By George Williams Did you realize that it has been over 40 years since a man won the gold medal in dressage at the Olympics? And yet, they say men and women compete equally in equestrian sports. It does seem true in jumping and eventing. Of course, you know me: I had to do a little research. In fact, it seems that in both jumping and eventing, it’s quite the opposite of dressage’s woman winning streak—especially in jumping. A quick review of gold medalists in those two disciplines: In the same period starting with the 1984 Olympics, when Joe Farris won the individual gold on Touch Of Class, i ..read more

By Margie Sugarman “There is no other feeling in the world to compare with it if one loves a great horse. It gives a thrill that nothing else ever can. It cannot be put into words, because words cannot express it.”—Samuel Riddle  When the time comes to part with a pony or a horse that’s been a significant part of one’s life, many questions arise. These questions challenge us to examine ourselves and our beliefs. They’re facts that come into play when making life-altering decisions. There can be questions involving higher education, financial issues, one’s age and responsibilities, ability ..read more

By Rob Van Jacobs Equestrian sport gives us many opportunities to practice skills that we of course need for the sport, but also skills needed to navigate the world successfully. I wanted to share my thoughts on resilience this month. To be resilient is to be able to recover and bounce back after experiencing challenges. Those who are resilient often need less time to process and understand challenges and are able to put their energy toward recovering and moving forward with greater success in the future. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with taking the required or desired time needed to p ..read more

By Valerie Pride I know it’s really a very big world out there; but somehow, horses make it so small! For years I wintered in Aiken, South Carolina, at the lovely farm of Sidelines founder Samantha Charles. Once a month, pallets of freshly printed Sidelines would take over the office, garage, hallways—it was always quite the scene and rather exciting to see it before it was officially available in stores. Fast forward a few years and I was so honored that Sidelines did a story on me, my horse Favian and his mini equine friend Theodore, and our move to England to train and compete at Blenheim ..read more

By George Williams Did you realize that it has been over 40 years since a man won the gold medal in dressage at the Olympics? And yet, they say men and women compete equally in equestrian sports. It does seem true in jumping and eventing. Of course, you know me: I had to do a little research. In fact, it seems that in both jumping and eventing, it’s quite the opposite of dressage’s woman winning streak—especially in jumping. A quick review of gold medalists in those two disciplines: In the same period starting with the 1984 Olympics, when Joe Farris won the individual gold on Touch Of Class, i ..read more

By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Stacy Tierman Two things that bring joy to Taryn Young’s life are warmbloods and wine. In 2018, Taryn started her Instagram account Warmbloods + Wine (@warmbloodsandwine) as a place where she could share her favorite equestrian finds, wine reviews, beautiful horse photographs and her equestrian journey. “The equestrian life is foreign to most, so I didn’t want to drive my friends and family crazy who weren’t into horses on social media, so I created Warmbloods + Wine. It was meant to be a journal type of account and a creative outlet curated for me, by me, but it ..read more

By Britney Grover Portraits by Katie Faircloth When anyone buys a custom bracelet from Good Vibes Bracelets, they also receive a peppermint for their pony or horse and a personal thank-you note handwritten by the owners and operators: 9-year-old Sophia Luzinski, 11-year-old Bianca Ingui and 13-year-old Gracie Ingui of Naples, Florida. Sophia doesn’t have any sisters of her own, so she loves getting to spend the extra time with real-life sisters Bianca and Gracie. All three train with Steve and Tania Di Carlo with Benchmark Equestrian in the Children’s Pony divisions. Sophia broke the chain of ..read more

By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Kristie Scholten “Don’t be scared!” This is the advice Dr. Sylvia Kampshoff gives women when it comes to chasing their dreams in business and taking care of their own health. “I want to be a role model to my daughter, so she can witness firsthand that women can pioneer businesses and effect positive change,” Sylvia said. Through her company Pata Life, Sylvia has done just that by combining her passion for Argentina, quality handbags and giving back to women. An avid polo player, Sylvia visited Argentina regularly with her family. The country and its people left a ..read more

By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Melissa Fuller At age 24, Marie Vonderheyden was living the professional equestrian life of her dreams in Wellington, Florida. On February 20, 2015, that dream turned into a nightmare. As Marie was cooling down her horse, she fell off and sustained severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI). While her life changed in an instant, one thing remained the same—her love for horses. Born into an equestrian family, Marie happily followed along in the family tradition. “My mom was a riding instructor, so I started with horses at a young age. My great-grandmother was a horse b ..read more

By Britney Grover Portraits by Melissa Fuller   Entrepreneurship is challenging, in or out of the equestrian world. Elizabeth Constantin knows this firsthand. Not only did she overcome those challenges to create a successful riding school, but now, she’s using everything she’s learned to help other women create thriving businesses—and healthy lives. Elizabeth’s equestrian journey started in the same place it is now: Boca Raton, Florida. Shortly after she began riding lessons and leased her first horse, her parents purchased a horse farm. “It had a beautiful, long, tree-lined driveway that ..read more