Horses: Good for The Virginia Horse Center, hosting a show featuring OTTBs this month (November 21-22) Classes are designed for those OTTBs who are starting their show careers as well as those Thoroughbreds who have achieved a higher level of competition.
The show offers a $1,000 Hunter Stakeand a$1,000 Jumper Stake. All classes will offer prizes in addition to ribbons, and there will be special prizes awarded throughout the show to various exhibitors and horses.

According to the Miami Herald, a teenager was arrested on charges including conspiracy to commit animal cruelty, animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill, armed burglary, and killing a registered breed horse. With the arrest of Luis Miguel Cordero, it is believed that the rash of horse-killings in south Florida will come to an end. Horses in the area were being butchered and the horse meat sold on the black market.

Catching up: Dacia Funkhouser Johnson, “R” judge and former joint masters of the Romwell Foxhounds in Indiana had a busy week of it – including a heat stroke. Dacia started the week at Texas Rose, judging a hunter derby with George Morris and then put on her Live Oak Hounds colors for a go at the Hunt Night (afternoon, really) during the Aiken Fall Festival. But after collecting a couple of blue ribbons, her heavy hunt clothes combined with the heat were too much for Dacia, and she had to sit out the team class. Teammates and fellow LOH members Patti Brantley and Kathy Noffsinger soldiered on, garnering their share of the ribbons as well.

Congratulations to Hillary Dobbs on her new Cavalor sponsorship. Hillary announced that she was turning professional for the Hampton Classic. It comes as no surprise that her beau is in the horse business. Roy Wilten, who lies in Holland, has been busy selling horses to Americans when he’s not squiring Hillary around.

Our pal Sydney Masters says she had a great lesson with Traci Barman out in California, and met their menagerie of rescues and pets at the Calabasas (LA) facility that included everything from turtles and bunnies to goats and pigs... she also popped in on Jenny Harris up near San Francisco, and got to lesson at Burgundy Farms at the Sonoma Horse Park (formerly known as Riverside Equestrian Center.)

Do you remember Pat Crowe, now Pat Warren? She used to have all those wonderful hunters with Richard Keller on the west coast. She is now big into reining and has some of the nicest reining horses on the tour.

Liliane Stransky and daughter Daniela Stransky Secchi took time away from showing, school, and training with Michael Morrissey this past September to go to La Haie, Haiti and personally distribute much needed supplies to children, and to check on how Liliane’s Step By Step Foundation’s new school is coming along.

How about that Rebecca Walton from Phelps Media Group? She played in the EAF poker tournament recently in Las Vegas. She wasn’t a winner but she sure looked the part.

New provisions signed into a Kentucky law to protect buyers from fraud in horse sales have pricked the ears of amateurs all over the country. Protecting against “secret commissions” and other common-but-wrong practices in the horse industry such as dual agency, the updated House Bill 446 creates greater transparency in every horse sale that takes place in KY. Following this news we heard rumblings from a group in California who want to see the same laws passed in their state, and are starting to mobilize to make that happen. You heard it here first.

Oopsie. A jury in Del Mar California awarded actor Tom Selleck $187,000 after they found he’d been sold a lame horse by Dolores Cuenca. The settlement covered the cost of the horse and board bills; we understand there will be a second trial to determine punitive costs.

Horse Show News: Wow – A Million Dollar Grand Prix (no kidding!) is coming! Yes folks, HITS will host a million dollar class in Saugerties, New York on September 12, 2010. This is HUGE folks. And you best plan on competing in at least eight HITS Grand Prix at Thermal, Ocala, Culpepper or Saugerties if you want to qualify.

The Buffalo International Horse Show took some big leaps forward this year. Entries were up and the addition of the vendor area and the Red Carpet Club certainly gave the arena a complete feeling. Jenn Burger, Horse Show Chairman and her co-chairs and committee really did it right.

Hummm! Seems the IOC is concerned about the location of the equestrian events for the 2016 Olympic Games. Tempel Farms is the proposed sight but the distance to the event from downtown Chicago has raised some concerns.

Jennifer Nadalin has been a busy woman lately. In addition to owning Sugar Run Farm she is also the owner of Nadalin MDG, a general contracting company. Right now she is putting the finishing touches on The Patrick and Jill McCuan Equine Center at Otterbein College. This $5 million 52 stall facility with classrooms and a 100x300’ indoor arena is located on 80 acres and will easily outshine a certain rival university.

And what little lead-liner could have been cuter, well OK they are ALL cute as heck, but an 18 month old on horseback Jen and Harold Chopping are starting William young...and apparently little William just LOVES it.

Who says foxhunters don’t take lessons? Several of the Misty Morning Hounds people have used former jockey Cindy Detrick for bombproofing and going cross country. (Cindy wrote a terrific book about her 24 years as a jockey and owner/trainer on tracks all across the country.)

The internet is an, um, interesting place. So says Larkin Steele, who runs the Equine Rescue of Aiken. Seems she received an e-mail from herself, asking for a ‘loan of $2,500 U.S. Dollars’ to help her get home from England. Larkin was in Aiken, of course, and busy answering her phone. She wasn’t the only one who got the e-mail, and family, friends and business acquaintances were all calling to see what was up with the fishy solicitation. Internet scammers are always coming up with something new, it seems!

If you ask Mike Rubin why his new horse is named Tiger Jaws, (formerly Tiger Paws) he just might tell you it’s because he has a taste for blood. While Mike was riding on a ‘get the horses fit’ outing with Aiken Hounds, he offered Tiger a carrot. Tiger got a finger too, and hung on and crunched down. Finger still belongs to Mike, but just barely. We expect all future treats will be proffered in the feed bucket.

Wedding Bells: Middleburg veterinarians Stephanie Ralph and Chad Davis exchanged rings and vows on August 1st at Brimstone Farm at Shadowgate. Chad, however, went all out to get the perfect gift for his bride: her former three-day event horse, who was sold to cover vet school costs. They’re hoping Sweet Music can produce a foal or two.

We are still blushing. Seems our editor confused holidays, and Darrell and Melissa Vaughn were married Labor Day weekend, not Memorial Day weekend as previously reported. From the reports, the honeymoon in Italy was great fun. The wedding was a blast as well, with folks from Vermont and Millbrook in attendance along with half of Aiken.

On the move: Gil Merrick has left the USEF after four years of great service. He will be a hard one to replace. Gil was one of those inspirations within the dressage community and he will be missed.

Bobby Drennan is returning to Thermal after several years at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington. Bobby is going to stay closer to home and work the VIP club at the HITS winter circuit.

Gregory H. Sachs had a grand opening of his new hunter/jumper facility in Lake Forest, IL. Head trainer Jennifer Tirrell is at the forefront of this operation.

The Washington International Horse Show appointed Eric L. Straus as the Chief Executive Officer.

Brian Walker has joined Old Salem Farm as head trainer and rider.

Congratulations to Rick Howell of Stadium Sport horses, LLC in Wellington Florida. He is now a GGT –Footing distributor. His daughter, an avid competitor, rides with Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farm.

New Baby Department: Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and her husband Markus, are expecting a baby girl in February, 2010.

Bumps and Bruises: Staff writer Jan Westmark, after spending the past 20 years running a hunter jumper farm, sold the farm and moved to Asheville, NC with her daughter. While out walking her dog on a very tiny hill she slipped in wet grass, breaking her ankle. Being the “tough” horsewoman that all those accident-free years on the farm had taught her, she crawled about a quarter of a mile to her car (the dog thought this was a strange new way of enjoying their morning walk), managed to drive herself the two miles home to drop off the dog and then get her daughter to drive her to the ER where she had to have emergency surgery on a very badly broken ankle! Sadly, there will be no walking on the ankle for six weeks. But that still won’t stop Jan from enjoying the mountains - from a wheelchair!

Betsy Breen, who was seriously injured in a freak accident in 1991 in Californiawhen her horse’s full cheek snaffle bit got caught in her stirrup was back riding at levels 5 & 6at the recent HITS shows in Culpeperon her Argentinean TB mare, Hideaway. She is also backing young Hanoverians for November Hill Farm in Keswick, VA. She remains traumatically brain injured, but still manages to train, ride, and compete. She has been riding for the past few years with Kelly Farmer and Larry Gleflke and is now on her own with her partner Charles (“Kip”) Connor.

Other side of the pond: The new European Individual Gold Medallist received a phone call from a number he did not recognise congratulating him. He cut the call off.Oopsie85it was the French Sports Minister.

The colour orange was prevalent at the Europeans. Note to those retailers exhibiting at Kentucky. Buy a lot of orange goods. You’ll sell out.

The Equicision Team clinics were sold out and attended by a wide range of riders from the relative novice right through to the well respected Dressage Olympian Jane Bartle Wilson, the sister to Christopher Bartle the German Chef D’Equipe.

Further misadventures have centered around the massive show jumping festival in Staffordshire, England. Wet conditions led to the outdoor qualifiers being moved indoors where jumping proceeded through the night up until 5.30am. Due to the long wait, a number of the riders were a little bit intoxicated when it came to actually jumping. Apparently there were a large number of rider ‘dismounts’ and ‘unseats’.About 50. Maybe they were just tired?

Despite a couple of break ups and a much lower profile, Ellen Whitaker and Tim Gredley are still dating, and very much loved up in the stands at SCOPE.

Passing: The equestrian world has lost some great people recently. Both Adolph Magavero and Finn Casperson passed away recently.

And in mid-September, we lost Lawson Mayfield, 18, rode horses named Tommy, Budweis-Czar, and Predikaat. After returning from a trip to Germany on Sunday, September 19, she was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with bacterial spinal meningitis, She was taken off life support on Wednesday- and died a few moments later. Lawson was such a sweet and humorous girl- always happy to see everyone. Her home was Tallahassee, but she rode at many of the A circuits throughout the Southeast. On the day we lost her she should have been headed to the Capital Challenge with her beloved Budweis’Czar. Lawson’s greatest love was being with her horses and friends at shows. So many events will be lonely now without her bright smile and infectious laughter. Lawson was loved by so many- she was genuine and the best definition of a friend, always helping those in need however she could.

The outpouring of support for Sarah Ward and her sister Mallory has been heartfelt on the tragic loss of their mother, Diane, who was a great supporter of both girls and a great horse show mom. Sarah is a regular contributor to Sidelines, and we are thrilled that she wishes to continue with her column. I know you all share in our hopes that a happier time is coming for both girls.

News to share: New baby, engagement, pickup truck? On the move, having parties, falling off horses? Share what’s happenin’ with your horse show friends by e-mailing us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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