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.
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.
Ashford Castle By Michael Tang
Father Michael Tang is professor, Catholic priest, and an artist who paints large watercolors reflecting his life in California and his love of horses and dogs.
Unbridled Splendor By Mary Sand
As with many artists, Mary Sand’s love of horses began with childhood dreams of ownership and grew as she progressed through years of training and competition.
Beyond The Track: Retraining The Thoroughbred From Racehorse To Riding Horse.
Anna Morgan Ford with Amber Heintzberger.
Trafalgar Square Books, 388 Howe Hill Rd., North Pomfret, VT 05053.
252 pp. Photographs. 2008.
$29.95
Final Answer By Susan Van Wagoner
Artist Susan Van Wagoner lives and works in Middleburg, Va. She’s combined her bachelor’s degree in studio art with a life-long knowledge of animals to produce distinctive works of fine art. The animals in her mostly life-sized work come alive with texture and feeling, and she often uses unique compositions for a dramatic effect.
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