Model Behavior

How a Hard-Working Equestrian Came to Grace Catwalks and Magazine Covers

At 13 years old, Chloe Malvezzi grew quickly to 5’8” tall and, as an active teenager with a fast metabolism, was quite slender. Often ridiculed by classmates because of her stature, her self-esteem suffered. So, when Malvezzi was approached by John Casablancas Modeling and Acting Agency at her middle school career day, her mother encouraged the young teen to enroll to help boost her confidence. Fast forward 14 years, and Malvezzi has graced the runway at fashion week, the cover of a magazine, has been on Project Runway, and, perhaps the pinnacle achievement as an equestrian—the pages of the Dover Saddlery catalog. “My mom thought modeling would be a great way for me to come out of my shell and learn to talk to people better,” she says. “And, here I am still doing this at 27. Never did I think I would be doing it for my job.” From the time Malvezzi was 16, she was balancing modeling with school and other jobs, from working at a dog kennel to a dress boutique. She dove into modeling full-time six years ago after struggling to make it all work. “It was very busy and very stressful,” she recalls. “My mom and dad sat me down and said ‘if you want to model, you need to give it 110% and you need to take a break from doing everything else.’” Having grown up taking care of her own horses, Malvezzi learned the value of hard work and perseverance at a young age. Her parents have owned a boarding stable for 25 years in the sleepy town of Durham, CT, set on 20 acres leased from a historic dairy farm. “I’m thankful for growing up around the barn because it taught me about responsibility and taking care of something other than myself,” she says. “Just looking after the horses—making sure the stalls were clean, filling the water buckets, feeding, cleaning tack after I rode—definitely helped make me into the adult that I am today.” On her eighth birthday, Malvezzi would receive a gift better than she could imagine. An adorable 14.2 chesnut Quarter Pony came in on trial for a boarder…or so young Chloe thought. She fell in love with “Bonnie,” occasionally riding the pony in between helping her barn mate out. “But my parents were really making sure I was able to ride the pony, “Malvezzi explains. “It was this whole big elaborate scheme. I went to the barn one day to go tack her up and she had this white bow on her halter and it turns out she was my birthday present.” Though she started out riding hunt seat, Malvezzi fell into—and in love with—saddle seat inadvertently. After she outgrew Bonnie, her hunter/jumper, Felix, got extreme white line disease and became laid up for six months. But, not riding was not an option for Malvezzi. Her parents happened to own a National Show Horse that had been in the family for some time and was still very rideable. So, instead of losing her skillset, she opted to swap to saddle seat. Malvezzi and her newest partner, Charlie, have found recent success in the Amateur Park division after two years of hard work together. They claimed Reserve Champion in the Amateur Park division at the UPHA 14 Summer Classic in Connecticut in August and third in Open Park at the Big E Horse Show in September. “I just love the connection and the bond that you have with your horse that you create over time. It’s such a free thing, to be up on a horse doing what you’re passionate about,” she says.

Her life with horses and modeling have played off of each other well. “Modeling is a very cut-throat industry and I’ve been doing it since I was very young, so early on I had to learn how to develop a thick skin. I’ve become more confident, because if one job doesn’t like me another one will,” she says. “And that confidence definitely transfers over to riding as well.”

Beyond a career and confidence, modeling has provided Malvezzi with unique experiences. “You’re always doing something different, always working with somebody new, in different clothing, and different locations,” she says. “It’s been fun getting to travel and I’ve worked with and met some amazing people.”

While she’s enjoying the ride, Malvezzi has her eyes on the future, as well. In addition to modeling jobs, she is currently teaching runway and makeup classes, as well as dabbling in administration at John Casablancas to help determine her next steps. Riding and competing will always have a place in her life, however. “That’s something I can’t see myself not doing,” she says. “And, hopefully I’ll eventually get married and have kids, so I can tell them all of these cool stories that I did when I was in my younger years.”

This article was originally published in Northeast Equestrian Life,