By Britney Grover Portraits by Isabel J. Kurek Allison “Ali” Brock doesn’t let limitations stop her. She was attracted to horses from the beginning, despite no family connection to horses; she worked to pay for her own riding from 12 years old, and left home at 17 to pursue equestrian excellence after going as far

By Britney Grover Portraits by Kristie Nichols There are a few unusual things about Allison Kroff and her path to being a professional equestrian: She entered her first grand prix when she was just 15 years old, even though she didn’t ride, travel or show with a trainer — but that didn’t stop her from

By Carter Anderson Have you ever wondered what the judge is looking for? Stephanie Cumming has been judging collegiate meets for eight years and has a specific process when choosing the winner. If she’s not in the judge’s booth, you can find Stephanie running her business, Pecan Lane Farm, based in Bishop, Georgia. Her background

By Britney Grover Adrienne Sternlicht knows it takes more than wishing on a star to be successful. She knows it takes hard work, dedication, strength, talent, top trainers and the right horse. Mounted on her “horse-of-a-lifetime,” Cristalline, and trained by top competitors like Linda Langmeier, Laura Kraut, Nick Skelton and currently McLain Ward, Adrienne has

By Jan Westmark Social media influencers are all the rage now, but show jumper Beezie Madden has been influencing generations of young riders since long before social media existed. When young riders were asked who they looked up to the most in the equestrian world, Beezie was at the top of the list. Speaking of

By Alannah Castro Portraits by Kathy Russell As a young girl, Hattie Gilpin took an unconventional route to the horse world: She got involved in competitive swimming at a very young age, and her assistant swim coach introduced her to what would become one of the loves of her life: horses. Once swimming gave way

By Hope Ellis-Ashburn Portraits by Shawna Simmons Actress Melinda Van Dyck is a lifelong equestrian with Hollywood roots. The daughter of thespian Joan Bennett and screenwriter and producer Gene Markey, she was born in the 1930s and raised in the bright lights of Hollywood, California. While her childhood was unusual for most, it wasn’t uncommon