Influenced by the Kentucky Derby, it felt so good to finally check horseback riding off of my bucket list 4 years ago. The Kentucky Derby prides itself on being a time-honored American tradition about bringing people together. The Triple Crown race that was postponed from the first Saturday in May is now rescheduled to be held without spectators on 9/5/20.
A week before the new Run for the Roses date, I had the pleasure to attend a virtual Pre-Kentucky Derby event that celebrated the 146th year of the 1st black jockeys. The brainchild of Shoo Cosmetics founder and CEO, Shawanda Harris Vickers; the derby themed virtual fundraiser offered the perfect opportunity to learn more about the history of black jockeys from Mr. Marlan St. Julien (one of the first African-American jockeys to ride in the Kenturcky Derby after 1902).
Sticking with the theme of togetherness (even when safety during the current pandemic requires us to be physically apart) I wanted to use my platform to support Shawanda’s wonderful cause to bring over 2k+ bottles of hand sanitizers to schools in underserved communities and support a woman owned local business not far from my NJ hometown. Located in Allentown, NJ; Millstone Riding Club (MRC) is a full-service lesson and show stable specializing in saddle seat riding & driving instruction for all ages. Their team also offers training for all saddle seat breeds including American Saddlebreds, Morgans, Hackneys, Friesians, Arabians, Dutch Harness Horses and National Show Horses.
After 20 years in sales and sales management, Anne Butler (MRC owner & trainer) established her own stable and later began working with Saddlebred Rescue, where she trained, rehabilitated and assisted hundreds of rescued horses for their placement in new forever homes. During our tour of the state-of-the art MRC facility, Butler explained that their team welcomes those new to riding as well as veteran horse enthusiasts. Check out our interview below.
PGRW: Wow, I see you have a National Show Horse in your lesson string. How often is a horse in training worked at your facility?
Pictured here with Anne Butler (center - Millstone Riding Club Owner, Trainer & Riding Instructor).
Butler: The show horses that are in training are worked 6 days a week, they do get 1 day off (Monday). Their schedule varies depending on what the horses individual needs are.
PGRW: Part of the role of a horse trainer is to prepare your horse so that the horse is safe and responsive to your cues. What qualities make for a good horse trainer?
Butler: The ability to work hard and most importantly, patience. Horses don’t care about our timeframe, so you quickly learn that everything isn’t going to happen right away because the horses have their own time frame. Horses don't care that there's a show coming up next week and they don't care that their owner wants them to do this thing or that other thing. As you get more experience you realize that rushing actually takes longer and learn to better manage your expectations.
PGRW: Our platform is all about amplifying the voices of women around the globe in a way that not only supports, but empowers ALL women. MRC’s all female riding instructing team is so inspirational. What is like being able to work with your daughter in doing what you love?
Butler: It’s great. It was natural that my daughter gravitated towards horses…we just grew up that way and recognize that it is different. The family connection has been one of the reasons that I continue to do it.
PGRW: A lifelong horsewoman you grew up surrounded by horses and horse people on your family’s farm in Northeastern PA. What advice do you have for people looking to start riding later in life?
Butler: It’s never too late. Children are usually just so enthusiastic about learning and thrive in environments where they feel a lot of support. Judging yourself too much can be an obstacle for anyone when learning to ride. I like to remind adults who are new to riding not to be too hard on themselves. Sometimes as adults we may set very high expectations on ourselves that could discourage us. While riding is a very difficult skill to learn where feeling awkward at 1st is not an unusual part of the learning curve, the hard work is so rewarding. Enjoy every step of the process (even the awkward moments) and it will come.
PGRW: The future is bright for Millstone Riding Club’s young riders. What is the inspiration behind the amazing barn shows that you have at your facility for the young riders at your facility?
Butler: Riding is a great tool for helping children to understand how life works and take personal responsibility for how they approach the goals that they want to accomplish.
Our barn shows are competitive. We do have a judge and award prizes, but it is an environment where we emphasize the experience and the learning more than the prizes. While more experience riders often participate to take advantage of the great opportunity to practice and socialize; our barn show program is designed to give the newer riders a taste of competition in a low key environment that will help them to develop the skills that they will need have when they go into actual competition off the property.
Our riders compete at national, regional and local horse shows where they are competing for prizes.
PGRW: How has MRC been able to remain a thriving part of the MIllstone community in the wake of the pandemic?
Butler: It’s been a challenge as a small business. We are grateful for the friends and family that helped us get through. We were closed for a couple months during the peak of the pandemic, but we have been open for business since May and following the guidelines set by the governor. I’m impressed with how important riding is to people and how people are being safe in how they approach getting back to what they love. Doing what we love is an important part of self-care, but it is important to also be safe. Because horseback riding is a subjective sport, you don’t come into contact with others in the way you do with other sports.
“The wild winds called to her soul and through the ground she felt the thundering hooves of freedom.” - SHIKOBA
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