Gretchen Foster, April 2001

The Foster family has been associated with Rowe stables since the mid 1960s. Our children learned about horses and life from Jim and Sharon. I began learning about dressage from the Rowes in about 1965. Having been an "English equitation" rider and would-be jumper, I learned slowly, but finally thoroughly. Our family has had at least one horse at Rowe Stables since about 1970. They helped us with our Lipizzan breeding operation in which we

crossed Thoroughbred and Saddlebred mares with a Lipizzan stallion imported from Romania during the 1970s. Our idea was that the cross would capitalize on the athleticism of the Lipizzan while adding the size and legginess of the Thoroughbred and Saddlebred to produce a dressage horse suited to American riders. Today Tracy Rowe McEwan owns Simbata, the last Lipizzan-Thoroughbred horse we produced, and is showing him at FEI levels.

For a while our entire family rode, now it's down to me, but our kids Martha and Rob will never forget the Rowes. Rob (now 35) says his ten month old son isn't quite as well trained as a dressage horse yet. Martha (now 39) recently cited Jim's dictum about "the harder you pull the harder you will have to pull" in relation to managing her assistants at her office. Gently does it; kindness goes much farther than force and high standards should never be sacrificed to expediency. These and many other lessons in life are still with all of us thanks to the Rowes.

For the first time in years, my horse is not part Lipizzan. Chesapeake is a Holsteiner mare, so we haven't totally forsaken the Germanic connection. And we haven't forgotten about cross breeding for dressage. We hope Chesapeake will become a mother to a Holsteiner-Andalusian foal next year. Meanwhile she is a highly trained, easy to ride and comfortable(no small consideration these days) source of pleasure, exercise and daily contact with the Rowes and their students.