Photo by Lauren Asten Photography

By Carol Cunefare

I have dreamed of wearing a top hat and tails since I was a young 14-year-old girl, growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Like many others in this sport, I started riding hunter/jumpers, and when my trainer moved to Lamplight Equestrian Center, I followed. I dabbled in a few three-day eventing shows on a big, beautiful Polish Trakehner who was owned by one of the Lamplight partners. This is where I quickly found my true passion in dressage. 

I was fortunate to be a working student at Lamplight Equestrian Center for many years as a teenager in the 80s before “Lamplight” became what it is today. 

There’s just something about dressage that makes so much sense, and feels so good and effortless when it is correct. We all know when we get “that” feeling – the feeling that keeps us coming back and striving for more. 

My parents never bought me a horse, though, and I had to work for my lessons. I would groom all the school horses, clean tack… whatever was needed. I remember having the horses checked with a white glove for cleanliness, and the tack meticulously examined every single day. In all honesty, I believe this made me a better horseman. I truly loved every single minute spent at the stables, and still do to this day! 

I always joked that I would ride anything with four legs, and I learn so much from every horse I ride. Each horse will teach you what they need – if you listen. As a young girl, I was fortunate enough to sit on many horses at different stages of their training, and I got the feel for the FEI work at an early age. 

Then, unfortunately, I had some gaps in my dressage life, and I only had the opportunity to own my own horse once I could buy one myself in my late 20s. Fast forward many years, to raising two beautiful girls and moving from coast to coast. I have found a great clientele here in the small, beautiful mountain town of Durango, Colorado. 

I met and started working with Whisper, aka “Whisper of God,” in October of last year (2023). His owner, Rae Randolph, found him while perusing Warmblood-Sales.com and dreaming of finally riding dressage after riding and competing Saddlebreds. 

I had not met Rae before; she lives in a neighboring town, Pagosa Springs, approximately one-and-a-half hours from me. She was working with a hunter/jumper trainer in her area, and they were having some issues. This trainer reached out to me and kindly introduced us. The rest is history, as they say. Whisper and I hit it off instantly!! When I first sat on him, I could feel him say (in a whisper), ”You speak my language!” It felt meant to be.

However, in February 2023, I was involved in a horrible accident and experienced many health issues as a result. I was in the passenger seat of a huge Ford F-250 truck, when a drunk driver ran a red light (at 10:15 in the morning, and she didn’t have insurance to boot!), and T-boned us at 50 miles per hour. I took the impact that flipped the truck on its side. While hanging from my seat belt, I couldn’t help but be grateful the airbags did what they were supposed to do.

Thankfully, I did not have any broken bones or visible injuries – although I sometimes wonder if things would have been easier if I had just broken something. Instead, my immune system went haywire, and I was so fatigued that I could barely move for months, and I was left with permanent nerve damage over my right eye; it is droopy now, and my vision has been deteriorating. 

In January 2024, when we were setting our goals for the year (one of my favorite things to do!!) Rae said she wanted me to try to compete with Whisper at Prix St. Georges (PSG); it was her dream. I was excited, honored, and a bit skeptical – I did not have the stamina to ride that seriously at the time. Teaching just one lesson would wear me out! 

So, we took it one day at a time. Whisper desperately needed a clear foundation, based off of the Pyramid of Training, to fill in some holes in his training by focusing on the basics. A few years prior, Whisper had shown at Fourth Level in Canada, and his work ethic and willingness to learn were unfaltering. 

Unfortunately, in our location, traveling to shows in Region 5 is challenging. Our closest competition is in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is four hours away, or we drive roughly seven hours to shows in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. It takes dedication to compete, but in my opinion, the lessons learned at horse shows are invaluable, and I am an avid seeker of knowledge, education, and advancement in this sport. 

Our debut at PSG was in Santa Fe in June 2024, and we earned the qualifying scores for my USDF Silver Rider Medal right off the bat! The PSG test is so fun to ride and flows nicely, and with each consecutive show, our scores keep improving. Our relationship grew, and we really started to get in sync with each other. We just returned from the 2024 Great American/USDF Region 5 Championships, and I am very proud of the effort and experience for both of us. There was some incredible competition, and we both grew and learned much about each other. 

It is now time for Rae, his owner, to enjoy her journey in this sport, and Whisper will guide her on that path. I will continue to work with him on the FEI movements, see where the road takes us, and listen to whispers from the horses…