VIRGINIA WALTHOUR MOSS
Virginia Walthour Moss, of Southern Pines, N.C., a prominent and highly respected foxhunter, show rider and breeder, died at her home, Mile-Away Farm, on Jan. 13. She was 96.

Mrs. Moss was a lifelong horsewoman and a devout foxhunter who’d served as joint master for the Moore County Hounds (N.C.) since 1969. She raised Thoroughbreds, breaking and training them herself for the hunting field and the show ring. Mrs. Moss rode both hunters and jumpers with great success, competing throughout the South and at the fall indoor shows on her Battle Wick and Lady Durham, among many others.

A determined advocate for land preservation, she and her husband, William O. “Pappy” Moss, created the Walthour-Moss Foundation in 1974 with a $1 million endowment and 1,500 acres of land. As a result of her tireless efforts to expand its holdings, the foundation today permanently protects more than 4,000 acres in equestrian-use easement, the foundation of the horse community that now exists in Southern Pines. Mrs. Moss was inducted into the Show Hunter Hall of Fame in 1991, and she received the Masters of Foxhounds Association’s Hunting Habitat Conservation Award in 1997.

According to her longtime friend and joint MFH, Richard Webb, Mrs. Moss will be remembered as “a magnificent woman” whose “incredible, wonderful personality” and generosity of spirit are reflected in her life’s work.

She is survived by 10 nieces and nephews and their children.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Walthour-Moss Foundation, P.O. Box 978, Southern Pines, NC 28388 or to FirstHealth Hospice, 150 Applecross Rd., Pinehurst NC 28374. Staff

SAMSUNG WOODSTOCK
Samsung Woodstock, Susie Hutchison’s grand prix partner, died on Jan. 5 following a pasture accident. He was 27.

Purchased in 1987 from German breeder Paul Schockemohle and trained by the legendary Jimmy Williams, the chestnut, Westphalian gelding accumulated more than 20 victories in his career. Wearing his trademark “squaw bridle,” Woodstock won the Grand Prix of Del Mar (Calif.) an unprecedented three times, in 1991, ’92 and ’94.

He and Hutchison finished fourth at the 1993 FEI World Cup Final. They were poised to reprise their success at the 1994 World Championships, going clear in the Nations Cup until Woodstock suffered a bowed tendon on the course’s last line. But he eventually made a triumphant return to the show ring, winning the grand prix at the L.A. National (Calif.) in 1997.

Having won a Mercedes, three Volvos, and a Cadillac, among other laurels, for his rider, Woodstock was retired from competition in 1998. He spent the rest of his life turned out in Hutchison’s backyard at her home in Temecula, Calif. He was immortalized as a Breyer Horse model.

Said Hutchison of Woodstock, “He was the best horse I had the opportunity to ride. I never walked a course I didn’t think he could jump. He always rose to the occasion.” Staff

S.D. “SONNY” PHILLIPS JR.
Silas D. “Sonny” Phillips Jr. of Leesburg, Va., died Dec. 2 at Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg. He was 69.

A lifelong resident of Leesburg, Mr. Phillips devoted his life to steeplechase racing. He was a co-founder of the Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point in 1967 and worked as a race organizer and steward, eventually becoming the first president of the Virginia Steeplechase Association.

Mr. Phillips was honored for his service to the sport with every award created for that purpose, receiving the Virginia Point-to-Point Association’s Master’s Prize (1989), the Virginia Steeplechase Association’s Francis Thornton Green Award (1993), the National Steeplechase Association’s Nelson C. “Monk” Noland Award (1996), and was the Virginia Gold Cup Horseman of the Year in 1998. In 2004, he received the Virginia Steeplechase Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Sonny epitomized the volunteer spirit that makes steeplechase racing and other equestrian activities possible,” said his close friend, VSA Vice President Will O’Keefe.

Mr. Phillips is survived by his wife of 48 years, Betty Hall Phillips, and a brother, Robert L. Phillips, of Winchester, Va.

Memorial contributions may be made to the National Humane Education Society, P.O. Box 340, Charles Town, WV 25414 or to the Virginia Steeplechase Association, P.O. Box 1158, Middleburg, VA 20118. Staff

ELIZABETH COCHRANE
Horsewoman Elizabeth Ann Cochrane of Middleburg, Va., died at home on Dec. 17 from complications of colon cancer. She was 42.

In her native England, Mrs. Cochrane worked in a variety of disciplines, breaking young horses and working with show jumpers, race horses and eventers. She came to the United States to work with advanced event rider Louise Meryman and later groomed for Abigail Lufkin.

Of her equine charges, Mrs. Cochrane was especially fond of Lufkin’s Lighter Than Air, whom she looked after for 14 years, unexpectedly becoming “Monty’s” owner in 1999, when the horse was retired from international competition and given to her. She took a position as barn manager in 2000 for the late Pamela Ohrstrom of The Plains, Va., competing Monty at training level in her spare time.

Mrs. Cochrane was a highly regarded member of the eventing community, which rallied to her support during her illness.

Mrs. Cochrane is survived by her husband, Thomas Finnen III; parents Vernon and Margaret Chadwick Cochrane of London, England; and siblings Anthony Cochrane of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Charles and Helen Cochrane of London, England. Staff

MARY ALEXANDRA MORTON POWERS
Mary Alexandra Morton Powers, of White Bear Lake, Minn., died on Dec. 10 in Scottsdale, Ariz., of a brain aneurysm. She was 74.

Affectionately known as “Zandra,” Mrs. Powers was an accomplished rider of hunters and jumpers who competed successfully throughout the country. In 1950 and 1951, she was a candidate for the nation’s first civilian Olympic team, competing in selection trials at Ft. Indian Town Gap, Pa., and Ft. Reilly, Kan. Mrs. Powers was a founding member of the Minnesota Hunter and Jumper Association and served on the AHSA Hunt Seat Equitation Committee for many years.

Mrs. Powers is survived by her husband of 51 years, Bob; sons Tom Powers of Hugo, Minn., and William Powers of Santa Cruz, Calif.; daughters Pam Keeler of Chanhassen, Minn., and Norah Gondeck of Wayzata, Minn., and eight grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Convent of the Visitation School, 2445 Visitation Drive, Mendota Heights, MN 55120. Staff

LIMERICK
Flying Change Farm’s Anglo-Trakehner dressage mare Limerick died on Jan. 1 in Lebanon, N.J. She was 26.

Imported in utero from Poland by Iron Spring Farm, Limerick was purchased as a coming 3-year-old for Heather Mason, then 13. The pair enjoyed a long and successful competitive career, which included regional Pony Club championships, ESDCTA championships at every level, many NATA awards, and the USDF Horse of the Year title at Intermediaire II and Grand Prix freestyle in 1991.

In 1988, Limerick and Mason were on the bronze-medal Region I team at the North American Young Riders Championships. Limerick competed at Grand Prix for five years before becoming a broodmare, producing four foals by Fair Play. The oldest of these, Novelty, is currently showing at Prix St. Georges with Kelli Mason. Staff