Albany II will always be first and foremost in my heart.  He took me to the Olympics, what more can you ask?   I found Albany, a 1979 bay 17 hand English Thoroughbred cross gelding, in England.  Riding Albany, I placed 10th individually in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.  That was one of the highlights of my life!   Albany always tried his best to be good and do what was right, never once can I remember him misbehaving in any way.  He always gave it 100 percent in everything he did!

     Albany passed away in the spring of 2006.  He was a dear and gentle soul.  He spent his last years wandering about the farm, going wherever he pleased, not constrained by fences.  Everyone here at Windchase misses him!

Albany shared my dreams and helped make them a reality. 
He took me where I had always longed to go. 
He helped me touch the sky. 
                                                 ~Phyllis

Freedom Flight

     Mountain High was an incredibly big and strong horse that always wanted to go very fast.  He would jump anything, and had the most magnificent extended trot you can imagine, but was quite difficult to control.   I fell in love with him at first sight, and we developed a special partnership as I trained him and moved him up through the levels.   I got my first taste of overseas International competition on Mountain High, when we were a part of the winning American Team at the Friendly Team Competition at the Boekelo CCI*** in Holland in 1985. 

     Fleet Thing was the first of the race horses I bought from John McKee of Charles Town, WV.   Since then, I have developed a great business relation with John, and have bought over a hundred Thoroughbreds from him over the years.  Fleet was owned by my friend Hossein Askari, and he enjoyed a successful career up through he CCI*** level.

     Byeway was one of the only horses that I ever rode that was already experienced before I got him.   He had been ridden by the great David Foster of Ireland, and was bought for me to ride by my friend Hossein Askari.  Byeway was one of the most talented horses I ever rode.   He was very bold and strong cross-country, but if I could control him, he would jump anything!   I completed my first Burghley CCI**** in England in 1991 on him.

     Desolate Angel was yet another horse owned by my friend Hossein.   He was bought for Simmie, Hossein's daughter, but turned out to be too strong for her.   He was only 15.1 hands, but all jump and power.  'D.A.' had no love for the Dressage phase, but he could really run and jump, placing at the CCI*** level.

     Indiana was an appendix Quarter Horse that I bought from Bruce Davidson.   He was brought from the mid-west by the great horseman Mr. Tindel, who selected horses for Bruce.   Indiana was always totally serious and focused about his work, and had a huge determination to succeed.  I rode him to the Advanced level, after which he was purchased by Joerg Eichmann of Brandenburg Farm, who gained much competitive mileage riding this talented horse.

     Jet was another of the Thoroughbreds that I bought as a youngster off of the racetrack from my friend John McKee.   He was always just a fun and cool horse to ride.   Jet black and 17 hands, he was a real eye catcher, one of the most truly beautiful horses you will ever see.   I rode Jet to the Advanced level, competing with him in England in 1994.   After that, soundness issues dictated that he compete at a lower level, so he also went to Brandenburg Farm, where my friend Joerg had a successful competition record with him.

     Altair was a horse that I purchased in England.   Very quiet and dignified, Altair was always a gentleman.   He was quiet and laid back, but very talented.   He competed successfully at the CCI*** level, including a clear round at Rolex in Lexington, and numerous Advanced level wins.

     Starbound was a horse I bought in Ireland as a youngster.   He was extremely talented, but a little spooky and quirky, which made him a bit difficult to ride.  He enjoyed success at the CCI*** level, including completing the Blenheim CCI*** in England in 1997.

     No Tomorrow was a homebred, so I knew him from the day he was born.   Very talented, 'Tommy' has all the ingredients to go to the top.   His only fear is cows, he has always been deadly afraid of them!   Tommy is currently competing successfully at the Intermediate level with a Young Rider who now owns him.

     Sirius has as much sheer talent as any horse that I have ever ridden.   I purchased her in Ireland when she was a youngster from Robin Blackmore, she is a full sister to my four-star horse Star Bright.   She is now ridden by Natalie Hollis of Water's Edge Farm in Maryland.   Natalie and Sirius have formed a super partnership, and will be moving up to Advanced soon.

     Half Magic Half Magic is a 1985 16.3 hand chestnut Thoroughbred gelding by Ground Breaker.  I bought him as an unbroken 2-year-old from racehorse trainer John McKee at Charlestown, WV, and he has been one of the horses dearest to me ever since.   We formed a strong partnership from the start, and I have probably had more wins with Magic than any other horse I have ridden, including winning Three Day Events at North Georgia, Essex, NJ, and Checkmate, Canada.   He has been short-listed for the U.S. Team on three different occasions, and has won or placed at the Advanced level numerous times.   A truly beautiful horse, who always gives his best effort.
     Magic's career highlights include winning the CCN* at North Georgia in '92, the CCI** at Essex in '93, and the CCI*** at Checkmate, Canada in '94.  He has won Advanced divisions at Morven Park in '94 and '97, and was 9th in the CCI*** at Rolex Kentucky and 6th in the CCI*** at Fair Hill in '97.  He was short-listed for the World Equestrian Games in 1994, the Pan American Games in 1995 and the Open European Championships in 1997.
     Magic is a very beautiful horse who loves to be admired and to pose for pictures.  He is quiet and gentle most of the time, but becomes quite enthusiastic when it is time for Cross-country!
     

      Snowy River was a 1986 gray Thoroughbred gelding by Babamist.  He was bred by Bruce Davidson, and purchased by Phyllis as a preliminary horse in 1994.  She brought him up to the Advanced level in '95, and they formed a very special partnership.  He thought Dressage was a waste of time, but he could run and jump with the best of them.  Some of his top placings include winning the Intermediate at Fair Hill Horse Trials in '95, winning the Advanced at Morven Park and placing 6th at the Fair Hill CCI*** in '96.  
     The highlight of Snowy's career came in 1997, when he represented the United States Equestrian Team in the Open European Championships at Burghley, England.  He was also the alternate horse for the USET World Championship team in 1998.
     Sadly, Snowy passed away in early 2005.  He was a great heart and a good friend, and we miss him.

     Star Bright is a 1990, 17 hand, bay Irish Sport Horse gelding by I'm A Star.  I imported him from Ireland as a green-broke three-year-old, and he has rose to the top ranks very quickly.  He won the CCN* in Bromont, Canada in'96, and in '97 was 1st in the Intermediate at Morven Park, 4th in the CCI**at Essex, and moved up to Advanced in the summer while competing in England.
     Upon returning home in the autumn, he was 8th in the CCI*** at Fair Hill out of a very competitive field of 80 horses, quite an accomplishment for a seven-year-old!  In the spring of '98, he completed the four-star at Rolex Kentucky, and was Short Listed for the World Equestrian Games in Rome.  In 1999 Bright also completed the CCI four-star at Rolex, Kentucky.  He placed 10th in the CCI*** at Foxhall, Georgia in May 2000.  
     Bright is a very kind and gentle horse who always does his very best to please.  He excelled in the dressage, and was a bold and scopey jumper.  Sometimes playful and spooky, he would never really misbehave.  He has a truly sweet personality, and always gives you his 100 percent best.

For information about the horses currently representing Windchase in competition, 
go to The Competition Horses page.