SEP Member of the Month

Helene Gregory and “Lilleman”
By Anne Chunko

Helene Gregory started riding and driving horses as a child in her native country of Sweden, and learned her love of trotters early.

“My father owned horses and as soon as I was old enough, I took care of them on a daily basis,” Gregory said. “I also worked for different trainers at my home track, Jagersro, in Malmo, Sweden.”

Gregory move to the United States, and in November 2001, her husband Jeff purchased a trotting colt at the Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling sale. They paid $20,000 for the well-conformed son by Taurus and out of the Florida Pro mare Pomade. Gregory nicknamed the trotter “Lilleman,” or “little boy” in Swedish.

“We trained him ourselves,” Gregory added. ” We thought we could race him in the New York Sire Stakes program and have some fun, but he was just not cut out to race.”

The colt did not make it to the races at age 2. In his first and only qualifying start in May 2003, he broke several times and finished a distanced fifth.

“When we realized he was not going to race as a 3-year-old, we made the decision to give him away,” she said. “But since I really missed all the horseback riding I did back in Sweden, I talked Jeff into keeping him as a riding horse.”

His good disposition and manners convinced Gregory that he would make a good riding horse. It turns out Gregory was absolutely right.

“There is not much I haven’t done with him,” she said. “We go on trail rides, hunter paces, beach rides, you name it.”

Last November, Gregory rode “Lilleman” in the color guard during the Breeders Crown finals at The Meadowlands. “We trained one time before the event, and he accepted the flag immediately,” she added. “It was a windy day, and when the flag would hit him in the face, he grabbed it in his mouth!”

Earlier this year, Gregory and her bay trotter started learning dressage, which has quickly become their favorite sport. “It’s lots of work, but you sure do get rewarded,” she said. The pair is currently working on improving his balance and his right lead canter.