Americans who have never traveled to Istanbul might not be able to readily imagine an entire island where horses are the means of transportation, but where they are rarely ridden for pleasure—especially by girls. Mirey Kurkcuoglu had her work cut out for…
Continue Reading Mirey Kurkcuoglu Is Expanding Horizons and Setting Examples
Ellie Wood Baxter says it’s her straight back that helped her achieve prolific success in the hunter ring through the 1930s to 1960s. The pioneering rider was the most famous lady amateur for decades and at age 98, she still has a…
path·find·er/ˈpaTHˌfīndər/ noun: a person who goes ahead and discovers or shows others a path or way. In racing, “finding a path” refers to jockeys’ ability to guide a headstrong animal 10 times their weight to victory through a maze of competitors of…
Continue Reading Julie Krone Crafted the Path for Female Jockey Success
On August 19, 2015, when staff from Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) first laid eyes on Quest, a tiny emaciated grey stallion, they were shocked. The pony’s curled feet bore little resemblance to hooves. Each hoof had grown to over three…
A true “mid-life crisis” is typically reserved for those over 40, but a mid-career crisis can happen any time. For Californian rider Karl Cook, the years following his successful junior career—which included one silver and three gold medals at the FEI North American…
Continue Reading How Eric Navet Helped Karl Cook Find the Missing Piece
American Olympian Margie Goldstein showed an affinity for animals long before she ever set foot in a stirrup. Growing up in the country as the youngest of three, she was the family zoologist, a raiser of ducks and the affectionate tormentor of…
Continue Reading Home Is Where the Animals Are, a Margie Goldstein Engle Story
He’s ranked number nine #8 in the world. He helped Ireland qualify their first Olympic team in 16 years. And he’s got more international horses in rotation this year than any other rider in North America! Spend a few minutes with show…
Today, the name Beezie Madden is synonymous with American show jumping and Olympic medals. But there was a time when team USA’s most decorated rider was short on both money and good horses. Though never on ambition, it would seem. The year…
It was a sun dappled, spring afternoon in Northern, Germany, an idyllic backdrop to the prize giving ceremony taking place at the Global Champions League (GCL) of Hamburg. For Jennifer Gates, the moment was extraordinary in more ways than one. Riding Capital…
Continue Reading Pressure and Presence: Jennifer Gates Is Finding Success in the Moment
Lisa McLean has a masters degree in psychology, but when her career took an unexpected turn towards fashion she didn’t overanalyze. “When I was pregnant, I left my job and basically just wanted a creative outlet,” said McLean. Born from her craving…
Riders who have come up through the ranks the old-fashioned way have certain traits in common. Most have been forced to move in order to pursue their craft in foreign countries—some at a very young age, others many times over. The majority…
Continue Reading Nikolaj Hein Ruus Is Having a Moment—and Boy, Has He Earned It
Haygain sponsored rider Jamie Barge is a short-listed member of the US show jumping team, a World Cup finalist, and a threat in any jump off. She’s also hearing impaired. Here Barge shares what it takes to be successful at the international…
Swiss show jumper Steve Guerdat has one of the most accomplished resumes in modern show jumping. There’s the back-to-back World Cup Final titles he captured in 2015 and 2016. He has an Olympic team bronze from Hong Kong (2008) and the individual gold from London 2012. This past summer…
Continue Reading Steve Guerdat Doesn’t Like to Give Interviews (But We Did One Anyway)
In the fall 2013, Nayel Nassar (EGY) was at a turning point. Just months away from graduating Stanford University, the then 22-year-old was torn between horses and a professional life. Then they won The Million… As told to Carley Sparks. No one expected me to…
Continue Reading Nayel Nassar on the Victory That Decided His Career
2014 was an amazing year for me. I made the US dressage team for the first time. I competed on my first European tour and in my first championship. And by some miracle, Verdades (“Diddy”) and I scored an 82% at the…
Continue Reading Laura Graves Reflects on the Year Her Dreams Came True
It was a crazy time. Russia was set to host the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Six months before the Games they invaded Afghanistan. In protest, the Americans lead a boycott of the Games and an “Alternate Olympics” with the allied countries was…
Continue Reading That Time Canada Won Team Gold at the “Alternate Olympics”
Two-time Olympic team gold medalist McLain Ward on how show jumping has shaped his life and his identity, as told to Carley Sparks. Show jumping was in my breeding, so to speak. Both my parents were professional riders, so I grew…
