UPHA Associate Member Of The Year - Dr. Nancy Trent
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Editor’s Note: The following speech was read by Dr. Owen Weaver Friday, Jan. 8, 2010 at the UPHA/AHHS Convention.
The recipient of the UPHA Associate Of The Year Award was destined to live a life full of horses. Dr. Nancy Ann Trent of Union, Ky. is a fourth generation horsewoman. The first horse she ever saw was an American Saddlebred named, coincidentally, Royal Nancy. Royal Nancy was a broodmare that her grandmother Cordelia Trent foal-shared with W.D. "Cordy" Mountjoy, of the famed Mountjoy Farm located five miles from her family's farm in Lawrenceburg, KY.
Taught to ride and taken to "hundreds" of local horse shows through the years by her parents Lydia and Lewis Trent, Nancy's love of horses blossomed. Her first show horse was really a darling black and white Shetland pony named Princess Kate. Princess Kate was fun at home and a winner in everything from lead line to equitation to open pleasure.
Back in the 1960s ponies could compete with and beat "big horses". More ponies came into her life. Among them was three-gaited pony Fancy Miss and her brother, Hot Shot, who was undefeated for three years in pleasure pony classes.
Flash forward through four and 1/2 decades of horses, horse shows and the people that trained Nancy's horses, coached her through state and national 4-H horse judging competitions, and the list is impressive.
J. Miller McAfee, George DeAtley, Frank Bradshaw, Billy Mountjoy, and Eddie Guttridge. Especially important was Bill Rowan who taught her to ride her first five-gaited horse "Cedar Creek's Miss On the Go" and in the process, took her riding to the next level. He also coached the likes of Michele Macfarlane and many others from his days in California.
During her time riding with Bill Rowan, Nancy showed her own horses and enjoyed catch riding the talented WC Sir Winzalot as a junior horse.
The 1980s added a new challenge for Nancy. She was admitted to the University of Kentucky college of medicine. Her motto for the unending hours of study and patient care involved in training to be a physician came from Eddie Guttridge. In a conversation about becoming a doctor, Eddie said " Being a doctor is like being a horse trainer; there are no clocks and no calendars."
During those years buying and selling broodmares not only paid for most of medical school but also kept her in the horse world. The four years of residency training to become an OB/GYN physician was also the era when Nancy returned to the show ring with her homebred RWC Precious Kate. Jim and Mike McIntosh piloted Nancy through those years with great success and fun.
After establishing her private practice in greater Cincinnati, [Ohio], the 1990s brought the development of Rosemont Manor Farm. The many champions and world’s champions developed, for not only the farm but also for the many wonderful clients, are too numerous to mention for fear of leaving some great horse out.
Nancy, however, enjoyed personally all her fun rides on a the likes of Highpoint’s Fandango, Carried Away, WC Callaway's Hot Copy, Rightfully Mine, RWC Precious Kate, Highpoint's Hot Chocolate and many others.
Nancy's other great passion has always related to the raising of Saddlebreds. With the development of a top-flight broodmare band in conjunction with the acquisition of the world’s champion sire CH The King of Highpoint and the raising of World’s Champion Sire Our Charm, the program raised and competed at world class levels.
World’s Champion Texas Hold 'Em winning the Kentucky Weanling Futurity and Exquisite One winning the Bluegrass Futurity in the same year was particularly memorable as was a reserve finish in the All American Cup with Coco Latte.
Again, Nancy was surrounded by terrific horsemen including her former husband and co-developer of Rosemont Manor Farm, John T. Jones, as well as A. J. Brewer, Gregory Maldonado, Jeff Leach, Walt Bullard and her most favorite friend Allison Deardorff.
The past 15 years have also been a time when Nancy's schedule relaxed so that there was time to give back to the horse industry she loves. Whether it has been serving on the Youth Committee of the ASHA when in it's early growth phase, to serving on the ASHA Welfare Committee as its current chairman, to serving on the Board of Directors of Saddlebred Rescue, the ASHA Advancement Committee, The UPHA/ASHA Judging Committee, the call to service does not go unanswered by Nancy.
Her two year term as President of the Associate Membership saw devoted service which included active work in the areas of promotion, as well as continued close work with the UPHA American Royal Horse Show Classics and class sponsorship. Nancy's fund raising for the Royal started before her tenure as president and at present has hit the $100,000 mark for class and classic sponsorship.
Along with her work with the UPHA Associates Nancy stays engaged with the hobby she loves best. Nancy looks forward to continuing to breed, raise, and show American Saddlebreds and 2010 will be especially f un with her home grown Fashionista debuting in the ladies three-gaited division and Ultimate Fire continuing in Western Pleasure.
Nancy truly embodies the concept of embracing all of the capabilities and versatility of the American Saddlebred horse.
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