THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 9, 1994 TAG: 9406090694
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940609 LENGTH: Medium
His father was a jumper in the German Grand Prix. Mom was a Canadian Thoroughbred.
{REST} He can stop on a dime, pivot, re-accelerate and soar in the air - high enough to clear a 4-foot fence, with a 5-foot spread.
If he does it well enough Saturday at Princess Anne Farm, Oscar B., a slate gray thoroughbred/warmblood, could have a medal draped around his neck.
Oscar B. is one of a half dozen horses entered in the top jumper division of the equestrian competition at the state games, the Olympic-style event coming to the area Saturday and Sunday.
Guiding Oscar through the course will be his rider, Bart Fillmore. But according to Oscar's trainer/owner, Michelle Haynie, the horse is the real star.
``In this competition it's 75 percent horse, 25 percent rider,'' said Haynie, who is also organizing this weekend's competition. ``It's a real test of the horses's athletic ability. They have to be agile and they have to be quick.''
Oscar, a relative newcomer to the sport, has both traits. Haynie, who lives in Virginia Beach, found him on a foray to Pennsylvania, where he was pursing a career in fox hunting.
Oscar had the qualities Haynie says she looks for in a jumper: a nice rear end, powerful chest and solid feet.
``The rear is for power, the chest for breathing, and the feet for landing,'' Haynie said. ``You also a look for a kind eye, which shows the horse has some kind of intelligence.
``To me, horses are like aircraft, there's takeoff, flight, and landing. You've got to keep your nose up or you might crash.''
Oscar and Fillmore, a 26-year-old from Manassas, have jumped all over the East on the American Horse Show Association Circuit. They finished second at a recent competition at Commonwealth Park in Culpepper.
Saturday's competition will provide Oscar with a rare opportunity to compete close to home. Although there's an active and growing equestrian community at the Beach and in Suffolk, the jumper division is not often seen in this area.
More common locally is the hunter division, which will also be featured Saturday.
While jumping is scored with a stopwatch, the hunter division is more subjective, with judges looking for consistency, pace and style.
``Hunter is more or less designed to simulate horses on a fox hunt,'' said Eugene Keller, manager and head trainer at Princess Anne Farm. ``The jumping division is what you would see at the Olympics.''
The competition is doubling as a fundraiser for the Tidewater Aids Task Force, and there will be a silent auction, a saddle shop and equine-related displays.
The competition begins at 9 a.m. Admission is free. For more information, or to volunteer to help on the course, call Haynie at 430-1625.
by CNB