We’ve had a bit of a hiatus since our last interview, but without further ado: the next installment in our series:

Where do you live?  New Jersey

For those who don’t know you: How are you involved in the driving/carriage world?  I have been organizing driving events, Training through FEI levels, since 1985

How long have you been involved in the driving/carriage world?  Organizing, 25 years; driving, since 1995; my horses are now retired

Do you come from a driving/horsy family?  No ~ but I’m Irish!

Do any of your children ride or drive?  One of my seven grandchildren rides

Are you a CAA member?  Yes, I have been for a long time!

What was your first equine?  My first equine was a Quarter Horse mare named D-Day (I used to say that she might be three-quarters mule, but she was at least one quarter horse). I got her when she was six and she died of colic in my barn at age 28. She was an individual, a real character, and we did everything together: trail riding, dressage, hunter shows, combined training ~ she was a dear friend and taught me a lot. D-Day took great pleasure in bucking me off, or just simply dropping a shoulder at unexpected times and putting me on the ground, but you could sit her trot all day long and her canter was lovely. She spent her early years defending herself, so she was a kicker (not people, other horses); I’d never have put her in front of a carriage

What types of carriage(s) do you drive/collect?  Just two Kuhnles ~ a single and pair

What is the most interesting/far-flung place that your driving has taken you?  I loved driving the marathons at events in the northeast: Gladstone, Fair Hill, Myopia, Garden State, Lord Sterling, the Laurels, Yellowframe; you see such beautiful country! 

Is there a particular era/time period/type of vehicle in history that you would enjoy traveling back to … and driving in?  I could have lived on the prairie in a covered wagon; that would have been a trip!

Do you compete? If so, what’s your favorite type of competition / class / CDE phase?  We always did well in dressage, but the marathon was my favorite phase; Diane Trefry used to let me do the test drive at Fair Hill, all three phases: all the fun with none of the pressure!

What do you like best about driving as a hobby/sport?  The people!

What spectator sports do you enjoy watching?  NFL football; any sport that my children played: basketball, soccer, little league, pony club

What kind of car do you drive? Do you have a “dream” car?  My “dream car” is my 1997 apple-red Dodge Ram truck: v-10 engine, four-wheel drive, leather seats, power this and that, cruise control, and a rhino liner in the bed

Do you have any other pets?  We have Jupiter, our Lurcher; also a feral barn cat named Seek

What is your favorite food/cuisine?  La Cucina Italiana ~ I like to cook it and I like to eat it!

What was the last movie you saw?  Up In The Air ~ two of my favorite actors ~ a heartbreaker

What is your favorite holiday?  Thanksgiving, because I have my whole family under my roof at the same time