by Virginia Daffron, The Chronical of the Horse
Tina Konyot has a few things she’d like to get off her chest: She knows she’s seen as a strong character. She’s outspoken. She’s made her own way in a challenging sport and challenging industry.
“Everybody has their opinions and their stories about Tina Konyot,” she said. “No one will say she can’t ride. No one will say she can’t train. But they all have many opinions of me.”
For her part, the U.S. Olympian and two-time FEI World Equestrian Games team rider, 64, said she’s still in it to win it—which she did at Dressage at Devon (Pennsylvania), winning the CDI3* Grand Prix for the Special on Sept. 26 with Grover, her partner of over four years, on a score of 68.95%, before taking second (67.02%) to Anna Marek and Fayvel in the next day’s Grand Prix Special. The one-two placings, as it happens, echoed their 2024 performance at the same show, where they won the Grand Prix and finished second in the Special.
Four and half years ago, she recalled, “I needed help to purchase Grover,” then a naughty, fresh young horse who had bucked off five riders. Within the dressage community, she heard a lot of no’s. Then someone suggested that she ask Earle Mack for support.
Well-known in the horse world as a longtime race horse owner and industry patron, Mack, 89, is also a businessman, philanthropist and film producer. He was appointed ambassador to Finland by President George W. Bush in 2004 and served in that role through October 2005.
Although Tina had rubbed elbows with Mack through an ex-partner connected to racing, she thought of the businessman as inhabiting a different universe than the dressage scene.
“And I said, I can’t just randomly call Earle Mack,” she said.
In the end, however, that’s just what she did. “I told him the situation. He asked a couple of questions, and the next day, he bought into the horse for me.”
Their deal meant that Mack would own a 75% stake in Grover, with the rider owning the other 25% and covering all of Grover’s expenses.
“It was because of Earle Mack that I have Grover,” she said.
Looking ahead to the winter season in Wellington (Florida), she said she’s excited for Mack to see Grover perform again.
Please read the full article in The Chronical of the Horse, here: https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/tina-konyot-has-big-dreams-big-opinions-and-a-big-time-horse-in-her-barn/