Virginia Leary and Galloways Demiro (CT)
Team #1049: Virginia Leary and Galloways Demiro
From: Litchfield, Connecticut
Ages 77 & 26
Combined Age: 103
Test: Grand Prix
I’m a former international-level event rider who decided to specialize in dressage so I could have something challenging to do with my riding as I got older. I rode on the US team at the test event before the Montreal Olympics.
For years, my business was buying horses from the racetracks and retraining them for other jobs. I still love Thoroughbreds and still ride a gelding by Uncle Mo.
Well, here I am doing my Century Club ride at age 77 on my Grand Prix horse, Demiro. He has been ridden for the last five years by my student, Cameron Baloski, who got her USDF bronze, silver, and gold medals on him. He’s still absolutely sound at 26! I borrowed him three weeks before my ride. It was so fun to put a Grand Prix ride together again. I’m still riding several younger horses, but they are not FEI level. Lots of people have horses, and they told me they would like to do this, and I’ve said, first you have to get OLD. And then you need to have an older horse who is sound.
The Century Club is such a milestone. I’ve judged several Century Club rides and doing one was exciting. I’ve owned this horse for 18 years, and he was not always easy (that is an understatement), but he’s become much easier as he’s aged.
I’d like to thank all the people I rode with on his way to Grand Prix. Ulla Salzgeber, Morten Thompson, Bo Jenna, but especially Christopher Hickey, who has always been there for me. Also, Andy Thomas for the biomechanics training that keeps me sound and supple, many of my students who came to celebrate with me, and Sperry View Farm who made this a special occasion during their July show.
