Each month, NAES chooses one significant individual who has made a positive difference in the horse industry.

NAES' Spotlight is also featured in the Quarterly Newsletter.
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This quarter's NAES Spotlight is on Penny Carpenter.

(Photo Courtesy of Penny Carpenter)

NAES’ Spotlight focuses on Mrs. Penny Carpenter of the Palm Springs, California area.

Mrs. Carpenter now lives in Palm Desert, CA and has judged hunters, jumpers, hunter seat equitation and hunter breeding classes for over 35 years.

In addition, she holds a Combined Category Steward's card and an international FEI Chief Jumping Steward's license. As a horse show exhibitor she successfully competed in the disciplines she now judges having been trained by such notables as George Morris, Ralph Petersen, Ronnie Mutch and Victor-Hugo-Vidal.

She has also served as a Specialty Show Judge for the Arabian Youth Nationals, the Arabian Nationals, the Arabian Canadian Nationals and the Morgan Grand National horse shows.

Growing up in Long Island, New York Mrs. Carpenter was always a "horse-crazy" youngster but couldn’t own her own horse until she was 16. Her option was to work at a nearby stable, cleaning tack, grooming, watering and feeding horses. The stable owner wouldn't allow the girls to clean stalls so she took riding lessons, rode in the horse van to fox hunts, helped friends at horse shows and spent as much time with the horses as possible.

Through the years, Mrs. Carpenter has volunteered her time to the many horse shows, the United States Equestrian Federation and subsidiaries while serving on several committees. Her volunteer work involves the Pegasus Riding for the Handicapped Program in the Palm Springs, CA. She is an avid golfer.


Previous NAES Spotlight Individuals:

Tim McQuay

(Tim McQuay on “Mister Montana Nick,” Photo Courtesy of McQuay Stables)

Tim McQuay the leading All Time money earner in the National Reining Horse Association, with over $2 million dollars in winnings to his credit.

Tim has won every major National Reining Horse Association sanctioned event at least once, including the NRHA Futurity, the National Reining Breeders Classic, the NRHA Derby, and the NRHA Superstakes.

Tim qualified at least two horses for the NRHA Futurity finals each year from 1987 to 2000, and in ’94, ’95, and ’96 he brought back all three. In 2000, he was inducted into the National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame. In 2001, even after being sidelined mid-year with a life-threatening illness, he was still an NRHA Futurity Finalist.

With a worldwide clientele, Tim frequently travels abroad where he presents reining clinics and consults with horse owners and professionals. He has won the Italian Open Derby and along with his daughter, Mandy, he won the ’93 World Cup, representing the United States. He has qualified multiple horses for the US Equestrian Team Reining Championship Finals.

Originally from Minnesota, Tim McQuay, his wife, Colleen and daughter Mandy moved to Tioga, Texas in 1989. Since then, McQuay Stables has made the north Texas town a focal point for the equine world.



Michael Page

(Photo courtesy of Mr. Page)

Mr. Page is pictured here showing “Landsohn” in the New York HITS I May, 2005 Level 6 jumping class.

With an extensive riding career which shows no signs of letting up Michael continues to be one of the busiest and most successful riding clinicians in the show horse world; he regularly gives 10 to 12 clinics still judges 4 to 5 major horse shows annually.

He won the prestigious AHSA Medal finals in 1956 and represented the United States riding on the US team in 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1967, and 1968.



Lyman Rollins

(Photo and text courtesy Rollins Racing Stable and Ms. Nancy Rollins)

Lyman Rollins, 85, has been training thoroughbred race horses continuously since the early 1940s, with just a brief break for a tour of duty in the Navy during World War II. He was leading trainer at Centennial Race Track in Littleton, Colorado a total of thirteen times.

Lyman was inducted into the Nebraska Racing Hall of Fame for his success at Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track in Omaha, Nebraska. He has trained world record holding thoroughbreds. He still gets up each morning at 4:00 am to train horses at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lyman and his wife, Lois, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. They are the parents of six children, 26 grandchildren, and fifty-five great-grandchildren.



Todd Minikus

Todd Minikus receiving the 2001 Trophy from Olympian, David O'Connor at the USEF's Convention. (Courtesy USEF Photo Archives).

The 2001 winner of the USEF Horseman of the Year, Todd has won more than 75 Grand Prix and has ridden at the upper levels of the show jumping since he was in his 20’s.

Personally, I met Todd in Goodyear, Arizona many years ago and have since been very impressed with his great attitude towards horses and the sport.

The equestrian sport is in safe hands with professionals such as Todd.



Maggie Moss

(Picture Supplied by Ms. Maggie Moss, Esq.)

Pictured riding “Apak,” (The first race horse she ever owned), is Ms. Maggie Moss, Esq., our “Spotlight” recipient for the Second Quarter 2005 newsletter.

A race horse owner, horse show exhibitor and former horse show judge, Ms. Moss wanted to make sure that her retired racing horses were sold to proper retirement farms, as was the case of U. S. Gold, a horse she owned.

Finding out the old horse had been auctioned and sold for slaughter was a wakeup call for her.

Subsequently, Ms. Moss, a very successful attorney in Des Moines, Iowa, started the Midwest Retirement Foundation for retired racehorses. Her activities have saved many retired horses from being killed for food.



Don Burt

(Photo Courtesy Don Burt)

Don Burt has been an exhibitor, trainer, judge and all-around horseman for over 45 years. Mr. Burt, currently resides in California and is President of Equestrian Consultants Inc., which specializes in the development of horse facilities throughout the United States.

In addition, Don has authored many books and articles pertaining to sport horses, two of which were "Winning with Arabian Horses" and "Winning with the American Quarter Horse."

The American Quarter Horse Association voted Don in as its President in 1996; he's also served in official capacities in the Arabian Horse Association and the United States Equestrian Federation. He was the main inspiration behind the inclusion of Reining as an Olympic sport under the auspices of the United States Equestrian Team.



John R. Long

(Photo Courtesy: USEF)

Since 1988, John Long has been directly involved in the equine industry. For five years, Mr. Long served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Churchill Downs, Inc., and as a member of its Executive Committee.

He oversaw the management, operations, and planning for all of the company's racetracks and simulcast facilities.

Prior to his tenure at Churchill Downs, Inc., he spent ten years as President and Chief Operating Officer of Ladbroke/USA, one of the largest pari-mutuel operators in the country. From settling union disputes to equine medication policies to legislative affairs, Mr. Long has served on the front line, dealing directly with many constituencies in the equine industry.

In December of 2003, Mr. Long became the first Chief Executive Officer of the United States Equestrian Federation, Inc., which is the national governing body for equestrian sport in the U.S. The USEF was officially formed that same month when the former United States Equestrian Team and USA Equestrian joined together with the purpose of becoming one strong national voice for equestrian sport.

The USEF supports a membership of over 80,000, ranging from children with their first pony in their own backyard to the training and selection of our Olympic equestrian teams. Twenty-six breeds and disciplines are represented in the Federation and annually participate in more than 2600 USEF-recognized horse shows in the United States and in high performance international competitions, including the Olympic Games, the Pan American Games, and World Cup competitions.

Mr. Long and his wife, Annie, breed Friesian horses at their farm in Shelbyville, Kentucky. (Please note that his Friesian horses were showcased on our NAES website for August, 2004).

The above biography of John Long was provided by the USEF, Lexington, KY, and has been reprinted here with their permission.

Bob Glazer


Glazer's Horse of the Year for 2003, "No Pan Intended," (pictured below), is currently standing at stud in Canada after his 2003 Triple Crown victories; The Cane Pace Finals, the Little Brown Jug and the Messenger.

Mr. Glazer is a successful owner/breeder in the highly competitive harness racing world and in addition, is respected as a most ethical and hard working competitor.

Knowing him as I do, his attention to detail is phenomenal. Keeping track of as many as 100 racing horses is no easy task and involves daily interactions with his trainers and drivers.

Julie Fershtman

Dr. Midge Leitch, VMD

In speaking with Dr. Leitch it was apparent that she is a knowledgeable horseman and a superior vet. Her responsibilities have taken her throughout the world while traveling with the U. S. Equestrian Team to Seoul, Atlanta and Sydney. She currently serves as a member of the US Equestrian Federation's Veterinary Committee.

The very practical and professional experience that Dr. Leitch possesses is a boon to the horse world. She truly understands the full-time requirements necessary to being a great vet, i.e., there are no regular hours!

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