Ringside The Great Equalizer Whether we’re royalty or regular folks, we’re all equal in the eyes of our horses
utterly. She was so excited, I thought she was going to have a stroke or get us kicked out of Beval’s, or both. I finally looked up and, sure enough, there was Jackie O., looking exactly as she did in the magazines and on TV, outsized sunglasses and all. I had more or less the same reaction that I’d had to my close encounter with Prince Philip—Gee, it’s a kick to see these famous horse lovers just doing their thing with the rest of us horse people—while Mom, being of the generation that could tell you exactly where they were when President John F. Kennedy was shot, said later that seeing Onassis in the flesh was overwhelming, a blinding history-before-your-very-eyes moment. It’s an inescapable fact that horses are expensive, and so it follows that the equestrian world attracts more than a fair share of the wealthy and privileged. But the horses, of course, don’t know and don’t care whether their humans are rich, famous, or titled. Regardless of whether you are a captain of industry or the nobility, if you can’t ride well, you’ll look just as inexpert
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as any other struggling equestrian, albeit perhaps in nattier attire. That’s the wonderful thing about horses: They are the great leveler. Not only are they just as likely to misbehave or to fall on the forehand with royalty aboard as with anyone else; they also serve to unite anyone who shares a love for them. A passion for horses can break the ice and evaporate socioeconomic differences. (I like to imagine that Queen Elizabeth II would enjoy chatting with me about horses more than making receiving-line small talk about things like hats and the weather.) Prince Philip wasn’t one of us, yet he was one of us. At his passing, which we memorialize on page 15, we mourn the loss of a horseman who did much to advance the sport. And we marvel at our equine partners’ ability to strip away social distinctions and to illuminate what really matters: our common passion for horses.
Jennifer O. Bryant, Editor @JenniferOBryant
MICHAEL BRYANT
I
met HRH Prince Philip at the 1994 FEI World Pairs Driving Championships in Gladstone, New Jersey. Well, not exactly. What actually happened was that, tramping enthusiastically around the marathon course at our first time attending a combined-driving competition, my mom and I paused to watch a few pairs navigate one of the obstacles. Standing not far from us, and seemingly all by himself, was Prince Philip, looking like everybody else with his outdoorsy attire and his wellies or some other sort of sensible footwear. I may have smiled and nodded timidly; I don’t recall. I do remember thinking that it was pretty cool to encounter royalty out there in a field in New Jersey, just enjoying horses and horse sport without any fanfare. On another occasion, when Mom and I were in the Gladstone area for some equestrian event, we stopped at the venerable nearby Beval Saddlery. I was soon absorbed in the rows of fragrant leather goods and equine paraphernalia while Mom casually browsed. That’s why she was the first to spot the notable fellow tack-shopper while I remained oblivious—that is, until Mom began whispering my name from the other side of the display rack. “It’s Jackie Onassis! It’s Jackie Onassis!” Mom hissed, her attempts to keep her voice quiet failing
