16 SIDELINES JUNE 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Rodney Jenkins
By Holly Hugo-Vidal
Life with Rodney Jenkins was unforgettable, whether it
was watching him show our horses or working for him. So when
I attended a judge’s clinic in Dan Point, California recently, I was
thrilled to see that Rodney’s video would be the main topic of the
day at the clinic. I have wonderful memories of Rodney (we are
still friends) and I actually got to ride Idle Dice, who still holds the
title for monies won, as well as all of his other grand prix jumpers
and top hunters!
It is a requirement of “R” judges to attend a clinic every four
years and the clinic was given by Fran Dotoli, Scott Hofstetter and
Julie Winkle, all of whom did a super job, which was not an easy
task considering that there were varying degrees of experience,
ranging from applicants just starting out, small “r” judges with
limited experience, up to the big “R” judges who have been judging
for many years like I have.
The frst thing we did was watch an old video that Rodney
Jenkins made on “How to Choose a Hunter.” I used to have this
video, it was an eight track and unfortunately I think I tossed it out
along with my eight track video machine! The video focused on
conformation and what to look for and what to avoid. In classic
Rodney fashion, he would discuss something like a curb then look
into the camera and say, “To be honest, if I really liked a horse,
that wouldn’t stop me from buying it!”
During the video Rodney pointed out something that I do
remember he told me years ago, but have never heard anyone
make any reference to regarding where the mane ends. He likes
the last few hairs of the mane to come very close to the withers
instead of stopping way out in front of them. He measures the
The legendary team of Rodney Jenkins and Idle Dice
Photo courtesy of Nick Ellis
angle of the shoulder from that point. It was very interesting and
we all agreed that, with the exception of Rodney’s hunt cap, which
has been replaced with the current safety helmet – it was totally
relevant to today’s way of evaluating conformation.
Rodney, always the very modest person, consistently gave the
horse the credit. So it came as no surprise to me when Fran
Dotoli told a cute story about Rodney applying for his judges’
card many years ago. She was on the board that reviewed all
the judge’s applications and Rodney’s application came in with
all of his pertinent information on the front and on the back each
applicant was asked to list their accomplishments. Fran said most
people had pages and pages of things they had done, horses they
had ridden, etc., but Rodney simply said, “I have had the privilege
of riding many great horses.” What an understatement!
Currently, Rodney works with racehorses where he successfully
breeds and trains Thoroughbreds for the track. I spoke with him a
few days after the clinic and told him that his old video was shown
and discussed at great length in the clinic. He was pleased in his
quiet way.
Holly Hugo-Vidal will be reporting for Sidelines from California
and we have coined her column our “West Side Story.” Holly is
based at Alicia Saxton’s Oceancrest Farms in Rancho Santa Fe,
California, where she specializes in developing young horses
and training junior and amateurs. Holly’s life has been strongly
infuenced by show legends Rodney Jenkins and George
H. Morris, as well as her former husband Victor Hugo-Vidal.
George Morris wrote the forward of her most recent book, Build
Confdence Over Fences.
Holly and Peanut on the beach in Del Mar, CA