Sporthorse Stars
Horses don’t make it to the top of the sport by chance. Although luck plays a part, larger factors contribute to success at the elite level: partnership with the rider, strategic training, an ample dose of talent, a knowledgeable team of professionals and a program of meticulous management and care. While thoughtful care might not bring every horse to the top levels, you can bet that each of the horses competing at the Olympics or topping national leaderboards has a personalized program to bring out the best in his or her from a gangly horse off the track to an experienced Over the years, Donner (top left) transformed health and performance. international competitor. He is pictured here with
Following, we take a glimpse into the daily management and care of leading sporthorses in each major English discipline: Donner, the agile off-the-track Thoroughbred eventer; Royce, a show-jumping celebrity; Private Practice, a hero in the hunter ring; and the dressage world’s rising star, Mount St John Freestyle. While each program is tailored to the specific demands of these icons, one common strategy is clear: There is no magic pill that these horses thrive on. It’s simply attentive care by professionals who listen closely to their needs.
Lynn Symansky competing at the 2018 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.
Previously a jumper, Private Practice (top right) found Here he is pictured with rider Victoria Colvin, who has his calling when he began his hunter career in 2018. since piloted him to numerous victories.
Owned and ridden by Margie Engle, Royce (center) is a powerful show jumper with a puppy-dog personality.
Mount St John Freestyle (bottom) made her FEI World Equestrian Games™ debut at the age of only 9 with Charlotte Dujardin in the saddle.
Donner
Nicknames: The Deer, John Deer, Rhonda Jane, Jane
Occupation: Eventing
Hometowns: Middleburg, Virginia and Ocala, Florida
Basic Stats: 16-year-old, 17.1-hand off-the-track Thoroughbred
Sire: Gorky Park
Dam: Smart Jane
DONNER’S PEOPLE
Breeder: Dresden Farm
Owner: The Donner Syndicate
Rider: Lynn Symansky
Grooms: Kendyl Tracy and Shelby Crowley
Lynn Symansky found Donner through a friend’s recommendation in 2008 when this now world-class athlete was 5 years old. “When I first tried him, he was very flighty and kind of deerlike with these long legs going a million different directions,” Symansky says. But
