Wellington Community Foundation Marks One Year Helping Residents In Need

The Wellington Community Foundation is celebrating its first anniversary of helping those in need in the community.

“The board of directors is very dedicated,” Wellington Community Foundation Chairman Tom Wenham said. “It’s a privilege and an honor to serve on a foundation that looks after the people of the community that you live in.”

The foundation, once a little-used nonprofit entity controlled by the Village of Wellington, was re-imagined a year ago as an independent organization with a mission to support a wide array of community projects.

A former Wellington mayor, Wenham leads the board, which includes attorney Mickey Smith, community activist Maria Becker, Wellington Regional Medical Center CEO Robbin Lee, Town-Crier Publisher Barry Manning, former Palm Beach County Commissioner Ken Adams, local businesswomen Karen Cavanagh and Maggie Zeller, and retired WPTV news anchor Jim Sackett.

“I am so pleased with the cohesiveness of our board of directors,” Manning said. “We’ve been operating for one year, but it seems like the team has been together for decades. It is a pleasure working with them.”

The foundation team has been working to better the lives of those most in need in the community, in particular, seniors and children.

“What the foundation does not want to be is just a ‘check-writing’ agency,” Sackett said. “We, as a board, want to be hands-on, identify the needs, and actively work to see that those needs are met.”

The board members were personally recruited by Wenham to join the organization, including Adams, who has been integral to Wellington’s development since before the community even incorporated as a village.

“This organization really cares about Wellington. It cares about everyone in Wellington,” Adams said. “The board members live and breathe the Village of Wellington.”

Becker was honored to host the first fundraiser for the foundation at her home last June. The event, a stellar success, raised money to help provide students with backpacks and school supplies. “I can’t tell you how honored I am to serve on this board,” Becker said. “I was humbled that Tom had even considered me to serve on this worthy and noble endeavor.”

Over the summer, the foundation provided scholarships to send children to Wellington’s Parks & Recreation Department summer camp.

“I know what a difference it can make for a child to have a place to go to have fun, and what it means for a parent to know their child is in a safe and nurturing environment that they wouldn’t have had access to without help,” Becker said.

School supplies and more than 200 backpacks purchased with funds raised at the June fundraiser were distributed Aug. 6 at Wellington’s summer block party at Tiger Shark Cove Park.

“People don’t realize that there are many families in this community who are in need. Our foundation has been helping them,” Zeller said. “I loved handing out the backpacks at the back-to-school event… Seeing the looks of the children’s faces when they got to get a backpack to take home, filled with school supplies, was amazing.”

On Aug. 10, the foundation presented Back to Basics with a check that contributed toward supplying 400 school uniforms to local Wellington children.

“Things are hard enough for kids today. They should not have to worry about having clothes to wear to school,” said Smith, a resident of Wellington for more than 25 years.

The foundation met on Oct. 22 for its first quarterly Adopt-A-Street Clean Up Day in front of the Wellington branch library. The foundation adopted the east and west roadways along Forest Hill Blvd. from South Shore Blvd. to Stribling Way.

Then, on Nov. 11, the foundation produced an event called Red, White & Blue Jeans: A Nostalgic Salute to Our Veterans at the Wanderers Club. Veterans were honored at the special evening of dinner and dancing, which will return this year on Friday, Nov. 10 at the Wellington National Golf Club.

Red, White & Blue Jeans was a favorite for Lee. “I think a lot of people got exposure to the foundation that they wouldn’t have gotten in another way,” she said. “It had a patriotic theme. It was right around the time of the elections, and people needed to feel more connected to our country. I think it was fun for all of us to get to review the things we had already accomplished.”

The foundation has been active thus far in 2017, already hosting a Dusty Art Live painting and wine party put together by Cavanagh at the Wellington National Golf Club on Feb. 9.

“I never knew that there were such needy people, seniors and children, in the community,” Cavanagh said. “I really wanted to do something to help them, to help people. We’ve done a lot of really good things so far, and I’m really excited about it.”

The foundation, in partnership with Wellington Cares, is currently working on a new program to bring smiles to seniors called “Celebrating Our Seniors.”

In cooperation with Wellington Florist, the Mall at Wellington Green, Gabriel’s Café and Chick-fil-A, the Wellington Community Foundation will have a beautiful bouquet of flowers and gifts cards delivered with a special birthday card greeting to Wellington Cares participants on their birthday.

Wellington seniors are a vital part of our community, and remembering them on their special day is a way that the foundation has chosen to let them know how important they are. “I think this brings special recognition to our seniors who are alone in this community,” Zeller said.

Through the foundation’s “Our Schools” initiative, some elementary schools in Wellington are receiving grants totaling $8,150 to help further the education of local students.

To learn more about the foundation, or to donate, call (561) 333-9843 or visit www.wellingtoncommunityfoundation.org.

Young Barrel Racer Lexi HeckerHas Big Plans For The Future

From the moment Lexi Hecker received her first horse at age 10, she knew she wanted to compete in barrel racing — a sport in which riders navigate three carefully positioned barrels in a cloverleaf pattern as fast as they can.

“The girl we bought the horse from had been doing it, and she started teaching me the basics,” recalled Lexi, who will turn 14 in June. “My mother also barrel raced when she was younger. I tried reining, but it didn’t give me the adrenaline rush that barrel racing does. Barrel racing is faster. It’s a lot more thrilling, and the crowds make everything better, which can make a lot of difference on the road. They make a lot of noise, and it’s very exhilarating.”

Lexi competes in the Open class (all ages) as well as the Youth class (ages 18 and under) in competitions throughout Florida and Georgia, although she plans to travel farther away in the near future. The barrel racing circuit takes place in local arenas across the nation and throughout the world.

The National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Youth World Championships bills itself as the largest barrel race in the world and showcases horses and riders from 36 states, Canada, Italy, Panama, Brazil, France, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Australia. Riders must qualify on a local level by competing at NBHA-sanctioned shows, NBHA national shows, super shows or state show events before becoming eligible for the championships. The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) also hosts barrel racing events and will take place in Las Vegas this December. Riders and horses from around the globe will compete.

Lexi’s horses are Nonstop Nick and B.B. Dreamer, although she has nicknamed them Clutch and Superman, respectively.

“After we bought them about a year ago, the names Superman and Clutch seemed to fit them better, but it’s really bad luck to change the names after you buy the horses,” she said.

The Hecker family owns a number of horses, but not all of the horses do barrel racing. “We have eight in total,” Lexi said. “Two are prospects, one is in training, there are the two that I race, and the others are for fun.”

Lexi, who attends Western Pines Middle School, said most of her non-racing peers don’t get it. “My friends don’t understand the hard work and practice,” she said. “My horses and I spend many hours a week practicing, and a couple weekends a month competing. It’s what I love to do, and if you and your horses don’t have the correct bond, you will never make a good team. My family supports me and makes huge sacrifices to support my passion. My friends are more interested in football, etc… They don’t understand why I can’t hang out with them.”

Lexi is nonetheless grateful that she is able to attend a school that offers a unique pre-med program. At Western Pines, she is in her third year of the program, which gains her one high school credit. Her long-term goals include earning a degree in equestrian veterinary medicine in order to continue helping the animals she loves.

School and its accompanying homework inevitably take their toll on practice time, but Lexi finds herself practicing at home and at local arenas. Some youth competitions are also held at night.

“Before the race begins, there are exhibitions, and they do those with plastic barrels, because some horses like to shoulder in and hit the barrels, so the plastic is better for the rider’s knees,” Lexi explained. “But, when the race starts, it’s metal barrels. Metal hurts more.”

But like any good athlete, pain is secondary for Lexi. “My dream is to make it to the National Finals Rodeo and compete with the best women in the world in the sport of barrel racing,” she said.

Show Jumper Nicole Loochtan
Makes A Career Move To Wellington

Wellington holds a special place in the heart of many equestrians. Every winter, its doors swing open to welcome athletes to its annual competitions. Every spring, many head home until next year. However, this season, the Wellington community will say goodbye to one fewer competitor, because Nicole Loochtan intends to stay in Wellington.

“It’s the place to be if you want to be successful in the horse world,” Loochtan said. “You have endless opportunities here.”

The Lincolnshire, Ill., native is one of the newest additions to the Wellington community. She established herself in South Florida for the chance to train with legendary horsemen Ronnie Beard and Michael Dorman of Wyndmont Farm. They were introduced through Grand Prix jumper and trainer Candice King. After the initial meeting, Loochtan flew to Tryon, N.C., in August 2015 to compete under the guidance of the Wyndmont team and never left.

Since joining the renowned competition barn, the 19-year-old has improved her riding and has an entire new roster of horses. She credits her trainers, as much as the Wellington community, for her growth.

“When I first started with Ronnie and Michael, I was competing in the junior jumpers, and I didn’t necessarily have the correct horses for me,” she explained. “Now, I have completely different horses that suit me very well, and I just competed in my first U-25 on the grass field.”

Loochtan enjoys the competition available in Wellington.

“Being able to watch the best of the best and feel the competitive atmosphere around you, pushes you to want to be better,” she said. “When you do well, it’s more encouraging, because the competition in Wellington is so fierce. Many divisions have more than 90 people in each class, so if you place at all, you feel like you belong here.”

The first-generation equestrian, who was once terrified to canter in a western saddle, is now soaring over jumps measuring 1.40 meters. Her string of horses includes Carla de Kalvarie Z, Quarterman 5 and Cuchica. Beard and Dorman, who have mastered the art of matching horse and rider, found all three mounts for her.

Loochtan has experienced success aboard all three horses. Some of her most recent finishes include two second-place ribbons in the $10,000 High Junior/Amateur-Owner class and three of the summer series at the Tryon International Equestrian Center atop Carla de Kalvarie Z; a sixth-place finish in the $15,000 1.45m SJHOF High A/O Classic during week five of the Winter Equestrian Festival with Quarterman; and 12th in the $2,000 1.30m during week six of WEF aboard Cuchica.

Each of her horses plays an intricate role in Loochtan’s plan to move up the ranks in the equestrian industry — a path that has become more clear since moving to Wellington and training with Beard and Dorman.

“Chicago is very competitive; however, the atmosphere is different here,” Loochtan said. “Before, I knew I wanted to pursue this as a career, but I didn’t know it was a realistic thing. When I arrived, and started training with Michael and Ronnie, the big question was, ‘Can I really do this?’ Now, I know I can. In Chicago, it was just a dream. Since I came to Wellington, it’s more of a reality.”

Although Loochtan dedicates the majority of her efforts to riding, she finds time to enjoy everything the community has to offer.

“I think my favorite part about being in Wellington is that it’s so close to the beach,” Loochtan said. “When you’re not riding, you get to hang out with your friends and enjoy the weather. It’s such a horse community that you get to meet so many different people who share a passion for horses. Honestly, just going out to dinner or walking around the mall is nice. Wellington is a great place to be.”

Time In Wellington Helps Leatherdale Farms’ Vanessa Creech-Terauds Gain Experience

Each winter, Vanessa Creech-Terauds, an FEI Young Rider, packs up and leaves her frigid base in Caistor Centre, Ontario, with her mother, Diane Creech, to join the ever-growing group of dressage athletes in the winter equestrian capital of the world — Wellington.

The 17-year-old Canadian dressage rider began riding at a young age with the help of her mother, an international Grand Prix competitor who won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. Just like her mother, as Creech-Terauds grew into an adolescent, her passion for the sport of dressage continued to grow.

“When I was 12, I decided I wanted to train in dressage more seriously, and ever since then it has been dressage every day,” Creech-Terauds explained.

She is inspired by her mother’s dressage experience and success.

“Many people believe that I have a lot of pressure to live up to my mom’s expectations, but it just gives me more drive and helps me believe in myself,” Creech-Terauds said.

With the support of the Minnesota-based Leatherdale Farms, Creech-Terauds has achieved great success in the dressage world. She competed Leatherdale Farms’ 8-year-old Hanoverian mare Fleur de Lis L to individual and freestyle silver medals at the 2016 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) in Colorado. It was their first year competing together as a pair, and they earned impressive scores of 70.184 percent in the FEI Junior Individual test and a 70.55 percent in the FEI Junior Freestyle.

“Fleur is one of Louise Leatherdale’s talented youngsters by their Hanoverian stallion First Dance,” Creech-Terauds said. “I am so grateful to Louise for giving me the opportunity to compete her up through the levels.”

Having had the opportunity to experience competing at prestigious international competitions, such as NAJYRC and in multiple CDIs, Creech-Terauds has developed her skills at a rapid pace.

“NAJYRC is such a great experience to get in the ring and learn what big competition is like,” Creech-Terauds explained. “It has helped me learn about traveling long distances with horses and riding in high-pressure situations where your team is counting on you. I’ve learned how to keep my cool in the ring and step up my game, which has progressed my riding.”

Throughout the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Creech-Terauds will move Fleur de Lis L up from Juniors to the Young Rider division, as well as compete her second Young Rider mount, Rob Roy, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Leatherdale Farms.

She also plans to compete in the Florida International Youth Dressage Festival with Fleur de Lis L, and has hopes to compete in the international CDI ring.

Even in the midst of her rigorous training and competition schedule in Wellington, Creech-Terauds focuses on achieving her academic goals online.

“I come to the barn to ride in the morning, return to the house for a couple of hours to do my schooling in the afternoon, then come back to the barn,” Creech-Terauds said, adding that she is able to work with her teachers and school remotely. “I’m driven enough to tell myself, ‘You have to keep up with your school work,’ as well as have fun in the barn.”

Her mother expressed her gratitude for Leatherdale Farms’ support of Creech-Terauds.

“I am very grateful to Louise Leatherdale for sponsoring Vanessa and helping her live her passion and have her dreams come true,” Creech said.

Creech-Terauds is also thankful.“It has all come together due to the support from Leatherdale Farms and the help from my mom,” she said. “I’m confident and thrilled to be able to train and compete in Wellington, and I am so happy to be a part of the Leatherdale team.”

Faces of Dressage

Dressage is often called “ballet with horses.” It’s a simplistic term that helps the lay person understand the magnificent level of dedication, training and effort it takes for a rider and horse to become one in a sport dating back to ancient times. Precise, controlled movements from the rider direct the horse. The leading leg matters. How many steps a horse takes matters. Seemingly innocuous details matter. Things only the trained eye will pick up on matter, and they mean everything. The elegance of dressage has returned to Wellington once again with the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, where some of the best dancing horse and rider combinations can be seen in action. From elite dressage to more introductory levels to the uplifting sport of para-dressage, all levels of the sports are on display. On the following pages, we highlight just a few of these riders in Faces of Dressage 2017

Enjoy The Experience Of A Lifetime At The Adequan Global Dressage Festival

By Kim Beaudoin

Even if you aren’t personally involved with horses or the art of equestrian riding, chances are that if you are from the Wellington community, you may be familiar with the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF).

Now in its sixth year, the AGDF is hosted at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center and is home to some of the world’s most elite dressage competition at the national and international levels. Riders and spectators come together for the 11-week circuit to enjoy the Olympic sport of dressage and the world’s largest international dressage circuit.

When visitors first step onto the show grounds, they will immediately feel calmness in the air. The staff and riders pride themselves on the supportive and educational atmosphere that the festival has to offer. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to come out and enjoy all that the venue offers.

“The AGDF is an excellent place for spectators to come and watch some of the best dressage riders in the world compete,” AGDF Director of Sport Thomas Baur said. “There really is so much for the audience to do — shopping, entertainment and fun on Friday nights. There is also a new opportunity this season for spectator participation with a mobile audience test scoring app.”

Dressage has been practiced for centuries and was first introduced to cavalry to create obedient and flexible mounts for the militia. The system of training was first recorded by the Greek historian Xenophon and was built upon throughout history by riding-masters of both civilian and military backgrounds. Dressage is often referred to as “ballet on horseback,” and features movements influenced by the rider’s weight, legs and seat.

Spectators, now more than ever, have a chance to be involved with the competitions. Beginning this season, the AGDF will give the audience the option to use the new Spectator Judging app. The technology was first thought of by international five-star judge Katrina Wüst of Germany and created by software developer and German national judge Daniel Göhlen. Each app user may give a score movement by movement, in a simplified manner, or create an overall score at the end of the ride. The spectators are then able to compare their scores directly with the scores given by the official judges.

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival also encourages spectators to check out vendor shopping for both horse and rider, and there is also an array of food vendors to choose from.

Equestrian Team Apparel owner Staci Rosner is at the show with her business for the second year in a row.

“This is my second year vending at [AGDF]. Everyone has been so nice, and they are all so down-to-earth,” she said. “I have a variety of customers, and this year we are really trying to tap into the junior rider crowd.”

Rosner sells an assortment of apparel brands, including C4 Belts, Kastel Denmark, EIS and B&C.

“I love the relaxed atmosphere here at AGDF,” she said. “As far as the customer base, the riders are very in touch with what they want regarding the products that I have to offer.”

She has been very pleased with her experience. “Overall, it’s really a unique and laid-back show,” Rosner said. “The customers are great, the atmosphere is great and the shopping is spot on.”

On the competition side, spectators can enjoy watching rides from national and international level horse and rider combinations. One popular rider competing this year is 2016 U.S. Dressage Olympic bronze medalist and AGDF veteran Laura Graves.

“I’m just looking forward to being here with the amazing friends that I have made at AGDF — Adequan and the other sponsors of this show who continue to sponsor it and give us this amazing venue that gets packed every Friday night, there is just nothing like it,” she said. “Even competing in Rio, competing at Rotterdam, competing years ago at Aachen, nothing compares to the atmosphere here. It’s even more unbelievable under the lights.”

Select Friday nights throughout the season, part of the Friday Night Stars series, feature a freestyle competition under the lights in the Stadium at PBIEC. A freestyle is a dressage test ridden to choreographed music. The rider and horse execute their movements in a similar system to that of figure skating, and are always impressive to watch.

Professional rider Francine Gentile has been competing and enjoying the educational benefits of the festival for years. “There is no place like it on Earth,” she said. “It’s the place to come where you can see the best of the best, not just for the day, but for the whole season. It’s motivating, and it’s really the place where professionals strive to be.”

There are many aspects of the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival that make it an amazing event for all to come out and enjoy. Great food, great horses, great vendors and entertainment are all contributing factors.

“I think that we are a family,” said Allyn Mann, director of title sponsor Adequan. “It really is just a wonderful experience to have the owners, the riders, the fans, the grooms and, of course, the horses. I feel that if this was as good as it got, it would be wonderful. But we know that there is much more to come.”

The AGDF welcomes spectators and encourages anyone who wants to learn more about the sport of dressage to visit and enjoy the show. The 2017 festival hosts seven CDI events, two CPEDI competitions and national shows through March 25.

The Stadium at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center is located at 13500 South Shore Blvd. in Wellington. For more information, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.

 

 

2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival Weekly Schedule

March 2-5: AGDF 8

Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI-W and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle (Saturday, March 4), presented by Everglades Dressage; FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Special, presented by Peacock Ridge; and FEI

Small Tour, presented by the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center.

Schedule includes National Show.

 

March 10-12: AGDF 9

Para-Equestrian CPEDI 3*, presented by Mane Stream courtesy of Rowan O’Riley, Mission Control, Adequan and Nutrena; and National Show.

 

March 16-19: AGDF 10

CDI 4* and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Havensafe Farm; CDI 3*, presented by the Dutta Corp; and CDI 1*, presented by CaptiveOne. Schedule includes National Show and the Florida

International Dressage Youth Championships.

 

March 22-25: FEI Nations Cup Week – AGDF 11

CDIO 3* and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Stillpoint Farm;

CDI 3*, presented by Harmony Sporthorses; and CDI 1*,

presented by Yellow Bird Farm. Schedule includes National Show.

Tentative schedule, subject to change. Friday Night Stars freestyles on Friday nights of CDI competition with exception of AGDF 8. Dates are actual competition days. Visit www.globaldressagefestival.com for more information.

 

 

Growth Of Dressage Festival Serves As Biggest Reward For Dedicated Sponsors

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) has grown into one of the most renowned dressage circuits in the world. Now in its sixth season, it has surpassed expectations and continues to draw riders of diverse nationalities to Wellington for the winter season. This year’s AGDF competition began Jan. 12 and continues through Saturday, March 25 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center’s Equestrian Village site on South Shore Blvd.

Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) returns as the title sponsor for the entire circuit, serving as one of the most influential sponsors and supporters of the sport in the past decade. The commitment that Adequan has displayed to the sport of dressage has revolutionized the popularity and interest in the sport, helping to make Wellington one of the most iconic destinations for dressage.

The first week of the festival (Jan. 12-15) welcomed AMCI Group in benefit of Brooke USA as title sponsors of the week’s CDI-W competition. AGDF 1 was the first of four highly anticipated FEI World Cup Qualifiers. The 2017 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha, Neb., is one of the only major championship-caliber competitions of the calendar year. Mtica Farm, an original AGDF founding sponsor, presented the FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Special.

Alongside the seven FEI CDI weeks, the AGDF is proud to welcome back para-equestrians, hosting two CPEDI 3* events during the 2017 season. The first CPEDI 3*, presented by Mission Control, Mane Stream, courtesy of Rowan O’Riley, Nutrena and Adequan, offered competitors the opportunity to compete Jan. 20-22 at the Stadium, in preparation of the atmosphere horse and rider combinations will face in major championships around the world. The second CPEDI 3* of the season will be hosted March 9-12.

CDI-W competition returned to the venue during AGDF 3, held Jan. 26-29, as the U.S. PRE Association presented the second Friday Night Stars FEI Grand Prix Freestyle of the season, while Yeguada de Ymas sponsored the FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Special. Chesapeake Dressage Institute recognized combinations as the week’s FEI Small Tour presenting sponsor.

Serving as one of the annual highlights of the AGDF season, the only CDI 5* hosted in North America graced the grounds Feb. 8-12 and featured CDI 3* and CDI 1* competition. The CDI 5* was presented by Diamante Farms, while Wellington Equestrian Realty presented the CDI 3*, which ran simultaneously throughout the weekend. The Small Tour had Engel & Völkers lead as presenting sponsor.

AGDF 7 was another CDI-W, presented Feb. 22-26 by the Axel Johnson Group. The Axel Johnson Group sponsored all three large tour classes, including the FEI Grand Prix, FEI Grand Prix Freestyle and FEI Grand Prix Special. Wellington Regional Medical Center had presenting honors of the FEI Small Tour during the week.

The historic Palm Beach Derby CDI-W will be held March 2-5. The fourth and final FEI World Cup Qualifier, the derby is a staple of the circuit for the dressage community. Everglades Dressage presents the week of competition and the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, while Peacock Ridge is set to take presenting honors for the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center will sponsor FEI Small Tour competition for the week.

Havensafe Farm will honor riders during the AGDF 10 CDI 4* set for March 15-19, presenting both the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, as well as the FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Special. The Dutta Corporation will recognize combinations competing in the CDI 3*, which will run in conjunction with the CDI 4* during the week. CaptiveOne, a new sponsor this season, will honor riders as the Small Tour presenting sponsor.

The 2017 AGDF season will be capped with the Nations Cup, a team competition where riders represent their home country, presented by Stillpoint Farm. The FEI Nations Cup at the AGDF is the only team competition in North America or South America for dressage riders outside of championships. The week will also feature the first Under 25 Nations Cup competition to be hosted outside of Europe. Harmony Sporthorses will present the CDI 3*, while Yellow Bird Farm will present the FEI Small Tour to conclude competition.

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival would not be possible without the continued and dedicated support of the sponsors that help to make the annual circuit one of the most successful dressage competition destinations in the world.

Horses A Lifesaver For Dressage Lover Ann Romney

By Deborah Welky

All of us have that one special something that elevates our spirits and makes us happy. For Ann Romney, that special something is the always-challenging sport of dressage. You can hear it in her voice.

“I had the best ride of my life today!” Romney enthused, unbidden. “There’s no one happier on the planet than me today! It’s like I won the lottery, and all I did was have a good ride on one horse.”

A breakthrough? Perhaps.

“He’s been tricky for me to learn how to ride, but I’m learning to figure him out, and he’s learning to figure me out,” she said of her current mount.

If you ride, you know that joy. It was a joy that Romney, however, had lost for a time.

“I rode as a kid,” Romney recalled. “I galloped around bareback and had a great time. But when I was 16, I started dating and moved away from horses. In fact, I see this as kind of a common pattern in girls of that age.”

Fast-forward through college at Brigham Young University, marriage to high school sweetheart Mitt (the former governor of Massachusetts and Republican U.S. presidential nominee in 2012) and the raising of five boys. Horses remained on the back burner almost out of necessity. But Ann’s athletic side would not be denied.

“I played tennis when my kids were young,” she said. “I could get out of the house and be athletic. I had a friend with whom I could play tournament tennis, and it was a great social and physical outlet for me. It kept me sane while I was raising all those boys.”

It was a health crisis that eventually led her back to her equestrian roots.

“Just before I turned 50, I started getting sick,” Romney said. “It took a few months to diagnose, but I was losing function very quickly. I lost feeling in my right leg and half my torso. But worse than that was the unremitting fatigue.”

When the diagnose finally came, it was not good. Ann Romney had multiple sclerosis (MS).

“It was sobering,” Ann recalled. “Mitt was with me, and we both cried. Then he said, ‘Ann, we’re in this together.’ And that’s the name of my book — In This Together: My Story. In life, we think we can do it by ourselves, but when we hit the bumpy road, we need emotional support. We need to learn how to put one foot in front of the other and find joy.”

In addition to providing emotional support to readers struggling with overwhelming health issues, Ann supports the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (www.bwhannromneycenter.org), which works to accelerate treatments, prevention and cures for the world’s most complex neurologic diseases: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and brain tumors.

“MS has two stages,” she explained. “It can be relaxing-and-remitting where you’ll get attacked and then go into remission, or it can be progressive, where you get weaker and worse. MS is very treatable for some people. People can stay in relaxing-and-remitting. Or they can go into remission permanently, like I did. The medications are getting way more targeted. However, once you’re progressive, there’s no drug for that.”

Not yet, but Romney is working on it.

At the time, however, she looked to her future and didn’t like what she saw: “I thought: ‘Oh dear, this is not going well. My life is over. I’d better go do some things that I love.’”

That’s when she started riding again.

“I mistakenly fell into dressage,” Romney said. “I didn’t want to start jumping, weak as I was, and I thought, ‘This sport can’t be all that hard to learn.’”

Knowing what she does now, she laughed. “I had no idea what I was doing,” Romney said.

The year was 1998 — right about the time her husband took over control of organizing the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

“We went west, and I reinvented life. I couldn’t ride for long because I was so weak but, after I did, I’d have energy for about a half hour or so. And I continued to get stronger! Not physically stronger, but I had more energy,” she recalled. “I was on IV steroids — very aggressive — but through the combination of drugs and riding, I got my energy back.”

For close to three years, all Romney did was get out of bed, ride her horses and go back to bed.

–“The horses were my healing partners and my joy,” she said. “The fact that it was difficult was intriguing; that each of the partners had a different personality; that one could do a beautiful half-pass and the next one struggled with it. It’s always hard, always intriguing.”

Once she was back in good health, riding took on another purpose. As involved with dressage as she is now, riding served as a welcome escape during the years Ann spent on the campaign trail alongside her husband, first in his successful bid for governor of Massachusetts, and then in his two unsuccessful bids for the presidency.

“I didn’t ride very much then and, when I would, it was just to get my mental health back,” Ann said. “The campaign workers knew when I would get overly fatigued. Everybody knew that I had to get to the horses. It was like watering a flower if I had a few days with them. But I couldn’t compete. It was more of a ‘get to the barn, get dirty’ break.”

She’s not the only one who rides, by the way.

“Mitt rides. We had trail horses. But he gets on, and it’s more of a ‘let’s see how fast we can go’ thing. But he’s very supportive. He watches me go in 20-meter circles, and he can’t figure out the intrigue, but it works for me.” Romney said.

She enjoys riding so much that, when her horse Rafalca earned a spot at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she just had one regret — she wasn’t the rider. That honor went to Rafalca’s co-owner, Jan Ebeling.

“When it comes to the Olympics, it’s fun to watch the best horses and riders in the world, but then I’m thinking, ‘OK, put me on!’ That’s just where I come from. I enjoy competing more than watching,” she said. “I had good success in Wellington last year.”

Indeed. At the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Romney placed first with her horse Donatello in the FEI Intermediate II, then was honored as “Premier Equestrian” for the week by Premier Equestrian, an arena and footing company, for demonstrating “exemplary sportsmanship and admirable qualities.” While in town, she also held a book signing for her fans. Her book details how equine therapy and dressage helped her in her recovery.

She was back in Wellington this season as well. While dressage was on the agenda, Romney was also the featured speaker at the Feb. 2 installment of the Lunch & Learn series at WEF.

Last fall, Romney guided Donatello, a Hanoverian gelding, to victory with a 62.171 percent in the Intermediate 2 Adult Amateur Championship class at the 49th Annual California Dressage Society Annual Championship Show and GAIG/United States Dressage Federation Region 7 Championships in Burbank.

“I’ve really got that horse put together,” Romney said with pride. “For an amateur, I’ve climbed the mountain. ‘So aren’t you done?’ Mitt asks. But you always have the hope that you never have to quit. You never want to quit.”