Four equestrians found themselves ready for a new horse after a lifetime of riding. Here are their stories.
After years as a rider and horse owner, we hold on to that identity for ourselves. It may not have been a steady journey, and it was probably interrupted by work and family changes. Or maybe it started late. At some point, we begin to define ourselves as horse owners.
After I lost my last horse, these thoughts were on my mind:
Do I need another horse?
Am I ready for that?
Who am I now?
Here, we dive into four stories of horse women who are now investing their time and energy into a new horse. Their excitement and sense of good fortune are inspiring.
Meet Lois
Lois Pienkos and her husband live on a picturesque farm near a small town in Eastern Iowa. There are barns, an arena, a jump field, pastures, and a lovely white house with a wraparound enclosed porch full of plants.
Lois is a quilter and paints bright barn quilts that hang on the buildings. When her daughter began riding in Pony Club, Lois got involved and then became a rider herself. She bred her mare and raised two dressage horses that she took to clinics and shows. Now retired, she and her husband spend most of the year on their farm in Iowa with their horses and four to five months in Wellington, Fla., where her trainer lives.
Lois and her trainer decided it was time to find a smaller horse for Lois to move up the levels. They found a great match for her in Florida in 2021, a 10-year-old Lusitano gelding named Heroi. Once home, she easily, but with sadness, sold her bigger Second Level dressage horse and started on a new adventure.
“Heroi is being trained in dressage,” Lois says. “I’m also beginning to try working equitation. He and I are playing with some of the props and plan to attend a clinic or two in 2023 in Iowa. We started him on trails while we were in Florida this past season. At home and at the barn in Florida, we hack around the property regularly. We do hope to show Heroi, hopefully in the next year.”
The summer fills with clinics and lessons, working on what they learned the past winter in Florida. They travel to Loxahatchee, Fla., in November, where they stable with friends from around the country and train. Lois says her horse’s progress keeps her going, as she “is living the dream.”
Meet Celesta
Celesta Albonetti has ridden since she was a young woman, beginning with hunters, jumpers and eventing before committing to dressage. Celesta loved her small farm in eastern Iowa, surrounded by creeks, woods and farm fields. Her two Trakehner mares loved it, too.
After 16 years there, she retired and returned to Memphis, Tenn., and her family. Her older mare with exquisite gaits and flash had passed away a few years earlier.
Celesta brought the younger mare, Angie, to Tennessee. She found a suitable dressage barn and became friends with riders at the barn who were able to ride Angie for her. Celesta spent hours there, as she has always cared for her horses in this way. Tragically, Angie later became ill and passed away. Most of us can empathize with the grief this brought to Celesta.
When she was ready for another horse, Celesta purchased another Trakehner mare, a 6-year-old she found in Kentucky. Baroness III, called “Aliza” in the barn, was foaled in 2015 and spent two years as a broodmare prior to Celesta purchasing her in August 2021.
“I felt alive again,” she says. “I go out every day, and I love it.”
After a stall became available in her trainer’s barn in Eads, Tenn., Celesta moved her mare there. The trainer works with Aliza each week, and her progress makes all three very happy. Celesta’s trainer, Macy, has started to show Aliza, and the three share the excitement of their progress. Their plans are to show at Training and First Level during the summer and fall.
Meet Ellen
Ellen Spector has spent her lifetime riding. After years of working, raising children, and boarding her horses, she settled in Iowa, where she and her husband bought a large acreage and put up a 12-stall boarding barn, West Branch Horse Farm. She moved from hunter/jumpers into dressage. She bought mares and started to raise her own dressage horses. Ellen prided her barn as having the best care in the area.
The years passed with many beautiful horses and many devoted boarders. As Ellen’s horses aged and passed away, she found herself without a horse of her own and began to think about the next one—a horse she would keep even after eventually selling the property.
With her husband’s encouragement, Ellen traveled to Denmark with a Danish boarder, Susanne. Susanne’s sister drove them from barn to barn, searching for the right horse. The three dressage riders found a lovely young mare for Ellen, who has always loved mares.
She bought home the 5-year-old Danish Warmblood mare Kokkedals Heroine, barn name “Heroine,” in 2016. With some help from professional trainers, they have begun to compete at recognized dressage shows, a long-time goal.
“We plan to go to three show this summer at Maffit Lake [near Des Moines, Iowa],” she says. “I can’t do without her.” They spend time together every day as Ellen is doing chores and riding.
Meet Judy, the Author
As for me, I adopted a rescued yearling in 2004 named Coach, a Hackney. In 2021 he had a pasture accident and had to be put down, which was very traumatic for me.
The mare that shared the pasture with him left, so no horses remained on my property. I decided I needed to find a quiet horse for myself, my kids, and my friends. I found Nellie at a small farm 90 minutes away; her teenage owner had outgrown her.
I made two trips with friends to meet and ride Nellie before trailering her home. Her age was uncertain, maybe 10 or 11. They never got papers, but called her a Quarter Horse, which seems correct. She’d had a healthy foal that year. She is pretty and quiet.
She and the older Percheron-cross we board for a friend got along from the beginning. Gracie is huge but sweet. Nellie and I connected during the first year. She calls to me from the pasture when I am in the house. She was ridden with western and English saddles.
I’m not riding now and have not been able to find someone to ride her, but she is a happy horse. These two are the quietest horses we have ever had. I put on their masks, groom and spray them in our large dry lot with no halters or lead ropes. They don’t spook or run from crop dusters or large farm equipment. They come for dinner when called.
Getting Back into Horse Ownership
All four women, including four myself, have gone through the process of asking difficult questions.
Why buy a horse now? We found ourselves with room in our hearts to fill after losing or selling our previous horses. Two decided on young horses, knowing their needed training would be long and costly.
Three met trainers who could ride their horses for them. As long-time owners, we already knew the realities of horse ownership, how much help was needed, and where to find it.
If you’re thinking of getting back into horse ownership, think first of the horse’s wellbeing. You need a safe and well-maintained barn, whether at home or a boarding facility.
If at home, you’ll need a backup person to provide the horse care when you can’t. You must have a budget that will accommodate the numerous additional expenses that come with adding a horse to the family.
We all need to have plans for our horses and pets when we are no longer present. If you’re at the beginning of your riding life, you may not have thought of a future after you’re gone. Longtime horse owners tend to be more prepared and plan for this step. This is important to consider before jumping into horse ownership—for horse lovers of any age.
But as you look out into the pasture and feel that space in your heart has been filled, all of the time, financial and organizational challenges seem worth it.
This article about riding a new horse later in life appeared in the October 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
