Photo by Kim Tudor

Piper Tudor plays Hide-N-Seek at the vet’s office. None too pleased about her appointment.

Catching up: Canadian writer Karen Robinson continues to have a field day with the FEI and the Germans on her blog, ‘Straight-Up’.

Check it out, it is a good read.
http://www.horse-canada.com/?cat=51

Seems that one renegade photographer got caught, finally, at the recent North American Young Riders Championship at the Kentucky Horse Park. She was NOT the official event photographer and not licensed to sell her pictures but she did and now she is in big trouble. It is about time, folks.

Speaking of big trouble, a regular on the elite show circuit was arrested at the Hampton Classic for vastly inappropriate behavior. We hope this one cleans up his act immediately or leaves and never comes back! Such things are not to be tolerated!

Helen Varble has started her new Saddle Club in Stuart, FL. Sounds like things are going great - she already has 20 customers. She says she is going to circuit this year.

Something big is in the works to bring affordable health insurance to horse people in the hunter/jumper industry. . .the USHJA and West Coast Active Riders are involved in a project that’s almost ready to kick off after years of planning. Stay tuned. . .

Georgina Bloomberg has offered her support to Wall Street Farm’s Interscholastic Equestrian Team by generously donating show apparel through her non-profit organization The Rider’s Closet. The team, coached by Siobhan Gallagher and based at Wall Street Farm (Steve and Heidi Lengyel) in Wellington, is IEA certified and consists of middle and high school aged riders who train weekly and will compete against other teams in their region, earning points that lead to nationals. The IEA is an affordable way for young equestrians compete and be part of a team, and Wall Street Farm’s IEA team is extremely thankful to Georgina for her support.

Tom Siebel ventured to Africa recently, but we have to wonder if he’ll ever go back: he was gored and trampled by an elephant while on safari. Tom was flown back to the states after being stabilized and is now recovering at home in Northern California.

We heard that over 30,000 watched the first-ever Hunter Derby Finals online in August. Wow – that is a lot of interest in the hunters! Winning horse Rumba is owned by Tom Siebel’s Mountain Home Stable, who, elephant trampling aside, must have been pretty happy to hear that his horse had won in Kentucky. See our Five Questions with John French in this issue for more on the finals.

Equestrian announcer and course designer Skip Bailey has embarked on a bike ride across the country to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research. Skip is riding his bike across the United States from Oregon to Virginia in honor of his father who has Parkinson’s. As a member of Team Fox, Bailey’s coast to coast trip will raise funds for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which has funded close to $150 million in research to develop better Parkinson’s treatments.

Hillary Dobbs repeated history by winning the $20K Open Jumper Class opening day at the Hampton Classic Grand Prix. She celebrated that night by attending a benefit for the ASPCA.

Fallen Diva: Things got messy on the web when a popular horse show gossip’s true identity was unveiled by a well known circuit regular. Sharp-tongued comments and rumors on a certain website were viewed as slander by some, and lawsuits have been filed. Watch it, people!

Michael Morrissey has joined Stransky Mission Farm in Wellington, FL, riding for owner Liliane Stransky, the founder of the Step by Step Foundation. Michael is also training Liliane’s 13-year-old daughter, Daniela Stransky-Secchi.

Alden Corrigan just took a big position with the Equestrian Aid Foundation. Congratulations to her!
Is Scribbles the world’s oldest pony? Scribbles is 51 and lives in Devon, England. His owner is preparing to send data to the Guinness Book of records to find out.

Wedding Bells: Ashlyn Bell and Jimmy Anderson got married in Vermont after the last show of the circuit.

New Baby Department: Megan Godard is pregnant with a boy and due in January.

Horse Show News: Kudos to Diane Carney, who was responsible for donating a set of hunter jumps to The Menlo Charity Horse Show in August. These were the same jumps that were used in the Hunter Challenge during the FEI World Cup Finals, and also during the 2008 HITS Thermal Hunter Derby. Well done, Diane!

The 2009 Kentucky National World Cup Qualifier that was also the Hagyard Challenge Series finale honored Betsy Fishback, who lost her battle with breast cancer in January of this year.
2008’s wildly successful Sacramento International Horse Show in California has expanded to two weeks in its second year. The one-ring event was the brainchild of trainer Rudy Leone, who succeeded in bringing a unique show with a distinct indoor European feel to the West Coast. 2009 dates are slated for October 21-November 1, and Nov. 4-8.A0

Her Kiwi accent caught their ear! California trainer Toni McIntosh made her show announcer debut at The Menlo Charity Horse Show in August. Toni provided live commentary for the feature jumper classes and grand prix, which were made available by EquestrianLife.com as live streaming broadcasts. Viewers from all over the world watched the Menlo Grand Prix online, triplingA0the usual audience for the class. Classes are still available to view at EquestrianLife.com.

The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center is currently seeking volunteers to assist at their center in Loxahatchee, FL. With 17 horses, 100 rides and only three full time staff members, volunteers are an integral part of providing therapeutic equine activities to individuals with special needs. Without those people that generously give of their time VTRC would cease to exist. For more information please visit http://www.vinceremos.com.

The Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE) in Tryon will be putting on the ritz October 23 for FENCE’s 25th Anniversary Gala. “Top Hats and High Boots” is the theme, which means those attending the gala celebration will dress in formal attire above the waist and riding attire below the waist. The gala will take place at FENCE’s covered arena and will feature an outstanding gourmet dining experience. Five guest chefs from renowned area restaurants will be dishing out their best cuisine, followed by an evening of music and dancing. Speaking of dancing in Tryon, FENCE recently held the fourth annual “Dancing Under the Stars” benefit for Trot, a therapeutic program for physically and developmentally challenged adults and children located at FENCE. The night was filled with a mounted Revolutionary War re-enactment, dressage and western pairs presentation and carriage driving with minis and of course lots of dancing. For more information on FENCE, visit their website at http://www.fence.org.

Bumps and Bruises: Our Sports Psychology columnist, Ann Reilly checked in and said that while she’s still recovering from another surgery to fix her leg that was shattered from horse kick, she’s working with several up and coming equitation riders...Ann says it’s a long road back to being able to walk...but at least she’s staying busy (and getting pretty good on crutches!)

Potomac Huntsman Larry Pitts is also hopping along after breaking his femur while mounting. Wife Peggy says they plated and screwed his leg back together, and he was up and walking, and terrorizing the nurses, right away.

Show jumper Giles Turner is currently nursing a broken jaw, concussion and four dislodged teeth after an altercation on the dance floor at a party to celebrate a friends 30th birthday party. Hmmm. . .

Passing: We were sorry to learn that Seamus Brady, a blacksmith who was a regular at WEF, passed away on July 27. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends.

We were saddened to learn that Stephanie Shaw died peacefully at home. Stephanie had suffered traumatic brain injury in a riding accident this spring and never recovered. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to her family and friends.

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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