Supporters
All event riders require a team of background assistants who help them achieve their goals and keep them safe, a little like NASCAR. Here are the people who have contributed to Huxley's success:
Christy aka "Critter": Huxley's sister
Critter, as Huxley calls her, has been a fan of Huxley's since the day she arrived. Critter proclaims she is Huxley's greatest admirer. While they had been very close throughout their lives, when Huxley moved to Blacksburg with her in 2004, both had to make many adjustments. A 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech, Christy was still living around Blacksburg and fancying herself a college student, though unenrolled. Once Huxley moved to the Blacksburg area, Critter adjusted accordingly. For the first two years, she had difficult time financially (just out of school, after all). She tried to save money in lessons and attempted to share the knowledge and experience she had in Dressage and Jumpers. They traveled to events in the local area - primarily Virginia Horse Center and Fancy Hill until it became clear when Huxley and Octavian started competing at Preliminary that Huxley needed outside help and also needed to see a wider range of cross country courses.
Critter currently lounges around Octavian's stall at events, cleans Huxley's boots, braids her hair, ties her stock tie, and generally, cleans Octavian's manure stains, and tries to provide whatever backup services Huxley requests. When Octavian and Huxley are on course, between biting her fingernails, keeling over in nausea, and waiting, she can be seen charging around the cross-country course trying to keep them in view and muttering under her breath things like, "They should be coming out of the woods over there about...now" "... any second now" "... where are they! "
Critter looks forward to riding Octavian when he 'retires.'
Robert Horne
Rob came into Huxley's life in 2006, when he and Critter started dating. He immediately invested his resources in Huxley's success, insisting that they needed their own trailer so they could select their own trailering schedule. Thus began the 6 hour roadtrips to northern Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Georgia. Rob also took the initiative in bringing the horses to their own backyard, clearing the land he owned, and along with his parents, Jerry and Anna Horne, building a barn, Dressage arena, and jumps. Luckily, they are contractors by trade and Rob is an action-oriented supporter. He has made many sacrifices to give Huxley the opportunity to pursue her dreams. Rob is a little like Octavian in that he knows how to push their buttons, but he's quite gifted and they love him anyway!
The introduction of Rob and his family into Huxley and Christy's lives was crucial to Huxley's eventual completion of the CCI*w, a dream of Huxley's since she was a tike, at Morven Park in 2008. Rob can be seen running around with the video camera faithfully recording Huxley's phases. He is responsible for the steeplechase video on the Photos and Videos page.
Jerry
& Anna Horne: Rob's Parents
Jerry and Anna also entered Huxley's life in 2006 and brought a lot of action-oriented changes. Any who know Jerry & Anna can attest to their infinite energy. They proceeded to convert their garage into a stable (and a nice one, at that) while they worked on building the main barn. Contractors by trade, Jerry & Anna are always coming up with a new building project, a way to improve the facilities. Jerry is always at the barn after work and can be found tirelessly clearing the galloping loop with his loader, adding extra rooms to the barn, seeding the fields, showing up with hay, grain, and anything he sees will fill a need.
About the best way to support Huxley is to take an interest in the animals, and love the animals Jerry & Anna do. Jerry & Anna grew up in Richlands, Virginia. They spoil all animals, great and small, and in turn are well-loved by them, especially dogs. (Warning: If you want to keep your dogs in awe of you and only you, keep them away from Jerry & Anna Horne!) Jerry, appropriately, adopted a horse of his own. It would be impossible to list Jerry and Anna's many acts of good. Anna is easily the president of Huxley's fan club. She shares Huxley with the people she knows, and she nurtures the human crew with pizza, beer (except for Huxley, of course), cabbage, cobbler, fried potatoes, and other irresistable stuff, not to mention she pays the enormous bills for the building projects. And it says it all that Jerry is out at the barn every morning at 6:30. He stays behind to care for the horses when Huxley is gone to events and keeps a careful eye out for any changes in their daily habits, scratches, swelling, etc. Jerry and Anna do all of this as if it were the natural calling, expecting nothing in return, only the enjoyment of seeing Huxley and Octavian come home safe and happy. Jerry and Anna are just... remarkable.
Molly Bull, Plain Dealing Farm: Huxley's Eventing Coach
Huxley began working with Molly in the spring of 2008. Molly is a Level II Certified Instructor through the US Eventing Association's Instructor Certification program and works out of Plain Dealing Farm in Scottsville, Virginia. She started training with Kim Severson in 2000 and brought her horse, Kiltartan, through the levels, eventually taking him to the Rolex CCI****, the highest level event in the US.
Huxley started working with Molly at a time when good coaching was an absolute necessity. Molly's teaching style clicked in Huxley's mind immediately and Huxley came away from her first lesson with Molly knowing much more about her riding. On the drive home, Huxley thought, "Oh! That's why we had that refusal over the weekend at Southern Pines!" and "So that's how I set him up for that kind of fence!" While the drive to see Molly is long and Huxley has not been able to make the trip as often as she would like, Molly has easily contributed significantly more than her financial compensation would reflect. Through emails, coaching at shows, and consistent support and feedback, Molly has provided what Huxley needed in a trainer and was unable to find previously. Huxley credits Molly's teaching with her improvements both cross country and in show jumping.
Molly sets an invaluable example of horsemanship, always putting the horses before human goals.
Gabrielle Hooten, The Solid Rock Farm: Huxley's Dressage Trainer
Like Molly, Gabrielle came into Huxley's training at time when Huxley and Octavian badly needed their guidance. Octavian is not a fan of Dressage and thinks the idea of moving around a rectangle arena without jumps - while feigning submission - is nothing short of absurd. In early 2008, when Gabrielle was first contacted to work with Huxley, Octavian was going through a phase in which he would rather rear than quietly pick up the canter. This was, naturally, frustrating beyond tears for Huxley, who invested so much time and love in him. At their first lesson with Gabrielle, that problem was resolved. Gabrielle works hard to help Huxley keep Octavian attentive and supple. Since starting work with Gabrielle, their dressage has improved more than it had in the 3 years prior. Gabrielle was just what Huxley and Octavian needed. Neither of them dread the Dressage arena, as they did before. Huxley had once said, "I would rather do an Advanced Cross Country course right now than have to go do our Preliminary dressage test!" Now, however, that has changed!
Gabriele is a Bereiter FN, a German licensed professional dressage trainer and instructor with over 20 years of experience. She has studied under some of the best German professional dressage trainers for many years, most notably Reitmaster Guenther Festerling, one of only five German Masters to have achieved the highest level of professional training.
IN MEMORIAM
Juel Rittenhouse, Huxley's Mother (January 5, 1948 - July 28, 2004)
Huxley's mom, Juel, valued her dogs and horses as family members and passed that attitude onto her children, especially Huxley. Juel brought along many jumpers, including her chestnut mare, Promise, who not only jumped many truck beds, but also carefully carried her daughters, Ginger, Katie, and Christy over their first cross rails. Later in life, Juel moved her focus to Dressage and trained and competed her Irish Draft cross, Shamrock, through Prix St. Georges. At the age of 42, 12 years after having what she thought was her last child, Juel learned that Huxley was on the way, much to the delight of Christy and Katie. For many years - while her sisters were away at college and off trying to grow up - Huxley was fortunate to get to work with Juel, who shared with Huxley her extensive knowledge of horses, Dressage fundamentals, and jumping, all of which was rooted in a deep appreciation of each horse's unique mind and personality.
Juel had planned to home school Huxley and allow them to focus their energy on training the 4 youngsters they had in the barn. However, that plan was immediately changed when Juel was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. In the meantime, Huxley was begging to ride Octavian, the 12 year old Clydesdale/TB cross who showed so much potential, but she had been forbidden to ride him because he was notoriously more than two handfulls. Juel, about 6 months before her passing, finally relented, perhaps so she could offer some final guidance. Juel also introduced Huxley to training methods and books of the greats, Alois Podhajsky, Reiner Klimke, and Jim Wofford, to name a few.
A short, post-mortem tale is perhaps one of the best, though most ironic, illustrations of Juel's value in the horse world. Two years after Juel passed, Huxley was at an event in the Training division. Octavian warmed up beautifully, but upon entering the ring, changed his tone completely, consequently providing Huxley with plenty of resistance and disobedience to give her many penalties. When Huxley picked up her Dressage test, there was a mark scribbled on it that said, "Horse not ready for this level." Later, she ran into Juel's long time friend Katie Crosby, who announced she had been the scribe for that test. Katie threw her hands in the air, rumbled desparately about Octavian's rowdiness and contorted, "More lessons, just more lessons. This is terrible. You need Juel!" Mom always said Katie would say whatever popped into her head at the moment. But she is right, Juel is sorely missed. However, Huxley and Christy are grateful for the example she set and the invaluable lessons she taught in the too-short time they spent with her.
Huxley continues to illustrate that she follows her mother's example of grace, strength, and perseverence throughout hardship. Most of all, those who knew Juel recognized the insipration, and life force, that the horses generated for her. You can see the same in Huxley.
"When we're around the horses, Mom's presence doesn't feel very far away." Juel's Dressage horse, Shamrock, continues to enjoy his retirement at the ripe old age of 30+. If he ever decides it is time to join her, his ashes will be buried alongside hers.
John Greer, Huxley's Father (December 1, 1958 - June 10, 2004)
John Greer was an avid golfer who nearly won the Virginia State Open as a teenager. He was not very interested in horses - or much anything other than golf - until he met Juel in 1985. As John was eventually notorious for, he spontaneously decided to take up riding. He hopped on Promise and she galloped off and down the driveway. Juel yelled, "John, let go. Let go!" trying to get him to lighten the hold in his legs. He eventually slid off Promise's side and onto the gravel, but from then on he was hooked. John rode in some jumper shows and eventually bought a Clydesdale/Throughbred cross, Emmett. John loved foxhunting and, despite his sarcastic comments to the contrary, adored Emmett. John always made sure that, by Christmas morning, his drawing of Emmett was on the top of the Christmas tree.
Both John and Juel were devoted to Huxley and to her dream of eventually becoming an accomplished horseperson. John, however, was at first terrified by Huxley's eventing aspirations. At Huxley's first Beginner Novice event at the Virginia Horse Center, John, typically so resilient, broke down prior to stadium and said, "Those jumps are big! She's just a little girl!" and proceeded to contemplate pulling her our of the event altogether. Fawn, an experienced eventing pony owned by family friend, Katie Crosby, carried Huxley carefully around the stadium and cross country courses without the slightest stumble. John was always terribly proud of Huxley, and despite his anxieties about eventing, continued to support and nourish her life dream, carrying her to Pony Club meetings, cross country schoolings, and, as always, helping her in any way she needed.
Those who knew John as a youngster might just recognize a little of John's singularity of commitment and ceaseless aspirations in Huxley.
