Carli Kirsch: Shining Bright in the Heart of Texas

By Darlene Ricker Portraits by Kristie Nichols If you go to North Houston Horse Park in Houston, Texas, most days you can expect the unexpected. Everything looks the way it would at a top-notch equestrian facility like this, but what you hear in the arena can be surprising — unless you know trainer and grand
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Joanie Morris: A Heart for Eventing

By Laurie Berglie For Joanie Morris, United States Equestrian Federation’s (US Equestrian) managing director of eventing, her work and play collide — and she wouldn’t have it any other way. A lover and fierce competitor of the sport of eventing since childhood, Joanie is inspired by those around her and strives to do her part
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Jenny Erwin: A Fashionable Journey from SCAD to WEG

By Doris Degner-Foster Jenny Erwin is a student at Savanna College of Art and Design (SCAD) but she’s not waiting to graduate to begin her career. She’s presenting her line of contemporary, luxury clothing during the World Equestrian Games (WEG). Inspired by her horse Apache, Jenny has named her brand Apacceli, which is an appropriate
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Sarah Rowen: Finding Fabulous Fashion

By Julie Unger Sarah Rowen has a talent for finding fabulous fashion items, and even creating them herself. She has “it,” the “eye for fashion,” and it all came naturally to the self-taught owner of Fab Finds by Sarah. Sarah grew up in Toledo, Ohio, an area better known for its glass, automotive and solar
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Daniel Bluman: The Olympic Rider Jumps From Colombia to Israel

By Kathryn McMackin Portraits by Shawna Simmons When Daniel Bluman talks horses and show jumping, he speaks with intent. “Every horse, every day, you learn something new — the horse will teach you,” Daniel said. “Horses will teach you everything. And then, when you think you know everything, you know nothing.” Daniel has taken these
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Holly Bachor: In the Tack or at the Ingate

By Lindsay Brock Holly Bachor always knew where she wanted to go with her life and shaped her career around horses. She just took a few unexpected, and unusual, turns in the road on her way there. Growing up in the rolling hills just outside Catskill Park in Kingston, New York, Holly was born into
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Dressage & Beyond with Charlotte Bredahl

Charlotte Bredahl was a member of the 1992 bronze medal U.S. Olympic dressage team in Barcelona riding Monsieur. In 1997, she was part of the silver–winning team at the North American Championship on Lugano. She trained both horses from the start. Charlotte is a USEF (S) judge and FEI 4* judge who has judged all
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Brooke Giacin: Focusing on Equitation and Photography

By Alannah Castro For 17-year-old Brooke Giacin, life is about embracing your passions, and her passion is the equitation ring. While she was born into a horsey family, her beginnings were decidedly Western. When first teaching Brooke how to ride, her mother, Page, wanted her to learn something simple with an easy pattern to memorize,
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Hannah Murray: In Tune With Music and Horses

By Doris Degner-Foster Hannah Murray was 5 years old when she heard violin music for the first time. She was so impressed, she demanded on the spot to take violin lessons. Luckily for Hannah, the young lady whose playing had captivated the group with a rousing rendition of a tune from “Fiddler on the Roof”
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Lissa Bachner: Blind Trust and an Incredible Partnership

By Heather Wallace Portraits by Isabel J. Kurek Most hunters count strides between the jumps, but that’s not easy for blind rider Lissa Bachner. Imagine entering the show ring and only seeing the jump colors with one eye at close distance, or listening for a friend to tell you when to turn. “My friends discuss
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