All her prize money goes to a good cause--JustWorld International, which helps underprivileged children in developing countries. Natalie takes this seriously; she has even visited the kids in Honduras. Her parents encouraged her to become involved with Just World.
"My father is into doing something as a life lesson," she explained.
Natalie, who trains with Andre Dignelli's barn, Heritage, also competed in last night's finals of the Washington International's equitation classic, finishing fourth there behind winner Julie Welles, Missy Clark's student. You'll remember that Julie (who has another year left in the equitation ranks) won the U.S. Equestrian Federation's Talent Search Finals East last month. The top 10, who switched horses for the finals, were culled from two earlier rounds, one hunter style, one jumper style.
It will be interesting to watch the unflappable Julie go head-to-head with the equally unflappable Brianne Goutal (the 2004 Washington winner who wasn't eligible to ride this year) when the Maclay finals makes its debut at Syracuse next weekend. This will be my first trip to Syracuse, and I'm eager to see what this highly touted new show is all about. Keep watching this space. I'll be sending several postcards to fill you in on all the action.
