SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Equestrian Gallery
      • Stallions
      • Horses & Ponies for Sale
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Monday, December 07 2015 / Published in Sidelines Spotlight

Never Too Old: Journey With Horses and Friends

By Jane Bunting Sage

Who would have thought, when I started riding at the age of 13 at Mountain Lakes Camp in Pennsylvania, that at 76, I’d still be riding. This journey isn’t about my riding, but the horses I’ve ridden and the friends I’ve met along the way.

Jane Sage and Toby Photo by Noel Johnson

Jane Sage and Toby
Photo by Noel Johnson

The Camp Horse Show set the tone for future horse shows. I was cheering for my best friend who won first place and didn’t hear them call me second. To me it wasn’t about winning, but participating and cheering for my friends. As an older teen, I trail rode for hours with one of my classmates. She owned her horse, Lucky, and I rode Mr. Moore’s large Tennessee Walker, Zembo. This excursion took us cross country on the west shore of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, covering areas in Camp Hill, Enola and Lemoyne — blazing our own trails and crossing old covered bridges.

My riding took a hiatus while I went to college, worked in New York City, married, had our daughter, Missy, and moved to East Hampton, New York. I started riding again when Missy turned 5. My first instructor was Liz Hotchkiss, who owned Stony Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York. She was Century Rider #128 in 2013. My other instructor was Barbara Clarke whose horse, Tank, was also my instructor. Liz, Barbara and I rode together for many years. Tank and I tried foxhunting with the Smithtown Hunt. This was a first for both of us — what was I thinking? Then, Barbara and I did a hunter pace as a team. I jumped higher than I wanted and was scared to death, but we made it around the course unscathed.

The next step was to buy a horse, so I purchased “Chinese Mist,” a retired racehorse from Canada. I boarded a few miles from my house and trained with Sue Marder. My daughter had her own pony and rode with Sue’s younger sister. I rode and showed hunters for a few more years, then had to “retire” from riding when my husband had a serious car accident. I began managing our Maidstone Boat Yard and The Lighthouse Restaurant in East Hampton.

I bought a house in Wellington, Florida, in 1985, which opened up my desire to ride again. I purchased a polo pony, Arthur, and rode at Fairlane Farm. Arthur could turn on a dime but wasn’t that interested in dressage. I later donated Arthur to the Florida Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches.

About 1998, I was back in Pennsylvania to help with my mother, who had Alzheimer’s. My school pal Sally, whom I had known since we were 5 years old, introduced me to more horse friends, and a few more horses entered the picture. I’d fallen from one of my horses and almost decided I was getting too old to ride, but in 2004, Keswick, commonly known as Toby, came on the scene. He’d been sent from Ohio to my daughter’s farm to be sold. He was a huge, furry horse, and I first saw him being clipped while he was half asleep! After some of my previous horses, I knew I needed a quiet horse. I took lessons for almost two months while everyone encouraged me to buy Toby. He was 16.3 hands, bigger than I wanted, 13–14 years old, and more money than I’d ever paid for a horse.

Toby had been imported from England by the previous owner and had done eventing and foxhunting. The next winter, I was taking dressage lessons on him from a clinician. We were both trying very hard, but I was pulling on him and he was pulling on me. His nose was stuck out and I couldn’t get him round.

In 2006, I left Florida for Aiken, South Carolina. After buying a home, I found Holly Spencer’s farm and my new riding instructor, Amy McElroy. Amy has had unbelievable patience with me. In the summers, Toby was shipped to Harmony Hill Farm in York Springs, Pennsylvania, where I rode in dressage schooling shows. I kept returning to Aiken every October until 2014, when I had neck surgery and couldn’t ride for three months. Toby spent the summer at Holly’s Fair Lane Farm. Toby made amazing progress that summer in training with Amy. When I returned that fall, it became the turning point for Toby and me. At some point that winter, they started to do the math and realized Toby and I were old enough to do the Century Ride. The thought is a little scary, since I haven’t shown in a number of years.

Here again, it isn’t about my riding: it’s all about the journey and all the wonderful friends I’ve met along the way. Thanks to all my friends for keeping me in the saddle and not treating me like an old lady. If it hadn’t been for Amy and her unwavering patience with me, I would’ve given up dressage and just gone trail riding.

Share this page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Tagged under: jane sage, never too old

What you can read next

Writing From the Heart
The USHJA Foundation: Inspiring and Supporting Hunter-Jumper Riders
A Traditionalist’s View on the FEI Helmet Rule

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
100% Equine-Focused Company. 100% Med-Free Facilit 100% Equine-Focused Company. 100% Med-Free Facility. 100% Traceable, Pure Ingredients. It matters to you, and to us. At BUCKEYE Nutrition, we love horses as much as you do.💚 We strive to do our part to help horses live the longest, healthiest and happiest lives possible by producing the highest-quality, safest feed available. #poweredbybuckeye #buckeyenutrition
Day 3️⃣ of our Hot Horseman takeover! 🔥Ch Day 3️⃣ of our Hot Horseman takeover! 🔥Chava Cortez🔥 When Chava Cortez first came to the U.S. on vacation from his home country of Mexico, he didn’t anticipate he’d not only move here but also pick up a career he had never even considered. “I decided to come to New York on vacation, and then I decided to stay and try out a job as a groom,” he said. “I never thought of doing this! But I fell in love with horses.” Now, Chava lives on Long Island and grooms for Kristina Muse’s Beach Acre Farm in Sagaponack, New York, where he also gets to ride on occasion just for fun. “Chava is the best!” Kristina said. “He’s been a part of Beach Acre for about eight years now and we consider him like family. He takes the utmost care of our horses, and always keeps the entire barn running smoothly!” Outside of work and horses, Chava is passionate about fashion and soccer, and enjoys socializing with friends and traveling. Key to Chava’s success is that he makes a point of approaching everything he does with 100% commitment. “I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years and I’ve been fortunate to have been able to work with some great people in the industry,” he said. “My career is busy; this industry is always on the move. But I love horses, the travel, and meeting other people in the industry.” 📸Photo by Melissa Fuller
Day 2️⃣ of our Hot Horseman takeover! 🔥Ne Day 2️⃣ of our Hot Horseman takeover! 🔥Neal Tredinnick🔥 When Neal Tredinnick became a farrier 20 years ago, he never would have dreamed that he would shoe all across the world for multiple international championships, including two Olympic gold-medal horses. “I never appreciated the places horses can take you!” he said. “The places I’ve been and experiences I’ve had throughout my career have been amazing.” Neal has been passionate about horses from the time he saw them grazing in the English countryside on his way to and from school in Essex. He begged for riding lessons, began riding at 9 and got his first pony at 11. From there, working with horses was his dream: He passed his Pony Club tests as well as the British Horse Society Exams, saved money from local jobs and put himself through the UK’s rigorous four-year farrier school, beginning his career in 2002. He shoed for Ben Maher for over 18 years—including four Olympic Games—before moving with his family to Wellington, Florida, last year. Being a farrier in Florida is very different from England. “The very first thing that comes to mind is that I’m not constantly soaking wet, freezing cold and covered in mud!” Neal shared. He, his wife and their three children are enjoying the sun, having their own horses at their farm, spending time on the water and all other aspects of their new life in Florida. At work, Neal enjoys a tight team and top-tier roster of clients. “They make me feel valued and appreciated, and I honestly love going to work every day,” he said. “I work very closely with Dr. Alex Rey and I have to credit him for the time he has dedicated and the additional skills that he’s taught me since I’ve been in the USA. I’ve learned so much from him, and feel blessed that we have such a great team. The sun is shining, the barns I work at are beautiful and we have a very exciting group of horses to support moving forward. Everything is positive!” 📸Photo by Melissa Fuller
Happy December 1st! Now the fun begins! 13 days of Happy December 1st! Now the fun begins! 13 days of Hot Horseman Christmas! To start us off is our featured hot horseman Woods Baughman! Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, Woods Baughman was surrounded daily by all things horse. Driving through Lexington, he couldn’t help but see horses, whether they were in a field along the road, on billboards advertising upcoming equestrian events or on street signs—as even the roads are named after horses. As a child, Woods and his non-horsey family attended a rodeo that came to the area. Immediately, Woods knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: a rodeo rider. “That’s when the nagging to my parents about wanting to ride began. Eventually, they caved in and signed me up for English riding lessons, with the agreement that if I stuck with it, I could switch to Western and go down the rodeo path,” Woods said. Woods never made it to the rodeo circuit, as another equestrian event in Lexington captured his heart. When Woods was 6 years old, his grandfather heard about “some horse thing” that was taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park. That “horse thing” just happened to be the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. While bull riding initially won Woods over, watching the horses gallop the cross-country course left Woods awestruck. Get to know Woods in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine! Click the link in our bio for more! And keep your eyes 👀 out for the 1️⃣2️⃣ other men featured this month! 🎄 📸Portraits by Melissa Fuller #sidelinesmagazine #sidelines2023 #forhorsepeople #abouthorsepeople #dressage #hunterjumper #eventing #magazine #horses #hothorseman2023 #hot
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Stallion Gallery

.

Visit Stallion Gallery

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • BLUE BRIDLE INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.
    Inquire about all available options for your equine insurance needs. 800-526-1711 info@bluebridle.com bluebridle.com

    [Read more]

  • Fab Finds by Sarah
    With one of the most extensive collections of Golden Goose in the world Find us at Most A rated horse shows or Order Online www.fabfindsbysarah.com Equestrian Vendors

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • “Jump for the Children” Benefit Horse Show Celebrates 40 Years & Over $3 Million to Duke Children’s
  • Woodside Recognizes the Best in the West
  • Get More for Your Money with an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • Conor Swail Was the Best Bet in $15,000 CSI2* Markel Insurance Welcome at San Juan Capistrano International
  • Lillie Keenan Leads in CHF68,000 South Coast Plaza Welcome Speed at San Juan Capistrano International CSIO5*
  • McLain Ward Wins CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix at San Juan Capistrano International

Category

Recent Posts

  • December 2023 – Table of Contents

    Subscribe for just $9.95 or Order Individual Is...
  • Unbridled With Tony Sgarlata

    By Britney Grover  It’s hard to get Tony Sgarla...
  • The Secrets of Whorls in Horses

    By Margie Sugarman What do Marie Claire, Anne H...
  • An International Dressage Discussion

    By George Williams Recently, I attended the IDT...
  • Managing the Journey That Is the Equestrian Industry

    By Rob Jacobs As competitive equestrians, we ma...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!