February 2020 Issue

Real Estate EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN February 2020 Page 21 Horse Ambulance maintaining the equipment and training the volunteers,” Bashore said. Bashore is available to make presentations at club meetings and for groups that would like to know more about the organiza- tion. The next 8 hour training class is scheduled for April 5 at Fair Hill, MD. Participants will learn how to roll a horse safely using a boat hook and a 30 ft. strap, and how to use the rescue glide. They will practice using the full size horse dummies and learn how to work as a team. The training is open to ev- eryone, although space is very limited. “Every horse owner who has been through it (an emergency rescue) asks who do I call, what do I do,” Bashore said. To learn more or to make a contribution, visit the web site at horseambulancemd.com . Dona- tions may also be sent to Equine Rescue Ambulance Fair Hill Di- vision, 71 Elk Mills Road, Elkton, MD, 21921. Bashore may also be reached by phone at 443-553- 6184 or by email at fairhillera@ gmail.com. (Continued from page 4) Diane Naylor and Dixon Stroud have been elected trustees of the Temple Gwathmey Stee- plechase Foundation. With her husband, Irv, Mrs. Naylor is a prominent owner of steeplechase horses, and they have campaigned three Eclipse Award winners in the past decade. Black Jack Blues was their first in 2011, and they had consecutive champions Dawalan and Rawnaq in 2015 and 2016, respectively. W. B. Dixon Stroud is a well-known steeplechase horseman who founded the Willowdale Steeplechase in 1993 and continues as its chairman. A prominent rider over timber fences, he won the 1984 Mary- land Hunt Cup aboard Bewley’s Hill. His vision of a gala race meet in Chester County, Pa., led to the founding of Willowdale, a feature of Mother’s Day week- end every year. Re-elected to his third term on the Board of Trustees was Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation Elects Trustees Michael Hoffman, a steeplechase horseman who rode his Solo Lord to victory in the 2001 Maryland Hunt Cup. They succeed three trustees who have fulfilled their maxi- mum time on the board. They are: TGSF President Charles C. Fenwick Jr., former TGSF Vice President Gail B. Thayer, and NSA President Guy J. Torsil- ieri. Torsilieri stepped down from the National Steeplechase Association presidency at the January meeting of the Board of Directors. A business owner and chairman of the Far Hills Race Meeting, Torsilieri has led the NSA since 2009, a period of growth and innovation within the sport. He will continue as a member of the Board of Direc- tors and will remain active in the affairs of the NSA. Robert E. “Bob” Cacchi- one, founder of the Intercolle- giate Horse Shows Association (IHSA), was honored at the Evening of Equestrians, a high- light of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) annual meeting in Denver, Col- orado. Cacchione was presented with the William J. Moroney Visionary award, named after the former USHJA president and current chief executive officer of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). The USHJA presented a video including interviews of Moroney, Olympic Gold Medalist and Cacchione Cup winner Peter Wylde, IHSA Executive Director Peter Cashman who all spoke about the positive impact Cacchi- one and the IHSA have had on the equestrian industry. Moroney said that other col- legiate equestrian organizations, like the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA), the Intercol- legiate Eventing Program and scholastic organizations like the Interscholastic Equestrian Asso- USHJA Honors Bob Cacchione ciation (IEA) would not exist if it were not for Cacchione’s vision and persistence. It is estimated that as many as 250,000 men and women have participated in the IHSA since 1967 when he founded the orga- nization as an 18-year-old student at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ. Cacchione’s brainchild was inspired by his de- termination to find a way to ride horses while in college without the financial support of his par- ents. He and mentor and adviser Jack Fritz, a renowned horse- man active in the governance of several equestrian disciplines, developed the prototype of IHSA competition, which included catch-riding appropriate horses, drawn at random and supplied by host schools. As executive director for 52 years, the charismatic Cacchione proudly led the IHSA, shaking the hands of every competitor at the IHSA National Championship Horse Show and working tireless- ly alongside board members who have become lifelong friends. He thanked many of those friends who joined him at the USHJA Evening of Equestrians, including Cashman, Naomi Blumenthal, Cricket Morris, Chris Mitch- ell and more. He also thanked Moroney and USHJA President Mary Babick for their leadership. “What counts in life is not merely that we have lived, but the difference we have made in others’ lives,” Cacchione said. “The IHSA is not just what I do. The IHSA is who I am.” Cacchione has also been recognized for his commitment to college riding with the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award, the USHJA Presidents Distinguished Service Award, US Equestrian/ EQUUS Foundation Humanitar- ian Award, the Equine Industry Vision Award, sponsored by Zoe- tis and presented by American Horse Publications, a Doctor of Humane Letters from Centenary College and the American Horse Publications Equine Industry Vision Award. He was inducted into the IHSA Hall of Fame in January 2020. By Ken Weingartner U.S. Harness Writers Association Courtney Polan, who works in the Norm Parker Stable based at The Meadows, has been named the recipient of the 2019 Caretaker of the Year Award sponsored by Fair Island Farm in conjunction with the U.S. Harness Writers Association (USHWA). Polan, 27, has worked for Parker since October 2014, joining the stable after a two- year stint working for Tim Pinske. Harness Writers Name Poulan Caretaker of the Year "This is amazing," said Polan, a Pennsylvania native who turned to harness racing after graduating with a degree in biology from Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. Polan, who owns a retired Standardbred and Quarter Horse, currently takes care of eight hors- es in the Parker Stable, including the 2019 Meadows Horse of the Year Wild Wild Western. Wild Wild Western is owned in part by Jacobs Creek Racing's Jeff Weaver, who nominated Po- lan for the Fair Island Caretaker of the Year Award. "I have observed just how special Courtney is at devel- oping a unique relationship with all of her charges," wrote Weaver. "Each horse garners her attention as though she was all theirs. Each receives full care, unique and individual atten- tion and even when called for, discipline." Polan said one word in the dictionary describes her strength as a caretaker: Caring. "I care. I care a lot," said Polan. "My biggest thing is that sometimes I care too much. I just love all of them. I don't have human kids yet, so they are my kids." All caretakers in North America were eligible for the award, with nomination letters submitted detailing the skills and special qualities of the nominee. A seven-member panel -- all of whom were former caretakers themselves -- selected Polan as the winner. As winner of the Fair Island Farm Caretaker of the Year Award, Polan will receive a cash prize of $500, transporta- tion, hotel accommodations and two tickets to USHWA's annual Dan Patch Awards banquet on Sunday, Feb. 23, at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla., where she will be presented a trophy.