In memory of a true horsewoman

The name of Debbie Haimowitz isn’t engraved on sterling silver trophies, inscribed on Hall of Fame plaques or mentioned in books about equestrian sport.

Her contributions to the horse world aren’t the kind that bring fame, but they were fundamental, with an emphasis on teaching the essentials of horse care and riding.

Whether she was giving lessons, working with a horse or setting jumps for other trainers, the fine points always mattered.

“Debbie was all about horsemanship and teaching and learning and really participating.” said Gina Plantz, who knew Debbie from 2011 until the trainer died of cancer in February 2024.

An amateur show jumper who rides with Olympic medalist Chris Kappler at Chartwell in Pittstown, N.J., Gina wanted to do something meaningful in Debbie’s memory and came up with an idea in the spring of 2024.

She talked it over with Sarah Segal, Chartwell’s owner, and the result is what has just become the Debbie Haimowitz Horsemanship Foundation. It honors Debbie’s “enduring legacy by meticulously upholding her core principles of horsemanship, continuous learning and compassionate equine care.”

Gina, Sarah, Chris and his barn manager, Katie Hartmann, as well as Debbie’s longtime friend, Jonna Gaston, the foundation’s president, are board members for the new entity, which focuses on riders between the ages of 18 and 25. They learn not only riding, but also care, maintenance of the horse and the mechanics involved in running a barn.

The foundation is envisioned as “a pivotal force in nurturing the next generation of equestrians with a core mission to identify and empower aspiring young talents who demonstrate not only exceptional skill, but also a profound commitment to the sport’s highest ideals.”

“We can try to have a resource of American riders who have time and energy put into them where they will be useful to somebody,” said Chris, thinking of other professionals who ask him for recommendations when they’re seeking to hire riders.

Chris noted candidates for the foundation program may be people who are “a little bit hidden that we can try to help identify and bring to the forefront. Just trying to connect people where they can help each other out.”

He observed that in this era, “the horsemanship part of it is becoming more and more lost.” So the foundation’s goals include “fostering future instructors, professional riders and devoted equestrians who embody Debbie’s work ethic and genuine connection to horses.”

The foundation is formally under way this summer with Clare Friedlander coming from suburban Rochester, N.Y., for two weeks of lessons and barn work at Chartwell, including mucking out, bathing horses, bandaging and learning the right way to take care of the horses.That will be topped off by two weeks of showing, all under her foundation grant.

Clare’s mother, the former Stacy Brown, was a riding assistant for Chris in the early1990s. She and her husband run a therapeutic riding program at their barn, where Clare works.

Getting the grant has been a revelation for Clare.

“I never had a chance to focus on myself,” explained the 18-year-old, who enters Nazareth University near her home this fall.

At Chartwell, “Just walking into the barn, you get a wealth of knowledge that you didn’t even know was possible. Every person you go to, if you ask a question, they will answer it in depth and not make you feel silly for asking. They want you to learn, and learn the right way.”

Izzy Malick, a 19-year-old from Colorado who attends South Dakota State University, gave the foundation’s concept a test run last summer after Chris saw her progress during several clinics and invited her to Pittstown as he mulled implementing the organization’s goals.

“Going through it once gives you a lot of ideas about how you want to do it the next time,” said Chris. Although the program originally was supposed to last two weeks, Chris decided it was important to add two weeks of showing to the session for grant recipients.

“They can see in a month how hard everyone works here and what level of commitment it takes to do something you really want to do, and do it well. I feel like you can have an imprint on people with your ideology of what you’re trying to do,” he explained.

“I think they’re at the stage, `Is this something I want to make a life venture or not?’ This is a particularly trying industry because of the hard work, the hours and it’s not easy to make a living in this sport.”

But the young women are eager to explore where the horse business will fit into their lives. Izzy came back on her own dime this summer because she found the experience extremely valuable.

“Chris is so knowledgeable, I learn something every time he speaks,” said Izzy, who borrowed a horse so she could participate.

“The staff takes such good care of the horses. If you ask Chris a question, he gives a good in-depth answer. He’s a very good connection to have in the horse world.”

Gina was a working student in New Hampshire in the 1980s and ’90s, working hard around the barn while learning the essentials of horse care, as well as riding. Such experience was common at one time, but the kids fondly known as “barn rats” who used to work for a lesson or an hour in the saddle are not around much today.

What Debbie’s friends are doing in her memory is “an opportunity for us to refocus on horsemanship and making sure people remember this is not just about riding and showing,” said Gina, who didn’t have her own horse until she was 31.

She works in corporate management at the environmental engineering firm Haley & Aldrich, but balances that commitment with showing and continuing to learn.

“Understanding everything you possibly can is only going to help your riding,” Gina observed.

According to Jonna, Debbie “believed in the connection between horse and rider, and that connection starts with the horsemanship. The part we feel is missing is day-to-day barn work. People are quick to take a lesson and go to a show, but kids don’t want to spend hours in the barn.”

Jonna said Debbie was never one to take credit for how well her students did; she was simply happy for them..

“It was her joy to watch them grow and do well,” said Jonna,  noting that could even be “10 minutes in a lesson that somebody felt something they hadn’t felt before.”

Jonna, who didn’t own her horse until she was 57, runs the Green Valley Tack Shop in Pine Island, N.Y. Like so many of their generation, she and Debbie got the basics of equestrian involvement from 4-H; she was in Bergen County, N.J.; Debbie was in Rockland County, N.Y. But the two didn’t meet until 1990, when Jonna answered newspaper ad to ride at a local barn. That was Debbie’s base, and the light came on for Jonna.

“Oh, that’s what a lesson is supposed to be like,” she realized, after Debbie taught her the first time. But learning came from more than riding.

With Debbie, she would visit George Morris when he ran Hunterdon Inc. in Pittstown, and benefit from watching the lessons he taught, and eventually those given there by Jeff Cook and Chris.

Gina envisions the foundation’s work being carried on with other trainers as it grows, and various fundraisers, large and small, will contribute toward keeping the project going.

This month, it had its first such clinic, with presentations by veterinarian Brendan Furlong and a talk on shipping safety by Kevin Hennessey, who runs a horse transportation business. Chris filled people in on setting courses and also taught a lesson.

 

 

The focus of the foundation is the current group of younger riders, but there’s another generation coming along.

Anastasia Deren is one of them, just 10 years old. The first word she said was “horsie” and she hopes to take lessons with Chris someday.

The youngest person at the clinic, Anastasia felt the best thing about it was watching her idol teach.

“I just love the way he addresses everything to the riders and how he incorporates dressage into his jumping,” said the fifth-grader from Bridgewater, N.J. who found Chris after searching on line,

Anastasia, who rides with Cara Wheeler at Duncraven in Titusville, N.J., shows in the 0.70 meter jumpers with her Argentine warmblood, Rose, but she is looking to go higher; much higher, someday.

“I definitely want to make it to the Olympics,” she said.

But there’s more to her dedication than that.

“I always felt horses need to be treated the right way. They need to be taken care of.  you can’t just hand them to someone else or you’re never going to learn. You need to have proper horsemanship.”

Debbie would agree.

To donate to the program, click on this link. To view photos on Instagram, click here