Georgina Bloomberg: the profile
At 28 years old she is a working rider who has progressed from amateur to professional status, who jumps for prize money, and who trains and sells horses, leading a characteristically equestrian life. She also runs a respected horse farm—something not unusual except perhaps for her age.
In spite of these accomplishments, Georgina Bloomberg is nearly always portrayed in the media as an “heiress,” one of those peculiarly old-fashioned words that when used as a description overpowers all the finer points of a personality. Even her own publisher’s press release identifies Tommi, a Georgina-like character in the teen novel Bloomberg has just published, as “a billionaire heiress.”
Is this really a more compelling or accurate representation of Bloomberg than, say, rider or showjumper, or for that matter, author? Does it really tell us anything about her other than the obvious fact that her father is extremely rich (according to Forbes, the 10th richest person in the United States)? Of course the money had to be there in an enabling way, to finance Gotham North, her 20-acre horse farm in North Salem, New York. But Bloomberg is not just coasting along on family wealth. She is out there in the paddock and the rings working hard, earning money, building a business and creating a life.
Bloomberg typically trains horses (she currently owns six horses fully and shares in two others) from 7:30 in the morning to early afternoon, focusing on what is needed for their next show and developing young horses to a standard where they can be sold. The balance of the day is spent in the gym and doing laps in the pool “to stay as fit and strong as possible” for her demanding physical work.
“I earn money from show winnings and from my sponsors. It’s a huge help with items like horse feed, supplies and riding clothing,” she relates thoughtfully as she focuses on the business aspect of her equestrian world. “The real money in the sport comes from buying young horses, working and developing them, and selling them at a profit. It’s hard to say goodbye to a horse you have worked with and formed a bond with, but to make it as a pro, it’s a must.” But there is also a pleasure in the parting. “It’s really satisfying when you can produce a successful horse and then watch it go on to another rider and do well.”
Bloomberg received encouragement from both her parents as a young rider, but no one could have predicted how far she would go. “I fell in love with the competition side of this sport. I love my horses and I love riding, but the showing is what keeps me going and made me want to make this a business. Going pro was something I wasn’t completely sure of, but when my first sponsorship offer came in I made the decision. Supporting myself is something I work really hard to do and take great pride in, and if I was going to stay in the sport, I wanted to be doing it at the top level and to be able to pay my own way as much as possible.”
Like many competitors, she rode hunters until she aged out of the junior divisions, and then progressed to jumpers. She qualified for the World Cup Finals at 22 years old, and was a member of the United States Equestrian Team in a number of European shows.
Her history at the Hampton Classic goes back to when she was a young child riding small ponies. “I have always loved the show and winning there is such an honor in any division.” Placing sixth in the Hampton Classic Grand Prix in 2008 was a considerable achievement. “Winning it one day is definitely a goal of mine,” she confides.
A more immediate test for Bloomberg will be her reception as author of “The A Circuit”, a young adult novel set in the elite equestrian world she knows so well. When asked how she found the confidence to write a novel, she explained, “My father never let himself believe anyone who said he couldn’t do something or shouldn’t do something, and I always respected that so much. It is so much easier said than done but I have tried to follow his example. Doing this book was something completely new and unexpected for me. I never considered myself an author or a good writer, but this was actually fun and I am really happy with how it turned out.”
She also compares the experience of writing to the rigorous training she went though as a young woman to prepare to compete in the North American Young Rider Championships. “When I got up on that podium and looked at the gold medal hanging around my neck I realized how satisfying it was to set a goal and to then work as hard as possible to accomplish that goal. My trainer had taught me to believe in myself and that I can accomplish whatever I set my sights on, a lesson that sticks with me today and gave me the confidence to do the book and to believe in myself.”
Bloomberg will be one of the featured writers at the East Hampton Library Authors Night book signing on August 13th. She is clearly thrilled to be there, but with a sense of the modesty and balance that seems ingrained, she deflected attention from herself to a larger purpose. “I am so honored and excited to be a part of it and to hopefully draw some interest to the equestrian world.
Georgina Bloomberg: the book
There is a lot to be said for writing about what you know. John Grisham, a trial lawyer, writes courtroom dramas; Melville went on whaling voyages; Ian Fleming had a background in intelligence. While Georgina Bloomberg, as a newly published novelist, has more modest ambitions than these literary stars (she writes for an audience of teen girls) she has closely hewed to that particular fiction writing tradition of creatively interpreting for the reader the real life of the author.
Written in a blithe young adult style, Bloomberg’s novel, The A Circuit, (co-authored with Catherine Hapka) is the story of three young female riders in the elite world of showjumping. Thomasina, known as Tommi, is the daughter of Rick Aaronson, a Wall Street billionaire with a town house on the Upper East Side. Her sister in the novel, Callie, like Georgina’s sister in real life, Emma, is the more serious and studious one. Tommi’s life and most of the book’s scenes take place in the equestrian world, in the ring or paddock or barn, much like Georgina’s.
The story revolves mainly around Tommi, Zara, a rich and wild girl and the daughter of a rock star, Kate, from a working class background, and one young man, Fitz, all riding at the same horse farm, and all more or less trying to figure out life after high school.
Although Bloomberg has chosen to open a door on her family life in a fictional narrative, she still guards her personal privacy in the actual world. In this, she is very much like her father and her mother (Susan, divorced from but still close to Michael Bloomberg) and her sister, who all attempt to lead judicious private lives. With Georgina this even extends to limiting book publicity and interviews. One of her few public appearances was at the Hamptons Magazine Authors Night party for the East Hampton Library on August 13th.
Bloomberg is currently recovering from back surgery and will not be on a horse again until January. In the intervening time she can ponder the plot of her next book, since her publisher is promoting The A Circuit as the first of a series.