The Chronicle's Horse/Horseman Of The Year

Patience is a hard skill to learn, especially in the horse world. In a sport where competitive success often defines a horseman’s livelihood, it can be difficult to wait for the right moment, show and horse to make a breakthrough.

But if Suzy Stafford has learned anything in her long journey with Beverley Lesher’s Courage To Lead, patience ranks at the top of her list. “I was willing to wait for her because I knew she was special,” said Stafford. “Waiting for something that’s worth it takes a while sometimes.”

In Stafford’s case, it took six years.

It was no surprise to the American steeplechase world that trainer Janet Elliot was inducted into Thoroughbred Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2009, becoming only the second woman ever to be chosen and the only female trainer to date.

Perhaps the only question is: Why did it take so long to notice her?

Four things were against Mixed Up this year: his age, his lack of enthusiasm for soft ground, long distances and heavy weights.

Still, he pulled out the impossible, and at 10 years old, he garnered the titles that had eluded him for his entire career—the National Steeplechase Association Horse of The Year and the Eclipse Award for steeplechasing, which he won by a landslide.

Buck Davidson has always been a great rider, but in 2009 he seemed to truly come into his own. Davidson’s year was headlined by being the highest-placed U.S. rider at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** on My Boy Bobby and finishing 11th at the Burghley CCI**** (England) on Ballynoe Castle RM, but he achieved success with virtually every horse in his large string.

She may only be 24 years old, but Ashlee Bond has already had the kind of year most show jumpers dream about.

Bond piloted Cadett 7 to six clear rounds in Nations Cup competition in 2009, anchoring the U.S. team to wins at the Rome (Italy) and St. Gallen (Switzerland) CSIOs. She rounded out her European tour by finishing seventh in the $487,687 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen (Germany)—the highest U.S. placing—and by winning the $84,640 WARSTEINER-Prize Grand Prix (Germany). Back in the States she topped four CSI-Ws and competed in her first Rolex FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final.

It all started 15 years ago in a quiet country town in Belgium, with a plumber, a 12-year-old girl, and her bike.

When Sapphire’s dam Idjaz C (by Hedjaz) started to foal, young Sofie van Bunder jumped on her bike to find her father, Walter, who was working as a plumber in the nearby village of Sint-Gillis-Waas. Upon hearing the news, Walter, a part-time horseman who bred about three mares per year, jumped on the bike and pedaled furiously to the foaling. But by the time he arrived, a chestnut filly was already on her feet.

When Buck Davidson first took over the ride on My Boy Bobby in the summer of 2008, he didn’t expect to be filling out an entry for the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** the following spring.

In fact, Davidson recalled that during a disastrous outing at the Express Eventing International Cup (England) in November 2008, Phillip Dutton quipped to him, “I don’t think that one’s going to Kentucky, mate.”

But in the spring of 2009, “Bobby” seemed out to prove everyone wrong. He was undefeated in three outings at the advanced level, including the CIC*** at The Fork (N.C.).

Each fall, Jennifer Alfano’s parents would let her take a day off from school. “This was before I’d ever even shown in an A-rated show, but every year I’d go to [the Pennsylvania National Horse Show] and watch all day,” said Alfano, who grew up in Harrisburg, Pa. “I’d study all of the famous jumper riders and say to myself, ‘I’m going to be a famous rider.’ All of my friends at school would roll their eyes.”

Every once in a while, fate intervenes to bring the right horse and the right rider together at the perfect moment.

Steffen Peters excels at many things. He’s a natural athlete with a balanced seat and an inherent understanding of the horse. He’s calm under pressure and has a reputation for having ice water in his veins. But his most impressive, and perhaps most valuable, trait is his ability to see a forest through the trees.