Mary Helen Shaughnessy Knows WIHS From the Ground Up

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
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The Gender Perspective

By Margie Sugarman I’m starting high school soon, and the other guys in my class think riding is just for girls. I love riding and I love my horses. They think this is a “girly” sport that no guy would ever do. No, it’s not football, baseball or soccer but it’s my sport of choice.
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Colleen Brombach: “It’s All About Family”

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,

Samia Staehle: Big Dreams and Stories Worth Telling

By Tafra Donberger Portraits by Kristin Lee There’s no shortage of story lines in Samia Staehle’s book of life. From her childhood riding ponies on foreign soil to chasing leads as an Associated Press television producer and now rising through the ranks as an amateur on the West Coast show jumping circuit, Samia’s is a
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Dressage Behind the Scenes: The 2019 Pan American Games, Lima, Peru

Dressage rider Jennifer Baumert took home the individual bronze medal from the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with Betsy Juliano’s 13-year-old Handsome. Jennifer shared her experience as part of the silver medal U.S. Dressage Team with Sidelines. What was it like getting to Lima? Before leaving for Lima, our team met for a
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Coursewalk with Heather Caristo

I usually either show in the hunters or jumpers. Recently, I’ve thought about showing with different horses in both categories at the same show. How do you reset, or make sure you don’t start riding like a jumper in the hunter ring, or like a hunter in the jumper ring? Transitioning between hunters and jumpers
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Unbridled with Jennifer Glass

By Jan Westmark When Jennifer Glass hands out ribbons at shows, her smile is as big as the riders’ receiving their awards. “I have the best job at the horse show,” she said. “I love the smiles of the riders when they’re accepting their ribbons.” While Jen is primarily the awards and sponsor relations director
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Steve Messenger: Immortalizing Horses Through Art

By Shya Beth Show jumping throughout the years has changed into a global, larger-than-life sport, and the same could be said about Steve Messenger’s colossal equine paintings. Steve has an uncanny ability to collect emotions together on his canvas, bringing his images to life in ways only a truly knowledgeable and talented artist can. Steve
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Course Walk with Heather Caristo

My trainer recently suggested that I move up. I’ve consistently been ribboning in my division, and am concerned that I’ll go from being a big fish in a little pond to being the small fish in a big pond. I don’t want to move up and then disappoint my trainer. How do you decide when
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Carly Anthony: Enjoying A Fashionable Life From College to Grand Prix

By Tafra Donberger Portraits by Kristin Lee You would never guess that there was a time when Carly Anthony was a timid rider. The winner of multiple USET awards, a successful NCEA equestrian with a national title and All-American honors and currently finding success across the nation, this forward and fashionable equestrian can still humbly
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