Barbara Hope “Tippy” Moore Payne, long-time field secretary for Piedmont Fox Hounds and dedicated riding instructor, died on Dec. 6 of complications from injuries she received in a riding accident. She was 71.

Mrs. Payne was born in Norfolk, Va., the daughter of Robert Rouse Moore Sr. and Katherine Hope Nicholson Moore.

She graduated as valedictorian of her high school class before attending Stephens College in Missouri, where she earned an associates degree in equestrian management.

Ashford Castle, an exceptional open, junior and amateur hunter, died on Sept. 29. He was 26.

Ashford Castle won championships and an array of high-score awards from Florida to Virginia, including titles at Devon (Pa.), the Washington (D.C.) International and the National (N.Y.) horse shows.

Some of his many partners included Kathy Doyle Newman, Havens Schatt, Pamela Covington, Corrine Lindner, Marley Goodman and Laura Kraut.

Sandscript, Todd Trewin’s 1992 Olympic Games partner, died on Nov. 23 at Trewin’s home in Redmond, Wash. He was 28.

True Blue Girdwood, Phillip Dutton’s 1996 gold medal Olympic partner, died peacefully on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, at home in his paddock in West Grove, Pa. He was 25.

True Blue Girdwood was born in Australia on Oct. 29, 1983. He was sired by Loosen Up out of Paramel. True Blue Girdwood, affectionately known as “Jug Head,” had a short racing career in Australia before he found his true calling in eventing. 

Donald Leigh Dowdle, owner and publisher of The Mid-South Horse Review, died Oct. 24 after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was 58.