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Friday, April 09 2021 / Published in Sidelines Spotlight

Unbridled With Sally Ike

By Jan Westmark

 It’s been said if you need to get things done, then Sally Ike is the person to ask. Sally, who started working for the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation in 1989, said her philosophy has always been, “If there’s a problem, let’s investigate and fix it if possible.”  

 For her lifelong dedication to the equestrian sport, Sally was honored by US Equestrian with the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. “To be honored by the Federation is huge! It speaks to the extraordinary opportunities I’ve had in so many, many areas of my life. I’ve been very, very lucky!”

Throughout her 30-year career with the USET and the USEF, Sally held a variety of positions. Now in her 70s, Sally recently left her role as a full-time employee to become an independent contractor with the USEF. “I have enjoyed all my jobs and don’t have a favorite,” Sally said. “My heart is in sport and I love watching horses and going to horse shows!”

An accomplished equestrian, Sally started out showing hunters, then began eventing because she was intrigued by the process of training a horse to do all three phases. Her success in eventing resulted in being short-listed for the 1968 Olympic Games eventing team. Sally also rode in Ladies timber races and was the Delaware Valley Ladies Point-to-Point Champion in 1972 and 1973 on Evening Mail. She’s still involved in foxhunting and is the currently the chairman of the Essex Fox Hounds Hunt Committee.

How did your horse career start? 

I grew up in Monmouth County, New Jersey. I’m a twin and grew up riding ponies with my sister on my aunt and uncle’s farm where they raised Thoroughbreds. We also foxhunted and showed hunters. We showed locally and later went to Devon, the National and other shows.

How long have you been at the US Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone? 

I’ve been coming to the USET since 1968 as either a rider, volunteer or employee. It’s unchanged, except that there’s a golf course where the cross-country course used to be.

Favorite thing about being there throughout the years?

Driving in. The USET is a very special place. Being able to work there never gets old!

What other roles have you had in the equestrian world?

I’ve been a USEF licensed eventing official since 1993. I have my S Eventing Judge and Technical Delegate licenses. I dropped my Eventing Jumping Course Designer license two years ago because I felt I wasn’t doing enough of it to stay as current as I’d like to be. In addition, I’ve been very involved with USHJA’s Emerging Athlete Program since it started in 2008.  I’m still on the committee, but passed the Chairman’s torch this year to Amy Center.

Favorite experiences when you were competing?

Burghley 1967 on Evening Mail. I finished 6th or 7th, but the favorite part was that Mark Phillips and I were the only two to ‘max’ the course, i.e. go clear round steeplechase and cross-country with no time penalties. I was such a novice, I wasn’t trying to go that fast; I was just letting my horse find a good rhythm and going with that!

Favorite horse shows you competed in or traveled to?

Aachen, Dublin, Rome in my role as jumping team leader. How lucky I was to go these amazing shows!

What do you like about being part of the horse world?

Having many, many friends in many disciplines and being able to watch so many horses.

What are your plans for the future?

To stay involved, wherever that leads me.

If you weren’t involved with the horse world, what career do you think you would have picked?

Probably art or history. I love sporting art and American history around the time of the Founders.

If you had a week off, what would you do?

Travel

What inspires you?

Being around creative people who are able to think outside the box

What talents do you feel you have?

Team builder, organization, lack of bias, ability to listen

What’s your favorite item of clothing to wear?

Cable cashmere sweaters

What three items can usually be found in your refrigerator?

Wine, yogurt and bagels

What’s your favorite meal?

Medium hamburger, plain (no cheese/bacon, etc.), and French fries

What would be the best gift in the world?

Time

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

To be able to be ‘beamed up’ to another place

What’s something everyone should try at least once?

Foxhunting

How would you like people to remember you?

Approachable, no agenda, listens

Photos: 

Sally Ike at Fair Hill 

Photo by Nancy Jaffer

Sally and Evening Mail in 1965 in Florida.

Photo by Hank Cohen

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Tagged under: Sally Ike, United States equestrian team, uSET

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Hot horseman takeover day 6️⃣!!! 🔥Jorge Va Hot horseman takeover day 6️⃣!!!

🔥Jorge Vasquez🔥
Between his polo career—from groom to coach—and a love of travel, Jorge Vasquez has been to 60 countries, all seven continents, all 50 states and seen all seven wonders of the world—some of them twice. “I’ve been to China, Egypt, India, Dominican Republic, Argentina, a lot of places to play polo,” Jorge said. “I wish travel was my full-time job!”
Jorge is originally from Santiago, Chile, where his dad was a racehorse trainer and his uncle played polo. “I was too cool for school,” Jorge joked, “So I ended up having to do polo.” But Jorge isn’t complaining. There are “a million things” he loves about polo. “Obviously the 
adrenaline, and then the horses—the horses are very special,” he said. “They’re very well trained, and there’s something really special about a polo pony that can read your body and take you wherever you want to go—most of the time without asking any questions!”
Now living in Lexington, Kentucky, Jorge coaches the University of Kentucky polo team, is the U.S. Polo Association midstates circuit governor and is the polo manager at Gainesway Farm, 
where he also recently became the official tour guide. “I stay busy when I’m at home—that’s why I travel!” Jorge laughed, a common occurrence with his easygoing personality. “I like to think I’ve lived a pretty good life, and I get rejuvenated by teaching the game and teaching 
young horses how to play polo. That’s my favorite thing about the sport—teaching horses to play.”

With over 30 years in the industry, Jorge’s biggest takeaway from horses is, “The nicer you 
ask, the easier you’ll get results.” With all his experience, Jorge hopes to pass on the gifts of patience and understanding to those within his sphere of influence. “And that if you pay it forward long enough,” he added, “it will eventually pay you back.”
📸Photo by Kacy Brown
Hot horseman takeover day 5️⃣!!! 🔥Jet Rusi Hot horseman takeover day 5️⃣!!!

🔥Jet Rusidovski🔥
It wasn’t horses that took Jet Rusidovski from his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to where he lives now in Austin, Texas, in 2008. It was the weather. “I came down to visit family down here and it was negative 30 degrees in Wisconsin and it was 60 degrees here, and that was the end of it,” Jet said.

He grew up braving the cold on horseback in Wisconsin, riding and showing hunter-
jumpers from the time he was 4 all through his Junior career. “When adult life started, I had to juggle adult life and horses, and then it became my profession,” he said. Jet now works for Kelly Lorek at Southern Way Farm, training both horses and clients and traveling to shows all over the country. “Our program has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last year, and that says we’re doing something right!”

Jet hopes his experience as part of a successful program will help instill in others that everyone deserves a chance. “There were definitely times in my career I was not given a chance, and Kelly is the one who really gave me that chance,” Jet shared. “She didn’t judge me for mistakes I made in the past, she didn’t hold anything against me—she saw that I had the potential and she gave me the chance to actually show it. She gave the right coaching and the right guidance to get me where I am today, and I feel I’m in a really great place with unlimited opportunities at this point in my career.” When not traveling to shows, Jet travels to Wisconsin to visit family (weather permitting, of course) and would love to revisit childhood vacation spots in Greece and Europe, or check out the weather in Hawaii. He also prioritizes catching up with friends outside of the horse world. “If people see me around at a horse show, don’t be afraid to say hi!” he said. 
“Sometimes I’m so concentrated it looks like I want nothing to do with anyone; I’m actually just deep in thought or something. But I love to say hi to everybody.”
📸Photo by Kristie Scholten
Day 4️⃣ of our hot horseman takeover! 🔥Jo Day 4️⃣ of our hot horseman takeover! 
🔥Jonathan Cohen🔥
Most riders aren’t born into professional equestrian families; some lucky ones, like Jonathan Cohen, end up spending so much time at the barn they are practically adopted into them. 
Jonathan fell in love with horses at a friend’s birthday party while he was growing up in downtown Chicago, Illinois. At 16, he began riding with Alex Jayne—and now works for Alex’s Our Day Farm. “I’m sandwiched right between his three children in terms of age, so apart from missing their earliest years, we’ve basically grown up together,” Jonathan said. “I’m incredibly fortunate to work for a family that treats me like family.”
Jonathan’s title is barn manager. “But the job description is very loose—that’s what keeps it interesting,” he said. After he gets done riding in the morning, he starts on whatever needs to be done around the farm—which perfectly suits his love of “projects.” Outside of work and horses, Jonathan puts that passion for building into home renovation; when he’s completely renovated one home, he sells it and moves on to the next. “I love building stuff, especially when it’s something that meets a very specific need and can’t just be bought,” he said. “I’ll see things I can make better, I start working on the idea in my head, and more often than not I end up building it.”

Our Day Farm splits its time between Elgin, Illinois, and Wellington, Florida. When in Illinois, Jonathan spends much of his time building jumps. “I like to replicate some of the more interesting things we see over the course of the season, as well as anything our horses might need to practice,” he said. Clearly, Jonathan loves what he does. “I’m super lucky that when I wake up every day, I don’t have to go to work. I just go to the barn. It’s my job, and it’s definitely a lot of work most days, but really I’m just going to the barn like any other day.”
📸Photo by Melissa Fuller
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