The Legacy of Salute the Truth

Sarah Kane (Street, MD) won a breeding to Salute the Truth through a silent auction at the Maryland Combined Training Association’s annual year-end awards banquet. An American Girl is a Thoroughbred-cross out of Olney Farm’s Olney Emmy Lou. Sarah and “Ami” competed at Beginner Novice, and on their first trip to the American Eventing Championships, the pair finished fourth in their division. Soon after, Ami had what everyone thought was a career ending injury, right at the same time as Sarah’s sister-in-law died suddenly. To help her brother Scott Waters (Bel Air) with his grief, she gave him Ami. “We originally had no plans other than to trail ride and do some walk, trot, canter work,” Scott said. “After some rehabilitation and a thorough veterinary examination, it was determined that her injury had healed so well that she could return to eventing.” Since then, Scott and Ami have been competing regularly, and have competed in the Waredaca Novice Classic Three-Day Event the past three years. Last year, Ami won MCTA’s Homebred Mare award, and this spring the pair earned the Silver View Farms Trophy at the 2017 MCTA Jenny Camp Horse Trials. “Ami is a fantastic horse with a great attitude and a very good brain. There has already been interest in her offspring, should the time come when we are ready to breed her,” Scott said. “She is truly a tribute to her breeding and training.” Photo ©Sportfot

Alison Utting of Centralia, Washington, bred her Thoroughbred Cosmic Romance to Salute the Truth with the goal of producing a quality event horse. “Mission accomplished!” Alison said of her now 11-year-old Cosmic Fusion. “In spite of being a full Thoroughbred, he is steady and calm in most situations,” she added. They have been competing at the Training level with their sights on a full classic three-day event at Training. Alison was so happy with how “Mick” has turned out that she bred his half sister, Cosmic Reflection, to Willie in 2013. Surely Cosmic was born in 2014 and already shows the same sensible disposition that Mick has from their sire.

Julie Worley of Aiken, South Carolina, purchased FMF Toucan Salute from the Fultons of Full Moon Farm in Finksburg. Steve and Karen Fulton had bred their Thoroughbred mare Skyewolf to Salute the Truth, and “Milly” was born in 2007. Although she is a full Thoroughbred, Milly is not Jockey Club registered as she was bred specifically for eventing. Since 2014, Julie and Milly have been eventing at the Novice and Training level. The pair recently won the Novice/Training division at Full Gallop Farm, and rode in the 3’6’’ section of George Morris’ Camden, SC, clinic.

When foxhunter and pony club mom Jackie Hoffman of Smithsburg was looking for a stud for her next horse, Steuart had just opened Willie up for breeding. “I saw the ad for Willie and called Steuart for a appointment to come see him right away. Steuart was happy to jump on him to show me what he had,” Jackie said. “I remember thinking ‘I want a horse with that brain’” And thus came Full Throttle, out of a Belgian mare named Honey. “Fig” and Jackie learned to foxhunt together when he was just four years old. They went from hunting in the field, to leading the field and then whipping-in. But foxhunting wasn’t the only thing Fig was built for.
“One of my proudest moments as a mom happened on opening hunt a few years back. I had just finished braiding Fig when [my daughter] Devon came into the barn with her lame horse,” Jackie remembered. Devon was scheduled to compete at Waredaca in a Novice division. Fig was already cleaned and braided so instead of going hunting, they headed over to Waredaca. “The only horse in a big division with a dressage score in the 20s, his lead allowed him one rail in show jumping and then the pair went on to own cross-country and win their division!”
Today Fig is living with Kevin Bowie at Good Choice Farm in Clarksburg, teaching pony clubbers and novice foxhunters the ropes.

The KWPN mare Tineke, owned by Kristy Moloney of Kentucky, was one of the last mares bred to Salute the Truth by live cover. She sent her mare to Dodon Farm in 2015 and KC’s Celtic Truth was born the following year. The filly is registered and branded with the RPSI and is a favorite at the barn. “She was a tiny little thing [when she was born] that had a big personality,” Kristy said. “Everyone who met her as a foal fell in love with her!”

Leap Of Faith is a four-year-old filly out of Andrea Chisholm’s (Southern Pines, NC) Cleveland Bay/Thoroughbred mare IdleHour Titanic. “Faith” is ¾ Thoroughbred and ¼ Cleveland Bay. As a two-year-old, Faith won the — USEA Future Event Horse competition at the Five Points Horse Trials in North Carolina. Currently the mare is in training with Nanci Lindroth of Jackson Springs, NC.

Leigh Tilghman of Kentucky chose to breed the Trakehner Malibu Bay to Salute the Truth because of his athleticism, appearance and disposition. Marked by Truth is only two and a half years old now but already shows many great characteristics of his father. “His quiet demeanor and extreme intelligence is a reminder of how wonderful his sire truly was,” Michael Fishman (who submitted this photo) said. The gelding is already 17 hands and is currently in training to be an upper level “A” circuit hunter or jumper.

Nothin’ But The Truth is a 2003 mare out of Truth Aint Easy currently owned by Jocelyn Abbott. Jocelyn was given “Libby” in March of 2014 by Anne Marie Schrivener. “I was used to my mother’s dressage and cross-country school master, but he was getting older and it was time for me to have a project horse,” Jocelyn said adding that things were a bit shaky at first. “I was a young and stubborn 16-year-old and Libby was no different than I,” she said. With the help of her trainer Linda Stainer of St. Leonard, Libby and Jocelyn formed a great partnership and currently compete in dressage. “Libby, I feel, takes this sport and training seriously and she wants to do her best!”

Bred by Bruce Davidson, Sr., out of his mare Diamond Lion, half sister to the famed Eagle Lion. Christine Pitcairn of Litchfield, Connecticut, purchased “Ollie” as a four-year-old from Bruce. Christine decided to work for Bruce and with his help, brought Ollie up through the levels of eventing. While they were competing at Preliminary, Christine had a career change and started a business providing animal actors for television, film and print work. “Ollie is one of our best equine actors/models,” she said. “For our business, our horses need to be able to work anywhere, around any distraction, because you never know what you will encounter.” Ollie has learned a long list of tricks and most recently performed at liberty on a busy New York City movie set.

Meriwether Morris of Upperco, MD, says her whole family fights over who gets to hunt Reality Check “Checkers”, a 10-year-old Salute the Truth son she purchased from Katie Marquette a few years ago. He is out of Katie’s half Percheron mare and is 17.1 hands. “He is light on his feet and a remarkable jumper with a super enthusiastic attitude,” said Meriwether.

Salute the Captain has already been in The Equiery as he made our 2008 Foal Photo Contest spread! He is a gelding out of the track winning mare Pippi Highstocking. “Captain” was the mare’s only foal and was bred by Marsha Spencer and Erin Durst of West Virginia. As a yearling, the stunning gelding cleaned up in the — USEA’s Future Event Horse Series, winning three out of three yearling classes (Waredaca, Serra Valley and Loch Moy). At the Loch Moy show, he was overall champion on a score of 81.75. As a two-year-old, Captain was the overall second place finisher in the Colt/Gelding class at the FEH Championships. When he was four, Captain placed 10th at the — USEA’s Young Event Horse Championships. “Today, Captain is successfully competing at the Preliminary level with Erin and continues to be a sound, wonderful partner demonstrating Salute the Truth’s great brain and strong correct conformation,” Marsha said.

Former Marylander Alyssa Peterson and her mother Margaret Peterson (Waldorf) bred Alyssa’s former Advanced mare Stormin’s Barbie to Salute the Truth in 2009. The grey filly Stormin’ Truth was born in August of 2010. Stormin’s Barbie and Alyssa were The Equiery’s October 2009 cover girls, pictured on cross-country at Fair Hill International, and this year, Alyssa and Stormin’ Truth (aka “Tempe”) jumped around the CCI2* course at FHI. “Tempe has always been sweet in the barn and for riding and for cross-country, she is incredibly bold and honest,” Margaret stated. “If I point her at it, we’re going over it!” Alyssa added. Years before breeding their mare, the Petersons had watched Salute the Truth compete in the CCI3* at FHI and were impressed with his ability. “We were also impressed with Willie’s behavior at shows. He was so calm, no one would have guessed he was a stallion!” Margaret said, adding, “So talent, behavior and sheer beauty is what attracted us to this stunning stallion. Willie, you are missed!”

Jennifer Clover of Clermont, FL, has high hopes for her 2016 colt Truman. He is by Salute the Truth and out of her Oldenburg mare Believe. “Truman has a fabulous temperament and impresses us regularly with his movement (and antics) in the field,” she said adding, “This horse has an incredible gallop!”

Kara Maruszak of Cleveland, Ohio, has one of Salute the Truth’s last foals, a 2016 filly named Wild Irish Rose. The filly is out of a registered Irish Draught Sport Horse mare named Irish Cameo Rose. This past year, “Ireland” competed in the U.S. Eventing Association’s Future Event Horse series. She qualified and competed in the — USEA’s 2017 Future Event Horse East Coast Championship at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown.