| Many of you know that, before starting my own business here at Fairwind Stables, I worked for John and Kathy Hamilton in North Carolina. I've shared so many of my stories of working everyday with John and you know how much respect and admiration I had for him. I was deeply saddened to find out that John passed away in England on Sunday, July 16, 2006 at the age of 55. John was a true horseman who knew everything about everything. I had the wonderful opportunity of working for him for just over a year. It wasn’t your typical working student position either. It was one-on-one every day. I got to ride all the horses both at home and at shows and John was there to watch and critique every ride. He’d tell me about all the good things I did and how I could improve the “not so good” things. And his knowledge expanded beyond just the riding. He taught me so much about real horsemanship and how to care for a horse beyond just the under- saddle training. He taught me to compete and try your best but not be panicked if things didn't go perfectly, especially with green horses. John was a truly kind man who would yell but then give you a hug and you knew he cared so much that you did it right. He always spoke his mind - something I wish I was better at! I have so many fond memories of John and knew we’d get along great from the first time we met. One particularly funny non-horsey memory was the time we were driving back from Middleburg, VA at 3am and he was trying to teach me Celtic sayings (after being awake for nearly 24 hours). I'm still convinced that you have to have a British accent to get it right as I still can't say it without cracking up! John and Kathy made me feel like family which I so sorely needed as it was this homebody’s first time away from home. So many times we'd play billiards or watch BBC America, that life with the Hamiltons was more than just learning about horses. He will be deeply missed and I hope to honor him by passing along the knowledge that he so generously shared with me with the horses that I ride and the students I teach. |
| Hanging out with John between classes at a Greensboro Jumper show - April 2001 |
