SAN DIMAS – Anne Meredith, the tireless visionary who turned an 8-acre undeveloped plot into the bustling San Dimas Equestrian Center 37 years ago, passed away Sept. 2. She was 87.

Meredith, born in 1923 in Bowling Green, Ohio, into a non-equestrian family, once recalled that from age 3 she was insistent to own a horse. Her love of animals went beyond economic considerations.

Her friend, Michelle Campbell, recalls a story Meredith told from the Depression era, when her father – who normally didn’t pay too much attention to his daughter’s horse — started to wonder why his feed bill was so high. “I was feeding my friends’ horses for free, because I couldn’t bear to see them get rid of them,” Meredith once told her.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Thirty-nine leading West Coast junior equitation riders competed in Blenheim Farm’s covered arena at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park on the evening of Sept. 18 in the ASPCA Maclay West Coast Regional Finals. With thirty returning for the flat phase and five for the work-off, it was 16-year-old Kylee Arbuckle aboard Kimberly Lynch’s D’Anconia Copper who finished on top to secure her place in 2010 ASPCA Maclay National Championship on Nov. 7 at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament.

Arbuckle, trained by Karen Healey, showed mastery of the course and rode her mount with style and poise, earning her a spot in the top ten of the flat phase.

FORT WORTH, Texas – The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) announced at the APHA Annual Convention and Membership Meeting that the format of the World Championship Paint Horse Shows will change starting in 2011. The two-show format will remain intact, but the line dividing the two shows will be much more clear.
The summer show will now be the AjPHA Youth World Championship Show featuring the complete lineup of youth division classes and activities, and will no longer contain any open or amateur classes. The fall show will be called the APHA World Championship Show and will feature all of the open, amateur, slot, Breeders’ Futurity and other specialty classes. Both shows will remain at the Will Rogers Equestrian Complex located in Fort Worth, Texas.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase our vibrant youth members and youth program by holding strictly a Youth World Championship Show separate from the other divisions,” said Lex Smurthwaite, Executive Director of APHA. “And this will allow the organization to have two World Championship Shows, each with a strong focus.”
Additional info can be obtained about the APHA World Show events at APHAWorldShow.com or by calling (817) 834-APHA (2742).

VALLEY CENTER — Faced with onerous county zoning ordinances for horse boarding facilities, a group of horse advocates is working its course for change, and it’s reached the next step: a survey.

“The equestrian community of San Diego County has an exciting opportunity to work with the Department of Planning and Land Use on a new `tiered’ system of permitting,” said Sally Cobb, spokesperson for the group that has had two workshops with county staff. “This will alleviate the major use permit requirement for small to medium-sized horse businesses — this is good news!”

Small, boutique wineries, faced with their own unreasonable major use permit demands, worked with the county recently to enact an equitable tiered system of permitting, and Cobb is optimistic equestrians are taking a similar path. She says equestrian input on the survey is critical now.

“Without the survey, the DPLU cannot move forward with the new ordinance,” she said. “We need equestrians tp participate inthe anonymous if they are an equestrian property owner, occupant, or manager — including private homes with one or more horses, to public stables with numerous horses.

San Diego County residents must complete the survey by Oct. 15, Cobb said. Find out more at the website http://www.equinezoning.com.

BONSALL – Memorial services for Frank “Scoop” Vessels were set for Aug. 16 after the third generation horseman was killed in a private plane crash near Burns, Ore., Aug. 11.

Vessels, 58, of Bonsall, was flying his light plane when it crashed at 8:55 a.m. about 80 miles south of Burns, a Harney County Sheriff’s official said. Vessels’s passenger and his friend, Sam Bartley Cannell, 73, of Anderson, also was killed. The two were on their way to Montana from Redding for an annual fishing trip with friends when the 1962 Aero Commander 500-B broke apart and fell from the sky, Sheriff David R. Glerup said. The two men were killed on impact and the aircraft was completely destroyed, Glerup said.

Equestrians pursuing working relationships with San Diego County land use staff have scheduled meetings that are open for public participation.

On Aug. 23, the new San Diego County Equestrian Foundation will meet 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Town and Country Resort and Hotel in San Diego. Chandra Waller, general manager of Land Use and Environment, will be on hand along with consulant Jim Whalen of J.Whalen and Associates. For more information, contact Terri Cagle at (760) 720-5088 or visit www.sdcef.org.

TULSA, Okla. – Kelly Resheske combined her poise, appearance, communication skills and horsemanship into the 2010 Miss Pinto Of America title during a pageant held at the Pinto Horse Show Association’s World Championship Show June 8-19.

The 18-year-old Reche Canyon resident, who has trained with Jerry and Shelley Lunde of Norco since 2006, became a PtHA member three years ago and is a member of her local charter, High Desert Pinto. She was the High Desert group’s first queen, representing them as “Miss High Desert Pinto” 2010 -2011, when President Fral Lelli and Sector Director Laura Fowler encouraged her to run for the title of Miss Pinto of America.

She also showed two of her Lunde Show Horses-trained Pintos at the PtHA World Championships, William Potter and Certified Stride — earning Top Five with both. She rode William Potter in the pageant classes.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Drew Rogers of Bakersield and her 6-year-old Paint Horse mare, Shez Eye Candy, returned home to California with the state’s lone All-Around High Point after the 2010 Summer World Championship Paint Horse Show, held June 23 – July 3 at Will Rogers Memorial Center. An annual event, the Summer World Show is home to all Youth world-level competition and all Open and Amateur world-level cattle and reining classes for the Fort Worth-based Association.

The show drew 2,035 entries with 579 horses over the course of 11 days and awarded $300,000 in cash and prizes. In addition to the 118 horse show classes, the Association also hosted the biennial Youth World Games; the Youth Team Tournament; a youth horse judging contest sponsored by Hart Trailers; Paint For A Day, an open all-breed youth horse show; jackpotted open all-breed classes; a Chris Cox clinic and a gift show.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Gavin Jordan of Wilton and David Costello of Paso Robles were honored for their cutting prowess June 20, as the National Cutting Horse Association inducted the Californians into its Open Rider Hall Of Fame.

The ceremony was part of the NCHA Annual Convention held June 18-20 at the Hilton DFW in Grapevine, Texas. Entry in the NCHA Open Rider Hall Of Fame is based on earnings of more than $1 million or by winning a combination of designated events. Joining Jordan and Costello were three other riders, including Zeke Entz of Collierville, Tenn., Sean Flynn of Weatherford, Texas, and Lee Francois of Murchison, Texas.

New inductees to the NCHA Members Hall of Fame included Judy Burton Armstrong, of Gladewater, Texas; Bobby Cook, of Port Allen, La.; Carolyn Crist, of Fort Worth, Texas; Don Neuenschwander, of Houston, Texas; Dave Robson, of Calgary, Alberta; and Mike Wells, of Houston, Texas.

DAVIS – Even during tough economic times for the horse industry, the UC Davis Equine Teaching Program held a successful sale June 19 that provided proceeds to benefit the teaching program at the university’s horse barn.

Equine facilities supervisor Joel Viloria said six yearlings, a pair of yearling mules, two Warmblood/Thoroughbred cross weanlings and two broodmares were sold at a sale average of $550. The sale-topper brought $875.

“It’s a low sale compared to what we’ve had in the past, but it’s a tough time,” said Viloria.”On the bright side, the horses and the facility looked great.”