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fitness
by Cheryl Stuck
Martha Lambert
AGE: 47
Professional rider, trainer, instructor, stable owner Lands End Farm Goshen, Ky.
Martha Lambert initially learned to ride horses by falling off and getting back on when
she was eight years old. She
and another sister accompanied their elder sisters on babysitting jobs to a family
friend’s farm. Martha said, “They would put us on the horses to ride while they partied
with their friends.”
At age 11, Martha began taking riding lessons, and the next year she and her sister
convinced their father to buy a horse. “He bought a 17-hand horse off the racetrack at
Churchill Downs,” Martha said. The girls joined the Pony Club to learn horse
management skills and the discipline of the equestrian world. Since the family lived in
the Northfield subdivision in the east end of Louisville, they found a farm in Prospect
to stable the horse.
By age 18, Martha was working at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, grooming
horses and driving carriages. Working at the park sparked Martha’s desire to compete
in the Rolex, a prestigious three-day equestrian event. In the meantime, she learned
the leather trade, making harnesses and repairing saddles. She eventually opened
her own leather shop, which she ran for 10 years.
One day, a customer came into the shop and told her he had just purchased a horse.
He invited her to come and ride it and “since he was really cute, I said yes.” Martha
and that cute customer, John Lambert, later married and moved to his parents’ farm,
Lands End. Martha sold her shop and committed herself to building up a facility at
Lands End Farm. In 1995, she rode in her first Rolex competition.
What she does now: Martha owns a stable on the family farm and rides, teaches
others to ride, and trains horses. She participates in three-day event shows, which
include dressage, cross-country jumping, and show jumping. One of her specialties is
taking thoroughbreds that are retired from racing and retraining them to be event
horses.
Why she does it: “It’s in your blood—horses,” Martha said. As a child, “every toy was
related to horses.” She recalls sitting on her grandparents’ porch on Southern
Parkway, watching for hours as the trail horses walked along the edge of Iroquois
Park.
How often Martha rides her horses an average of four hours a day, six days a week.
In addition to riding, she loves participating in Bikram yoga for a 90-minute workout
about three days per week.
Benefits: “Overall, (horseback riding) makes you a very strong, independent
human being. It’s very physical. The yoga gives me symmetry, much
stronger core strength, and better posture when sitting on the horse.”
by Cheryl Stuck
Martha Lambert
AGE: 47
Professional rider, trainer, instructor, stable owner Lands End Farm Goshen, Ky.
Martha Lambert initially learned to ride horses by falling off and getting back on when
she was eight years old. She
and another sister accompanied their elder sisters on babysitting jobs to a family
friend’s farm. Martha said, “They would put us on the horses to ride while they partied
with their friends.”
At age 11, Martha began taking riding lessons, and the next year she and her sister
convinced their father to buy a horse. “He bought a 17-hand horse off the racetrack at
Churchill Downs,” Martha said. The girls joined the Pony Club to learn horse
management skills and the discipline of the equestrian world. Since the family lived in
the Northfield subdivision in the east end of Louisville, they found a farm in Prospect
to stable the horse.
By age 18, Martha was working at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, grooming
horses and driving carriages. Working at the park sparked Martha’s desire to compete
in the Rolex, a prestigious three-day equestrian event. In the meantime, she learned
the leather trade, making harnesses and repairing saddles. She eventually opened
her own leather shop, which she ran for 10 years.
One day, a customer came into the shop and told her he had just purchased a horse.
He invited her to come and ride it and “since he was really cute, I said yes.” Martha
and that cute customer, John Lambert, later married and moved to his parents’ farm,
Lands End. Martha sold her shop and committed herself to building up a facility at
Lands End Farm. In 1995, she rode in her first Rolex competition.
What she does now: Martha owns a stable on the family farm and rides, teaches
others to ride, and trains horses. She participates in three-day event shows, which
include dressage, cross-country jumping, and show jumping. One of her specialties is
taking thoroughbreds that are retired from racing and retraining them to be event
horses.
Why she does it: “It’s in your blood—horses,” Martha said. As a child, “every toy was
related to horses.” She recalls sitting on her grandparents’ porch on Southern
Parkway, watching for hours as the trail horses walked along the edge of Iroquois
Park.
How often Martha rides her horses an average of four hours a day, six days a week.
In addition to riding, she loves participating in Bikram yoga for a 90-minute workout
about three days per week.
Benefits: “Overall, (horseback riding) makes you a very strong, independent
human being. It’s very physical. The yoga gives me symmetry, much
stronger core strength, and better posture when sitting on the horse.”
