Renegade Champion: The Unlikely Rise of Fitzrada

by Rust, Richard R.

• ISBN13: 9781589793798
• ISBN10: 158979379X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-01
• Publisher: Natl Book Network

Summary

""If you buy that horse, you're buying your daughter's death warrant," Jane Pohl's father was warned at the army barracks in the spring of 1941. But the potential that his teenage daughter Jane saw in the small, temperamental Thoroughbred was enough to convince him otherwise." "Earlier that year, when Fitzrada arrived at the army base where Jane's family lived, the horse was stubborn, unpredictable, and dangerous. Any man who dared saddle him up soon found himself face down in the dirt. Jane, excited to ride any horse and up for the challenge, had the most success with Fitz. She was patient and consistent, and the horse responded well at last, showing a great affinity for jumping. Then, inexplicably, a terrible riding accident resulted in serious injuries for both Jane and Fitz, and the army decided that it was time to destroy the horse. Heartbroken, Jane pleaded with her reluctant father: the only way to save Fitz was to buy him from the army." "Jane Pohl's foresight proved to be correct. Jane and Fitz went on to take the Virginia show jumping circuit by storm, winning 37 jumper and 6 hunter championships. At a time when women were rarely seen in jumping classes at horse shows and were not taken seriously by male competitors, Jane and Fitz helped to break down barriers against women riders competing in the Olympics. In 1946, Jane and Fitz found themselves at the Jumper Championship at the prestigious National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden - the highest jumping title in North America. The road there for horse and rider was a five-year test of faith, patience, and understanding friendship."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xviii
Introduction	p. xix
Jump-Off in the Big League	p. 3
Independent to the End	p. 15
A Good Horse Turns Outlaw	p. 27
Learning from Cavalry Sergeants	p. 41
A Death Sentence from Jane	p. 63
Lost in Transit	p. 81
Drowning in Quicksand	p. 107
Honeysuckle to Skyscrapers: Fitz's Debut	p. 121
Against All Odds: The 1946 National	p. 139
The "Young Girls" Take on the Pros	p. 155
Horse Sense Deserts Jane	p. 167
In the Spotlight	p. 175
Shotgun Wedding	p. 187
The Way Out	p. 201
From the Garden to the Pasture	p. 209
Sowing Seeds	p. 219
An Empty Stall	p. 225
The Investigation	p. 231
Last Class	p. 241
The Next Great Adventure	p. 259
Epilogue	p. 269
Show Record	p. 279
Glossary	p. 283
Bibliography	p. 285
Index	p. 287
Note to the Reader	p. 295
About the Author	p. 299
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.