Molly Sorge

Kusner 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.

John Pearce knew he’d have his work cut out for him when he walked the course for the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix CSI-W on the evening of Feb. 13. “I thought it would be tough. There wasn’t anything ridiculous, but everything was an effort,” Pearce said. “It was challenging, but quite doable. It was a good course for me, because I love to be challenged.”

Just call John French the king of the hunter derby. The poster child of the 2008/2009 USHJA International Hunter Derby season with the charismatic Rumba, French has kicked off the 2010 season with a bang.

At the HITS Desert Circuit on Feb. 12 in Thermal, Calif., he rode Crown Affair to the top of the $10,000 The Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby and claimed second with Cruise. The class was held in the evening, under the lights of the expansive Grand Prix field.

Buck Davidson has always been a great rider, but in 2009 he seemed to truly come into his own. Davidson’s year was headlined by being the highest-placed U.S. rider at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** on My Boy Bobby and finishing 11th at the Burghley CCI**** (England) on Ballynoe Castle RM, but he achieved success with virtually every horse in his large string.

When Buck Davidson first took over the ride on My Boy Bobby in the summer of 2008, he didn’t expect to be filling out an entry for the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** the following spring.

In fact, Davidson recalled that during a disastrous outing at the Express Eventing International Cup (England) in November 2008, Phillip Dutton quipped to him, “I don’t think that one’s going to Kentucky, mate.”

But in the spring of 2009, “Bobby” seemed out to prove everyone wrong. He was undefeated in three outings at the advanced level, including the CIC*** at The Fork (N.C.).

Each fall, Jennifer Alfano’s parents would let her take a day off from school. “This was before I’d ever even shown in an A-rated show, but every year I’d go to [the Pennsylvania National Horse Show] and watch all day,” said Alfano, who grew up in Harrisburg, Pa. “I’d study all of the famous jumper riders and say to myself, ‘I’m going to be a famous rider.’ All of my friends at school would roll their eyes.”

Be creative and thoughtful when giving gifts to your “barn family.”

Odds are, Santa’s not the only one making a list and checking it twice. The holidays are a time for recognizing the people who are important in your life—and those who are important in your horse’s life, too.

Gift giving isn’t just for family members; many riders include their trainers, barn managers, farriers, veterinarians and stable staff on their gift list. Such gifting, whether you consider it “tipping” or merely sharing holiday cheer, is purely an individual decision. Some do, some don’t.

Finding buyers for the products of their breeding program is one of the biggest challenges breeders face.

You’ve stayed up all night on foal watch, invested thousands of dollars, and now you have the end results—fuzzy foals—running around in your pastures. But what do you do now?

The market for young, unbroken horses in the United States is notoriously difficult. The vast scope of our country’s geography makes the elite auction system that’s so successful in Europe unrealistic here.

A lifelong love of ponies brought this dressage rider into a winning partnership with Richard Taylor.

You would think that the highlight of Thora Pollak’s day at the Devon Horse Show (Pa.) would have been when her ponies earned the best young pony and reserve best young pony titles.

But, no, the moment she remembered most fondly from that day in May is when her 4-year-old granddaughter, Nina, toured the Dixon Oval in the leadline class. “I think that was the best part of the whole day,” Pollak said. “That’s what the ponies are for—the children.”

Thoroughbred racing has been Anne Russek’s career and passion since she was a teenager. She started hot-walking horses at the Monmouth Park track in New Jersey at age 16 for Warren “Jimmy” Croll.

Before long she was galloping horses, and soon she married Croll’s son Bill.

“When Bill and I divorced, I’d been the assistant trainer in the family operation. So I went out on my own. I got remarried and moved to Virginia. I still have my trainer’s license, and we race our own homebreds,” said Russek.