By Samantha Haynie
Portraits by Garrett Cortese
Milo McKee’s memories of riding start so early, his first one isn’t even of a horse. “The first thing I can remember was a cow,” he said. “I can’t really remember riding a pony ‘cause I was so young, but riding the cow was a little later—I don’t think I was a rodeo star before the age of 1!”
Third-generation riders Emma and Milo McKee have a deep love for their ponies—and cows—that shines through as they talk about growing up with horses at home. The 11-year-old twins grew up riding and showing in Charleston, South Carolina, under the watchful eye of their mom, Katy Bakker McKee, an Amateur jumper who showed “back in the day” everywhere from Spruce Meadows and the Hamptons to the 2008 World Young Horse Championship in Lanaken, Belgium.
While they were on ponies before they could walk, the twins first remember spending time with the cows on their family’s farm. “When we were little, we used to sit on them and feed them granola bars,” Emma laughed.
Today, the twins ride ponies and horses—not cows—found at their private family farm. “Since our barn is down the driveway, we can hop on our bikes and ride down to the barn,” Emma said. “I like the experience of getting the horses tacked up and riding at the barn and stuff like that.”
The farm has also remained home to several retired competition horses from Katy’s career, which allows the twins, Katy—who has ridden since she was 4 years old—and Katy’s mom to all ride together. “My retired jumper mare is Darabi, whom the kids, my mom and I ride at home,” Katy said. “She’s a lovely mare but still can be a bit spicy, so Milo and I mainly ride her. Milo likes to go forward and thinks she is so fun!”
Milo leases a 13-year-old black Welsh Pony gelding named Chimney Sweep (Llanhaven Royal Portrait x Tinkerbelle), otherwise known as Otis and owned by Amy Khoury. Milo and Otis have been together since December and have their sights decidedly set on Pony Finals. They qualified for Small Green Pony Hunter at their third show together in Aiken in February, and have since qualified for the U.S. Pony Medal at the Aiken Charity Horse Show in early May.
Those qualifications are what keep Milo motivated in the sport. “The adrenaline makes showing really exciting, especially the thought that you could get qualified for a national pony show or a championship,” he said. This will be Milo’s second time showing at Pony Finals. In 2022, Milo and Wait For Me, a 2012 Welsh Pony mare owned by Hinton, LLC, placed 16th in the Small Pony hack out of 113 entries and placed 29th overall in the Small Pony division out of 116 entries.
Emma rides Glynmagic Sun Chaser (Shenandoah Supernova x Rosmels Sunglo), aka Chase, a 16-year-old chestnut Welsh Pony gelding owned by Ivey Hair. Emma and Chase have been showing in Children’s Pony Hunters; though Chase’s lease is up this summer, Emma is hoping to qualify for her first trip to Pony Finals. “My favorite part of showing is having fun,” she said. “Just the feeling that you’re riding a wild animal and getting them to jump, that’s pretty cool.”
The twins also share Vasto du Forest (Machno Carwyn x Danoe de Coatliou), a 15-year-old buckskin French Riding Pony gelding imported from France, whom they compete in the .65m and .75m Pony Jumper classes.
Cimy Von Kielsluck (Cassini II x Nina XI), or Cimy, is their 19-year-old, 17-hand Holsteiner gelding, a gentle giant, saint of a guy. “He used to be an FEI jumper in Europe, but has competed in everything in the U.S. from 2’ hunters to hunter derbies to 1.30m jumpers,” Katy said. Cimy is very well educated, and he has taught the twins how to counter-canter, jump bounces and gymnastics, leg yield and do a turn on the haunches. “We’ve had him since March 2018, and he takes great care of my mom and the kids, and I get to have some fun on him as well.”
Katy hopes someday to get back to larger venues—showing all together as a family—when the kids are older. In the meantime, they all continue to show together at the Aiken Horse Park close to home, but also travel to show at Traverse City, WEF, Central Florida Hunter Jumper Association shows and the World Equestrian Center (WEC) Ocala in the winter. “WEC is really cool,” Emma said. “It’s such a big and nice facility. There are really beautiful trails around the chapel.”
“It’s really nice for the horses to see nature,” Milo said. “In the mornings before we show, we take walks to get them nice and loose.”
While competing, the family rides with Cathy and Daniel Geitner of DFG Stables and occasionally the Peraltas from Seabreeze Farm. At home, they ride and train with Morgan Uricchio.
Whether at shows or at home, the twins know where the credit for their equestrian pursuits belongs. “Thank you to our family for helping us to get ponies,” Milo said. “It’s always fun to go to horse shows and travel around the United States, maybe one day the world, to see horses and ride them.”
Likewise, Emma concluded, “Being at a horse show and being around all these horses is just the best.”
