After several years in the business, her burning love of saddlebreds and saddle seat equitation had not diminished; in fact it was growing brighter, and she was more settled on the fact that her future was to be in the horse industry. In the middle 1960’s her
parents decided to retire in Wilmington, and after much convincing, they agreed to build a barn for her in Wilmington. At that time it didn’t concern her that nobody in Wilmington, N.C. had ever heard of a saddlebred, that Wilmington was six to twelve hours away from most saddlebred shows, that hay, grain and shavings were much more expensive once they were transported almost to the “ocean”. All that mattered was that she would be able to share the love and joy
that she had experienced from riding and showing with others.
So, in 1968, wide eyed in anticipation and totally naive to what she was undertaking, she and Genius moved to N.C. and designed and supervised the building of what was at the time the first all steel structure in New Hanover County. It would be named Canterbury Stables. While the barn was being constructed, Linda purchased a group of school horses, and they remained in the pasture while construction continued. As
completion of the facility neared, she decided it was time to begin to put them to work, so they would be appropriate mounts for her students. She lunged each horse before riding it, as they had not been worked for months. All went fine, until the last one. Because it was only a small pony, the most innocent looking of the bunch, she opted to just ride it, without first lunging. It immediately slammed her to the ground, badly breaking her collar bone. Doctors
put her in a body cast from the waist up with her left arm sticking straight up in the air, and it was in that condition, body cast and all, that she and Genius opened Canterbury Stable with a full slate of riding lessons given every day.
There are many ways in which all of us who love the American Saddlebred contribute to the industry supporting the perpetuation of the breed. Some of us breed these gorgeous animals, others own and show them, others are the revered professionals who make it possible for them to make it to the show ring through endless hours of training. But none of these contributions is more significant than the dedicated professional who spends patient hour upon hour teaching children and adults the art of saddle seat equitation.
To take a person, be it child or adult, who has never sat on a horse, and progress form the “up/down, up/down” stage of learning to post to the show ring can only be described as an AWESOME accomplishment. In today’s world of academy classes, winter tournaments and riding programs at most large saddlebred barns, we have grown accustomed to this happening. But in the early days of Canterbury Stables, they were no academy classes, no winter tournaments and no other large riding programs from
which to model or draw support.
Tonight’s honoree was truly a pioneer in terms of her early successes. In the absence of academy classes or winter tournaments, she introduced her students to the show ring by holding her own horse show each year at Canterbury Stables, each time persuading her fellow trainers to come to “judge”. She was adamant that her students learn the possibility associated with taking care of animals as well as riding - all students participated in tacking their horses, bathing and walking them after the lesson, and cleaning their own tack. She commanded respect and instilled in each
rider what they were learning was to be taken
seriously. She loved animals passionately and taught the students by example to share in that love. And she made the experience “fun”. She took a packed car
of kids for lunch on Saturdays, and had elegant cocktail parties at the barn for the parents and older students. Her methods were effective; her enthusiasm was contagious. Shortly after beginning to teach, she purchased and remodeled an old postal van and, driving it herself, because she trusted no one else with its precious cargo, she appeared at almost all the shows with a full load of horses to be shown in the equitation classes. The first of innumerable
Canterbury show riders had been born.
The rest, as they say, “is thirty years of history”, thirty years of total dedication to teaching, training both equitation and performance horses, while continuously teaching twenty or more lessons a week to
newcomers. For thirty plus years she has made the joys as we all know are associated with riding American Saddlebreds available to countless children and adults. And while teaching and bringing the joys of horses and the showring to so many, she has remained scrupulously honest, totally devoted to doing
that which was in the best interest of her customers, and highly responsible when given the job of finding the appropriate mount for a certain rider.
Some of the students who learned the art of saddle seat riding at Canterbury Stables achieved world champion status. Gabe Deknatel, who would have been here tonight had he been able to get a flight, began
riding with Linda at age six, taking, according to his mother, a teddy bear with him to his first horse show. Also with Linda in the ring tonight are World Champion Riders Karen Jones, who under Linda’s guidance rode WC Kalanchoe to five world championships
in the pleasure division, Cackie Loughlin (pronounced LOCK-LIN) Stephenson and her mother Sissy Loughlin and Bradley Zimmer. Also accompanying Linda tonight are Bradley’s parents, Ronna and Herbert Zimmer, longtime friends and customers, and former students and show riders Darby Harris, Sarah Bowman, Laura Andrews
Gainey, Emily Flolo Schardt, Lee Perry, Carla Farmer, and her parents Carl and Wanda Farmer. Linda is further supported by all her current customers and students presently showing at Canterbury. Tonight Bradley Zimmer will present to Linda flowers sent to
her with love from the entire Deknatel family,
Elizabeth, Gabe and Maria.
The UPHA of the Carolinas is richer tonight for having talking into its membership a lady without whom the Carolina circuit would not have been as viable. How many more riders will be given what one of Linda’s riders described as an “awesome foundation” for a show ring career remains to be seen. Dedication to this industry, to what we all love. That is clearly what this lady is, and has been about from the beginning.
P.S. Headlight Genius, buried at Canterbury at age 32, looks down on you tonight, and says “Congratulations, on a job well done, my friend”!