Many of us know Sally Spickard as a first-rate equestrian journalist of Eventing Nation fame. She’s now part of the Galway Downs team, too, as our social media maven.
Sally earned her stripes in the equestrian world as a keen observer and talented teller of the sport’s horse, people and governance stories. She’s a horse girl through and through even though she doesn’t ride or compete at the moment.
“I have a theory that my birth family in Korea was an equestrian family because I’ve always had the horse bug,” Sally told the Major League Eventing podcast in an episode last December. Born in South Korea, Sally was adopted by her American family in St. Louis, MO and raised there. They were not horse people, but they supported Sally’s interests.
Following horse sports came naturally at an early age. She kept notes on horse racing, the only equestrian action regularly on TV and the internet at the time. Sally started lessons and leasing horses in her teens.
A 2002 trip to the Kentucky Three Day event turned Sally on to eventing. It was the last year for the Long format there. She didn’t know the significance of the format’s demise then, but seeing that informed her perspective on eventing’s history and evolution.
Ever since Kentucky, “Eventing has always been my home,” Sally told Major League Eventing. “I wanted to know everything about it.” That led her to Eventing Nation, which began as a blog in 2010 and has grown to be the go-to source for discipline news from around the world.
“Small Potatoes Beginning”
Sally regularly entered the website’s writing contests that were used to recruit new writers, eventually earning the grand prize of writing a monthly blog for $15 a pop.
From what Sally called that “small potatoes beginning,” she became a part owner of EN in 2021. She covered the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games in person and has reported on or organized the coverage of national and international eventing competitions and governance sessions.
Eventing Nation is a pioneer in the digital media world. As managing editor, Sally is constantly monitoring and making the most of the ever-evolving media landscape.
In the horse world and beyond, “There is a lot of noise, and we don’t want to be a contributor to all that,” she told Major League Eventing. “What we want to do is quality.”
Eventing Nation’s quality content has a new platform coming with the launch of its own podcast. As the host of The Go Eventing Podcast, Sally promises real conversations with riders, in which they can feel safe and be candid. “It’s important to humanize and elevate the people in our sport,” she said.
The Go Eventing Podcast launches Feb. 25, when Sally will take listeners inside the Stirling Venture Capital Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field and discuss rule changes and other things affecting the sport. It can be found on Apple and Spotify.
Area VI-based international contender and coach Bec Braitling will co-host Go Eventing’s second episode. Available on March 11, this discussion will dive into rider development and West Coast talent.
5* or Bust?
A topic likely to surface in many episodes is the general state of upper-level sport in North America. Sally cites the gamut of opinion generated by Advanced competitor Ema Klugman’s Eventing Nation commentary last December. Ema noted the relative dearth of U.S. entries in 5* competitions – the two we have in the U.S and those in Europe.
“It begged the question of what the sport should look like in the United States,” Sally explains. In her view, a “5* or bust” mentality should not be the only option for professionals. “I think there are other ways to be successful in the sport.”
One of those other options manifests in the United States Equestrian Federation’s new Equestrian Open for the three Olympic disciplines. For eventing, the qualifiers will be held at CCI4*-S, and the Final run at CCI4*-L. The Final will take place at Virginia’s Morven Park in October with $200,000 in prize money.
“I’m excited to see that there are potentially more avenues to make it in the sport. I think that and other events help open a pathway to becoming a young horse or sales horse developing rider. It gives more opportunities for those who don’t want to run a 12-minute cross-country course but still want to be competitive. Not every horse and rider can or should be trying for 5*.”
A Sense of Belonging
Representation in the sport is a topic Sally is personally passionate about. As she wrote in part of an eloquent reflection on covering the Tokyo Olympics for EN, seeing equestrians of Asian descent is inspiring, encouraging and fosters a sense of belonging.
She enjoys a special friendship with Alex Ahearn, the owner of Tamie Smith’s partner in the 2023 Defender Kentucky 5* title, Mai Baum. Alex got “Lexus” as a 4-year-old and campaigned him to the 3* level before going to college and entrusting Tamie with his talents.
“I met Alex about 10 years ago,” Sally shares of Eric Markell and Ellen Ahearn’s adopted Chinese daughter. “She was a lot younger than me, but we connected over the fact that we were both adopted. Seeing her at the American Eventing Championship with Mai Baum, I knew I wanted to be friends with her. Whenever I see an Asian person at a show, I always want to connect with them. It’s so great to have representation in our sport. It creates a feeling of belonging.”
They later reconnected while waiting for their return flight from Tokyo, where Mai Baum and Tamie were Team USA alternates.
Sally was honored and surprised to sense that Alex looked up to her in the same way Sally admired a Korean blogger who had inspired her to take a birth family trip to Korea.
“Alex and I talked about the idiosyncrasies of growing up as adoptees and the complications that come with those dual identities,” Sally wrote in the 2021 Eventing Nation article. “I realize that sometimes all we need is to meet one person who shares that commonality.”
Sally lived in San Diego for several years, visiting Galway Downs often for a front row seat to the early phases of its ongoing evolution.
Galway Downs’ Transformation
“I look forward to getting confirmation that Galway Downs will be the site of the LA Olympics,” Sally says. “Over the years, the amount of investment that Robert Kellerhouse, Ali Nilforushan and Ken Smith have put into the facility has been immeasurable. It’s nearly unrecognizable from even just five years ago!”
I hope to get more involved with the inner workings of the facility as my relationship with the venue grows. I’ve already spoken to Robert (Kellerhouse) about some ideas to integrate the venue with the community leading up to the Olympics.”
She moved to the Northern California’s Woodside area two years ago with her boyfriend, Kyle. He’s finishing a degree at Stanford and she can work from anywhere in the world. Sally looks forward to being on site at Galway Downs often this year. Follow her work on Galway Downs’ Facebook and Instagram pages and say “hi” when you see her here.
Feature photo by Kimberly Loushin
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