OFF THE RECORD

Houston’s Lawyer / Equestrians

By S. Shawn Stephens

A remarkable number of Houston lawyers compete in English-style equestrian disciplines. These events include Hunt Seat, Jumper, Cross Country/Eventing, Dressage and Foxhunting. The commitment of time and treasure necessary to compete in these events is significant. Because of the expanding popularity of this sport, it is possible for riders to compete in nearby shows as many as 26 weekends per year. The riders must pay to travel to the event, to board their horses, for entry fees, for the proper safety and customary apparel, and for miscellaneous expenses like braiders (who braid the horse’s mane each night of competition). One enthusiast says that it costs her about $1,000 to compete in a single show. Another estimates the cost at about $450 for a local weekend show. Of course, the horses themselves are expensive, ranging in price from $15,000 to nearly $100,000. And the horses must be fed, trained, ridden and given medical care whether or not they are in competition.
Nevertheless, each of the lawyers interviewed for this story used the word “passion” in discussing the topic of riding. For example, Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP lawyer, Suzanne Ross, is so committed to the sport that she still rides, even after breaking her back in a fall – a fall she attributes, as most riders seem to do, to “rider error” rather than “horse error.” Suzanne’s first question for her doctor after the fall was: “When can I ride again?” Her doctor’s reply: “You’ll never ride again.” Suzanne’s response: “You’ll never see me again.” And Suzanne was proven right; after finding a more positive doctor she was back in the saddle again just three months after the fall.
Suzanne’s preferred style of riding is hunt seat equitation, derived from foxhunting, in which the horse and rider take jumps that are natural in form, (like fences and gates). Speed is not involved in this elegant style for the show ring. Instead, the horse and rider are judged on the purity of their form, their technique and their “look.” Suzanne was first exposed to this style of riding as a child in Tennessee, but gave up riding after childhood. She later spent about ten years as a “show mom,” taking her daughter to compete in riding shows. Eight years ago, Suzanne got back in the saddle herself. Now, Suzanne says she just “can’t live without riding.” She adds that “every ride is different” and “every ride is still a challenge.”
Suzanne is enthusiastic when she describes the incredible bond she feels with her horse, whose show name is “Dream Come True,” but is known as “Okey-Dokey” at the barn. Suzanne believes the relaxation she derives from riding is unparalleled and especially beneficial to a commercial litigator. Over the Labor Day weekend, Suzanne participated in a trail ride near Rockdale, Texas with the foxhunting club known as Kenada Foxhounds, one of the few fox hunts recognized in Texas by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America. Suzanne plans to fox hunt with Kenada Foxhounds throughout the fall and winter.
Joining Suzanne on the Labor Day trail ride was Elysia Franty, another Locke Liddell & Sapp lawyer/rider. (Notably, several people at that firm ride, including Richard Franchek, whose favorite format is the precise discipline called dressage.) Although Elysia has wanted to ride and jump since she was a child, she did not become a rider until she was an adult. She currently leases a horse (meaning she has access to the horse several times a week), but hopes to buy a horse one day. She usually takes one lesson a week and rides for pleasure in the field another day of the week. Elysia is also a devotee of hunt seat equitation. She is so passionate about the sport that she even planned her recent summer vacation around riding. Elysia traveled to Italy for a two-week riding experience, where she rode into the Tuscan mountains and countryside each morning, averaging between five and six hours a day in the saddle, to view ancient fortresses and villages. Elysia’s trip was geared toward experienced riders, but the company through which she booked the trip plans worldwide trips for both experienced and beginning riders.
Chris Reynolds, a partner at Gibbs & Bruns, L.L.P., is an avid foxhunter. A traditional western-style rider in his youth, Chris became interested in foxhunting because his children attended school with the children of Amy Adams Strunk, the Master of Foxhounds at Kenada Foxhounds and the daughter of Bud Adams, on whose ranch (and the ranches of accommodating neighbors) the fox hunts take place. Strunk invited Chris and his wife, George Ann, to watch a 1997 hunt at Kenada. He enjoyed it so much that, the same year, his wife bought him a hunt horse, named Weldunn (a former broncing horse), and the family’s love affair with foxhunting began. Chris now has three horses, one of whom, a massive beast named “Mega Drive,” was given to him by a grateful John Moores (owner of the San Diego Padres) after Chris won a case for one of his companies. Chris’ daughter has two horses, and his son and wife have one horse each. Chris finds it remarkable that all the members of his family love foxhunting and enjoys the fact that it allows them to ride together. They all participate in “first field” of the foxhunt, which means that they all are capable of taking every jump that they encounter. The Reynolds family is so devoted to the hunt that they live on 29 acres near Tomball, where they practice on their own jump courses and coops (wood structures that cover barbed-wire fences) and have stables for the horses. Chris often rides before work and is still able to be in his downtown Houston office by 9:00 a.m.
Chris says that the first hunts of a season usually begin in September. These are informal “cubbing” hunts, where the younger hounds are introduced into the pack. In November, the Blessing of the Hounds starts the formal hunt season, during which there will be hunts on Saturdays and Sundays. Saturdays are usually formal hunts requiring riders to wear traditional foxhunting attire. Sundays are more informal hunts where “ratcatcher” informal clothing, such as a tweed jacket over a banded collared shirt, is worn. Chris is well known in local hunting circles for serving as the “minister” for the annual Blessing of the Hounds. He is now also the Fieldmaster for Kenada Foxhounds. His responsibilities include leading mounted participants, known as “the field,” to the best places to view the hunt and keeping “the field” from interfering with the Master of Foxhounds, Huntsman and Whippers-in, who ride with the hounds and chase the fox or, more likely in Texas, a coyote. Chris notes that the thrill of the event is in the chase, and that healthy coyotes are rarely caught by the hounds.
Candyce Beneke, a legal research and writing professor at South Texas College of Law, agrees with the sentiments expressed by the other riders. She concurs that “every ride is a challenge,” which causes her to “learn something new every time.” She likes riding because she is “always growing” and is “never bored” with the sport. She also loves the camaraderie she feels with the other riders whose horses are kept and trained at her barn. She derives a great deal of pleasure from taking care of her horse, whose show name is “Semi Sweet” and whose barn name is “Toll House.” Candyce began riding as a youth when her father bought her a horse and a western saddle. However, when she went to camp, she quickly became enamored with the English style. Last year, 28 years after her last serious riding, she returned to the sport in a big way – buying a horse and entering in competitions. Her commitment is extraordinary; she rides every day in the summer, rides four to five times a week in the spring semester and three to four times a week in the fall. She spends approximately three hours at the barn during each of those sessions.
Last May, Candyce entered a competition where she won seven first-place ribbons and one second-place ribbon. Nevertheless, she still needed to complete the championship ride in that show for a chance at one more ribbon. As she approached the last fence of the championship ride, she fell, injuring her back and neck. She was taken to the hospital by helicopter and recuperated with the help of physical therapy. Like Suzanne, three months later, Candyce was riding again.
Dulcie Wink, a lawyer at Haynes and Boone LLP, currently owns two horses and is also a fan of the hunter style of riding. Dulcie credits riding with keeping her “sane” by giving her an outlet from the normal stresses of a litigation practice. She says that when she is approaching a fence on an 1,100 pound horse, she is “certainly not thinking about work.” She likes the fact that riding gets her outdoors and brings her into “contact with a wide variety of people.” Dulcie makes time for riding on Saturday and Sunday mornings, when she travels from her home in Katy to a barn in Needville, Texas. Like Suzanne, Dulcie’s child brought her back into the sport because her son jumped horses prior to becoming enthralled with football and baseball. Dulcie says she enjoyed that time with her son because they had the opportunity for meaningful conversations while riding and caring for the horse. She also believes caring for the horse taught her son to be a responsible person.
All of these Houston lawyers agree that the joy they get from riding is worth every bit of the time, money and, sometimes, injuries, it takes to participate in this sport. They think they are better lawyers for it, too.

S. Shawn Stephens is a partner with and deputy chair of the appellate group at Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP, Houston. She is board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Stephens earned a B.S. from Baylor University, her J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1988, and her LL.M. in International Economic Law from the University of Houston Law Center in 1995. She is a frequent CLE lecturer and an adjunct professor in the appellate advocacy program at South Texas College of Law. Stephens is an associate editor of The Houston Lawyer.

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