PrintKusner saw no limits in Unusual, Untouchable and Aberali.
Untouchable might have been Kathy Kusner’s most famous horse and her mount for two Olympic Games, but there were two other horses that Kusner recalls particularly fondly, Aberali and Unusual. All three horses—talented Thoroughbreds—came into Kusner’s life in the 1960s as green or problem horses.
Kusner was the Beezie Madden of the 1960s. Many show jumping aficionados of the time recall her vividly, picturing her daring jump-off rides and puissance victories as she paved the way for future women show jumpers in the sport then dominated by men.
Unusual, Untouchable and Aberali all benefited from Kusner’s remarkable ability to bring out their best qualities. Each horse presented his own challenges. She found a way to work with each of their personalities and quirks to make them their best.
One anecdote sums up Kusner’s philosophy and the approach that made her so successful.
Kusner twice won the puissance at the Aachen CHIO (Germany)—in 1966 on Untouchable and in 1967 on Aberali. It rained heavily both years, and the arena was deep in mud. “Both times, people asked me why I was entering my little Thoroughbreds in the puissance against big, strong German horses. The first year, Untouchable won it jumping 2.10 meters, which is 6'7".
“Horses standing behind him in the prize-giving were more substantial, with big feet. The next year, Aberali won the puissance jumping 2.20 meters, or 7'2", again in deep mud.
“It’s so easy to make assumptions and go with tradition and/or superstition. That can be limiting. Or, you can think about other possibilities and arrive at the thought, 'Maybe it’s not necessarily that way. Let’s find out.' "
An Unusual Horse
In the summer of 1962, Kusner had just returned from her first European tour with the U.S. Equestrian Team. “Unusual was a horse that had shown a little as a green jumper but hadn’t had any career. I had never seen him, but a friend, Frances Rowe, had him in her barn,” Kusner recalled.
Rowe wrote Kusner a letter, saying that this horse had very interesting breeding. He was out of the same mare as Circus Rose, also known as Miss Budweiser, and Riviera Wonder.
“When I got back from Europe, I went to a horse show in Richmond, Va., met the horse, and got to ride him in the stake in the open division, which he won. I loved him from the first moment. I didn’t have a special horse in my life. It was the beginning of my time with the team, and I was barely on it by the skin of my teeth.
“Unusual was unusually wonderful,” Kusner said. “He was a real quality Thoroughbred horse. His greenness manifested itself in the best way possible. At each jump, he would spend some minutes in the air, so it seemed, as he got very high with his huge leap. It was just the nicest ride, and each jump felt as if you were sitting on a cloud.”
Kusner found the key to riding Unusual, who was sensitive and had a soft mouth. She rode him in the softest bit that was made at the time, a straight, soft rubber bit.
“I asked him to have nice RPMs in his work, so the engine had a lot of energy. He responded to that beautifully. He wasn’t a hot horse that had a lot of natural impulsion,” said Kusner.
