Susan Artes and Alix Fargo Winner's Circle
By Barbara Pinella
the Grand Prix. But just below that necessity is the equal necessity of a great owner. Without a trusting rapport between the rider/trainer and the owner, things would not continue on a smooth path for very long. Susan Artes has that relationship with owner Alix Fargo. They casu-
I
ally met back in 1995 and a friendship followed. “We somehow wound up going to watch the World Cup Final in Geneva at the same time. We started hanging out a little bit and took some side trips together and the horses came after that.” “She came to me because she had dressage horses at the time,” Susie
says, “and some were a little sour. She felt they would benefit from jump- ing, because it was more fun for them. Some of those horses ended up going back to the dressage arena, others didn’t. With a couple of them, we decided that they were happier jumping. That’s kind of how we got started and we did a couple of horses that way. One got sold and one of them retired.” “She at one point said that she would like to own a young horse,”
Susan went on, “and that’s how we got on that track. We bought one, Presto B, and he ended up being a nice horse. I had success with him and he is the one that I was able to get on a Nations Cup team and show in Europe. When he looked like he would be happier jumping the smaller jumps, we traded him back to the person we bought him from in Europe and got two more young horses, one of which I show now, Zamiro.” Once this partnership was formed it has remained intact ever since.
And as a little interesting point, when Susan was looking for a picture taken from the side of a horse that had its knees perfectly even to use for her logo, she couldn’t find one. Alix brought over a picture of her amateur horse from years before, Anchorman. That horse is what Artes’ logo is based on.
t is no secret that it takes a great horse to keep a rider competing in
Alix herself does ride at home. “We always have something for her to ride. Right now she’s rides Felix, a horse that we bought as a second Grand Prix for me when I had Presto. Alix comes and hacks four or five days a week and jumps a little bit here and there. She doesn’t want to show any more, but she does want to ride. Interestingly enough, even though she only rides a few days a week, she comes out every day and brings the horses carrots, she really does love these animals,” Susan laughed. Artes currently has two nice ones to walk into the ring on, the afore-
mentioned Zamiro, and also Karina 445. Both of those are just starting in the Grand Prix classes and both are eight years old, with bright futures in front of them. When it comes to managing the horses, Susan is allowed to send the
horses where she sees fit. “Alix is so good that way, she is an amazing owner and partner” Susan
said. “She doesn’t question my judgment. I do always ask her and con- sult, but she doesn’t question my opinion and does whatever needs to be done. She doesn’t necessarily go to all the shows herself like she used to; she now picks the ones she likes to go watch, but she has never told me that I can’t do something.” “You never know how long something will last,” Susan continued, “but
Alix doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all and still enjoys it. She still sometimes goes on buying trips with us so that’s nice, she is a fun com- panion when we go. And it’s important for me to keep the horses close to where she lives so she can continue to come out.” It certainly appears that the Artes / Fargo connection will keep on to flourishing, it’s been successful but more importantly, it’s been fun.◊
Photos © Anwar Esquival, Allison Dyer.
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