150 SIDELINES APRIL 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Riding with Crohn’s Disease:
Grand Prix Rider Kris LePow Proves that Nothing Can Keep Her Down
By Dani Moritz
The road to the grand prix isn’t an easy one – whether you’re
born into the sport or are a first generation equestrian. But add a
chronic illness into the mix and entering grand prix competition
is next to impossible. Yet, grand prix show jumper Kris LePow,
daughter of grand prix dressage rider Irwin LePow, has proven
that it can be done.
Now 39 years old, Kris was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease
when she was 23. Best described as an inflammatory bowel
disease, the disease presents an array of physical symptoms that
without a doubt make sustaining a riding career a challenging feat.
Doctors told her she may never ride again, but Kris pushed on,
eventually finding herself where she dreamed of being – in the
grand prix.
“It has made me a stronger, more empathetic person,” Kris
said. “If you really put your mind to something, you can probably
achieve things people said you couldn’t achieve.”
Kris attributes her dedication to her horses as a key contributor
to being able to move forward in her life, instead of letting her
disease define her. “Keeping horses in your life when you have a
chronic illness like Crohn’s gives you something else to focus on
and I think it’s a healthy focus. It keeps you more balanced.”
She looks to Para-Equestrians for inspiration. “If you look at
Paralympians and the things they have had to overcome to be
able to ride, I think it’s made them stronger.”
In addition to the on-and-off symptoms Crohn’s presents, the
disease also forced Kris to take a four-year hiatus from riding due
to an internal hernia that took doctors several years to diagnose.
Luckily, doctors were finally able to diagnose it and resolve the
problem and Kris has been in the saddle for the past two years.
As if suffering from Crohn’s isn’t enough of a struggle, Kris
also hasn’t had the benefit of riding made horses. All three of the
Kris and SLF Chablis
Photo by Lee Heelan
Kris LePow: a truly inspirational equestrian.
Photo by KC Betzel
horses Kris has taken to the grand prix were self-made horses
she developed as young horses – something Kris is very proud of.
“In my early 20s I dreamed of being a grand prix rider and you
just never really know if that’s going to happen,” she said. “When
I rode in my first grand prix in Scottsdale, Arizona, I didn’t walk in
with a made horse. It was a horse that I made.”
Before the age of 30, Kris had taken three self-made horses
to the grand prix – Toltec Wisdom, Opium de Doorenhof and
Hukasse de Hermet.
Today, Kris is focusing on rebuilding her training business after
her unexpected hiatus. Based out of Landrum, South Carolina,
adjacent to Tryon, North Carolina, she operates under the name
Oxer Square Farm and specializes in bringing young horses
through the ranks in jumpers and hunters – and she also dabbles
in dressage and eventing.
Despite having a difficult road to the grand
prix, Kris still wakes up with a smile on her
face – proud of where she has come and,
more importantly, how far her horses have
come.
“I look forward to the everyday. I look
forward to my horses changing and
improving and bringing them along –
especially my youngsters – and having them
for six months and watching them mature
and seeing their improvement and what
they become. There’s a lot of gratification in
knowing that if you put in the dedication, you
can do amazing things with horses.”
For more information about Kris and Oxer
Square Farm, visit
.
com.
About the writer: Dani Moritz is a graduate of William
Woods University with majors in Equine General
Studies and Communications and is currently pursuing
a Masters In Strategic Leadership at Stephens College.
She is assistant editor for Sidelines Magazine and the
proud owner of a beautiful Paint/Arabian mare named
September. She is also the 2012 American Horse
Publications Student Award winner.
