D. Susan Knight
D. Susan Knight, former Skidmore polo coach, died January 7, 2013, in Ballston Spa, N.Y. She was 53.
Sue was born in Atlanta, Ga., to Ronald M. Seaman and Mary Helen (Yelton) Seaman. She graduated from Cornell University in 1981 with a bachelor's in animal science, in hopes of becoming a veterinarian. She played on the Cornell women's polo team and was part of a national championship season. After graduation, she worked and played polo in Georgia, Florida, and Wyoming.
She married Thomas Knight in 1984 and moved to Saratoga Springs in 1985 to become head coach of Skidmore’s men’s and women's polo teams, the first woman to do so. With her husband she started her own riding and training business in Ballston Spa. She specialized in helping people with difficult horses and taught many adults and children the joy of riding. She continued playing polo in New York and the Northeast.
Colleagues remarked that Sue will be missed for her passion and commitment to helping horses and their owners develop and build long-lasting relationships and to introducing people to the world of horses.
Survivors included husband Thomas; father Ronald and his wife, Leoncia; her sisters, Kathryn (Seaman) Harackiewicz and Pamela (Seaman) McCormick; her brother, Ronald M. Seaman Jr.; and several nieces and nephews.