by Maria SCRIVANI
If youve lived in Western New York for any length of time, you probably know the
area, an enclave of gracious homes, hard by Delaware Park where the stately columns of the
Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society shadow Hoyt Lake. Perhaps you didnt know
what sits in the middle of this urban landscape, just off Amherst Street: A large stable,
still the anachronistic home of some 50 horses.
Susie Schoellkopf spent a good part of her childhood in what used to be known as the
Saddle and Bridle Club. Today she wears at least three hats, serving as executive director
of what is now called the Buffalo Equestrian Center and the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding
Center. She is also president and owners of SBS Farms, Inc. She is, in case you
havent guessed, a horsewoman par excellence, but this Buffalo native is so much
more.
In her no-nonsense style, Ms. Schoellkopf explains the mission of the Therapeutic Riding
Center: We teach children who have been physically and mentally abused. Learning
their way around horses, they develop self-esteem, in addition to using muscles that would
not otherwise be used. Sharing horses at the facility is another leasee, the Buffalo
Equestrian Center, which offers riding lessons at all levels for ages 6 through adult, as
well as a summer riding camp for children.
A former nursery school teacher at Elmwood-Franklin School, Ms. Schoellkopf has created a
special place for kids in this horse haven. In a career that includes the ownership of the
highly-successful show stable, SBS Farms (boarding horses at the Amherst Street facility),
she says her greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the positive interaction between
youngsters and horses.
This is a haven for children, all kinds of children, she says, from kids in
crisis to kids just going through the everyday turmoil of adolescence. This is where
they come, to see that animal, make that animal a friend. Though not a parent
herself, she likes to say, Ive raised quite a few children here.
Ms. Schoellkopfs own attachment to the world of horses began in childhood. I
started riding when I was three years old, while on a family vacation in California. I
fell in love with it. Her older sisters, Ann Jewett and Penny Banta, also rode as
children, starting back in Buffalo at the Amherst Street stable. Their parents, Paul and
Jane Schoellkopf, were devoted spectators at their daughters horse shows, when all
three began riding competitively, including showing at Madison Square Garden.
Susie, Penny and Ann competing at Madison Square Garden. |
Once Again and Susie retiring a trophy at Madison Square Garden. |
We girls had three different trainers, she recalls. I worked with Roger
Young, who was from Rochester. My sisters were trained by Chuckie Graham of Clarence and
Max Bonham, who was in Michigan.
Through all those years of traveling to horse shows and studying and working in other
places, Susie Schoellkopf had an inkling shed be back in Western New York one day.
After college (she graduated from Mount Vernon, now a part of Georgetown University), she
took a job in Virginia for a few years. I worked and rode with Rodney Jenkins, one
of the best in the world. I loved it, but I always knew I would come back here...This
place beckoned me in some way.
In 1980, returning to her hometown to board and show horses, she leased part of the
property on her old North Buffalo stomping grounds. The facility was donated to the
Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center in 1989, the year the board of directors asked her to
sign on as executive director. Today the land is owned by the not-for-profit Therapeutic
Riding Center, with the Buffalo Equestrian Center and Ms. Schoellkopfs SBS Farms on
board as leasees. In a mutually beneficial arrangement, horses are shared by the first two
organizations, ensuring year-round utilization of the animals.
These are ex-show horses that have been donated to us by people who know
theyll get great care, and be used as they best fit our program, she explains.
If a horse isnt a good fit, we dont take it.
Call it horse sense, if you likethe expertise possessed by Ms. Schoellkopf in
combination with her compassion make her uniquely suited to run this enterprise. Still,
from the beginning of her tenure as director, it was quite a challenge, she admits.
Serious maintenance problems, from a roof in decay to a collapsing barn, had endangered
the structure built by a private group of investors back in 1922 as an indoor polo
facility. What was once an exclusive playground for some of Buffalos wealthiest
families metamorphosed into an Army truck depot during World War II. After the war, the
facility was open to the public, serving as a boarding and riding place for area folks
involved with horses.
By the time Susie Schoellkopf took over as director, a dream come true for someone who
used to imagine being in charge of this beloved stable, there was plenty of rehabilitation
to be done. Her dad Paul Schoellkopf, a weekend rider, was a real help in the
restoration. He was a great part of this place, his daughter recalls. He
drove the tractor here on weekends, and put in the sound system for all our show
announcements. For some 20 years, he headed the board of directors. She credits the
board with sticking their necks out and raising a lot of money to rebuild the
place.
Today the old stable iswell, stable. The Buffalo Equestrian Center is thriving in
the for-profit sector. The Therapeutic Riding Center continues to match, with great
success, horses and children who glow with the sense of accomplishment that caring for an
animal brings, not to mention the thrill of physical exercise brought to the disabled. SBS
Farms boards between 40 and 60 horses. The success of Ms. Schoellkopfs small show
stable has been phenomenal, with numerous National High Score Awards achieved since 1984.
She has trained many students from all over the country to national titles. She has
trained four National ChampionsGabriel, Kansas, Big Bad Wolf and GG Valentine.
Weve had four horses that have been National Horse of the Year, including
2001s GGValentine, a seven-year-old bay mare owned by Barbara Kearney of Colorado,
and ridden by our Jennifer Alfano. In addition, she has trained many junior riders
to national awards, including Lauren Gioia, Stephen Comunale, Leslie Awender and Jason
Schenlle. Ms. Schoellkopfs hefty resume includes numerous memberships, including The
USA Equestrian, Inc., where shes served on the National Hunter Committee, the Junior
Hunter Committee, and the Drugs and Medication Committee. She travels regularly to see her
horses in horse shows, and frequently serves as a judge in other shows, including many of
the top horse shows in the United States.. For something a little bit different, she is
also a New York State Parks Commissioner for the Niagara Region.
Ms. Schoellkopf is quick to credit the team of dedicated workers who make all three
endeavorsSBS Farms, Buffalo Therapeutic and Buffalo Equestrian
Centersuccessful, including Sharon ONeill, Jennifer Alfano, Steve Young,
Stephen Comunale, Jimmy Hudson, Nancy Abendschein, Libby McKnabb, Alexis Mierzw and both
the boards of directors for the Buffalo Equestrian Center and The Buffalo Therapeutic
Riding Center. I am only as good as the people who work with me, she says.
Susie Schoellkopf. |
Its enough to exhaust anyone. By the time the end of the day comes,
thats enough, Ms. Schoellkopf admits. Though shes a successful business
person by any standards (those unfamiliar to the world of horses may not know this is a
major, big-money industry), it is ultimately an emotional tie that keeps her in the ring.
Susies dog Wally. |
Susies dog Josh. |
I love the horses, she says. And I love people, and making their quality
of life better through this sport. Taking on the place was the biggest challenge of my
life, and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to see it survive and succeed.
Maria Scrivani is a freelance writer.