4 SIDELINES APRIL 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
I think you will enjoy the
wonderful old black and
white photos showing the
flavor of life in the early
horse days of Tryon. I feel
blessed to live in Western
North Carolina, not far
from Tryon, and always
enjoy spending a day in
Horse Country.
Speaking of feeling
blessed,
don’t
miss
our touching story on
trainer Mindy Darst of
Lochmoor Stables. Mindy
was diagnosed with
an aggressive form of
cancer eight years ago,
and shares her struggles,
triumphs and blessings with us.
In this issue we are also honored to share the story of Claire
Davis, whose beautiful life came to a tragic end during a school
shooting in Colorado. Claire’s parents, Desiree and Michael,
decided that
Sidelines
would be the first magazine they would
speak to about their daughter and we feel privileged that they
chose us. As you can imagine, we shed many tears as we talked
to the family and looked at the photos of Claire and her horse,
who she loved so much. We hope you will consider supporting the
Arapahoe High School Community Fund honoring Claire Davis.
Finally, I want to remind our readers that you can now enjoy
Sidelines
in print and digital – and I want to say thanks to everyone
who has contacted me and told me they love reading us on their
digital devices. Belinda Paget-Brown messaged me and said,
“Congratulations on getting Sidelines digital up and running. I have
downloaded the app and I love it.” If you haven’t downloaded the
app, then please do! You can view
Sidelines
digital on the iPhone,
iPad, Android tablets and phones and the Kindle Fire. Of course
you can still read
Sidelines
in print, and if you do I encourage you
to Catch the Sidelines Spirit and pass the issue along to a friend
when you are done.
Catch the Sidelines Spirit – In Print and Digital!
Jan Westmark
Editor-In-Chief
Letter from the Editor
If you are a fan of actor and musician Christian
Kane, who appears on our cover this month, then
you will probably be the first in line to see his new
movie
50 to 1
. The movie is based on the true story of
horse racing legend Mine That Bird, who raced in the
Kentucky Derby in 2009 with 50-to-1 odds.
I had a great time interviewing Christian. As a cowboy who grew
up riding horses in Oklahoma, he is quite a character. He has a
huge Twitter following and some rather rabid fans – and I see
now why they love this guy so much. I think I am going to add “go
horseback riding with Christian Kane” to my bucket list!
I have been a fan of actor William Devane, who also stars in the
movie, for a long time. I loved his television show
Knots Landing
(yes, that tells my age) but was also a fan because I knew he was
a polo player. Over the years, he has helped raise a great deal
of money for charities by playing in charity polo matches and he
still rides almost every day. I talked to William on the phone about
his role in
50 to 1
and the first thing he told me was that he had
just been sitting in a polo barn in Los Angeles reading a copy of
Sidelines
Magazine. Now I am an even bigger fan!
Jim Wilson, who directed the movie (as well as
Dances With
Wolves
and many other movies you will recognize), was great to
work with and he and I shared a nostalgic horse bond when we
talked about horse movies we liked as kids. We both agreed that
The Black Stallion
was a favorite and we reminisced about Alec
Ramsay holding his arms out to the side as he rode The Black
bareback down the beach – a truly great cinematic horse moment.
I know I wasn’t the only one who went to the barn after seeing
the movie and pretended my horse was The Black as I stuck my
arms out to the side as I rode bareback around the ring. While
The
Black Stallion
might be a favorite horse movie from long ago,
50
to 1
is racing into theaters now and poised to be a new favorite.
In this issue,
Sidelines
takes a special look at the equestrian
world in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. There’s
a huge chance you will fall in love with this area as you read
about riders, farms and polo players who make the horse world
shine in The Carolinas and Georgia. We also check in with the
dynamic duo Danny and Ron, of Danny & Ron’s Rescue, who live
in Aiken, South Carolina. If you aren’t familiar with these canine
crusaders, then it’s high time you meet them. We also take you to
North Carolina and introduce you to Tryon’s Horse Country, and
