Celebrity Equestrians: Sistine Stallone
Episode 6 of The Family Stallone, a streaming reality television series, features Sistine getting back in the saddle.
Courtesy Sistine Stallone (Instagram) and “The Family Stallone.”
The episode starts in the office of Arnold Schwarzenegger with his house pets, Lulu and Whiskey, a miniature horse and donkey. Sly expresses concerns about the pets “dropping a steamer,” but Arnold quickly cuts him off with, “So what? You just clean it up. I’m not worried about it.”
For those in need of more Lulu and Whiskey content, all of Arnold’s animals feature prominently on his social media. And, yes, they appear to live in his house full time and have a dedicated cookie jar in the kitchen.
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The episode quickly shifts gears, though, to focus on Sylvester’s middle daughter, Sistine, and her desire to start riding horses again.
Sistine rode avidly starting when she was 15 and competed in reining in and around Los Angeles, qualifying for the national championship in her age group.
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But she quit abruptly at the age of 19 to pursue a modeling career.
“Which sounds quite embarrassing to say out loud that I would choose to be a coat hanger instead of a cowgirl,” she states bluntly. “And so I want to get back on a horse. This is what makes me happy.”
But Sly’s not so open to the idea.
He’s quick to say he loves horses and riding, but he also details how much physical pain riding has caused him over the years, specifically chronic back issues linked to playing semi-professional polo.
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“I love the animals, but I love my daughters more,” he says. “I have never met a horse person that has not had a catastrophic accident. Not once.”
Undeterred, Sistine pushes on, traveling to Oklahoma, where Sly is currently filming Tulsa King, and arranging a riding lesson with a trainer named Jessica. Jessica runs Sistine through the paces, reteaching her a few basic reining maneuvers.
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During the lesson, Sly stands in the arena beside Jessica, cheering Sistine on.
“Good seat, right?” he asks at one point, to which Jessica replies, “It’s really nice.”
Sly’s excitement and interest are palpable on screen. You can tell he actually does love horses, but he also definitely loves his daughter more.
“You know I feel bad that I wasn’t as supportive as I should have been because nothing means more to me than the happiness of my children, and knowing that they’re fulfilling their dream. And I know that my kind of insecurity affected Sistine, but I’ll try harder next time.”
“I am 100% in this,” Sistine says with a smile at the end of her lesson.
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Sly closes the episode with the thought, “When you think of horse, you think, oh, yeah, cowboy. But these magnificent creatures who [are] tended to by 90% women. Behind the scenes, what makes the show go are the women. Boy, does that sound like life.”
And judging by Sly’s Instagram, his daughter’s renewed horse bug might be catching. On the set of Tulsa King, Sylvester admired a few on-set beauties, and he also shared photos of himself posing with a polo horse and a striking Andalusian in what looks to be the “barn” at the family home in Santa Barbara.
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Go riding.
Amanda Uechi Ronan is an equestrian, author, and wannabe race car driver. Follow her on Instagram @amanda_uechi_ronan.
