BUXTON- Robyn M. (Bachelder) Cuffey died on October 10, 2023, after a courageous battle with cancer. Robyn was born on May 10, 1954, the daughter of the late Arthur and Ruth Bachelder of Gorham.
Robyn was a 1972 graduate of Gorham High School and then attended the Portland School of Art. Starting in 1973, and for several years, Robyn worked at Bicknell Photo Service/Konica in Scarborough. Robyn grew up attending South Gorham Baptist Church and was active there for many years.
Robyn had many talents and interests. She was an accomplished artist (painting, drawing), crafts person (quilting, cross-stitch, stain glass), professional photographer, and author of three books that are still being sought after around the world. She loved flowers and spent a lot of time working in her beautiful gardens. However, her true passion from a very young age was horses. Robyn got her first horse at about age 14, which she sometimes rode on her paper route delivering newspapers.
Robyn launched Photo Finish Farm (PFF) in Buxton about 35 years ago and turned it into a hugely successful business. She began by teaching and training backyard riders. Then, by accident, she was given a harness racehorse off the racetrack. She had no clue how to retrain it to ride, so she did the work and figured it out. That’s when her love for Standardbreds started. She started showing Standardbreds so people might want to adopt one. She wrote a book about retraining them to ride and became the leading expert in the country on retraining retired harness racehorses. In addition, Robyn started carriage driving her retired racehorses. She became one of a few carriage drivers in Maine able to teach and train horses.
Robyn was a gifted trainer, a thoughtful teacher, and accomplished writer. She authored three books on the standardbred retraining process, including Retraining the Harness Racehorse, The Equestrians’ Guide to Acadia, and the Essential guide to Carriage Driving. She was the founder of the Maine Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization (MSPHO) and served as president. She also was a senior director of the Maine Horse Association. While Robyn eschewed praise or recognition, she was named a WMTW Community Champion in 2019 and is highly respected by Maine, New England-based, and national equine organizations.
Some of her other achievements are as follows:
Helped the University of Maine Orono set up their horse reproductive research program. She provided horses to UMO to start the program. Students retrained these horses and used Robyn’s book for their textbook.
Past President of National Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization.
Past President of Maine Horse Association.
Past President of Southern Maine Dressage Association.
One of the founders and executive director at Futures For Standardbreds (FFS).
Traveled around the world and the United States as an international clinician.
Competition - Competed Open Riding, Dressage, Pleasure Driving, Combined Driving, Competitive Driving. Completed 4th level Dressage. Standardbred at 1st level.
Despite a diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer, she continued teaching and training. She earned blue ribbons in third level dressage with her little Arab Dimitri who she adopted from the Maine State Society for the protection of Animals. She was in her most recent show in September 2023.
Robyn is survived by her husband Rob of 45 years, her brother Michael Bachelder and his wife Stephanie, her brother Thomas Bachelder and his wife Marnelle, her sister Carol (Bachelder) Hill and her husband David, her special cousins Sherri (Cooper) Fickett and Bart Vitelli, several other cousins, nephews and nieces, and great nephews and nieces. Very importantly, Robyn leaves behind a huge PFF family of her own creation, who she loved and appreciated dearly.
Robyn fought a valiant fight against pancreatic cancer, all the while staying positive and riding her horse. She is now in the presence of the Lord and we hope greeted by thundering hoofbeats of all the horses that left before her. She will be missed always.
The family requests that donations be made to
Futures For Standardbreds (FFS), please visit
https://www.futuresforstandardbreds.org/donate
Burial was private in Buxton in the cemetery she created for herself.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com