This article originally appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of Elite Equestrian Magazine. Article by L.A. Berry.
 
Ray Whelihan, head coach for the SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech Hunt Seat Team isn't shy about sharing the sage advice he heard as a young horseman: "Do the simple things very, very well. Keep it simple and focus on what matters." Or quoting a collegiate peer: "Ride your horses so that your horses like you."

Ray earned his BS in Animal Science at UMass-Amherst, his Ms.Ed. in Educational Psychology & Statistics from UAlbany, and has been a fixture of Cobleskill Ag & Tech's well-respected equine programs for the better part of three decades, not only as a coach but as Associate Professor in Animal Science and (as of February 2026) Chair of the department of Animal and Natural Sciences, with primary teaching responsibilities in equine business management in the hunter/jumper, eventing, and Thoroughbred horse racing industries.

With a confessed preference for plain bay Thoroughbreds (and an occasional gallant grey), let's meet the modest horseman whose riding philosophy centers on simplicity, correctness, and a less-is-more approach.

Elite Equestrian: Do you remember your first horse or pony?
Ray Whelihan: My most meaningful was Danny Boy. My parents purchased him, on the recommendation of a friend, for $400. He was a chestnut Quarter Horse, likely Appendix. I selected Daniel as my middle name for my Catholic Confirmation. The priest asked if my selection was a family name. I said no. It was the name of my horse, Danny Boy, whom I considered my closest friend. The priest appreciated my response.

EE: What did that horse teach you that might still apply today?
RW: Danny was sensitive and generous. I learned to watch and feel the response, adjust accordingly and trust character.

EE: What qualities do you like best in a horse?
RW: Rides off a soft leg and hand, hits the ground lightly, has a balanced step.

EE: What qualities do you like best in a person?
RW: I like a person that listens more than they speak, asks insightful questions, is slow to judgment and has a long view.

EE: What was your first job and how old were you?
RW: One of my earliest was trail hand at Eastover Resort in Lenox, Massachusetts, where Sam Greenfield ran a very good quality barn restricted to resort guests. I learned how to work around horses, conduct myself, be resilient, and respect commitment, a positive experience on all counts.

EE: If you didn't work with horses, what would you be doing?
RW: That's difficult. I can't imagine doing anything else. Not business, I'm terrible at it. Definitely not technology, I was hoping tech was just a phase. Probably be a history teacher.

EE: Favorite quote?
RW: "Ride your horses so your horses like you." – Michael Page

EE: You can spend a day with one horseperson in history, who is it?
RW: Vincent O'Brien. The Irish horseman was a top steeplechase trainer. Won the British Grand National three years in a row. Won the Cheltenham Gold Cup four times. Turned to flat racing and trained many winners of the Epsom Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His most famous breed-shaping horses include Nijinsky II and Sadlers Wells. O'Brien was involved in every aspect of horse development from selection to breeding to training. A day with Mr. O'Brien would be a phenomenal opportunity to absorb his brilliance, horsemanship, perspective and vision.

EE: What makes a good college riding team coach?
RW: A riding team coach needs to teach beginners, intermediate riders, and more advanced riders equally well. We need to help the student blend team commitment in a balanced way with the rest of their life, academically and personally. We also need to expose our students to other riding opportunities. My students ride in dressage clinics, two-phases, hunter paces, fox hunting. The most important thing is to provide the right example in personal conduct, horseman ship and sportsmanship.

EE: Do today's youth have the same accessibility to horses? What's the same/what's different?
RW: I would have to say today's students have less accessibility to horses than when I was young. Hanging out and working in a barn all day is less available due to liability issues and safe sport concerns. Family dynamics and parenting have evolved. When I was young, I'd spend a month at my uncle's in Lake Luzerne. He was a farrier and team roper. A small gang of us would trail ride daily, on our own. I rode a mule with a McClellan saddle. We'd gallop in succession down what we called a 'dipsy doodle,' five strides down, five strides up. My saddle would fall over the mule's nonexistent withers and I'd hit the ground. I asked my uncle about it over breakfast and, not terribly concerned, said I could try a crupper, which he thought was in a pile in a shed next to the chicken coop. Then he went off to work. It worked and is a good example of kids solving their own problems without adult supervision. I parented my daughter much more closely than that.

EE: How would you like to see our horse world evolve over the next decade?
RW: That's easy: Return to seasonality. I believe in competing from Easter to Thanksgiving. Traditionally, horses were let down after Thanksgiving, then turned out for two months. We began tack walking in February, slowly preparing horses for 'stepping-stone' competitions at Easter, with significant targets in June. A few weeks down in late July, followed by a busy fall until Thanksgiving. Presently, people go to shows because there is a show. No planned season, no planned progression, just take a lesson and compete; this results in a lack of understanding and appreciation for the horse, physically and mentally. As a college teacher, my season must be September to May. I give horses a few weeks off from December into January, similar to a mid summer break, then mid-May through June off. Legging up and some work in July to August, then my season begins in earnest.

EE: You can invite three guests to dinner, who joins you and what's on the menu?
RW: Former US President Jimmy Carter. His intellect and civil dis course would be appreciated and, as an avid fly-fisherman, his humble manner and patience would be welcome. One cannot be successful at fly-fishing without both virtues. British Three-Day Event rider Sheila Wilcox, winner of Badminton three years in succession and Individual European Champion throughout the 1960s, when woman could not yet compete in Three-Day Eventing at the Olympics. Her book exem plifies nuanced appreciation for the nature of the horse. The photos of Fair And Square portray a horse freely forward and relishing his work. Finally, Denys Finch Hatton, a central character played by Robert Redford in the 1985 movie, Out of Africa, for his advice to the Baron ess von Blixen, having left her rifle on her saddle at a critical moment in the bush: "Better keep it with you. Your horse isn't much of a shot." I appreciate his independence, fondness for solitude and the fact that he could let go of a friendship over an unreturned book. The meal? Smoked salmon as an appetizer, then wild game stew ac companied by a full-bodied red wine.