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Museum Celebrates Loudoun's Genuine Risk Saturday
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10/19/06
(The following story appears courtesy of Leesburg Today, The Journal of Loudoun County)
Museum Celebrates Loudoun's Genuine Risk Saturday
By Margaret Morton
One of Loudoun's most famous females will be the star of a weekend celebration of the county's Heritage Farm Museum at Claude Moore Park in Sterling.
Genuine Risk won the Kentucky Derby in 1980, only the second filly ever to win the famous race. Owned by then-Waterford area residents Diana and Bert Firestone, it was the classic underdog story. Many people dismissed her chances because she was a filly, but "she proved them wrong," said son Matt Firestone this year. With her win, she gave Loudoun a huge sense of pride and excitement.
Today, Genuine Risk lives quietly in Upperville, grazing to her heart's content at the Firestone's Newstead Farm.
The idea to do an equine exhibit has been planned for some time, according to Curator Katie Jones. She did a lot of research for the project, examining the county's equine industry in depth. It was hard to pick an angle, she said, noting, "there are a lot of facets." But eventually, she and the museum's manager, Mary Novotny, decided that of all the stories possible to depict, "Genuine Risk's was the one that everybody could agree on."
The exhibit on the life of the nation's oldest living Derby winner will be unveiled at noon, Saturday during Horses Family Day and Equine Volunteer Fair. The filly's story will be told through images, objects, video and audio clips and at a new children's interactive exhibit area. The Genuine Risk exhibit will be the centerpiece of a daylong celebration of the horse.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. there also will be lectures, demonstrations and entertainment for all. Hallie McEvoy, author of a definitive history of Genuine Risk, will be on hand signing copies of her book, Genuine Risk: Thoroughbred Legends, at 12:30 p.m. McEvoy is an equestrian journalist and a licensed judge in hunter and hunter seat equitation.
Jeffrey W. Allison, Paul Mellon Collection Educator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, will give a 1 p.m. lecture on the history of the horse in art, and visitors can also view "The Horse, A Mirror of Man: Parallels in Early Human and Horse Medicine," a traveling exhibit on loan from the National Library of Medicine. The exhibit includes reproductions of rare illustrated books from the library's collections dating from 1500 to 1704 depicting early veterinary horse medicine.
To round everything up will be a live performance of "Songs for Kids Like Us" at 3 p.m. by guitarist and singer-songwriter Robbie Schaefer of the Eddie From Ohio band. Known as a crowd pleaser, Schaefer brings his own particular brand of music, silliness and just plain fun to each performance,
From 10 a.m. to noon, visitors can learn about the county's various equine organizations at the Equine Volunteer Fair and sign up to become a horse volunteer. Activities include live animal demonstrations and exhibits on animal care and handling.
There's a lot going on for kids. In the interactive children's exhibit area, young visitors are invited to "Get in the Race" and learn how to groom and tack up a horse. They also can listen to audio clips of Genuine Risk's exciting run for the Roses.
Perhaps the most fun will be with the jockey for a day event, which is a simulated horse race using the Equipony, made by jockey and inventor Frank Lovato Jr. The two Equiponies that will be available Saturday were handcrafted to resemble Genuine Risk and another outstanding champion, Secretariat.
Lovato crafted the wooden and springs horse, later to become the Equicizer, and the smaller Equipony, in 1982, as a way to rehabilitate himself after a racing accident. It was so successful with other jockeys that Lovato devoted himself entirely to the development of the Equicizer and formed the Wooden Horse Corporation. The idea took off, and the wooden horses are now used by riding programs for those with disabilities, sports medicine facilities and riding academies. The Equicizer was used extensively in the making of the movie Seabiscuit.
Sunday, the museum will hold its Apple Festival, featuring a variety of apple tastings and demonstrations, wagon rides and kids' activities. Both days are free. Visit the museum for more information at the LoudounFarmMusuem.org.
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