Alyson Schnier: From the Saddle to the Silver Screen

There is something about a woman who knows her way around horses. Perhaps it is the confidence, the independence, or the quiet understanding that comes from working with an animal powerful enough to outrun just about anything on four legs. Whatever the attraction, accomplished equestrian Alyson Schnier possesses the kind of genuine horse experience that Hollywood cannot manufacture.

Born into neither the movie business nor the professional Thoroughbred racing circuit, Schnier developed her equestrian abilities through years of dedication to American Quarter Horses. Now, an unexpected opportunity may carry her from the riding arena onto a major motion picture set.

Schnier is slated to portray Robyn Smith Astaire, one of America's pioneering female Thoroughbred jockeys and the woman who later married legendary Hollywood dancer and actor Fred Astaire, in the upcoming feature film Buddy from Brooklyn.

The ambitious motion picture, written and executive produced by Jay Shapiro, explores the extraordinary life of Howard "Buddy" Jacobson, the Brooklyn-born horse trainer whose rise through the American racing establishment eventually led him into the glamorous, turbulent, and sometimes dangerous world of 1970s New York society.

For Schnier, the potential role represents a remarkable meeting of two worlds: a lifelong passion for horses and an entirely new opportunity in entertainment.

An Exclusive Conversation with Alyson Schnier

PLAYHORSE: Alyson, tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up, and how did your love affair with horses begin?

ALYSON SCHNIER: I grew up in Marlboro, New Jersey, and my love affair with horses began when I was eight years old. By nine, I was already competing, and riding quickly became much more than a childhood hobby. One of the highlights of my early equestrian career was having the opportunity to represent New Jersey on the youth team at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. It was an exciting experience and a reflection of the dedication and competitive spirit that horses brought out in me from a young age.

The equestrian world has shaped so much of who I am. It taught me discipline, confidence, perseverance, and the importance of trust. I've always been captivated by the beauty, intelligence, and athleticism of horses. There's something incredibly special about the connection between horse and rider, and it's a passion that has stayed with me throughout my life.

I've never considered acting before, but when it comes to horses, performing feels completely natural to me. I would be totally open to exploring acting, especially if it allowed me to share my connection with horses in a meaningful way.

"There's something incredibly special about the connection between horse and rider, and it's a passion that has stayed with me throughout my life."

— ALYSON SCHNIER

A Horsewoman First, a Potential Movie Star Next

What makes Schnier an intriguing choice for a historical horse racing film is not an extensive Hollywood résumé, but precisely the opposite. Her experience comes from the saddle, where confidence cannot be faked and a relationship with a horse is built through patience, consistency, and trust.

Her background in Quarter Horse competition is different from the professional Thoroughbred racing career of the woman she hopes to portray. Quarter Horse shows and Thoroughbred racetracks demand different techniques, equipment, and competitive skills. Nevertheless, the fundamentals of balance, timing, horsemanship, and communication with the animal provide Schnier with a meaningful foundation for an equestrian screen role.

For a film seeking to recreate the sights and sounds of America's great racetracks during the 1960s and 1970s, that authenticity has considerable value. A convincing performance must capture more than the appearance of a jockey in colorful racing silks. It must convey the instinct, concentration, courage, and respect for the horse that distinguish a capable rider.

Schnier's willingness to consider acting is especially interesting because she has never approached horses as a steppingstone to celebrity. Riding came first. The possibility of appearing in a movie arrived much later.

Who Was Robyn Smith Astaire?

To appreciate the historical significance of the character Schnier may bring to the screen, one must return to the late 1960s, when American horse racing was overwhelmingly controlled by men and female jockeys faced considerable resistance simply trying to obtain mounts.

Robyn Smith emerged as one of the most recognizable women in American Thoroughbred racing during this transformative period. She began her professional jockey career in California in 1969 and subsequently competed at important New York racetracks, including Aqueduct and Belmont Park.

Smith was not content simply to participate. She wanted to win, and she wanted owners, trainers, and racing officials to recognize her as a legitimate professional competitor.

Her determination eventually brought national recognition. In July 1972, she appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, an extraordinary accomplishment for a female jockey at a time when women in racing were still fighting for acceptance.

On March 1, 1973, Smith made racing history aboard North Sea, winning the Paumonok Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York and becoming the first female jockey to win an American stakes race. Her accomplishment helped demonstrate that talent, judgment, and determination mattered more than gender in the competitive world of professional horse racing.

Her career also benefited from the support of influential horse owner Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., a prominent figure in the New York racing establishment. Vanderbilt provided Smith with important riding opportunities during an era when many other owners and trainers remained reluctant to hire women.

Smith ultimately accumulated hundreds of career victories and became one of the best-known female jockeys of her generation.

From the Racetrack to Fred Astaire's Heart

Robyn Smith's story eventually took an unexpected romantic turn worthy of a Hollywood screenplay.

On New Year's Day in 1973, she met the legendary dancer and movie star Fred Astaire at California's Santa Anita Racetrack. Their introduction came through Alfred Vanderbilt, who was a friend of Astaire and an important supporter of Smith's racing career.

Astaire, one of the most celebrated performers in Hollywood history, was also a passionate horse racing enthusiast. Best remembered for his elegant dancing and unforgettable partnerships with Ginger Rogers, he possessed a deep appreciation for Thoroughbred horses and the excitement of the racetrack.

What began as an acquaintance eventually developed into romance. Despite an age difference of more than four decades, the two shared a love of horses and enjoyed one another's company away from the Hollywood spotlight.

They married on June 24, 1980, in Beverly Hills. The former jockey became Robyn Smith Astaire, wife of one of the entertainment industry's most enduring legends.

The marriage lasted until Fred Astaire's death in 1987. Yet Robyn's place in American sporting history was firmly established long before she became his wife. She had already helped open doors for generations of women who dreamed of competing professionally against male jockeys.

The Buddy Jacobson Connection: Women Who Changed Horse Racing

The inclusion of Robyn Smith Astaire in Buddy from Brooklyn brings attention to an important chapter in American racing history, one that intersects with the world of the film's central character.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Howard "Buddy" Jacobson was an established and highly successful Thoroughbred trainer with a prominent presence in New York racing. Smith's emerging career placed her within that same competitive environment of racetracks, influential owners, ambitious trainers, and women determined to establish themselves in a profession long dominated by men.

Although a direct trainer-jockey partnership between Jacobson and Robyn Smith has not been independently established, their stories belong to the same extraordinary period in racing history.

Jacobson's support for female jockeys is particularly well illustrated by his association with another pioneer, Barbara Jo Rubin, who became the first woman to win a professional horse race against men in the United States in 1969.

Rubin later recalled winning races for Jacobson in New York. He reportedly wanted to acquire her riding contract, but her existing contractual arrangement prevented the move. Rubin remembered the missed opportunity as one that might have substantially advanced her career because Jacobson trained quality horses.

That account offers a revealing look at Buddy Jacobson during his successful racing years, long before his name became associated with a sensational murder case and one of New York's most extraordinary fugitive stories.

It also provides historical context for the women who entered the sport during those years. Barbara Jo Rubin and Robyn Smith belonged to a pioneering generation that challenged racing's established customs and helped create opportunities for the female jockeys who followed.

By bringing this period to the screen, Buddy from Brooklyn has an opportunity to introduce audiences not only to the notorious trainer at the center of the story, but also to the extraordinary personalities who populated his racing world.

Buddy from Brooklyn: A World of Horses, Fashion, Money and Intrigue

Currently in development under Gural & Jacobson, LLC, Buddy from Brooklyn is envisioned as a major historical crime drama tracing Jacobson's remarkable journey from the racetracks of New York to Manhattan's glamorous modeling industry and eventually into a criminal case that captured widespread attention.

During the height of his training career, Jacobson was among the most successful Thoroughbred trainers in America. His achievements in racing helped finance a lifestyle that placed him in contact with wealthy horse owners, fashionable New Yorkers, entertainers, business figures, and some of the most colorful personalities of his generation.

In the 1970s, his interests expanded beyond the racetrack into Manhattan's modeling business, including the My Fair Lady modeling agency. His world increasingly included fashion models, photographers, fashionable restaurants, nightlife, and a penthouse residence on East 84th Street.

The film's storyline takes a darker turn with the 1978 murder of nightclub manager Jack Tupper, the subsequent criminal proceedings against Jacobson, and his dramatic escape from custody in 1980. The story ultimately follows his capture, imprisonment, and death in 1989.

For producer Jay Shapiro, recreating this history also means acknowledging the broader horse racing community that helped shape Jacobson's life. The film's racing sequences offer opportunities to revisit an era of celebrated jockeys, powerful owners, colorful trainers, and an emerging generation of women who refused to remain on the sidelines.

That is where the story of Alyson Schnier becomes particularly appealing.

A New Chapter for Alyson Schnier

There is a certain symmetry in the possibility of an accomplished horsewoman portraying a woman who helped redefine what female riders could achieve.

Robyn Smith Astaire entered a profession where women were often underestimated. Alyson Schnier, decades later, may enter an entirely different profession with the same underlying advantage: a willingness to explore something new and the confidence that comes from years of dedication to horses.

Of course, competitive Quarter Horse riding and professional Thoroughbred racing are not interchangeable, and the transition from equestrian competition to a motion picture performance presents its own challenges. But Schnier brings a quality that cannot be acquired through a few acting lessons: an authentic, lifelong connection to the horse.

Her story began in Marlboro, New Jersey, with an eight-year-old girl discovering the extraordinary bond between horse and rider. By nine she was competing, and her equestrian pursuits eventually took her to the All American Quarter Horse Congress as a member of New Jersey's youth team.

Now, years after those formative experiences, the same passion may lead her in an unexpected direction: portraying a nationally recognized female jockey in a big-budget historical motion picture.

Whether this becomes her first and only film appearance or the beginning of a longer journey into entertainment remains to be seen. For now, Schnier represents something that both the equestrian and entertainment worlds can appreciate: a woman following her passion without losing sight of what inspired it in the first place.

And for PLAYHORSE Magazine, a publication celebrating horse racing, entertainment, luxury lifestyles, and the fascinating personalities who move between those worlds, Alyson Schnier's journey is a story worth watching.

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