Meet four Lowcountry equestrians whose bond with horses goes far beyond the barn. It’s a legacy of love, healing and purpose.

Story by Barry Kaufman + Photography by Lisa Staff

It’s hard to tell where we’d be without horses.

Among the strongest symbiotic relationships we share with another species, horses stand apart. Dogs taught us to work as a pack. Domesticating cows and chickens allowed us to settle and build the communities that became civilizations. But horses… they gave us freedom.

When they first yielded to our hands, we discovered an entirely different way of interacting with the world. On horseback, borrowing their strength and speed, we traveled the globe, reaching every corner of the earth. When introduced to the New World, horses became a symbol of the continent’s rugged glory.

We owe much of humanity’s advancement to them, even as we began to rely more on planes, trains and automobiles. For a few select locals, that special relationship between human and horse still lives on.

Karen Kuehler

The legacy rider

When Karen Kuehler’s grandmother gifted horseback riding lessons for a birthday, she likely had no idea she was setting her entire family’s destiny on an exciting new trail. Kuehler was just five years old, but the enchantment was instant.

“We all started taking lessons. My father was a real estate developer, and he found a farm in foreclosure. He figured if his kids were going to ride, we may as well board at our own property,” she said. When her parents were gifted a broodmare named Without Words, the whole family was soon hooked. “It instantly made it fun. We were riding; my mom and dad were breeding and racing… that was in 1977, and it never stopped.”

Her parents became celebrated breeders, with their Sunnyfield Farm producing horses like Upstart, who competed in the 2015 Kentucky Derby, and two foals sired by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. While they built their legacy, Kuehler grew up in a very different world than most kids.

“It was kind of a foreign language,” she said. “I’d get asked, ‘You go to a horse show every weekend? What’s that?’”

By college she had earned a national championship and the rare distinction of riding her horse — Hall of Famer Watership Down — in the final championship held at Madison Square Garden.

“There’s nothing like walking your horse down a Manhattan sidewalk,” she said. “But anything goes in New York!”

After a youth spent on the road, she longed for a more traditional life.

“I saw college as a chance to be a normal kid. I wanted a family. I didn’t want to be an athlete living on the road,” she said.

She married her high school sweetheart and went into the breeding business. Working with her mother, she bred up to 11 broodmares a year and raised foals on their farm.

“We made it a business. We tried to sell all of them, but if there was one we wanted to keep, we would,” she said. “There’s a horse who ran on Saturday, Dear Moon — she’s fourth generation on our farm.”

Twenty years ago she began volunteering with an equine-assisted program in New Canaan, Connecticut, called Super Troopers. It sparked a new passion — sharing the joy of riding with special-needs students.

“That has brought me more joy and fulfillment — seeing students overcome fear and experience the joy, confidence and accomplishment of riding,” she said. “It’s absolutely life-changing. You get emotional every time.”

Now living in the Lowcountry, she continues that joy. She first volunteered at Heroes on Horseback while it was at Lawton Stables in Sea Pines and Midway Farm. Currently she volunteers for the Moss Creek Equine Assisted Program while she manages their horses up north to carry on the family legacy.

“I hope to carry this on,” she said. “I’m just trying to continue Mom and Dad’s bloodline.”

Derby days, solo style

As a celebrated rider and breeder, you’d think Karen Kuehler would be at the top of any Kentucky Derby party guest list. But if she shows up, don’t expect her to mingle — at least, not during the race.

“I have to watch the Derby by myself because I get so nervous. If I’m at a party, I have to leave,” she said with a laugh. “It’s one of the most difficult races to handicap — so many factors, so many traffic issues. I get pretty emotional.”

And as fun as a party may be, nothing beats being there in person — especially when you’re cheering for a horse you bred.

“My sister and I went, and just walking into Churchill Downs was like the Super Bowl for us,” she said. “We bred Upstart, so we call ourselves the grandparents of Upstart’s offspring.”

Mary Daly

A ride to remember

Most horse people can describe the rush of their first ride. For Mary Daly — born three months premature, battling cerebral palsy and recurring staph infections — her first time in the saddle felt almost divine.

“I remember feeling completely free. I felt like everybody else,” she said. “The way the horse moved and reacted… there was just something so special about it.”

It happened on a trail ride through Yellowstone, and it changed her life. Back home in upstate South Carolina, she searched for a way to ride again.

“I found a barn 15 minutes away and spoke to the riding coach. She had never worked with a disabled student, but she was so willing,” Daly said. “She told me, ‘We’ll do what you can do. If you can’t, that’s OK.’”

That coach, Dayna Cabaniss, became her champion — and a lifelong friend. Six months later Daly decided she was ready for her own horse. To her surprise, her mother said yes — as long as she could afford and support it.

The search began, and though she met a few horses who weren’t the right fit, she kept thinking about one named Eclipse. He’d originally been listed out of her price range, but something told her to call.

“The owner told me she had listed the price wrong,” Daly recalled.

Eclipse not only fit the budget — he was perfect. His previous owner had Erb’s Palsy and was paralyzed on one side.

“I knew it was a God thing,” Daly said. “Eclipse was never hesitant of my walker and came up and started licking it right away. It was meant to be. Like the part in Cinderella when the shoe fits — Eclipse was the perfect fit.”

Now living at Lawton Stables, just a mile from Daly’s Sea Pines home, Eclipse remains her loyal companion.

“What I love about him is he’s an incredible friend who’s given me so many experiences I never thought I’d have,” she said. “I feel so liberated with him.”

The Roaring Twenties (horse edition)

If you’re near Sea Pines’ Lawton Stables on June 30, don’t miss the biggest bash of the year. Mary Daly is throwing a Gatsby-style Roaring ’20s birthday party for Eclipse’s 20th.

“He has these major birthday parties every year with a different theme,” said Daly. “We’ve had the circus, a Hawaiian luau, a red-white-and-blue patriot party… and he’s the star.”

With around 30 guests and a signature cake of oats, carrots and molasses, Eclipse’s birthday is a can’t-miss celebration of a one-of-a-kind friendship.

“God really worked everything out and brought us together,” Daly said. “We’ll have been together 12 years in September. Even if I could never ride again, it wouldn’t matter — as long as we’re together.”

Alison and Chloe Melton

The next generation

Sometimes, the second best thing about being a parent is sharing your passions with your children, seeing their eyes light up with the same delight that yours did when you first discovered your calling. The only reason it’s the second best thing is because the best thing about being a parent is when your children not only pursue your passions but surpass you in them. 

“Chloe walks in that show ring with her game face on,” said Alison Melton of her daughter. “She’s at the barn at 8:30 every morning when she’s not at school. She’s riding, I’m working. She’s very dedicated to the sport.”

It’s a dedication to horses that Alison simply can’t match. At least, not since launching her real estate firm, The Agency Hilton Head. “I took a big step back when we started The Agency here in the Lowcountry. My last hurrah was the Hampton Classic in 2023. I placed with my horse in all our classes, and it was amazing,” she said. “My goal is to get back into it this summer. Until then, Chloe’s the superstar.”

For Alison, riding started when she was 11 years old but never quite reached the peaks she’s already seen her daughter scale. 

“I was never into the circuit and all the top-rated shows that she goes to. I grew up in Buffalo,” she said. “It was very different back then.”

Fortunately, Alison is able to enjoy one of the peak experiences of parenthood: providing your child with opportunities you never had. Chloe also benefited from a much earlier start, as evidenced by photos of her at one year old, sitting on horseback in Rose Hill. Pony camp in New York followed a few years later, with her first true Hamptons pony camp coming at age 6. 

“I don’t really know when it started. My mom got me into horses when I was really young,” said Chloe. “I’ve just always felt so attached to them.”

Under the tutelage of Heidi Earle of Firefly Farm in Bridgehampton, N.Y., and Wellington, Fla., young Chloe became a champion hunter and jumper, with wins at prestigious horse shows like Tryon International, The Hampton Classic Horse Show and the Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International.

“I tell her to just have fun. You’re on a great horse, just let the relationship work for you,” said Alison. “And she has had some fabulous trainers.”

She also has a fabulous horse. “I’ve had Leros since January. He’s so sweet,” said Chloe. “And you can trust him. Even on the course, when there’s something big and scary coming up, you feel so safe on him.”

Between Leros, her dedicated trainers in N.Y., Bluffton and Wellington and the encouragement of a mother who shares her passion for horses, young Chloe has become a true competitor in every sense of the word. “She’s really starting to analyze what makes you win and what makes you drop to the bottom of a class. With the jumpers, there’s so much strategy involved, and I love that for her,” said Alison. “And that’s how she secured top placings this year in Wellington – it was strategy.  Having the chance to watch some of the best riders in the world, including over 20 Olympians, on a daily basis, you tend to pick up a few things. A kid from Buffalo would never have the opportunity to do this.”

But because of that kid form Buffalo’s dedication, her daughter does.

Saddles and study guides

The life of a competitive hunter and jumper is rarely one that sticks to an easy schedule. Shows can last for weeks on end, taking riders up and down the East Coast. For a 12-year-old who wants to keep up with her school work, it can be a difficult life to maintain. Thankfully, Chloe Melton has the support of her mother and the resources of one of Hilton Head’s most respected schools. 

“We couldn’t have done this without Heritage Academy. We switched schools so that she could go there, because that’s what they do. That school exists for student athletes,” said Chloe’s mom, Alison. “We’ll go to Wellington for the WEF (Winter Equestrian Festival), and they’ll give her all her work to do while she’s there. And she’s kept up with everything. She’s still an A student.”

But it comes with some pretty sweet rewards. “My favorite part of all this is meeting new people, making new friends my age, traveling to all these different horse shows and seeing how it all works,” said Chloe. She even gets to meet a few of her favorite riders from all around the world. “During the course walk, I enjoyed following Christian Kukuk, my favorite German rider (and the winner of the Rolex Grand Prix at WEF the past 2 years).”

Although she draws the line at asking for autographs, it’s still a joy for her to meet her heroes face-to-face. Or, as she describes it in that particular language native to seventh graders, “It’s pretty massive. Like a low taper fade.”

For translation, consult your local seventh grader. But we’re fairly certain it means she’s living the dream.