Watch as Beezie Madden discusses her philosophy of retiring horses at their facility in Cazenovia, N.Y., also known as “Madden Mountain.” This video is brought to you by Ariat.
About This Video
Through decades of winning medals at Olympic Games and World Championships, Beezie Madden has ridden a multitude of talented equine partners. When the time comes for those horses to step away from the limelight, they come to John and Beezie Madden’s farm in Cazenovia, N.Y., also known as “Madden Mountain,” for retirement. The Maddens’ philosophy is to comfortably return the horse to nature, where Beezie Madden feels they are happiest and healthiest after years of competition. In this video, Madden talks about how transitioning a show horse to retirement is a process customized for each individual in order to gradually acclimate them to a new lifestyle. She also discusses daily care and routines for her retirees, including nutrition, access to shelter, turnout, and veterinary and farrier care. Explaining how her retired horses live in a herd, Madden outlines how those groups are managed and monitored to help ensure a happy, healthy environment for all types of equine personalities. Madden notes how, in addition to turnout, further options do exist for horses after they step down from high performance competition, including other lower-intensity riding, para-dressage, and scholastic and therapeutic riding programs.
Key Principles:
- Madden Philosophy
- Transition to Pasture
- Retired Horse Care
- Herds
- Retirement Options
This video is brought to you by Ariat.
Additional Information
About The Expert
Elizabeth “Beezie” Madden grew up in Wisconsin, where her parents Joe and Kathy Patton owned a horse farm, and she has competed at the grand prix level since 1985. She became the first female athlete to earn more than $1 million in show jumping and, in 2004, she became the first woman and the first American rider to be ranked among the top three on the sport’s world rankings. A four-time USEF Equestrian of the Year, Madden also is a four-time Olympic medalist. With her mount Authentic, she was on the gold medal-winning U.S. teams at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and again at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she also won an individual bronze medal. Most recently, she was part of the silver medal-winning U.S. team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with Cortes ‘C.’ Her numerous accomplishments also include team and individual silver medals at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Aachen with Authentic, as well as individual and team bronzes at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian games in Normandy with Cortes ‘C.’
Madden also won the 2013 FEI World Cup Finals™ in Gothenberg, Sweden, on Abigail Wexner’s Simon, who went on to be named that year’s USEF International Horse of the Year.
Madden and her husband John operate John Madden Sales in Cazenovia, N.Y. Follow Madden on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Photo: Elena Lusenti
