Bumpkin, for all I know, Gigi is now a “professional”. She certainly racked up years of experience riding all sorts of different horses, and she’s got to be financially independent, so she could afford to do the “horsey thang”.
so now you all get to see …
Midnight Star was the QH we bought for my Mother to hack around … after we got rid of the western saddle, turned out he could JUMP! 
So sorry to hear that Nancy is laid up. She was at all the big KHP shows this past summer with corgi’s and shirt swatches.
I had not seen her in 20 some years (she had “Blossom” then) and I thought that she looked just great as recently as Sept…
And I am certainly impressed by SoEasy’s release. This pic should go to a George Morris Clinic in PH and see what he says…
Duffy,
Lovely animal! I can see that those expensive debutante lessons paid off, you have perfected the Vanna stance. I think you should start a new career as a model! Between this picture and the ones I’ve seen from Middleburg National and Mosby’s, You could be the next “new look”. Hunter Chic but Model exotic…Ask for the big bucks and don’t forget me and maybe a commission…LOL
…or maybe a chariot?
I was going to post this on the other thread but it was so long I figured I’d post it on this new one. Here is a picture of Marie on Snicklefritz in 1976 at The Garden. It was the first year she showed him there. Remember the other great horses she had, War Apple, Toy Soldier, Ninth Wave. All of those horses were before Snicklefritz, Homegrown and the numerous others that she had. War Apple was the first horse she began showing.
Duffy, what is the name of the Connemara breeder? During the late 60s-early 70s I was familiar with quite a few Connemara breeders in the north east.
Bumpkin, We have the two “C” rated shows this supring/summer. I will see you at the June one for sure. I think we have talked about form over fences. I will be around with my binoculars, so check in and make yourself known. 
I hope the cook shack is up to the usual yummy standard again this year.
BUMPKIN: Beezer and I didn’t ride in the same barn as Gigi Gaston; she rode at Flintridge, where our trainer used to be an assistant (in more ways than one to Jimmy, if you get my drift, ahem). Gigi was a totally spoiled rich kid (Getty oil), but she just cracked me up! Something was always a tad askew with her. We rode in the same divisions, so you know how you start hanging out with your competitors, as long as they’re not complete snobs/idiots? Anyway, I can’t remember most of her horses, since they came and went so quickly, except her palomino pony, Lemon Drop.
But the best Gigi story came from Bob Hubbard, the commercial horse hauler. One day I was talking about kids I grew up riding with, and he told about how he hauled Gigi’s string of horses back east with Flintridge (I assume along with Francie Steinwedell at that era) and Bob’s comment was that Gigi and her mom were constantly embroiled in a fashion emergency, because Gigi absolutely could NOT wear the same coat/shirt/outfit more than once during a multi-day show. She just couldn’t be seen in the same coat more than once. 
And we wonder how we became so hung up on monograms and show bows and rust breeches?
Does anyone remember the Virginia State Horse Show that used to go on during the fair in Richmond? What a great show it was. It had all breeds there, including the walking horses, draft horses and western events. Jumper classes were at night and drew tremendous crowds! It was a great turnout every year and I’m not sure why it’s no longer there. Wow, does that bring back some fond memories.
I swear the AQHA used that photo, albeit beefing up the pony a bit, as their model for a poster I got in the mid '70s. They were free from the association if you wrote in. I swear it looked just like that!!!
Lord, Marie looks so young! 
She did love to talk to the spectators. She didn’t let the faster course designs stop her, either! Just because the course ended at the ingate doesn’t mean she had to circle and leave. I can remember her cantering to the end of the ring at Washington and walking back along the rail to say hello and chat with her friends.
King of the Hill … our New Holland ‘pony’ who grew up to be a small horse … and to win at small events, retire the Junior Hunter Championship Trophy at Pickering Hunter Trials and go to Devon in the Junior Hunters. Mom’s note on the back of the photo said that the fences were 3’9" in 1971.
Awesome pics, SoEasy!!!
More than likely, GM would have little georg-asms over the pics… auto releases? Be still my beating heart!!!
our Duffy has that look!
And I have no guesses on Willy!! It was not all that long ago that he was a top Junior Hunter! And Weatherford is right, we sold him to Derbydown/Louise Serio. 
Wow, So easy, that was a while ago! I didn’t recognize Willy. He was prretty small and I knew him when Amanda was in the Jrs.
The story I heard was her Mom bought him at a show her Dad (who was THE horse show Dad, used to lunge Devil’s River and everything)didn’t attend and Dad didn’t speak to Mom for three days. He finally admitted Willy was a nice horse, however.
Here iz a picture of Colyn frum Blowing Rock in 1985. I wuz only 5 then hehe! She wuz sew in debt 2 her trainer, that she had 2 sell her pony, truck and trailer and ride a hog home. Glad she dyed her hair back 2 black.
Hey Kryswyn! I dug up a few Teela-Wooket pictures, including one of Duffy! I’ll email you those. Actually, on one of the “Roy” pictures, it says Block Island, but it’s below the lower picture of a sailboat, named “Iris”!
Hi Janet! My Aunt’s farm is Tower Hill. She was in NH originally and is now in VT. She likes her Connemara’s hardy, obviously! LOL The yearling filly pictured was Spring Ledge Tralee as Spring Ledge Farm was the breeder (home of Spring Ledge Bantry Bay). My aunt later got Whitewood Galway Bay, Bantry’s father, as her first breeding stallion.
[This message was edited by Duffy on Jan. 21, 2001 at 08:29 PM.]
[This message was edited by Duffy on Jan. 21, 2001 at 08:30 PM.]
Oh, Max Bonham was the greatest! We felt we’d finally “arrived” when Max came on the scene. A real big-name East Coaster! He was a real kick, too. I can still remember him out on the old cross-country course Coto had at the time (before it was taken over by houses), alternately chasing horses and kids over the jumps and then flagging them down on the all-out run back to the barns. And having been one of said kids (though I never had the pleasure of riding with him, he was always willing to help anyone out on course), I can honestly say those were some of the most hair-raising, amazingly FUN rides I ever had.
It was years before Coto de Caza came into its own as a full-fledged equestrian center, but Max certainly set it on its way. Caroline Bonham still trains there. His son – Michael, I think?? – was a wonderful rider too; he was out here for a good while, but no longer. Anyone know what happened to him?
As for the multi-discipline shows … I really miss those too. Grand fun they were. And not sure whether it was mentioned on this thread or the other old-timer one, but yes, the shows held on or near the racetracks – or “runways” as my old trainer used to call them. Because that’s what my horse and I used to turn them into. I’ll leave it to my sister, Merry, to tell the tale sometime of one of my and the real Beezer’s more, ahem, MEMORABLE turns around one of those tracks. We may have stampeded most of the warm-up ring… 
As the old song says, “Those were the days, my friend; we thought they’d never end” … and how very sad that they eventually did. But what great days they were.
I want the plaid huntcoat!!!
