the circus, from the late 1800s to the 1950s, the European circuses were often elegant affairs for which people dressed up and heads of state and royalty attended. In the United States, induction into the Circus Hall of Fame was an honor. Both Alex (Tina’s father) and Arthur (Tina’s grandfather) received that distinction. “My father frequently said that there was good circus
and bad, just as there is good riding and bad, and good dressage trainers and bad. There were and are abusive people in the circus. My father told me stories that would make your hair stand on end. But my family loved animals. Growing up we could have any animals we wanted as long as we cared for them. We had iguanas, monkeys, snakes; so many different animals. I appreciate that my parents gave us such free rein with them, and that we had to learn how to take care of each kind of animal. It does so much for a child to give them that kind of responsibility.” Tina shares warm memories about family gatherings
at the Konyot house. “We always had dinner together. We talked and argued. My father was about fun. One evening my parents expected fifty for a dinner. My father was dressed in jeans. My mother told him to change. So he came down stairs for dinner in his boxer shorts,” Tina laughs. Family friend, Charlie Porter, wrote when Alex died:
“When I would have dinner at the family farm in Palm City we would all sit down to his beloved Josephine’s famous Chicken Paprikash and this sort of film would start to roll not unlike one Federico Fellini. There would be laughter, hard language, and then more laughter, great stories, and I would come away from there feeling like I had just done the town with Zorba and his whole family. I was exhilarated. It would erase the
Left: Josephine, Tina’s mother, performing her famous high wire act at Madison Square Garden. Below: Alex, Tina’s father, was a master at training horses. Above right: Dorita, Tina’s aunt, on an American Saddle Horse named Bomba. Photos these two pages courtesy Tina konyot
brooding English Victorian in me because repressive feelings were not allowed in the Konyot home.”
Lasting Influences Alex gave his children the foundation, the experience and the fun of riding that allowed them to pursue their personal riding dreams. Randy Konyot today is a prominent hunter/ jumper trainer. Tina advanced her riding career in Europe by training with Herbert Rehbein, Rudolf Zeitlinger and Klaus Balkenhol. As of June 30th, she ranks 28th on the FEI World Individual Ranking. (This was the highest ranking for dressage for all U.S. competitors at that time.) “I learned so much from my father,” recalls Tina.
“He taught me horsemanship and the basics of care and feeding and managing horses. He taught me showmanship.” Her young riding life was a mix any child would covet. Photos boast her jumping ponies bareback with arms spread out like an eagle with no rein contact. Other days she practiced tempi changes, piaffe and passage on her father’s horse. Her family also bequeathed her passion, deter-
mination, courage and appreciation of the spirit and fun of life, and the love of riding. “When I was a baby my father walked around with me in front of him on the saddle. I would wrap the mane around my finger to hold on. Riding horses was ingrained in me genetically,” Tina says. “I didn’t take riding so seriously until I got older. It
was just fun,” Tina continues, now 48. “Then I added the sportsmanship and the competitive edge to what I knew in my heart. I don’t live in the gray zone in life. I advise younger people who want to ride competitively to remember to have a good life outside horses.” A good life is also what she wants for her horses. “I see horses make the jump to Grand Prix, and the trainers push them for that extra bit that not all horses are comfortable doing. They are not all meant to be Grand Prix horses. They need a certain build both physically and mentally. Some may have the physical ability, but they can’t handle the mental stress of travel and music and lights and crowds. They have meltdowns. Then they need turn out time to refresh and to see if they can absorb the experience. How are you going to make a 1,500 pound animal consistently do the job? The horse has to be happy doing it.” For horse or human, for five generations enjoying life was—and still is—a Konyot motto. WT
Warmbloods Today 17
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