It’s A Fabulous New Day For Upperville Horse Show
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By Louisa Woodville
mily Day of White Post is the new Upperville Colt and director of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show, the oldest horse show Horse Show in the United States that draws 9197 John S. Mosby Hwy. more than 2,000 hunter-jumper riders to Upperville, VA 20184 historic Grafton show grounds and Salem USHS1853@gmail.com jumper rings. It takes place in 2020 June 1-7. 540-687-5740 “I have a lot of good feelings about upperville.com Upperville that I wanted to bring to this job,” said the 51-year-old mother of two. “So far it’s been great, and I’m really learning. People on the board ask me to do things, and my job is to get them done.” Olympic gold medalist Joe Fargis, president of the board, is enthusiastic about Emily’s decision to take on the directorship. “It’s all good, good, good!” he said. “She’s local, she’s smart, she knows horses, and everything about her coming on board is good. She’s a perfect fit.” Day, 51, looks like she stepped out of a 16th-century portrait, despite being dressed in jeans and pea-green wool sweater. Tall, with striking brown eyes and an aquiline nose, she has an engaging smile that puts people at ease. She laughs easily and a lot. “I’m excited about being a part of the Upperville team,” she said. “It’s a show that means a lot locally, as well as internationally and nationwide.” Both Day and the board want to make sure the 167th edition of the show offers the spectacular grand prix final competition as well as opportunities for local equestrians. “We want to stick to our roots as we gain popularity internationally,” she said. “Upperville is a very popular place, so there’s always the balancing act between making sure that the locals are able to come [along with Olympic-caliber professionals from elsewhere].” Day grew up in Unionville, Pennsylvania, where her father—fox-hunter, author, historian, and veterinarian Matthew McKay-Smith—founded the Delaware Equine Center and pioneered a number of innovative surgical and diagnostic procedures. Her mother, Winkie, raised and showed English bull terriers and, like her husband, avidly fox-hunted and competed in endurance riding. “In 1983 my father sold out his partnership in the Delaware Equine Center and became the medical editor of Equus Magazine in Gaithersburg,” Day said, explaining her family’s move to White Post, where her father had grown up.
Photo by Barre Dukes courtesy of Phelps Sports
The 2020 edition of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show will take place June 1-7.
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Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2019
