Author Archives: Thomas Gumbrecht

I’m sitting on the edge of my bed looking at myself in the mirror in my guest house room in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. I’m dressed in boots and breeches...

I’m not sure what’s happening to me. Inching up to the septuagenarian mark and losing two beloved horses in two years had taken a toll.  Maybe this is what happens....

The horse world lost a legendary figure this week.  Willie Leahy was the quintessential Irish horseman. He was the largest breeder of Connemara ponies in the world and also Field...

I sometimes hesitate a little to recount my experiences on September 11, 2001 because my personal losses were not as horrific as those of others. But they were profound. I...

When I was very young, one of my favorite cartoons was “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” On Saturday mornings I would never, not by choice anyway, miss the adventures of the...

In my youth, I pointedly pursued activities that I perceived as “macho,” and horses were decidedly not one of those. Who knew that it would take horses to ultimately teach...

In recent days, there have been many, well-deserved tributes to Jane Savoie by some of the most revered names in equestrian competition. And now there’s this one from me, a...

One of the benefits of being a >shudder< senior citizen in the horse world is having much more clarity to see the big picture. Or, at very least, to see...

When I was young, I developed an interest in flying. I received my private pilot’s license at age 20, and my instrument pilot rating at age 22. I aggressive pursued...

I recently reposted an article written by a well known American Olympic equestrian on the subject of the lack of diversity in the English riding world. I posted it to...

The house I grew up in was a charming little Cape Cod in a post-war development of similar homes on the North Shore of Long Island, NY. It sat on...

There’s a certain malaise that has come over me lately. It manifests itself as a feeling that I no longer have control over my welfare and that of my loved...

It seems that I’ve been blessed with a love for all horses. But some have, at times, been difficult to get along with.  For me, Bella had fallen into that...

I do some my best thinking in the barn. It’s quiet, and most communication is nonverbal, which I’ve grown to find can be quite clear. My mind is rarely on...

Recently, my travels took me down a suburban country road that brought back an unexpected flood of memories—and mixed feelings. In my other life, I’m a specialty construction trade contractor...

Have you ever experienced a phenomenon where a number of seemingly unrelated chunks of time and events conspire to fall together in place, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle? Sort...

With Thanksgiving upon us, we pause to give thanks for the people, animals and things in our lives for which we are grateful. As time goes on, I find myself...

Recently I found myself at Monmouth Park racetrack at the top of the Jersey Shore for a family reunion party. It was maybe the fourth time I had been at...

To recap... In version 1.0, I was a horse show parent, helping to get tack, clothes and equipment ready and in the place where it was needed, right when it...

Arthur and Helen were my parents. They lived good long lives and both passed in their eighties about six months apart. They were good parents, and we had little money...