Horse groups honor three local equestrians Horse groups honor three local equestrians (January 25, 2006)

** Celebrations this weekend for boosters of equestrian causes

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

Boy, howdy! There's going to be some celebrating among the horsey set this weekend. Three of the Midpeninsula's biggest boosters of equestrian causes are to be feted on Saturday, January 28: Richard Delucchi and Donna Poy of Woodside, and Ernst Meissner of Menlo Park.

Mr. Delucchi is the Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County's outstanding horseperson-citizen of 2005, and Mr. Meissner and Ms. Poy have been named horseman and horsewoman of the year by the San Mateo County Horsemen's Association. The two groups are having separate events on the same night, possibly paving the way for a run on bolo ties and boot polish.
Richard Delucchi

Mr. Delucchi, a building contractor, has lived in Woodside since 1951. A San Francisco native, he began riding horses in the early 1930s and moved down the Peninsula so he could keep horses.

Although he's owned a variety of horses over the years, including a Tennessee Walker and a Morab, in recent years, he's known for riding around Woodside on one of his two mules, Black Jack and Jennie.

"At age 96, as the oldest living horseman in San Mateo County, Rich Delucchi is one of the original pioneers in establishing our county as one of the best areas in California for its extensive trail systems and riding organizations," said Dick Convery, past captain of the Mounted Patrol who nominated Mr. Delucchi.

Mr. Delucchi was instrumental in putting together the purchase of the Mounted Patrol grounds in 1947 and was a founding member of the organization. He used his building expertise to construct the Patrol's first clubhouse and original bleachers, as well as many other projects on the grounds.

Mr. Convery credits Mr. Delucchi with convincing San Mateo County officials to build horse trails along Canada Road, and said he helped construct the trails along Kings Mountain and Greer roads.

Mr. Delucchi has been involved with the Woodside Trail Club since its inception, and helped start the San Mateo County Horsemen's Association's horse shows, play days and Fourth of July Rodeo. Patrol members cited his extraordinary record for originating and supporting many of the county's most cherished equitation activities when unanimously choosing him for this year's award.
Ernst Meissner

Mr. Meissner says he always wanted to ride horses, but during his childhood in Germany he was limited to occasionally riding plow horses back to the barn. He began riding seriously in the 1970s at age 45.

Al Filice, the president of the San Mateo County Horsemen's Association, praises Mr. Meissner for his work in preserving and expanding county horse trails.

Mr. Meissner spent five years on the county's Trails Advisory Committee, and when it disbanded he formed ETRAC, the Equestrian Trail Riders Action Committee, an umbrella organization of major horse groups on the Peninsula focusing on equestrian trail access.

His mount is his cherished Arabian mare Mon Aime Desireux. "It's a very apt name. She's been a very good friend to me," said Mr. Meissner.

His favorite trail is on the Phleger Estate, where he is a volunteer docent, he said.

The biggest challenge facing the equestrian community is maintaining the trail system, trying to fill in its gaps and avoiding losing trail access, he said. He's working toward connecting the various trail systems in the county, he said.
Donna Poy

Ms. Poy was a co-chair of the Woodside Day of the Horse event in October, and she's already hard at work planning this year's event, which will coincide with the town's 50th anniversary celebration.

Ms. Poy, who is a court-appointed special advocate for children in the county's juvenile court system, said she has loved horses from the first time she rode one at age 7, although more than 20 years passed before she bought her first horse.

Her chief concern is the survival of the county's equestrian heritage, she said, and to that end she has served on a number of local equestrian organizations.

She's a member of the Woodside Trails Committee, the Woodside Trail Club, and ETRAC; the trail chair for the County Horsemen's Association; and one of the core members of WHOA! -- the Woodside-Area Horse Owners Association.

She said she's leaving her post on the Horsemen's Association's board in order to focus on her role as a member of the capital campaign for the Folger Estate Stable project to restore the historic stable in Wunderlich Park.

Mr. Filice said that both Ms. Poy and Mr. Meissner have worked so hard in promoting equestrian causes that he couldn't choose between the two, and ended up naming both of them because they were equally deserving of the honor.
AWARDS DINNER

Tickets are still available to the San Mateo County Horsemen's Association annual Kick-off Gala and Installation Dinner, which starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, January 28, at the Elks Club Lodge, 938 Wilmington Way in Redwood City. For information and reservations, call Sarah Filice at 368-1304 during the day and 854-2007 in the evening. Tickets cost $55 for adults and $30 for youth 18 and under.

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