26 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 28
his large “lop” ears and kind expression. To me, he appeared to
be the quintessential equine partner. As his markings dazzled
across the page in glorious black-and-white, Sandsablaze quickly
became my favorite “famous” equine.
Mind you, at that time, there was no Internet available to search
for information, so I knew very little about Sandsablaze’s life. In
today’s world, I’d be able to simply type his name into a search
engine and read about his life history. In the 1980s, however,
there was no such luxury. As such, I was unaware of all that
Sandsablaze had accomplished with Buddy Brown, including
several Grand Prix wins and competing at the Olympics. I also
didn’t know that the horse had died tragically in 1979. As the years
passed, I thought of Sandsablaze from time to time, and often
wondered what became of that handsome, kind-looking horse.
More than 30 years later, deeply established inmy writing career,
I came up with an idea for a book on Thoroughbred show horses.
During my childhood, the majority of show hunters and jumpers
were in fact Thoroughbreds. Having owned two myself, I have a
By Kimberly Gatto
The immortal Shakespeare once wrote, “The most splendid gift
of all is a noble horse.” Throughout history, there have been many
equines that have proven these words correct. This is the story of
one noble horse and the impact he had on my life from afar.
My story begins in Boston in the 1980s, where my childhood
revolved around two great passions — horses and writing. As a
budding author and a lover of all equines, I had a large assortment
of horse books in all shapes and sizes. Every night at bedtime,
I would pore through these books, mesmerized by the beautiful
horses that stood, galloped and jumped across the pages. As a
hunter rider, one of my favorite books was George Morris’ classic
Hunter Seat Equitation
— a book I reread time and time again.
One horse in the George Morris book always commanded my
attention: Sandsablaze, a handsome chestnut Thoroughbred
gelding. In the book, he and his young owner/rider, Buddy Brown,
were shown winning the 1973 AHSA Medal Finals at Harrisburg. I
was drawn to the horse’s attractive blaze and tall ivory stockings,
e
Writing From the Heart
Buddy and Pappy at Washington in 1977.
Photo courtesy of Joey Darby
Author Kimberly Gatto
“My Story” is a first person account of life in the equestrian world. Would you like to write your story for Sidelines Magazine? To be
considered, send a brief description of your story to
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