United States Eventing Association

Growing up as a self-proclaimed “free-range child” on her family’s Dragonfire Farm in California, Taylor McFall beelined her way toward horses from the time she could walk. That idyllic childhood helped cement Taylor’s love for horses at an early age.

Just over a year ago, Arielle Aharoni’s world came crashing down when her long-time partner Dutch Times suffered an injury on cross-country at the MARS Maryland 5 Star within sight of the finish flags. Now, with “Dutch” safely on the mend, she has her sights set on a bright future with his full brother, Notorious, and other up-and-comers.

This month’s VIP Volunteers are a mother and daughter duo who have a unique tradition that started over four decades ago: volunteering at the Kentucky Horse Park together. While both Marjorie “Marji” Hines and her daughter, Robinson Regen, have a pleasure riding background, and Hines used to work cattle with her father on the family farm, they knew very little about eventing when they first started volunteering.

What do a cultural anthropologist and an equestrian have in common? One answer would be Dr. Aubrey Graham. Aubrey went from specializing in humanitarian aid in the Congo to mastering the art of re-training off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) to be the best that they can be.

Breathtaking beaches, sparkling water, tropical flowers and Haleakalā National Park: When most people think of Maui, that’s what comes to mind. That’s not the case for Gaby Ruane. For Gaby, Maui is the place where she realized she wanted to become an equestrian professional.

Eventers are generally quite good at creating a welcoming community for people of all backgrounds and abilities, whether they’re brand new to the sport or competing at the five-star level. It’s not uncommon to see an upper-level rider taking their time to say an encouraging word or extending a hand to a new competitor.

Kate Homan’s eventing schedule keeps her pretty busy. Between campaigning horses and teaching a small string of clients across northern New Hampshire, she spends her spring and summer seasons focused on her horses while her fiance works their 100-head dairy cattle operation. And as if that wasn’t enough to have to juggle, once the weather starts to cool down just north of the White Mountains, Homan turns her attention to her other passion—sled dog racing.

It was 1987 in southern Illinois when an eventing superstar was born. Lauren Nicholson’s parents were accustomed to seeing horses throughout their neighborhood, but they knew nothing about equestrian sport at the elite level. When Lauren was 6 years old, they helped her pursue lessons at a local stable in southern Illinois, but they had no idea how far those lessons would eventually take her. A passion was ignited that was so strong, it would drive her to help the United States claim the team gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, and go on to compete at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.

You might not know her name, but chances are, if you’ve competed at an event in South Carolina, Virginia, or other venues across the eastern United States, you’ve met Diane Bird.