Darlene Ricker

When the equine and human acrobatics show Valitar at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, Calif., was abruptly canceled on Nov. 17, many performers found themselves not only stranded without pay, but also unable to procure food for themselves or their horses.

News of their plight ricocheted through equestrian circles in Del Mar, as well as neighboring Rancho Santa Fe and San Diego. Soon locals began bringing sandwiches, and the Del Mar Fairgrounds offered grain and hay.

Cabana Boy earns his second national title for Chris Hickey in Kentucky.

Christopher Hickey and his students blew away the competition during the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship, and the remnants of Hurricane Ike tried to finish the job on the final day. While Hickey led Team Hilltop to sweep the Young Horse divisions, unrelenting 60-mph winds from Ike scuttled nearly everything that wasn’t nailed down—and even a few things that were.