Virginia Self (Bucklin) Bunker, formerly of Narragansett, passed away peacefully in Providence on May 12, 2024 at age 91.

Born in 1932 in New Canaan, CT, Gincy was the daughter of Sydney B Self, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and Margaret Cabell Self, a noted author and equestrian. She and her three older siblings grew up surrounded by horses and ponies, becoming skilled riders at an early age. As a teen, Gincy began helping to teach riding lessons at the New Canaan Mounted Troop, the riding school founded by her mother, which is still operating today. In 1963 she took over running the Troop after Margaret Self retired. She later ran riding programs at the Wilton (CT) Riding Club and at Lion Hill Farm, which she founded with her second husband Harris Bucklin in Easton CT in 1978.

In every riding program she operated, Gincy created a warm community of riders of all ages and skill levels. Thanks to the love of horses and riding which she gave them, many of her students became lifelong riders, horse owners and even instructors, and remained in touch with her for decades.

Gincy’s lifelong passion was to change the way the fundamentals of riding are taught. She sometimes called it the “worst taught sport in the world” and observed, early in her teaching career, that most riding programs pushed students to attempt advanced skills such as cantering and jumping, before they mastered the basics of balance, relaxation, rein skills, and understanding the horse as a partner. She devoted most of her career to developing a teaching approach that helps students develop their skills at their own pace. She soon found that students of all ages loved her more deliberate and in depth approach, enjoying all aspects of caring for and riding their horses. In the 1980s Gincy began to write about her teaching method, publishing dozens of articles and columns in nationally distributed horse magazines.

In 1992, Gincy and Harris retired to Narragansett, RI, where she continued to write, producing four books under her pen name, “Gincy Self Bucklin.” Retirement also gave her more time to pursue her other interests: gardening, singing in the choir of St Peter’s by the Sea, Narragansett, and spending more time with her children and grandchildren. As lifelong and expert sailors, she and Harris also spent many happy days sailing their beloved catboat on Narragansett Bay and beyond.

After Harris passed away in 2004, she reconnected with a recently widowed college sweetheart, Samuel Bunker, of Dummerston, VT. She moved to Vermont, they married, and enjoyed the lakes and mountains and the cultural life of Brattleboro until his death in 2016. In 2020, she moved to an assisted living community in Cranston, to be close to her daughter Karen. In her last few years she met her new great grandchildren and enjoyed family gatherings and many outings around Rhode Island.

Gincy is survived by her children, Karen Hayes of Cranston, Bruce Hayes of Huntsville, AL, stepchildren Harris Bucklin III, Jane Bucklin MacGregor, Jamie Bunker, and Jennifer Bunker, many nieces and nephews, grandchildren, step-grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and an extended family of countless former riding students.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Rhode Island later in the summer.

Memorial donations can be made to New Canaan Mounted Troop (https://newcanaanmountedtroop.org/ ), or the Audubon Society (National Audubon Society.)