WRITTEN WORK
MR. MANHATTAN KEEPS THE MAGIC ALIVE
The Plaid Horse Magazine, December 2021
Ask what makes Mr. Manhattan spectacular, and the first answer is unanimous.
"Oh, his jumping. There's no question about it," says John Barker, Manhattan's trainer. "Just a perfect hunter style."
The German sporthorse (Maximus -- Phillipa) was bred and produced by Redfield Farms in Ocala, FL. It was the farm's owner, Emil Spadone, who got to see that famous jump for the very first time. "He jumped so well, just naturally. He went over that first little jump and he did it exactly the way ou want to do it," Spadone says.
A LEGACY OF LOVE
Sidelines Magazine, December 2021
Lee Cesery considers her story a typical one. Yet for many who know her, she's anything but. The prominent amateur is a staple across hunter-jumper A-circuits, primarily in the hunter ring where her horses have continued to be a treat for those who get the chance to watch.
"She's been in the horse show game for so long," her daughter Christie said. "I feel like everybody knows who she is." As a professional in Ocala once put it, "You'd have to live under a rock to not know her."
Chances are if you've met Lee, you've met the real Lee. Those who know her best say she is an authentic person who wears who she is on her sleeve. But her reputation supersedes her sheer prevalence in the show world.
HELPING EQUESTRIANS AND FULFILLING A DREAM
The Plaid Horse Magazine, September 2021
Like so many adult riders, Caitlin Dance made the decision to come back to horses. After countless hours of early mornings and long drives to ice rinks throughout Canada, Dance traded in working weekends as a hockey scout for a return to her passion.
“Just for the goodness of my soul, I wanted to get back into riding. Not just for the activity, but emotionally and mentally,” Dance says.
Dance had been riding since she was four years old, but took a break in college to pursue her studies and eventually start her career. Once she returned to horses, she soaked in every part of being back in the equestrian community. Then, in March, she had an epiphany.
AN ALABAMA RITE OF PASSAGE
isportsweb, July 2013
For a second, I was positive he could read my thoughts. My world went silent and moved in slow motion. My life flashed before my eyes with the image of a gravestone that read, "Here lays Victoria Sheehan, last living journalist who looked Nick Saban in the eyes."
It was the last practice before the Crimson Tide left for the 2009 SEC Championship and Nick Saban has just caught me accidentally recording Alabama's defensive plays.
Leading up to that fate-filled moment, I thought I was simply getting the edge on my media competition when I innocently asked myself, "Where's coach?"