14 SIDELINES JULY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Judy Garofalo-Torres and Oliver
Photo by James Leslie Parker
Judy with her daughter, Charlotte
Photo by Bobbi Rottman
Judy Garofalo-Torres is Back!
By Bobbi Rottman
A
fter taking some time off to start a family, Judy Garofalo-
Torres is back in the saddle with a new baby, a growing
business and a new Grand Prix horse. Judy is best known
in the world of show jumping for being a tough competitor with
her former legendary Grand Prix horse Oliver. Now as a mother,
Judy’s competitive edge hasn’t softened.
Judy started her riding career at the age of 12 — an age that
most equestrians consider a late start, but it didn’t take long for
Judy’s talent to show. When she was 19, Judy was introduced to
two-time Olympian Leslie Burr Howard. The relationship between
the two allowed Judy’s passion for show jumping and dreams of
becoming a Grand Prix rider to manifest.
Competing in her first Grand Prix just two years later at the age
of 21, Judy became a show jumping success. They say it only
takes one special horse to change your career and for Judy it was
her famed stallion, Oliver. Over their nine-year partnership, Judy
and Oliver won numerous competitions. Together they qualified
for World Cup finals as well as represented the United States
in the 2004 Samsung Super League tour, where they were a
consistent and successful American horse and rider combination.
The Super League Tour took them to some of the best horse
shows in Europe including Rome, Dublin, Rotterdam, La Baule,
Hickstead and Barcelona. The pair continued their success back
in the States with many top ribbons, including second place in
the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and World Cup Qualifier at the
2009 Hampton Classic in South Hampton, New York, and first
place in the $7,500 For the Moment Open Jump Off at the 2009
Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg. The pair was so
successful in their career together that they were featured in the
book
Unbridled Passions: Show Jumping’s Greatest Horses and
Riders North America
written by Jeff Papows. Judy retired Oliver
in 2011 at the healthy age of 19. He now stands stud at her farm
in Millbrook, New York.
During her last year competing with Oliver, Judy finally found
answers to some chronic health conditions she had been suffering
from. In 2010 at the Hampton Classic Horse Show, she became
so sick she had to forfeit the competition and find another rider for
her horses. Judy visited her general practitioner after she began
to experience debilitating symptoms. After numerous visits to the
doctor, without an accurate diagnosis for her condition, Judy was
told that the symptoms she was suffering from were in her head
and was recommended to a psychiatrist.
Judy persistently visited doctors until they finally discovered
she was suffering from Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial
infection that is spread through the bite of one of several types
of ticks. Since her diagnosis, Judy takes special care to make
sure her diet is healthy and she monitors her stress levels. She
feels that stress plays an important part in how the disease affects
her performance in competition and in her daily tasks. Judy’s
experience has helped her develop a great passion for helping
to raise awareness and funds for both human and animal Lyme
disease sufferers across the country.
On May 1, 2014, Judy was honored with the Humanitarian
Award at the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance (TBDA) annual gala at
Chelsea Piers in New York City. “It’s a privilege to honor Judy
at this year’s gala, as she has been a huge supporter of the
Tick-Borne Disease Alliance and advocates for both animal and
