4 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
story inspires me, makes me cry or urges me to head to the barn
and hug a horse or kiss a pony. And this issue does just that.
Here’s hoping we all fnd success!
Jan Westmark-Allan
Editor
Send me an email at
Editor@sidelinesnews.com
Follow us on Facebook too!
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Letter From The Editor
How do we measure success in the equestrian
world?
For some it might be rescuing a horse and giving it the
safety and love of a forever home, while for others it could be
mastering fying lead changes, teaching a horse to load in a trailer
or tackling the show ring. For many riders, however, the ultimate
success is the Olympics.
When we interview junior riders for
Sidelines
and ask them
what their goals are, most of them say their dream is to compete
in the Olympics. This year we sent our Olympic equestrians to
London with high hopes and although the United States riders
rode valiantly and turned in some brilliant rides, we came home
without any medals. While the results may be less than what we
hoped for, our riders “fought the good fght” and made us very
proud.
To honor our Olympians and their horses, artist Louise Mellon
has captured the essence of the Olympic horses in her great red,
white and blue painting featured on the cover of this issue. It takes
a special horse to make it to the top of any equestrian discipline.
Medals or no medals, our Olympic horses and riders did achieve
the ultimate success. Congratulations to all of them!
Olympic horses aren’t the only special equines out there. We
had over 400 entries featuring beloved horses and ponies in the
Sidelines
Magazine Supermodel Contest. All amazing photos from
people who truly love their special equines. In the end, maybe
that’s what success in the horse world is all about – that love
we have for these wonderful four-legged creatures and our own
dedication and commitment to train them, care for them and love
them. We don’t need medals around our necks, just that wonderful
bond with our horses that equals no other.
I know you will love our Supermodel photos – they truly are a
work of art! Which leads us to the fact that this issue is our Art
Issue. It’s easy to be inspired by the work of our featured artists,
including two popular artists from the UK – Tom Hill and Heather
Jansch. Our newest Sidelines writer, Maria Wynne, pens the two
stories – which worked out great for her because she lives in the
UK, or as we like to say – Across the Pond!
Enjoy this issue, which is once again chalked full of stories, art
and great photos. I consider it a “successful” issue if at least one
Speaking of Success….
It’s time to spotlight our
Sidelines Staff Writers Lauren R. Giannini and Abby Westmark.
They successfully turn in one great story after the next each
issue and add so much to our
Sidelines
team!
Lauren R. Giannini
Lauren is an award-winning writer specializing in stories and
photos about the equestrian world. She began writing regularly
for
Sidelines
in April 2005 with the Focus On Virginia issue. After
covering Rolex Three-
Day Event in 2006 and
producing six pages
of photographs, she
became
Sidelines’
frst staff writer. Crazy
about horses her entire
life, she lives in the
horse and hunt country
of Virginia. Lauren’s
motto is “write, ride -
not necessarily in that
order!”
Abby Westmark
Abby has written for
Sidelines
for many years
– even though she is
only 19. She started as
the Juniorside writer
and covered life in the
junior ring,
including
her win in the FEI
Children’s International
Jumping Competition in
Wellington. For several
years she also drew
the “Windy and Drexel”
cartoon that appeared
in
Sidelines
. Abby (the
daughter of Editor Jan
Westmark-Allan) recently
moved
to Boston,
Massachusetts where she is realizing her dream of becoming a
chef by earning a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu.