California Velvet

Fifty years ago, when Sir Francis Drake Boulevard provided an easy, pleasant drive from Highway 101 through small Marin County towns like Kentfield, Ross and San Anselmo, a right turn onto Butterfield Road just short of Fairfax led many a youngster to their favorite place to spend a Saturday morning. Tucked into the gentle hills, Sleepy Hollow was aptly named and where the Hollow ended, there stood horse riding and training stables.

Many a young child’s dream of riding a horse was fulfilled at this facility offering both English and Western lessons. This is a story of one of those children.

Eight year old Lori Cook was introduced to horseback riding when her dad took her on a trail ride at the Meadow
Club in the hills above Fairfax leading to Mount Tamalpais.

However, it was Sleepy Hollow Stables that drew her attention and desire for riding lessons, an opportunity certainly within easy reach, since her family lived off Butterfield Road. First, though, her dad—Dr. Cook—placed the stipulation upon Lori that she had to get on and stay on her school’s honor roll. She did.

The excited little girl looked forward to being at the stables anytime she could. She recalled her first trainer, Jack Shaw, and quickly named the next two: Bob Ross and Edie Lehman. Lori laughed as she remembered how often she would go up to horse owners and ask, “Can I ride your horse?”

Ride she did—and jump. Her first horse, Reverend Mr. Black (nicknamed “Preacher”), participated with Lori in many competitions. Preacher, a tall black, had been brought to Sleepy Hollow Stables by his owner because the horse persisted in jumping over his corral fence. This “fault” became an asset at the hands of the trainers and Lori. As part of the Marin Mounted 4H Group, Lori entered shows with Preacher in San Geronimo, Mill Valley, Sleep Hollow Stables, and the ‘faraway’ Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, where she competed in the open jumper class of the fair’s horse show.

Lori and her friend Kathy would share first and second place in many of the shows. Remembering those early years, you can still recognize pain in Lori’s voice as she recalled Preacher’s death from colic, while Lori was a teenager.

“That was one of the saddest days of my life,” she says.

By the time Lori was 15 years old, she was training horses and riders at the Laguinitas Rafter L Ranch owned by Harry and Edie Lehman. Her nascent career also included stints at Mar-Ghi Arabian Ranch in Nicasio, Nicasio Valley Arabians, home of the famous stallion, Bey Shah; Lacey’s Arabian Center in Alamo; West Coast Arabians, Santa Rosa; and later in Healdsburg at Groom’s Shady Oak Arabians on Los Amigos Road.

She opened her own business in 1988, training many amateur owners and their horses in both Western and English riding. In 1989, Lori’s student Kelli Collins and her half-Arab western pleasure mare, SWB Babushka “Babs,” placed in the top ten at the U.S. National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kelli and Babs would be the first of more than 30 champion riders and horses trained by Lori over the years.

Besides coaching others, Lori competed constantly as a rider of the horses placed in her care.

The early years include an occasion in eighth grade when she slept in the stall next to Preacher at the San Francisco Grand National Horse Show at the Cow Palace. As an apprentice trainer, Lori also rode
five horses owned by the farm she was working for.

In 1976, Lori was invited to compete with Ragayl—a dapple grey Arabian gelding—at the Wayne Newton Classic Horse Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a western discipline trail-horse class and Lori won champion, placing over her mentor and friend, Edie Lehman. Lori still recalls the last obstacle of the trail course which surprised and worried her: a port-a-potty placed in the middle of the show ring, the object being that the rider had to dismount, hobble or ground tie the horse, walk away into the port-a-potty and remain for one minute which seemed like forever.

“Please don’t move, Tuffy, (the nickname for Ragayl),” Lori concentrated within the confines of the small structure.

When her time was up and she exited, Tuffy was standing still, awaiting her return.

In 1994 at the 50th annual Grand National Rodeo and Horse Show at the same Cow Palace, Lori would win the Arabian Open English Pleasure Championship riding Sure Fire Bey, a grandson of Nicasio Valley Arabians’
Bey Shah.

Lori has won regional championships and national top-ten awards in many divisions: English Pleasure, Country English Pleasure, Show Hack, Hunter Pleasure, Working Hunter, Open Jumper, Three Day Eventing, as well as in Western Pleasure and Trail Horse categories.

She entered the National Sport Horse competition for Arabian and One-Half Arabian in 2007 at Nampa, Idaho, and—with 400 horses competing—Lori placed in the top ten for dressage on her own gelding, Kool Jett.

To watch Lori working with horse and rider is a lesson in clarity, patience, respect. Primarily training for dressage competition—which involves years of learning to be one with the horse, as with dancing—the horse learns commands merely by the use of leg pressure, the rider’s posture and
verbal commands.

Sometimes, however, Lori trains a rider and horse to relax, as she is doing for Greta Messina and her grey 12-year-old Arabian mare, Trinket. These two recent arrivals from Greenwich, Connecticut, used to compete, but now married and a mother of three, Greta does not want to be away from her family. She wants Trinket retrained as a trail horse and Lori will do that.

Riding Trinket on a rainy day in a round barn, Greta listened for Lori’s commands.

“Relax the rein and let her head down.”

“Slow her trot by slowing your post.”

“Let her know she’s good.”

“The minute you pet her, she knows she’s doing what you want her to do.”

“Trot to canter.”

“Canter to trot.”

“Whoa.”

Never are any of these commands shouted. They are spoken in a normal conversational tone. The horse’s ears perk up with attention every time.

Lori explains: “We’re trying to get this mare to relax. She’s used to being a show horse as in ‘what do I do next?’ She’s going to be a good trail horse and Greta’s going to have a nice time with her.”

Later in the barn, Greta was grooming Trinket while across the way Lori was getting Amy, a small bay filly about to turn three years old, ready for the lunge line and the round barn.

“There are no white Arabian horses. They are always called grey (if they appear white),” explained Greta. Trinket had a black mane and tail when younger, but they were now the lightest of grey. Lori added, “There are only four colors for Arabian horses: grey, bay, chestnut and black.”

While currying (brushing) the filly, Lori spoke gently and knowledgeably about
the importance of the early years in a horse’s life.

“You never want to rush or be in a hurry when working with a young horse. And, you want to make all their experiences good ones as long as you have control over it.”

She calls the little mare “Sweetheart” and gently, yet with the strongest of hands, wraps splint boots around its front legs. On the lunge line, around 30 feet long, Amy goes through her training for walk, trot, canter and whoa.
Lori holds a lunge whip, which is only used as an extension of her arm, not ever as discipline.

The young horse responds to Lori’s every move and sound. Two clucks equal trot. A kissing sound and the word “canter” results in Amy speeding up. Stepping forward to the horse’s shoulder with a “whoa” command and Amy halts.

The horses at the training stable are handled all their lives. At six months they are weaned from their mothers, usually two foals at a time and those two remain fast friends, whinnying to each other in the barn or hanging out together in the pasture.

It was a special treat to watch Lori riding Kool Jett. He was warmed up on this cold day without a lunge line, obeying all the commands spoken quietly by Lori as though he actually was tied to a line. He waited rather excitedly while Lori placed a step (called a giddy-up) next to him so that she could get into the saddle. It was obvious that the two were now one and that the next show would be exciting and joyful for them: the
Sport Horse Under Saddle at the Golden Gate Arabian Horse Show in Santa Rosa this March.

She needs no other fulfillment in a career and laughed out loud when, the morning of our appointment for this story, she mused to her dear friend
Gary, “What will I wear for the interview tomorrow?”

His interest aroused, Gary questioned Lori, “Interview? Are you going to get a new job?”

“No! No! —the interview for the article,” she answered.

With devotion and knowledge that Lori Cook has accumulated for her beloved Arabians and their riders, the possibility of a different job is out of the question. Her experience with the Arabians covers their entire lives, from assisting at foaling time to overseeing the care of a retired 25-year-old stallion. The official nomenclature for this state of affairs (or lack thereof) is “His book is closed.”

Lori will have two horses entered at the Golden Gate Arabian Horse Association competition at the Sonoma County Fair Grounds March 25 through 27, 2011. FF Vermillion will be shown by one of Lori’s amateur riders, Michelle Meyers; Lori will be riding Kool Jett in the Sport Horse Division.

They will be a pleasure to watch.  •

[ GLOSSARY ]

Classes of Riding and/or Showing

English Pleasure: saddle seat rider; fancy, high stepping trot

Country English Pleasure: not as high stepping, a more relaxed gait

Show Hack: formal English class of collected and extended gaits

Hunter Pleasure: less action, more easygoing gaits

Working Hunter/Open Jumper: horse and rider jumping over obstacles

Dressage: horse performs rider’s requested movements willingly and smoothly while also developing
athletic ability

Three Day Eventing: competition combining dressage, cross country and show jumping

Western Pleasure: nice, easy-going ride in Western saddle

Trail Horse: learning to ride over and through obstacles found on a trail (including, possibly, a port-a-potty!)

[CONTACT]

Lori Cook Training Center

P.O. Box 789, Windsor, CA 95492

707-321-4082, cell; 707-837-8500, home

loricook370@comcast.net