VOLUME XXXIV / NUMBER 1 • THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VIRGINIA STEEPLECHASE ASSOCIATION • WINTER/SPRING 2022
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
FOXHUNTING
Jeff LeHew, MFH, led a sweeping field of followers when Thornton Hill Hounds visited his Shannon Hill home for a day of sport with Blue Ridge Hunt, November 30, 2021. Denny Bomar photo
Piedmont Fox Hounds continue their long tradition of hunting from Old Welbourne thanks to Brad Bondi who graciously, and happily, hosted the meet from his home on December 18, 2021. Douglas Lees photo
Professional Huntsman Stacy Zachariadis, with Honorary Whipper-in Carly Palazzolo, of Smithtown Hunt (NY) cheers hounds as they find their “quarry” at the close of a drag chase on Opening Day from Old Westbury, November 7, 2021 Photo courtesy of Christa Duva
A large field of ladies moved off from Stonehedge when Orange County Hounds hosted a Vixens Meet on December 3, 2021. Douglas Lees photo
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
Larry Pitts Retires (Again)
SPORTING LIFE HIGHLIGHTS Steeplechasing Returns to Florida Ocala’s Florida Horse Park will add a new feature to its list of equestrian events when it hosts the first meeting of the new Florida Steeplechase on March 5, 2022. The meet has the support of the National Steeplechase Association and Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation. “We stand behind the meet and will support it in any way we can to create an exciting new event opportunity,” said NSA President Al Griffin. “The goal is to make it part of the calendar in 2023 as a properly sanctioned meet. For now, it’s a nice opportunity for trainers and owners to school younger horses and for us to check out the facility.” Former NSA jockey Archie Macauley and his partner Jessica Berry developed the idea of bringing steeplechasing back to Florida. The Little Everglades Point-toPoint began running in 2000 but ceased operations in 2009. The current plans have generated strong support from many others including Mason Lampton, who runs the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., and whose family has a rich history in the sport. NSA horsemen have expressed their support as well. “Every owner and trainer we have spoken to so far has been supportive of the event,” Berry says, “and many have already offered to bring runners.” The steeplechase course is situated within the existing cross-country course. It’s fully irrigated, about 1 1/16 miles around, and slightly undulating. It’s not an oval, but there is a long straightaway leading into the stretch that offers spectators a great vantage point to view the final fence and race to the wire. Tentative plans call for a six-race card, three over hurdles, with a 12:30 p.m. post time. Entries close 11:00 a.m., Monday, March 1. For ticketing and other information, visit www.Thefloridasteeplechase.com. [Source: www.NationalSteeplechase.com]
Rose Tree-Blue Mountain Huntsman/Master Sean Cully moves off with hounds on Opening Day, November 7, 2021 in York County, PA, aided by Honorary Whipper-In Neil Houck. Eric Schneider photo
Huntsman Larry Pitts, Bedford County Hunt, Opening Meet at Allwood Acres, the home of Mr. & Mrs. John Watts, Amherst, VA, October 26, 2019. Karen Kandra photo
At the end of the 2014/2015 season, Larry Pitts concluded a stellar 35-year career as Huntsman for Maryland’s Potomac Hunt. He and his whipper-in wife Peggy moved down to Bedford, Virginia, where they planned to relax and enjoy riding in the field with Bedford County Hunt. But circumstances soon changed and Larry once again took up the horn. This second role as Huntsman now concludes, considerably shorter than this three-and-a-half decades with Potomac, but not without similar distinction. He and Peggy will remain in the Bedford area and will now enjoy a much-deserved full retirement. We wish them well!
While visiting Virginia, Steve Farrin (right), now serving as Huntsman at Norfolk Hunt (MA), accepted his friend Reg Spreadborough’s invitation to Sam Homeyer, Old Dominion Hounds Pony Clubber join him for a day of hunting with Orange County C-2 and junior whip, rode with ODH Huntsman Josh Bentley to serve as Junior Huntsman when the hunt Hounds from Orion House on New Year’s Eve. met at Copperfield on December 11, 2021. Douglas Lees photo
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Liz Callar www.lizcallar.com Denny Bomar Cody Photography Skip Dickstein Carol Fenwick Lauren R. Giannini Karen Kandra Douglas Lees douglaslees@comcast.net Judy Leonard Joanne Maisano Shawn McMillen Middleburg Photo LLC www.middlelburgphoto.com Erica Miller Laura Palazzolo/CanterClix While following the Blue Ridge Hunt on Teresa Ramsay a foot hunting day from Montevento, Eric Schneider February 1, 2022, Liz Callar found herself Rick Stillings in just the right place at the right time. ILLUSTRATION: Claudia Coleman
Douglas Lees photo
is published 4 times a year. Editorial and Advertising Address: 60 Alexandria Pike, Warrenton, VA 20186 For information and advertising rates, please call (540) 347-3141, fax (540) 347-7141 Space Deadline for the May 5, 2022. Payment in full due with copy. Publisher: Marion Maggiolo Managing Editor: J. Harris Anderson Advertising: Debbie Cutler (540) 347-3141, (800) 882-4868, Email: hcdebbiebtc@aol.com Contributors: J. Harris Anderson, Lauren Giannini, Will O’Keefe, Osmun, Virginia Equine Alliance, Jenny Young LAYOUT & DESIGN: Kate Houchin Copyright © 2022 In & Around Horse Country®. All Rights Reserved. Volume XXXIV, No. 1 POSTMASTER: CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Regular subscription 5 issues $25.00, U.S.A. First Class subscription $35.00, Europe, Canada, etc. $45.00
IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
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RACING
2022 Spring Steeplechase Season Preview By Will O’Keefe competitive with a record $390,000 in The Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point purses being offered. The six-race card is back on the Virginia Steeplechase Calis headlined by the $100,000 Virginia endar and will kick off the 2022 season. Gold Cup Timber Stakes and the The races will be run on Saturday, $75,000 David Semmes Memorial HurMarch 5 at The Hill near Boston, Virdle Stakes. Everyone is going to want to ginia. If Mother Nature does not coopbe on hand early as the second race on erate on the 5th, the races will be run on the card is the $40,000 steeplethon March 12. Rappahannock Hunt will stakes run over one of the most unique build on the success of the races in 2020 courses in steeplechase racing. Three adthat ended an eleven-year hiatus. The ditional hurdle races will be run; one for race course that was developed by the maidens and another a hurdle stakes race landowner, Larry Levy, and the Rapparestricted to four-year-olds running for a hannock Hunt volunteers will once $50,000 purse. There is an additional alagain host the races. The race card will Middleburg Spring Races, 2019 lowance race over hurdles. The final include six races: four over timber and Alfred M. Hunt Steeplechase Steeplethon two on the flat. Post time will be 1:00 (l-r) Sweet Talking Guy (#5, Erin Swope, up); Days of Heaven (#8, Michael Mitchell, race on the card is a 1½ mile $50,000 up) – 1st; Overwhelming (#3, Willie McCarthy, up) – 4th. Joanne Maisano photo stakes race on the flat. For additional inPM. For the second year the Orange County Hounds Point-to-Point will formation contact www.nationalsteeplechaseassociation.com or not be held, but their hunter pace events will take place on Saturday, April www.centralentryoffice.com. The Virginia Equine 2. The remaining point-to-point schedule will remain the same with races every weekend until the Middleburg Hunt pulls down the point-to-point Alliance (VEA) has been a great friend to curtain in Virginia on Sunday, May 1. The Middleburg Spring Races will open the NSA Sanctioned stee- steeplechase racing in plechase races in Virginia at Glenwood Park near Middleburg on Satur- Virginia in recent years. day, April 23. This year Middleburg will offer $215,000 in purses. The Their support to the purse for the featured Grade II Temple Gwathmey Hurdle Stakes will be purse structure of the $75,000 and will attract most of the best hurdle horses in training. The Virginia sanctioned race co-featured $25,000 Middleburg Hunt Cup Timber Stakes is an ideal prep meets and of the Virfor the Virginia Gold Cup, and a strong field will go to the post. The race ginia Point-to-Points card also includes the Alfred M. Hunt Steeplethon, which is a crowd fa- has been crucial to the vorite with its circuitous route over varied obstacles. Additional hurdle growth of the sport. This year, they will continue races and a flat race round out the card. The Foxfield Spring Races will be run on Saturday, April 30 at the the popular Starter Reward program. Any Foxfield Race Course horse that starts in a flat, near Charlottesville, hurdle or timber race at Virginia. The Spring Virginia Gold Cup Races, 2019 $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup Timber Stakes the Virginia Point-toRace Meet always at(l-r) Doc Cebu (Hadden Frost, up)– 4th; Andi’Amu Points and is owned by tracts a huge crowd of (Jack Doyle, up)– 1st. Douglas Lees photo a Virginian or trained in students and race fans. Virginia, will receive $200 per start. The Starter Reward program is The feature race is the funded by the VEA whose purpose is to sustain, promote, and expand Daniel Van Clief Mehorse breeding and horse racing industries in Virginia. Call 540-347-4313 morial, which will be a or email for any questions about the program. The VEA Board recognizes handicap hurdle stakes how important the point-to-points are to the steeplechase industry and race. Four-year-olds they also serve to help get young riders started. and upward will be On Friday, March 4, the Virginia Steeplechase Association’s Annual running for a $50,000 Steeplechase Awards Dinner will be held at the Middleburg Community purse. There are three Center in Middleburg. The leading Virginia-based owners, trainers, and races over fences for riders will be crowned, as will the leading hurdle and timber horses. non-winners. One of Foxfield Spring Races, 2019 Awards will also be presented to those participants who raced in Virginia these is over timber, VEA Filly & Mare Maiden Hurdle but were not necessarily based in Virginia. One of the highlights of the and the other two are (l-r) Market Alley (Barry Foley, up) – 1st; That’s That (Ross Geraghty, up) – 2nd. Rick Stillings photo evening will be the inductions into the Virginia Steeplechase Hall of over hurdles. There will also be an apprentice rider race over hurdles, a ratings hurdle race, Fame. The Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to recognize the leaders of the sport in the Old Dominion. Contact Don Yovanovich 540-270-0115 and a training flat race going one mile and one sixteenth. The Virginia Gold Cup Races will return to their traditional first Sat- for reservations. urday in May, the 7th. The races will be run with pari-mutuel wagering available on the races at Great Meadow and the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. You can bet that the races will be highly
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
SHOWING
From the Hunt Field to Horse Show Heights For one Virginia equestrian, Sophia Vella, foxhunting and horse showing have always gone hand in hand. And as Sophia achieved one of her lifelong goals this past October in the show ring, based on the roster of her fellow-competitors, it is quite evident how deeply the foxhunting community is connected to the top of the show world, and speaks volumes to the wealth of equestrian talent that Virginia hunt country is fortunate to have. Sophia and Kitty on their way to clinching the 2021 WIHS Sophia Vella’s love for horses began as a todAdult Amateur Hunter Championship. dler, sharing rides with her mother, Celeste Vella, reShawn McMillen photo tired joint MFH of the Warrenton Hunt. Sophia’s own ties to the Warrenton Hunt go as far back as she can remember. From the age of 6, she was attending Warrenton Hunt trail rides and pair races, and by the age of 10 she was hunting in Warrenton Hunt’s first field on her 11 hand Dartmoor pony, Georgia Brown. At the age of 14, Sophia earned her colors with the Warrenton Hunt, and in 2010, she qualified to represent the Warrenton Hunt at the Junior North American Field Hunter Championships hosted by Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds in Pennsylvania, where she and her longtime foxhunting partner, Curious George, emerged victorious in the 12 and under First Flight Division. In 2012, the pair went on to win the 13 through 18-year-old First Flight Division of the JNAFHC, this time hosted by the Radnor Hunt. With foxhunting, pair racing, and hunter trials consuming Sophia’s equestrian passion in the fall and winter months, she found horse showing to be the perfect activity in the spring and summer to continue honing her riding skills. Sophia enjoyed several Sophia enjoyed several champion and reserve ribbons on champion and reserve ribbons on her mare, Silhouette, as they moved up the ranks from the children’s her mare, Silhouette, shown here competing in the division to the junior division and later to the amateur Middleburg Classic 2017. Teresa Ramsay photo divisions. As an adult, Sophia was able to achieve her first year-end Virginia championship by winning the 2016 Virginia Horse Show Association Adult Medal Final on Jennifer Oliver’s Thoroughbred, Steel Me Away. Despite her local success in the show ring, Vella has always dreamed of competing at a national indoor final. To compete in the Washington International Horse Show Adult Amateur Hunter Championship, however, horse and rider must first qualify for entry by registering for the WIHS Championship at the beginning of the show season and compiling enough winning points to receive an invitation to compete. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2020 and starting her professional career as an analyst with Deloitte, Sophia was certain that her dream of one day competing at a National indoor final would have to be put on hold, given her full time work schedule and the fact that her 6-yearold show hunter, Mr. President (aka “Peanut”), was still green and inexperienced. Serendipitously, however, at the end of 2020, By 2012 Sophia was already displaying her winning form the Vellas’ trainers, Grace Long and Tom Bebb out with her longtime foxhunting partner Curious George, shown here competing in the 2012 Orange County Hounds of Middleburg, Virginia, found the perfect horse for Team Chase. The pair also took first place that year in the Vella to keep those dreams alive. The 6-year-old First Flight Division of the Junior North American Field mare by Durango VDL had previous dressage trainHunter Championship, having won the 12 and Under First ing but showed potential to make it as a hunter with Flight Division the year before. her beautiful gaits, powerful jump, and easy-going Judy Leonard photo disposition. So the Vellas took a leap of faith and
purchased the mare for Sophia as a long-term project, and Sophia named the mare, “Just for Kicks,” or “Kitty”. Though the mare was new to the world of show hunters, she took to the training with ease. Grace and Tom gave Kitty her show ring debut in the Baby Green Hunter at HITS Ocala in January 2021, where Kitty won 4 out of 5 classes to earn Champion. Sophia’s first show with Kitty at WEC in Ocala, Florida, in February 2021 culminated in Kitty taking home the Reserve Champion title in the 2’9” Open Hunter Division. Thereafter, Sophia began showing the mare in the 18-35 Adult Amateur Hunters in April of 2021 at Lexington, Virginia, to again capture Reserve Champion. Both Kitty and Peanut campaigned at several Virginia horse shows, becoming more consistent and earning top placings along the way, with Mr. President winning Reserve Champion in the Local Owner/Rider Division at Upperville and scoring the win in the Adult Amateur Classic at the Loudoun Benefit Horse Show, contributing to Peanut qualifying for the NAL Adult Amateur Hunter Championship at Capital Challenge and the WIHS Adult Amateur Hunter Championship at the Washington International Horse Show. Since Kitty was still in her first year of showing, at the beginning of the show season Sophia did not consider trying to qualify her for any of the indoor finals. Given Kitty’s progress throughout the 2021 show season, however, Sophia decided in October to take her only remaining chance to qualify Kitty for the Adult Amateur Hunter Championship at the Washington International Horse Show. To receive the coveted invitation to the WIHS, Sophia and Kitty would have to be crowned Adult Amateur Hunter Grand Champion at the WIHS Regionals, held at Morven Park. Thinking they had nothing to lose, Sophia and Kitty were able to put their best foot forward to win all three classes in the 18-35 Adult Amateur division to end up the WIHS Regional Co-Grand Adult Amateur Champions, and by doing so they stamped their ticket to compete at the Adult Amateur Hunter Championship at the Washington International Horse Show the following week. Although nervous and excited to have finally qualified for WIHS, Sophia again felt that given Kitty’s youth and inexperience, the two would just relax and treat the show as a learning experience. In their first of two rounds, however, Kitty and Sophia scored an 85, placing the pair in fourth position and within striking distance of a place on the podium. Given her score in the first round, nerves were now a definite factor as the pair entered the ring for their second round, but Kitty and Sophia rose to the challenge, matching their best-ever score of 87 to put them at the top of the class and clinch the Washington International Adult Amateur Hunter Championship. As icing on the cake, Sophia also guided Mr. President in the championship rounds to finish in 6th place. Despite the pressure of competing at her first indoor national championship, Sophia was able to draw on her experience and those many lessons learned in the hunt field to kick-on and persevere to succeed.
IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
Sophia and JustforKicks (Kitty) proudly (if unexpectedly) accepting their award at the 2021 Washington International Horse Show. Shawn McMillen photo
As confirmation of the talent found in her local equestrian and foxhunting community, of the 12 ribbons awarded at the 2021 Adult Amateur Hunter Championship at the Washington International Horse Show, three of the ribbon winners are Fauquier County, Virginia, residents and are affiliated with the Warrenton Hunt; with Michelle DeWoolfson’s daughter, Ashley DeWoolfson and her grey mare, Cinderella, placing fourth; Betty Oare and her lovely gelding, Side Note, placing eighth; and Sophia Vella with her mare, Just for Kicks, placing first and her Mr. President placing sixth. Vella finally had her indoor experience, and it was even more than she could have ever imagined. Sophia credits her success to Kitty’s and Peanut’s great dispositions, the expert training received from Long and Bebb, the constant encouragement and support from her parents and foxhunting friends to follow her dreams, and, of course, the many lessons learned during her years of hunting with Warrenton Hunt galloping through the beautiful Virginia countryside. Editor’s Note: Our thanks to Celeste Vella, ex-MFH, for providing us with this report on her daughter’s successes in the hunt field and show ring.
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
HORSES
Virginia Thoroughbred Project Comes to the Aid of Retired Racehorses By J. Harris Anderson, Managing Editor
Crystal Wever, VTP Farm Manager, hails from a horse racing family. She’s posed here with her personal OTTB, Vero Beach, who’s been successfully retrained as a pleasure and trail riding horse. VTP photo The 39 retired Thoroughbreds currently in the VTP’s care enjoy ample acreage for grazing and relaxation at the spacious Montpelier facility. VTP photo
Open Sesame, aka Sam, a 25-year-old Kentucky-bred, ranks as the highest earner among the VTP herd with winnings of $346,178. After retiring from the track, he trained as a jumper but arthritis brought an end to that career as well. VTP photo
There has always been a need to repurpose or rehome retired Thoroughbreds. But making the transition can pose a challenge. How does someone not connected to the racing community find a suitable prospect for a different discipline such as showing, eventing, or pleasure riding? Perhaps harder still is finding a safe, reliable retirement option for the horse that, due to age or physical limitations, just needs to be turned out and cared for. Fortunately, there’s an organization dedicated to providing those services—the Virginia Thoroughbred Project, where the objective is to set the gold standard for the aftercare of the Thoroughbred horse in Virginia. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the VTP is located on the historic grounds of James Madison’s Montpelier. Many of the 39 horses currently in VTP’s care had their racing careers cut short by injury while others were simply not fit for the demanding sport. VTP ensures these magnificent animals live out a life of tranquility for as long as comfortably possible. Part of the mission of the VTP is to assess the possibility of the rehabilitation and adoption of some horses for whom a second career might be possible. These horses are usually ones that have come to the VTP as younger individuals with no seriously limiting injuries. They’re evaluated and trained by professional staff and considered for use as a pleasure horse, dressage, jumper, or eventing prospect. In the near future, the services will include options for those that are not suitable for retraining to be offered for adoption or fostering as companion animals. The operation began in 2003 as one of many farms managed by a large, national rescue for offthe-track-Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). In December of 2019 the Montpelier-based facility became an independent entity, renamed the Virginia Thoroughbred Project, dedicated specifically to the care of Thoroughbred horses in the Old Dominion.
In November 2021, the VTP received accreditation from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) based in Kentucky, a national organization affiliated with The Jockey Club that sets the standard for the highest level of acceptable care of Thoroughbred horses in the country. TAA accredited organizations undergo a rigorous application and inspection process prior to accreditation to ensure they meet the Code of Standards, which covers five key areas: operations, education, horse healthcare management, facility standards and services, and adoption policies and protocols. Facility inspections are conducted at all facilities housing Thoroughbreds for each organization. Ongoing updates and re-inspections are required as a condition of accreditation. Currently, the VTP’s 39 retired Thoroughbred horses live on 150 beautiful rolling acres at James Madison’s Montpelier near Orange, Virginia. All of these horses are retirees, well past their expiration date for serious equine endeavors. All are well cared for and checked daily by professional equine farm manager, Crystal Wever. Regular veterinary, farrier, and dental care are provided whenever necessary. We asked Crystal what led her to take on this duty at the VTP. “VTP’s mission is one that I hold near and dear. Thoroughbred horse racing has been a family business for as long as I can remember. I worked as an exercise rider for several years but decided to hang up my tack to become a radiologic technician. After five years practicing, I longed to work with horses again in some capacity. I saw a job opening for farm manager and couldn’t resist! Horses have quite literally been my life. I owe so much to them; not only from a financial standpoint but to all the seemingly small ways that they constantly enrich my life. It’s so rewarding to be able to finally repay these amazing animals that have given me so much over the course of my life.”
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
Every one of the 39 horses currently in her care is special to Crystal. So when the discussion turned to citing just a few examples of VTP retirees, she was hard pressed to narrow down the choices. But she opted to provide us with some details about these three: “Open Sesame, aka Sam, is a 25-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Phone Trick. A flashy chestnut with a stripe and four white stockings, he’s our highest earner with winnings of $346,178 on the racetrack. He raced mostly at prominent tracks in New York and is graded stakes placed. When Sam was retired from racing, he was retrained as a jumper for a couple of years. Unfortunately, he developed arthritis in his lower neck and front ankles and could no longer comfortably continue his second career. So his days are now filled with grazing and enjoying the retired life as a sanctuary resident at VTP with his buddies. He occasionally masquerades as a grumpy old man, but he’s a true pleasure to work with and is a class act. He cleverly inserts himself up front and center whenever there are cookies around! “Black Silk (GB), aka Silkie, is an English bred beautiful dark bay. He appears to be black when he sheds out for the summer. Silkie is a graded stakes placed winner with earnings of $315,612. He has raced in England, Japan, and at leading tracks coast to coast in the US. This well-traveled guy just turned 26! Silkie is quite the character and is just as spry as ever. He still enjoys a good foot race against field mates from time to time. Even at his age, he hasn’t missed a beat and remains the alpha horse of the herd. Silkie will do his best to make sure he is first in line for his feed. “Mario (IRE) is an Irish lad that is our oldest resident at 31. He’s a multiple graded stakes steeplechase winner of $190,164 in just 23 starts. He began his racing career in Ireland in the ’90s. He made his way over to the US where he ran at many meets and tracks along the east coast with trainer Janet Elliot. Ms. Elliot was the first woman trainer to be inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame, and Mario was amongst some of the best of her horses during her career. He’s very intelligent and incredibly nosey. He loves exploring the barn courtyard (on his own, of course) and sneaking into the feed room when no one is looking. He is very opinionated and will neigh loudly at us if he wants something; generally, it’s if he thinks it’s time to eat or if he has decided that he would like to either be in the stall or turned out. At his age, we guess he’s entitled to make his own decisions. He’s truly a special horse with loads of personality that make him fun to be around.”
The repurposing aspect of VTP’s mission is still in the embryonic stages. “Until recently,” Crystal explains, “all of our horses have been permanent sanctuary residents due to age, infirmity, and/or general physical limitations. Their average age is 21. We currently have a youngster that we’re retraining, a promising 4-year-old that last raced this past summer at Colonial Mario, “an Irish lad,” is the oldest VTP resident at 31. Downs. He has a “He’s truly a special horse with loads of personality that make him fun to be around.” VTP photo wonderful, fun-loving personality and is an overall gentle giant. We’re very excited to be working with him and hope to find the perfect second career for him. We will be taking on more retrainable horses as the need arises.” We asked how our readers can help The Virginia Thoroughbred Project maintain and expand its mission. “Please consider sponsoring one of our horses on our webpage,” Crystal said. “They would certainly love to have a special person to call their own. General donations are also greatly appreciated and help us continue to carry out our ever-important mission to provide tip-top aftercare to ex-racehorses in need. Donations can be made via our website www.VirginiaThoroughbredProject.org, Facebook, or mailed directly to: PO Box 518, Montpelier Station, VA 22957.” To learn about similar TB retirement programs in other parts of the U.S., visit www.ThoroughbredAftercareAlliance.com.
The 55th Annual Loudoun Hunt Point to Point Races Sunday, April 24, 2022 Morven Park, Leesburg, VA
First Race: 11:30 am Racing Day Includes: Mrs. George C. Everhart Memorial Sidesaddle Race Junior Pony Races General Admission $40 per car; Subscriber Parking $75 per car For ticket information, contact Mary Sell marysell@takarofarm.com
Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point Saturday, April 9, 2022 12 Noon
Ben Venue Farm, Ben Venue, VA 16 miles west of Warrenton on U.S. 211 Reserved Parking/Information: odh.point2point.2022@gmail.com Debbie Welch, MFH 540-631-8607
IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
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OSMUN’S OBSERVATIONS
Filene’s for Foxhunters Now that I’ve been here for a full year, I think I’m starting to get the hang of seasonality at Horse Country. Current items get blown out in February and new items go on the floor in March. Spring comes earlier in Virginia than it does in Montana, where I moved from. New spring orders are already flowing through Roni’s receiving door. Getting a head start on merchandise for warmer weather is good business strategy, especially when I hear so many customers talking about something they call “supply chain issues.” It doesn’t look like there’s any supply chain problem at Horse Country, thanks to Marion ordering well in advance. Where I’m still a bit confused, though, is what Marion selects from the existing inventory to put on sale. Granted, I’m still pretty new to this world of retail. From my novice viewpoint, I’d have thought “sale items” would be pieces that are no longer popular, maybe out of fashion now, even a little damaged perhaps. But everything Marion is selecting to put on sale looks pretty good to me. Even the seasonality doesn’t make much sense. It’s still cold outside. So why would she want to blow out winter clothing? When I questioned her about this, she replied, “We’re making room for the new things for spring and summer. Out with the old…er somewhat old. We’re so well stocked and our loveliest winter items need a new home.” “What about the black jackets?” I replied. “And those cool red evening tails on the rack over in the hunt room?” “Well, those are classics. They never change and have been worn by foxhunters for two centuries. Just like your beautiful fur coat. Never out of style and never on sale.” “Yes, worn by us Scotties since the days of Robert Burns himself. As much a tradition as those fine elements your foxhunters wear.” She bent down and whispered to me so Jenny and Debbie wouldn’t hear. “You see, Osmun, in confidence, I will admit to only one failing and only to you, my sweet fellow. I have a need to buy. An urgent almost anxious feeling overtakes me as seasons change. Buying for me is the future. I lie in bed at night and see pillows and lamps, bits and blankets, china and candles, and I can’t forget the new tweed cloth swatches or the colorful saddle pads and ear bonnets. The colors are so rich and the styles so enticing, the cloth so luxurious and—dare I say it?—technical! And when the season has passed and all my imaginings are over, I have to move forward with the new, the exciting. We have to have a blow out. And then I can dream and find more of everything for the next season.” “It sounds like you have a veritable cavalcade of merchandise parading through your dreams, like a Broadway show of dancing merchandise. Do they sing to you too?” “Well, yes, I suppose they do—a siren song of ‘Buy me! Buy me! I’ll look so good on the Horse Country racks. Your customers will love me!’”
I think I’m beginning to understand how this works now. The older items need to move along or else the store would be bursting at the seams from Marion’s buying binge. “When I arrived here about this time last year, I was still in a bit of a daze,” I admitted, “making the transition from the life of a show dog based in Montana to being part of your retail operation in Virginia. One thing I have a hazy recollection of is what seemed like a horde of people, pretty much all women, streaming into the store, snatching at things, almost pulling racks over, even getting a little testy at times about who put their hands on something first. I realize horse enthusiasts are the spirited type. But these folks were behaving like they’d been into the spirits.” “Ah, yes—the Annual Sale. It’s become the Horse Country version of the Super Bowl. You have to be in top form to compete, willing to risk a few hard elbow bumps, but the rewards are worth the effort. The staff here—I used to call them ‘The Girls’ but can’t refer to them that way any more—pull the leftovers from previous seasons, put them on racks, and then in February, starting on the 15th this year, we open the doors, stand back, and let the crowd have at it.” “I did find it an odd blip in the usually relaxed, congenial atmosphere around here during those early days of adjustment.” “Oh, sure. You’ve pretty much gotten used to the daily cordiality: pleasant chats, lovely gift wrapped packages, even the occasional bottle of Prosecco. But for a couple of weeks in February, well, it’s like the old Filene’s Basement days around here.” “Filene’s Basement? What’s that?” “Oh, right. I guess that never came up in your show circuit days. It’s fun to watch. But you’d best stay out of the way. Wouldn’t want you getting trampled in the rush!” “Sounds like I’ll be spending those two weeks camped out on my bed in your office.” “Yes, probably the only safe place to be. If you hear racks being knocked over, people arguing, what sounds like a mini riot going on in the store, just put your paws over your ears and go back to sleep. I’ll let you know when it’s okay to come back out.” “May I make a suggestion?” “I’d love to hear it.” “Maybe you’d better hide the Prosecco.” “Good idea!” Claudia Coleman illustration
The flag is up... ...the party's on!
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Drawing by Claudia Coleman
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
JENNY’S PICKS At least in my area, it looks as though this might be a good winter for reading; snow seems to be lingering and trying to return on weekends. Too icy to take a horse trailer out to go hunting! Here are a few suggestions to help while away the hours. First, the new fiction: Palacio, R. J. Pony. This came out before Christmas, and the few I had ordered went fast. Fresh stock allowed me to have a chance to read snippets of it—and read a little more and a little more. It may be listed as a “young adult” or even “juvenile” novel, but it doesn’t read that way. Each chapter is introduced with a 19th century daguerreotype and a literary quotation—not your standard kids’ book. The narrator, Silas, lives with his father, who makes his living making boots but has a hobby of photography, and a friendly ghost named Mittenwool who has been his companion since birth. Silas’s mother died after giving birth to him twelve years ago. In the opening chapters, three strangers appear at Silas’s home and compel Silas’s father to accompany them “for a week.” Silas’s father insists his son remain at home, but the day after they leave, two things happen: Silas finds a saddled black bald-faced pony hanging around as if waiting for him, and it raises fears that Pa might have escaped on the pony and fallen off and been hurt. Silas feels compelled to mount the pony and go in search. Mittenwool tries to dissuade him, but when Silas is firm, the ghost accompanies him to a thorny wood, in which Silas had had a terrifying experience when he was younger. Despite the ghost’s objections, Silas insists on trying to enter; the thorns resist him, but Pony, as Silas has begun calling him, finds another path…and from there, Silas’s quest gets stranger and stranger. And I defy you to get this far and put the book down! Hardcover, 285pp. $17.99 Groux, Rosemary. To Wake a Kingdom. Several years ago we featured a fantasy trilogy by a local high school student who created a mythical race of beings called Brenwyds and tied them into the Arthurian legends. Now out of college, she has returned to them with a new stand-alone fantasy based on two fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. She hasn’t lost her touch! In this, the narrator, Aislynn, also a Brenwyd, is an attendant upon and close friend of the princess. Brenwyds have several unique gifts given them by Abba (aka God): they have the power to heal injuries with their wordless songs; they can converse with animals; some have visions or dreams that foretell future events; and some can even mind-read other Brenwyds. Aislynn is possessed of all of these, and she must rely on all her talents as well as her faith in Abba when a powerful witch, thought drowned several centuries ago, reappears thirsty with vengeance upon those who defeated her army. At the commencement of the story, Princess Calissa is a day away from her twentieth birthday and wedding day—but the Prince has been missing for six months! When Aislynn comes to her room, Calissa begs her to try to find a missing path that he might have taken that links the island world of Niclausia with Earth (be sure you read the prologue which sets the stage for everything else!). Aislynn agrees to try, then rides out on her horse Dynin beyond the boundaries of the kingdom to search for a special type of mushroom for the princess’s birthday meal on the morrow. (Brenwyd horses also have a special power that enables them to transfer from one point to another like the dragons in Anne McCaffrey’s books about the planet of Pern.) While she is away, the witch appears before the princess in the rose garden with the offer of a beautiful rose. When Calissa reaches for it, she pricks her finger, and—you know what happens next. Aislynn, being outside the boundaries of the kingdom, is unaffected, but a nasty thorn hedge now surrounds the kingdom. Aislynn must first find the prince to wake up the princess and the kingdom before she can do anything to defeat the witch. As in the Brenwyd trilogy, Groux has spun a fast-moving tale full of action that is a good read for teenagers and adults alike who enjoy a good fairy tale. Paperback, 534pp. $16.95
HORSE COUNTRY BOOKSELLERS
first 31 pages are for folks like me who are unfamiliar with terms, equipment, and materials with which to concoct a cocktail. (I don’t even know what angostura bitters are!) Following this introduction are recipes divided into “essenSpecialists in New, Old & Rare Books on Horses, Foxhunttial winter classics; herbs, citrus, spice; bitter, savory, spiring, Eventing, Polo, Racing, Steeplechasing & Sporting Art ituous; and rich, warming.” I was intrigued by several 60 Alexandria Pike, Warrenton, VA 20186 recipes calling for singed rosemary or other herbs as garnishes. Just the names of some cocktails get my mouth wa800-882-HUNT • 540-347-3141 tering—“cranberry smash,” “peppermint bark eggnog,” or Patterson, James; and Mike Lupica. The Horsewoman. Just “hot buttered rum,” for example. Try some of these to spike out, this novel intertwines three female generations of a up your life these cold days! Hardcover, 149pp. $19.99 family and their showjumping business. Grandmother Car- Christensen, Emma. True Brews. These days small brewoline Atkins is a no-holds-barred trainer, though she no eries are experimenting with some lesser-known types of allonger rides at her age, and she has no compunction about coholic beverages; just recently a brewery in Middleburg, speaking her piece to anyone who crosses her. Her daughter Virginia, started offering mead as well as hard cider. Want Maggie has always dreamed of being an Olympic rider but to brew some of your own concoctions? This will help you until now has not had the horse to do it. Now Caroline is get started making fermented cider, beer, wine, sake, soda, part owner of Coronado, a horse that might just have the mead, kefir, and kombucha at home. (When you had to read talent to take her there—if the other part owner will let her a bit of Beowulf in school, didn’t you always wonder what put Maggie up. And Maggie’s daughter Becky is beginning mead tastes like? I did!) As in the book above, the first pages to get the fever as well, with her own horse. Suddenly the set you up to know what’s what and what you need. Then two riders find themselves in competition to place on the you can get into Hibiscus Kombucha, Sparkling Raspberry Olympic team. To add to the tension, there’s also a “bad Kefir Wine, Sweet Spiced Mulled Cider, Apricot Wheat Ale, guy”—a fellow rider who wouldn’t hesitate to pull a dirty Renaissance Fair Sweet Mead, Cloudy Cherry Sake, and trick to make sure he’s on the team. And he’s a good rider. Summer Melon Wine, plus much more. (Can you guess There you have it—all the elements of an exciting read. where my taste buds take me?) Hardcover, 184pp. $23.00 Hardcover, 433pp. $28.00 Martha Stewart’s Fruit Desserts. Don’t all the health books Next we have some nonfiction. We got a handful of say fruit is good for you? So let’s have some for dessert! cookbooks to offer for Christmas, and they look so de- No, not just a pear or an apple; dress it up with one of these licious I just had to offer a few. Winter’s a good time scrumptious specialties. Following the apparently obligato eat…and drink. Moderately, of course! Remember, tory introduction regarding fruits and tools, recipes are diyou need to fit into that tux or lovely dress you’ve vided by seasons, starting with autumn, which features delicacies such as apple-bourbon potpies, pear and cransquirreled away for the hunt ball! berry pie, cranberry-port sorbet, and “ruffled pumpkin milk Evans-Hylton, Patrick. Virginia Distilled. While currently pie.” Winter brings citrus flan, orange marmalade cake with the Old Dominion is in the throes of an expanding interest roasted oranges, deep-dish dried-apple and cranberry pie, in wine and beer making, its alcoholic background goes and tangerine chiffon tart. When strawberries ripen in the back to its beginnings as a colony. The natives that the Eng- spring, you could try strawberry and apricot crisp with pinelish settlers encountered were not familiar with alcoholic nut crumble, strawberry tartlets with yogurt cream, or beverages until the arrival of the white men. Englishmen, lemon-rhubarb bundt for a different taste. In summer come however, had to have their brew. Water in the Tidewater plum-blackberry cobbler, peach-cardamom upside-down wasn’t fit to drink and probably caused the death of a num- cake, melon pops, peach chiffon pie, and “fools”—blueber of colonists early on. Here, well illustrated with artwork berry, blackberry, and raspberry, here constructed with yoand photographs, is the story of four centuries of drinking gurt rather than the heavy cream traditional with the recipe. in Virginia. Scattered among the history text are various Hardcover, 255pp. $28.99 recipes old and new for concocting cocktails and hot toddies. Resources include a partial list of today’s distilleries, Lastly, I would like to remind readers that we still have famous taverns, a glossary—including popular slang of var- copies of Jim Meads’ beautiful photographic books In Full ious periods—involving drinking and distilling equipment, Cry and Going Home sale-priced at $10.00. Joining that and more. This is one history book you’re bound to enjoy bargain price now is Norman Fine’s Foxhunting Adventures. If you haven’t read it, Norman’s foxhunting advenreading! Paperback, 220pp. $23.99 tures range all across the U.S. and Canada and across the Editors of Punch. Winter Drinks. You’ll surely find at least water to Great Britain and Ireland, offering readers a great a few in this collection of “70 essential cold-weather cock- opportunity to read about what various territories can offer. tails” to warm your heart if not your body. I’m not much of This collection of hunt reminiscences covers a lot of that a drinker, but these recipes sure sound lip-smacking good! territory, is easy to read, and is illustrated with both b&w Since most also have a full-page color photo of an immac- and color photos. Hardcover, 252pp. ONLY $10.00! ulately dressed drink, they also have great eye appeal. The
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
HORSES
When Racehorses Enjoy A Day To Hounds: Hunting Steeplechasers By Lauren R. Giannini When hounds are in full cry, it takes daring and skilled horsemanship to run and jump full tilt boogie in the first flight. Of course, there’s no shame in joining the second flight or hilltopper field for the easier pace, no jumping, and the reward of amazing views often impossible to witness in first flight. Either way, suitability of mount is essential. What we’re considering here, though, is hunting racehorses. And that Tommy Lee Jones and Twyman led Casanova Hunt hounds demands a bold and accomplished enthusiast who isn’t afraid of speed. and mounted field to 2019 opening meet: the ex-race horse Tommy Lee Jones, Jack Fisher, Julie Gomena, Mark Beecher, and Keri Brion are trainers who run cost $80,000 as a 2-year-old in training and found his true the gamut of age and experience. They are also excellent riders, former flat and jump jockeys, eventers, calling in the hunt field. Douglas Lees photo show jumpers, or a combination thereof, and they all agree: foxhunting is fun and educational for Thoroughbreds. It’s also exciting, which makes riding to hounds enjoyable. But more than that, it provides racehorses with priceless experience as they learn to balance themselves, navigate terrain that is unfamiliar and quite different compared to what they’re accustomed to training on. Footing is of paramount importance for the safety of the horses and their riders, with gallops and courses maintained with almost religious fervor. Good Preparation for Hustle and Bustle of Racing Tommy Lee Jones, longtime huntsman of Casanova Hunt, sadly disbanded, grew up on horseback at New Hope Farm with his siblings and his late parents, Thomas E. (Poppa Tommy) and Doris Jones. Poppa Tommy bought and sold horses. Hunters, jumpers, and Thoroughbreds in training were hunted by Tommy Lee and whipped-in on by longtime groom and kennelman/whipper-in Melvin Johnson. When steeplechase horses go hunting, they end up jumping fences in settings they might not see in an actual race. One particular hunting panel, set into an overgrown fenceline in Casanova Hunt’s country, looked innocent as you approached, not big and scary at all until you were in the air. That’s when you realized it was a drop landing, which prompted exclamations of “Oh My God!”—a fitting name for a fun jump that really taught horse and rider to be prepared. “I must have jumped that one a million times,” recalled Jones, whose earliest ambitions involved show jumping until his late teens when he whipped in to Capt. Ian Benson, MFH-Huntsman, and then carried the horn. “All my horses that raced, hunted,” Jones said. “I didn’t like hunting horses that didn’t know how to jump so I taught them. They got flat work, hacking around the ring, gymnastics and grids. We had places Tommy Lee Jones is well-qualified to serve as Gold Cup Presiding Patrol Judge at Great Meadow, thanks to decades of in the woods to school them. One of the best wasn’t on our property. It was by Meetze Station. There were ten or twelve downed trees of various heights along that trail and it was uphill enough to balance training horses to jump, hunt, show and race. the horses and they learned to jump off their hocks.” Douglas Lees photo Every horse at New Hope Farm, including Thoroughbreds, followed the seasons: they were show hunters and jumpers in the summer, hunted in the fall and winter, and Thoroughbreds raced in point-topoints and sanctioned meets in the spring. Hunting them was a good way to determine whether horses off the flat track would run over hurdles or timber. “The better jumpers are more likely to be successful over timber,” Jones said. “When we used to have point-to-point seminars in Middleburg, one year Jonathan Sheppard came—we’re talking ancient history now —and somebody asked how long it took to make the transition from flat to jumper. Jon said he heard that 30 schools could make a hurdle horse. He also said you could school a horse every day for 30 days and you would have a 30-day wonder. I think too many people still go by that formula, because when you see some of the horses running over jumps, you see some of the basics are missing that go into making a good jumper. Horses that have had time to get used to jumping, to develop their eye and balance, tend not to fall down. It’s easier when you’re part of the staff to do that with racehorses. Some of them are relatively quiet and some can be pretty strong. Thoroughbreds have to have an exceptional brain for you to hunt them in the field.” No Stranger to Speed Jack Fisher is a fearless former jockey and top trainer, respected for his integrity and ethics, recently inducted into the Steeplechase Hall of Fame. He has 14 NSA Trainer of the Year titles, jockey titles, and trained a bunch of Eclipse Award Steeplechase horses. He’s president of Temple Gwathney Steeplechase Foundation, NSA board member, and credited with helping steeplechasing survive the pandemic. He’s also the only steeplechase trainer in history to exceed one million in earnings in a year—five different years. But it isn’t money alone that motivates him. Fisher is crazy about horses, hunting, and racing. He loves going fast. “I don’t hunt them up front right off the track; I hunt them back in the first field usually so I don’t feel the pressure to go all-out or to go at speeds that I don’t want to go, to places like when it gets muddy,” Fisher said. “The jumping is why I hunt because it isn’t a racecourse and the jumps tend to be a bit Jack Fisher and Riverdee Stables’ City Dreamer (IRE) at trappier and they are a great experience for the horses.” Green Spring Valley Hounds: 17 starts since mid-2018 over Fisher trained Schoodic throughout his career: running successfully over hurdles for breeder-owner hurdles, mostly novice stakes, found his winning edge with Edith Dixon from 2010 until 2019 when his mother Dolly Fisher bought the gelding. Schoodic transijockey Graham Watters to finish 2021 with two consecutive tioned very successfully to timber stakes, harvesting seven wins, including the 2019 International Gold wins: Far Hills (NJ) and Callaway Gardens (PA). Cup and 2021 Virginia Gold Cup. Carol Fenwick photo
IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
Family affair: (l-r) John R.S. (Johnny) Fisher and Dolly Fisher, their grandson Henry ("Fin") Maroney, Schoodic, Hadden Frost up, and trainer Jack Fisher, after winning 2021 Virginia Gold Cup. Lauren R. Giannini photo
“I took Schoodic out hunting and he’d been in a field for a week—the first fence he hit, and the second fence he hit really hard, and then he started jumping better and better,” Fisher said. “He’s dragging me. All these people are stopping their horses and he does not get tired. He kept going and going. He thought it was great. Storm Team, more recent, just didn’t like it. They let you know pretty fast.” Fisher also hunted the great Saluter, timber specialist and winner of six consecutive Virginia Gold Cups, for several seasons. “When Saluter was retired, he hunted for a while—until he got tired of hunting and he refused to be caught,” Fisher admitted, laughing at the memory. “I love it in the hunting field because we jump things that they normally wouldn’t and they learn to handle themselves much better.” Dolly Fisher does not hunt her retired racehorses, although she would probably love to do so. Her son, who has a reputation for taking great care of horses, owners, and people close to him, is too aware of the risk of injury, especially concussion, in the hunt field. He believes steady mounts are better for many enthusiasts and said, “I told her, ‘You gotta have a Warmblood or a pony.” Fisher is just exactly right for his chosen lifestyle. He’s hands-on, hard-working, and as honest as his best horses. He is indefatigable and probably never has to worry about gaining weight. He takes his love of speed on horseback with him for winter getaways when he indulges in another passion: skiing. His favorite slopes are Black Diamond, of course. His favorite t-shirt proclaims his motto: “If you’re in control, you’re going too slow.” Yet, he’s constantly aware of the importance of giving horses time and support to learn their jobs. Fisher does most of his hunt field training with Maryland’s Green Spring Valley Hounds. “The ones I give away when they retire from running over hurdles and timber—six or seven over the years—they all seem to enjoy hunting and have a great time up here,” Fisher said. “I would say Green Spring is probably 80 per cent Thoroughbreds. The horses look good and they’re having fun.” From Three-Day Eventing to Jump Jockey to Trainer “Training Thoroughbred racehorses has to be as much psychological and mental as it is physical,” stated Julie Gomena, whose background includes growing up in Oregon where Pony Club got her hooked on eventing and she moved to the horse Mecca that is Middleburg, VA. Gomena and her OTTB Treaty won the 1994 Rolex Kentucky CCI3* at Kentucky Horse Park—the long format with the four-part endurance test of two roads and tracks, steeplechase, and cross-country, sandwiched between dressage and show jumping. Gomena started training ’chasers in 1995 and ended up galloping for Dorothy Smithwick, making her debut as a jump jockey in 1999 in the Lady Rider Timber races, winning three of five point-to-points with a second and a third. In 2004 her jockey career ended with a brain injury suffered when her horse fell in the Maiden Timber at Piedmont. She had made 69 starts for 15 firsts, 10 seconds and 11 thirds. It wasn’t an easy recovery, but Gomena has no memory of the fall or the induced coma and felt no fear whatsoever. She couldn’t wait to get back on a horse, albeit at a walk. She gallops and schools her horses, hunts, and is still crazy about OTTBs. “I love American Thoroughbreds,” Gomena confessed. “I’ve done it my entire life, even when I was eventing or racing or whatever, I was bringing horses off the flat track and teaching them to jump. I love that part of it. I love it when
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my budget horse can win a Grade 1 stakes and beat fancy expensive horses. There’s nothing better than that—it makes me proud and happy with my Thoroughbreds. “You have to figure them out and that’s what I love,” she added. “Figuring out what makes them happy, what they don’t like, what rider they like—and every factor of their life, such as feed and farrier work, vet work, who their turn-out friend is. It’s all part of finding what drives them, what they want, what they need.” Her horses enjoy a lot of turnout. If weather is good, they’re happy to stay out all night. They rarely go out and gallop the same turf course every day. “When the ground is too soft or too hard, we’ll go to the Middleburg Training Center,” Gomena said. “I go to different farms of friends and family for different gallops—my horses travel a good bit. Because of my background in eventing, all of my horses do flat work in an arena learning to bend and soften their mouths, learning aids for leads, flying changes, as well as jumping show jump courses, and doing grid work.” A very big part of Gomena’s training is hacking cross-country, popping fences, crossing streams. She hunts with Piedmont Fox Hounds, famous for jumping, and, for the last decade when she winters in Aiken, the drag hunt in the Hitchcock Woods is perfect for her horses. “I’ll take them out even if it’s hilltopping, just for a different day out,” she said. “Up here, I tend to take only the timber horses out for a day in the hunt field. You find out pretty quickly that some will do it and some won’t do it. You just have to figure it out. In Virginia, you go out and it’s four hours. In the Hitchcock Woods, it’s going to be an hour and a half, so that’s another bonus when you’re starting horses to hunt down there.” Gomena added: “Some of the most difficult horses to gallop and train on a daily basis, you think, ‘No way, no way,” and they go hunting and totally take to it. You just never know. Balance The Budget was the sanest horse, but I took him out hilltopping with Aiken one time, and he couldn’t even master the first run. He lost his mind. We went in after a half hour. You just never know.” Favorite former racehorses, Mr. Fater and her own Country Cousin, became superb field hunters. Both are still keen to hounds. Gomena said, “Country Cousin was spooky, terrible to ride on a daily basis, but he’s a good Julie Gomena and former racehorse The Peloton, jumper and out in the hunt field, I relaxed and ready for a day with Piedmont Fox Hounds. Photo Courtesy of Julie Gomena can float the reins to him and he takes care of me.”
Trainer and former jump jockey Julie Gomena aboard her favorite racehorse/field hunter Country Cousin at opening meet of Piedmont Fox Hounds: challenging to exercise, “Chewy” loves to hunt. Photo by Middleburg Photo LLC
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
Show Jumping to Steeplechase Jockey & Trainer
Form over fences: Mark Beecher and Grinding Speed added third International Gold Cup Timber Stakes to two Virginia Gold Cups. “Speedy” hunts with owner Michael Wharton at Green Spring Valley Hounds. Lauren R. Giannini photo
Road To Oz found his heart out hunting with Elkridge-Harford under the tutelage of Mark Beecher: after two firsts in four starts over hurdles in 2020, he won three of five timber starts in 2021. Photo Courtesy of Mark Beecher
Mark Beecher grew up hunting and show jumping horses bred and produced on the family farm in County Waterford, Ireland. From his earliest major show jumping win at nine, he competed successfully as a junior, harvesting two European championships. At 25, he took a break and ended up helping a family friend start 30 young Thoroughbreds and that led to riding in races. He quickly racked up 15 wins at point-to-points and one on the flat. Tall at 6-foot-1, 150 pounds is the best weight he can manage without being skeletal, but it wasn’t light enough to get rides as a professional. In spring 2010, Beecher accepted an invitation to ride in the Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point. He piloted George Mahoney’s first time starter, Services Rendered, to victory in the Foxhunters Timber. Two weeks wasn’t enough. Beecher went back to Ireland and applied for his visa. He’s been here ever since. Between then and 2019, Beecher made 485 starts as an amateur jockey, winning 106 and racking up 106 seconds and 54 thirds. When he started training in 2014, he was still riding races: to date, he has saddled 266 runners for 35 wins, 49 places, and 28 shows. Beecher and his wife Rebecca hunt with Elkridge-Harford and sometimes with Green Spring Valley; their toddler daughter isn’t hunting… yet. “I enjoy hunting, I go less in the fall when we’re racing, but as soon as the season is over I go hunting, two or three days a week,” Beecher said. “Every horse is different. You get to know the horses that can take it—you take them out on hound walks and it’s like gold, because you walk first. I want it to be a fun aspect for the horses. I want them to be relaxed and not get in the trailer and think they’re going to the races. If they get used to going hunting, they’ll be more relaxed on race day.” With his show jumping background and impeccable form over fences, Beecher utilizes a lot of ring work and grids with three to four stride distances which make the horses rock back on their hocks and figure out how best to use themselves on their own. He believes in taking time to help the horses grow their confidence, and once they can jump, they go hunting and the confidence builds. There’s no doubt in Beecher’s mind that hunting works wonders with some horses. “Road to Oz found his heart out hunting—it changed his attitude toward his job,” Beecher said. “Foxhunting put the finishing touches on Grinding Speed and improved his racing. Speedy is superb as a hunter. I think hunting gives the horse a chance to develop his own skills and eyes. Speedy and his owner Michael Wharton are still hunting with Green Spring Valley.” Holwood Stables’ Road to Oz started four times over hurdles in 2020, placing second his first time out at Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point, lost his rider in his second race, then won Maiden Hurdle at Shawan Downs. Last spring, Road to Oz moved up to timber. The horse really did find his heart out hunting and showed it in April, his first time out over timber, when he won the Novice Timber at Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point and finished first again in Maiden Timber at My Lady’s Manor. He then topped his season with an Allowance Timber win at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races. When Beecher retired from race-riding, his final outing ticked off his last goal as a jockey when he piloted Mystic Strike to win the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Timber Stakes in November 2019. Having won the major timber stakes—Maryland Hunt Cup (2013, 2015), Virginia Gold Cup (2015), International Gold Cup (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) to name a few, his new goal is to “train the winners of all the races that I won riding!”
Whatever The Mean Queen Wants… Keri Brion grew up horse-crazy in Pennsylvania and started galloping racehorses when she was 13. The rest is, literally, history. She competed in Junior Field Master Chases from 2005 to 2007 and made her debut on the flat at the 2010 Marlborough Hunt Races. She rode hurdle and flat horses until 2020 for career totals of 38 wins, 42 seconds, and 28 thirds in 248 starts. Brion spent 12 years as assistant trainer to legendary Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, and many of those flat and hurdle rides were on horses in his barn. In spring 2020, Brion was in County Wexford, Ireland, to campaign six of the barn’s horses when word came that Sheppard was retiring. Brion took out her own license and started to set up her KB Stables LLC, making history when she became the first American to train a National Hunt flat winner in Ireland. More history was made when Brion recommended a five-year-old mare to Buttonwood Farms LLC. Under new ownership, The Mean Queen won her third career start at Wexford in the Maiden Hurdle (Mares) by six and a half lengths, making Brion the first American to train a hurdle winner in Ireland. Brion brought a string of horses home from Ireland and established her training stable at Fair Hill, Maryland. The Mean Queen made her US racing debut at the Virginia Gold Cup Races in May 2021, besting a competitive field by eight lengths in the Allowance Hurdle, followed by another win in the Filly & Mare Hurdle Stakes at Iroquois Steeplechase Races. The mare made her debut at Saratoga that July but lost her rider in the Novice Hurdle Stakes and again proved her worth by winning the Hurdle Handicap Stakes at Saratoga in August. Two more Hurdle Stakes followed—really big Grade 1 wins: Lonesome Glory at Belmont and the Grand National at Far Hills. The Mean Queen was voted an Eclipse finalist thanks to three Grade 1 The Mean Queen won five races in six starts for earnings of $303,000. When the Eclipse Hurdle stakes wins in her American debut season. Shown here after Award votes had been tallied, The Mean Queen was one of three finalists for top honors as Steethe Grand National at Far Hills (NJ) with Richard Condon up, a month after their Lonesome Glory win at Belmont, with Tatiana Shusko (left) plechase Horse of the Year. Brion treats all her horses as individuals, but this mare is a staunch individual with a mind of her own. and Keri Brion. Photo by Erica Miller
IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
“Some days The Mean Queen spins around the stall and doesn’t want to be tacked up and we have to wait to ride her until later in the morning when she decides she’s happy to be ridden,” Brion said. “When we ride her, we suggest what to do, but it’s her world. Some days we want to jog a half mile but she may jog a quarter mile and spin around and start galloping. We don’t correct her, we let her do her thing. It’s all about getting the best out of a horse and what makes her so good is her quirkiness and her independence. As her trainer, I have to nurture these qualities and do what suits her. Not every horse needs to be treated this way as it can lead to bad habits, but that’s my job to suss out. With her, it’s not about her wanting to go against us because she’s badly behaved, she just wants to Keri Brion still has Orchestra Leader, shown get on with it and train. She's a special here en route to their Open Hurdle win at animal.” 2019 Warrenton Hunt Point-to-point: “Ollie They’re all special to Brion, who has a forever home with me.” Douglas Lees photo does her best to keep all forty of her horses happy. “If I do ride other than training them in the morning, it would be foxhunting,” she said. “I’ve gotten sour horses in from other trainers that don't like going to the track, so we just train those types out in the fields, up and down the hills, doing different things every day. All of my horses get turned out before they are ridden daily which I think encourages them all to ‘just be horses’ and I think it really helps their mental state and keeps them happy.” Training at Fair Hill means sharing the track with 50-plus horses. “It helps them get ready for a racing scenario,” Brion said. “My timber horses do go foxhunting a bit. I will take the horses that are making the transition from flat to jumps over to an indoor ring to jump some show jumps and learn that every time they get on a trailer doesn't always mean they go to race. I utilize the point-topoints, which are great ‘schooling races.’ It’s all about exposing horses to plenty of different situations so they are less likely to be stressed or frantic in racing situations.” Brion certainly made a splash in her first season as head trainer, but she learned from the best and luck plays a vital role when it comes to horses. What she shares with these other trainers is passion and the desire to forge that unbelievable partnership that develops when you earn the trust and confidence of a horse. Purebred horses aren’t everyone’s best choice of a field hunter, but here’s a thought from the huntsman. “The best horse I ever hunted—and I hunted a lot of horses over the years— was a registered three-gaited Saddlebred,” recalled Tommy Lee Jones. “Ketchum moved and jumped like a Thoroughbred. He loved the hounds and loved to go foxhunting. He would have hunted the hounds if he could have carried the horn.” Purebreds. Thoroughbreds. Good craic, great training.
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IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
HORSES Laura Sloan and Forthegreatergood Take Top Prize at the Thoroughbred Makeover Competition By J. Harris Anderson, Managing Editor
“Dom” looking relaxed while hunting with Moore County Hounds in the Walthour-Moss Foundation Conservation area, January 27, 2022. Photo courtesy of Laura Sloan
Laura Sloan and Forthegreatergood (aka Dom) show off the form that captured the 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover Grand Champion title. Laura Palazzolo/CanterClix photo
Dom was looking forward to another day of sport when Moore County Hounds met at Weymouth House, January 29, 2022. Photo courtesy of Laura Sloan
They’re sometimes called “Retired Racehorses.” For many, perhaps most, “retired” is a misnomer. The word implies a life of ease, turned out in a lush field, frolicking with herd mates, no need to provide any service other than as pasture ornament. For a scant few, that may be the way they spend what could be the next 20 years or more after their racing career ends. And many of those in that exclusive group are likely there because the rigors of racing left them unfit for other disciplines and a kind-hearted patron was willing to take them in. Rather than “retired,” the more apt term in today’s parlance is “Off the Track Thoroughbred” (OTTB). Whether it was The Run for the Roses or sprinting to earn a few bucks to cover the owner’s feed bill, the racing days are over. And, once off the racetrack, they need to find another career. So now what? The Thoroughbred Makeover Competition strives to help answer that question by showing that the possibilities are many and varied. The program helps generate awareness that ex-racehorses—athletic, intelligent, and versatile animals—have proved to be topflight competitors and honest citizens in numerous equestrian disciplines over the years. The options for competitors include field hunter, eventing, show hunter, show jumper, dressage, polo, and even ranch work and barrel racing (domains long dominated by the Quarter Horse). The competition also includes Freestyle and Competitive Trail for a total of ten categories. Whatever the discipline, some degree of “repurposing” is required to instill the skills needed for the chosen job. As the old saying goes, a racehorse knows two things: Run fast and turn left. Everything else needs to be built virtually from scratch. For some, this can be a long and at times tedious process under the tutelage of a skillful and patient trainer. Or, in the case of the Thoroughbred Makeover Competition, it can be the equine equivalent of a Nine Months Wonder program. And for that, you need an especially talented trainer, a horse that shows great potential, and the serendipity to bring them together at just the right time. Enter Laura Sloan and Forthegreatergood. Many readers of this publication are familiar with Laura. A highly skilled professional, she’s trained countless horses for the foxhunting field and other disciplines. Her CV includes the award of colors from six different hunts: Midland (GA), Shakerag (GA), Loudoun West (VA), Blue Ridge (VA), Millbrook (NY), and Moore County (NC). She hunted and trained in Virginia for 17 years at Blue Ridge, Piedmont Fox Hounds, and Loudoun West. In 2017 she accepted a position with Richard Verrilli, exMFH of Millbrook. “We were half the year in Millbrook and the other half in Southern Pines,” Laura says. “Very fun!” Verrilli hunted on horses under Laura’s care into his mid-80s. He passed away in December of 2020 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. His wife, Donna, was familiar with the Thoroughbred Makeover and felt one way to honor her late husband would be to produce a horse that could compete in the Field Hunter category of the 2021 competition. Given the rules of this program, that goal presented some notable challenges. The Jockey Club registered horse can have had no more than ten rides before January 1 of the competing year following its retirement from the track. It must have had at least one race or published work (i.e., recorded in a system such as Equibase while in race training) the year prior to the competition, and it could not have been trained by anyone for any purpose (other than racing). So, essentially, the horse must be a green off-the-track prospect. With the competition set for mid-October, that allows for a maximum of nine and a half months of preparation starting January 1. It was already December. The clock was ticking. Task One: Find a horse. By that time, Donna Verrilli had sold the farm in New York and moved the entire operation, including Laura and the horses, to the family’s winter quarters in Southern Pines, where Moore County Hounds are based. Laura started making inquiries among her extensive list of contacts. She struck gold in her old Blue Ridge neighborhood when Catherine Stimpson said he had a horse just off the track that might be worth considering. Forthegreatergood (Scipion – No Peeking, by Langfuhr), a 2015 gray/roan gelding whose barn name is Dom, was bred and raced in Maryland by Donna Lockard. His racing career included 22 starts and he was in the money five times, earning close to $50,000. Although Dom knew nothing other than track life, he did come with a hint of foxhunting blood. Langfuhr, his granddaddy, was owned by the late Gus Schickedanz, MFH, Eglinton and Caledon Hounds (ON). In addition to his three Grade 1 Stakes wins in the US and Canada, Langfuhr was also 2005’s North American Leading Sire. With confidence in Catherine Stimpson’s judgment, the deal was made sight unseen and Dom was on his way to Southern Pines. Some trainers hold to the maxim that it takes three seasons to make a hunt horse (give or take a season or two). Moreover, it’s generally considered best to turn out a horse fresh off the track for at least a few months, maybe a full year, before starting them on a new career. It was now February, barely more than eight months until the competition. The clock was really ticking. No time for turnout, no gradual three season transition. Could Sloan and Dom pull this off?
IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
“Dom came like most horses just off the track — head up and ready to run,” Laura said. “I didn’t have the time to turn him out first to unwind. He came with his racing plates, so if he was turned out, it couldn’t have been for long. But you need to set up every day for success. You need to go slow to go fast. He was in the trailer five days a week, going to a trail ride in new country, or a lesson over cross-country fences, or a little dressage show, or driving cattle.” Then, just like that, it was October. Time to head to the Kentucky Horse Park and give it a go. And go they did. Throughout the week, the duo scored top marks in the Field Hunter division, sponsored by the Masters of Foxhounds Association. They led in both the Under Saddle phase and Individual Test. With high scores in Thursday’s Mock Hunt, Laura and Dom went into the finale on Sunday with a comfortable lead in their discipline. A perfect final test in the arena sealed the win. Next came the judges’ confab to declare the overall Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, sponsored by Churchill Downs. The judges from all ten disciplines would decide which horse would take the top prize. When the discussion was done, Laura Sloan squeezed Forthegreatergood forward to receive the award (and the $18,000 prize money that comes with it). This was the first time a Field Hunter won the finale championship since the program began in 2015.
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Looking back on the experience, Laura makes these observations. “Some of the great things about the Thoroughbred Makeover are the excellent organization, wonderful camaraderie, and perfect venue to make it a really special event. Plus all the prize money! For anyone doing the makeover, it’s all about exposing your horse to anything positive and getting them to as many different venues as possible.” With the big win sealed, the question once again becomes “So, now what?” “Dom has been hunting, really well, at Midland,” Laura says. “We’re also going to do some hunter derbies and in October we’ll head to Virginia for the T.A. Randolph North American Field Hunter Championship in Middleburg. Eventing might figure into his future as well.” The Makeover is a one-and-done deal for the horses. Given the stringent rules, each year’s competition consists of a fresh batch of OTTBs. It looks like she and Dom will have plenty of opportunities for new adventures throughout this year. When asked if Sloan has any plans to find another prospect for the Makeover, she replies, “I’d like to do it again, just not now.” Keep your eyes on the Kentucky Horse Park around October of 2023. Somewhere, on some racetrack today, there just might be a young Thoroughbred waiting for the call to become Laura’s next Nine Months Wonder.
HUNTING
Green Spring Valley Magic ’19 might have been looking to see if Santa’s sleigh was on the horizon when hunting from the kennels on Christmas Eve. (We hope the Jolly Old Elf brought lots of biscuits!)
Blue Ridge Hounds enjoyed some playtime in the snow when being walked out from the kennels by Huntsman Graham Buston on the last day of January, 2022.
We don't know what Kathy Neilson (right) said during Orange County Hounds' Vixen Hunt, December 3, 2021, but Nancy Reed obviously found it quite amusing. Douglas Lees photo
Joanne Maisano photo
Karen Kandra photo
Libby Tallerico added a festive holiday touch to a day’s hunting with Green Spring Valley Hounds on Juniors Day from Millstone, December 23, 2021. Karen Kandra photo
One lucky hound got to enjoy a private moment with joint-master Anne McIntosh when the Blue Ridge Hunt pack returned from a day of foot hunting, February 1, 2022. Joanne Maisano photo
Penny Denegre led a large field of Middleburg Hunt followers down Foxcroft Road from the meet at Huntland on December 18, 2021. Joanne Maisano photo
While following Blue Ridge Hunt from Oxbow on December 16, 2021, photographer Joanne Maisano had a close encounter with a curious coyote.
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RACING
IN & AROUND HORSE COUNTRY • WINTER/SPRING 2022
Horses and People to Watch Virginia Equine Alliance
Virginia’s 2022 Horse Racing Calendar Takes Shape, Highlighted By 9-Week Thoroughbred Meet at Colonial Downs The Virginia horseracing calendar for 2022 is quickly taking shape and again includes a combination of Thoroughbred, steeplechase, and harness racing events. Action kicks off in late winter/early spring with a series of point-to-point single-day jump meets followed by a trio of National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctioned programs later in the spring, an expanded nine-week pari-mutuel summer Thoroughbred season at Colonial Downs in New Kent, a four-day harness race campaign during the Shenandoah County Fair followed by an extended pari-mutuel fall meet at Shenandoah Downs, then finishes with a four-pack of NSA sanctioned fall jump events. The point-to-point (PTP) season kicks off March 5 with the Rappahannock Hunt PTP at The Hill in Boston, VA, followed by Warrenton Hunt March 19 at the Airlie Race Course, Piedmont Fox Hounds VEA Maiden Hurdle winner Eryx sails over the March 26 at the Salem Course final jump at the 2021 Middleburg Spring Races. Douglas Lees photo in Upperville, Old Dominion Hounds on April 9 at Ben Venue Farm in Ben Venue, Blue Ridge Hunt April 17 at Woodley Farm in Berryville, Loudoun Hunt April 24 at Morven Park in Leesburg, and Middleburg Hunt May 1 at Glenwood Park. The Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) will fund a starter reward program for the point-to-point season for a fourth straight year. The well-received initiative began in 2019 and has helped increase participation in the two-month series. Every time a Virginia-owned or Virginia-trained horse makes a start in any PTP race, the owner will receive a $200 starter reward. The NSA meet schedule includes the Middleburg Spring Races April 23 at Glenwood Park, the Foxfield Spring Races April 30 in Charlottesville, and the Virginia Gold Cup slate of pari-mutuel action May 7 at Great Meadow. Dates for the fall jump meet slate—which include Middleburg Fall, Foxfield Fall, International Gold Cup, and the Montpelier Hunt Races—will be announced in the coming days. Heading into summer, Colonial Downs will host flat racing action in New Kent from July 11 – September 7. Meet details are noted later in this article. Harness racing takes place in Woodstock in late summer and early fall. A four-day County Fair meet will be held from August 31 – September 3, then an eightweek Shenandoah The harness racing season in Woodstock is expected to Downs pari-mutuel meet increase in length to as many as eight weeks in 2022. will be held at the same VEA photo oval from September 16 - November 5 (pending VRC approval) with racing every Friday at 3:30 PM and Saturday at 1 PM. Ground Breaking Takes Place on New Gaming Resort In Dumfries Virginia’s horse racing industry took another big step forward on January 11 when a ceremonial ground breaking took place in Dumfries for “The Rose Gaming Resort,” a nearly $400 million gaming facility, hotel, and public park set to open in 2023.
The Rose is Virginia’s first casino-sized gaming facility that’s technically not a casino. By state code, gambling at The Rose will be limited to off-track betting and historic horserace betting machines, which are similar to slot machines. The Rose is projected to employ about 600 people and generate an estimated $11 million in annual tax revenues for the town of Dumfries and an additional $8 million for Prince William County when fully operational. The gaming resort will feature a hotel with up to 305 rooms, eight restaurants, a 1,500 square foot conference and meeting space, a cultural events center, and 5,000 square feet of gaming space. Colonial Downs, which will own the gaming facility, has promised the project will be accompanied by a new public park. Colonial Downs opened Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, a smaller gaming outlet, a year ago in the Triangle Shopping Center in Dumfries. It will close when The Rose opens. Virginia Racing Commission Approves Colonial Downs Expanded 2022 Meet Dates Fresh on the heels of a record setting Thoroughbred racing season in 2021, racing dates for an expanded 2022 Colonial Downs Race Meet presented by Woodford Reserve were approved December 15 at the Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) meeting. The number of race days will increase from 21 to 27, and daily average purse monies will rise from $522,000 in 2021 to a projected $600,000 in 2022. The race day schedule will mirror the ’21 slate, with racing every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 1:30 PM. The highly successful 2021 meet featured 21 race days and an average daily betting handle of $2,240,000. A total of $10.4 million in purse monies were distributed and average field size was a healthy 8.36 starters per race.
Horses will compete over the Secretariat Turf Course at Colonial Downs for nine weeks in 2022. Cody Photography
“This is very positive news for Colonial Downs with two extra weeks of racing, which is significant,” said Jill Byrne, Colonial’s VP of Racing Operations. “We’re keeping our schedule the same as last year, running afternoon programs early in the week. The attitude for the time being is, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. We want to expand on finally getting our product consistent and out there in the marketplace, and to let bettors and horsemen know that Colonial Downs is back and at a very high level.” Debbie Easter, Executive Director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, thinks Colonial Downs will benefit from the longer meet. “Besides another increase in purse money, we need the extended days and weeks to make it worthwhile for trainers from other states to move their operations here. If we run too short a meet, it’s not worth it financially for them to come, so we’re trying to get to that spot.” Stakes race dates will be announced soon. There will be an expanded Virginia-Restricted program for Virginia-Certified horses and popular horsemen bonus programs will return—a $1,000 minimum purse award for every horse that starts, and a $300 trainer bonus for every starter.
REMEMBRANCE
EVENT NOTICES
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Upcoming Events In and Around Horse Country
1924-2021
While some pandemic-related restrictions imposed on group events the past two years have been lifted, or at least reduced, a full return to normalcy remains in the future. As this issue goes to press, we’ve listed here those events that are scheduled to go forward as planned. It’s possible some might be canceled and others added if conditions improve. The following events may require participants to observe certain procedures (e.g., face coverings, social distancing, limits on the number of attendees, etc.). Please use the contact info listed for each event to assure it is still going forward and to confirm any specific instructions to follow. Hunter Pace Events and Spring Races: The spring races and the hunter pace series begin in March. For contact information and more details, go to www.centralentryoffice.com. Spring Races, Virginia: Saturday, March 5: Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point Saturday, March 19: Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point Saturday, March 26: Piedmont Fox Hounds Point-to-Point Saturday, April 9: Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point Sunday, April 17: Blue Ridge Hunt Point-to-Point Saturday, April 23: Middleburg Spring Races Sunday, April 24: Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point Sunday, April 30: Foxfield Spring Races Sunday, May 1: Middleburg Hunt Point-to-Point Saturday, May 7: Virginia Gold Cup Races Spring Races, Maryland: Sunday, April 3: Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point Saturday, April 9: Elkridge-Harford Hunt Point-to-Point Sunday, April 10: Mount Harmon-Wicomico Point-to-Point Saturday, April 16: My Lady’s Manor Races Saturday, April 23: Grand National Steeplechase Saturday, April 30: The Maryland Hunt Cup Saturday, May 7: Howard County Cup Races Sunday, May 15: Potomac Hunt Races Saturday, May 28: Fair Hill Races Hunter Pace Events: Saturday, March 26: Piedmont Fox Hounds Saturday, April 12: Orange County Hounds Sunday, April 10: Old Dominion Hounds Saturday, April 16: Rappahannock Hunt Saturday, April 23: Blue Ridge Hunt Sunday, April 30: Warrenton Hunt Other Springtime Happenings: Bull Run Hunt March Madness Hunt Week Monday, March 21 – Saturday, March 26 www.bullrunhuntclub.com Museum of Hounds & Hunting North America Huntsmen’s Room Induction Ceremony Saturday, May 28, 4:00 pm The Mansion, Morven Park, Leesburg Open to the public. www.mhhna.org Museum of Hounds & Hunting North America Members Reception Saturday, May 28, 5:00 pm The Mansion, Morven Park, Leesburg Open to current members and members’ guests. www.mhhna.org Museum of Hounds & Hunting North America Art & Sculpture Exhibition & Sale May 28 – June 25 The Mansion, Morven Park, Leesburg, www.mhhna.org Virginia Foxhound Club Cocktail Party and Dinner Saturday, May 28, 6:00 pm, Horning Blowing Contest, 7:00 pm www.virginiafoxhoundclub.org Virginia Hound Show Sunday, May 29, Show begins at 9:00 am Morven Park, Leesburg, rferrer@patricioenterprises.com For other hound show scheduling info, go to www.mfha.com. Upperville Colt & Horse Show Monday, June 6 – Sunday, June 12, www.upperville.com
Mildred Gulick Riddell, former MFH of Virginia’s Old Dominion Hounds, passed away on December 4, 2021, at the age of 97. In addition to her service as ODH master (19821992), Mildred helped lead the southern Fauquier Pony Club and was active in numerous equine activities and competitions. Born in Washington, DC, she graduated from Warrenton High School in 1941 and went on to the University of North Carolina where she played varsity basketball and study physical education. Following a stint as a riding instructor at a girl’s school in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Mildred returned to the family’s Fauquier home, Redwood, in Casanova. A proponent of preserving stream buffers to decrease farm runoff into the Chesapeake Bay, she served on the Citizens for Fauquier County’s Board of Directors and the Piedmont Environmental Council. Her farm’s almost 200 acres is protected as a conservation district by the Virginia Outdoor Foundation. (For more details, https://www.moserfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Mildred-Gulick-Riddell?obId=23345625) Douglas Lees photo •••••
Langhorne M. Bond 1937-2022 Langhorne Bond passed away on January 29, 2022. A noted expert on aviation safety, Mr. Bond held the position of Administrator of the FAA from 1977 to 1981. An avid supporter of steeplechasing, he served as chairman of the International Gold Cup for 12 years and was a member of the board of directors of the Virginia Gold Cup Association. Following a riding accident in the 1980s that left his daughter unconscious, he convinced the Pony Clubs of America Safety Committee to establish an ASTM 1163 certification for riding helmets. Other equestrian disciplines were not as quick to adopt the new standards, mostly due to a dislike of the appearance of the larger, if safer, helmets. To counter that, Bond personally gave away dozens of helmets to steeplechase jockeys, which eventually led to the safer helmets becoming the accepted standard. (For details, https://www.fauquiernow.com/fauquier_news/obituary/fauquier-langhorne-bond-2022.) Douglas Lees photo