On The Cover

Click here to read the complete article
10 – July/August, 2026

By Delores Kuhlwein

They say when you swing your leg over the horse of a lifetime you know it immediately, and that was undoubtedly the case for Isabella D’Onofrio and Whata Moonlite Ride. Bella had lost her all-around horse suddenly, and the odds of filling those shoes seemed slim.

Then they found the 2015 brown gelding by Only In The Moonlite and out of January Version, by Good Version, bred by Philip S. Dobbs of Ontario, and Bella explains she knew “Bob” was different from the very first ride. “The connection I felt with him was immediate and impossible to explain unless you’ve experienced it yourself with a horse. There was a feeling of comfort, trust, and understanding between us right away. He gave me confidence again during a time when my heart really needed it. I fell in love with him instantly, and looking back now, I truly believe he came into my life exactly when he was meant to.”

He soon became widely known as “Bob the Unicorn,” touching everyone’s heart in the D’Onofrio family with his softness and kindness, and proving to be the ultimate, talented show partner, instinctively knowing what Bella needed, and a bond that trainer Carly Parks describes as one of the most special she has seen.

“He knows when you need confidence, when you need calmness, and somehow, he always rises to the occasion exactly when you need him most, and he gives every ounce of himself every single time you walk into the pen with him. He will give snuggles when you need it or he will give his little “lucky snort,” and you always know he is ready after that,” Bella explains. “There were so many moments where I’d walk into the pen nervous, and the second I sat on him, all that disappeared.”

Click here to read the complete article
10 – July/August, 2026