by Laura Schreffler

When Ariana Rockefeller was asked to design a handbag for the inaugural Longines Masters of New York show jumping competition this past April, she (literally) jumped at the chance. The equestrian-handbag designer simply couldn’t pass up an opportunity to combine her two greatest passions and created a saddle-inspired leather bag beloved by the socialite set. Though she has only been riding professionally for the past five years, show jumping is a hugely important part of her life—it just happened to temporarily take a back seat to her design career. Nowadays, the 35-year-old heiress is focused on her equestrian career, dividing her time between England, Manhattan and Wellington, the opulent Palm Beach area of West Florida beloved by the world’s top equestrians during the winter months. We sat down with Rockefeller shortly before three major events in her life—The Masters, The Met Gala and the Christie’s auction of grandparents David and Peggy Rockefeller’s 2,000-piece, $500 million art collection, which has been called the most significant charitable art auction in history—to chat about her equestrian career, her love of art and the greatest lessons she learned from her philanthropic family role models.

HL: Have you always been into show jumping?

AR: I grew up riding on my family’s farm, and I’ve always had a passion for horses and equestrian sports. For the past five years, I’ve been pretty much full-time training and competing. I rode through high school, took a break in college and then got back into the training and show jumping. I love the behind-the-scenes of the sport, being an advocate for show jumping and really bringing it to more of a mainstream audience—especially in the United States, where the sport isn’t as understood as it might be in European countries.

Read more: How Ariana Rockefeller Indulges In Her Two Grand Passions: Show Jumping And Fashion

As The Queen became the first monarch to reach her Sapphire Coronation Jubilee on Saturday 2nd June, the “world’s first” gold quarter sovereign was released. Collectibles firm The Bradford Exchange released a brand new gold quarter sovereign to commemorate the Queen’s Sapphire Coronation Jubilee, marking Her Majesty’s incredible milestone when she became the first British monarch to reach the 65th anniversary of their coronation on Saturday 2nd June.

The 2018 Gold Quarter Sovereign features a portrait of The Queen on horseback, recalling a similar image which was used on the first commemorative coin of her reign, the 1953 Coronation Crown, and then on subsequent coins celebrating her Majesty’s Jubilees over the decades.

However, this is the first time the equestrian portrait has been used on a gold quarter sovereign, making it a world first to mark this historic occasion.

Read more: Gold Sovereign Coin Released for Queens Sapphire Coronation Jubilee

by Coconuts Bangkok

Every year, dozens of Thai Buddhists travel up the mountainous terrain in Chiang Rai province to watch Phra Kru Ba, the respected abbot and founder of Archa Thong Forest Monastery, bless the ponies in a ceremony called Bai Si Sukwan.

The Archa Thong Forest Monastery is known for the sight of Buddhist monks mounted on horses and the Dharma teaching of Phra Kru Ba.

The senior monk is a former Muay Thai fighter who has fought against the opium trade in the notorious Golden Triangle for the past 20 years by introducing Buddhism to the locals, bonding with the people via the practice of Muay Thai and his equestrian skills.

On the morning of the latest Bai Si Sukwan ceremony, locals dressed in white lined up with dry food in their hands as the famed Phra Kru Ba rode his horse down from the hilltop to accept alms from his worshippers.

“Who wants to get lucky? Raise your hands. Who wants to be wealthy? Raise your hands. Who wants to be safe? Now who wants to listen to Dharma?” Phra Kru Ba said to the cheering worshippers in a ceremony held on September 21.

Read more: Horseback Hero: Thai Monk Saves Animals from Slaughter with Buddhism

by Roger and Rhonda Adams

Our Journey began on a date that, we agree, neither one of us really liked the other person. In spite of that rocky beginning, on March 2, 2019 we will celebrate 40 years of marriage that has been full of life, laughter, adventures, sickness and truly learning the art of communication. Communication is the key to a Journey will lived.

Like so many other couples from different worlds, I was part of the corporate world, and Roger life was already in construction.

We were told early on in our marriage that—for reasons no one could determine at that time—we could never have children. We worked through our feelings, and thus began the life of riding horse and mules. Still, we knew that something was lacking: we wanted more for ourselves. Roger and I both had been reared in church, but had gone through a season of playing church. Our shared realization, that we were missing something, led us back to our roots, and to renewing our commitments to Christ.

Read more: A Team, Riding Out Life's Storms: 2RMules and Wyoming Saddlery

by Sue Weakley, photos by George Kamper

She may be little-known to the public, but this powerful woman is a major force in ending horse slaughter in America.

Victoria McCullough is soft-spoken, but in Washington, D.C., she’s acutely savvy and a born diplomat. She’s well-known inside the Beltway, sweetly twisting arms to end horse slaughter in the U.S. A horse rescuer with more than 10,000 horses and burros re-homed from the kill pen, she’s an advocate for recycling unwanted equines. The only child of the late Rexford Davis, founder of the country’s largest privately held petroleum company, she’s an accomplished pianist as well as the architect and engineer for her sprawling estate in Wellington, Florida. McCullough generally guards her privacy with the tough tenacity she shows in Washington—until Equestrian Living was invited for a glimpse of the home and stables she has lovingly restored and built. Welcome to the private world of Victoria McCullough.

The House
McCullough’s estate was purchased in 2012; renovations began the following year and have continued for three years and counting.

“It was for sale for years and no one would touch it, and I mean no one,” Victoria says. “In fact, Hunter Harrison (Double H Farm) said to me, ‘I think you are crazy to get that house. Kid, it’s the biggest money pit in the world, and the house is ugly.’” The house had lain empty for seven years while the South Florida weather fueled mold and mildew damage, but McCullough loved the light streaming in through the windows, the limestone flooring imported from France, and the building’s acoustics, so she overlooked the rest, recognizing the hidden gem.

Read more: The World of Victoria McCullough