Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1162395
still dotes on Willie, her 32-year-old Hanover- ian grand prix horse who saunters around his pasture, "a gentle giant who's taught me so much," she says. After Gray visited Wenham Museum for a lecture in 2016, she had an epiphany: Why not shine a light on the North Shore's rich equestrian heritage? She proposed the idea to the museum's leadership, who saw a chance to capture an overlooked, family-friendly facet of the region's history. Gray picked up the phone and assembled a committee, set to work on fundraising and gathering from a wish list of equine-related mementos, and, after the group hit their fundraising goal last January, commissioned Jeff Kennedy Associates of Somerville to revamp the gallery and design the exhibit. Equestrian Histories functions as equal parts Equestrian 101 overview of the tech- niques, vernacular, and backstory of four key equestrian disciplines—polo, foxhunting, three-day eventing (a combination of dres- sage, cross-country, and show jumping), and combined driving, an updated version of the ancient art of driving a carriage—and in-depth Kristin Noon is the executive director of the Wenham Museum. "The equestrian community was involved in preserving trails that are now in use by everybody—people who are out mountain biking, walking their dogs, strolling with their families," says Kristin Noon, executive director of Wenham Museum. And while groups like the Essex County Trail Associa- tion and The Trustees of Reservations have been integral to stewarding those land- scapes in the last half century, Noon adds, "It started with equestrians." The idea for the exhibit itself, meanwhile, started with Gray, a Wenham resident who fell in love with horses while growing up in Con- necticut, trained under elite coaches, and then balanced motherhood and dressage competi- tions. "The connection with horses is sort of visceral. You're born with it from an early age, or you aren't," Gray says. "And the reason I love dressage so much is that it's a combination of being highly technical—there are so many nuances, and you're always learning—but there's also a wonderful, almost euphoric feel- ing when you ride a perfect 20-meter circle or a canter pirouette." Injuries compelled her to give up competing about a decade ago, but she 96 exploration of the riding culture of the North Shore. "We wanted to show the differences between the equestrian disciplines, as well as who these wonderful people were who made it happen here in the first place," says committee