MAVIS

MAVIS SPENCER IS EARNING HER SUCCESS IN THE HORSE WORLD.

BY SARAH LESSLER

I WOULD BE LYING if I said I didn’t spend an excessive amount of time scrolling through social media admiring the world’s most impressive horses and riders. I watch in awe, sometimes in envy, and other times as an eager student. It was different when equestrian Mavis Spencer popped up on my Instagram page.

Iremember thinking, she seems so real, so honest, and refreshingly animated. I quickly became enamored with her openness and willingness to share not only her successes and most exciting moments, but also her challenges. I was drawn to her posts that conveyed an unshakable commitment to horsemanship and selfless expressions of gratitude toward everyone in this industry. It was refreshing. Never would I have imagined that my time scrolling through Mavis’s posts would turn out to be such a worthwhile endeavor.

In an editorial brainstorming session, the magazine asked who I thought would be a compelling rider to feature. Mavis immediately came to mind. Fueled by my enthusiasm, I quickly arranged an interview and photoshoot with Mavis. Before I knew it, I headed to Wellington, Florida, with the EQLiving crew to meet her. The experience exceeded my expectations. In person, Mavis was as beautiful as she was kind, humble, and transparent. Even after a busy three weeks of competition at Wellington International, she arrived relaxed and eager to share.

Where It Started

Known and admired for her hard work and dedication, Mavis earned her way through the sport. In her early years of riding with Dick Carvin and Susie Schroer at Meadow Grove Farm in California, her passion for riding and developing her skills was unwavering. Always encouraged to work her hardest by her parents, actress Alfre Woodard and screenwriter and producer Roderick Spencer, Mavis spent countless hours at the barn riding, doing barn chores, horse care, and absorbing everything she could. Mavis reminisced about one of her “heart horses,” Winia. At 13 years old, Mavis imported the 6-year-old Belgian Warmblood, who had never shown before. Mavis worked and partnered tirelessly with Winia, who ultimately took Mavis through her junior-jumper career and up through Grand Prix and Prix de States levels. “She was one of the best horses I have ever ridden,” Mavis remarked.

Determined to learn from the best in a quest for excellence, 16-year-old Mavis packed her bags and flew to Europe for the summer to intern with renowned horse and rider developer Neil Jones. Guided by her parents’ mantra, “If you work hard, it creates opportunity. And the harder you work, the luckier you get,” Mavis continued her mission to succeed with pinpoint vision.

The emotional support of her family held firm even with choosing the equestrian industry over the Ivy League university track. Still, she had to make it work financially on her own. She began as a working student with world-class show jumper Kent Farrington. Focused on returning to Europe, she recognized that grooming might be the best way to get her there. For two years she worked for Darragh Kenny and later accepted a position grooming for Neil Jones. Mavis typically mucked stalls, tacked up horses, and held horses at in-gates of grand-prix rings, always with a smile on her face. Mavis admits, “I was very happy grooming. Honestly, I really enjoyed it.” All these opportunities helped Mavis get to where she is today, but not without grit and perseverance. She asserts that aspiring riders must work their way up in the industry and be open to a variety of opportunities. “Loyalty is rewarded in this sport,” Mavis notes. “It is rarer than people appreciate.”

An Unexpected Shift

While grooming and managing Italian show jumper Lorenzo de Luca’s horses, his unfortunate injury led to an unexpected shift in Mavis’s career. He handed her the reins of multiple top grandprix horses to ride and show. It was the push Mavis didn’t even realize she needed to get back in the saddle. Originally, her success was measured by getting horses sold rather than producing results in the ring. “At first, I told Neil that I never wanted to jump above a 1.40 meter, and he sort of laughed at me,” she says. Within a short period, Mavis found herself jumping at top international and FEllevel grand-prix events. Currently, Mavis rides for Georgy Maskrey-Segesman of Whitethorne LLC out of Somis, California. Together they develop a top string of grand-prix and sales horses.

HOW IT’S GOING

In a recent string of successes, Mavis has earned top placings at many of the major shows in the world aboard Georgy Maskrey-Segesman’s Con

Calle and Carissimo 25. In April of 2022, at the Galway Downs FEI Grand Prix in California, Mavis secured a first-place finish on Carissimo 25 and rode to a third-place finish on Con Calle. Continuing her streak of successes, Mavis captured a second-place finish in the Devon Speed Derby in June 2022. At the Andalucia Sunshine Tour in Spain in October of 2022, Mavis placed third in the CSIO3* Grand Prix on Carissimo 25, first in the 1.45-meter Grand Prix on Carayuno and debuted on her first U.S. Nations Cup jumping team, helping her team earn second place. Off to a great start in 2023, Mavis has finished in the top five in many 3* grandprix events on the West Coast, was chosen to represent the United States in the CSIO4* Wellington Nations Cup, and captured a top-ten finish in the Lugano Diamond

5* Grand Prix at Wellington International on Carissimo 25.

Mavis admits she doesn’t jump much to keep her horses in peak shape for high-level competition while home with Georgy Maskrey-Segesman at Whitethorne Ranch. “Jumping is an extension of your flat work, fundamentals ingrained in me as a junior rider,” she adds. Instead, Mavis uses ground