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No More Bareback On Christmas 62 W INTER 2013 U N TAC K E D Since moving to America in 2007, Boyd and Silva Martin have started celebrating Thanksgiving mornings with Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds in Unionville, Pa. "I think half of Philadelphia comes out to see us take off," said Boyd. And that even includes the occasional spectator in holiday garb. Adopting American Traditions Since moving to the States in 2007, Australian Boyd Martin and wife Silva of Germany have jumped right into American holiday traditions. They celebrate Thanksgiving every year by heading out with Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds from Unionville, Pa., followed by a marathon meal at the home of owners and friends Ron and Densey Juvonen. "I think half of Philadelphia comes out to see us take off," says Boyd of the hunt. "It's very much an amazing atmosphere. It feels like a big competition. The riders are anxious, and the hounds know it's a special day. The whole community comes out, and the highranking members of the hunt put on top hat and tails. We usually have a huge band of followers." Silva borrows a hunt horse for the occasion, but Boyd usu- ally tacks up a former eventing partner, like Remington XXV or Minotaure du Passoir. "It's a very surreal experience," says Boyd. "You find yourself out in the hills of the hunt country, and before you know it you're standing next to people like Dr. Dean Richardson [the veterinarian who earned worldwide recognition for treating Barbaro at New Bolton Center] on one side and [steeplechase greats] Michael Dickinson or Paddy Neilson on the other, along with many other upstanding members of the community." During Christmastime, the Martins usually alternate years between Australia and Germany for catch-up time with their families. "We're both immigrants, so we have lots of friends in America, but not much family," says Boyd. "Usually on those trips we end up looking at horses that we may want to bring over. We're singing Christmas carols, drinking and checking out the stock!" >> AMY DRAGOO PHOTOS "If there's a horse show, we go to a horse show," says Maggie Jayne, laughing, of the Jayne family's holiday traditions. "[But] we've gone on vacation for Thanksgiving the past couple of years, and it's shocking because we all don't ride for a week! It's always a great time." Maggie, 28, and her siblings Charlie, 27, and Haylie, 25, are sixth generation horsemen, and together with their parents, Alex and Linda, they usually spend Christmastime in Florida, since there's sure to be a show nearby. "We always work in the barn on Christmas since we give all the staff the day off," Maggie says. "So we end up doing all the feeding and turning the horses out, so it's fun. We've had some of our guys for 10 years, so they're like family to us. We have two barns, one in Elgin, Ill., and one in Florida. In Elgin, we always have a meal together every day, and we'll celebrate birthdays and things—any time there's an excuse to get cake or ice cream, we do it!" The Jaynes always get a Christmas tree in Florida, and they have lots of handmade ornaments. They mostly try to relax during the holidays after showing all year long, though Maggie has had a string of holiday bad luck, including a broken femur on July 4 when she was 15. "And one Christmas we were handwalking the horses, and I thought I would ride bareback, so Charlie gave me a leg up and threw me all the way over, and I broke my ankle," she says with a laugh. "I was already a professional—19! We no longer ride bareback on Christmas." >>

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