Sandisfield — Courtney Maum is deeply in tune with the myriad women across America who are feeling empty, lost, hopeless, and angry. Even before Friday’s decision by the United States Supreme Court—to overturn Roe v. Wade and revoke a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion—Maum was so encumbered by the weight of the patriarchy she put pen to paper in protest. Her newest book (and first memoir), “The Year of the Horses” (Tin House, 2022) is quickly inspiring people through its most basic premise: granting people permission to let some balls drop; put themselves first; and claim a place for joy, silliness, and play in their lives.
“Especially as women, and especially right now,” Maum told The Edge, pointing to a personal groundswell of emotion that’s gained momentum over the past several days: “The only form of protest I have left is prioritizing my own joy because I can’t hold on to this anger too much longer; I’m completely drained.” I caught up with the author and equestrian at Sunny Rose Farm, during a torrential downpour on Monday morning, while a denim overall clad Maum took a break from mucking stalls. While her book begins in the bougie equestrian environs of Greenwich, Conn., where she first mounted a horse at the age of six, Maum now spends her free time far closer to her Litchfield County home where a retired racehorse turned ardent passion project resides off the beaten path.
Photo credit by Kenzie Odegaard Fields.
Abuelita captured Maum’s attention last fall. The ex-racehorse (as evidenced by a tattoo on her upper lip, detailing her pedigree) was born in Kentucky. After a career on the track, she was retrained for polo before falling into bad hands. When Maum found her (a story the author chronicles here for The Guardian), the horse was starving—literally living off of bark, with little if any access to water—and discovered to be nearly three decades old which, true to her moniker, makes her a real “little grandma.” After months and months of time off and putting weight on, Abuelita looks amazing—so good she might be out of Maum’s league. The issue?
“Now that she’s got her weight and energy back, she’s actually above my [riding] level,” said Maum whose friend, a professional in the polo field, confirmed what was unbeknownst to Maum: she rescued a high-goal polo pony.
“I never saw anyone ride her,” explains Maum, citing a moot point considering the horse’s condition when the pair met. At that time, all Maum knew was that Abuelita was “impossible to groom and impossible to work with.” Today, having enjoyed more than six months of R&R, Abuelita is ready to get back to (part of) the life she once knew. While the pampering has served its purpose, polo horses are not stalled—so she’s headed for new digs, where she’ll be outdoors 24/7. “She needs to be uncomfortable,” said Maum, citing simple things like getting wet and bitten by flies creates a positive environment for the horse, “so that riding becomes a little bit more of a release.”
The 27-year-old thoroughbred now occupies the last stall in a row of 13, a dozen of which are occupied, all of which are maintained by a staff of “horse girls” (which, in the interest of full disclosure, includes my own 15 year old), who, as Maum describes them, “are just in love with horses first and riding second, and will do anything they can to be here.” For those unschooled in barn basics, this equates to mucking stalls, feeding horses, tacking them up for lessons, turning them out at the end of the day, maintaining equipment, hauling water, pitching hay, and affixing fly sheets and masks now that it’s summer—all in exchange for paying down the fees associated with riding privileges, lessons, and leasing/boarding.
Maum is not exempt from this crowd. She herself has mucked stalls, provided copywriting and PR services, and worked with horses to work off the cost of lessons and/or board at various barns.
“What’s visible to most people is the fantasy upper-class form of riding; what’s invisible is people like myself who are working off their lessons, working off our children’s lessons,” says Maum of a system she’s bought into for years. When she entered the polo arena—one of the most exclusive and expensive sports in the entire world—Maum stepped up to meet a need, namely her copywriting and social media skills.
“If you present yourself as someone who’s willing to learn and go the distance,” Maum finds things have a way of working out—and her efforts have created ripple effects. Her memoir is resonating with readers, many of whom keep in close contact with the author. To date, she’s received word from women and mothers who are reclaiming time for themselves—by going back to watercolor painting; putting a tu-tu on their 60-year-old body; getting back in the pool via a YMCA membership; or signing up for their very first horseback riding lesson.
“I’m really proud of the book…and all of these women who are just like, ‘I’m gonna do it,’” Maum said, whether that means getting back in the saddle or reaching out to a neighbor for help with childcare. Each one of these steps, no matter how small, is about creating forward momentum—both individually and collectively.
“To me, this is so important right now because the patriarchy keeps pushing us down, down, down,” Maum says, of a system that wants women pregnant and homebound where they are ostensibly less of a threat than when pursuing their passions. As for self care, the oft-quoted buzz term of late?
“I’m over self care [and Capitalism]…it’s really about self love,” which, for Maum, equates to earning enough to be able to keep a horse and getting her husband to understand that—especially since she’s paying for it—she will be at the barn when she needs to be.
“It’s like a radical act of self love.”
NOTE: Join author and book coach Courtney Maum at The Mount to celebrate the final installment of the “Beyond the Writing of Fiction” series on Thursday, June 30 at 5:30 pm. This on-site event features WAMC’s Sarah LaDuke interviewing Maum about her fifth book, but first memoir, “The Year of the Horses”, which was recently selected as the top read for Mental Health Awareness by “The Today Show.”In addition to discussing nonverbal forms of communication, healing via animals, and the special relationship between women and horses, Maum and LaDuke will also talk about the essential tools of craft.
