Text © World of Showjumping

In our series ‘That Special Bond’ – first introduced in 2016 – World of Showjumping highlights what equestrian sport is truly about; a unique connection between horses and humans. This time around, we had a chat with USA’s Lillie Keenan.

Both the now 19-year-old gelding Super Sox (Salito x Silvio I, bred by Otto Krone) and the 15-year-old gelding Argan de Beliard (Mylord Carthago x Ahorn, bred by Daniel Letourniant) have played an important part in Lillie’s career.

“I got Super Sox when I was seventeen,” 29-year-old Lillie tells. “He was eight years old, and I had limited experience jumping 1.50m at the time. I had gone to Europe to compete once before, and jumped on a three-star team, but I knew that I didn't know much. However, I didn't know how much I didn't know! I understood that I had plenty to learn, but I didn't imagine I could ever make it to the top 30 or jump at the highest level and sustain any kind of success. I really didn't know that would be possible for me – and Super Sox changed that.”

“Emile Hendrix found Super Sox for me, along with Andre Dignelli who was my trainer at the time,” Lillie continues. “When I tried him, he pulled off a shoe and had an extreme drift – I almost took out two standards with my knee. There was nothing classical about him. I remember we got in the car after the trial, drove out the driveway and Emile asked me, my mom, and my trainer Andre what we thought. And my mom said he should tell us, since he was the expert here. There was clearly something Emile saw in the partnership; it was like he could see the future. He was adamant we should buy Super Sox.”

“Super Sox made me believe I could be somebody,” Lillie tells about the tremendous effect the gelding came to have on her life. “I had him through a period of my life where I struggled in many ways. He was so steadfast, consistent, absolutely never let me down, and tried his heart out every single time he went in the ring. I developed this bond with him, where I had this extra confidence whenever I was with him. He brought me a lot of success, and took me to some of my first five-star teams.”

“I was going to college full time and trying to jump at international level, going around the world. Combined with studies, that was not easy to do. I would miss Super Sox like I missed my parents when I was away from home. I don't even know how to describe it; I would ache when I couldn't see him. He became an absolute best friend. I have had a strong relationship with my horses in the past, but I think what was unique about him is that Sox really made me believe in myself,” Lillie tells about the gelding that now enjoys a happy retirement at Robyn Morgan’s farm in Oklahoma alongside Lillie’s other retirees.

When the now 15-year-old gelding Argan de Beliard (Mylord Carthago x Ahorn, bred by Daniel Letourniant) joined Lillie’s team of horses, she was in a totally different situation. “I got Argan at a very different stage of my life,” Lillie explains. “I was at a different stage of my career in every way. McLain told me that I needed to buy this horse, and I kept brushing him off because Argan isn't a horse that jumps off the page as a competitive flashy horse.”

“I tried him in the very beginning of the year in 2022, and, originally, my expectation was to show him for the Wellington season, and then sell him to an amateur,” Lillie tells. “Thank God I didn't do that. I got him when he was 11, so he already had some experience at international competition. However, he grew with me and all of a sudden expanded into, in my opinion, a superstar for the U.S. team. He's jumped more double clear rounds than any other horse there's been in the past few years doing those events for our team, and earned the nickname of Mr. Consistency.”

“Argan has taught me that if you believe in a horse, the best ones always rise to the occasion – that's what he has done,” Lillie continues. “Whenever I jump a Nations Cup, he's my first choice. He's obviously done this for a number of years with me, so I jump him pretty sparingly. He has made me a much better team rider for the U.S., because he has taught me how to be consistent, how to deliver under pressure and how to repeat your system and your routine in a variety of different places and in different atmospheres. His results are incredibly consistent and I think there's a big value to that. When you talk about sustained success, especially when you're talking about team jumping, that's incredibly important. And he's a horse that has defied all the odds.”

“The one thing Super Sox and Argan have in common is that after I started to have success with them, I had an incredible number of people that came to me and said that was their “one that got away”. So many people said they had tried the horses and just didn't believe, didn't think they could do it. That has to suggest that there is something about the connection you have with the horses, that you can perform better when they feel truly connected to you,” Lillie says. 

“My most challenging horse far and away is Fasther (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Farmer, bred by G.J.A. Moerings),” Lillie tells. “I got him at the end of his eight-year-old year, when I bought him from Bas Moerings. His family bred him, and still, every time he jumps, they're always watching. It's really nice to have that friendship with a horse’s breeder.”

“When I first got him, I had just moved to McLain's,” Lillie recalls. “Fasther was the first horse that McLain and Francois Mathy sourced for me. I was in a position that I didn't have a top horse, so Fasther was purchased and immediately became my first choice – which obviously meant really big shoes to fill. I could tell he had so much ability, but he was the strongest horse I had ever ridden, and some would say he was a runaway. I wanted to keep competing and push myself, so I probably rushed him. In many ways he was the most challenging, but he also taught me so much because he forgave my mistakes and he gave me a lot of grace.”

“Fasther often made me feel out of control,” Lillie continues. “He was so keen and excited, and he loved to jump, but at a high rate of speed. In the first two years that I had him, I jumped him at Hickstead and Spruce Meadows, in some pretty big places. He basically always jumped clear, or he'd run by a jump because he was quite spooky. His build also did not make it easier because he is slightly downhill. He is clever, strong and super careful. He has this unbelievable ability –and it took some time to crack the code. I learn something from him every day.”

“McLain helped me a lot with him, and Michael Matz started to help me on the flat,” Lillie explains about finding the tools to deal with Fasther’s athletic ability. “Michael told me Fasther was one of the most challenging horses he had ever worked with, but also one of the most talented. I was never going to be stronger than him, and I had to find a way to communicate better with him. Putting on a stronger bit wasn't the answer, I really had to work on the flat. I always rode him in a snaffle on the flat with Michael and we worked a lot on how I could get Fasther to move laterally. It took a lot of hours, but I started to feel and see a change.”

The second part of the challenge with Fasther was that he sustained two major injuries. “In the period that I've had him, he had two rehab periods,” Lillie says. “When he had a year off, I felt like I had made all this progress, and then all of a sudden, we were out. How was I going to start over again a year later? However, he came back a way better horse. I don't know if it was the time and the maturity, or the extended period with basic flatwork, but he started winning. His transformation was phenomenal. We were on the team to go to the Pan Ams in Santiago, but at the last show that I was doing before – just as our final setup – he got injured again.”

“My team has been unbelievable because both rehabs were over a year,” Lillie points out. “It took so much persistence, time and effort. Both times, he has come back an even better horse. He has challenged myself and the whole team around me. The whole journey has been more than rewarding because he's just so incredible. I think part of why he's been so challenging is because he knows he's good – and he is incredibly confident. That's what really set him apart and always made him so special. He has the confidence I wish I had in myself.”

“I've had him for seven years and I spent two of those years only doing flat work with him,” Lillie concludes. “I try to save him now. He's so competitive and I have to really trust my program because the first day at a new show, you can feel like you're on a four-year-old. He likes to keep me on my toes. He's the most competitive horse I have right now. We have so much experience together, and I'm willing to take risks on him in a jump-off just because we have such a close relationship. You can't replace that with anything other than time.”

“When I was a teenager, my trainer at the time was sent a video of Fine Lady 5 (Forsyth FRH x Drosselklang II, bred by Wilhelm Leymann) before she was with Eric Lamaze,” Lillie tells about a horse that she never got to try. “I never even saw the video; we didn't take it seriously. Although at the time I probably would have never been able to ride her, I obviously missed an incredible horse.”

20.1.2026 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.