GINGER POOL
Beloved Texas horsewoman Ginger Pool died on Jan. 3 in her hometown of Austin, following a brief illness. She was 86.

A native of Somerville, N.J., Mrs. Pool (maiden name Virtue) began riding horses on her parents’ farm almost before she could walk. Her education in overall horsemanship and riding skills was further developed by one of her grandfathers, a former cavalryman.

Mrs. Pool’s love of outdoor adventure led to a job as a “spotter” during World War II. Her duties called for walking the East Coast beaches with binoculars, checking out every plane that came into view and reporting it to a governmental authority. Later, Mrs. Pool took a series of flying lessons. But horses remained her true calling.

In 1945, Mrs. Pool landed a job in Austin as an English riding instructor at Jimmie and Mary Helen Burr’s Hobby Horse Stables. Among her charges each semester were 100 University of Texas students who took riding for physical education credit. In 1955, she married George Willard Pool, a paving contractor.

Mrs. Pool began teaching riding at Running Rope Ranch in Austin in 1959. Seven years later, she relocated her burgeoning enterprise to another site and named the business Pool’s School of Horsemanship. Mrs. Pool’s husband died in 1986, but she soldiered on. During a 60-year career, she taught more than 2,000 students.

Pool’s School of Horsemanship still operates on its original site, albeit on a smaller scale (managed by longtime student and friend Ann Ayres). Countless “alumni” of Mrs. Pool’s program remember their wiry, energetic instructor as being strict, but kind–and loyal to friends and horses. Stated one former student, “For someone so humble, Ginger touched many, many lives–and all in a positive way.”

Mrs. Pool used to say: “When something goes wrong aboard a horse, it’s always the rider’s error–the horse should never be blamed.” And Mrs. Pool, who even in later years taught most lessons while mounted, ran a tight ship: All of her students not only cleaned their own horses and tack, but also their horses’ stalls to learn all-around horsemanship.

Survivors include two stepdaughters, a niece and three step-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to one of Mrs. Pool’s favorite organizations, Animal Trustees of Austin www.animaltrustees.org. A.L.

BENJAMIN H. GRISOWLD III
Foxhunter and amateur steeplechase rider Benjamin H. Griswold III died of heart failure and stroke complications at his Fancy Hill Farm in Monkton, Md., on Jan. 14. He was 94.

Mr. Griswold was a lifelong foxhunter with the Elkridge-Harford, near his native Baltimore, and remained an important landowner there. He also owned property in Ireland and often hunted there. His son, Benjamin H. Griswold IV, is a former Elkridge-Harford MFH.

Mr. Griswold was a frequent participant in Maryland’s timber races, and he rode in the Maryland Hunt Cup five times, finishing second several times. He continued to ride and hunt until he was almost 70.

Mr. Griswold was the senior partner in his family’s investment firm, Alex. Brown & Sons, from 1946 to 1979. He was a decorated World War II veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy and planning amphibious landings on Morocco, Italy and southern France.

In addition to his son, Mr. Griswold is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Arabella; another son, Jack S. Griswold; daughters Lelia L. Griswold and Nancy Knox; and 11 grandchildren. Staff


RUMOURS IN THE AIR
The Mahevich family’s eventing mare Rumours In The Air died on Jan. 15. She was 22.

Purchased as a 4-year-old for the then 14-year-old Danielle Mahevich of Lebanon, N.J., the chestnut Thoroughbred went from a Pony Club mount to preliminary level with Richard Mahevich, eventually competing internationally under Virginia Jenkins. She gathered a strong and loyal fan club along the way.

With Jenkins, “Rumours” completed her first three-day event at Radnor (Pa.) in 1993. She went on to win the Essex CCI** (N.J.) in 1994 and in 1995 competed in the Pan Am Games in Argentina and the Burghley CCI**** (England), where the mare had one of only four clear cross-country rounds. Rumours was the 1995 USCTA Mare of the Year.

Retired after an injury at Burghley, Rumours produced two foals in New Jersey and four more at Ellen Ziemer and Jerry Waddle’s Rougemont Sport Horse Farm in Bahama, N.C., where she was buried. Staff

ELIZABETH PORTER DEEDS
Lifelong horsewoman Elizabeth “Bunny” Porter Deeds died of complications of breast cancer on Jan. 23 at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo. She was 68.

Born in Philadelphia, Mrs. Deeds spent her childhood foxhunting and sailing around the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. In 1955, she graduated from the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Va., where she remained for the next 17 years, teaching, riding and training horses. She married Edward Andrew Deeds in 1959.

Following their divorce in 1972, Mrs. Deeds moved to Stowe, Vt., raising her six children and many horses on her farm before relocating to The Plains, Va., in 1978 to manage the late George Ohrstrom’s Whitewood Farm. She was a successful trainer of field hunters and steeplechasers, collecting many victories on the local timber circuit.

Mrs. Deeds retired to Larkspur, Colo., in 1990, where she continued to breed Thoroughbreds and Thoroughbred-crosses and volunteer regularly at local horse trials and shows.

Mrs. Deeds is survived by a brother, Judge Porter of Easton, Md.; sister Josephine Muench Ashbaugh; half-brother Andrew Porter; children Diane Deeds Stebbins of Lake Forest, Ill., Lisa Deeds MacKenzie of New Canaan, Conn., Andrew Deeds of Larkspur, Colo., Susan Deeds Griffis of Larkspur, Martha Deeds of Larkspur, and Jennifer Deeds Huff of Longmont, Colo.; and 12 grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Greener Pastures Rescue, 16b Mill Lane, Salem, CT 06420, or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265. Staff

KATHARINE RUSSELL
Katharine Russell, director of the North Fork School of Equitation in Jefferson, Md., died at home on Dec. 22 after a short illness. She was 91.

In 1959, Mrs. Russell founded the North Fork School of Equitation, a resident riding program and summer camp in Purcellville, Va., where she operated it for 26 years. In 1985, she moved the school to Jefferson, where she continued to teach riding up until her death.

Mrs. Russell was a staunch proponent of the forward riding system from its early days in the 1950s, participating in clinics at Sweet Briar College (Va.) with Capt. Vladimir Littauer, Clayton Bailey and Harriet Rogers. Mrs. Russell earned the highest rider rating and became a National Judge for what is now the Affiliated National Riding Commission.

Mrs. Russell had a tremendous impact on her students, whom she impressed with her no-nonsense, hard-working and respectful approach to horses.

A passionate foxhunter, Mrs. Russell rode regularly with several Virginia hunts until her late 70s, including Middleburg, Loudoun, and Short Hills. She enjoyed riding vacations in Ireland and Colorado, and she frequently competed in the 100-mile and 50-mile rides at the Homestead in Virginia.

Mrs. Russell is survived by a niece, three nephews, and eight grandnieces and grandnephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Church of Christ Scientist, 404 Dry Mill Rd. SW, Leesburg, VA 20175; the Equine Rescue League, P.O. Box 4366, Leesburg, VA 20177; or the Hospice of Frederick County, P.O. Box 1299, Frederick, MD 21702. Staff