The monster-sized garbage truck was headed straight for the horse I was riding down busy Columbus Avenue, at the height of evening rush hour on New York City’s Upper West Side. Gears grinding loudly, the vehicle kept chugging toward us as I maneuvered my horse as close as possible to the parked cars along the curb in an attempt to avoid a truck-horse-human collision.
The perpetually rearing wooden horse still stares out the enormous picture window oblivious to the constant bustle of New York City, just as he’s done since 1912. All around him, the world has changed. The once plentiful shops offering equestrian accouterments to clients with names like Rockefeller and Kennedy have disappeared, leaving Manhattan Saddlery as the sole surviving tack shop in the borough.
It was 8:45 p.m. on a Thursday evening. It was dark, wet and cold outside. I had 24 hours until the chili cook-off fundraiser I’d been planning for the Area II Young Riders, and the anxiety was setting in, as it always does before any function I plan.
I was doing my best to balance my time between my full-time job at Sinead Halpin Eventing, my part-time job at Prestige Saddles, my commitment to Young Riders, my part-time job teaching at River Edge Farm, and my personal commitment to fitness.
Winston Himself, an accomplished upper level event horse, was euthanized on Jan. 30 after a bout with colic. He was 28.
From humble beginnings as a barrel racer, owner Susan B. Wainwright purchased him for $1,200 as a 5-year-old. A Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse cross, Winston Himself could do anything, said Wainwright. He was also a lover of doughnuts, cotton candy and hamburgers. The 16-hand bay gelding was a favorite around the barn.
International event horse Kingpin died from a hemorrhage of the large vessels in the abdomen on April 25, while competing in the cross-country portion of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington (p. 8). He was 13.
Julie Richards imported the Irish Sport Horse gelding, and she competed him at preliminary before sending him to Michael Winter of Canada for training. He was purchased by the Kingpin Syndicate a short time later.
Rearing Horse By C. Tanner Jensen
Award-winning artist C. Tanner Jensen is known for her ability to translate the essence of the horse into art. She is primarily known for her mixed media paintings that not only encompass the earthly aspects of the horse, but also the spiritual and metaphorical.
Horse Block Herd By Susan Leyland
Artist Susan Leyland said she feels fortunate that her love of horses and art have come together as a natural combination.
Coaches And Comrades By Lila Blakeslee
Lila Blakeslee, Vero Beach, Fla., experiments with diverse medium and techniques to capture the behind-the-scenes moment at horse shows and the general horse show experience.
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