By Margie Sugarman I found some not-so-nice comments about me and my horse on a message board. I know who wrote them — there’s a particular group of women in my region I avoid as much as possible, but now my confidence is shattered. How do I ignore their cruel words and ride my best,

By Britney Grover Photos by Shelby Phillips There are two things Bethany Lee has always been passionate about: horses and style. “When I was 5 years old, my mom would find me sitting in the middle of my closet, with five or six layers of outfits on my body at any given time,” she said.

By Lyssette Williams Portraits by Kristin Lee Late night 1984, 12-year-old Wendy Sasser sat with eyes glued to the television watching as equestrians competed at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Wendy had always loved horses, but that summer moment further fueled her passion. “Watching the Olympic equestrian events inspired me,” Wendy said. “Abdullah and Touch

By Lenore Rees Phillips The beginning of Hailey Johns’ story sounds familiar. The precocious redhead was just another little girl who was crazy-in-love with horses. As a young girl, Hailey took to the saddle on a Quarter Horse in her local lesson barn. With her first ride, she knew that there was no place that

By Tafra Donberger Portraits by Isabel J. Kurek Armed with a little black bag and an iPad, Michele Hollis, M.D., is bringing medicine to the places equestrians need it most: barns, ring side, you name it, she can help where you’re at. As a doctor who is an equestrian herself, Michele knows exactly how a

By Lindsay Brock Mary Helen Shaughnessy has experienced the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) from many different angles — as a wide-eyed junior rider watching her heroes and as a nervous competitor at the in-gate. She’s also traveled the world exploring various roles in the show jumping industry. All those experiences came full circle in

By Britney Grover Portraits by Kristie Nichols Colleen Brombach knew she wanted to be a horse trainer by the time she was 8 years old — before she ever learned to ride. “As a kid I used to go play out in the open fields, running around pretending I was a horse. I told myself,