08/12/2025
It's been a couple of days and I've now seen a couple of posts concerning the loss of a dear Horse friend of more than 3 decades, so now I will share.
The first time I ever announced a horse show was at Mariways Stable in Gray, ME at a UPHA winter tournament. Annalisa Hall started me on all of this. A couple of days later Jo Hight called me and asked me to do the ASAM spring show. When I got there, I was handed a small notebook that was created specifically for me as an announcer. A lot of work went into that giving me tidbits on each class and helpful suggestions on what the class did and how to transition from one gait to another. To this day, I still have that notebook decades later.
Dollie Hutchins always wanted anything that she was involved with to go extremely well. She took a lot of time creating that notebook for me, hoping that it would help me and it would keep me involved in horses. I don't think at the time she had the vision of what was to come. I worked with Dollie on The Maine Horse Association Board, The American Saddlebred Association of Maine Board, and countless shows and banquets. Her endless efforts could not be known by the people that did not work behind the scenes. She loved a good laugh as well as a good show - prize booklet. The years that this woman dedicated to the betterment of the Horse world in the state of Maine cannot go unnoticed. She did the points for both associations for years. She edited prizelists for both of the associations for years. She loved her horses and her cats. Her friends meant the world to her. She loved watching kids and people evolve when they start in horses. About a week ago she and I talked on the phone for quite a while about the upcoming Friesian Keur... She was so excited to be attending her first one. She may not be there physically, but I'm bringing her there with me in spirit. Many of us lost a friend of this past Sunday… and the Horse world of Maine lost a true matriarch. ❤️ Dollie thank you for the incredible memories❤️
