Page 71 - June 2015

THE CONSUMMATE EQUESTRIENNE
by Diane Rice
The horse industry is packed with people who immerse themselves in their horse passions,
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The horse industry is packed with people who immerse them- selves in their horse passions, yet few have been involved in as many aspects of the industry as Suzanne Norton Jones.
During her 90-year lifetime, Suzanne has trained a United States Equestrian Team (USET) jumper who went on to star in a Disney movie; shown hunters and jump- ers nationwide and been accepted on the Pan American team; been
an active 4-H mom, leader and organizer of a week-long equestrian summer camp for 4-H children; been a carded judge for breeds, including the American Quarter Horse Association, Appaloosa Horse Club and American Paint Horse Association as well as the American Horse Shows Association
(now the United States Equestrian Federation); been inducted into multiple halls of fame; and is a published author and columnist. And, on top of all that, she’s the wife and business partner of racehorse owner/breeder R. C. “Punch” Jones of Tatum, New Mexico.
Suzanne and Punch’s younger son, Dirk, 57, an attorney in Roswell, New Mexico, credits her perseverance and her unwavering commitment to horses as the main ingredients in her recipe for success. Just last year at age 89 (and twice before), she won the Nutrena Senior Athlete Award at the Adequan Select World Championship Show, with a combined horse-and-rider age of 101. “Very few people have continued to ride through their 90th birthday!” Dirk says with admiration.
SPEEDHORSE, June 2015 69