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Robert Kip AltmanEquine massage therapy pioneer Robert Kip Altman of Port Townsend, Wash., died on April 12 after a three-month struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 66.

Mr. Altman was born on Oct. 3, 1949, in New York City to Sadie Davis and Morris “Murray” Altman. He grew up in Putnam Valley, N.Y., and graduated from the State University of New York at Albany in 1972. He then worked as an auto mechanic and contractor.

After injuring himself on a job, Mr. Altman found massage therapy was key to his recovery. He became certi-fied by the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy in 1984.

He worked with human athletes for three years and trained under Jack Meagher, the father of equine sports massage. Due to his flying phobia, Meagher gave Mr. Altman his travel assignments for the U.S. eventing and driving teams in the late 1980s.

Mr. Altman worked with the U.S. teams at prestigious competi-tions including three World Driving Championships; the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** and other international three-day events. He also helped the Canadian equestrian team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and the 1993 World Equestrian Games (the Netherlands).

Mr. Altman worked with Meagher for many years and became the director of the Jack Meagher Institute of Sports Therapy in 2004. He held the position until his death.

“He always inspired me with his relaxed way of working, his fantastic eye for the biomechanics of the horse, and his ability to see problems within a few seconds,” said Melissa Monster-van Golverdingen, director of the Jack Meagher Institute Europe. “He taught me to go after my goals and hold to them. He taught me to become a sensitive and good massage therapist and instructor.”

“He was my mentor and basically gave me my career,” said former student and longtime friend Celeste Ryfa. “He taught people around the world. He worked with international teams, both horses and riders. He’s going to be incredibly missed and the knowledge that he possessed—I don’t know that anyone else will ever have all of that knowledge, intu-ition or experience.”

Longtime friend, client and eventer Kate Champa said, “Robert did not discriminate. He worked on every horse he was asked to work on. When he touched a horse and when he spoke to a person, he was entirely there. When my horses saw him they smiled and said, ‘Oh, thank God.’

“He just was such a loving, open person, one who really knew how he wanted to live his life and had no embarrassment in living his life the way he wanted, and doing the things he wanted to do,” Champa continued.”

“Everyone liked Robert, and he got along with a wide variety of people,” said longtime friend and client Razzi Syberts. “As a friend, he was the real deal. He was genuine, had your back, and he was loyal. I feel like he went too unrecognized for his abilities. He never blew his own horn, and I think that he never really got his dues. A lot of horses owed him a really big thank you, and that’s what he cared about. He never worried whether or not people gave him credit.”

For the past seven years, Mr. Altman taught motorcycle safety. He enjoyed motorcycle adventures, flying planes and competing in canoe marathons.

Mr. Altman is survived by his wife, Lisa Rae Flanders of Port Townsend, Wash., and his children, Molly Altman of Petaluma, Calif., and Eli Altman of Seattle.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Port Townsend Food Bank, P.O. Box 1795, Port Townsend, WA 98368, or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at www.pancan.org. 

Cora CushnyHorsewoman Cora Cavanagh Cushny died at home in Lexington, Ky., on May 26. She was 83.

Mrs. Cushny was born on Nov. 14, 1932, to James F. and Elise Burns Cavanagh of Glen Head, Long Island, N.Y. Her passion for horses started at a young age in the pony ring. She competed in equitation and hunter classes during her junior career, including the ASPCA Maclay Finals at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden (N.Y.) in 1948.

She harbored a great love for foxhunting and became deeply involved in the Meadow Brook Hounds on Long Island. As a child, she could be found in the hunting field on her pony. She also competed in the hunt’s point-to-point meets, first contesting the children’s races and then the ladies’ and pairs’ races.

“Her mother was very involved with the hunt, being secretary at one point,” said fellow foxhunter and longtime friend Mike McDermott. “Cora just more or less took up the stride after her mother.”

Her dedication to Meadow Brook intensified when Charlie Plumb became huntsman in 1951. They exercised the hounds on off-days along with Plumb’s wife Mimi, Mrs. Cushny’s sister Sara, McDermott and Torrance Watkins (whose daughter of the same name would became an Olympic eventer). She was elected hunt secretary in 1965 and served as Jt.-MFH from 1967-1971, only the second woman in that role in the hunt’s 90-year history.

“Her favorite days in the hunting field were not as master, but riding with her sister and Charlie Plumb’s family when they were training the young hounds,” said Judith Tabler, author of Foxhunting with Meadow Brook. “Those were the Meadow Brook days she most missed.”

Mrs. Cushny continued to

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maintain a presence in the show ring as an owner, judge and steward. In the early 1960s, she bought a small mare, Sight Unseen, and McDermott helped develop her into one of the top junior hunters. With Sheila Maloney, the “Iron Horse” earned the American Horse Shows Association Junior Hunter Horse of the Year in 1963 and 1964.

During the winter months, “Smokey” doubled as one of Mrs. Cushny’s hunt mounts, as well as a point-to-point partner for McDermott.

Mrs. Cushny was devoted to maintaining and furthering the circuit on Long Island. She ran shows such as the Helping Hand Horse Show, the Vixen Horse Show and the Meadow Brook Hounds Horse Show, as well as serving as director, vice president and secretary for Piping Rock. She helped develop the Meadow Brook Hounds Pony Club and volunteered as the district commissioner and then as the regional supervisor. She also established the Long Island High Score Awards Association, acting as chairman from 1964-1986. She continued to be a member of the board until her death.

“She was very supportive of the young kids and got very active in the Pony Club,” said McDermott’s wife, Janie. “Supportive of anyone who was interested in horses, really.”

From 1954-1984 she judged and stewarded at shows around the country, including Devon (Pa.), Ox Ridge Charity (Conn.), Fairfield County (Conn.), Warrenton (Va.), Menlo Circus (Calif.) and the National.

She judged the AHSA Hunter Seat Medal Final in 1964, ’66 and ’67 and the ASPCA Maclay Final in ’64 and ’66. The National Horse Show honored her in 1999 as a Living Legend.

She was the chairman for the U.S. Pony Clubs Competitions

Committee in the early 1960s. She was named a USPC National Activities Legend in 2005. She also served on the U.S. Equestrian Team Advisory Committee for 24 years, beginning in 1964. She joined the AHSA Hearing Committee in 1983 and acted as chairman from 1997 to 2013. She was also the chairman of the Pony Hunter and Jumper Committee in the early ’60s.

Mrs. Cushny was an enthusiastic supporter of three-day eventing. Along with her husband Ted, whom she married in 1955, she traveled to every Olympic Games, beginning when Plumb’s son Mike competed on the U.S. eventing team in 1960 and ending with the 2000 Sydney Olympics. These travels ignited a passion for photography, and she took thousands of eventing photographs that were published in The Chronicle of the Horse, The Horse of Delaware Valley, and on her website, Eventing Etc. She also collected equestrian art and owned approximately 50 signed prints of Sir Alfred J. Munnings paintings.

“She judged, she was on all the committees, she was a whipper-in and a secretary for the hunt, she was a master of the hunt, you know, she was an owner and a competitor,” said Janie. “She did it all.”

Mrs. Cushny is survived by her sister, Sara Cavanagh Schwartz of West Chester, Pa.; her children, Theodorus Van Wyck Cushny Jr. and Alix Michel of Locust Valley, N.Y., Lillian Cushny of Lexington, Ky., Michael Cushny and his wife Betty of Ringwood, N.J., and Coralie Galyean and her husband Brad of Marietta, Ga.; four grandchildren and one great-grandson.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Bluegrass, www.hospicebg.org or the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, www.uset.org.

Russell FreyHunter/jumper professional Russell Frey of Batavia, Ill., died on May 26 after collapsing in the barn while preparing to tack up his derby horse at the Lamplight Equestrian Center (Ill.). He was 55.

Mr. Frey was born on Aug. 20, 1960, to Harold and Beth Frey of Akron, N.Y. He began riding at age 9 thanks to his father, who traded his plumbing work for riding lessons at a local barn. As a junior, Mr. Frey competed in local shows.

In 1981, he took a job with Don Stewart at his Don Stewart Stables Inc. in Florida. Mr. Frey started out doing mostly barn work, but as his riding skills improved he began training and showing in the jumper and hunter rings. He worked with Stewart for eight years.

“Russell was always upbeat and handled the clientele with profes-sionalism,” said Stewart. “He was an excellent rider, a great student and easy to be around. He could run my entire business when I needed him to.”

Stewart noted that Mr. Frey will be remembered for his hunter expertise and talkative personality.

In 2004, Mr. Frey moved from the East Coast to Argyle, Texas, and opened Elysian Fields Farm. He later moved his farm to Batavia, Ill., before relocating to Wellington, Fla., this past winter in order to be closer to his daughter, Lydia Frey—whose mother is international show jumper Kim Prince—and to work with Kelley Farmer and Larry Glefke of Lane Change Farm.

“I have fond memories with my dad while fishing and sitting ringside watching various horse shows,” said Lydia. “He brought a great sense of humor that he was known for and a welcoming attitude to the show ring. He was known for helping those who needed it and making fun of himself to put a smile on someone’s face.

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Russell’s work ethic and sheer talent changed the industry. He could do anything in the barn, and did so—driving the van, braiding, training, anything that was needed. His natural talent set him apart and made him an incredible trainer and rider.”

“I have nothing but good memo-ries of him,” said longtime friend Glefke. “He wanted to win a class at the National Horse Show, and he wanted to win an international hunter derby, so at least I made one of his dreams come true because he won the [USHJA] $50,000 International Hunter Derby in Florida.”

Glefke recalled that Mr. Frey always had a smile on his face. “He woke up every morning, and he would bring me a cup of coffee,” Glefke said. “We always had a good time. It was a fun winter.”

Mr. Frey won numerous champi-onships at prestigious competitions like the Devon Horse Show (Pa.), the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.) and the indoor circuit. According to his daughter, the high-light of his career was that $50,000 derby win on April 3 with Nina Moore’s Kodachrome. “This win was not only special because of its status, but also because of his love for ‘Foster,’ ” said Lydia.

Mr. Frey also was a popular horse show judge, judging at such venues as WEF, Ocala, Detroit, Kentucky and Devon. When Mr. Frey was not in the tack or training, he enjoyed cooking gourmet meals, fishing and hunting.

When asked about Mr. Frey’s best accomplishment as a horseman, Glefke responded, “Longevity. He did it for a long time in a lot of different scenarios and was successful. He truly enjoyed the art of show horses.”

Mr. Frey is survived by his parents, Harold and Beth Frey of Akron, N.Y.; his daughter, Lydia Frey of Wellington, Fla.; his

siblings, James Frey, Steven Frey, Sharol Frey Martell and Harold “Skip” Frey Jr.; and his girlfriend, Nicole Hiehle of Dublin, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center at: squareup.com/store/thebtrc or to the Clarence Church of Christ, 5375 Old Goodrich Road, Clarence, NY 14031.

Karen HughesTop international eventing groom Karen Hughes died May 16 after a long battle with cancer. She was 51.

Ms. Hughes was born on April 15, 1965, to Mike and Meryl Hughes in Wroughton, Wiltshire, England. She started riding at 11 and soon spent all her time at the barn. Within two years she knew she wanted a career with horses.

“We were hooked,” said her sister Deborah Davis. “Mum and Dad never worried where we were; they always knew we were at the stables. We hated getting out of bed for school, but when it was the horses it was never a problem.”

After school Ms. Hughes went to the Talland School of Equitation (England). There she became entrenched in the eventing world. Her first international competition was the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, where she cared for Irish rider Melanie Duff’s mount Clarence.

In 1994 she went to work for Australian Olympian Andrew Hoy. She took a particular shine to his mount Darien Powers and accompanied the gelding to the 1996 Atlanta Games, where Hoy earned team gold. She broke her arm just before the trip but never complained.

When Bettina Hoy moved to the yard in Gatcombe, England, Ms. Hughes began caring for her horses as well. She attended the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games as primary

caregiver for both of Andrew’s mounts, Darien Powers and Swizzle In, who won team gold and indi-vidual silver respectively.

“I owe her the biggest part of my successes with Watermill Stream, Unsung Hero, Woodsides Ashby and above all Ringwood Cockatoo,” said Bettina on her Facebook page. “I appreciated very much all she did for me and still benefit from her vast knowledge.”

From 1992-2014, Ms. Hughes never missed a major champion-ship. She left the Hoys in 2008 to work for Yoshiaki Oiwa of Japan and attended the 2012 London Olympic Games with him. In 2013, she went to work for U.S. rider Clark Montgomery and cared for his top mount, Loughan Glen.

“She was phenomenal with the horses,” said Montgomery. “It’s very difficult to find people like that with the relentless dedication that she had. She just lived for it. Everything that she was went to these horses, and they loved her for it.

Ms. Hughes received praise for her extensive knowledge and attention to detail. She enjoyed rehabilitating horses after inju-ries and overseeing their return to competition. She had a quiet efficiency about her, ensuring everything ran smoothly. In October 2015 she received the British Grooms Association Lifetime Achievement Award at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (England).

Ms. Hughes loved running and swimming, but most of all she enjoyed the outdoors.

She is survived by her parents, Mike and Meryl Hughes, and her sister, Deborah Davis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the William Budd Endowment Fund online at www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk.