TDN Weekend December 2016 Issue 9
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1087484
"My friend wanted to go to an auction to buy a saddle and asked if I wanted to come along. It was one of those auctions with tack, ranch horses, meat dealers – you know the kind. I had no intention of buying a horse that day," she said. Walking past the stalls, a tall, lean, dark bay filly caught Nygaard's eye. The horse was stunning, but more than that she seemed kind, but unsure of her surroundings. She was the only Thoroughbred at the auction that day, and as she went through the ring Nygaard raised her hand from the back to bid. The auctioneer failed to see her and the filly left the ring on a final bid of $800. She went back to her stall. Nygaard learned the bidder purchased her to protect her from the meat dealers and offered to sell her for $950. Without hesitation, she accepted the offer and, while she jokes that the purchase price has been the cheapest part of her ownership, Nygaard still has her today at age 26. Finding Love and Building a Life When Nygaard and her now-husband, Erik, first met on- line, he was living in New York while she was in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Erik is an MIT graduate who, after a stint working as a microelectronics engineer, went on to a career in bond trading and real estate finance. One of the first things they connected on was a mutual love of horses – specifically Thoroughbreds. "When I met Erik, he loved to go to Saratoga to handi- cap and watch the races and those were some of our first outings together," said Nygaard. "I think at the time I had some negative perceptions of racing because of how I got my horse, but I quickly came to love the sport and togeth- er we became involved with racehorse ownership."