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.
Margot Graham Moncure, a noted horsewoman and successful junior rider, died on Feb. 15 at her home in Bedford, N.Y., after battling cancer. She was 62.
Mrs. Moncure was born in New York City, where she rode in the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden 13 times, starting in the pony hunter division. She was a graduate of the Ethel Walker School (Conn.) and Bennett College (N.C.).
Laura Johansson, owner of Fenwick Grove Riding Academy, died Feb. 9 after a sudden illness. She was 47.
Mrs. Johansson was born in Montreal, Que., and moved to Woodstown, N.J., 18 years ago.
She was the owner of Fenwick Grove Riding Academy, where she pursued her lifelong passion of dressage riding, instruction and training. She was also active within the local 4-H community and handicapped riding programs.
Janet Polk Read, a show horse owner and dedicated supporter of the hunter/jumper community, died on Feb. 5 from heart complications. She was 64.
Mrs. Read was born in Detroit, Mich., and lived in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and Bloomfield Hills, Mich., before moving to Wellington, Fla., in 1995.
Edward Lynn “Ted” Fieger, an accomplished horseman, died Dec. 14 after an eight-year battle against cancer. He was 56.
Mr. Fieger was born in the Midwest but spent most of his life on the West Coast. His family moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., where he lived for many years before he eventually settled in the San Francisco area.
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