by Aubrey Simpson

Beth and Stormin Norman’ take charge Middle: Susan goes for a ride Bottom: Suzy and asst... Margaret take a desperately needed break

A healthy diet, regular exercise, and interesting social interactions can prolong and increase the quality of life for horses and riders. Indeed, horseback riding is one of the best ways to get exercise, to enjoy the fresh air, and to meet and mingle with friends. In short, it’s everything that doctors and health specialists advise you to do if you want to stay younger longer. And, as the three following tales prove what’s good for the horse is good for the rider.

Stormin’ Norman

Meet Stormin’ Norman, a horse with a legacy of winning and who at 20-years of age is still in winning form. Beth Forbes Howard of Stuarts Draft, Virginia confesses, "I have had Norman for 16 years now. He’s like a family member. I wouldn’t trade him for the world, that’s for sure. I have complete trust in him, there is a bond between the two of us, I never doubt him."

Beth’s trust has really paid off, during his illustrious career Stormin’ Norman was the VHSA Amateur Owner Jumper Champion and Grand Champion Jr/AO. He was the USEF Reserve Amateur Owner Jumper Champion in 1998, the Capital Challenge

Amateur Owner Jumper Champion in 1996, the Reserve Champion Pennsylvania National Amateur Owner Jumper in 1995, SWVHJA Show Jumper of the Year numerous times and the Circuit Champion High Amateur Owner Jumper at HITS Culpepper in 2005. Indeed, Stormin’ Norman has won numerous champion and reserve champion titles up and down the east coast over the last 14 -15 years.

As a member of the family, Beth shared that her seven-year old daughter Sarah has ridden Norman by herself. "That’s how much I know I can trust him," she says. That mother and daughter share a passion for horses is obvious when Beth shares, "I’ve been riding since I was teeny, tiny little girl. I’ve never known what it was like not to ride. Sarah and I ride together a lot. She has a really old pony named Sailor and I have Stormin’ Norman. One of the advantages of having and riding an older pony like Sailor and an older horse like Stormin’ Norman is safety and trust," Beth continues. "Norman eats Triple Crown Senior as does Sarah’s pony Sailor. We also feed Triple Crown Complete to the rest of the horses and Triple Crown Growth to our yearling. Our horses are like family, and we use a feed that we trust."

Then There's Maude

Ponies are Susan Deutermann’s passion; not just any pony, Dartmoor Ponies. Susan and her husband, Peter, a successful novelist, recently moved to a 30-acre farm in Reidsville, North Carolina from Georgia. "We love it here," she beams. "Peter goes to the office and writes books and I go to the stable to raise ponies."

Susan is very successful at raising ponies. "One of our ponies, Lizwell Gambling Queen, we call her Maude, just won her third World Championship and she’s a four-time National Champion. I saw Maude moving across a ridge in cold, pouring down rain. I bought her off the moors of England. She’s solid, Moorland stock. You don’t want to lose that back to basic bloodline in your stock. I bought her for ninety dollars and paid six thousand to fly her here. Try explaining that to your husband," she laughs.

"It takes years and years to train and do this at this level. You breed and look for the pony that you think will have the ability to do combined driving. Our other job is to find what they want to do in life. They may want to pack kids around. I’ve done it for 45 years. Lots of ponies have been successful. They do all sorts of things. That’s the glory of this breed. They just do the job. It’s been fun."

Susan’s latest passion is Geriatric Horsemanship. "It’s mainly about matching the right horse/pony with the right owner," she says. "I’ve ridden my whole life, but this year was the first time I had to pay someone to hitch a pony to a cart for me. He did a great job. He stands, as I go to get into the carriage, my pants leg gets caught. These things happen as you get older. You have to be more careful. I have to pick my days. I drive just about every day. But you have to realize, as you get older, that you can’t do what you could do when you were younger. I used to ride an English Saddle, now I use an Australian Saddle. I tried a Western Saddle but I don’t like a horn. And, the older I get, the smaller the horses get. I look to see how far down on the ground I’ll have to fall. Older riders have to find the right horse or pony. That doesn’t mean the horse has to be a 100 years old, but it has to have a great brain. You want a breed with a great disposition, and a lot of us oldsters need horses only 13 to 14 hands tall. Keep this in mind and you can ride for a long, long time."

Desperate Horsewives

The brainchild of Suzy Shiftlet Gosh of Randelman, North Carolina, Desperate Horsewives is a horse riding group designed especially for women. "I realized that in horse riding, that there is not much out there that looks out for women or for adults," Suzy states. "So, we started meeting to ride and then go out for dinner once a month. We thought it would be a fun, healthy way for women to get some good exercise, get a break from the kids, and have some R&R time for themselves. The program has been so successful that Desperate Horsewives now meets every Friday. Indeed, adult men are wanting in on the deal so we’re in the process of starting a HorseClub for Men."

"Horseback riding is a good way to get a break from stress."

Horses are good therapy on the ground and riding. Lots of clients want to get their own horses ready. It’s relaxing and therapeutic. Horses aren’t like society. They don’t judge you. They don’t care how you dress or what you do. As much as you put into the horse, you get back. Riding is a sport where you get physical exercise, plus you are constantly learning and being challenged. My doctor laughed when I told him I was horseback riding to get exercise. Then he went riding and took it back. You’re going to get hot and sweaty, but you get a lot out of it. Walking on a treadmill you look at the same panel. On the horse, you don’t know what you’re going to see next. You forget that you are exercising."

Desperate Horsewives is designed for women of all levels. "We have a wonderful array of clientele, from beginners to advanced, every level of rider is welcome. Women come to ride with their daughters. We have an indoor facility so we can accommodate riders, come rain or shine. In fact, we went a little overboard on our barn. People compliment us on how nice it is. But, that’s what we wanted to offer to the public, a luxury style of riding. It’s amazing how much adults love it. We’re starting a weekend adult camp. We offer year round riding lessons for all ages and day camp all year long. You don’t have to compete. You can be any age. You don’t even have to be desperate, just come and have some fun. For more information go to www.pineviewstables.org or call 336.626.7111.