Page 41 - The Hunt - Spring 2020

A good helmet is a must. No matter how experienced you are or how long you’ve ridden, you will fall off the horse.”
To be sure your horse isn’t a lemon, you’ll want to go on a test spin. “If you’re buying a middle-
age horse you’ve not previously worked with, you need to have it checked out with a vet who knows sports horses,” says Turner.
It’s also good to know which vets will care for your horse, even if they’re kept on retainer by the stable. The same goes for a farrier, who will keep your horse in shoes. This completes the trilogy—barn manager or trainer, vet, and farrier—that will care for your horse.
And the final question: Do you have time for a horse? Lucy Donaldson rides Rocket Man several days after school. “On weekends, I help feed him and clean out the stalls,” she says.
It’s all part of a bonding process the two have
gone through over the past year. “It’s also important that you know your horse well enough to know when he needs help,” says Dowling. “You’re skipping like 10 steps if you don’t.”
When the horse isn’t behaving normally, then it’s time to talk with the stables manager or your vet. “Owning a horse is a matter of good days and bad days,” says Dowling.
A good day might involve anything from a serene trail ride to a thrilling competition win. “A bad day generally means falling off the horse,” Dowling says.
Dr. Regina Turner’s love of horses led to her veterinary career, though she didn’t own one until she was an adult. “I’d graduated from college and was doing a residency at New Bolton,” she says. “I had a mentor and friend at New Bolton, Dr. Patricia Sertich, who had several horses. I fell in love with one whose name was Slivovitz—like the brandy—and she sold him to me.”
Slivovitz was worth waiting for. Turner rode the 12-year-old Andalusian thoroughbred in eventing competitions and retired him when he was in his 20s. “For several years, he made me believe I was a great rider,” she says. TH
www.TheHuntMagazine.com 147