Marsha Hartford-Sapp of Southern Oaks Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., epitomizes everything right about taking the path of least resistance. She has become a beloved horse trainer thanks to the transformational results she has achieved with equines that others might throw away.
Hartford-Sapp has not only made horses into model citizens, but twice they have been made into Breyer model horses.
For every little horse lover who believes models come to life and leap from the shelf as they sleep, there is Hartford-Sapp, giving happy endings to real horses as well as putting them onto those bedroom shelves.
Cobra the Mustang
“I didn’t collect Breyers as a kid,” says Hartford-Sapp. “I was horse-crazy of course, but had I known about them [in St. Albans, Maine], I would have had stables of them!”
Instead, when plans to pursue a law degree at Florida State University didn’t pan out, she gave riding lessons to make ends meet, turning a hobby into a career. In her method of training horses using the “least resistance,” she has also found little resistance from judges to pin good performances, including two Extreme Mustang Makeover wins and a U.S. Dressage Federation Diamond Achievement Award (through Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle).
Mustangs, in particular, have been good to her. Especially Cobra, the black 15.2-hand horse labeled a “three strikes” rogue, who faced life in a Bureau of Land Management facility before Hartford-Sapp adopted him for the 2010 Extreme Mustang Makeover. The competition offers just 120 days to gentle and train a horse.
“He came in angry, and when I came in the pen, he charged me within five minutes,” Hartford-Sapp recalls. They didn’t make that year’s Makeover Finals, but for the next five consecutive years, Cobra never stopped winning championships.
“That horse has won more titles than any other Mustang in the world,” she says. He was even named U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Horse of the Year in 2018, the same year that dressage superstar Verdades won the USEF International Horse of the Year title.
Then there was The Email.
“I almost didn’t open it,” says Hartford-Sapp of the unfamiliar message from Reeves International (Breyer’s corporate name). “They had been following Cobra’s journey and thought he would make a super model with his incredible story. It was amazing. I still cry about it.
“It’s a major commitment to train and bring along any horse, but the time spent with Cobra was worth it. I took a 6-year-old wild horse, and together we transformed into champions.”
You read that right: A born-wild horse is in the USEF/EQUUS Hall of Fame.
Cobra, Breyer model No. 1784, is based on 2004 portrait model No. 594, Flash, a dark bay Morgan gelding sculpted by California resin artist Sue Sifton.
“Flash was the winner of a write-in contest to pick Pony Club’s 50th Anniversary Horse,” says Sifton. “His owner sent me a video of him going cross-country at Ledyard [a three-day event in Massachusetts]. He was very keen on course, so his confident attitude when approaching a big fence became the focus of my sculpture.”
Hartford-Sapp was thrilled with how the model turned out.
“My first Breyer model is Cobra, and it will be my favorite for eternity,” she says of Sifton’s work. “Cobra’s model is perfect for him. It embodies his spirit beautifully.”
OTTB Full Moon Rising
Lightning never strikes twice—or does it? For Hartford-Sapp, another horse without a clear future became her second champion-slash-Breyer.
Full Moon Rising (aka “Mooney”) is a lavishly mottled 15.2-hand sabino chestnut Thoroughbred gelding. He retired sound from racing after his second season, just as Marsha was seeking a new candidate to compete in the Retired Racehorse Project.
The stars—and Mooney—aligned the day Marsha brought him home. His introduction to the dressage ring began with a few western dressage competitions. By the end of 2021 (his first full year off the racetrack), he had earned six titles: USEF Horse of the Year Western Dressage Open Intro, USEF Western Dressage Suitability (the first Thoroughbred to win it), National Champion Western Dressage, World Champion Western Dressage Intro, USDF Reserve National Champion All Breeds-Training Level Open, and National Pony Cup Small Horse Champion.
“It was about six months after Mooney had finished his amazing season when the company contacted me again—via email,” says Hartford-Sapp. This time she didn’t hesitate to open it.
“I was so grateful to have my work recognized,” she says. “I took a very special, albeit quirky Thoroughbred and won national and world titles [with him when he was] a year off the track. It was a lot of faith and patience in training. We had a terrific time together doing it.”
The Full Moon Rising model, No. 1877, is based on Breyer mold No. 583 of the champion show hunter, Strapless, introduced in 2003 by commercial fine artist Sommer Prosser.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to see such a fresh and unique color on my Breyer work,” says Prosser of Mooney’s unique pattern. “I’ve always been a fan of colorful horses, having owned several myself, and the color dresses up the sculpture beautifully!”
Just as happy with the creative outcome is Stephanie Macejko, vice president of marketing and product development at Reeves International, Inc.
“We didn’t create new sculptures for the two horses, we chose models that represented their personality and athletic ability and focused on getting coat colors and details just right, such as the BLM freeze brand on Cobra,” she says.
Mooney was a bit more difficult, however.
“Full Moon Rising was a challenge with his roany coat!” Macejko adds.
“I am so pleased Breyer picked Cobra and Mooney [as models],” says Sifton. “I own a BLM Mustang that was captured in the wild, and I had an off-track Thoroughbred. I am wholeheartedly a fan of what Marsha has done to promote the heart and talent of the Mustang and off-track Thoroughbreds. [Late Olympic dressage medalist and director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna] Alois Podhajsky would be proud.”
Take What Life Gives You and Run With It
“I think a lot of things are dreamed into reality,” says Hartford-Sapp. “Cobra becoming a Breyer horse and Mooney, too, are definitely a childhood fantasy come true.”
She says both model citizens are enjoying the easy life in Ocala, living in grassy paddocks filled with live oak trees.
“They actually are roommates and live together,” says Hartford-Sapp. “They keep light riding schedules. Mooney is schooling some hunter stuff, and Cobra continues some dressage to maintain health and muscle tone. Neither is showing, but they come out from time to time for public and educational appearances.
“My two model horses represent the way I view life. Take what life gives you and run with it. Both a wild horse and an ex-racehorse were underdogs and became world and national champions. I owned and trained them. I saw the best in them and made plans on how to present them at their best,” she says.
It’s the same way she looked for the best in the riders she coached from 2004 to 2022 on the Florida State University equestrian team. And what did her riding students think of having such model citizens in their midst?
“It made them so proud,” says Hartford-Sapp. “It was a lot of fun to have real life Breyer horses in the barn. Cobra is excellent at selfies!”
This article about Marsha Hartford-Sapp appeared in the March 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
