Give but don’t expect to receive. The joy is in having someone to give to. Don’t turn it into a transaction. Give like a river flowing to the sea with no expectation for reciprocity. ~ Hawkeye Timber
Lisa now
Lisa Shelbourne was honored by the Phoenix Rising organization last Saturday for her contributions to the Kentucky horse industry. She was the first woman to show horses in the Keeneland sales ring. To that point, the job had been for men only. Women of childbearing years may encounter trouble handling stallions, in or out of the sales ring, because, well, they’re stallions and she is female. However, Lisa famously put an end to that stereotype when she successfully handled many a stallion, and shattered an enormous glass ceiling in the process. I had the great good fortune to photograph her in the sales ring at Keeneland during her inaugural year circa 1998 (below). Presented here is a really crappy copy of the original print. Fortunately, that print has been in several exhibits over the years as part of Down the Backstretch and Equus & Venus. These, plus Side Unseen, were photo series I created featuring women who make the horse industry function before I started at UK in 2001. Lisa played a significant role in two of those series. It was fantastic to see her, almost 30 years later, recognized for her enormous contributions to making life much easier for women in the industry today.
Lisa then
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