By Julie Gomena
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 30, 2000; Page V10

The Morven Park Spring Horse Trials will be held beginning tomorrow at the Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg. Morven Park is considered one of the best horse trials in the United States, and event riders look forward to the challenge of this competition. A well-scheduled three days and a well-built cross-country course highlight the event.

Nancy Mountz has been secretary of the Morven Park trials for the past four years. She inherited this monumental task from Leesburg's Margaret Good, who now serves as the event's organizer. Grace Dawson, who seemingly has been involved in every aspect of eventing since the sport's inception, drafted her neighbor Mountz, believing she would be quite capable of handling the thankless task of event secretary. Dawson was correct in her decision, as Mountz has done an excellent job.

The event secretary's main task is handling entries, which can become quite involved with a popular event such as Morven Park. Maintaining a database of entries and recording changes as they come along are a large part of a secretary's responsibility. Mountz also gets information ready for the programs and helps arrange rider times so conflicts don't arise. "I take things one day at a time. Sometimes I feel completely swamped and buried under mountains of paperwork, and then things finally just work out," Mountz said.

A dedicated pleasure rider, Mountz enjoys the six-week challenge that being event secretary brings her each spring. An organized person by nature, the position allows her to be in communication with the riders and in contact with the sport she admires. But things do get hectic--and often it seems the phones just don't stop ringing. "Every once in a while my husband wishes I wasn't involved in the event and threatens to kick me out of the house," she laughingly explained.

This year 240 horses will compete, beginning tomorrow with dressage. Three advanced and four intermediate divisions will be held, with all divisions of show jumping Saturday. The exciting cross-country events are Sunday, starting early with the intermediate at 7:45 a.m. The highlight of the weekend is the advanced cross-country, which starts approximately at noon. This course is great for spectators, as there are many places where multiple jumps can be viewed.

This is an Olympic year for the equestrian disciplines in Sydney, and Morven Park is considered an excellent preparatory trial for the final selection trials later this spring. This means that most of the former and future stars of eventing will compete at Morven Park, many of which will be striving for Olympic medals this summer.

Morven Park has been buzzing with activity leading up to this particular event. The horses and riders who have been selected to train with the coach of the U.S. Equestrian team, Capt. Mark Phillips, have been involved in a concentrated training session at the facility. Phillips finds that coaching these individuals leading up to the event and then watching them compete is a very useful training tool.

There is no admission fee for the horse trial, and spectators are encouraged to purchase a program at the well-marked secretary's stand. A map of the course and a list of competitors is included in the program, and people are encouraged to walk the course and watch the horses compete. This is a unique opportunity for the public to witness Olympic-caliber riding and to cheer on the athletes who will be representing the United States in Sydney.

Have questions, comments or suggestions? Send your e-mail to Julie Gomena at jagomena@crosslink.net.