…Three For Three

Nancy Later almost won as many blue ribbons as Barteau did. She won a division of the open Prix St. Georges on Suzanne McCarthy's Swedish Warmblood Manster (67.66%), finished second to Manster and won the Intermediaire I open class (68.50%) on her parents' Katinko, and took home third level, test 2 honors (65.26%) on her own Jolo.

Riding Manster was a reunion of sorts for Later. "The Palm Beach Derby [Fla., two weeks earlier] was the first time I've showed Manster in six months," she said. "I used to ride him about a year ago, then Manster's owner rode him, but recently she gave me the ride back. I wanted to give him an easy time here, give us time to get used to each other again.

"He's not too used to the show ring; I wanted to go in and be relaxed so I didn't push him at all or put any pressure on him. I think we can score higher once I really ask something from him."

Manster has developed more strength and musculature over the last year, said Later. "Last year we did fourth level and Prix St. Georges, and things were harder for him. Now things are easier. He's fun for me to ride but probably not fun for everyone. You can't tell him, 'Do this now!' You have to say, 'Please!'" she said.

Later said she'll try to qualify Manster for the USET Intermediaire I Championships scheduled in June. Katinko, however, has some work left to do in the open ranks before he graduates to CDI level.

When Later's parents, David and Mickey Pugh, bought Katinko two years ago, "he was barely able to make one flying change," said Later. "But he's a quick study. He's a little bit like a wind-up toy; he learned the movements quickly, now it's just a matter of getting him more through and up.

"[During the Intermediaire I] test, I was pleased with how he stayed within his self-carriage through the whole test and how rideable he was. We accomplished all our goals today."

Later was also pleased with her own Jolo, a horse she knows she can turn to for comic relief.

"He's my little goof ball; he's a bit nutty- he has his own ideas about life. He doesn't want to be clean; he'd rather wallow in mud in the paddock or roll in his stall. He takes his clothes off all the time- we can't keep a blanket on him," said Later. "We say the worst thing for poor Jolo is to have to get all dressed up and come to the ring and work. Poor Jolo."

This is the 8-year-old, Swedish Warmblood's first season of showing. The black gelding is an expressive mover, and despite hating to be "all dressed up," he overcame his show inexperience.

When Later speaks, it sounds like she might have the faint traces of a foreign accent. "I get that all the time," she said with a laugh. "I'm from Rhode Island, I swear, but I live with [Oded Shimoni] an Israeli, and no one in our barn is English. It's all the accents. The worst thing that happens to me is that I start to put words in the wrong order like they do."

Shimoni and Later are business and romantic partners, operating Kingsclere Farm, a training and sales stable. Later confesses that, if it were up to her, she'd never sell a horse. "I really enjoy my horses. I love to try and figure out the best way to encourage them to want to participate in the process [of training]. That's what Oded is good for- he thinks we should run a business and actually sell horses," she said with a laugh.

Excerpt from "The Chronicle of the Horse", Friday, March 29, 2002