Ascot Farms

For 20 years, Donna Mole woke up at 4 a.m. to get her horses ready for a full day of riding, managing up to 50 horses at once as she trained jockeys and groomed thoroughbreds for racing. After that, she switched gears, choosing instead to watch the sun rise in such places as Kenya, France, Ireland, and Australia as she taught students who desired to see the world from the saddle. Headquartered in Florida at her own ranch, At Ascot Farm, Donna—along with her right-hand equestrian, Carissa Baskett—works with both adults and children as young as two, tailoring to the needs and personal goals of each student as they learn to develop proper riding habits such as sitting upright in the saddle and using the horse's blinkers in the woods' busy intersections.