Sally & The Tatler (Tim)

I was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. My father was in the Army and I was born on the army base located just outside the town of Lawton.
I started riding at age 5 when my parents moved back east to an area with an extensive riding influence. I joined the local pony club and was there introduced to the world of eventing. I started riding at the novice level quite young and moved up to Training level at the age of 12. My first Preliminary event was at 14 and at that time I was riding with Mike Plumb. My first 3-Day was at Radnor at 15 years of age. I continued thru the levels and did my first Advanced Horse Trial at 18 and my first Advanced 3-Day at 19 (they were not called 3 stars back then.) I usually brought along the horses myself and they were usually home breds or horses off the track.
When I was 20 I placed 6th at the Chesterland Advanced 3-Day in September of 1983. The next Spring, I flew to England to do Badminton. My horse was sore after the steeplechase but I had learned a huge amount in the several months that I spent in England competing & preparing for Badminton. I flew home after Badminton and started competing my young horses including winning the Essex 3-Day. In July I flew back to England to compete & prepare for Burghley. My horse Maryland (who I had gotten as a 2 year old) jumped clean around Burghley!
In the Spring of 1985, I bought a more experienced horse by the name of Strike-A-Light and did some Spring Advanced Horse Trials in England getting to know him. I flew him back to England the next Spring and with no horse trials in which to practice (because of the weather) jumped around Badminton in quite deep conditions and went clean.
After Badminton I flew home and started working for my father at Merrill Lynch in 1986. I continued to bring along young horses and had success with some Advanced horses including Genesis III, Fighting Irish, Mysterious Moe, Calvin, Cody (The Londoner), Red Linen, Castle Cay, Statesmanship, Rest Assured,and Regal Style.
In 1991, I won the Essex 3-Day with Castle Cay and soon announced my engagement to Nat Cousins, and we were married on July 6 (hence to say, there were no competitions that weekend.) I was continuing to produce event horses and started being asked to catch ride horses for other riders starting with Amanda Warrington and Beale Morris.
After Amanda’s unfortunate accident in 1998, I was offered the ride on Drizzle and had much success including winning Bromont 2-Star. I completed many 3-Stars with good placings for 2 1/2 seasons and then the owner decided to sell him.
This season of 2002 I am continuing to build on what I have learned over the years and have a good string of horses that I feel will be very competitive this eventing year.