 Her father, Christopher Chenery, a Virginian, was driven by early poverty to became a millionaire, a goal he accomplished by 1928 by founding utility companies, first Federal Water Service, and then Southern Natural Gas Company.In 1936, he founded Meadow Stable, a thoroughbred racing and horse breeding operation at The Meadow in Caroline County, Virginia.Chenery had a love of horses from a young age, and learned to ride at age five.