FEBRUARY 2024 • THE STALLION ISSUE NORTH AMERICA’S HORSE SHOW MAGAZINE Published Since 2003
COVER STORY
Sired by the California-based
JAGUAR VAN PAEMEL,
Otis Blue shines with Shane Sweetnam ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
More Than 75 North American Sport Horse Stallions
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FEBRUARY 2024
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The Stallion Issue
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
SPOTLIGHT
BOOK EXCERPT
Balance
Jump: A Sweet Romance
18
Talia Radabaugh Insurance’s Personalized Approach
SPOTLIGHT
Last Laugh Farm: Wholesome, Passionate Breeding Program
60 COVER
Geri Bidwell’s Jaguar Van Paemel: Good Horsemanship Brings Him to His California Home
30 SPOTLIGHT
RiverCross Farm: Sally Harrington Philippo on Thoughtfully Raising Homebreds
36 SPOTLIGHT
Colorado Hunter Jumper Association: Fostering Community
66 VOICES
“You Can Always Be a Horse Person” Contemplating Quitting, Loss, and Community
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42 CS14*-W Royal Horse Show
HITS OCALA HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Tim Maddrix and Legend
THE PLAID HORSE
Plaidcast Production
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90 RIDERS
The Plaid Horse Questionnaire with Kate Conover 98 FEATURE
Do Horses and Humans See Eye to Eye? All About Equine Vision
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SPOTLIGHT
Erin Lane Sporthorse Sales and Westminster Sport Horse Sales
DECEMBER 11-15, 2023 • HITS POST TIME FARM, OCALA, FL
Morgan Ward and Denmark
February 2024
RIDERS
It Happens! With Hunter Messineo, Kat Fuqua, and Kiera Phlipot
110
FEATURE
Lauren O’Connor: Healing from #MeToo Turmoil Through Horses
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Welcome to Elysian Farm With our breeding stock consisting of top Mother-lines and sport successful mares and stallions, we produce 15-20 high end sport horses each year. Bloodlines including Eldorado, I’m Special De Muze, Vivaldi and George Clooney. • We have a nice group of sales horses from high performance prospects to amateur friendly show horses. • Standing several top quality hunter/ jumper stallions. • Alberta Veterinary Center is proud to call Elysian Farm home to their reproduction facility and stallion station. • Offering limited training and rehab programs please contact for availability.
Contact Lorrie Jamieson Lorrie@ElysianFarm.ca or call (403) 358-0487 202 Burnt Ridge Rd • Red Deer, AB T4S 0K6 • Canada
www.ElysianFarm.ca
AS WE STRIDE FURTHER INTO 2024,
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Balance
Piper and Sundae having a beautiful chilly day outside at The Kent School (CT) with Hadley Zeavin
it’s such a time of excitement, and the pathways are endless. What will we breed? Who is foaling? What accomplishments might our youngsters make—from first trailer rides, to learning to stand in the cross-ties, to first jumps? Thinking about horses and careers, I implore everyone to breed and think about what your horses will spend much of their lives doing. Look at the longevity and trainability of the bloodlines you use. Look 30 years into the past when many horses still in their paddocks today were bred. Look 30 years into the future. Then it’s time to ask yourself a lot of important questions. How will you balance temperament with competition? Which extremes will make a horse too extreme? Which choices will give a horse more job options? How will we ensure that our horses will be well cared for by fewer and fewer people who have grown up in a barn? How will our big, strong athletes have long careers? When are our bloodlines the best teachers? Are we breeding the longevity for them to have the repetition to learn, and last during those golden years? Are we breeding for top level sport or to welcome people into the sport? How do we continue to educate owners that the first horse they rescue
should be their own and ensure retirement and estate planning for their beloved horse? As many, many people I know struggle with stress, anxiety, and various struggles, our horses’ jobs will not be getting any easier. Reading our emotions is probably more complex than ever in today’s world for horses. Reading the anxiety of our constant horse showing with unparalleled importance, traveling ever longer distances to be trapped in stalls and spin on tight circles is going to be a struggle. We must raise the horses we need, combining being more local, bigger paddocks, more friends, and including more kids hanging out and becoming truly comfortable around animals of all sizes, personalities, and individual intricacies. We can’t fix society, but we can fix what we choose to breed, the horses and humans we choose to raise, and the decisions we make to start horses slowly and correctly so that they have the best chances for care, socialization, space, and calm for life.
Piper Klemm, Ph.D. TPH PUBLISHER Follow me on Instagram at @piperklemm
OL LD DF F II E EL LD DS S S SC CH HO OO OL L P PR RE ES SE EN NT TS S O
TRAINER SYMPOSIUM EAST MARCH 18-22, 2024
CLINICIANS LINDA ALLEN AND JULIE WINKEL With With Special Special Presentations Presentations by by other other industry industry professionals. professionals.
The Trainer Trainer Symposium, Symposium, led led by by Linda Linda Allen Allen and and Julie Julie Winkel, Winkel, is is aimed aimed toward toward all all equestrian equestrian The professionals professionals interested interested in in furthering furthering their their education. education. This This symposium symposium and and clinics clinics taught taught by by top top industry industry leaders, leaders, will will expand expand a a participant’s participant’s knowledge knowledge in in and and out out of of the the saddle. saddle. Discussion Discussion topics topics within within the the symposium symposium include include the the future future of of the the sport, sport, horse horse welfare, welfare, training training horses, horses, coaching riders, managing clients and professionals, business ethics, marketing and so coaching riders, managing clients and professionals, business ethics, marketing and so much much more! more! Additional Additional professionals professionals will will visit visit the the Symposium Symposium to to share share how how they they built built their their careers, careers, overcame overcame challenges, challenges, and and provide provide one-on-one one-on-one advice advice to to participants. participants. Also Also offering: offering: Course Course Design Design Clinic Clinic with with Linda Linda Allen Allen -- March March 16-17, 16-17, 2024 2024
Horse Horse Management Management Clinic Clinic with with top top industry industry professional professional Nanci Nanci Snyder Snyder -- March March 18, 18, 2024 2024 Judging Hunters Hunters and and Equitation Equitation with with Julie Julie Winkel Winkel and and Scott Scott Hoffstetter Hoffstetter -- March March 23-24, 23-24, 2024 2024 Judging Onsite Onsite housing housing available available and and all all meals meals included included in in the the registration registration fee! fee! Register Register now now at at http://bit.ly/OldfieldsRiding http://bit.ly/OldfieldsRiding
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SPOTLIGHT
LAST LAUGH FARM Building a wholesome breeding operation from a lifetime of passion for horses WORDS: APRIL BILODEAU
ON A ROAD TRIP back to Chicago
from Washington, D.C., eight-year-old David Brown begged his mom to take him to a farm in the Smoky Mountains for a trail ride. “I’m from the generation that worshiped Roy Rogers,” Brown tells The Plaid Horse. His mom gave in that day, but the ride didn’t exactly go as planned. “We saddled up and my horse was at the back of the group,” says Brown. “Everyone started walking out to the trail and my horse kept turning around and heading back to the barn.” After this happened a few times, a humiliated Brown gave up on the ride, but instead of feeling deterred from riding, he was inspired.
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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A 2023 Last Laugh Farm foal at 3 days old; Billy Echo; Sorelle, a 2020 filly by Billy Echo; My Pretty Echo and her foal, Hopeworthy Lee by Noteworthy. The foal received one of the highest scores in the country at his breed inspection; the Last Laugh Farm; founder/owner David Brown with Billy Echo; the Last Laugh Farm barn
“That day I decided that even if it took me a lifetime, I was going to master the horse,” says Brown. Now, decades later, he and his wife, Ellen, are the passionate horsemen behind Last Laugh Farm, a breeding facility based in Grantville, PA, with an impressive list of top hunters, jumpers, and equitation stars who were born on the property.
THE PATH TO BREEDING Brown is a graduate of the University of Colorado and holds a degree in International Relations. He started out as a news reporter in Washington, D.C. before becoming a press secretary at a young age. Later, he went on to work in public relations, moving to Pennsylvania where he became chief of staff to the state’s governor and eventually ended his carreer as a public project development consultant. At home during those days, Brown was raising a family that was remaining connected to the horse. “Throughout my life, I’ve always had the horse close by,” he says. In the early 2000s, he and Ellen made the decision to buy the farm that they still own today. “Little did I know the mistake I was making,” Brown says with a laugh. His daughter was finding a lot of success in the jumper ring, but Brown felt that the family’s finances were restricting his daughter’s ability to really ride at the top level. His solution? To breed the horse that he couldn’t afford to buy.
BILLY ECHO Soon, Brown was breeding five to eight foals per year. “Everytime you breed one,” he says, “you want to breed two more to make them even better.” Brown believed that he could continue making a better horse until 2016 when Billy Echo was born. “When Billy was born I realized that this may be the pinnacle of what I accomplish here on the farm, ever,” says Brown. “He is just remarkable. He has never let me down.” It all started when Brown and his wife were driving back from a horse-related trip in Virginia. PHOTOS: STACY LYNNE (TOP RIGHT)
February 2024
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SPOTLIGHT
“We were on the backroads of Maryland and I saw this bay mare with four white socks standing in the middle of the field,” says Brown. He slammed on the brakes, drove down the driveway, and asked the first person he saw if the mare was for sale. He bought her on the spot. The mare, My Pretty Echo, was already in foal to the black-type Thoroughbred stallion Defrere. Their filly, a long-legged filly named Ballyecho, became a prominent broodmare for Last Laugh Farm and is the dam of Billy Echo. When Brown came accross the stallion Billy Mexico in an on-line stallion search, he thought the two could create a perfect match. “I’ve never been qualified to look at genetics. I go by their temperament, their poise, their position, and movement, so I kind of rolled the dice on this breeding,” says Brown. “Unfortunately for our
Billy Echo
“When Billy was born I realized that this may be the pinnacle of what I accomplish here on the farm, ever.” —DAVID BROWN
retirement account, inspiration always seems to trump marketability.” Billy Echo, LLF is a 2016 Warmblood Stallion approved by seven studbooks. At 17.1 hands, he boasts stunning looks, a powerful, yet effortless jump, and a puppy dog personality, making him the perfect candidate for those wishing to create a top contender in the hunter, jumper, and eventing rings. “He was produced by an inspiration,” says Brown. At one of his breed evaluations, the judge told Brown that Billy is a near perfect horse. He has produced beautiful offspring who all demonstrate the looks, build, and personality that Brown so hoped Billy would pass on.
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“He’s just an incredible guy,” says Brown. “If he were a dog, his tail would never stop wagging.”
A FARM’S LEGACY While Last Laugh was established as a family farm, Brown now views it as a wholesome activity, and a challenging retirement job. “We’re the epitome of a mom-and-pop operation,” says Brown. While the farm at one point had 30 horses, Brown has downsized the program to ten horses. This includes a mix of weanlings, yearlings, young horses, and a couple of select retired ones. And of course, Billy Echo. In addition to the Browns, the farm includes a barn manager and an exercise
rider who assists in breaking the young horses. “We have the ability to start the horses enough to build a good foundation and then sell them to continue the breeding operation,” says Brown. Occasionally the farm brings in working students who stay on board for a couple of years, learning the ins-and-outs of the breeding world. “I feel so incredibly lucky to do what I do, with people who care about the horses and share the same passion as I do,” says Brown. “I hope to continue this success for many years to come.” For more information about Last Laugh Farm and Billy Echo, visit www.lastlaughfarm.com and www.billyechollf.com.
PHOTO: STACY LYNNE (RIGHT)
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RiverCross horses enjoying the quiet atmosphere in the stables at home
SPOTLIGHT
RIVERCROSS FARM
Sally Harrington Philippo on thoughtfully raising her homebreds, one foal at a time WORDS: APRIL BILODEAU
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WHEN BRINGING FOALS into
the world, a warm and kind atmosphere can make all the difference in how they come along in their first years of life—and beyond. Sally Harrington Philippo, owner and manager of RiverCross Farm, is focused on doing exactly that. “Building trust with infinite patience is a key principle in developing a brave and honest performance horse,” Sally tells The Plaid Horse. Sally has been breeding on the farm for approximately 25 years and has produced beautiful, athletic horses with consistently wonderful temperaments.
Sally Harrington Philippo enjoying a moment with one of her homebreds
RiverCross Farm is located in Quebec, Canada. The picturesque farm lays amid gentle contours of hills and valleys with beautiful pastures and a deeply peaceful landscape. This is an ideal environment in which a young horse can grow and thrive. Her dream of breeding came from a desire to help develop an ideal amateur performance horse in North America using the bloodlines she researched that were producing the best quality in Europe. The first generation of RiverCross horses were produced on the forefront of equine reproduction using frozen semen. Commonplace today, but not 25 years ago. “I wanted to import into North America all the lovely attributes of the horses that were being bred in Europe,” says Sally. Her favorite breed? The Dutch Warmblood. Most recently, RiverCross Farm added a new, exciting young stallion to their family—a four-year-old son of United Touch S out of a Verdi mare, bought from Willem Sweirstra, a respected breeder in Holland. With this well-known stallion line at her fingertips, Sally plans to continue to keep RiverCross’s breeding on the cutting edge.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEMPERAMENT While bringing top lines to Canada was a priority for Sally, her focus is breeding to create amateur-friendly horses. “I really think temperament is the most important thing, because I want people to PHOTOS: MATEO NANTAIS; TOM VON KAPHERR (BOTTOM RIGHT)
February 2024
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SPOTLIGHT
“Building trust with infinite patience is a key principle in developing a brave and honest performance horse.” —SALLY HARRINGTON PHILIPPO
ABOVE: RiverCross Onyx,
the farm’s original signature homebred stallion, still making dreams come true and doing well at age l9 with his amateur rider Stacey Nauss LEFT: RiverCross Luna
(sired by RiverCross Lark (Lingh/Indoctro) out of the farm’s Cardento mare) with Jacquelynn Neary
really enjoy their horses,” says Sally. “I love having a relationship with the people who have bought horses from me. It’s not a prerequisite to keep my horses, but many people do. It’s deeply satisfying when people treasure them so much.” Sally adds that she enjoys the process of raising an animal when they’re young, and developing them to trust their environment and, most importantly, the humans who help to bring them along. Watching an animal flourish before her eyes is more exciting than competing and winning, she adds. Still, her horses have gone on to win at some of the biggest venues in the country, and have been sold to satisfied customers from coast to coast.
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SUPPORTING THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL Unlike a lot of breeders, Sally keeps many of her horses until they are older and have built a show record. She also partners with like-minded young professionals who put the horse first and share a mutual respect for the integrity of the horses’ character. Her current professional, Jacquelynn Neary, has been with RiverCross for four years and has proven to demonstrate the same standard of care that Sally promotes. “She is extremely talented and hardworking,” says Sally of Neary. “She has my full confidence to continue the development of my horses for their careers.”
LIVING MINDFULLY WITH HORSES Sally and the staff at RiverCross treat each horse as an individual and work daily to gain and maintain their trust. “Some of the best talent is realized by the strong connection developed between a horse and rider,” says Sally. “You can ask anything of the horse and they’ll do it once you have taken the time to develop that solid partnership.” To develop that connection that horse people desire, she recommends being present at the barn and with our horses. “I appreciate technology and how important communication is with smart phones but we have to be able to be present with the animals,” says Sally. “We need to relearn to pause and to really connect with and appreciate our horses. Stop every so often and look into their eyes.” A maximum of two horse foals and an occasional pony foal are born per year at RiverCross Farm ensuring that each one can receive the individual attention needed for their careful development. For more information about Sally Harrington Philippo and RiverCross Farm, visit www.rivercrossfarm.com.
PHOTOS: LAUREL JARVIS; BRAIDED MEDIA
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SPOTLIGHT
COLORADO HUNTER JUMPER ASSOCIATION Fostering strong relationships with their members and local professionals to grow a more educated community
WORDS: APRIL BILODEAU
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, state organizations offer riders the opportu-
nity to grow their riding and enhance their competition experience. While most may focus on year-end awards and scholarships, the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association (CHJA) aims to give back even more to their local members.
CHJA is the official hunter/jumper state affiliate organization of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the United State Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA). The organization aims to serve its members through their four cornerstones: educational programs, awards and recognition, communication, and rules. “The Colorado Hunter Jumper Association strives to not only provide high quality horse shows to our members but also educational opportunities to help develop the future of the equestrian sport from juniors through the professional level,” Jill Pelzel, CHJA president, tells The Plaid Horse. The organization hosts and participates in a range of programs, but their two biggest and
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most widely-recognized are the mentor program and their annual member benefits clinic.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHJA is committed to assisting young professionals as they develop their careers in the equine business. Started by Pelzel and Lisa Munro, treasurer and chair of the marketing committee and education committee of CHJA, the mentor program is designed to pair the organization’s professional members with seasoned professionals from around the country with a goal of creating a long-term professional relationship. “I think the only way this sport will continue to flourish and bring in new people is by connecting people who have integrity
Scenes from the 2023 CHJA Member Benefits Clinic with clinicians Julie Winkel, Jody Marken, and Tonya Johnston where members rode, learned new groundwork techniques, strengthened their mental skills PHOTO, NEAR LEFT: Lisa Munro, Julie Winkel, Tonya Johnston, Jody Marken, and Linnea Throckmorton
PHOTOS: ALLISEN PATEL PHOTOGRAPHY
February 2024
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SPOTLIGHT
“With so many young equine professionals, our goal is to guide those relationships so they are able to learn and succeed in any section of the industry.” —LISA MUNRO, TREASURER AND CHAIR OF THE CHJA MARKETING AND EDUCATION COMMITTEES
Rachael Stern and her mount, Isabella, at the Colorado Horse Park with Hilary Carrel, Rachael’s mentor through the CHJA mentorship program
and horsemanship with others and show them how to build and grow their businesses,” says Hope Glynn, professional hunter rider and CHJA mentor. “We need to show them the way we have created successful businesses while still keeping the health of the horses and safety of riders as a top priority.” The organization receives approximately 25-30 applications for the program. From there, the education committee selects five deserving applicants who are then paired up with a recognized professional. These professionals consist of Olympic riders, top equitation trainers, sales and importing experts, clinicians, and more. Each chosen applicant receives a $1,000 travel grant to visit their mentor for handson experience, no matter where they live. “We are really thankful for our mentors who donate their time to this development program,” says Munro. “Some really strong relationships have formed from this program.” Rachael Stern, a professional in Colorado, was paired up with Hilary and Charlie Carrel of Colts Unlimited. “The pairing with Hilary and Charlie Carrel of Colts Unlimited for the CHJA mentorship program opened up more
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opportunities for me than I could have ever imagined,” says Stern. “I tagged along with them at horse shows throughout the 2022 show season, grooming and riding and learning, and in turn they helped me with the mare I was currently competing with,” she says. “Their coaching was an integral part of my success with her, which included competing at the biggest show I’ve ever attended in my first ever mini prix at the Split Rock show in Fort Worth, and a win in a 1.20 m class at a rated show in Tucson—the highest I’ve competed in.” “The mentorship and encouragement from Hilary and Charlie has boosted my confidence, skills, and entire career in immeasurable ways, and I cherish their friendship and support. Having them as a professional and personal resource has made a massive positive impact in my life.”
FOR THE MEMBERS In addition to their programs for professionals, the association also holds an annual weekend-long clinic. The clinic was formerly just a standard riding clinic, but this year’s event was expanded and included everything from riding to practicum opportunities, such as teaching members how to
braid, to basic veterinary and first aid. The clinic used to run between the two weeks of the organization’s annual horse show series, the Copper Penny Horse Show. “The problem we found with that was it was only servicing members that chose to show at the Copper Penny Horse Show,” says Munro. “The new format is a really valuable way to include everyone and create a more inclusive environment. Members now don’t even need a horse to participate!” The 2023 clinic, which took place in November, featured well known clinicians Julie Winkel, Jody Marken, and Tonya Johnston. “I really enjoyed being part of this great weekend,” says Winkel. “It was great to see the strong turn-out as well as to mingle with the other clinicians and awesome vendors! I commend the organization for developing and producing a fun-filled experience for all of us.”
CAREERS IN THE INDUSTRY Aside from the riding, members were able to sit in on thirty-minute practicum courses that ran all day long. “This portion of the clinic shows that there are so many avenues to be a professional in the horse show without needing to be a trainer,” says Munro. “With so many young equine professionals, our goal is to guide those relationships so they are able to learn and succeed in any section of the industry.” For more information on the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association, or to become a member and attend their events, visit www.chja.org.
PHOTOS: BRENT ALLEN
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SPOTLIGHT
TALIA RADABAUGH INSURANCE A passionate and personalized approach to insuring horses WORDS: APRIL BILODEAU PHOTOS: SAGE & SPUR PHOTOGRAPHY
OWNING A HORSE can be one of the most rewarding experiences for the equine enthusiast. While years of experience, books, and proper training can prepare you for the average day as a horse owner, not much can prepare you for the burden that can come when an injury or an emergency occurs. Talia Radabaugh, owner of Talia Radabaugh Insurance, (a division of Key Retirement Solutions), is dedicated to relieving that burden for horse owners by offering personalized and custom equine insurance options. “My goal for each of my clients is to grow a relationship with them and their equine partners, while customizing each horse with the correct coverage of what they need,” Radabaugh tells The Plaid Horse. A lifelong horsewoman, Radabaugh grew up on a ranch cutting, barrel racing, and roping. She always enjoyed learning about different breeds and disciplines. She was attending college to be a teacher, but in 2020 she had a change of heart and started considering other career options. “The idea for equine insurance just sort of came to me and I thought it was a great fit with my passion,” says Radabaugh. She got her license to insure in April 2023,
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thinking this could be a part time option for her as she navigated options for a full time career. But soon, friends and family were all insuring with her, then friends of friends. Suddenly, her side hustle was a booming new business. “A lot of people don’t know that you can get insurance on a horse,” says Radabaugh, who also is licensed to insure livestock, farms/ranches, as well as training or business liability. While Radabaugh’s main office is in Texas, she is able to insure in 40 states, making her accessible to horse owners across the country. “We’ve been trying to get our horses insured for a while and no one seemed like a good fit or would get back to us,” says Val James, a client of Talia Radabaugh Insurance. “Talia was always available for any questions or concerns and helped us the whole process. She’s amazing!”
“I want my clients to feel confident that I have everything under control and that I have their back.” —TALIA RADABAUGH
WHY INSURE? While no one ever expects an emergency, Radabaugh encourages owners to plan for them by covering their horses with one of the many options she is able to offer. The four main areas that she covers include colic, major medical, mortality, as well as accident, sickness, and disease. “Equine insurance is put in place to lessen the burden when large vet bills come,” says Radabaugh. “For example, if your horse colics and needs surgery, colic coverage from my company will cover $5,000 of the costs, which is the standard estimated amount for surgery.” MRIs, stem cells, and other surgeries are covered under major medical. Under the major medical umbrella, owners are able to choose the amount of coverage they would like on their horse, which will impact the annual premium cost. In case of the most unfortunate end result, Talia Radabaugh Insurance also carries mortality insurance, which reimburses owners for the full price of the stated value of the horse. “Whether a person has the most competitive horses, to the people that just have a horse as their companion, they are protected,” says Radabaugh. “If the worst outcome happens and they lose their horse, mortality insurance will cover them.”
GETTING STARTED For owners who are interested in setting up insurance for their horse, it’s as simple as submitting an application to Radabaugh. “Talia is great to work with and got our horses insured in no time,” says Hunter Thompson, a client of Radabaugh. She is “very professional and has great response time. I highly recommend her to anyone shopping around for insurance.” Applicants are asked to answer general questions about their horses as well as to provide additional information on their medical history. The application for insurance typically only takes a few minutes per horse, unless additional information is needed from a veterinarian. “For horses valued over $100,000, we require a vet check,” says Radabugh. “Otherwise, we just need an application. If you have owned the horse for over one year, a justification of value will take place to make sure the horse is worth the insured amount.” Horses are able to be insured up to 20 years old, and as young as 24-hours-old with a veterinary exam. “No matter what the circumstance is, I want my clients to feel confident that I have everything under control and that I have their back,” says Radabaugh. For more information on Talia Radabaugh Insurance or to start the application process, contact Radabaugh directly at tradabaugh@krs.insure.
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COVER STORY
GOOD HORSEMANSHIP BRINGS
Jaguar Van Paemel TO HIS CALIFORNIA HOME
F
WORDS: PIPER KLEMM, PH.D.
ATE CAME TO GERI BIDWELL when she imported
two horses for her twin daughters, both of whom were by BWP approved stallion Jaguar Van Paemel. Following the breeding of family member Senna Van Paemel, the Bidwell Family hoped to recreate the magic with the two mares on their family farm in Santa Barbara, CA, and started to move up the ranks under the tutelage of legendary horseman Hap Hansen.
“J’Adore Van Paemel has the nicest canter I have ever sat on in my life,” says Bidwell. On a subsequent trip to Europe, Bidwell had to meet the legendary stallion that produced both of these mares. Meeting the young Jaguar Van Paemel in person at a horse show, Bidwell was entranced. “I instantly felt that this was the horse I had been looking for for the last few decades. The sport came naturally to him. I had never owned a stallion and didn’t know anything about that. But he was relaxed, and then
“J’Adore Van Paemel has the nicest canter I’ve ever sat on in my life.” —GERI BIDWELL
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went right to work and tackled every course with the fluidity of a hunter and let his scope and track do all the talking.” Meeting his owners and breeders (Kim Borloo, Luc Van Eeckhoudt and Karin Verdeyen of Stoeterij Van Paemel in Belgium) and caretakers, Bidwell was struck with how the big 17.2 h stallion (Cicero Z x Sissi, Sandro) was a favorite to handle of all the ladies at the farm. She dreamed of a future where it was her daughters and herself caring for and riding this powerful horse. Bidwell flew home to California and did what we have all done when you love someone else’s horse. Stateside, she obsessively watched all of his rounds and shows. She followed his results. She cheered for his offspring and studied them as they started their own young horse careers and moved into Grand Prix classes. Then, one day while working at Blenheim Equisports, she got the call: “We want you to have Jaguar.” Bidwell immediately tried to figure out if there was a language barrier. She couldn’t imagine how, after over 100 FEI classes, that they would sell this winning, sensational stallion to the United States. To her delight, they had envisioned the same match she had after seeing her love and care for her Jaguar offspring. In March 2019, Jaguar Van Paemel arrived in Santa Barbara to settle in with Bidwell and her family. Without a roadmap to owning or standing a breeding stallion, Bidwell learned quickly and has formed a special bond with Jaggy.
“He is big and impressive. We were both cautious around each other for the first few days, but he is so smart and we really learned to trust each other. Not ever having handled a stallion before, his big size and athleticism felt impressive and I got many warnings from others, but he is just light and lovely to ride and handle,” says Bidwell. Like most scopey and talented horses, developing the Jaguar Van Paemel babies has been a reflection of the sire. Often the most challenging part is the excitement and being disciplined enough to follow slow building blocks so that the most rideable horse reaches the top of the sport. They are light on the flat and bred to seek out and love jumping. “This horse has taught me so much about management, pace of training, and making decisions in the horse’s best interests. Even choosing to focus on his breeding career when he is still sound and lovely to ride is all about priorities. I enjoy riding him at home,” says Bidwell.
PROLIFIC PROGENY Jaguar is still getting mares in foal in both Europe and all over North America. He is known for getting difficult to breed mares in foal quickly, including senior maiden mares on the first try. “It makes me happy that he is being used so much and is making many people’s dreams come true. I’m happy to share him—I feel lucky to have him!” says Bidwell. “The best rewards come from being intuitive about their progression and having long-term vision for their success. Every step as youngsters leads them into being mature and confident producers of clear round after clear round,” adds Bidwell. “The babies love to work and all have his lightness on the flat. They are best if you take your time and really earn their confidence as they mature. They are rewarding to work with and have had so much success doing this sport correctly.” For more information, visit www.Jaguar.horse.
“Otis Blue is really nice to flat, and he has a lot of blood jumping. He has a lot of talent. I’m hoping to do some Grand Prix classes with him by the end of circuit.” —SHANE SWEETNAM, Olympic Rider on Otis Blue (Jaguar Van Paemel x Jinx Van Paemel, Numero Uno)
Geri and Jaggy at home
A young Otis Blue in Belgium
Viva Jaguar winning his Elite BWP status
The BWP/NAD has been inspecting Jaguar offspring for several years, including foals and yearlings. They consistently score very high, including the High Score Colt 2022 for North America ‘Whoa Jumanji’ by Jaguar out of a Sir Caletto mare. Our judge, Boudewijn Schepers, is the former Head Stallion Judge for BWP in Belgium and currently a judge of mares and foals in several countries. He believes the quality of the foals here in North America are just as good as all the foals he judges in Belgium, which says a lot when he scored Jaguar’s colt the highest for 2022! I have been with Boudewijn at all the Keurings with Jaguar offspring and can say they all consistently have good modern conformation, light athletic movement for all disciplines and fantastic temperaments much like Jaguar.” —CHRIS SALLEE, Executive
Director for BWP/NAD, traveling on the Keuring tour inspections for over 15 years
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VOICES
“YOU CAN ALWAYS BE A HORSE PERSON ” Writer Meg Vondriska contemplates quitting, loss, and community I’M A WRITER whose name you might recognize from posts like, “Advice on how to stop your horse from bolting?” and “Why can’t I stop my lower leg from swinging?” The text itself may have been hard to read due to the number of tears shed over my keyboard. As an adult amateur who returned to the sport with fantasies of achieving childhood dreams and nothing but her own money to spend, I was humbled quickly. Suddenly the three-foot fences from my youth started to more closely resemble the Great Wall, and the budget I’d set aside for horses had me feeling like all I could afford was a hobby horse. But like all things with love, I made it work. A few months after a move to a new city, I was the proud owner of a sleek off-track Thoroughbred who looked like a knock-off from The Black Stallion. My budget precluded me from white fences, Dutch doors, and a covered arena, but nevertheless I found a home for Poe and I with an amazing trainer. It wasn’t long before my dreams crumbled into the arena sand. Of course, there were the “me” problems: the sport itself was heinously expensive, the commute was too long for even Taylor Swift to save, and anything bigger than a cross rail had me feeling like I was thundering down to a gate with the Ledbury Hunt. But there were also the horse issues; a Kissing Spines diagnosis, ulcers, and a custom-fit French saddle to name a few. Needless to say, I’ve considered quitting horses a time or two. A recent post in The Plaid Horse Adult Amateur Lounge on Facebook had me waxing poetic about the cost of the hobby. Of course, there’s the financial hit you take every time you so much as smell the air in a tack shop, but there’s also the emotional cost. The joy and heartbreak of doing the right thing by your horse and getting them a surgery they need, with weeks of no ride time, culminating with a shot of tequila in the
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privacy of your horse’s stall in the hopes you’ll forget it ever happened. Without horses, I could afford the fancy career in New York City, several designer handbags, or even pay well above the minimum on my student loans. I could take up other, more affordable hobbies, like pickle ball or golfing or Formula 1 racing. In a horse-free life, my vacations would look more like sun-drenched Italian terraces instead of freezing mornings warming a bit in my palms. My perfume would be santal and not sawdust, the soles of my shoes more red-soled than manure. Without horses, I would probably still be in a depression so deep I often felt like I was watching life simply pass me by. Every time I’ve thought about leaving horses in the rearview, I come back to my first summer in Austin. My life looked like a bad country music song with only two friends, my boyfriend and my dog. Until I bought Poe. In the years since, I have made friends with my barnmates, with foxhunters in different states, with horse girls I found on Twitter. I have cried about Poe and into him, I have learned patience and how to set, and re-set, my goals. Horses have kept me honest about what I can do and what I want to do. They’ve built my confidence not only in the saddle but in an office chair. It’s not an exaggeration to say the spine you build to stand up for what your horse needs is not dissimilar to the one you use to set boundaries at work. Horse owner, leaser, rider, or lover, we are all of us horse people. I have learned I was just as much a horse girl all those years without a horse of my own, when the closest I came to breathing in that sweet
smell of fly spray was scrolling Instagram, as I am now. So are you. It’s why so many of us need to remember that it’s never easy to walk away from horses. Too many times I’ve read articles or lengthy Instagram posts of people rationalizing why they left. Sometimes it’s burnout or money, other times it’s a health issue or the heartbreak of putting down their horse. Regardless, there’s always an underlying note of guilt and fear of being burned at the stake for saying farewell to something that has taken up so much of your time, love, and money. Posts in forums asking others if they’ve left horses, if they’ve returned, and what it felt like are usually met with support; but without fail, there are always a vocal few who swear that they’d never live a life without horses. Others chime in to say they did and were miserable or that once you put up your irons, you’ll leave the sport for good. Suddenly, “quitting horses” becomes something spoken of only in hushed tones, and the horse girls you thought were your friends for life leave you in the dust, as if your worth could only ever be measured by time spent in the saddle. Horses give us something that is hard to find and harder, still, to quantify—a community. One that you should feel like you can be a part of whether you’re riding horses, volunteering with them, or watching them on TV. None of us should ever be afraid or ashamed to walk away from horses, and as equestrians; we should never put each other in a position to feel that not riding means not caring. From rated shows to reading your battered copy of King of the Wind, you can always be a horse person. PHOTO: COURTESY MEG VONDRISKA
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FEATURE
LAUREN O’CONNOR Surviving Years of #MeToo Turmoil and Healing Through Horses
WORDS & PHOTOS: CATIE KOVELMAN
“When I’m around horses, the whole world falls away ... when you are in the presence of a horse, it becomes just you and them. They are such present creatures that they demand you live in the moment, too.”
O
N A BRIGHT SUNDAY MORNING,
Lauren O’Connor grins as she approaches her first jump of the day. She and her horse, Vega, meet a small cavaletti on an odd angle. Good-humored by nature, Vega happily jumps the fence without an ounce of hesitation. O’Connor pulls Vega to a stop, laughing and asking her trainer what she did wrong. She nails the jump on her next attempt. It’s a positive scene filled with joy and purpose—one that O’Connor wasn’t sure she’d ever find again. Several years prior, a single memo blew up her entire life. A young entertainment executive, O’Connor sent a carefully written internal memo to her Human Resources department in 2015. She had hoped to enact positive change within her company, but she never could have predicted how her words would be shared publicly. That email would catapult her life into turmoil, also toppling long-held systems of abuse within Hollywood and change the world for working women forever. February 2024
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O
’CONNOR WAS A literary scout at the now-tarnished Weinstein
Company back when Harvey Weinstein was still a powerful force to be both adored and feared in Hollywood. The memo she sent to HR chronicled two years of abuse she had endured and witnessed as a young executive working closely alongside Weinstein. This was the memo that was leaked by The New York Times in 2017. It became a key piece of evidence as part of their investigation that first exposed Weinstein’s decades of abuse, and it ultimately became a catalyst for the #MeToo movement. But in freeing millions of women to save themselves from abuse, O’Connor derailed her own life for years—not finding herself again until five years later when she rediscovered horseback riding.
A DREAM JOB TURNED NIGHTMARE When a 26-year-old O’Connor started her dream job as a literary scout at the highly prestigious Weinstein company in early 2014, O’Connor thought this would be her big break in Hollywood. Knowing that Weinstein had the power to make or break her career, O’Connor was determined to prove herself and learn everything she possibly could. “Before #MeToo, Harvey was thanked more than God at the Oscars. Working for Weinstein was like a badge of honor that could really set your career up for success,” she says. Over the course of her two-year stint with the company, O’Connor worked closely with Weinstein, collaborating on projects and sourcing books to transform into movies and TV shows. “I worked really, really closely with Harvey. I traveled with him a lot, worked on projects with him a lot, so I just had a lot of access,” says O’Connor. But working with Weinstein wasn’t easy. Weinstein bashed O’Connor, along with his other employees, with his fiery temper and verbal abuse. When his rage passed, he would lift them up with compliments. “He was very explosive. Looking back, it was a classic abuse pattern of really vile verbal degradation and then later apologizing and complimenting,” she says. “He had this really profound ability to recognize both weak spots and talent, and he had this ability to both cultivate talent while also putting the employee in such a place of fear that you didn’t know which way was up.” While her time with Weinstein wasn’t always smooth sailing, it was common knowledge (and largely still is) that Hollywood-hopefuls needed a thick skin if they wanted to succeed. In fact, O’Connor had heard of Weinstein’s abusive tendencies prior to working for
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him, but didn’t think too much of it. She was young, hungry, and ready to take on the challenge and further her career. “Everyone knew [Weinstein] was abusive, but working there was still this badge of honor. When abuse inadvertently gets sanctioned, it becomes normalized and it’s hard to see it for what it is, which is wrong,” she says. “There’s also this concept of a hard work environment and that someone should be unflappable and manage a variety of personalities. All of that type of language in society feeds into the acceptance and normalization of abusive workplaces. And I don’t think people knew how extreme the abuse was.” But even for employees who wanted to break free from the abuse, fear of how Weinstein might retaliate if they stood up to him or resigned from the company kept them complacent. “If you left, it was really likely [Weinstein] would destroy your career. It was a very real thing that happened. People had kids and mortgages, so your livelihood is at risk if you leave; like your ability to pay rent and feed yourself,” adds O’Connor.
THE BREAKING POINT It wasn’t until near the end of her tenure at The Weinstein Company that O’Connor started to feel that something was wrong in her gut, particularly in the way that Weinstein interacted with other women. “There would be these moments that would stand out as just not feeling right, whether it was a woman coming out of a meeting looking more upset than when she went in, or getting someone’s phone number who just turned 20. Your Spidey sense kind of goes off, but those were 30 seconds to minutes of a 17-hour day,” she says. Besides, the more normal assumption among O’Connor’s colleagues was that any relationships Weinstein was
engaging in were consensual. Specifically, “the assumption that was widely held was that he was having affairs. It’s not a natural conclusion to think your boss is sexually assaulting people behind closed doors,” says O’Connor. Even so, she struggled with suspicions that something was very wrong at The Weinstein Company. She just didn’t have any proof to take her concerns to HR. “How do you report that something feels off ? For a long time, those moments really weighed on me but I didn’t quite know how to place what I suspected could be happening on a gut instinct level,” says O’Connor. It wasn’t until 2015 when O’Connor’s suspicions were confirmed. She was on a business trip in Los Angeles with Weinstein when a woman who worked for Weinstein at the time came to O’Connor’s hotel room in the middle of the night. The woman was in tears after being sexually assaulted by Weinstein. “She was crying and could barely get a word out. I knew at that moment that this was the confirmation of everything that had been raising flags for me,” says O’Connor.
FEATURE
The young executive knew she couldn’t stay silent anymore. Now, it wasn’t a question of if she would say something, but how. In an effort to protect this woman, who still has not been identified to this day (something O’Connor is very proud of ), she needed to wait for the right moment to act. “It wasn’t my goal to put a target on this woman’s back and it’s not my prerogative to tell someone else’s story. But something needed to be done,” says O’Connor. She spent the next few weeks determining how to make her move. Eventually, Weinstein told O’Connor that she would “look like a babe without my glasses on” during a meeting, finally giving O’Connor tangible evidence she could use to report him to HR. She initially sent a report only about the one comment, but noted that it wasn’t the first time something like this had occurred. Of course, HR followed up to ask what else had happened. “So, I sat down to write. Before I knew it, I had ten pages of really specific examples, times, dates, of all those things that didn’t feel right,” says O’Connor. Her hope was that even if she lost her job, (she did), putting something in writing would force the company to do something about Weinstein’s behavior. “My hope, however naively, was that by putting something on the page, the
person reading it would not be able to unsee it in the same way I couldn’t unsee all the things I had heard about and witnessed,” says O’Connor. She also hoped she would be creating a written record to support the woman from the hotel room if she ever chose to come forward with her story.
THE AFTERMATH: FORCED INTO THE SPOTLIGHT As expected, O’Connor was booted from the company and forced to sign a strict non-disclosure agreement. Within hours of sending her memo, O’Connor’s attorney was on the phone with legal representation from the Weinstein Company, negotiating her exit in a way that would salvage her reputation and career. “I negotiated to keep my company email until the end of the year so I could at least manage business relations, because the assumption if I abruptly left and couldn’t talk about it would be that I was fired—and it would be impossible to find another job,” she says. O’Connor then set out to start her life over in Los Angeles, trying to lay low to avoid any potential retaliation from Weinstein. She found a new dream job at Amazon Studios, where she still works today as the Head of IP Acquisitions. All the while, she had a voice in the back of
her mind that one day her memo would follow her—and she couldn’t even speak to a therapist because of the NDA she had signed. “I lived with this profound paranoia that at some point this was going to follow me. It was really hard to have experienced all this and not even legally be able to talk to a therapist about it.” But while O’Connor wasn’t surprised to lose her job over this memo, she never expected it to be shared with the masses. “I knew there was always a risk putting something in writing. I just didn’t think the company would ever let it out because it was a risk to them too,” says O’Connor. Flash forward to 2017, and O’Connor’s memo had finally caught up to her. She received a call from The New York Times that they would be publishing her memo as part of their first piece exposing Harvey Weinstein’s abuse. The paper refused to withhold her identity because she was classified as “neither a source nor a victim.” There was nothing she or her lawyer could do to to protect her identity. Says O’Connor: “Whoever I was before that day died.” Less than a week after she heard about the article, it was published on the front page of The New York Times. As the #MeToo movement gained traction, spurred on by her own words, O’Connor’s world fell apart. While women throughout the country gained the courage to speak up about the injustices that had happened to them, O’Connor was silenced, “handcuffed by the NDA,” as she says. “There is a trauma and irony in a movement and a moment that is about having ownership of voice, to then have a paper take your words, take your name, and rob you of your voice all over again. I was silenced first by the NDA and then I had my words and privacy stripped from me in print,” she says. Thrust into the spotlight against her will and made a public figure overnight, O’Connor was hounded by reporters. Their calls kept her phone ringing at work and at home, with new email inquiries popping into her inbox all the time. Both out of fear and because of the strict NDA, O’Connor ignored their persistent requests. But her lack of response didn’t stop the reporters from continuously hounding her with daily telephone calls and emails. The media simply looked for other avenues to try to reach O’Connor, such as by calling her parents several times a day. February 2024
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FEATURE
Eventually, O’Connor’s email was hacked. In an effort to protect what remained of her privacy, she had to delete all of her social media accounts. Later, she resorted to using burner phones to keep in touch with her friends and loved ones. “The assault on privacy doesn’t get discussed much, but it is one of the most painful things I have ever experienced,” says O’Connor. At the same time, the young executive was also thrust into legal battles and government investigations against Weinstein, with the legal bills quickly landing her in debt. At one point, she had nine different attorneys on her team. Although she tried to find lawyers who could help her pro-bono (she eventually did), she still estimates she spent over $250,000 in legal fees and therapy bills. With those growing legal and therapy expenses, O’Connor was forced to move out of her home to somewhere less expensive. She also had a suspicion that she was being followed, which contributed to the need for a new address. News outlets confirmed she was being spied upon by Weinstein. The stress took its own toll on O’Connor, who felt like she lost herself in the chaos. Even the cost of the therapy that was supposed to help her cope caused angst. Already naturally thin, O’Connor lost 30 pounds in the course of the first year or two as constant stress and insomnia became the norm. A friend once told her that she would scream in her sleep. She also developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The PTSD became so severe that she did not feel safe to drive, as her PTSD was exacerbated by unavoidable loud noises on the road. As recently as mid-2023, O’Connor received death threats online from a former Weinstein Company colleague. “It’s one of those things that’s never over, but as an individual you can figure out how to move on and move forward from it and it takes up a different amount of space and type of space in your life,” she says.
HEALING WITH HORSES In the wake of all this trauma, O’Connor began dreaming about horses—a long lost passion of hers from childhood. “I’d go to sleep and feel like a kid again, both day-dreaming and night dreaming about horses,” she says. For the first time in a long time, she started to feel excited about something. With encouragement from her partner, Brett, she decided to listen to her dreams. As a kid, O’Connor was obsessed with horses. Some of her happiest memories
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from childhood took place at the barn. At 7, her parents signed her up for a week of horseback riding camp and she was hooked. By the end of the week, O’Connor was signed up for ongoing lessons. She competed in the hunter/jumper divisions throughout her childhood before eventually playing polo in college. But as O’Connor entered the professional world, her horseback riding days seemed to be behind her. Her career simply took precedence. O’Connor first returned to the equestrian world through volunteering, spending most of her time hand walking horses and assisting with the feeding and barn chores. Slowly, the barn became her sanctuary, where she could feel like herself again. The physical stress that she had been holding in her body from years of trauma began to dissipate. “When I’m around horses, the whole world falls away. Whether it’s a fender bender or a stressful work week, when you are in the presence of a horse, it becomes just you and them. They are such present creatures that they demand you live in the moment, too,” says O’Connor. Eventually, volunteering wasn’t quite enough to scratch the equine itch for O’Connor. She wanted to ride again. In 2022, she got back in the saddle at a small barn in Los Angeles. This is where she met her horse, Vega (Vinnie at the time). Her bond with Vega gave O’Connor a new sense of purpose and partnership. She eventually changed his name from Vinnie to Vega, because Vega is the name for the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra and Vega became O’Connor’s “star and guiding light.” While O’Connor’s lessons brought her joy, it was what she learned on the ground that made the most impact. Her favorite time spent at the barn was when she could do groundwork with the horses, such as by lunging or practicing liberty work. She felt her tension release more and more with every session in the round pen. After years of feeling defeated and trying to make herself as small as possible, horses gave O’Connor back her confidence, and eventually, her voice. “I spent the last several years being knocked around, whether it was by the press, the emotional impact, or the financial and legal obligations. But when I was standing, just me and a horse in the round pen, I learned how to let my body take up space in the world and to own my own movements. That was really one of the most impactful periods,” says O’Connor. It wasn’t long after that O’Connor found herself buying a new saddle with her lease
“Having the responsibility of caring for and loving this sweet, forgiving animal reminded me there is goodness in the world.”
horse in mind. In less time than it took her to drive home, O’Connor realized she didn’t want any other horse under that saddle besides Vega. She requested to buy him. The purchase marked an important milestone in her healing journey. “He brought me back to that 7-year-old girl before any of this crazy stuff happened so that joy could take root again,” says O’Connor. In early 2023, she moved to Cellar Door Farm to train under Kelly Jennings, who she says has been a godsend in providing a safe environment to nurture O’Connor’s healing. As her bond with Vega strengthened, O’Connor began to see good in the world again. “Having the responsibility of caring for and loving this sweet, forgiving animal reminded me there is goodness in the world. Horses are so patient. It’s just the generosity of a horse, the kindness of a horse, and their humor that really brought a sense of joy, trust, and partnership into my life.” The goals and structure help, too. With the upheaval caused by the leaked memo, O’Connor found herself without a solid routine or structure to help her get through the day. O’Connor’s ADHD was also exasperated by the stress and trauma she had endured. But making time for riding every week—something that was just for her—helped her find the structure she had been missing. O’Connor now organizes her week around trips to the barn. She jokes that it even makes her coordinate doing her laundry with her barn visits so she can have clean riding clothes. “It’s given me better boundaries in my daily life, such as prioritizing the time I need for myself,” says O’Connor. “I have moved from a place where it was impossible to organize my life…to a place where my riding made it a joy to organize.” She now sees a world of opportunity for herself in the horse world. She wants to keep growing as a rider to graduate beyond jumping cross rails. She might even return to the show ring when she feels ready. But ultimately, everything comes back to building her connection with Vega. “My goal now is to keep learning,” she says. “I want to get stronger. I want to become a more clear communicator for my horse.” Thanks to horses, O’Connor says she is no longer just surviving, but thriving. “Riding is something I do for myself and my horse and nobody else. It’s one of my biggest priorities. My life has become about nurturing me rather than surviving trauma.” February 2024
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BOOK EXCERPT
JUMP
A Sweet Romance BY TIFFANY NOELLE CHACON Reprinted with permission from the author MIL A IS COMPETING at the Winter
Equestrian Festival with her sister’s Grand Prix horse, Cyrus. Her sister suffered a tragic fall that left her paralyzed last season at WEF. Mila and Cyrus have been competing in the Low Amateur Jumpers and are more than capable of moving up, but fear has kept Mila from making the jump to the higher class. Before this scene, she got a call from her trainer that they had to move arenas to the International Arena because of a burst pipe in the DeNemethy Ring. By the time I arrive at the temporary barns, Alex already has Cyrus tacked up on the cross-ties. I feel shaky, like I’ve just downed three Red Bulls. “Hey!” he says, a little too loudly. He seems like he’s too hyped up on caffeine, too. It’s almost like he’s vibrating, and it’s making me more anxious. “You excited? International Arena! That’s exciting. I would be excited.” “Excited. Right.” “It’s okay to be nervous, it’s a new place. Why don’t you sit down and look at the videos Trina sent you?” “Alright.” I don’t know how to deal with this jumpy version of Alex, but I do as he suggests and take a seat just outside the barns and watch the videos of the first
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few riders since I missed the course walk after the ring snafu. The jumps seem massive, and the ring is sprawling. Of course it could just be that everything seems bigger in the International Arena, but a part of me wonders if they forgot to lower the jumps from the previous class. But no, they wouldn’t do that. And, of course, it’s the site of Anya’s accident. A truth I can’t shake as I watch the videos again and again. “C’mon, Mila, get yourself together,” I mumble. “Ready?” Alex says as he approaches with Cyrus. “As I’ll ever be.” He helps me into the saddle and then walks beside me as we go to the Arena. He’s practically bouncing on his toes, and Cyrus is doing his typical prancing horse routine, while I silently clench my teeth and review the course in my mind. Alex seems to get that I don’t want to talk, so he’s whistling. Whistling. Since when does Alex whistle? I don’t know who spiked his
coffee with extra espresso this morning, but I’m not sure I like this peppy Alex. At the practice ring, Trina already has a jump set up for us, so I immediately start warming him up. The exercise gives me calm—I can’t think about the course or the arena as Cyrus and I weave around the other horses. At first, Cyrus is really fresh and he’s tossing his head, kicking out his back legs and chomping at the bit. But eventually the jitters wear off and we’re jumping higher and higher practice fences until they’re almost the height of the standards. Then Trina is waving me over to the in-gate. “You’re in,” she says. “What?” She normally gives me time to watch a rider or two before me, but all of a sudden, I’m in the ring. My heart is booming in my chest and I’m certain everyone in the stands can hear it. I’m trotting toward the spot where Anya last moved her whole body, and then I’m cantering past it and it’s behind me. “Next on course in our High Amateur Jumpers we have Cyrus Van Der Bergh, PHOTO: DANIELLE WILLIAMS
BOOK EXCERPT
ridden and owned by Miss Mila Kozak of Miami, Florida.” For a second, I think I’ve misheard the announcer—High Amateur Jumpers? This is supposed to be the Low Amateurs. But when I look up at the scoreboard, where Cyrus and I are being projected live, I see it clear as day: High Amateur Jumpers. My whole body is shaking, and I’m about to turn Cyrus around and get out of this arena, undo this mistake or whatever this is, when the buzzer shrieks. And, as always, Cyrus bursts into a gallop at the sound. Just like that, we are on course. In the High Amateur Jumpers in the International Arena, jumping the same jumps, the same heights as Anya did right before she fell and lost all movement in her body. My stomach is roiling, bile threatening to burn my throat. I swallow it down and, with quivering hands, point Cyrus toward the first jump. Just one jump, I tell myself. We’ll just jump one jump. It’s a black vertical with huge yellow arches underneath the top pole. And when I say it’s huge, that’s like saying a Clydesdale’s hooves are moderately sized. But then we’re soaring over it, and I tell myself, just one more jump. I can do one more jump. Cyrus and I gallop through the turn into a five stride line. We hit the five perfectly, and then we’re making a tight rollback toward a plank jump. We leave a bit long, and I fall onto Cyrus’s neck as we land, but we both recover and the jump is still standing, even though I’m quite literally shaking in my boots. The next obstacles are arguably the hardest in the course—the triple combination. Cyrus is absolutely flying, so I sit back and rein him in as we approach. We zoom through, a perfect staccato as we jump one after the other after the other. At some point in the course, I stop telling myself one more jump. Because despite the fear quaking through my body, I want to finish the course. I want it more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. It grips me tighter than the fear, and propels me to the next jump and the next. There’s an option after the triple—we can either jump a very high, very skinny vertical or go over the water jump. I
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choose the water, and let Cyrus gallop full-tilt toward it. His whole body expands underneath me as I extend my arms as far as they can go up his neck. We are winged. We are flying. We won’t ever touch the ground. And then, we do. And we’re hurtling toward the green Adequan jump. We’re shooting through a broken line, and we take the inside for six strides. It’s a bit tight and at the last minute, Cyrus inserts an extra half-stride before taking off. He gives a valiant effort to get over
the fence, but his hooves graze the top, and I can tell the rail falls because I hear the crowd go, “Ahh.” I can’t even register the disappointment of knocking down the jump because we’re speeding toward the last jump in the course. I’m gripping the reins like they’re the only thing holding me to this earth. We thunder toward it, and I’m holding my breath, and then his feet are off the ground. We’re sailing over it, gliding through the air like this is what we were made to do, and then we land.
It could just be that everything seems bigger in the International Arena, but a part of me wonders if they forgot to lower the jumps from the previous class. We’ve finished the course, and we’re both still whole. Trina and Alex are at the in-gate, cheering, their matching, conspiratorial smiles tell me all I need to know: they planned this. They tricked me. I don’t know whether to be upset with them or giddy. But then I see Trina’s smile, Alex’s dancing brown eyes, and I decide to choose to be giddy, because, well, I can’t help it. I just jumped Grand Prix-sized jumps—and I survived. More than survived. I thrived. Trina’s saying something, slapping my leg as she feeds Cyrus a treat. And as much as I want to pay attention to her feedback, I’m looking at Alex. I’m watching his eyes shine as he rubs Cyrus’s mane and smiles up at me. I cut off Trina. “Thank you, guys,” I say. “I wouldn’t have done this without you.” “Uh, yeah, we know. That’s why we did this,” Trina says, with a wave of her hand. “We knew you were capable, you just needed a little…push.” I laugh, though I wouldn’t categorize this as a little push. “Fair enough.” “You deserve to get through your fear,” Alex says in that amiable way of his. It’s a profound thing to say, and I feel like I should say something equally profound back, but no words come. So I just smile and nod. Trina hands me some water and I down it in one gulp. I’m shivering, not from cold, but from the let-down of adrenaline from the course. Cyrus is picking up on it, because he’s prancing again, even as I give him the reins and he lets his head down. I’m filled by the exhilaration of what we just did, and I let it consume me. The sheer terror of jumping those heights combine with the unbelievable thrill of accomplishing something so outlandish. Waves of emotion—gratitude, elation, relief—crash over me and I’m taken out by them. I’m so caught up in my feelings that when Alex asks me to dinner, I say yes. The Equestrian Dreams series is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The final installment, SOAR, is available now! Follow Trina and Mila as they make their Olympic bid. You can find Tiffany online on Instagram and Facebook @tiffanynoellechacon or on her website www.tiffanynoellechacon.com.
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RIDERS
It Happens! 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!
Hear more It Happens moments on the #Plaidcast at theplaidhorse.com/listen
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HUNTER MESSINEO
KAT FUQUA
We were at Sedgefield and I was showing my trainer’s horse in the Adults. They forgot to tell me that sometimes he has a bad stop to the first fence. Well, this was one of those times. It had been raining and the ring was a lake. I landed face first in a giant puddle, practically underwater. My gloves were soaked and sandy so I had to stand there and wait for my trainer to grab a towel so I could see enough to walk out of the ring. On the plus side, we had a great comeback and were champion that weekend.”
In Wellington Week 5, 2023, I was showing in the last class of the day which was the Medium Junior Jumper Classic. I was already tired, and to add on to that, the course was pretty tricky and long. It turns out that I was actually having one of my best rounds to date, everything was smooth and clear. Then I ended up jumping the wrong last jump, resulting in elimination. The video still turned out very nice though!
KIERA PHLIPOT A week after finishing our spring circuit, I got a call from a friend that the $10,000 Non-Pro Derby at WEC Ohio had really low entries that week, and I should ship in for the class to try and make some money. I was debating it because while I could really use some extra cash (who couldn’t, right?) I had just finished a couple weeks in a row of showing and wouldn’t have any trainer help other than a friend setting my schooling jumps. But I figured my horse was already in show mode from the spring circuit, and it wouldn’t be many extra jumps than a lesson would be that week either, so off we went. Our first four jumps were perfect…and then I jumped the outside line instead of the diagonal line! I heard an audible “such a bummer!” from the judge’s box as I walked back to the in-gate with my head in my hands.”
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RIDERS
CLOCKWISE FROM CENTER:
Conover (riding Trust, owned by Glade Run Farm) with Tom Wright; winning the leading hunter rider award at the Aiken Charity Horse Show; with Samantha Schaefer, high-fiving Grace Debney aboard Quimby after their Medal Finals win
THE PLAID HORSE QUESTIONNAIRE WITH
Kate Conover Rider/Trainer at Shadow Ridge Farm
As a horsewoman, I am most proud of my peers considering me a horseman. I always want to put the horse first. That is something that is really important to me. • As a horsewoman, I would most like to improve on showjumping. I feel like I never pushed myself in that ring. I always joke with Sam Schaefer that I don’t jump striped poles! • I’d be lost without my sunscreen in my tack trunk. • A little-known fact about me is I don’t own a ring bag. I honestly own one pair of spurs. I push them up, down, or take them off! • The best part of being a horse professional is getting to work with horses and travel the world. I’ve been to places I thought I would never go. I love working with horses. They have a calming effect
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on me, and I think I have the same effect on them.• I wish I had more time to: learn another language. • My favorite horse book is Billy and Blaze. • My favorite non-horse book is The Great Gatsby. • The part of riding I think I’m best at is being able to ride all horses how they want to be ridden. I try to suit the horse, not the other way around. I try to make a relationship with them. I want them to trust me. I think that’s really important. • I’m a sucker for grays and bays! • On Mondays you’ll find me trying not to be at the barn! • The horse person I admire the most is Scott Stewart. I have always wanted to be just like him. • Women in our sport are keeping up with the boys! I love that we compete on the same level. • One of my greatest
show ring victories was winning the WCHR pro finals in 2023. • One of the best horse names I’ve heard is Al Capony. • My favorite show is Aiken Charity Horse Shows because Aiken is a great town. They run a lovely show and are so hospitable to all competitors. • The best way to support our fellow riders is to always have their back. We all want to win. We all have good and bad days. Stand by them when they are having a tough day and celebrate their success with them. • My favorite horse show moment was winning the Medal Finals with Grace Debney. We have been helping Grace since she was on small ponies. Quimby was a horse we found in Europe and developed. That moment was so special in so many ways.
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FEATURE
DO HORSES & HUMA SEE EYE TO EYE? Learning about how your horse sees can improve performance and communication WORDS: ELLE GIBBS
A
S HUMANS, we have developed the habit of
assuming our horse’s sensory processes are just like our own. Although this may seem like an innocent fault, these assumptions can cause miscommunications and harmful outcomes in the show ring. So, how do our horses see? How is their vision different from our own, and how is it similar? And how can we, as riders, take this information to better understand our equine partners and improve our performance? BACKGROUND TO EQUINE SIGHT
ANATOMICAL DIFFERENCES
Before jumping into the nitty gritty of eye anatomy, we must first have a brief understanding as to why horses have adapted their unique vision abilities. Before the days of heated barns and individual paddocks, most horses roamed open grasslands. As herbivores, horses spend 50-60% of their time with their heads lowered grazing; however, this left the animals open for attacks from predators like wolves (Pilliner et al., 2013). With a high demand for herbage, horses needed to be equipped with extensive vision that allowed them to focus both on their food and assess their surroundings for danger. In order to increase survival, the horse has undergone years of visual evolutionary adaptations and natural selection pressures to evolve into the modern animal we know today.
The horse has one of the largest mammalian eyes, bigger than that of either the whale or elephant. Unlike humans, who have their eyes set on the front of their head and their line of sight directed straightforward, horses have their eyes set high up on their head and positioned to the sides of the face. The result is a horse with extensive monocular vision and limited binocular capabilities, diverging from humans who possess only the latter. Monocular vision is when each eye perceives images separately, where binocular vision is where both eyes work together in parallel to see (Pilliner et al., 2013). Different from the spherical shape of the human eyeball, horses have an eye that is flattened front to back and more level on the bottom. This results in the animals being able to focus both near
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and far images at the same time. The horse also has a structure not found in humans known as the tapetum lucidum, this allows horses to perceive images in the dark well, a result from wild horses’ nocturnal habits (Pilliner et al., 2013).
VISUAL ACUITY DISPARITIES Binocular vision results from a pair of eyes receiving the same visual stimuli, also known as stereopsis, which in turn increases visual acuity (discrimination of detail) and allows a better judgment of depth. In turn, monocular vision in horses caused by the side placement of the eyes allows the animal with panoramic sight abilities at the expense of great detail discrimination. More influential on the ability to focus is a concept known as accommodation: the ability of the eye to focus images at different distances accurately (Murphy et al., 2009). Humans have been observed to have great accommodation powers allowing them to discriminate minor details quite well. Unfortunately, the horse has undeveloped ciliary bodies and therefore have impaired accommodation abilities. However, this does not mean that the ciliary bodies are entirely useless in horses as they still are the mechanism that allows the animal to bring images into focus. Due to this limitation, horses may need to move their head up or down in order to place the image at the correct distance for best detail processing (Pilliner et al., 2013).
PHOTO: ADAM HILL
ANS
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FEATURE
Horses may need to move their head up or down in order to place the image at the correct distance for best detail processing. Horses do possess a form of binocular vision that aids in their depth discrimination. But much of their binocular abilities are limited due to their frontal blind spot. Much of this blind spot is due to the horse’s facial structure which essentially cuts off any sight beneath the muzzle (Pilliner et al., 2013). It has also been observed that horses, like many other mammals, will have difficulty in discerning objects less than a meter away (Murphy et al., 2009). Horses do enjoy a wider range of sight than humans having approximately 215 degrees of sight capabilities from either eye (“Vision in the Equine,” n/a). On the other hand, humans only have about an 180-degree view of a field, or a 150-degree capacity from either eye (“How Normal Vision Works,” 2020).
LIGHT SENSITIVITY Both horses and human retinas contain two photosensitive cells: rods and cones. In either species, cones allow us to perceive detail, color, and respond to light quickly, where rods allow us to see in low-light levels (scotopic vision) (Murphy et al., 2009). Humans have shown better visual acuity than horses in photopic (bright) conditions. But, the horse has developed a tapetum lucidum: a structure that provides a “second chance” for photoreceptor cells to react to low-light stimuli. So, although humans may have better daytime vision, horses could be more adapted for sight at night, this hypothesis still needs further testing to be completely sure (Shinozaki et al., 2013). Even though the tapetum lucidum provides the horse better sight in darker conditions, it comes at the costs of yet again decreasing horses’ visual acuity. The horse also has a pupil that is less quick to adapt to new levels of light exposure; for this reason, they have gained a structure known as the corpora nigra (Murphy et al., 2009). The corpora nigra provides a shade to the eye to prevent potential sun damage due to their delayed optic responses to light levels. The presence of the corpora nigra also means that the horse will be more easily
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“blinded” when exposed to bright light or have lengthened adjustment times when exposed to darker conditions (Warren, 2021). This concept is important when it comes to horse shows with different portions of competition at various light levels. The presence of cone photoreceptors that allow wavelength discrimination and daytime behaviors provide evidence that horses have color vision. Humans are trichromatic, possessing three cone types, where horses are dichromatic, only have two cones, and are more similar to color-blind people. Instead of perception of a full color spectrum, horses have the ability to best determine yellow and green, with little ability to see blue and least of all red. It should also be noted that being dichromatic allows horses to see the texture of an object regardless of high-contrast colors, which we as trichromats cannot do (Murphy et al., 2009). Therefore, it’s plausible that certain surfaces are more visible to horses than us, not on a basis of color but texture. This could explain how horses may be able to discriminate against natural-colored jumps on earthy ground, like on cross-country courses, better than humans.
APPLICATION TO THE HORSE WORLD So, how can sight differences between horses and humans affect performance? We know that horses have underdeveloped ciliary bodies that prevent strong visual acuity, sometimes forcing the animal to move his/her head around to gain better image processing. Unfortunately, this act of moving the head can be mistaken as a behavioral issue that can lead to unfair punishments and further restriction of sight. Riders should take time to discern if certain head movements stem from poor manners or just lack of visual clarity before
acting; this can ensure that any potential eye problems can be addressed and reprimand is not delivered unfairly. Riding “on the bit” or flexing the head and neck towards the chest has grown in popularity in the equestrian world. This riding style does utilize the horse’s back well but it comes at the cost of limiting frontal vision. Riders who work their horses in this manner need to be extra cautious of their surroundings to ensure that the horse is comfortable working visually impaired and that they are putting themselves in positions and environments that could not exacerbate chances of harm. This may mean opting to ride in a smaller, less-crowded arena or allowing the horse to have some freedom to raise its head so that they may have a better view of the ring. Some researchers have stated that the horse should be allowed their head when jumping a course, this is especially important right before the jump as horses can no longer see the fence when 1.5m away (Pilliner et al., 2013). We have covered the idea of light-sensitivity in horses and how they have a delayed adjustment period to new light levels compared to humans. Many shows, like the famous Capital Challenge Horse Show, ask competitors to transition from an outdoor arena into a dim indoor show ring or vice versa. When tasked with transitions such as this, it is important to try and aid your horse in adjusting to the light levels before attempting to jump a course or work in these new conditions. This can be PHOTO: ADAM HILL
resolved by allowing the animal to stand in low-light environments, perhaps standing near the indoor (this may not always be possible or the safest option considering the density of people and other horses) or finding other ways to replicate the new environment before showing. Fence color and decoration can also play a role in determining a horse’s sight capability and even safety while on course. Fences are designed for aesthetic appearances and are often created without regard to the animal’s vision. For example, jumps with only a single color, especially white, make it more difficult for horses to distinguish. They have also been shown to have difficulty discerning jumps where green is selected with yellow or blue. There’s also an interesting implication in trailering. Most horse transportation have black mats for their stalls; however, it has been studied that by changing the color to green it decreases loading hesitation and makes the animals more comfortable while being shipped. Another feature of the
equine dichromatic eye is that they can sometimes see textures and movement where humans may only perceive color. This may be linked to the widely held belief that red objects, especially flowers, are the spookiest jump feature to horses. This is not the first time that red has been considered a “provoking” color to animals, in fact bullfighters also rely on this concept for their performances. But, scientists have figured out it is not the color but rather the movement of the cape that triggers the bull, just like how it is most likely not the red flowers but rather small movements undetectable by humans but visual to horses that causes their alarmed reaction. Riders should be aware of this idea while jumping so they can understand whether refusals or spookiness is simply the result of being naughty compared to when their horse could be perceiving the fence in a different way. The relationship between horses and humans is one of the greatest friendships of all time; therefore, we owe it to both our teammates and friends to gain a better
understanding of how they see the world. This knowledge will ensure greater comfort, safety, and improve performance of our adored partners for years to come. Elle Gibbs is a first year at Cornell University where she is majoring in Biological Science as well as pursuing a minor in Economics and second minor in Animal Science. Her dream is to attend Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and pursue a career as an Equine Veterinarian. SOURCES: M;, Shinozaki A;Takagi S;Hosaka YZ;Uehara. “The Fibrous Tapetum of the Horse Eye.” Journal of Anatomy, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24102505/# • Murphy, Jack, et al. “What Horses and Humans See: A Comparative Review.” International Journal of Zoology, Hindawi, 22 Apr. 2009, www.hindawi.com/journals/ijz/2009/721798/ • Pilliner, Sarah, and Zoe Davies. Equine Science. Wiley, 2013 • “Vision in the Equine.” Equine Science, www.extension. iastate.edu/equine/vision-equine#:~:text=Each%20 eye%20 sees%20across%20an,between%2065%20 and%2080%20 degrees • “How Normal Vision Works.” Chadwick Optical, Inc., 23 Nov. 2020, chadwickoptical. com/how-normal-vision-works/#:~:text=As%20you%20 can%20see%20 from,overlap%20 is%20 called%20 binocular%20 vision • Warren, Rob. “Three Equine Specialties (and a Dedicated Family) Come Together to Heal Horse.” School of Veterinary Medicine, 7 Apr. 2021, www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/three-equine-specialtiesand-dedicated-family-come-together-heal-horse
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SPOTLIGHT
ERIN LANE SPORTHORSE SALES & WESTMINSTER SPORT HORSE SALES
Erin Lane of Erin Lane Sporthorse Sales with Westminster’s Chalamet at her Thermal home base, MTN Equine
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PHOTO: ANASOFIA VAZQUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY
Building a Program of Horses Who Make Great Partners WORDS: PIPER KLEMM
BLENDING VALUES AND EXPERIENCE, Erin Lane
Sporthorse Sales and Renée Ruder’s Westminster Sport Horse Sales have built a program sourcing and training the horses that juniors and amateurs want most—the ones that make them feel good. “There is so much focus on importing quality horses and then the next layer of that is to find and produce horses that try the hardest for their riders and offer their riders the most confidence and the most consistency,” Erin Lane tells The Plaid Horse.
WESTMINSTER SPORT HORSE SALES Ruder has been a lifelong horsewoman, growing up with a veterinarian father, years of riding Western and dressage, playing polo while at university, and going all-in when her daughters specialized in sport horses. The family’s love of all things equestrian led Ruder to purchase an elite equestrian center in Bend, OR, now Westminster Show Stables, where she has learned about equine management and actively participates in the development and marketing of her sales horses. “It was a huge learning curve for me as a parent to do a deep-dive into the business of selling horses. When my daughters were young, we were so green and knew little about the complexities of sport horses,” she says. “It’s an amazing sport and business to become involved in, and its been fascinating to learn about all the pieces needed for the success of each individual horse. I have utmost respect for the trainers who manage every detail.” Launching her equine sales business, Ruder traveled to and imported her first horse from France, and became hooked on studying records, reading vet reports, and developing relationships with trusted European agents. She started to match horses to a diverse group of trainers throughout North America to develop each sales horse. Ruder studied how her horses developed once they arrived in the U.S., and keeps tabs on their continued progression and success, even after they have been sold. “Every year is different, every horse is different. I get really attached to every horse. I’m so invested in their development, their character. The health management of the horse itself is so key to this sport and my business. I’m at the barn five days a week as a facility owner. The little things are fascinating to learn—it’s complicated and rewarding,” says Ruder. In looking to align with a trainer with similar ethos for a long-term business model selling horses through successful trainer partnerships, Westminster partnered with Erin Lane.
ERIN LANE SPORTHORSE SALES
Renée Ruder of Westminster Sport Horse Sales
“Horses are my first love, but it’s been a unique journey to being a full-time rider and trainer,” says Lane with a laugh. She started on a pony bought out of someone’s yard and rode anything and everything through ten years as a working student, showing in her first Grand Prix at age 15 on a Thoroughbred purchased for $5,000. “I don’t think you could do that now, but I took advantage of any opportunity and February 2024
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“I get really attached to every horse. I’m so invested in their development, their character.” —RENÉE RUDER WESTMINSTER SPORT
HORSE
SALES
learned everything I could so that I was very useful in the barn,” says Lane. “I was in the position that I had to make it in this industry my own way and pay my bills, so I built a career outside of horses in commercials and live tv production. I rode four days a week throughout and started riding and teaching polo so that I could still be around horses as much as I could.” Combining her interests, Lane was eventually named media director for Noelle Floyd, and helped create the popular Equestrian Masterclass program. “I got to learn so much from the top riders, trainers, and grooms in the world as I listened, watched, and they explained their riding, horsemanship, and programs to me. From Anne Kursinski to Ian Millar, to Karl Cook, to Margo Thomas, I soaked up every minute I spent with the most accomplished people in our sport,” she adds. While working remotely, Lane was also an assistant trainer for a large client-based program, taking meetings on the road from horse shows and between lessons. While shopping for horses and subsequently training them, she saw how horses with certain characteristics buoyed a rider’s spirits and abilities 5-6 days a week, year after year. The relationships she wanted to make were for those riders, who varied in ability from learning to canter through the 1.50 m Grand Prix, but all of whom needed horses who loved people, loved their jobs, looked forward to work, and could handle learning.
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“I love the training and development side and that is where I have always wanted to spend all my time. Going out on my own, I get to focus on the horses 24/7, which is what fuels my passion. I am in Thermal for five months and get to do everything myself, from creating feed programs to using all the skills I’ve developed from stable management, training, marketing, doing my own market analysis and research, and really understanding the client who walks into the barn ready to buy a horse,” says Lane. Based at MTN Equine for five months a year, she has all the benefits of being close to the show and also having horses at home. The quiet, private farm has grass turnout, an Equicizer, and their own ring conducive to unrushed horse trials. Horses get to relax anytime they’re not showing and have plenty of opportunities to move around. Lane spends summers in Northern California at Opus Sporthorses near Sonoma Horse Park and isn’t afraid to hit the road to showcase special horses. “There is so much pressure when you try a horse at a horse show. Everyone is around and watching. It can feel high-emotion. You often only have one jump to jump and lots of traffic. By having clients come to the farm, it’s much lower pressure. You can hand graze your horse and get to know them, you can sit on them as many times as you need, and it’s a less stressful way to get a better read on the match, the horse, and how you both feel when you’re together,” said Lane.
WORKING TOGETHER Bringing together so many pieces, Ruder and Lane get to “nerd out” every day, obsessing over their horses and often find their shared values mean sending each other horses that the other independently found. “I think so many people overlook heart, which is really hard to tell unless you meet a horse in person. Matching horses over the years, it is such a very personal and emotional sport. You spend so many days with these animals and the horse’s heart often determines how the relationship will go long after the actual sale is over,” says Lane. Working with boutique numbers, Lane and Ruder both use their experience to value and select each horse in their program for having a great brain. Every horse is sat on in Europe by Lane or a trusted associate, and personality and heart are the top criteria. With Ruder’s daughters in the sport and running a sport horse facility, both understand comprehensive care and management from the ground up. “It should be a horse that enjoys their job, enjoys people, loves to learn, seems happy, and is a lovely horse to be around. They don’t need to be perfect, but we’re looking for the pieces to put together. My favorite thing is getting the message months later about how the horses make their owners feel,” says Lane. “I want to be here for a long time, and that is what we are already building—a bespoke business full of repeat customers. I want to sell horses to people who love them so much that they want to come back to us for their next
PHOTOS: MERAKI CREATIVE (CENTER); ANASOFIA VAZQUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY (RIGHT)
“I think so many people overlook heart. You spend so many days with these animals and the horse’s heart often determines how the relationship will go long after the actual sale is over.” —ERIN LANE horse. It’s not about one type of horse. It’s Long Stirrup through Grand Prix horses that all share commonalities of being good, well-trained, and expertly matched for success. My daughter rides and shows some of our sales horses and I want to put her on the same type of horses that everyone wants in their own barn,” says Ruder.
ON BUYING “The best thing you can do is align your goals with the personality of each horse. I find there is sometimes stigma with clients doing a lot of research and asking questions, but I really encourage that. Riders should go into the process knowing how they want to feel riding the horse and how they want to feel after the first year riding the horse. These goals are related to budget and that’s a realistic conversation with your trainer, who you have to trust in this process,” says Lane. “Horses who have incredible hearts and have proven to do their jobs well might not have perfect pre-purchase exams,” she adds. “And sometimes a greener horse with a better brain might be a better fit for a junior or amateur than an older horse who is more challenging. Making a team and partnering with a horse is the best way to have a successful match—it might not be exactly the horse you were expecting!” For more information and details, visit www.erinlanesporthorsesales.com and www.westminstersporthorses.com.
ERIN LANE SPORTHORSE SALES IS PROUDLY PARTNERED WITH:
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