Meri Straz

Respected dressage instructor and rider Meri Straz, of Esopus, N.Y., died Aug. 5 of a head injury sustained from a fall from a horse. She was 50.

Ms. Straz studied animal science and pre-veterinary studies at the University of New Hampshire. While there, she worked with the breeding research program, competed on the riding team, and managed the stallion barn. She later spent years training with and managing the barn of dressage guru Dr. H.L.M. van Schaik, in Cavendish, Vt.

In addition to dressage, Ms. Straz was involved in the U.S. Pony Club, 4-H, hunter/jumpers, endurance riding, and eventing. She taught dressage at Mt. Holyoke College (Mass.) for eight years and was the riding coach at Smith College (Mass.). She was also a dressage instructor at Frog Hollow Farm (Esopus, N.Y.) and the Florida Winter Equestrian Center, and for the last five years she’d taught at the USEA adult camp at the Green Mountain Horse Association (Vt).

In 1988, she earned a USDF Silver Medal.

“She could bring along the most difficult horse–a horse other people had given up on–because she was so patient and kind,” said Ann Jones, a spokeswoman for Frog Hollow Farm.

Prior to the 1996 Olympic Games, Ms. Straz helped design an equine ambulance, Humane Equine Aid and Rapid Transport (HEART) and served as the president and operating director. After the Olympics, when the ambulance owner planned to have the HEART ambulance disabled, Ms. Straz purchased the ambulance and equipment and ran it herself.

In 2000, Ms. Straz teamed up with Jill Parsons Stern and Tony Hitchcock to make HEART a non-profit enterprise. The HEART ambulance, based out of Wellington, Fla., and Esopus, N.Y., travels up and down the East Coast to horse shows, including the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.) and Devon (Pa.).

Ms. Straz is survived by her mother, Joy Straz of Spring Hill, Fla.; her father, Thomas Melville, of Canton, Conn.; brothers Thomas Melville, Michael Melville and Scott Melville; and sister Terri Wall, of Plymouth, Mass. Ms. Straz also leaves three aunts and many cousins.

Memorial contributions may be sent to HEART at P.O. Box 96, N. Hampton, MA 01060.

Lt. Col. James Marsh

Lt. Col. James Marsh, of Cranbury, N.J., a dedicated leader of the New Jersey horse industry, died on Aug. 5 after a brief illness. He was 86.

Col. Marsh was a USEF-licensed show steward and judge, as well as a ringmaster and a director of the New Jersey Horse Park. He served as president of the New Jersey Horse Council, president of the New Jersey Professional Horsemen’s Association, and was a director on the Equine Board of Centenary College (N.J.).

Col. Marsh also represented New Jersey in four presidential inaugural parades with the International Side-Saddle Organization, and he guided the Middlesex County Horse Show for 45 years.

“If you needed help, he was always there to help you,” said Nancy Hutcheson, the president of the New Jersey Horse Park.

During his life, Col. Marsh received many awards, including the USA Equestrian Pegasus Medal of Honor in 2001, the American Horse Council’s Marjorie Van Ness Award for outstanding service in 1994, and the Governor’s Award for Horseperson of the Year in 1989.

A decorated hero of World War II and the Korean Campaign, Col. Marsh worked for the Educational Testing Service after retiring from the U.S. Army. Early in his career, he taught horseback riding at Arlington Hall Junior College (Va.), trained hunters and jumpers at Charles Lainge Stables (Md.) and Robert Young Stables (Pa.), and competed in show jumping.

Col. Marsh is survived by daughters June, of Cranbury, N.J., and Linda Wells, of Carson City, Nev.; son James Jr. of Defuniak Springs, Fla.; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions will help build a covered schooling area at the New Jersey Horse Park. Checks may be made out to the Horse Park of New Jersey or the Lt. Colonel James Marsh Memorial Fund and sent to June Marsh at 150 Cranbury Rd., Cranbury, NJ 08512.

Paul R. Fout

Racehorse trainer Paul R. Fout, of Middleburg, Va., died Aug. 16 after a brief illness. He was 78.

At the time of his death, Mr. Fout was a board member of the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, secretary and treasurer of the Middleburg Training Center, and general manager of the Middleburg Spring Race Association. He was also a former chairman and president of the MSRA and designed the Alfred H. Hunt steeplechase course for the Middleburg spring race meet.

Early on in his riding career, Mr. Fout showed hunters and jumpers and rode in steeplechase races. He trained Virginia Guest’s Life’s Illusion to win the Eclipse Award as the top steeplechaser of 1975. But for the last 20 years he’d concentrated on training horses for the flat track.

Among his many winners, Mr. Fout trained Beverly Steinman’s million-dollar stakes winner, Colstar, who won the Flower Bowl Invitational Handicap at Belmont Park in 2000.

Mr. Fout is survived by his wife, Eve Prime Fout; son Douglas of Middleburg, Va.; daughters, Nina Lynn Fout of Middleburg, Va., and Virginia Wiley Fout of Los Angeles, Calif.; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Middleburg Spring Race Association, P.O. Box 1173, Middleburg, VA 20118, or Piedmont Regional Orchestra, P.O. Box 509, Warrenton, VA 20118.

Lisa DaValle

Lifelong horsewoman Lisa DaValle, of Auburn, Calif., was found dead in her home on Aug. 8. Preliminary tests show she died of an acute, but unidentified, infection. She was 62.

As a junior rider, Mrs. DaValle competed in Northern California alongside international course designer Linda Allen and under the tutelage of Barbara Worth Oakford. In 1960 she represented California in the Miss Rodeo USA contest, where she finished as first runner-up. As a young professional she worked for Oakford. She ran her own successful training barns in Squaw Valley, Calif., Reno, Nev., and Sacramento, Calif. Mrs. DaValle was a popular and respected judge at local shows throughout Northern California.

With her daughter, Marnye, Mrs. DaValle bred and trained hunter ponies, many of which went on to win regional and national awards. She was also a founding member and long-time director of the Sacramento Area Hunter/Jumper Association. She particularly enjoyed developing young horses and working with beginning and intermediate-level riders.

In addition to her daughter, Mrs. DaValle is survived by her son, Robert Little, and three grandchildren.
A remembrance will be held Sept. 17 in Auburn. Memorial donations may be made to Riding For Reading, a non-profit literacy organization she was instrumental in founding, 480 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank, CA 91506.

Betty Allen

Betty Allen, of Salinas, Calif., and San Juan CosalᬠMexico, died July 23 after a brief illness. She was 87.

Mrs. Allen, the mother of show jumping course designer and clinician Linda Allen, always derived great enjoyment from horses. Over the years she attended horse shows throughout the United States, in Canada, and Europe. Although she never rode, she said that managing the family’s equestrian center (Saddle City in Lodi, Calif.) in the ’60s and ’70s was a real labor of love.

Even years later, she continued looking after the odd broodmare, yearling or 2-year-old in her backyard in Salinas. In declining health, Mrs. Allen relocated to Mexico in December 2004. She continued to thrive on a day spent at a local horse show or observing young people working in lessons, and she made friends of all ages wherever she went.

In addition to her daughter, she is survived by her beloved Chihuahua, Goldie.