Jumping Through Life
Thursday, February 26 2015
Anne Kursinski’s Journey from Horse-Crazy Kid to Five-Time Olympian By Lauren R. Giannini Anne Kursinski has literally jumped through life. Like many kids, she grew up horse-crazy, dreaming that someday she’d ride in the Olympics. Unlike most kids, Anne lived her dream — not once, but five times — and earned two team Silver Olympic
- Published in Weekly Feature
Chrissa Hoffmann: Making History and Training Horses to Their Fullest Potential
Monday, February 02 2015
By Lauren R. Giannini It isn’t that anyone said it couldn’t be done. It just hadn’t been tried, at least not in public. But dressage trainer Chrissa F. Hoffmann thinks outside the box and the dressage arena. She isn’t biased about breed and proved it by riding and training an American Saddlebred named Harry Callahan
- Published in Weekly Feature
Laura Graves & Verdades Dancing In Harmony
Monday, January 26 2015
By Lauren R. Giannini When Laura Graves and Verdades exploded onto the international scene at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, their “overnight” success captivated people around the world. For horse and rider to accomplish this level of success in less than one year of competition at the Grand Prix level
- Published in General, Sidelines Feature
Old Friends: Young at Heart & Horsing Around
Monday, August 04 2014
By Lauren R. Giannini In 2002, when a story in Bloodhorse magazine broke the news that Ferdinand – 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, 1987 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and 1987 Eclipse Horse of the Year – had met his demise in a Japanese slaughterhouse, cries of outrage rippled throughout the horse world about such a cruel
- Published in Weekly Feature
“Little Horses Do Big Jobs” – Sidelines Story by Lauren R. Giannini Wins Alltech A+ Journalism Award
Monday, June 23 2014
By Lauren R. Giannini During the recent tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma, Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy horses found themselves both the heroes and the victims. When disaster stuck, the little horses remained calm while founders Debbie and Jorge Garcia-Bengochea made a decision that would result in renewing hope to a town that had nearly lost
- Published in General, Weekly Feature
Polo Queen Kerstie Allen
Saturday, May 31 2014
Polo, Roping, Mounted Shooting, Barrel Racing, PoloCrosse: Is there anything Kerstie Allen CAN’T do on a horse? By Lauren R. Giannini After growing up in Australia, Kerstie Allen took off to explore the world, literally and figuratively, on horseback. She has played high goal polo alongside royalty and some of the best professional players, competed
- Published in Weekly Feature
“Going, Going, Gone!” Sport Horse & Pony Auctions: Live & Online
Monday, March 10 2014
By Lauren R. Giannini How do you know where to shop when you’re looking to buy a show horse or pony? Two family-run auction companies approach this question from similar yet different perspectives and locations: Flashpoint Bloodstock LLC and SVS Horse Sales. Tim and Cathy Jennings bring extensive Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred expertise to Sport
- Published in Sidelines Spotlight
The Extraordinary Tori Colvin
Monday, February 17 2014
By Lauren R. Giannini Victoria (Tori) Colvin, now 16 and driving, has been racking up rosettes, tri-colors and various Best Child/Junior Rider titles for many years. As a very young catch rider she climbed on the freshest, hottest ponies and rode so chilly and with such finesse that they went quietly and well on course.
- Published in General, Sidelines Feature
Jean Kopperud’s Balancing Act
Saturday, January 11 2014
By Lauren R. Giannini Professional musician, concert clarinetist, avant-garde performer, recording artist, chamber musician and college professor are some of the “hats” worn by Jean Kopperud in her unusual and eventful career. She has even played her clarinet while jumping out of airplanes and dangling from a parachute. She rode western until she was
- Published in Weekly Feature
Born & Bred in the USA
Monday, December 02 2013
By Lauren R. Giannini Christine Vanneck lives by lessons she learned from her polo-playing grandfather, John Vanneck. “He always said don’t push the envelope, because the envelope will break,” she recalled. “We don’t push our horses, but they learn everything important by the time they are yearlings: to stand quietly for grooming, the farrier,
- Published in Weekly Feature