Ann Hardaway Taylor

Ann Hardaway grew up in the idyllic countryside of Columbus, GA as the youngest of four sisters … to a father who was larger than life.

The late Ben Hardaway, Ann’s Dad, is known as a legend in the fox-hunting world and was founder of the famed Midland Fox Hounds in 1950. Good friend and classmate Florence Calloway ’76 said that Ann’s mother Sara supposedly told Ben when Ann was born, the 4th of the 4 girls, "…this one is yours!” 

Ann must have heard her mother as she did just that — growing up in her father’s footsteps. As long as Florence could remember, Ann has been riding — ponies first and then horses. She had a pony named Little Rebel she said they would ride all over the countryside without a worry in the world. She knew Ann in childhood as “…adventurous, and fearless on a horse. She was a natural and horses just became a part of her body.” Ann got her first taste of eventing (the equine discipline that includes dressage, cross country and show jumping) by attending the Midland Pony Club. 

Ann followed in the footsteps of her older sisters (Mary Lu Hardaway Lampton ’66 and Susannah Hardaway ’70), North to attend Foxcroft. She brought her horse Scamp from Georgia to ride all four years. Ann was able to fox hunt with Middleburg Hunt and compete in eventing competitions. While she was tremendously athletic, Ann focused mainly on riding and was a member of Foxcroft's elite Riding Officers Club.

While in Virginia, and through a mutual friend named Wash Bishop, Ann began training with renowned Olympic-level event rider and trainer Jim Wofford in nearby Upperville. This introduction sparked her interest in pursuing higher levels of eventing.

By 1986, Ann was named Top Lady Rider by the United States Combined Training Association (the leading U.S. organization for all Olympic equine sports) after winning five events including the Debroke Preliminary National Championships. Her horse Rolls-Royce, was also named the 1987 Mare of the Year. She and the mare had another big win in 1987 when Ann won the Rolex-Little River selection trial which put her on the shortlist to go to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Ann achieved her goal and was named a member of the Olympic 3-day event team with her horse, Tarzan.

The United States did not medal that year, but that did not stop Ann. In 1989, she was third in the Rolex Kentucky 3-day event — one of only seven 5-star level events worldwide. 

Ann met her husband Nigel Taylor while training in England in 1989. Nigel is a top-level British event rider in his own right. Together they have three children, Grace and twin boys Ben and Neil. Since moving abroad, Ann believes she has ridden in every 3-day event in England and Europe. She still competes today and with her husband, they run a tremendously successful horse trials called Aston-Le-Walls from their base, Washbrook Farm.

See the full video presentation here.