by Emily Riden

Hannah’s no-nonsense attitude and the passion with which she approaches her equestrian career can likely be attributed to her parents, actors Tom Selleck and Jillie Mack. She fell in love with horses at an early age and became an accomplished competitor at the grand prix level. In 2010, she founded Descanso Farm, fueled by her desire to produce high-quality horses in the U.S. As conversation with Hannah Selleck moves seamlessly from stories and laughs about her first pony and early riding years to earnest insight into her career, it’s easy to feel instantly at home in the discussion.

Her genuine and welcoming demeanor, coupled with a clear passion for the horses that she has built her life around, give the sense that you could be speaking with any fellow horse-crazy barn mate—only this is Hannah, a grand prix competitor who also happens to run her own successful boutique breeding operation. She’s also definitely the barn mate you would want to turn to for riding advice and business tips—and probably fitness and style pointers as well.

Read more: Hannah Selleck

by Kevin Cox

It would all start with a list.

A few days before we'd leave, it would be on my father's dresser. "Q Tips, Listerine, pens, socks, underwear...", and on and on it went. One would think he was Jimmy Hoffa going away for a stretch, but in reality, it was how he would prepare for our two night excursion to Saratoga year after year. Obviously, normative society doesn't feel compelled to itemize the most trivial minutia for a 48 hour pass to nirvana, but this wasn't just any Saratoga fan. This was the uuber fan. The greatest Saratoga fan outside of that one in your family...or your co workers' family...or maybe your neighbor... You get the idea.

We'd shove off at 5:15 in the morning. A time that didn't work for me then, and works even less for me know. He, on the other hand, was as bright eyed and bushy tailed as whatever bushy tailed is supposed to mean. We'd roll into town too early to check in, but that was okay, because we'd go right to the Spa City diner for breakfast. Traditions, you know. After breakfast, while I'd be playing a video game or two in the now abandoned entranceway, he'd be at the table performing origami with his brand new Racing Form. Ripping out the tracks not needed, ( Simulcast ? What's that?? ) then re-folding it so it fit perfectly into the back pants of his shorts pocket. ( Which of course were accessorized with matching hush puppies, because isn't that what fathers do ? )

We'd then check into the best kept secret in town -- the Brentwood motel. Located a horseshoe's throw from the seven furlong chute, and across the street from some breakfast joint which is now the hot spot to go after the races---assuming of course, that you don't want to hear what someone six inches away from you is saying. He would take me to watch the horses enter the starting gate in the morning. It wasn't our place to venture farther than that, you know, but that was okay, because that was the world to an 8 year old.

Read more: Happy Birthday Bijou: On Saratoga's Closing Day, Remembering Traditions with My Parents

by Shya Beth

When asked how Fernanda Garza knows that she has the perfect shot, she answers simply: “Because it takes my breath away, and it makes me feel the way that I felt in the moment when I was photographing the horse.” It’s easy to see the passion, dedication to excellence and years of skillful practice that Fernanda has put into her photography through each and every image that she takes. Much more than just clicking away on her camera, Fernanda creates her sublime images by going over every detail to perfection, carefully crafting a unique visual experience through every image for each over her viewers.

Born and raised Monterrey, Mexico, Fernanda has grown up in a creative family, and as soon as her father gifted her a camera she was hooked. Spending a large amount of her childhood behind the lens, Fernanda developed a keen interest for photography - particularly around horses.

Read more: Because It Takes My Breath Away: Mexican Photographer Fernanda Garza Shares Her Passion Of Horses...

August 20, 2019 Mongolia - In an extraordinary, seven-day demonstration of horsemanship, fortitude and navigational skill, the USA’s Robert (Bob) Long, 70, became the oldest winner of the 1,000km Mongol Derby, the world’s longest horse race, today at 11.03am Mongolian time.

In doing so he battled the weather gods, who threw everything they had at our brave crazy riders, from torrential rain to burning sun and then freezing temperatures, and harsh terrain. All on the back of semi-wild, tough-as-teak Mongolian horses, who like to start the day by bucking their riders off just to show who’s boss.

Cowboy Bob, who is from Cheyenne, Wyoming but now lives in Boise, Idaho, completed the 1,000km race by changing horses 28 times. At each horse station the small, tough, semi-wild Mongolian horses are carefully checked over by vets, and all Bob’s horses vetted cleanly throughout the race, meaning he received no veterinary time-penalties. Plenty of the 2019 riders received medical treatment for “minor” injuries, such as a broken nose, concussion and dehydration, but not Bob, whose solo adventure across the steppe has been one of the most impressive performances seen in the history of the Derby.

Read more: The USA's Bob Long, 70, Wins the 2019 Mongol Derby

by Brittany Falkers

A Washington horse rescue came together to make a 10-year-old horse trainer's dream come true.

WHITE SALMON, Wash. — Karington Mershon is quite the little cowgirl, but there is nothing small about her love for horses. At just 10 years old she is a bonafide horse trainer.

"You can tell them anything and they won't judge you. They're like a best friend," Karington said.

Though Mershon had been riding horses since before she could walk, she had not trained a horse before she met Mochi. She saw something special in her.

“I liked her from the beginning,” she said. “Because she was aggressive, yes, but I could see it in her that she could be sweet.”

Mochi was rescued from deplorable conditions in Hood River before she came to Mershon through Silent Wave Horse Rescue. It is an area non-profit that saves abused, neglected and slaughter-bound equines before readying them for adoption.

This article originally appeared in it's entirety on KGW8 from Portland Oregon and this excerpt is published here with permission.

Find more interesting stories in our section on Recreation & Lifestyle.

by Michelle Holling-Brooks

“Nick” was a veteran. Tall, muscular, and broad-shouldered, his personality and attitude was over-the-top sarcastic. When we first met him, the energy that traveled in front of him was aggressive and explosive. It was as if he had a fortress of walls, traps, and land mines built around his emotional self, and nobody was going to get close to him. If Nick had come with a sign around his neck, it would have said, “Enter at your own risk, if you dare! I challenge you, bring it!”

Nick called and asked to set up a farm tour. He had heard about our program from a friend of a friend. His wife threatened to leave him if he didn’t try to get help for his rage and suicidal ideations. He came into our office on a mission. I don’t know if it was conscious or not, but the message seemed clear to us: “I’m here to try to shock you with my past, overwhelm you with my current issues, and get you to leave me alone and let me walk back out without signing up for your program.”

Read more: It Takes a Herd, An Excerpt from The Horse Cure True Stories: Remarkable Horses Bringing...

April Anderson, Head Instigator of production company Art As Air, shares the story of how the documentary Tails of Iceland, featuring Icelandic horses and their connection with the Icelandic people, came to be. The film premiered in Reykjavík in March 2019 and will be screened at the EQUUS Film Festival in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, USA, in December.

We began our Tails of Iceland journey of creation with the purpose of exploring and filming the differing and varied special relationships between the Icelandic people and their unusual horses. It is about the culture and the connection, and there have been thousands of stories in the hundreds of years since these horses were brought to this fiercely unforgiving and magnificent island. Our goal was to capture some of the tales and a lot of the history, but more importantly, to illustrate how deep this unique kinship goes.

Iceland. To the rest of the world, just speaking the name of this tiny country brings to mind images of fierce Vikings, harsh climate, erupting volcanos and lots of…ice. Kind of inaccurate, as much if it is covered with a beautiful brilliant green moss for a good part of the year.

Adding the romance and mystery of Nordic and Celtic mythology and lore to this delightful travel stew, you’ve got the recipe for the adventure destination of dreams, complete with a different lunar landscape every few miles.

Read more: The Tale of Tails of Iceland

by Benyamin Cohen

ON June 1st, Danielle Goldstein had the kind of picture-perfect wedding you'd find in bridal magazines. It took place on a private yacht off the coast of Italy. She was dressed in a haute couture wedding gown by designer Roberto Cavalli and surrounded by dozens of friends and family. So when we caught up with her today, less than two weeks later, you'd think she'd be recovering from her honeymoon, opening presents or looking through her wedding album. Instead, she has spent just about every moment since the nuptials training eight hours per day for what she hopes will be a career-defining moment. In two weeks, Goldstein will be competing to qualify for the Olympics.

Read more: American-Israeli equestrian becomes fashion icon on her way to the Olympics

by Heather Wallace

Sitting on the unique mix of grass, rock, and sand, I look out in the distance. I’ve traveled the world but nothing before could compare to the view before me. As I sift my fingers through the ground, it strikes me that it likely holds secrets of nomads and travelers before me. Did they feel the same thing? Were they struck by how small they felt, looking 50 kilometers or so into the horizon as the sun began its lazy descent? Did they feel alone? Or, like me, did they instead connect with themselves and imagine the possibilities?

Perhaps some travelers would be bored, staring at seemingly nothing as they rode the sturdy Mongolian horses for an entire day without spotting another human being. I look to the south while sitting outside the door of my ger, a large round tent commonly used as a residence by the nomads, at basecamp. The doors always face south or southeast.

There, the herders check the traditional horse line and begin to loosen the horses from the line for the evening, giving them freedom to wander and graze in the night. Some wear hobbles and others are haltered two-by-two to prevent them from going too far from camp. If there is water nearby the horses are content to stay close, and I look forward to hearing them outside the ger while I sleep. I make a note to wear my headlamp if I need the bathroom so I don’t accidentally run into one and scare the both of us.

This moment of quiet contemplation gives me a much-needed reprieve and chance to acknowledge how lucky I am to be an unlikely adventurer here in the innermost regions of Mongolia. My family and friends were shocked when I announced that I would be traveling to Asia, camping, and working with an endurance horse race. After all, those things are completely outside my comfort zone. Yet here I am and loving every moment.

Read more: An Unlikely Adventurer- An Excerpt from Girl Forward: A Tale of One Woman’s Unlikely Adventure in...