Vicky Moon, author of Sylvia Rideout Bishop Had a Way With Horses, and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist in team eventing Nina Fout discuss the challenges and opportunities of growing up, competing, and succeeding in Northern Virginia’s equestrian community.
This program will be presented live on the VPHA Facebook Page. After broadcast it will be available to view anytime at the VPHA YouTube channel.
About Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop: “Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop (Oct. 5, 1920-Dec. 27, 2004) was one of seventeen children born to a West Virginia family whose ancestors were enslaved. Sent to live with a nearby childless couple as a toddler, she was indulged with fancy dresses and one mesmerizing pony ride that changed her life. Her love of horses took her to the Charles Town racetrack at age fourteen to work as a groom, hot walker and then trainer, all the time fighting sexism and racial bigotry against a backdrop of the swirling Civil Rights movement. She prevailed to break barriers, shatter stereotypes and celebrate countless transforming victories in the winner’s circle with many wealthy clients. As a single mother after two failed marriages, financial reality forced her to take on extra work in the shipping department at a nearby Doubleday publishing factory. Never wavering in her passion, she returned to the track to train horses at age eighty. And finally, with little fanfare, she was honored for her pioneering accomplishments as the first black woman licensed to train racehorses in the United States.” Vicky Moon, Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop had a way with horses
About Nina Fout: International 3- day event rider Nina Fout is a multi-generational equestrian with accolades spanning the globe, most notably winning the team bronze medal during the 2000 Sydney Olympics on her horse 3 Magic Beans. Nina has successfully competed at every major 3-day event during her decades long career. Residing in her home town of The Plains, just outside Middleburg, Nina hunts with Orange County Hounds and has competed and won multiple field hunter championships from a young age. Nina has the experience and discipline to help other horses and riders achieve their goals. In addition, Nina has become an extremely well regarded cross country course designer. Many advanced level courses, including Plantation Field, Middleburg, CDCTA, Kelly’s Ford, Gordonsdale and Morningside have featured her designs. She has recently earned her certification to design at the FEI level.
About Vicky Moon: Writer and photographer Vicky Moon has chronicled the lives of the rich, the not so rich, the famous, and the not-so-famous for more than twenty years. She has written about lavish parties, hunt balls, steeplechase races for People, The Washington Post, Town and Country, and Millionaire and magazines. She has chronicled homes and gardens for Veranda and Southern Accents, has served as a contributing editor for House and Garden and writes a monthly column for Washington Life. Ms. Moon is the author of many titles including The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis: Portrait of a Rider and Equestrian Style: Home Design, Couture, And Collections from the Eclectic to the Elegant, The Middleburg Mystique, The Official Middleburg Life Cookbook, Best-dressed Southern Salads and A Sunday Horse. Vicky divides her time between the nautical capital of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, known as the “Venice of America” and the village of Middleburg, Virginia, “horse heaven” with wide-open fields. Vicky, too, has been a rider all her life.