This equestrian couple’s bond is destined to grow stronger as they canter into a new chapter
Photography by Chris Joriann | Styling by Joriann Maye-Keegan
Taylor McMurtry and Nick Granat’s careers pull them in many directions and lead them to many locations—but their love is rooted in Palm Beach County. Their affinity for horses and individual professional pursuits brought McMurtry, an award-winning rider and trainer, and Granat, an international competition course designer, together. The part-time Wellington residents were married in early January at the Flagler Museum, an event planned around the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Following the elegant nuptials, it was back to the saddle.
The newlyweds are currently involved in this year’s WEF, with McMurtry riding and Granat setting the courses for 10 of the festival’s 12 weeks. The date for their union was an optimal opportunity to gather colleagues and family in town while working around the intense schedule. They chose to hold it on a Sunday because, in the horse world, busy weekends mean that riders generally take Monday off. “It’s what our life is centered around,” says Granat, whose mother and stepfather are long-time Palm Beach residents. “All of our friends—everyone’s in the horse business. It’s a little bit like being in the circus: Once you’re in, you’re in.”
Both McMurtry and Granat began riding horses around age 8. A family trip to a dude ranch inspired her mother, Jennifer McMurtry, to return to her childhood pastime. “She got back into it, and I fell in love with it right away,” McMurtry, 27, recalls. In no time, McMurtry was in the ring with her own pony. “They’re just beautiful animals. They trust you and are dependent on you. They give us what we give them.”
The McMurtry family home in the rolling countryside of Barrington Hills, Illinois—a bucolic village northwest of Chicago with a deep equestrian heritage—was ideal for the mother and daughter.
Read more from Palm Beach Illustrated here. Our thanks to one of our longtime readers who shared this article.
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