by CL Cimino

We just spent an exciting week in Kentucky at a spectacular assortment of equestrian events! Here are some photos galleries with the highlights of our trip.

Keeneland - Lexington, KY April 2019 (click any image to view larger)

Catching closing day at Keeneland Racecourse was amazing, meeting with famous racehorse painter Robert Clark and being invited to sit in racetrack owner Frank Stronach’s box provided us with a beautiful view of this historic facility.

Read more: Kentucky Photo Gallery - Churchill Downs, Keeneland Racecourse, Old Friends

Uniondale, NY, April 29, 2019 -- As their cheers filled the air and they pumped their fists, it was clear the eight women who had won the Desert Flight VIP Experience at the world class Longines Masters of New York on Saturday night, April 27, were thrilled. The team behind the Desert Flight movie had done it again and won the hearts and souls of not only that night’s winners but those who had a chance to view the trailer on the jumbotron.

The plan was simple. Each afternoon and evening of this four-day show, April 25-28, after showing the trailer the ringmaster would come out and announce to the audience that he was about to make one group extra happy.

It began with a Desert Flight t-shirt tossed into the stands but in one of those was wrapped a unique VIP Experience. The person or person(s) who caught the winning t-shirt would go on a fun afternoon or evening journey. Combined with that VIP wristband was dinner in the lounge, souvenirs and photo ops at some memorable sites around the Nassau Coliseum, before being escorted to the VIP seating area to get the perfect view of this powerful sport.

For the Saturday evening toss, the winning t-shirt was the last to explode into the stands. Suddenly a cheer was heard when a woman caught the final t-shirt and as she and her friends looked inside another screamed. She spied and grabbed the wristband and ran up and down the steps while the group of eight started jumping for joy.

In no time, Desert Flight team leader Stephen Williams, who had come up with the idea, was by their side explaining what they just won and guiding them down the stairs to kick-off their evening.

Read more: A Desert Flight VIP Experience at Longines Masters of New York

by Heather Wallace

The Longines Masters of New York returned for its second annual event at the Nassau Coliseum, April 25-28, 2019 and was broadcast live on www.EEM.TV and on CBS Sports.

Following in the footsteps of Paris and Hong Kong, New York is the third event in the Longines Masters series held worldwide and reputed to be a luxury equestrian event, bringing socialites and families together in one venue on United States soil.

The Masters One 1.45m event on Thursday, April 25th introduced five-star riders to New York, followed by the Masters Two 1.15m- 1.40m speed event. Day Two was all about speed and considered the fastest class in the world on a 1.50m track designed by Frank Rothenberger. The exciting class resulted in Egyptian Nayel Nassar winning the Longines Speed Challenge on Lucifer V.

The highlight of Day Three was the Riders Masters Cup, a unique team-based event pitting five members from the USA against five European riders in a head-to-head battle. Despite strong rides from McLain Ward and Kristen Vanderveen, teammate Laura Chapot’s mount refused a fence in the first round, resulting in the US riders falling behind in points. As a result, the European team won for the third consecutive year much to the disappointment of local fans cheering on their home riders.

Read more: History is Made at the Second Annual Longines Masters New York

by Susan E. Conley

The majority of equine literature takes great pains right from the get-go to explain the nature of the horse as a herd animal, and that in order to enter into the correct human-horse relationship, we must be the leaders. Many books say that this is where women fall down. Professional relaters from birth, we have no difficulty with the bonding part, the grooming and the treating and the whispering. Where we stumble is in the attitude of power: We want the horse to do what we want the horse to do, but what do we do when the horse won’t do it?

I can be wishy-washy in leadership scenarios. I was, very much so, with a mare called Delilah, albeit in a grumpy, sulky way. I figured that she knew more than I did about this horseback-riding caper, since she was a horse and had been ridden for years, but it wasn’t her job to be the creature ridden and the creature running the ride. Delilah would only do what I told her to do. The whole point of riding is to work with the horse to achieve a goal, not just sit there and hope she does the job for you.

Take Maverick, the fourth horse I was ever to ride in my life. Unlike any of my previous horses, he seemed perfectly content to engage in a power struggle, lesson after lesson after lesson. And I showed up for it every time. Even when I had four horses I could choose from, I routinely went back to him, and I’d be surprised when I found we hadn’t made much progress. This was especially frustrating, because when we had a good hour, it was a really good hour.

Read more: Power Struggle, An Excerpt from the Memoir Many Brave Fools

by John Wilkinson

There are but three Constitutional requirements to become President of these United States: must be a natural born citizen, must have lived in the country for no fewer than 14 years, and must be at least 35 years old. But if history is any indication, you could almost add another: must be able to ride a horse.

Horses are as much a symbol of America as the bald eagle and all-you-can-eat-buffet. Considering more than half the US Presidents relied on horses for everyday conveyance, it’s not surprising to see so many famous photos and paintings featuring the Executive Equine. Getting photographed on a horse is as critical a component to Commander-in-Chief optics as kissing babies and pretending to care about people. After all, if you don’t have command in the saddle, how can we expect you to help command the entire free world?

Read more: Top 10 Presidential Horsemen