Summary
While Madden has gotten her fair share of the spotlight, the horse is equally integral to the success of the team. The stable is busy preparing for competitions before the summer games, Aug. 13 to 29, and Authentic is being closely watched by caretaker Clark Shipley and veterinarian John Steele. This isn't Authentic's only success--he's won at every level of competition, most recently taking first place at the Olympic Selection Trials in California in May. Still, the handlers don't change the horse's schedule just because he's competing in the Olympics.
Since he's worked with horses for 40 years, Steele knows what makes them tick. "You need to live with the horses, to know the horses, to know their idiosyncracies and to spend time with the horses," Steele said. "My key part of being involved is the man living with the horse, {Shipley}, knows him better, and I learn from him how Authentic's acting, I learn about him from [Beezie Madden], and I learn from the trainer, and we confer on how the horse is doing in general."[John Madden] Sales staff feel fortunate to have Steele on board to help care for all the horses. "He's the best," said business manager Kristin Barrett-Anderson. "He knows everything and he's been around everything. He's been around horses for years and years. He knows that jumpers go through other things than thoroughbreds and he just knows how horses go. He's in tune with exactly what they can and can't do and exactly what we can and can't do."See the full content of this document
Extract
Authentic's Man of Steele
The combination of able young horse, world-class stable, experienced trainer, talented rider and old-school veterinarian adds up to an Olympic bid. Authentic, a 9-year-old, 16.1-hand Dutch Warmblood, and his rider, Beezie Madden, will be show-jumping in August at the Summer ...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
