ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, June 19, 1996 TAG: 9606190053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
THIS MARRIED COUPLE from Lexington is wed to the Roanoke Valley Horse Show and other stops on the equestrian circuit.
The Roanoke Valley Horse Show represents an unusual opportunity for wife and husband Sue and J.T. Tallon to be in relative geographic proximity to each other.
Being on the same piece of real estate doesn't mean they have chance for frequent conversation, though. She's running the horse show office; he's running the jumpers.
Occasionally, husband and wife meet over the office counter that physically and symbolically separates exhibitors from show officials.
``At the end of the day, we can compare notes since we come from opposite ends of the show,'' J.T. Tallon said.
At least it's the same show this time. Often it isn't. Sue Tallon works 25 to 30 shows a year, all of them east of the Mississippi River, but in a huge region nonetheless. He's cut back to about 15 shows annually. Of those, only a few such as Upperville and Roanoke in June and Charleston, S.C., in July are on the schedule of both Tallons.
``She goes to a whole lot of shows that I don't, and we have the phone bills to prove it,'' he said.
Not that he's at home pining away. When he's not in the saddle, J.T. spends a substantial portion of his life looking at the world through a windshield. An hour commute is nothing to this guy. Each day, he drives from their home in Lexington through the mountains to Lynchburg, where he heads the riding program at Randolph-Macon Woman's College.
Sue also does her share of driving. Once she finishes here, which is after the last class has shown Saturday night, she'll pack up and ship out for a one-week show in Pittsburgh.
As a horse show secretary (her official title), Sue is an independent contractor who processes entries, writes invoices, runs the office, takes money and keeps track of the results of each event. At some shows, such as Upperville, her job is simpler because there are only hunters and jumpers. A multibreed show such as Roanoke is a more complex undertaking.
``Sometimes we do shows where I'm doing it all and am busier than a one-armed paperhanger,'' she said.
That's pretty much an accurate description of the way things go all week here for Sue Tallon and fellow secretary Bob Bell, the computer whiz. The working conditions here in an air-conditioned office are some of the best on the circuit, and much better than certain others.
``Some of them I call the Third World places,'' she said. ``There, I'm lucky if there's electricity.''
The Roanoke show is popular with the Tallons for other reasons aside from relatively luxurious working conditions. There also are sentimental implications. J.T. has been showing here ever since 1974 when he was fresh out of Roanoke College. Sue has been involved with the show since 1975.
``I can't remember missing one,'' she said.
The two didn't meet until 1976, when both were training and teaching hunters and jumpers at a now-defunct Boones Mill barn called the Crafty Fox. A romance developed and survived a separation when she moved to Charlottesville to train. J.T. he stayed in Roanoke to open his own barn in 1978 after the Crafty Fox went under. They were married in 1985.
Soon after their wedding, Sue started working as a show secretary. J.T. was becoming established in a new job running the riding program at the former Southern Seminary in Buena Vista.
J.T. Tallon's association with collegiate riding has been a productive one. Southern Sem won Intercollegiate Horse Show Association national championships in 1983 and 1984 and again in 1988 and 1989. After taking over a largely undistinguished Randolph-Macon Woman's program in 1991, Tallon has helped elevate it. RMWC finished third out of 19 teams at this year's intercollegiate finals in California.
He stays occupied during the summer show season as well. At the Roanoke show, for example, he is the coordinator for the jumper classes, in addition to showing his own horses. He also occasionally designs courses.
``Horse show managers love Sue and I,'' he said. ``They can get a course designer and a secretary and only have to pay for one motel room. We come cheap.''
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. J.T. and Sue Tallon of Lexington helpby CNBmake the 1996 horse show go. Color.