. Even after a second foot surgery, Julia found herself back in the saddle with a plastic bag wrapped around her cast. She recalls being so determined that she wasn’t scared.

“I kept going with the dream that I had in my head. At every turn, either getting major foot surgery or a couple of concussions, all the trainers said I needed to quit or sell my horse, but I didn’t. I didn’t quit.

I just worked harder,” says Julia.

Today, Julia owns her own fleet of horses and trains with John Bragg. With his guidance, she slowly but steadily found her footing in the show world. She kept practicing on her horses Landego and Guns n Roses (a.k.a Starboy, a former Grand Prix horse turned amateur mount for her). Despite hitting speed

“You fall, but when you love something so much—your horses, the people, the passion, the excitement of going in the arena—it’s all worth it.”

—JULIA SALISBURY

bumps— falls, concussions, and sprained body parts, she persevered through because she loved the sport and her horses so fiercely.

“Bragg and his staff are truly wonderful.

They welcomed me with open arms and really took the time to teach me about the industry and create a plan to help me achieve my goals,” says Julia.

PHOTO: CAPTURED MOMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY (TOP RIGHT)

In 2021, Julia was Overall Circuit Reserve Champion in the 2'6" Adult Equitation at Thermal, second in a USHJA Affiliate Hunter 2'6" class at the Las Vegas National Horse Show, and was third in the 2'9" Low Adult Amateur Hunters PCHA Year End Awards.

“I make my mistakes, but Starboy rescues me. Letting a horse take care of

you is absolutely amazing,” she says.

As Julia recently turned 60, her family wanted her to quit riding because of her numerous injuries. “You fall, but when you love something so much— your horses, the people, the passion, the excitement of going in the arena—it’s all worth it,” says Julia.

And now, Julia is able to share her passion for horses with not only her daughter but also her grandchildren, whom she loves to watch at horse shows as well.

In addition to her show horses, Julia bought a 40-acre ranch during the pandemic. While she knew nothing about owning a ranch, she knew that she needed an escape where she would be at peace with her animals, family, and friends. Julia and her family have rescued a number of animals that now reside on their ranch, including orphaned calves, miniature ponies, neglected Arabians, and off-track Thoroughbreds.

“We have ranch horses, goats, pigs, dairy cows, black angus cows, Texas longhorn cows, two Great Pyrenees and 15 chickens.

It’s the most peaceful place to go to. It’s been hard— a lot of sweat, a lot of tears, just like riding—but it’s worth it,” she says.

Looking ahead, Julia does not see herself stepping away from the sport anytime soon. Her love for horses makes every struggle worth it, and she wants to continue to share her animals with her friends and family for years to come.

“My message for anyone paving their own way in the horse world is to never give up,” says Julia. “No matter how many setbacks you encounter, if you persevere and keep your head up high, nothing and no one can stop you. Being with your horses makes every moment worth it.”

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Congratulations to Our Over 150 Ponies Sold or Leased in 2021!

PHOTOS © ANDREW RYBACK PHOTOGRAPHY, SHAWN MCMILLEN PHOTOGRAPHY, THE BOOK, MACKENZIE SHUMAN, & GRACE SALMON

Stonewall Farm • Text: 920-889-0028 S TO N E WA L L P O N I E S@YA H O O.C O M • I XO N I A , W I S C O N S I N

Congratulations to Our Over 150 Ponies Sold or Leased in 2021!

PHOTOS © ANDREW RYBACK PHOTOGRAPHY, SHAWN MCMILLEN PHOTOGRAPHY, THE BOOK, MACKENZIE SHUMAN, & GRACE SALMON

Stonewall Farm • Text: 920-889-0028 S TO N E WA L L P O N I E S@YA H O O.C O M • I XO N I A , W I S C O N S I N

Homebred star RiverCross Cri de Coeur

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PHOTO: TOM VON KAPHERR

COVER STORY

RiverCross A Breeding Program that Puts Horses First WORDS: TYLER

BUI

A

S A YOUNG GIRL,

Sally Harrington Philippo started out with a dream—to own her own horse.

It took 37 years, but she has fulfilled that dream…and so much more. Today, Sally and her husband, Jan, are producing extraordinary young horses at RiverCross Farm, through their carefully crafted breeding program. Her true love for horses sets the foundation for a beautiful project that has grown steadily over the last 25 years, and the program has offspring all over North America who are achieving considerable success in the ring and bringing joy to their owners.

“We’re not trying to just sell the horses, we really want to place them in the right home.”

—SALLY HARRINGTON PHILIPPO

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COVER STORY

Sally grew up in England, following in the footsteps of her Dutch mother, an accomplished rider who rode in Holland with Prince Bernhard in the early 1930s. As a young girl, she was given many opportunities to ride, given her talent and her care for the animals.

Throughout her childhood, Sally continued to take every opportunity she was given to ride, and worked hard at her studies. In her early twenties, she found herself in London working in corporate finance. This is where she met her first husband, Conrad Harrington, who came from Canada.

In 1979, they married in London and returned to Montreal, Quebec, a city where they led a very happy life and had three children together.

‘AN ABSOLUTE DREAM HORSE’ “Fast forward to me living in Canada, at age 37, I finally bought my first horse,” says Sally. “She was an absolute dream horse. She was so beautiful and talented that all the top trainers in our area wanted to buy her from me almost immediately.” This was, however, the furthest thing from her mind.

“She was the horse I dreamed about when I was a little girl. Why would I ever sell her? I wanted to keep her not only for myself, but for my daughter who was also starting to ride,” she says.

Even Nobler, a.k.a. Charisma, was a beautiful Thoroughbred mare born in New York. She was not only Sally’s idea of a perfect horse, but also the one that sparked her dream of developing a breeding program.

“I showed her myself in the Amateur Owners and we had a lot of success,” says Sally. “One day as I watched her, lost in quiet admiration, I found myself thinking, ‘This is the kind of horse that everyone should have. Everything about her is exactly what we all love; not only her beauty, but her natural jump and extravagant movement, as well as a very kind temperament’.

Surely, I thought, this is the type of horse that should be reproduced.” A dream was born to breed her, and Sally began the search for a suitable sire.

Charisma was taken out of the show

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“The reason why I like breeding horses for the juniors and amateurs is that they really love their horses.”

RiverCross Onyx with Tori Colvin (below) and Angela Covert (right)

ring for a year and half, and she had her first foal by Danny Robertshaw’s hunter stallion, Absolut. The dark bay colt, who was named RiverCross Mystic, eventually took Clare, Sally’s daughter, to victory at The Royal Winter Fair’s Canadian indoor finals.

Shortly after the dream of breeding horses emerged, her husband was diagnosed with ALS. He passed away six months after his diagnosis, the same year Sally had her first foal. She was left a widow with her three children aged 10, 14, and 16.

THE BREEDING PROGRAM IS BORN “After my husband died, as we all coped with devastating loss, I was wondering what I would do with my life going forward. The horses were kept about an hour away from where we lived in the city, and they were being taken care of by other people,” says Sally. “I knew I wanted to grow my horse project and take care of my horses myself, so I decided to look for a farm. I eventually found a very peaceful property, with undulating hills and meadows and surrounding woodlands. I called this

PHOTOS: SPORTFOT (LEFT); CEALY TETLEY

FROM TOP LEFT: Billie de Rouet on RiverCross Evita; Arianne Brabant on RiverCross Luna; Ryan Rusaw on RiverCross Regent

beautiful property RiverCross, a name I had conceived several years before.”

In the Fall of 2003, Sally moved her nascent breeding program with five horses to the Eastern townships in Quebec, and from her new home she continued to build her program.

Seven years after becoming a widow, Sally met her current husband and business partner, Jan Philippo, at a wedding on the East Coast of Canada. Jan lived in Holland at the time, and had lost his first wife to cancer. After meeting, they wrote to each other daily for three years, with the

occasional visit, and finally got married in 2006, when Jan joined her on the farm.

“None of this would have grown without Jan’s support, his full engagement, and his total trust in my judgement,” Sally says. “When he came to Canada to marry me, he left everything he was used to and a career in horticulture. We’ve built up this enterprise together and it has become a deeply satisfying joint project.”

CAREFULLY SELECTED BLOODLINES After deciding that RiverCross was going to be a true breeding program, the couple

PHOTOS: BEN RADVANYI PHOTOGRAPHY (TOP LEFT); SUNKIST MEDIA (TOP RIGHT)

began creating a breeding philosophy unique to them that truly focused around the horses’ needs. The Philippos did extensive research to find horses that possessed their ideal qualities, and traveled to and from Holland to visit the breeding shows and study the stallions.

“I was looking for all-around stallions that moved well, jumped with beautiful technique, and had good temperament,” says Sally. “I knew I wanted to use Dutch horses.” She based her program initially using frozen semen from VDL stallions, choosing Flemmingh, Indoctro, and Orame as foundation sires. She imported stock from Holland very selectively, and together with Jan, they imported two Dutch mares with top predicates in their dam line.

Not only are the Philippos selective about the horses they choose to breed— they also take the extra effort to match their horses with owners who will fully appreciate and love them. With that, they often prefer to sell their horses to motivated juniors and adult amateurs. They fully understand how crucial it is to have them accompanied and trained by sympathetic and talented trainers. Sally says that ideally, there is a team involved where everyone feels excited about the match and is committed to making it a success.

“The reason why I like breeding horses for the juniors and amateurs is that they really love their horses,” says Sally.

“They’re the ones who are going to give the horse the attention it needs, they’re the ones who are most likely to relate to the horse with real affection. For the well-being of the individual horse, that is vitally important.”

With the amateur market in mind, one unique trait about RiverCross’s breeding program is that the horses are often sold at an age somewhat older than most breeders, to ensure that the horses are as well-developed as possible. “We very rarely sell them when they’re babies.

I believe you need to be able to stand behind your horses as a breeder, and this takes time,” says Sally. “We’re not trying to just sell the horses, we really want to place them in the right home. When horses are sold by us, we can say we’ve known this horse since they’re born—it’s a very special aspect of our enterprise.”

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YOUNG STOCK MANAGEMENT Sally and Jan stand by their breeding philosophy, working to create horses that possess intelligence, good temperament, longevity, and athletic ability. She says that ideally, you’ll have a horse that has both intelligence and a good temperament, along with the other important qualities. In order to do so, the horses must be allowed to live in their natural state as much as possible when they are in their earliest years.

“Something I stand for with my horses is longevity,” she says. “I think it’s important to try and raise a horse that uses its intelligence when it’s growing up, so that they know how to make their own choices.

The best horse has had a chance when it’s growing up to decide for itself. Then, provided it is trained with sensitivity, you will have a horse in the future that will cooperate, have a partnership with you, and also use its intelligence.”

With a maximum of four per year, each foal has a program specifically tailored to their personality and needs; however, Sally follows a few core principles when developing her young horses. When they are first born, the foals receive what is necessary with respect to care, but given as much natural space as possible. When they are eventually weaned from their mother, Sally always weans two foals together to make the process as non-traumatic as possible.

“I think it’s really important that this seminal time in the horse’s life is handled with sensitivity. They are raised in a small group so they learn interaction between themselves, but they must also learn respect for a human being,” she says.

“When they are handled by a human, they are taught to respect them, and to enjoy the contact. That’s important in those early years.”

Over the years, the Philippos have worked with various respected trainers around the country to develop their horses in the show ring, including Angela Covert in Canada and later in Wellington, Tori Colvin in Wellington, Jenny and Kost Karazissis in California, Candice King in Ocala, and other trainers who’ve brought their expertise alongside the development and showcasing of RiverCross horses. At

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Audrey

Poole on RiverCross Nobility; Kreator Second Life Z; Erin Oswald and RiverCross First Take, dam of RiverCross Cri de Coeur

home in Canada, there is a small team of young professionals who they trust to help bring horses through their program.

“I do a lot of handling on the ground and I’m involved in the training process, but the horses at home are ridden by other young riders in our area. Currently, Jacquelynn Neary, who trained alongside Angela Covert, works closely with us and does an excellent job,” says Sally. “She is accompanied by Melissa Weiss who has

worked in some of the top farms in the country. Ms. Billie de Rouet, a talented jumper trainer here in Quebec, has also helped us develop some of the jumpers, and we have been grateful for the help of David Arcand with our jumper stallion.

We do feel that part of the purpose of our project is to give opportunities to the younger generations. We love to support young professionals as well as those more seasoned.”

“I never want to take for granted, for one minute, the abundant blessing of all these beautiful horses and ponies that have come into my life since this breeding program began.”

RIVERCROSS ONYX, THE FIRST HOMEBRED STALLION While the Philippos treasure each horse they develop in their program, one stands out in particular. In 2004, RiverCross Onyx was born, and he may be the horse that has had the most impact on their program up until now.

“Onyx has had a profound influence on our project. He was such an elegant foal, and as he matured, he was successful in

PHOTO: SIOÑNA DOCHERTY PHOTOGRAPHY (BOTTOM)

every arena into which he was entered,” says Sally. “He won the Inaugural Hunter Derby Finals in Toronto when he was just six years old, and later on in his life, he went down to the States. Tori Colvin showed him for us and enjoyed some spectacular success in the High Performance Hunters and derby rings.

Onyx was exactly what I wanted to produce for the amateur market—he is beautiful, has a wonderful temperament,

and he is very athletic. We presented him to both Canadian Breed registries and when he was licensed we used him for breeding with our imported Dutch mares.”

Instead of returning to Europe to purchase stallions for the next phase of her breeding program, Philippo used RiverCross Onyx for breeding. He produced beautiful, athletic offspring.

Onyx is now 17 years old, remains in

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COVER STORY

perfect shape, and happily competes in the Adult Amateur Hunters.

Today, RiverCross horses can be found all over North America, competing in all three rings with great success. From Canada to California, New York, and Florida, RiverCross horses all possess the ideal qualities held closely to their breeding philosophy.

A WIN-WIN FOR ALL

Patrick Lortie purchased one of Sally’s horses, RiverCross Extra, for his wife and two daughters in 2021. He says that the purchasing process with the Philippos is very thoughtful and purposeful.

“When you first speak with Sally, she looks to understand your needs, your riding environment, and so on. It’s not just a business transaction for her,” says Lortie.

“She wants to make sure that it’s a win-win for everyone, including the horse. Once we purchased Extra, we certainly felt like we were part of the RiverCross family. We connect with her on a regular basis, and we

to visit RiverCross Farm in Canada, and have taken many trips down to Wellington to spend time with the Philippos and their horses.

“RiverCross is a farm that is truly about the passion for horses. Along with the horse you purchase, you develop a relationship—Sally is just a great person, she just wants everyone to be happy,” says Poole. “If you want a horse that has a good background, and that has been loved and given the time to properly develop, RiverCross is the right place to look.

Her horses are beautiful, and just sweet horses. It’s such a dream for her that she appreciates the horses so much.”

OPTIMISM FOR THE FUTURE RiverCross Onyx was influential in the program’s early years, and the Philippos have gone on to breed and develop two new stallions for the current phase of their breeding program.

RiverCoss Cri de Coeur is a beautiful jumper stallion out of a wonderful home-

“We are very proud of the horses that are currently available and have achieved success in the show ring. We will wait patiently for the ideal situations for them, and we know they will make their future owners happy.” appreciate her very much. She has built an extremely nice environment for the horses— she’s very invested in what she does.

“We are very proud of the horses that are currently available and have achieved success in the show ring. We will wait patiently for the ideal situations for them, and we know they will make their future owners happy,” Sally says, adding that she is always available and delighted to speak to those who are interested to know more about her horses. It’s important to her to have excellent relations with her clients and their trusted trainers.

The sale of RiverCross Nobility brought the Philippos an unexpected friendship with Lisa Poole and her daughter Audrey.

Over the years, the Pooles have traveled from their home in Northern California

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bred Numero Uno mare, RiverCross First Take. “It is well known how important the dam line is behind a breeding stallion, and it is heartening and encouraging that First Take continues to demonstrate her quality and has been consistently performing with multiple wins with a junior rider in the jumper ring,” says Sally. Behind Cri de Coeur on his sire’s side (Coeur de Lion) are Mr. Blue, Concorde, and Voltaire, gathering together bloodlines known for their outstanding suitability for amateur riders.

For the hunter ring, the Philippos are developing a young stallion with Ampere, Krack C, and Flemmingh on his sire’s side, out of an imported Cardento, Lux mare (Bieni) who won everything in the breed ring as a three-year-old and came from a famous small breeder in Holland, Henk

Van Gils. Bieni won the coveted Gerd van der Veen award from the KWPN NA when presented to the respected KWPN North American Breed association.

A most recent exciting development: In 2021, the Philippos brought into their exclusive program two new injections of blood. A beautiful Dutch bred Welsh pony stallion, Macario, with a delightful character to match his compelling talent, has now covered three homebred pony mares for the Spring of 2022. From Belgium, specifically Sandra and Thierry Hendrix’s Second Life Z program, the program imported what they hope will be an outstanding colt and stallion prospect for the future, sired by an admired stallion from one of the best breeding programs in Belgium. Kassander van’t Roosakker Z, has a temperament and technique over fences that the Philippos deeply admire and the couple are delighted to bring him to North America. Sally also expects Kreator Second Life Z to influence the program at RiverCross farm for the future.

His dam has produced two approved stallions in Europe and the silver medalist for the seven-year-old jumpers at the World Championships.

RiverCross Farm has created a special project that reflects a true passion for horses. The Philippos hope that with their horses, they can continue to spread their love for the sport and remind riders why they began riding in the first place. A lovely element is the thread through generations, as their 12-year old-granddaughter, Chelsey, has inherited the passion and is as dedicated as any young girl can be, just like Sally herself at this age back in the 1960s.

“I never want to take for granted, for one minute, the abundant blessing of all these beautiful horses and ponies that have come into my life since this breeding program began,” she says.

“What gives me most joy, truly, is to watch a thriving partnership created between a horse that was born on our farm, and its rider. We never want to lose the reason why we all started in this field of endeavour. May the deep connection with these beautiful creatures remain the essence of our industry.”

To learn more about RiverCross farm, visit www.rivercrossfarm.com

Sally with hunter stallion RiverCross Restoration

PHOTO: TOM VON KAPHERR

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PHOTO GALLERY

Desert Holiday II Major League Show Jumping THERMAL, CALIFORNIA • DECEMBER 7-12, 2021

1 2

3 4

1 Coronado and Nayel Nassar • 2 Benny’s Legacy and Adrienne Sternlicht • 3 For Gold and Alec Lawler 4 Wellington Grey Goose and Rowan Willis • 5 Goodbye and Bliss Heers • 6 Cocolina and Natalie Dean • 7 Imerald Van’t Voorhof and Paul O’Shea • 8 Bull Run’s Prince of Peace and Kristen Vanderveen • 9 Ariso and Jordan Coyle PHOTOS:

LINDSEY LONG PHOTOGRAPHY

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5

6

7

8

9

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RIDERS

We all make mistakes.

But horse people, as a group, aren’t always the best at handling them. So TPH reached out to some top riders to share their own show ring bloopers to prove, once and for all, that mistakes really do happen to the best of us!

BY

RENNIE DYBALL

Hear more It Happens moments on the #Plaidcast at theplaidhorse.com/listen

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ABBY BLANKENSHIP

ERYNN BALLARD

I had a funny moment at Capital Challenge with a kid who was doing her equitation horse in the Junior Hunters, just for practice before Harrisburg.

The horse is such a goodnatured guy. He was a little up in the schooling area…I said, ‘Well, you’ll be fine, it’s not like he’s going to buck or do anything like that. He’ll just be quick.’

Sure enough, she goes in the ring and the announcer flicked on his speaker to announce her, and the horse bucked and scooted. She looked straight at me at the in gate and I just shrugged my shoulders like, famous last words! I’m sorry!

It’s a humbling sport.

There are so many ‘it happens moments.’ Learn from it or laugh about it.”

Most recently I got the opportunity to go to [the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping in] Geneva, which was a very cool experience. We’re sitting in the lounge waiting for the first class to go and I think, ‘Wow, they haven’t opened the course walk yet, that’s so strange. I mean, the class starts in three minutes!’

Yeah…I missed the course walk. Flew all the way there and I completely missed the course walk for my first class. I’m typically prepared— I’ve got my helmet on, I’ve got my gloves on, I’ve got my backpack with me, I’ve learned the jump off, I know everything. I didn’t have to worry about riding the horse that morning, I didn’t have to worry about teaching, I didn’t have to worry about getting a hunter quiet. All I had to worry about was myself, and I missed the course walk!”

STACIA KLEIN MADDEN

MELANIE SMITH TAYLOR

I remember watching Beezie [Madden] when she was competing in a Nations Cup where your score counts for the team. She was in a position where she had to go clear, and her stirrup leather broke. And while on course, she just reached down between some jumps—the stirrup was down banging by the horse’s knees—pulled the leather out, tossed it to the ground, got her reins back together, continued the course, and finished up with the clear round that they needed.

If you keep your eye on the ball and you stay focused, you can really fix some problems along the way…‘It happens’ at every level.”

I remember years ago when we first started showing in the Grand Prix, nobody had water jumps at home to practice, so the only time you would have this big water jump was in the Grand Prix for the most part.

I had several horses, one in particular that didn’t like to jump water. Many times, he would stop at the water and I would go over his head into the water. When I would come in the ring, the people who judge the water jump would pull out their towel and a bar of soap because they knew when I came around I was going possibly to need both.

It became a joke: When Melanie came in the ring, get out the towel and the bar of soap! On Sunday mornings, I would wear my same white pants that had sort of a blue tint to them because they had landed in the water jump so many times.

It became quite a thing.”

PHOTOS: BRITTANY OLIVER PHOTOGRAPHY (MADDEN); TISH QUIRK

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INITIATIVE

THE EQUESTRIANS OF COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT

LUNA GUO

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MAYA NAKANO

The Plaid Horse is proud to introduce some of the photo project’s featured equestrians to our readers in each issue

I

IN 2020, a group of photographers

came together to create the Equestrians of Color Photography Project, a weekly blog that promotes inclusion and amplifies the voices of equestrians of color ready to openly share their story with the community.

Learn more at equestriansofcolor.com.

ALEX TRAVIS

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INITIATIVE

THE EQUESTRIAN

LUNA GUO THE PHOTOGRAPHER

LEAH LEWIS

LEARN MORE equestriansofcolor.com/ luna-guo

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How do you describe yourself as an equestrian?

Redefined. What I mean by that is it took me so long to find and fit myself into the definition of an “equestrian.”

Let me take you on a brief journey. I met a horse for the first time when I was 4 years old, watching the mounted police ride through the streets of Ottawa, Canada. I was bright eyed, bushy tailed, and blissfully unaware of the prejudices and limitations in the world around me. I immediately declared I wanted to be a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (a “Mountie”) when I grew up, thinking it was the only way I could ride a horse. When, at the age of 12, I discovered you could take riding lessons, I never begged harder for anything in my life from my overprotective parents.

“Just for the summer,” they said.

Famous last words. I continued riding and competing in the hunter/ jumper world–scrappily–on and off for many years between school and work, somehow continuing to keep a pipe dream of going to the Olympics alive. But of course, how could I when I didn’t have the connections, the horses, or the financial means?

Years of moving around and plenty of instructors later, I felt defeated by the sport and nearly lost the passion I always had. Everyone had different opinions on how to ride and manage a horse, and nothing seemed to fit.

I needed to create a space to find my own style. So instead, I tried something new and decided to do purely leases and share boards. To my surprise, I apparently had the tools in my arsenal all along. But it showed up in a different form: By centering on the horse-human connection. That’s when the embers re-emerged. Equestrianism isn’t about a sport to me; it’s about the deep connection between two individuals and the amazing things that they can accomplish together.

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INITIATIVE

THE EQUESTRIAN

MAYA NAKANO THE PHOTOGRAPHER

JESSICA SANDERS PHOTOGRAPHY LEARN MORE equestriansofcolor.com/ maya-nakano

How has your culture influenced your equestrian lifestyle?

I love sharing my equestrian life with my Japanese friends and family who are not familiar with horses. Most of them have never ridden or even touched a horse before. Just the fact that I am around horses so much surprises my friends who probably are wondering if I actually have a real job. When I share the stories and photos of my riding experiences, most are in awe of the beauty of horses. My grandmother, who lives in Japan, tells me that she enjoys seeing these beautiful American scenes through my eyes and feels as if she is riding with me. I also love introducing [them to] the discipline

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of eventing, which most Japanese don’t even know exists and is also an Olympic sport.

The equestrian world has opened a new door to meeting people whom I would not have met if it were not for the shared passion for horses. I would never have met the daredevils who have no fear on horseback but who are also the kindest people I have ever met, or the young riders who are half my age but their dedication for horses is impeccable, or the mothers my age who somehow manage to care for their horses and their actual human babies all while maintaining a professional career!

What challenges have you faced as an equestrian of color?

Learning to ride, I never had a role model with a similar background as me and sometimes it felt like I was out of place at the barn or the show-

grounds. I was lucky to be surrounded by very supportive trainers and friends most of the time, but I did meet a few that seemed to not take me seriously as an equestrian because I did not fit the typical definition of an equestrian. From a physical aspect, I have also found it challenging to find riding gear that fits my body shape. Most helmets on the market simply do not fit my Asian round head and breeches and boots are designed for people with much longer legs than mine. I believe, however, that the equestrian world is heading in the right direction and working to be more inclusive. I do see more young Asian riders competing at shows and I have seen Asian models in equestrian magazines. I hope that the future generation of riders can embrace their background but still feel perfectly at home in the equestrian world.

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INITIATIVE

SHARE YOUR STORY If you are an equestrian of color (16 years or older) interested in sharing your story through The Equestrians of Color Photography Project, you can connect with a local photographer ally via the project website equestriansofcolor.com.

THE EQUESTRIAN

ALEX TRAVIS What do you enjoy about being an equestrian of color?

I enjoy improving the lives of horses and their relationships with humans through my cultural teachings. When I have had really grateful clients and positive feedback I always take that as an opportunity to educate people on indigenous issues in this country (and others). Unfortunately, the history of native relations in the United States is less than palatable and I feel that it is important to acknowledge and correct these wrongdoings if we are to move forward past them.

When people are elated that I’m able to help them with their horses, I tell them that until as recently as 1978, my methods

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

FOX TROT PHOTOGRAPHY

and horsemanship were illegal and nearly wiped away from existence by genocide. I use my horsemanship as a means of advocating for my culture, my people, and our rights in this country, and that is truly a gift.

What is your happiest or proudest moment as an equestrian?

I am happiest or most proud when I go to the five-acre turnout to get my horse, bridle in hand, and he comes right to me. Or when it is time to come in from turnout, they both go right into their pen with no fuss. I think that says a lot about our relationship. Most recently, we had an incident where both of my horses were chased

LEARN MORE equestriansofcolor.com/ alex-travis

through a barbed wire fence by a dog. They were both cut up and had been bitten pretty badly. After they had escaped the dog, they stayed nearby my property line and when I went outside and called to my gelding, he and my mare came straight to me. I put a board over the barbed wire and led them both across. Even though they were both distraught and wounded, they trusted me in that moment to lead them back to safety without a halter or lead rope and to doctor their wounds. The bottom line was that they trusted me to be their leader and protector and that I had built that relationship with them by myself without any help, harsh tools, or bribery.

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

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PHOTO GALLERY

Desert International Horse Show Sunshine Series THERMAL, CA • OCTOBER 2021 PHOTOS:

SARA SHIER PHOTOGRAPHY

90 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

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PROS

Lindsey Smith OWNER & TRAINER AT STILL POINT FARM IN GRANGER, TX

I love teaching riders because every student is unique. No two people think, learn, move, or ride exactly alike. That is what makes my job uniquely challenging and rewarding— learning how to work with and get the most out of so many vastly different people. • I love training horses because they are honest. When they enjoy something, they let you know.

When they dislike something, they let you know. And when they fully trust you and give you their whole heart, that is the purest, truest, and most humbling gift I have ever received. • I’d be lost without expo markers in my tack trunk (I love my whiteboards in the tack room—we have three) and a hoof pick in my ring bag. • As a horsewoman, I am most proud of our resilience. • Horse people are some of the strongest, most hard-working, tough-as-nails people on earth and I’m so proud to be a part of it all.

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As a horsewoman, I work to improve on always listening to the horse.

Tuning out my own expectations, doubts, and fears, and truly, genuinely listening to the horse. • The most rewarding part of my job is connecting with the horses, and riders, and bringing out the best in them. • My favorite horse books are Geoff Teall’s On Riding Hunters, Jumpers, and Equitation, Anne Kursinski’s Riding and Jumping Clinic, and Reflections on Riding and Jumping by William Steinkraus MY BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR RIDERS IS:

Leave your ego, expectations, crappy day at work, stress, and drama on the trees outside of the arena.

You can pick them up on your way out, but they have no place inside the ring, no place inside your ride.

MY MOTTO IS:

“You rush a miracle ... you get rot ten

miracles.” For a

On Mondays, you’ll find me running errands and spending time with my son. • I sometimes wish I had the time to learn how to repair farm equipment. If it has a motor, find someone else. • I’m afraid of spiders. • The horse people I most respect and strive to learn from are Beezie Madden, Meredith MichaelsBeerbaum, Kent Farrington, McLain Ward. • Something I say ten times a day is, “One more time.”

PHOTOS: SGL PHOTO (TOP); JERRY MOHME PHOTOGRAPHY

prey animal to

allow a predator on its back, and

then to trust that

predator with its

own legs more than

it trusts itself . . .

that is a miracle.

February 2022 THE PLAID HORSE

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PHOTO GALLERY

Desert Holiday II THERMAL, CA DECEMBER 7-12, 2021 PHOTOS:

SARA SHIER PHOTOGRAPHY

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“The book impressed me so much that The Plaid Horse wanted to be a part of its new life with a new printing in order to get it into as many equestrians’ hands as possible. Geoff ’s work remains as strong and relevant as ever.

As much as things have changed in our sport, so much about riding hunters, jumpers, and equitation has not.

‘Classic’ still wins in the show ring.”

BELLBOTTOM BELLBOTTOM FARM FARM Neponset, Illinois

Home of the Mini Gypsy

NOTE TO THE READER BY PIPER KLEMM, PHD

Breeding & Sales, all colors 2022 Foals Available!

Please contact Melanie Block at (309) 540-0181

Get your copy at theplaidhorse.com/teall

SPOTLIGHT

SMART EARTH CAMELINA OIL Improving a Host of Equine Issues WORDS:

ANNIE BIRMINGHAM

98 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

SMART E ARTH CAMELINA of

Saskatoon, Canada, is revolutionizing the way we supplement our horses.

The company, founded by Jack Grushcow, has been cultivating an innovative line of oilseed camelina since 2005. So what is camelina oil, and how can it help your horse?

Smart Earth’s camelina oil is derived from a one hundred percent pure non-GMO oilseed crop. The Camelina sativa plant dates back to prehistoric times in Europe, where it was a substantial component of the human diet. Though it is a relatively new crop in North America, it is quickly gaining traction in the equine industry for its high-yielding source of Omega fatty acids and natural Vitamin E, both of which have been proven to provide countless health benefits for horses.

PHOTOS: LINDSEY RAE SCHROEDER (LEFT), MONICA FEJES (FAR RIGHT)

PHOTOS: TKTKTKTTKTKKTKT

TESTIMONIAL “The results have been amazing and we truly believe in this product. Our clients are also putting their horses on the oil after seeing the results! We have an older gelding retired from a show career but arthritic who was getting monthly leg injections, but since starting the oil he moves better and is no longer needing costly injections. One client’s mare suffering from sweet itch is no longer rubbing and biting her body raw since starting the oil. All the horses’ coats glisten and the manes and tails grow quicker than they ever have before!”

—TRISH COWLAND, SPROUT MEADOWS ENTERPRISES LTD.

SPOTLIGHT

The omega 3 in camelina oil is called ALA and it is the only one deemed ‘essential’ for horses.

This means that it is a nutrient required for normal body functioning that can not be synthesized by the body, it must be provided in the diet. In the wild, horses get a rich amount of ALA through grazing on fresh grass but ALA is usually lacking in the typical domesticated diet. This deficiency can cause a host of issues including digestive trouble, allergy symptoms, mood disorders, joint discomfort, skin, coat, and hoof problems to name a few. While other oils will provide fat into the diet, most do not provide the essential type of omega 3 – ALA. In fact, many popular oils actually add to the existing inflammatory problem by providing the wrong types of omega fatty acids, which is pro-inflammatory.

Smart Earth Camelina offers an all-natural solution within their unique and carefullydeveloped production of a camelina oil supplement for horses. The oil, which is composed of approximately 38% ALA (omega 3) and 20% LA (omega 6), works as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant at the cellular level. It provides ALA and LA, the specific types of fatty acids that horses need and may be lacking, and is easy to feed as a top dressing. Horses love it! It comes in a simple oil form that can be added to the top of your horse’s grain for easy consumption.

Over the last 16 years, Smart Earth Camelina Oil has gained the backing of equine nutritionist Jenna

100 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

TESTIMONIAL “Casey was 350 pounds underweight with inflamed joints when we got him. He was riddled with worms, and covered in skin lesions and rain rot with visible open sores from a ploughing harness. The equipment he was forced to wear rubbed his skin raw and caused substantial soft tissue damage and secondary infections. The vet wasn’t confident he’d even recover.

Supplementing his feed with Smart Earth Camelina Oil had a substantial impact in bringing Casey back to health. It even helped alleviate his arthritic hocks and inflamed joints. Before long, Casey was noticeably moving better and his skin returned to good health, an amazing turnaround.”

—JENNIFER SEMACH, WALKABOUT FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING ASSOCIATION

Tranter, who holds a certificate in equine nutrition and feeding from the British Horse Society.

“In today’s horses,” says Tranter, “there aren’t many problems I have not seen, and Smart Earth Camelina Oil can fix a lot of them. I have seen it aid in allergic hyperactivity. I have seen it change horses’ moods and give us much more stable, calm animals to work with. I have seen it add weight. I have seen it fix dry skin and coats and I’ve seen it improve tail and mane quality on numerous horses.”

In comparison to other omega supplements available on the market, Smart Earth Camelina offers a safe, all-natural oil option, versus the more common chemically-extracted options such as soy oil frequently utilized by their competitors.

Soy oils are unbalanced in their ratios of omega oils and can actually be pro-inflammation.

By cold-pressing the Camelina seed in the production and extraction process, Smart Earth Camelina has created an option that is nonGMO and is even safe for human consumption.

Furthermore, Smart Earth Camelina Oil is safe for show and performance horses, and is a legal supplement for competitive organizations.

Smart Earth Camelina customers most frequently see results in their horses within two to eight weeks, and over five hundred five-star reviews note the countless positive effects. While the oil offers benefits for performance horses, it has also shown great results for hard-keepers and horses at all stages of life. From improved coat health to fewer allergic reactions, better moods, ulcer prevention, healthy weight gain, and decreased joint pain, Smart Earth Camelina Oil offers a simple solution to the problems caused by a lack of ALA and the wrong type of omegas dominating today’s horse diet.

To find out more about Smart Earth Camelina or to shop their products, visit their website at smartearthcamelina.ca.

PHOTO: KAREN LEBLANC (LEFT)

PHOTO GALLERY

Duhon Management Group at St. Louis LAKE ST. LOUIS, MO • DECEMBER 2021 2 1

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Riatadesigns.com

Sun Protection Made Beautiful

1 Tracy Taylor & Heaven’s Dance 2 Emily Goode and Swoop • 3 Ellie Prusaczyk and Just Kidding • 4 Lauren Taylor Award Recipient Maddie Tull, presented by Lauren Taylor & Mo Durhon • 5 Sophia Welniak and Lone Star • 6 Maddie & Oliver; Paula Mangiaracina (Trainer, East Lake Farm) and Vivianne & Big Daddy 7 Julie Martin & Esperanza PHOTOS:

ALLISON HARTWELL & DMG

The legends of our sport are all on the Plaidcast.

Are you listening?

TRACI BROOKS • CATIE STASZAK • STACIA MADDEN • LAURA KRAUT • PATRICIA GRIFFITH • JULIE WINKEL • SAMANTHA SCHAEFER • AUGUST IWASAKI • ROBIN NWOOD • MIMI GOCHMAN • ANNE KURINSK • MEGAN MCDERMOTT • GRACE DEBNEY • LINDA AN DRISANI • KAREN HEALEY • BLISS HEERS • MEGA MCCUTCHEON • DR. ANGIE YATES • LESLEY KAGEN • JENNIFER BURGER • BRANDI CYRUS • HANNAH ISOPURA WASSERMAN • DR. SELINA WATT • PAM COWAN • LETTIE TEAGUE • JENNIFER BAUERSACHS • MISSY CLARK • TRICIA BOOKER • STEPHANIE KALLSTROM • ZOSIA MAMET • AMY HASSINGER • TRACI K • STACIA MADDEN • LAURA KRAUT • PATRICIA GRIFFITH • JULIE WINKEL • AUGUST JAYNE • SAMANTHA SCHAEFER • ROBIN GREENWOOD • MIMI GOCHMAN • DIANE CARNEY • MOLLY ASHE • GRACE DEBNEY • LINDA ANDRISANI • KAREN HEALEY • BLISS HEERS • CARLEE MCCUTCHEON • DR. ANGIE YATES • ROBIN GREENWOOD • LESLEY KAGEN • J JENNIFER BURGER • BRANDI CYRUS • HANNAH ISOP • LAURA WASSERMAN • DR. SELINA WATT • LISA COWAN • MISSY CLARK • LETTIE TEAGUE • JENNIFER BAUERSACHS • TRICIA AUGUST IWASAKI • STEPHANIE KALLSTROM • GER • MEGAN MCDERMOTT • KERI KAMP ZOSIA MAMET • TRICIA BOOKER • SALLY IKE • SUSIE CAWLEY • MARGIE GOLDSTEIN-ENGLE • LAINIE WIMBERLY • LAUREN HOUGH • RACHEL KENNEDY • PAM BAKER • DIANE KAGEN • RACHEL KENNEDY • PEG SEALS WINKEL • SUSIE SCHOELKOPF • MAVIS SPENCER OTT • SYDNEY SHULMAN • LYNN JAYNE MAVIS SPENCER • LENDON GRAY • BRANDI HEERS • MOLLY ASHE-CAWLEY • LESLEY ES • VAL RENIHAN • ANNE KURSINSKI JENNIFER BAUERSACHS • KERI KAMPSEN Hosted by Piper Klemm, Ph.D., Tonya Johnston, M.A. and Friends

WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify

theplaidhorse.com/listen

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Give Back for Special Equestrians

The charitable event raised $40,000 for Whispering Manes therapeutic riding and featured a conversation with Horse Crazy author Sarah Maslin Nir

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MIAMI, FL • NOV. 17, 2021

Mini horses, violins, yachts and more. On the eve of Give Miami Day on Nov. 17, at one of the oldest yacht clubs in the Southeast, the horse crazy community in South Florida giddied up to raise more than $40k for therapeutic horseback riding and equine assisted scholarships for children and veterans with disabilities.

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1 Sarah Maslin Nir & Sissy Demaria Koehne • 2 Kevin Diemar & Garrett Grossberg • 3 Sissy Demaria Koehne, Gunther Koehne, Lisa Mendelson & Victor Mendelson • 4 Nancy Batchelor, Carlotta Goyeneche, Munisha, Doris Neyra & Motaz Ashri • 5 Early Powell, Christy Powell & Nancy Hector 6 Heather Kuhl, X, Nancy Hector, Sarah Maslin Nir, Sandra Fiorenza, Sissy Demaria Koehne, Nancy Batchelor PHOTOS:

104 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

CHRIS CARTER

13.2 hh | 2002 Section B Welsh Stallion

RPSI & Canadian Sport Pony Approved

Stud Fee: $650 LC/AI Live Foal Guarantee

Flying Diamond Gypsy Prince LOM

KENFEL FIRE HAWK / MARDAN GYPSY ROSE

BOOK EXCERPT

A MAN WALKS INTO A BARN Navigating Fatherhood in the Flawed and Fascinating World of Horses

BY CHAD OLDFATHER (JANUARY 2022) Reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books

THERE COMES A MOMENT, for each of us, when things are

as good as they’ll ever get. That’s probably true in an all-in, single-best-moment-of-your-life sense, although that may be hard to pin down. It’s definitely true when it comes to athletic competition. I have long since run the fastest 800 meters of my life. And while the marathon I ran at forty-three was faster than the one I ran a decade earlier, the pace of my longer runs these days suggests to me that I’ve hit the downward slope, and that my personal bests are fixed entities.

For better or worse we don’t know we’re in those moments when we live them. When I crossed the finish line my fastest races were only my fastest races so far. I ran that 800 about halfway through my senior season in high school and had every reason to expect faster ones to come. The forty-three-year-old who ran faster than the thirty-something had no reason to believe that he couldn’t, and therefore wouldn’t, train just a little bit harder and turn in a stronger effort the following year. And to be honest I’m still not quite ready to concede that my best effort is in the past. I write this in my early fifties, which somehow to my mind is younger than my late thirties. And while I know that I’ll never again be as fast over a short distance as I was at eighteen, I can’t shake the sense that if I were to train hard, to be systematic about it for once, I just might be able to beat my best marathon time. The mind doesn’t want

106 THE PLAID HORSE February 2022

to let go. I recently read an article about a running coach who mentioned having a client several years older than me who is attempting to top the fastest mile he ran as a high school track athlete. Whether he succeeds or not is less important than the fact that he might. Not knowing isn’t all of what keeps us going, but the possibility of improvement, the idea that there’s still a little magic left, provides another reason to get out of bed, a nice incentive to keep moving forward on days when it would be easier just to rest.

It’s similar with writing. One of these times I just might put the right words in exactly the right order, and then everyone will take notice. One of these times. You never know until you try.

One of the blessings of equestrian life is that it’s more like distance running than track and field when it comes to knowing whether you’ve reached your peak. I ran my last 800-meter race as a senior in high

school, toward the end of a six-month period in which I also played my last football game, wrestled my last match, and played my last baseball game. I walked away from each of those knowing I was done. The closest I’ve come to competing in the same way since is by being a part of several slow-pitch softball teams. Future athletic competition for me, if there was to be any, would have to come in some other way. It’s not the same in the equestrian world. It’s not unusual to have Olympians in their fifties, and I know riders in their sixties who regularly compete successfully against riders less than half their age. A rider’s peak is not so clearly confined to the early part of life, and the fact that the sport depends so much on an accumulated sense of feel rather than simply pure

PHOTOS: COURTESY TRAFALGAR SQUARE BOOKS AND CHAD OLDFATHER

“It was like that in lessons, too. Raise the jumps, make the turns tighter, it didn’t much matter.

They would do whatever they were asked, and they would do it well.

The partnership had advanced and solidified.

It was a joy to watch.” physical ability makes it likely that any given rider’s best years come well into adulthood, at least if she remains dedicated to the sport.

Ada’s best rides, then, remain in the future. But for Ada and Cash as a team the best rides may have come at their third show on the “A”-circuit. It was week one of a show called Spring Spectacular, held at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. Lamplight is a truly beautiful facility, short on parking but not on trees. Most everything takes place against a nice backdrop, and the layout of the facility makes sense. At least once you get to know it.

The show did not start off well.

We had not been to Lamplight before and had no feel for the grounds. Due

to a miscommunication, we were still at the barn when Ada’s first class was starting. This presented two immediate problems. The first was that the barn, which in reality was a large tent with temporary stabling, was about as far from the ring as it was possible to be while still being on the showgrounds.

The second was that we had no idea where the ring was. Our instructions were to follow a path until it ended.

That, we were assured, would lead us straight to the ring. I jogged alongside as Ada and Cash trotted. We followed the path. But what nobody had accounted for was that there was a fork in the path. The left fork traveled alongside the Grand Prix ring. The right fork looked, or at least it did in the moment, more path-like, and since our instructions were to follow the path to the end, that was the fork we took. And for perhaps fifty yards or more that route had the feel of a nice horse show path, lined with trees on both sides and edged by a block wall. But then the vibe started to change and there was an abrupt transition. We found ourselves making our way through an area filled with equipment, clusters of jump standards, and piles of poles. We kept going, though, even as our surroundings seemed less and less like where we were supposed to be. We traveled through a parking lot on the backside of what we didn’t yet know was the show office, along a short path next to a house, and suddenly—to the great surprise of all the people who were looking for us to come from a completely different direction—emerged exactly where we were supposed to be. (I’ve since walked the route again, and can only conclude that it was pure luck that brought us to the right place. But that was where the luck ended.)

It was a flat class, and all the other riders were already in the ring. There was no time for a warm-up, no time for Ada to collect her thoughts, no time to wipe off the dirt that was surely on her boots. She went in, the gate closed, and the announcer informed the riders that they were now being judged.

Not surprisingly, that class didn’t go so well. (continued on next page)

BOOK EXCERPT

But things came together quickly after that. The highlight came when Ada and Cash won two of their three medal classes and placed second in the third. But it’s not the ribbons that stand out in my memory. Instead, it was their confidence.

I recall standing near the in-gate, which just a day before we had rushed to find, listening to Ada conferring with Serah before her rides. So often those conversations between a trainer and rider involve reviewing the course, together with a healthy portion of “remember the basics,” “stay calm,” “breathe,” and the like. It’s an exercise in calming nerves. That’s often valuable, but here it was unnecessary.

The basics would happen. That was understood. They were beyond that.

There are times when you’re “in the zone,” where you know, with as much certainty as one can know anything, that it’s going to be good, and the only question is how good. It’s happened to me enough—sometimes in athletic competition, but mostly in professional contexts—to be able to recognize it. And that’s where they were. Any nervous energy was the productive kind. The conversation was not just about how to do it, but how to do it with the most style.

An attentive bystander who knew nothing about the horse or rider beyond having heard these conversations would know to watch for a strong ride. They knew they would do well, and they did.

It was like that in lessons, too. Raise the jumps, make the turns tighter, it didn’t much matter. They would do whatever they were asked, and they would do it well. The partnership had advanced and solidified. It was a joy to watch.

But for as good a team as they were, the situation created a problem. It’s natural to want to pull for the underdog.

And it’s easy to imagine that the storybook ending can be your ending, that maybe, just maybe, there’s room for a horse plucked from obscurity—for your horse plucked from obscurity—to shine on the big stage. I’m sure Ada and Cash never left the ring after any class thinking they’d just been as good as they were ever going to be together. But it nonetheless seemed clear that they were nearing their limits. In important ways the dreams were all starting to seem possible. Riding

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR CHAD OLDFATHER has ridden horses just enough times to appreciate how difficult it is to do well. He has also mucked stalls, cleaned tack, stacked hay, helped fix fences, and logged hundreds of hours ringside as his daughters have taken lessons and ridden in shows. By day he is a professor at Marquette University Law School where, among other things, he teaches classes on and writes about judicial behavior, constitutional law, and the jurisprudence of sport, and serves on the Board of Advisors to the National Sports Law Institute. His non-legal writings have appeared in the Chronicle of the Horse, the World Equestrian Center Magazine, and Harvard Magazine.

A Man Walks into a Barn is published by Trafalgar Square Books. HorseandRiderBooks.com.

in a show at the Kentucky Horse Park had become a reality, which made it seem that adding just a few words, so that the phrase was “riding at the Kentucky Horse Park in the Maclay Finals,” might be possible as well. If one could happen, why not the other?

The problem, of course, was that Cash simply didn’t fit the bill. One could say, and I would guess that the words probably crossed my lips on one or more occasions, that he wasn’t a nice enough horse. But that, I now think, is to bring an unwarranted snobbishness into the picture. He wasn’t the right sort of horse, where what

counts as the right sort is, to a degree, a product of fashion. A rider might once have been competitive at a national level on a Thoroughbred or even an Appendix Quarter Horse. But hunter/jumper shows are the domain of Warmbloods now. Cash didn’t fit the picture. A gatecrasher might get into the dance, but only in movies will he win any prizes. The dreams would require a different horse. Our budget, comparatively speaking, was not large.

But you do what you can do as a parent, and we would support this next step. We gave the okay for Serah to start a search for a new horse.

he

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Pick up a book & READ! Rider Keira Lancelle Bates reads SHOW STRIDES, BOOK 1: School Horses & Show Ponies.

Read all three!

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“CLEARLY WRITTEN BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW HORSES!” “My 10-year-old daughter started reading this series over the summer and hasn’t put it down. She is able to identify with a lot of the characters in the books and is excited for the 3rd book of the series to be available.”

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PHOTO: KRISTINE LANCELLE

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HORSE SHOWS

Select Champions RAINIER SHOW SERIES Bremerton, WA DECEMBER 3-5, 2021 Cross Rail Hunter Division

Cheeto & Harriet Arney 2'6" Division

THOROUGHBRED HOLIDAY CLASSIC HORSE SHOW AT LOS ANGELES EQUESTRIAN CENTER Burbank, California

2021 ESP HOLIDAY FINALE Wellington, Florida

DECEMBER 4-5, 2021

1.25 m Open Jumper (Tie)

DECEMBER 28, 2021 JANUARY 2, 2022

Luck Be a Lady & Aisling Cuchna

0.60 m Open Jumpers

Winter’s Tale & Arthur Sargsyan

Evabellie RW & Jacob Pope Versace & Jacob Pope

1.0 m Division

Jr/Am 2' Hunters

1.30 m Open Jumper

HSH Explosion & Lizzie Hoff

Crimson & Anitha Ahmed

Indira & Abby Funk

0.80 m Division

0.90 m Open Jumpers

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Orion Farm Wishes...

Olympic Gold Medalist Chloe Kim Is Known for the Halfpipe—But She’s a Horse Lover, Too WORDS: TYLER

BUI

Best of Luck

to all competitions at WEF

THE WORLD KNOWS CHLOE KIM

as a snowboarder, best known for her epic performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, where she was crowned the youngest Olympic halfpipe gold medalist at just 17 years old.

But her passions extend beyond the slopes. In 2019, Kim broke her right ankle, forcing her to take nearly two years off from competition.

During her recovery, she took advantage of her free time and embraced some other interests—including horses.

According to The New York Times, Kim began riding horses as a young child. Today, she enjoys spending time at the stables and getting in the saddle whenever she can. During her interview with The New York Times, Kim took a trip to a stable in Palos Verdes Estates, where she rode a chestnut horse named Levi.

“I’d like to purchase a ranch— have chickens, little pigs…I love pigs.

PHOTO: TEAM USA

Oh, and I love donkeys. Maybe some exotic animals too. Like Parrots,” Kim told the outlet.

A Korean-American and South California native, Kim picked up snowboarding at the age of four and by age six was already competing.

She then trained in Switzerland for the next two years before returning to California, where she resides today. Kim rose to fame at age 14 during the 2015 X Games, becoming the youngest athlete to win a gold medal there, before repeating the honor at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

In addition to horseback riding during her time away from snowboarding, Kim also enrolled at Princeton University, and launched a media and commerce company called Togethxr.

Kim returned to the halfpipe in January 2021, winning the Laax Open in Switzerland, and is currently training for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

LINDA EVANS • K I M FERRO 413-530-9685 • orionpny@aol.com Massachusetts • Wellington, Florida