Chenoa McElvain: A Desert Bloom with Deep Roots
Friday, January 24 2020
By Lyssette Williams. Portraits by Kristie Nichols - For grand-prix rider Chenoa McElvain, developing horses to their highest potential is a long-standing family tradition. It all started with her grandparents, Tim and Betty McElvain, who were both avid riders. Betty developed an interest in dressage and after a trip to Europe, Tim and Betty decided to import a Holsteiner stallion and some mares, which would set the McElvain family on a multigenerational journey in New Mexico.
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight, Weekly Feature
Mona Snell: Through the Eyes of an Artist & Horsewoman
Wednesday, January 08 2020
By Shya Beth - No two living things are exactly alike and that’s what Wellington-based equine artist and entrepreneur Mona Snell captures effortlessly in all of her paintings. Working in pastels and oils, Mona uses each brush stroke to carve out a hint of her subject’s personality, whether the horse is with us or long gone.
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Eventing with Boyd Martin
Monday, January 06 2020
Boyd was honored and privileged to go to Japan in November, for the third year in a row, to teach a series of retired racehorse retraining clinics. The idea originally formulated thanks to his 2016 Olympic partner Blackfoot Mystery, an American Thoroughbred who was adopted off the track and eventually ended up in his hands. The clinics are sponsored by Godolphin, Darley, the Japanese Racing Association and the National Riding Club Association of Japan. Boyd shared his experience with Sidelines.
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Drew Cheek: Eventing, Education and the Drew Boot
Wednesday, December 04 2019
By Laura Scaletti. Portraits by Adrienne Morella - Three-day eventer Drew Cheek, 17, wears many hats; among them, dual-enrollment as a high school and college student, working student at Blue Hill Farm in Unionville, Pennsylvania, and equestrian entrepreneur. Like most self-proclaimed “horse crazy girls,” Drew was captivated by horses from the start. Born into an adventurous, yet not equine-enthusiastic family, Drew started her campaign to get her parents, David and Danielle, to buy her a horse at 6 years old.
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Christmas Miracles Year-Round at Small Miracles Therapeutic Equestrian Center
Wednesday, November 27 2019
By Britney Grover - For one day this holiday season, an indoor arena in Kingsport, Tennessee, will transform into a winter wonderland: Children will take their stick horses on an adventure, enjoy candy and goodies, make crafts to take home and meet Santa and his friend, miniature therapy horse Miss Buttons. During this festive Open House on December 1, Small Miracles Therapeutic Equestrian Center invites program participants, families and the community to experience a special magic that permeates the center. But that magic isn’t limited to one day, and it isn’t bringing toys. It’s bringing miracles.
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Alexa King: Time Stands Still in Sculpture
Monday, November 18 2019
By Shya Beth Alexa King knows how to bring out the spirit of the horse through her sculptures. Carving out not only the shape of her subject but intimately detailing her sculpture with the personal nuances that make her subjects instantly recognizable, it’s no wonder that Alexa has been commissioned to portray some of America’s
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Alexa Lee: Saving An Angel and Learning To Fly
Thursday, November 14 2019
By Britney Grover. Photos by Winslow Photography - When talking about angels, they’re usually the ones doing the saving. But Satins Angel had to be saved first. After bleeding ended her racing career, Satin bounced from owner to owner within months, narrowly escaped slaughter, and endured abuse before she met Alexa Lee. “I rode her literally twice and I don’t know what it was that sparked our connection,” Alexa said. “She was so scared; I couldn’t pet her face, I couldn’t hug her. She would throw her head in the air, her eyes white with fear that someone was going to hit her — she still has scars on her face. But I saw this horse who just wanted to be loved and to have someone to love so badly. I thought, I can do that for you. I want to do that for you.”
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Hailey Johns: Taking the Future by the Reins
Tuesday, October 29 2019
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
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Samia Staehle: Big Dreams and Stories Worth Telling
Friday, October 11 2019
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
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
Taylor Hall: Life, Fashion and The Tried Equestrian
Thursday, September 19 2019
By Susan Friedland-Smith Portraits by Kristin Lee Taylor Hall experienced an unorthodox introduction to horseback riding, which left her confused at the end of her first lesson. Nevertheless, the young horse lover from Santa Clarita, California, persevered, showing successfully on the A circuit and later earning an NCAA equestrian scholarship. While navigating her early career
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight