I@Gampensn GalgaryAnd

Grockpot Meals: Growin€ UpAsATrainer's Kid

V[lhat's i.t like to erperi.ence o.youth that's zsi.rtually24/7 horses? A tri,o of grown chi.ldren of renowned

professional horsemen share thei.r stories.

iza Towell Boyd has heard thetale ofher first day on earthmany times. On Apnl 24, t979,her very pregnant mother, Lisa

Towe[ was watching husbandJack shoea horse. Blacksmithing was somethingthe then-emerging trainer did for extraincome duringthe couple's earlyyears inNorth Carolina.

"Suddenly my mother said, Jack,my water just broke!' But my dad said:'You'll have to wait just a minute; I've gotto tack on this last shoe.' I was born thatday, and the barn was the first place mydad stopped on the way home from thehospital," said Liza.

"He set me on top of a horse and heldme there. So from the very beginning,he sort of had it planned out that I wasgoing to be a rider," she said with alaugh. "I'm not sure I had a choice!"

But, ofcourse, Liza did have a choice,and she decided to follow in the foot-steps of her father,Jack Towe[ 59, whohas trained multiple national cham-pions. Like Liza, Nick DelloJoio,23,also followed his father, Norman DelloJoio, gg, an Olympic bronze medalist inshow jumping and still awinninggrandprix ridea into the horse business. AndMolly Braswell, t8, is the daughter ofBobby Braswell,53, whose riders havebeen winners at all of the major equita-tion finals and garnered numerous titlesat top shows.

BY ANNE LANG

Now one of the best riders on the show circuit, Liza Boyd started out riding and training with thehelp of her father, trainer Jack Towell, and mother, Lisa Towell-and still works with them today,

zB The CrtxoNrcl,D o/tfre HoRSE

Nomadic AdventuresToday, Liza, 33, trains alongside herfather and her brother, Hardin, at thefamily's Finally Farm in Camden, S.C.(with a winter base in Wellington, Fla.).But some of Liza's earliest memoriestrace back to a small black pony namedCash,{nd Car4rwho taught her and heryounger siblings, Hardin, 23, and Ned,3q to ride.

"You could slide offof his tail and doaq,thing on him," Ltzasaid of the pony."I dont think he did lead changes, buthe was great, and he was safe. He wouldjust pat the ground instead of takinglong spots. I d love to find a pony likehim for my [g-year-old] daughter today."

In those eady years, Liza, now oneof the country's top hunter riders, said,"My mom actually taught me moreriding than my dad did. She brought outthe longe line, and we rode with no stir-r"ups and hands up in the air. You knov4all those balance lessons."

As Liza progressed through the pony,children's and junior ranks, she learnednot only from her parents, but alsofrom such highly acclaimed trainersas Ronnie Mutch (who had been herfather's mentor), Tom Wright, MissyClark and Chris Kappler, among others.

Liza's forrnative years often involvedtraveling from show to show in thefamily camper. Cooking family meals inthe RV was sometimes hit-or-miss.

"We still laugh about my mom'sfrozen lasagnas that she would fix whenwe stayed in the camper," Lizasud."Ididn't blame he4 we'd come home latefrom a horse show, and it was easy tojust put a frozen lasagna in the oven.But shed always cut up some greens toserve with it, and she used the crockpotfor a lot ofour dinners.

"The RV was fun," added Liza, "butthere wasn't much privacy, especiallvwith five of us in there. And my bedwas under the table, so even if I wassleepy, I couldnt get to it until everyonewas done eating. I loved it when I gotto spend the night with friends! Butthose were the early days. Eventually,we upgraded to a camper that had bunkbeds in the back. And when I was inhigh school, we finally got out of thecamper and would rent places to stay."

Liza especially enjoyed going to theDevon Horse Show (Pa.). "I mean, what

"Now that I'm a parent myself andlook back, I think I took my parents forgranted a lot," said Liza Boyd, shownwith dauglrter Elle. MoLLtE BAtLEy pHoTo)

kid doesnt love Devon?" she said. "ButI had a good time wherever we went.There was always a group of kids whowere children of professionals. AtBlowing Rock [N.C.], wed go on trailrides through the mountains and eatblackberries in the woods."

She recalled that her birthday alwayscoincided with the Aiken Horse Show(S.C.). "Wed have birthday cake andballoons back at the barn," she said. 'Atsome shows, wed stage people-jumpingcontests, which were really fun. Backthen they didn t have those fancy minia-ture jumps that look like the real thing.Wed jump over chairs or arythingwecould build ourselves."

However, life wasrft always fun andgames-especially when it came toschool. Unlike the children of manytrainers todav who attend on-siteschools at the winter circuits, study withprivate tutors or take classes online,the Towell children attended publicschool in their hometown. Jugglingschoolwork with so much time on theroad was sometimes a challenge, as wasmaintaining any kind of social life orextracurricular activities.

"My mom did an excellent job ofkeeping a balance between school andhorse shows," saidLiza. "I went toprom, I did cotillion, I went to over-night camp. I wasn't able to do sports,but I really never felt like I missed outon that many activities. I tried :..:::::.out for cheerleading one time but

June 4, 2O12. chronofhorse.com 29

"Many times, I've been asked about the pressure or expectations of accomplishing what my dad has accomplished," said Nick Dello Joio. .,1'mgoing to work as hard as I can to be as successful, and more so, if I can b.1' luotw soncE pHoTo)

decided it wasn't for me. And I don tremember missing that many days ofschool except when we were in Floridafor the month of February and I had atutor there.

"I missed a little bit of school forindoors," Liza remembered, "but Ididn t even miss that many Fridays.Horses are the second-biggest industryin Camden, so my principal reallvunderstood the situation, but the schoolstill expected me to keep up with mywork. I always came home from Floridaahead of everyone else because ofthe private tutoring, so it was never aproblem. Of course, this was alongtimeagq when there weren't as many horseshows as there are now."

A Healthy BalanceMother Lisa Towell was adamant aboutmaking sure her family was homefor big holidays like Christmas. "Wewere never on the road for that, andmy family wort't ever be, eithef." Luadeclared. 'At some point, you have tosay: 'OK, the barn needs to slow down,because it's family time.' "

Family time occurred at horse shows,as well: During offdays on the road,Lisa Towell's love of history meantthat her children visited museums and

toured historical sites. Every Fourth ofJuly, the family would travel to the beachin Wilmington, N.C., where the chil-drens grandmother rented a house.

"We also went to Europe, years ago,"Liza said. "Sometimes those trips werea little bit horse-related, but we mainlytoured and saw the countryside. We alsowent to Canada. My mom always triedto have a family trip planned."

At home between shows, the Towellchildren had a daily routine. "We hadresponsibilities," Lizaexplained.'Afterschool we'd ridg then we'd clean ourtack and do ourhomework."

Often, Jack would ask Laato ride apony or horse for prospective buyers.But she said she never felt nervous inthose situations.

"Ridingwas what I enjoyed doing"Liza said. "I don't remember feeling anytype of pressure at all. Looking backnow, I'm surprised I didn t feel nervous,but sometimes the less you know as achild, the better. I never thought: 'Oh mygosh, someone's looking at this horseand there's money involved.'As a kid,you're not oriented to think that way.And my parents never put that typeofpressure on us, or pressure aboutshowing, either."

Liza said her mother never let her

know how many points she needed for achampionship, or where she stood in thecountry. "She kept me extremely narve onall ofthat," said Liza. "I'm really glad shedid that. And when the show was over,she'd say: 'Now you go and congratulatethe little girl who was champion.' Thatwas a valuable lesson to learn."

Valuable lessons, her parents knew,could also be taught by other trainers."My parents were teaching us the exactsame things, but maybe in differentwords, so they really encouraged me toride with other peoplg" sardLiza.

"Ronnie Mutch started helping mewhen I was on small ponies," she added,"and he became like a grandfather to us.The things he taught me when I was apony kid, and then a junior hunter kid,were things that I teach now, every day.Missy Clark helped me as a junior, too,which was great, because it meant that Icould go offto some of the horse showsby myself and gain a little independence.You learn a little bit from everybody, andthen you eventually mold it into whatworks for you."

Liza admitted that she felt a bit ofriding fatigue during one brief phasein middle school, "but never to thepoint where I wanted to quit riding. Iremember thinking that I just wanted

go The CnnoNrcr,o o/ffre Honsn

to go home after school, or to someoneelset house, andjust hang out or goswimming like everyone else. ButI never got to do that because I hadresponsibilities. I had ponies to trainand horses to ride."

She found salvation in a friendwhose life outside school was equallyspecialized. "My best friend was acellist," Lizasaid, "and she had to gohome every day and practice the cello,so we had that connection in common.Having that friendship really helped.She went on to TheJuilliard School[N.Y.], and music is now her career, andhorses are now my career. So today weappreciate having had all that training,but at the time we kind of complainedto each other."

Life After The JuniorsLike her musician friend, Liza wenton to college, choosing the College ofCharleston (S.C.). 'l had taken a yearoffafter my junior career, and then Iwent right into the professional ring [inr99B], which was a real eye-opener," shenoted. "You go from sort of being thechild rock star to being way down thetotem pole again. So I was really readyto go to college. You feel like you're goingto be forgotten, and youire goingto missso much at the horse shows. But MissyClark told met'Laa,thehorses will stillbe here. All the same people will still behere.'And she was right."

While Liza still made weekend tripshome to ride and occasionally showedher jumper, she embraced the wholeundergraduate experience.

"I really wanted to go to collegeand just be knor,r,.n asLiza Towell, notLiza Towell the horse person," Lizaexplained. "I joined a sorority andmade some of my best lifelong friends.In the beginning, a lot of people didn'teven know I rode horses. Ijust sort ofset aside that part of my life and tookthose four years to do other things,meet new people and have differentexperiences.

'And I definitely learned some goodpeople skills," she added. "I thinkyou learn just as much from a varietyofpeople as you do from a variety ofanimals."

Aftergraduatingin zooz with a degreein psychology, Liza resumed herrole as

a professional rider. "College was a greatopportunity," she said, "but once thehorses are in your blood, you can't stop."

Inzoo6, she maried Blake Boyd,now an agent with EMO Horse & FarmInsurance. Their daughter, Elle, wasborn in zoo9. She owns a miniaturehorse and competes in leadline. Blakeoften ships Liza's horses to shows andhelps her set up, with Elle in tow.

"They're my best cheerleaders," Lizasaid, "but then Blake goes home with Elleduring the week. So it's a little differentthan the way that I grew up. I was at thebarn all day and night because both ofmy parents did the horses, so that wasthe way it had tobe. With my ovm family,I try to say: 'OK, it's the end ofthe day, sowe're goingto talk about and do differentthings.'That's a little bit of a challenggbut it's been good."

Liza feels fortunate to have grownup as the child of professionals. 'Asa kid," she said, "I think you take alot ofthings for granted, especiallythe things that are right in front ofyou all the time. It was all I knew. I

didn t realize how lucky I was, thatthere were many other children whowould've loved to have the opportuni-ties I had and still have. Now that I'ma parent myself and look back, I thinkI took my parents for granted a lot,too. I realize what a lot of time, energ:y,work and dedication it took.

"I also realize how lucky I am tohave a ground professional like my dadaround me, because there are a lot ofyoung professionals who have to do itthemselves," Liza said. "I'm so apprecia-tive when he's there to help me, becausehe's really busy doing clinics, judgingand training other people. He's oneof the best horsemen I know, and I'velearned so much fromhim."

Since she had the opportunity tolearn from other professionals, Lizaalso feels she owes it to other profes-sionals'children to help them. 'l likegiving back," she said. 'A lot of youngpeople are shy and maybe a little scaredto approach top trainers, but they'resurprisingly willing to help, more

:::it.r:r,,

than you can imagine."

> JUNIOR & PONY

Quick StudyNick DelloJoio grew up on a horse farmwith a set of equestrian parents thatincluded his renowned trainer dad. Buthe was t5 before he became interestedin riding. (Nick's slster, Daniela, now24, showed as a pony rider but didn tpursue the sport in later years.)

While attending private high schoolin Boca Raton, Fla., Nick enjoyed roller-hockey, golf, surfing tennis, lacrossgfootball, soccer, scuba-diving and fishing.

"I liked to watch [horse sports] hereand there, but I was typically preoccu-pied with other sports, " said Nick, whonow competes around the world andhelps his parents run their WembleyFarm in Wellington.

The turning point for Nick occurredin zoo5 while he was traveling withhis fathe4 who was showing in theNetherlands. Nick simplydecided one dayto give riding a try (having onlyriddencasually on a few occasions in the past),and Normanwas all too happy to oblige.He asked friends Nelson and RodrigoPessoa to give Nick a lesson on one oftheirmares, Radieuse. Thatlesson tookplace ata rather daunting venue for a novice rider:the Valkenswaard Grand Prix field.

"We jumped around some of the five-star course that had just finished," Nickexplained, 'but set as crossrails." The expe-rience helped Nick decide to pursue riding,andhe exhrbited a nahrraltalerltright away.

"I contnbute my rapid progress to a lotof learning donebywatching," he said,"and to great training from my parents."

Back in the United States, Nick beganshowing Radieuse in schooling jumperand children's jumper classes. Hecontinued playing several ofhis othersports but dropped all ofhis schoolteam commitments in order to makeroomforriding.

By the following summe4 Nick foundhimself competing in the high juniorjumpers at Spruce Meadows (Alberta).("Ijust tagged along wherever our barnwent," said Nick.) That same year, he alsotrainedwith Missy Clark and qualifiedfor all of the zoo6 major equitation finals.

"I was very fortunate to have had MissyClark andJohn Brennan take me undertheirwings," Nick declared. "I learned alotfromboth ofthem andhad such agoodtime. Frankly, I wasnlt in the position tobe a tontender' for them, being that it was

literally the start of my riding. But as Isaid, I leameda lof and I'mverygratefirl."

Before he began riding Nick usuallydidn't travel to shows with his fatherduring the school year. Instead, heremained at home with his sister and hismother,Jeanie. 'My mom was never at theshows," Nick recalled. 'I wasn t forced totravel like a lot ofother horse-show fami-lies. We lived in Wellington; we had ourlife and our house doum in the [Florida]Keys that we would always go to.

66I feelit's ven/

imnoftintto 6ave the

balance of anoutside life

showworld.That seems

to be thehardestthingforffi.gleto

-NTCKDELLOJOTO

"Dad would be in and out," Nickcontinued, 'depending on what was onhis plate. I reallv feel fortunate not tohave to grow up on the road. My parentsmade very sure it was never like that formy sister and me."

If Nick somedaybecomes ahusbandand a father himself,, he said, 'I would

make sure my kids are raised the wayI was raised, asfaras notbeingon theroad. I feelit'sveryimportantto have thebalance of an outside life with your obliga-tions in the horse show world. That seemsto be the hardest thingfor people to do."

An Inner DriveOf coursg Nick's life shifted a bit whenhe began showing. "When I startedriding," he said, "I just had to managemy classes and my time so that I wasable to be where I needed to be. Luckilyall of my schools were very under-standing of my commitrnent."

A regular summerhighlight forNickwas showingin Canada, wherethe family rented a house instead ofstaying in a hotel (or in a camper, asthey had done in Nick's younger years)."I loved going to Calgary as a kid," hesaid, "because it's a great circuit whereeveryone becomes very close for fiveweeks and has a great time."

However, he added, "I didn't reallyknow that many kids from the shows atall. Some family friends' children andI played together as young kids, butgrowing up and to this day, most of myclose friends are still from outside theshows. And I dont get to see them asmuch as I would like to."

Even before he started riding Nickwas a young entrepreneur at thesummer shows. "I used to sell carrotsand make an absolute killing" herevealed. "I guess I played the young-and-cute card and would sell them for adollar apiece. That was usually the high-light of my show-going days as a kid."

NiclCs new{ound passion transcendedtime in the saddle. "For me," he said, "itwas never an option not to be involvedwith every aspect in the barn. Learningbecame easy just by being there towatch and help. A lot of kids these daysdort't want to learn. But at the end of theday, you can tell the difference in theones who do and the ones who don't,and frankly, the ones who do will be theones leading our sport in the future."

Nick appreciates the benefits of ridingso many different horses, ranging fromsuper-green to super-made. "Beingthe son of a pro means you ride a tonof different rides," he said, "but in theend, it's the best thing for you. It willteach you to ride any type ofhorse. Alsq

32 The CnRonrcr,n o/#re Honso

being the child of a trainer is fantasticbecause you can never really fall offtrack with your riding without it beingseen immediately. And you have theconstant discussion and learning on adav-to-day basis rather than on a lesson-to-lesson basis."

While riding showing and traininghorses with Norman consumes much ofhis daily life, Nick is also working parttime toward a college degree at FloridaIntemational University in Miami. Buthe views college as a steppingstone to a

continued career in the equestrian world."My goal is to stay in the business and

to compete at top international competi-tions, such as the Olylpics," he said,"and to run a successful business. Manytimes, I've been asked about the pres-

sure or expectations of accomplishingwhat my dad has accomplished. I'mgoing to work as hard as I can to be assuccessful, and more so, if I can be.

"I would love to compete on teamswith my dad in the future," Nick added,"but if we don't, I enjoy him being thereto help me just as much."

prog:am, which fit the fami$s increas-ingly mobile lifestyle. As a result, Mollysays, "Most of my dose fi:iends whilegrowingup were from horse shows."

Between horse shows, Mollv andAnnewould engage in their mutualretail hobby. "My mother and I areshopaholics," Molly confessed. "Wewould always find shopping wher-ever we were. Or, when we were inWashington [D.C.], my mother and Iwould go to the National Gallery of Art.And as a family vacation in the Apriloff-season, we would travel to Vail[Colo.] to enjoy some spring skiing."Those vacations were offset by beachtrips in the summer, and one time, abarge trip in France.

But when it came time to train,Molly was all business. She says shenever went through a phase where shewanted to quit riding or even cut back."I was lucky to have access to manynice ponies and horses to ride," Mollyacknowledged. "I have to say, I took itfor granted, because it's what we do. ButI was reminded daily how lucky I was.

Molly Braswell has enjoyed the benefits ofbeing immersed in the horse show world withher father, Bobby Braswell. "l was remindeddaily how lucky I was," she recalled.(DAVID MULLINIX PHOTO)

[strides] to the combination." More seri-ously, Molly says her parents raised herto always tell the truth.

One of the best things about beingthe child of a professional was that "Ialways felt verv comfortable at horseshows and at the barn," Molly said. Shealso appreciates having knowledge ofhorses from the ground up.

"Maybe I'm not the best stall cleaner,"she admitied, "but I definitelyknowwhat thrush smells like. Many kids relyon grooms to do all the horse care, andthey are missing out on a huge part ofhorsemanship."

Lately, Molly has cut back on showingto focus on schoolwork, although she stillrides three horses a day. She sees herselfat a crossroads: not yet sure ifshe wantsto attend college next yea4 or start ridingfu[ time, or do something else.

"I know horses will always be a partof my lifg" Molly predicted, "but at thismoment, I'm not completely sure whatthe future has in store for me. Thereare so many options; we'1l see what thefuture brings." Q

Lovin$ The LifeMolly Braswell gives a candid answerwhen asked if there are aspects of being

a trainer's child that she doesn t like."Having to share mY father and his

attention with many other students!"admitted the daughter of BobbYBraswell, who trains out of his Ter"rapin

Hill Farm in Ocala, Fla. DesPite nothaving Bobby all to herself, MollY,

who is wrapping up her senior Yearas a home-schooled student, became

a standout in the national equitationranks. And it all started on her firstmount, a pony named Pooh Bear.

"He was ancient when he came to

me," Molly said, "but he was veryspecial. He sparked my love for riding."That spark may have been genetic as

well, since mother Anne is a judge and

former star hunter rider.Molly attended public school through

the fifth grade. An only child, she and hermotherwouldmeet Bobby atthe showson weekends. But as Molly's riding and

showingadvanced,herparents,,,:r,r,,switched her to a home-school :''i" ':l

66I wasremindeddailvhow

lucky I was."-MOLLYBRASWELL

And therds no question that the moreyou practice, the better you get."

Sometimes Molly trained withBobby, sometimes with Terrapin HillFarm assistant trainer Courtney deHechavarria and sometimes withoutside trainers, such as Missv Clark. "Ialways wanted to please my dad," Mollyexplained, "and I know he always wantsthe best for me, but sometimes it couldget too personal. [Occasionally] I neededanother voice."

Molly jokingly lists a few of her father'srules for lifg which include 'A1l men arepigs; if youre a teenager and your lips aremoving, youre lying; and never leave out