By Kimberly Gatto
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
As a young boy, David Oliynyk thought of himself first and foremost as a hockey player. Then he began tagging along to his sister’s riding lessons and became smitten with horses. Decades later, David has channeled his love of horses into a career as a sought-after “A” circuit hunter-jumper trainer in the Northeast.
With his loving wife, Nicole, by his side, David owns and operates the aptly named Oliynyk Show Stables, based in Plainville, Massachusetts, in the summer and Wellington, Florida, in the winter. David serves as the trainer, while Nicole—who works full time as the vice president of regulatory affairs at a biopharmaceutical company—ensures that the farm is operating smoothly. An accomplished rider in her own right, Nicole is a frequent winner in the Amateur-Owner hunter division aboard her Holsteiner stallion Chekandino.
David and Nicole’s paths first crossed while both were competing on the Massachusetts hunter-jumper circuit as young riders. Since then, the Oliynyks have formed a winning partnership based upon their mutual love of horses—and each other. While David is teaching or training horses, Nicole can often be found performing a wide range of functions around the farm, from landscaping and painting paddock fences to accounting and other administrative duties.
The stable’s clients—which include both Juniors and Adult Amateurs—regularly earn tricolors in the hunter, jumper and equitation divisions throughout the Northeast and in Florida. David has coached several riders to wins in the New England Equitation Championships and other finals as well as numerous year-end championships; he himself has won several regional trainer awards, hunter derbies and Grand Prix classes. Through all of this, David credits his wife with the unwavering support she provides to him. “I truly could not do any of this without Nicole by my side,” he said. “She is the one who keeps it all together.”
David’s Story
David Oliynyk grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts, a suburban town located 17 miles southwest of Boston. “There was a barn located through the woods behind our house,” David said. “My sister Sandy started going there. I had never even been near a horse—my passion was hockey. But for whatever reason, I started accompanying her to the barn. Sometimes my brother and I would ride on the trails for fun, but it was nothing serious at that time.”
As Sandy—now the longtime editor of Practical Horseman—progressed in her riding, she moved on to a more serious lesson program. Ten-year-old David often accompanied her. “One day, Sandy’s trainer asked me if I was tired of sitting around when I could be riding and having fun,” he said. “So I started taking lessons, but I’ll be honest—I was not very good at it.”
While attending horse shows with Sandy, David was drawn to the competitive aspect of the sport. In no time, what had begun as a leisurely activity to share with his older sister had turned into a full-blown passion. David began showing in the Pony Hunter division aboard his first pony, Touch Of Magic.
“My parents, while not horse people, were incredibly kind in supporting Sandy and me in our equestrian endeavors,” David said. His father, Peter, an expert thoracic surgeon at a top Boston hospital, enjoyed riding for leisure and became a great benefactor of the sport. In the years that followed, Dr. Oliynyk would own several talented show jumpers. Two such horses, Charles Fox and Eclair De L’lle, won the famed International Jumping Derby in Newport, Rhode Island, in the early 1980s with Olympian Buddy Brown in the irons.
As David progressed quickly in the Pony and Children’s Hunter divisions, he moved to a top show barn in Rhode Island, which led to his introduction to the Big Eq classes. In 1987, David made his inaugural trip to the Medal Finals. “I didn’t think I was that good. I still saw myself primarily as a hockey player,” he said. “I remember walking into Madison Square Garden and my first thought was, This is where the New York Rangers play!”
At his finals debut, David placed an impressive third behind Stacia Klein (now Madden) and Karen Nielsen. By the following year, he had gained such a following that The New York Times wrote a feature on him titled “At 17, an Ex-Hockey Player Now Aims at Top Junior Title.” Additionally, David excelled in the jumper ring. Among other victories, the teen—who stood a lanky 6’2”—placed both first and second in the Junior Jumper Classic at the International Jumping Derby, which resulted in a feature story on the local TV news channel. “It was surreal,” David said. “I wasn’t used to all of that attention.”
Despite the media hype, David remained humble. “I was fortunate to be able to ride some amazing horses,” he said. “I rode both Charles Fox and Eclair De L’lle later in their careers. After having been ridden by someone as accomplished as Buddy, I’m sure the horses didn’t even understand what I was asking of them, and I fell off a lot. But these horses gave me their all. I developed such an appreciation of all horses and what they do for us.”
The pinnacle of David’s Junior career came with a win in the 1989 USET Talent Search – East, where his competitors included top-rated juniors Wendy Chapot and Schuyler Riley, among others. “I felt so blessed just to make it into the ride-off and to be able to ride some truly special horses,” David said. “It was such an incredible time for me—a true moment of a lifetime. I will always hold that memory close.”
After graduating from high school, David began studying history and government at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He continued riding throughout his college years, primarily focusing on the jumpers. While riding was his passion, his career aspirations were elsewhere. “I never intended to turn pro,” he said. “I really thought I would become a lawyer.”
That changed when David began riding under the tutelage of Olympian Anne Kursinski. “I had attended a clinic with Anne and later was able to connect with her and travel to her farm in New Jersey on the weekends,” David said. “At the time, she was riding Starman and it was such an education just to be able to watch them in action. Riding under Anne’s instruction really rounded out my riding, as she had a unique way of teaching. I was able to create my own style from what she taught me, along with lessons I had learned from other greats, such as Buddy and Maclay winner Linda Langmeier. It was then that I decided that I wanted a career in horses.”
While still a senior in college, David began teaching students of his own. “The process of teaching was totally new to me. I had to work very hard to learn how I could bring out the best in each horse and rider,” he said. “But I was able to take all of the different pieces of learning, from what had been given to me over the years from the many wonderful teachers who had helped me along the way.”
In 1993, David purchased the business of Genesis Farm—a large hunter-jumper farm in Sherborn, Massachusetts—and began accepting clients. Originally operating his new business under the Genesis Farm name, David eventually renamed it Oliynyk Show Stables.
David soon discovered the many challenges that come with starting a business. “It definitely was not easy,” he said. “There’s a big learning curve in making sure you manage everything correctly, including bookkeeping, payroll and the like. I was lucky to be able to surround myself with good people who could teach me as I went along. And of course, managing the horses and all their needs always comes first.”
It was around that time that David first crossed paths with Nicole. “We met through being around the horse shows,” he said. “She had a small braiding business and we started talking and just hit it off. We began dating and were together for a long time before we finally got married in 2002. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Nicole’s Story
Nicole Gokey was born in Massachusetts as the youngest in a family of six children. She was first introduced to horses around the age of 5, when one of her father’s co-workers was rehoming his horse and pony. “He was moving out of the country and needed to find homes for them, so my mom convinced my dad that we should take them.” Her mother, Barbara, soon began taking lessons, with young Nicole following along.
“I started riding and eventually going to some of the smaller, local shows,” Nicole said. “And I really developed a passion for it.” She soon began competing at recognized shows in Short Stirrup classes, then in the Pony Hunters. In the early 1980s, the Gokeys acquired a fancy, dark bay pony called Jet Setter from local trainer Jay Sargent after the animal’s young owner decided to quit riding. “Jet Setter was phenomenal,” Nicole said. “We did the Medium Pony Hunters and did quite well together.” When Nicole outgrew him, Jet Setter was sold to trainer Robin Greenwood immediately after the Washington Horse Show. In the years that followed, the pony would win numerous tricolors at the national level with Robin’s clients, including Georgina and Emma Bloomberg. Robin continues to name Jet Setter as one of her all-time favorite ponies.
Moving into the large ponies, Nicole was paired with a Quarter pony called Seek Me Out. “Seekers measured as a pony, so the Quarter Horse people didn’t want him. They said his stride was too big,” Nicole said. “He was a great pony and could really jump well. Sometimes we would be asked to fill the big equitation classes at the local shows and he got around those courses just fine.” Among other accomplishments, Nicole and Seek Me Out placed an impressive second—behind later Medal/Maclay winner Ray Texel—at Pony Finals.
As a teen, Nicole competed the Junior hunters, jumpers, and equitation classes with her dark bay gelding, Intrepid. “At that time, riders still had one horse that could do all three rings. Intrepid was not the greatest hunter, but he did really well in the equitation and the jumpers,” Nicole said. “We placed fifth at the Maclay regionals, but unfortunately he didn’t seem right at the Finals. We later found out he was developing pneumonia, so I was glad that I hadn’t pushed him.”
Prior to her last Junior year, Nicole gave up riding in order to focus solely on college. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she studied zoology. “I didn’t ride at all while I was in college,” Nicole said. “I actually didn’t start riding again until four years after graduation. My parents had instilled in me the importance of having an occupation outside of horses that I could rely on, so I was focused on building my career at that time.”
Nicole began working at a company called Genzyme, which was later acquired by Sanofi, where she worked in the laboratory and in quality assurance and eventually, regulatory affairs. Nicole now serves as the VP of Regulatory Affairs for Ocular Therapeutix Inc., where she is responsible for interactions with the FDA, EMA and global health authorities. When the Oliynyks are in Wellington for the winter, Nicole alternates weeks between working from her office in Massachusetts and traveling to Florida to work remotely. “It’s the best of both worlds,” she said.
While juggling work and horse showing is not a simple task, Nicole excels at maintaining the perfect balance. Between workdays, she continues to successfully compete in the Amateur Owner Hunters and national hunter derbies. Back in 2011, Nicole and her off-the-track Thoroughbred, Sea Walker, won the prestigious Rood & Riddle Thoroughbred Sport Horse of the Year award, which is presented to the nation’s top-ranking OTTB in a post-racing career. “Sea Walker was an incredible horse,” Nicole said. “He had been retired from the racetrack and really took to the hunter world; he jumped beautifully and really seemed to enjoy it. I was lucky to be able to ride and show him for 10 years.”
Her current mount, Chekandino, came to her from a client who was going off to college and could not keep the horse. “He’s a stallion, so I have to make sure to stay away from other horses in the ring,” she said. “He is very vocal and is a real character. I really enjoy him.”
A Day in the Life
Whether they’re working around the barn or away at horse shows, the Oliynyks’ ability to work so well together keeps everything running smoothly around the farm. The result is a wonderfully managed business and a plethora of happy clients.
Since purchasing the Plainville farm in 2017, the Oliynyks have opted to scale back a bit in order to provide each client with the utmost care and attention. “I don’t like to take on so many horses that it limits the amount of attention I can provide to each one,” David said. “Right now I keep it at around 10 to 15 horses—I find that to work well.
“There’s a lot of maintenance that has to be done around the farm on a regular basis in order to keep it nice for our clients, which also takes time,” David continued. “Nicole does a lot of it—she is so wholeheartedly involved in every aspect of the farm management. She knows much better than I do how every part of the farm has to operate. I find that being in a relationship with someone who understands horses and how the business works helps us to work together even better.”
David continues to teach and give clinics, and plans to obtain his judging license in the next few years. “I’d like to be able to give back to the sport that has been so good to me,” he said. “And I think I could do that by becoming a very fair and honest judge. I’d also like to resume competing this year. All in all, I just want to work every day to be the best version of myself that I can be—whether through riding, teaching or just lending someone a hand. I’m so grateful for the trainers I’ve ridden with through the years, the horses I’ve been privileged to ride and the people I’ve been able to train. They have all taught me the value of hard work, perseverance and loyalty. It’s important to me to give back in some way.”
That attitude has proven fruitful for David and has garnered him a loyal customer base. Many of the barn’s clients have been training with him for years, even decades. “David is a real gem in the horse world,” said Nancy Madison Ballou, an Adult Amateur hunter rider and longtime client of Oliynyk Show Stables. “He truly is as kind as he seems.”
Professional hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso-Smith has been riding under David’s guidance since she was a child. “David really instills confidence in his riders,” she said. “When I was about to do my first Grand Prix, he told me that the jumps looked small and that I was more than capable—that I had done tougher courses at home. When I came out of the ring, he told me it was the biggest course I had ever jumped. He believed in me, which made me believe in myself.”
While the Oliynyks don’t have much spare time, they occasionally enjoy a nice dinner out or an afternoon at a New England Patriots game. But the horses always come first. “Our main goal for the business is just to continue to make it enjoyable for everyone,” Nicole said. “If the horses and clients are happy, then we are too.”
“David and Nicole are both incredible people—both in and out of the show ring. They are both so talented at what they do,” said Nancy Madison Ballou. “I know it sounds corny, but it really is an honor to be a part of their lives.”
For more information, follow @oliynykshowstables on Instagram
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
