US actor Glynn Turman rides a horse to his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles on July 10, 2025. Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
If you are a horse lover, today may be your lucky day. July 15 is recognized as I Love Horses Day and celebrates horses as companions. Horses have played essential roles in human history for centuries now. Before cars, they were used for transportation. When men fought in wars, they were a significant factor in providing speed, height, and they were used to pull wagons carrying ammunition, food and other supplies. Not to mention, in agriculture they cleared fields and hauled goods.
But their relationship with people doesn’t end there. Some people own horses strictly as pets for them to care for and groom. However, they are also used competitively in horse racing, sports jumping dressage and more. To celebrate let’s take a look at 15 equestrians that span across decades.
Mavis Spencer is not just the daughter of the Emmy award-winning actress Alfre Woodard and her husband film producer husband, Roderick Spender, she is also a decorated equestrian and show jumper. She started competing as a college junior and even joined Team USA for the FEI Jumping Nations Cup. She gained experience working as a groomer for prestigious equestrians, which paved the way for her to become a show jumper at the Grand Prix.
Briana Noble is the founder and owner of the non profit Urban Cowgirl Ranch in Castro Valley, California. At age 27, photographs of her at a George Floyd protest went viral when she showed up on the back of her horse Dapper Dan with the sign Black Lives Matter.
3. Glynn Turman, 79
Glynn Turman’s fascination with horses started as a little boy in New York City. Once his mother learned about this passion, she took him to a stable in the Bronx to learn how to ride properly. He competed in the 70s and 80s and became one of the top 10 horsemen competing in the Tevis Cup. In 1992, he started a non-profit summer camp called Camp Gid D Up for inner city kids to learn horseback riding.
Cheryl White was cemented as the first Black female jockey in the U.S. after retrieving her license from Thistledown Racetrack in 1971. She was only 17 years old at the time. Over the course of more than two decades, White would go on to win 750 races. She was also the first female jockey who won five races in one days at the Fresno Fair in 1983.
5. Oliver Lewis
At just 19 years old, Oliver Lewis won the very first Kentucky Derby on May 17, 1875. He made the historical win on a horse named Aristides’ who was trained by a renowned black trainer named Ansel Williamson.
Just earlier this year, 20-year-old Aamilah Aswhat made history as the first Black British female jump jockey to win a race in the UK. Aswhat is both Indian and Jamaican and began riding horses at age five at St James City Farm in Glouchester. She made her racecourse debut in November 2025 at JCB Handicap Hurdle at Kempton Park.
Zoie Noelle found her love for riding horses at age 9 when her mom enrolled her into summer camp. The Los Angeles champion equestrian started riding with the Compton Jr. Equestrians and has starred in multiple of Beyoncé’s projects like “Daddy Lessons” and the her 2024 halftime show.
After his aunt, Mayisha Akbar, had a stroke in 2018, Randy Hook took on the reins for her after-school community program Compton Cowboys. The idea was to create a positive space for kids in gang-ridden neighborhoods, after her son was shot in a gang-related incident. The organization now helps about 1,500 kids yearly.
9. Selika Lazevski
Selika Lazevski, an Afro-French woman, was born in the French West Indies in 1891. Not much is known about her, but it is said that she rode haute école or advanced horseback riding in Nouveau Cirque.
After ditching gymnastics at age 9, Anna Buffini turned her attention to a career in Dressage. One of her earlier successes was when she won at the 2014 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. Later, she became the champion and reserve champion at the 2016 USEF Young Adult Brentina Cup Dressage National Championship. She’s also a two-time World Cup Finalist.
11. Eliza Carpenter
Before taking up an interest in horses, Eliza Carpenter was enslaved as a young girl. After acquiring her freedom, she moved to Kentucky where she trained and rode horses. By 1900, she would become a livestock trader in Oklahoma and the first Black stable owner in the state.
12. Issac “Ike” Murphy
Issac “Ike” Murphy is considered to be one of the greatest jockeys of his time. He won more than a third of his races which included being a three-time Kentucky Derby winner as well as a five-time Latonia Derby. Murphy was also a horse owner and trainer before he died at age 36 of pneumonia.
Stephanie Kallstrom is an Afro-Peruvian equestrian who owns two horses in British Columbia. She does shows with her horse Tigger at the hunter ring and baby derbies. She’s been a rider at the Thunderbird Show Stables in Langley in the British Columbia for over a decade. Kallstrom often uses her platform to speak out about diversity and racism in the equestrian space and outside of it.
14. Lori Harvey, 29
Lori Harvey is not just beautiful she’s also athletic. After trying other sports like swimming, tennis, and golf she settled on horseback riding as he favorite and began competing at age 14 as a show jumper. However, her dreams were cut short at age 18 after a serious back injury.
15. James “Jimmy” Winkfield
James Winkfield was a Kentucky native who won the Kentucky Derby twice in 1901 and 1902. To this day, he is the last Black jockey to have won the competition. Growing violence and racism against Black jockeys forced Winkfield to move to Russia, where he continued a massive winning streak. He was even a champion at the Czarist Triple Crown. He won the Russian Derby four times and the Russian Oaks five times. Additionally, Winkfield won several races in France. Before retiring at age 50, he had won more than 2,500 races.
