From Susan Davidoff
This year, West Tennessee Hunter Jumper Association (WTHJA) had to cancel its in-person awards banquet because of the rapidly riding cases of COVID-19 in the community. However, WTHJA announced winners of awards on their Facebook page and on Instagram. The first award presented was the 2021 Arnold Pittman Outstanding Service award. Susan Davidoff wrote about the award:
“West Tennessee Hunter Jumper Association has a long history of volunteer help, and run by many different people who are integral to our success. The greatest volunteers are the ones who step up to the plate when they see things that need doing and are always there to help without needing to be asked.
“Arnie Pittman volunteered for many years and served this association with enthusiasm and success. This year’s winner is no different. The Arnie Pittman Outstanding Service Award for 2021 goes to our past show manager and show coordinator, Barney Mallace.
“Barney has been a fixture in the Germantown area since the early 1980s. He has served our area and association as a trainer, rider, board member, show committee member, show secretary, judge, mentor, and has helped WTHJA and the Memphis horse community in many more capacities.
“Barney was an amateur owner rider with the amazing Keepsake, successful in both the hunter and jumper rings.” Each year at the Germantown Charity Horse Show, Barney donates the Keepsake Perpetual Trophy for the winner of the Versatility Challenge class. This class consists of two rounds: first, a classic hunter style round over fences 3’3” to 3’6” in height. Second is the jumper speed round open to the top twelve horses from round one. This jumper course consists of a minimum of eight obstacles at 3’6” in height, conducted under Table II.1, fastest clear round. The winner of the Keepsake trophy is equally successful in both rounds.
Keepsake was a 1990 Dutch Warmblood who began her show career winning big in the Regular Working Hunters. She moved into the Jumper ring, also winning many classes, while simultaneously carrying her amateur rider around the Hunter ring. It was quite a sight to see her win a 3’6” jumper class while the same day taking good care of her other rider in the Pre-Adult division.
Barney was most recently the show manager and show coordinator for the WTHJA shows for about 11 years. “WTHJA is a successful local horse show association largely because of Barney’s commitment to making the shows great. He has identified and foreseen problems and offered up solutions or ideas to move us in a better direction. Barney was devoted to WTHJA and worked tirelessly behind the scenes on all the small details it takes to make our shows run smoothly. Although he is receiving the Outstanding Service Award for 2021, he deserves to be recognized for the years and decades he has put into WTHJA and our community.
“Congratulations Barney! We will miss you in Germantown, Tenn., but we know you will enjoy your time in sunny Florida,” Davidoff concluded.
Barney is definitely enjoying his new home on Hutchison Island, Florida. Barney moved to Memphis from south Florida 40 years ago and now, in retirement, comes full circle in moving back to Florida. He only has to look outside his window to have a great view of the beach and Atlantic Ocean. “I can’t believe I get this beautiful view every day!” he remarked. He just has to go down the elevator and the beach is right outside his door. His plans are to get back to riding once he’s settled in and to explore working on ceramics again.
Barney has not severed all ties with the mid-south. He’ll be back for this year’s Germantown Charity Horse Show, seven weeks in Franklin, TN for the Brownland shows, and in Katy, TX at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center.
WTHJA had more awards to give for its 2021 stars.
The Arnie Pittman Junior Sportsmanship Award
The Arnie Pittman Junior Sportsmanship Award is given to a rider who exhibits the following qualities: a desire to learn and grow in the sport, the ability to rise from adversity, and good sportsmanship. This year’s recipient, Kitty Walters, has all of these qualities.
Kitty is kind and polite to everyone. She is helpful to others without being asked and often is one of the first ones to arrive at the show and one of the last to leave. She genuinely cares for the well-being of her horses.
Kitty cheers on everyone, often offering to video rounds for her friends and barn mates. She is the epitome of a good sport, regardless of what kind of a day she is having, and she is an excellent example for all.
Congratulations to Kitty Walters for being selected to receive the Arnie Pittman Junior Sportsmanship Award for 2021!
The Double Stuff Award
The Double Stuff Perpetual Trophy is presented each year to the high point Short / Long Stirrup horse and rider. The winner for 2021 is Lamborghini and Hannah Roark. Congratulations!
For those that were lucky enough to have known Double Stuff, or Oreo as he was known around the barn, remember that he was a pony rider’s best friend and a trainer’s dream. Anything asked of Oreo was done obediently and patiently until his young rider got the exercise right. The word no was not in his vocabulary, and his longevity allowed many generations to learn their skills on him.
Oreo’s competition results span from Minnesota to Palm Beach, Florida and from North Carolina westward to Colorado. His USEF results show 14 different riders competing over 24 years! He earned notable championships at: Metamora Hunt Club, Horseshows by the Bay, Trader’s Point, Ledges, Gulfport, Atlanta, and the Germantown Charity Horse Show.
Oreo’s time in Germantown spanned from 2009 through 2016, with an established fan base at Aintree Stables. A special thanks to Carson Cash, who owned Oreo for 16 years and always made sure he had everything that he needed. Oreo was respectfully retired in 2016 and spent two years blissfully grazing in green pastures until he passed away in 2018.
The Linda Brzoza Perpetual Trophy
The engraving on the Linda Brzoza Perpetual Trophy says: “No matter if you win or lose, the most important thing in life is to enjoy what you have.” Linda’s dedication and will to win can be a light to others and motivation for riders to strive for the same successes that she had.
The Linda Brzoza Memorial Perpetual Trophy honors an amateur rider whose efforts through each competition year shine and reflect the spirit and hard work that Linda lived every day. The winner of the 2021 Linda Brzoza High Score Amateur Rider award is Rachel Sutton.
The Overseas Award
The Overseas Perpetual Trophy is awarded each year to the highest scoring Adult Amateur Hunter for the year. Conformation, movement, soundness, personality, and intelligence, along with a winning form over fences, are among the criteria with which we gauge a horse’s greatness. But, there is also the horse’s winning record and longevity in the sport that contribute to its reputation of being “great.” Mindy Wurzburg’s horse Overseas had all of these qualities, and we are pleased to award this trophy in his memory. The winner of the Overseas Perpetual trophy for 2021 is Captivate, ridden by Mary Grayson Fauser.
The Why Not Farley Award
Why Not Farley was a dream horse for many people, having had a long and successful career, most notably as a Junior Hunter for Nicole Harris in Germantown, Tenn. He began doing the 3’6” Juniors as a four-year-old and, even though he was quite small, he handled the big jumps with ease. The Grand Champion Junior Hunter award and the Why Not Farley trophy goes each year to the horse that wins the most points in the 3’6” Junior Hunter division, regardless of size.
This year’s award goes to Keebler, ridden by Abigail Arnold.
This year, West Tennessee Hunter Jumper Association (WTHJA) had to cancel its in-person awards banquet because of the rapidly riding cases of COVID-19 in the community. However, WTHJA announced winners of awards on their Facebook page and on Instagram. The first award presented was the 2021 Arnold Pittman Outstanding Service award. Susan Davidoff wrote about the award:
“West Tennessee Hunter Jumper Association has a long history of volunteer help, and run by many different people who are integral to our success. The greatest volunteers are the ones who step up to the plate when they see things that need doing and are always there to help without needing to be asked.
“Arnie Pittman volunteered for many years and served this association with enthusiasm and success. This year’s winner is no different. The Arnie Pittman Outstanding Service Award for 2021 goes to our past show manager and show coordinator, Barney Mallace.
“Barney has been a fixture in the Germantown area since the early 1980s. He has served our area and association as a trainer, rider, board member, show committee member, show secretary, judge, mentor, and has helped WTHJA and the Memphis horse community in many more capacities.
“Barney was an amateur owner rider with the amazing Keepsake, successful in both the hunter and jumper rings.” Each year at the Germantown Charity Horse Show, Barney donates the Keepsake Perpetual Trophy for the winner of the Versatility Challenge class. This class consists of two rounds: first, a classic hunter style round over fences 3’3” to 3’6” in height. Second is the jumper speed round open to the top twelve horses from round one. This jumper course consists of a minimum of eight obstacles at 3’6” in height, conducted under Table II.1, fastest clear round. The winner of the Keepsake trophy is equally successful in both rounds.
Keepsake was a 1990 Dutch Warmblood who began her show career winning big in the Regular Working Hunters. She moved into the Jumper ring, also winning many classes, while simultaneously carrying her amateur rider around the Hunter ring. It was quite a sight to see her win a 3’6” jumper class while the same day taking good care of her other rider in the Pre-Adult division.
Barney was most recently the show manager and show coordinator for the WTHJA shows for about 11 years. “WTHJA is a successful local horse show association largely because of Barney’s commitment to making the shows great. He has identified and foreseen problems and offered up solutions or ideas to move us in a better direction. Barney was devoted to WTHJA and worked tirelessly behind the scenes on all the small details it takes to make our shows run smoothly. Although he is receiving the Outstanding Service Award for 2021, he deserves to be recognized for the years and decades he has put into WTHJA and our community.
“Congratulations Barney! We will miss you in Germantown, Tenn., but we know you will enjoy your time in sunny Florida,” Davidoff concluded.
Barney is definitely enjoying his new home on Hutchison Island, Florida. Barney moved to Memphis from south Florida 40 years ago and now, in retirement, comes full circle in moving back to Florida. He only has to look outside his window to have a great view of the beach and Atlantic Ocean. “I can’t believe I get this beautiful view every day!” he remarked. He just has to go down the elevator and the beach is right outside his door. His plans are to get back to riding once he’s settled in and to explore working on ceramics again.
Barney has not severed all ties with the mid-south. He’ll be back for this year’s Germantown Charity Horse Show, seven weeks in Franklin, TN for the Brownland shows, and in Katy, TX at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center.
WTHJA had more awards to give for its 2021 stars.
The Arnie Pittman Junior Sportsmanship Award
The Arnie Pittman Junior Sportsmanship Award is given to a rider who exhibits the following qualities: a desire to learn and grow in the sport, the ability to rise from adversity, and good sportsmanship. This year’s recipient, Kitty Walters, has all of these qualities.
Kitty is kind and polite to everyone. She is helpful to others without being asked and often is one of the first ones to arrive at the show and one of the last to leave. She genuinely cares for the well-being of her horses.
Kitty cheers on everyone, often offering to video rounds for her friends and barn mates. She is the epitome of a good sport, regardless of what kind of a day she is having, and she is an excellent example for all.
Congratulations to Kitty Walters for being selected to receive the Arnie Pittman Junior Sportsmanship Award for 2021!
The Double Stuff Award
The Double Stuff Perpetual Trophy is presented each year to the high point Short / Long Stirrup horse and rider. The winner for 2021 is Lamborghini and Hannah Roark. Congratulations!
For those that were lucky enough to have known Double Stuff, or Oreo as he was known around the barn, remember that he was a pony rider’s best friend and a trainer’s dream. Anything asked of Oreo was done obediently and patiently until his young rider got the exercise right. The word no was not in his vocabulary, and his longevity allowed many generations to learn their skills on him.
Oreo’s competition results span from Minnesota to Palm Beach, Florida and from North Carolina westward to Colorado. His USEF results show 14 different riders competing over 24 years! He earned notable championships at: Metamora Hunt Club, Horseshows by the Bay, Trader’s Point, Ledges, Gulfport, Atlanta, and the Germantown Charity Horse Show.
Oreo’s time in Germantown spanned from 2009 through 2016, with an established fan base at Aintree Stables. A special thanks to Carson Cash, who owned Oreo for 16 years and always made sure he had everything that he needed. Oreo was respectfully retired in 2016 and spent two years blissfully grazing in green pastures until he passed away in 2018.
The Linda Brzoza Perpetual Trophy
The engraving on the Linda Brzoza Perpetual Trophy says: “No matter if you win or lose, the most important thing in life is to enjoy what you have.” Linda’s dedication and will to win can be a light to others and motivation for riders to strive for the same successes that she had.
The Linda Brzoza Memorial Perpetual Trophy honors an amateur rider whose efforts through each competition year shine and reflect the spirit and hard work that Linda lived every day. The winner of the 2021 Linda Brzoza High Score Amateur Rider award is Rachel Sutton.
The Overseas Award
The Overseas Perpetual Trophy is awarded each year to the highest scoring Adult Amateur Hunter for the year. Conformation, movement, soundness, personality, and intelligence, along with a winning form over fences, are among the criteria with which we gauge a horse’s greatness. But, there is also the horse’s winning record and longevity in the sport that contribute to its reputation of being “great.” Mindy Wurzburg’s horse Overseas had all of these qualities, and we are pleased to award this trophy in his memory. The winner of the Overseas Perpetual trophy for 2021 is Captivate, ridden by Mary Grayson Fauser.
The Why Not Farley Award
Why Not Farley was a dream horse for many people, having had a long and successful career, most notably as a Junior Hunter for Nicole Harris in Germantown, Tenn. He began doing the 3’6” Juniors as a four-year-old and, even though he was quite small, he handled the big jumps with ease. The Grand Champion Junior Hunter award and the Why Not Farley trophy goes each year to the horse that wins the most points in the 3’6” Junior Hunter division, regardless of size.
This year’s award goes to Keebler, ridden by Abigail Arnold.
