Cover Story: Pete and Beverley Fields of El Ammal Farm
the Old Dominion Ride, which is one of the hardest rides in the country. Dad competed in it many times finishing in the top 10 several times and winning it a few times too. His horse was named Best Conditioned several times and won the prestigious Old Dominion Award. My father was also the founder of the Cav-
alry Award, where the horse and rider must be completely independent. Only the veterinar- ians were allowed to touch the horse at exam checks. And yes, he won that award as well. He completed the Tevis Cup once. Te veterinarians were
extremely impressed
with the quality and fitness of Dad’s horse, El Ammal Shoho. Tey debriefed the rid- ers and staff by holding her as the standard for the endurance horse. I was told that the two people he went out West with were hav- ing so many problems on the trails that they were very far behind; but he refused to leave them. Te vets were annoyed at him for holding back because he should have been the winner. But my Dad has no regrets – helping friends and having fun were just as important, often more so, than winning. Dad has also traveled all up and down the
East Coast, competing in rides such as the Ver- mont 100-Mile, and rides in New Jersey, North Carolina, and West Virginia. He took a long hiatus from Endurance rid-
ing due to work and family commitments but when he retired from being a rocket scientist for the U.S. Navy, he bought another horse to get back into riding. As a side note, Dad holds several patents for rocket propulsion and for a sonobuoy program design. He served as a civil- ian in the U.S. Navy for nearly 40 years. Dad went through several horses trying to
find the right fit before he found the little Arab from Colorado that got him back to the 100-
mile rides. Tat horse, Surefire (sometimes called Misfire or Crossfire,) bucked him off A LOT. Keep in mind, my father was in his late 60s, so getting bucked off was not so fun. Af- ter an attempt at the Old Dominion, he had to
trusted him and in the 1990s, he was asked by the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) to be part of the US team’s coaching staff. He served AERC as a member of the se- lection committee, as Chef d’Equipe, and as as- sistant Chef d’Equipe. Dad was the U.S. Endurance team Chef
Pete Fields’ love of riding out in the open fueled his drive for Endurance Riding.
withdraw due to the horse feeling a bit off after losing a shoe.
He was a little deflated but my mother, his
staunch supporter and crew, encouraged him to find another competition. He was invited by some friends up in Canada to do the Canadian Championship 100-miler. He completed the ride easily. It was a huge confidence booster. Dad knew the next year he’d be ready for the Old Dominion again, so at age 71, he got back to where he started in his Endurance career: completing the Old Dominion 100-miler and finishing 12th!
… Becomes a Chef d’Equipe & Com- mander
My father well established himself within
the Endurance community for being a natural diplomat, fair, a good logistician, and always having the horses’ welfare in mind. People
d’Equipe for the North American Champi- onships in 1991 and 1993. He then served as assistant Chef d’Equipe for the 1996 and 1998 teams that competed in the World Championships in Holland and Dubai, UAE. My mother also served as part of the organizing committees and even helped translate for the French and Spanish teams. Dad joined Trail Rider of Today Search and Rescue (TROTSAR) team in 2005 and is currently the Commander of the organi- zation at 83 years old. He continues to be someone people turn to for wisdom and lo-
gistical capability.
The Next Chapter After 50+ years of running a successful horse business out of Southern Maryland, my par- ents Pete and Beverley Fields are ready to hang up their muck boots and head to a retirement community in Fort Myers, Florida. Tey have loved Maryland and will miss many friends but are looking forward to sunny Florida life! As for El Ammal Farm, which is surrounded
by farmers, the Amish community, and new residents, it remains a peaceful little farm. It has been home to many riders and horses who needed a pressure-free way to learn and suc- ceed. As their daughter, it has been my anchor in all stages of my life and for my Navy brother David, it has been a place to always call home. We are immensely proud of our parents, and we just want to say Happy Trails!
30 | MARCH 2022 | THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION
800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
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