Olympian Keeps Newtown's Equine Tradition Alive

Not far from Poverty Hollow Road and its hectic morning traffic, Leslie Burr Howard is galloping across a field.

She is on a Grand Prix horse named Lennox Lewis, preparing for a big upcoming competition in Canada -- a race against time over massive obstacles.

"I'll start over the red vertical, come down the slide, roll back to the grob and then turn left over the oxer," she calls out, plotting her course along one of RedGate Farms' two grand prix fields in Newtown.

And so begins a typical workday for Burr Howard, who, later, will tailor similar training sessions to high level horses, and then delegate specific regimens of icing, walking and ultra sounding the animals. Then she will teach students who hope one day to do the same.

For Burr Howard, these are skills cultivated over the course of more than 30 years at the top of her game.

A virtual celebrity in the world of show horses, her advent took place in 1972 when at 15-years-old she won the prestigious Maclay Finals at Madison Square Garden -- the ultimate goal for any young rider with professional aspirations.

Her Olympic debut came in Los Angeles where she and the United States Equestrian Team won gold. By 1986 she had the World Cup title and has competed at that level since.

For most of her career Burr Howard worked out of Westport but that changed as soon as she saw RedGate Farms, a sprawling 61-acres designed by Bruce and Kimberly Travis with equestrian sports in mind.

"Bruce and Kim built a world-class training facility central to everything in terms of location," Burr Howard said. "Deciding to work out of Newtown was easy."

Bruce Travis grew up on a farm and hoped one day he would find himself another one. A native of Georgia, he and his wife Kimberly moved to Newtown in 1991. They immediately began eyeing the Poverty Hollow property as a prospect. By 1997 it was theirs and the transformation began.

"Newtown is historically very equestrian. Although the community is changing with development, we saw an opportunity to hold on to that tradition," Travis said.

Today the farm can accommodate 60 horses with 32 paddocks, an indoor riding ring, an outdoor sand ring and the grand prix fields.

There was no master plan, Travis said, it just evolved. But the goal of maintaining the equine tradition was met, particularly with the arrival of Burr Howard and her partners: equitation trainer Tim Kees and grand prix riders Chris Cawley and Molly Ashe Cawley.

And with Danbury's W.J. Barry Horse Transportation close, the team is able run a seamless operation from RedGate.

Back at the barn, well after Poverty Hollow commuters have returned home, Burr Howard sits in a director's chair ironing out details for the next day's schedule: 7:30 a.m. ride Lennox Lewis: indoor ring; 8:15 a.m. ride Youp: grand prix field; 9:00 a.m. ride Zippzoo...

"Chris," she calls to partner and manager Chris Cawley. "Do we have the paperwork for the horses traveling to Canada in order?"

Without looking up, Burr Howard continues with her worklist: 4:30 p.m. ride Utah: indoor ring;  5:00 p.m. lesson: Monica; and so forth.