and check out the (almost) following hand…
I suspect the funky-looking thing that appears to be hanging down is the bight of the reins moving slightly and distorted by the age/pixels… Looks to me like no spurs, no stick…
PamM, what a great idea - a thread on Marie - what a character! Does anyone remember when the Washington Post maganize did a cover story on scandals in the horse show world, written by Vicky Moon? What a riot it created - blasted everyone and named names. Your mention of Marie reminded me of it because she was on the COVER!! LOL
I started showing in 1965.
Ringside parking at every show (even Devon!) and when the shows ran late–no lighted rings–management asked the cars to turn on their headlights.
The must-haves then: Stubben Siegfied Saddle (usually worn with no pad at all); custom made bridles from England; flared gabardine breeches which soon gave way to fitted Harry Halls, canary usually, occasionally rust; Vogel boots with patent leather boot tops; NO shadbellys on children ever ever; ratcatcher shirts with contrasting chokers; and yes, I had a madras hunt coat, too. 
Grooms that came from Ireland and knew everything. What a luxury that seems like now.
Small and large ponies only, heights at 2’6" and 3". Outside courses at almost every show, often with real stone walls. Courses that always began with a brush jump. Appointments classes that required hunting crop, sandwich case, and string gloves tucked under the girth (even on ponies.) Divisions that had either four classes (three over fences and hack) or five (including a model) and that was ALL you did–no schooling classes, long stirrup, warm-ups, low hunters, etc.
My favorite ponies of the era (can you tell that’s what I showed?) Large: Pride n’ Joy (mine ), Prim n’ Proper, Thorwell, Rebel, Hot Shot Kid, Rommel, Neat n’ Tidy, Flying Mouse, Serendippity, Chimney Sweep. Small: Wizard of Oz, Highfield’s Town and Country, Chantilly, Squeaky, Midget, Driftwood.
Wow, this brings back memories.
Excellent Picture of you and your horse. THe jump looks pretty interesting.
Is that Neddy Winkhaus you guys are talking about? I went to Ethel walkers with her in the 60’s (altho she WAS older --one year-- than I was 
)
In the early 70’s I was out west at grad school, and did not get back to S Pines much until about 76. My mom’s farm has always been my ideal place —Longleaf Pine Farm, on Old Mail Road (in back of the hunter trial field.) She and it are still there, but now that I have my own place in KY, she comes here to visit (for racing and the sales) so I don’t get back to SP much.
Is Jimmy Smeltzer still at the standardbred training center? What a character he was!
I saw Patty H at the futurity finals this Sept. She was riding a granddaghter of Aldie Belle. The filly looked just like her grammy…
PamM, what a great picture - I don’t remember your memory being so good!!
Kim’s Song was indeed Bruce’s nearly unbeatable A/O hunter - was anybody else at her retirement party during Washington? She was in her own little paddock (and own little world, due to being drugged to the gills) in the hotel while we all partied around her. It was a legendary party and Bruce was a terrific host.
All my other memories have been mentioned here as far as attire and tack - I once bought a beautiful racehorse bridle (double stitched) from Miller’s and it was my pride and joy - it was so cool.
Laurie
I am so sorry to hear it. He was a great horse…
Okay, here are a few glimpses of memories that all of this has stirred up…
-Using braiding yarn to tie the doorknob of Gigi Gaston’s motel room door to the outside balcony railing so she’d struggle to open her door in the a.m. before our hotly contested jr. eq. class.
-Forsaking family traditions and eating Thanksgiving turkey dinner at the Santa Barbara Biltmore hotel with your barnmates (albeit dressed up) during the Santa Barbara “turkey” show.
-Hopping on the tram at the Del Mar Fair (during the Del Mar show) to venture into the midway to grab a cinnabun for our horse in an effort to bribe him before his flat class.
-Being in an eq. class at Indio, during the old Date Festival/county fair days, when all the various show divisions were combined. Right after a few saddlebred classes, the grandstands were crammed with “civilians” who were primed to applaud for their favorite horse/rider (as they did for the saddleseat events). But this was huntseat eq., and I was sitting on a keg of dynamite! But alas, I was the crowd’s favorite (must’ve been the guacomole green coat and rust breeches!) so I got all the applause… and bolted into oblivion! 
-Schooling over jumps in the barn aisle at all the A shows. Not done much anymore, eh?? The trainers we had then always carted along portable jump standards, and right there, in the aisleway, we’d canter back and forth over the fences. So what if the ground was hard/uneven/mucky? Or that you were in full view of the judge and the arena?
Must remark, though, that in all honesty, my sister and I were relatively poor kids at the time, showing on the A circuit, on cheap horses, but we were trained well and nicely turned-out, and you know what? We won, especially in eq. and medals. I never felt that we missed a ribbon because we weren’t with a “name” trainer, or because we weren’t mounted on a Flintridge horse.
My favorite ponies of the era (can you tell that’s what I showed?)
Large: Pride n’ Joy (mine), – I remember the pony. I must remember you!
Prim n’ Proper,
Thorwell,
Rebel,
Hot Shot Kid,-------Terry Rudd
Rommel,
Neat n’ Tidy,
Flying Mouse,
Serendippity, -------Missy Leib
Chimney Sweep.
Small:
Wizard of Oz, -------______ Burr
Highfield’s Town and Country, -----Brooke Hodgson
Chantilly,—owned by Tanracken Farm. Ridden by Meta Boykin I think.
Squeaky,
Midget, —girl from Conn.
Driftwood.
I remember the Philomont shows. They were so much fun. I kept my pony at a place very close to the show grounds and we used to hack over to the shows.
Its probably a housing development now…
Does anyone remember Coupon, owned & shown by Mimi Cummins? Or Cookie Emlems horses? Can’t remember their names, one of those SM’s 
Okay brilyntrip, it’s driving me nuts - trying to recall trainers who were in va/md and are now in Long Island! Clues???
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>She is still there, though she is getting on in age, and is no longer as active in showing. She did have a green conformation horse out a couple of years ago. As far as I know, she never sold ANY of her show horses and ponies (or her husband’s race horses for that matter). She kept them on her farm in retirement until they died.
She has some very old fashioned (but mostly admirable) opinions of what constituted “good horsemanship”, and very few lived up to them. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
T Whitehead was showing her hunters in the early to mid nineties. If Mrs. Waller is still doing hunters, it is a good bet that T still shows them.
Wasn’t Market Rise’s owner named Debbie something?
Gozzi, San Felipe, Market Rise, and don’t forget Early Light (my favorite) – all great horses but I bet Rox Dene could give them a run for their money!
I didn’t know Upperville had a bank and a wall in the old days. Where?
