Ava Stearns: Academics and Auburn Equestrian

By Carter Anderson - Ava Stearns is a name many in the horse industry know and admire. She credits her success as a junior to trainer Missy Clark and North Run Farm. During her time with North Run, she discovered college riding through Maggie Gampfer, an assistant trainer who was on the equestrian team at Oklahoma State. This opened Ava’s eyes to college riding as a possibility in her life. Fast forward, Ava is now in her second semester of freshman year at Auburn University and is truly enjoying not only the team but also her academic course load. Currently, Ava is an undeclared math and science major and her passion for learning will hopefully lead her to graduate school.
Tagged under: , , , ,

Unbridled With Martin Fuchs

Swiss Olympic rider Martin Fuchs, currently ranked as the world’s No.1 rider on the Longines Jumping list, has returned to Florida to compete at the Palm Beach Masters Series. At the Palm Beach Masters Series in 2019, Martin won the first FEI class of the series, the CP Welcome Stake CSI4*-W. Martin comes from an equestrian family with strong ties to the Olympics: His dad competed in the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and his uncle, Markus Fuchs, won a team silver in show jumping at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Tagged under:

Chenoa McElvain: A Desert Bloom with Deep Roots

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.
Tagged under: , ,

Mona Snell: Through the Eyes of an Artist & Horsewoman

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.
Tagged under: ,

Eventing with Boyd Martin

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.
Tagged under:

Drew Cheek: Eventing, Education and the Drew Boot

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.
Tagged under: , , ,

Christmas Miracles Year-Round at Small Miracles Therapeutic Equestrian Center

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.
Tagged under: ,

Alexa King: Time Stands Still in Sculpture

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
Tagged under: , , ,

Alexa Lee: Saving An Angel and Learning To Fly

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.”
Tagged under: , , ,

Hailey Johns: Taking the Future by the Reins

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
Tagged under: ,