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On the morning of September 1, 2023, William Hereford (“Bill”) Thompson passed away peacefully at the DeGreefe Hospice House in St. Louis, with his family at his bedside, following a fight with cancer. Eighty-three years old at the time of his passing, Bill leaves behind an incredible legacy as a longtime publisher of Saddle & Bridle Magazine, an industry innovator, an advocate for equine welfare, and a visionary who played a vital role in the creation of the American Saddlebred pleasure division.
Bill was born on July 12, 1940, to Walter and Adele Thompson of St. Louis. Bill always loved horses, following in the footsteps of his father, “Paw Paw,” who rescued horses of all types, including a circus Clydesdale named “Moosehead” that made him a hero of sorts in the local newspapers. Bill remembered all his horses fondly, including his first horse, “Princess,” who was soon followed by a Saddlebred named “Manna.” His first personal purchase was against his new wife’s wishes and aptly named Hadhisway. Bill’s other favorite horse was Royal Bobbie Sea, or “Irving,” who he showed and then retired to his Fieldstone Farm property.
In high school, Bill met and fell in love with Nancy Van Ronzelen, the daughter of Arthur Van Ronzelen, renowned publisher of Saddle & Bridle Magazine. Bill and Nancy were married soon after he finished school at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. Bill joined Saddle & Bridle in 1963 and advanced to the role of publisher in 1965, continuing his father-in-law’s legacy in publishing. Bill and Nancy welcomed and raised two sons, Jeffrey Arthur (“Jeff”) and Christopher John (“Chris”).
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- Written by: Allie Layos
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Date of Official Rules: March 8, 2022
- For the purposes of these Official Rules, the following definitions apply:
“Contest” shall mean the Saddle & Bridle’s “2022 March into Show Season” Photo Contest, which is sponsored by Saddle & Bridle.
b. “Entrant” or “You” shall mean the individual who completes and satisfies the eligibility requirements for the Contest and agrees to be bound by the terms of the Official Rules.
c. “Entry” shall mean the completion of an entry in the Contest as specified in Section 4 of these Official Rules.
d. “Saddle & Bridle” shall mean Saddle & Bridle, a Missouri based company.
e. “Like” shall mean an individual’s use of the Like icon provided on the Site by Facebook to signify the individual’s approval of a post or, for purposes of the Contest, Entry photo.
f. “Prize” shall mean the Saddle & Bridle’s “2022 March into Show Season” Prize described in Section 6 of these Official Rules.
h. “Site” shall mean the website located on the Facebook® platform at the URL and all pages available on it.
i. “Sponsor” shall mean Saddle & Bridle, its agents, successors, and assigns. - The Contest is open to Entrants who meet the following eligibility criteria:
Entrant is 13 years of age or older at the time the Entrant submits an Entry to the Contest; and
b. Entrant is a legal resident of one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, except that Entrant may not be a resident of any state where the Contest is prohibited by law; and
c. At the time of Entry into the Contest, Entrant has a valid email address and a valid Facebook account; and
d. Entrant completes an Entry for the Contest on the Site by providing his/her legal first name and last name, valid email address, and photo in compliance with Section 4 of these Official Rules; and
e. Entrant has read and is willing to be bound by and comply fully with these Official Rules; and
f. Entrant is willing and able, should he/she be selected as a Contest winner, to have the Prize sent to his/her mailing or email address; and
g. Entrant may submit only one Entry to the Contest; and
h. Entrant is willing to sign an affidavit that he/she meets all eligibility requirements stated in these Official Rules; and
i. Entrant consents to the use of his/her name, city and state of residence, and other information submitted as part of the Contest Entry by Sponsor to promote Sponsor’s products and services.
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- Written by: Chris Thompson
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After 25 years of married life, my wife, Christy and I wanted to plan a special trip to celebrate. Of course, the show season is too hectic a time for vacations, so we planned a trip for early December. Our first thought was to go to Italy, but after checking our “bucket lists,” we decided on South Africa. My brother and I had travelled to Bloemfontein about a zillion years ago, and I remembered what a beautiful and exciting country South Africa was.
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- Written by: Allie Layos
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A veterinarian, a biology professor and a college senior walk into a barn, and it isn’t the start of a joke. It is a regular occurrence at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, where staff veterinarian Dr. Paul Schiltz, biology professor Dr. Nick Pullen and senior Joanie Ryan are working together to successfully grow a line of equine stem cells from horse bone marrow, an ambitious project that is benefitting both university students and horses.
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- Written by: Allie Layos
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The rediscovery of Missouri’s Saddlebred industry has taken me through towns and countryside, to meet trainers who had grown up in Missouri and some who only recently began to call Missouri their home. In these travels I encountered established trainers and assistants just starting out, those who breed, and those who teach, each one breathing life into our beloved industry, and proving through the first two parts of this article exactly what I’d hoped to – that all was not lost. “The Show Me State” may no longer have Art Simmons or Betty Weldon, but it still has a number of horse people who are determined to continue its Saddle Horse legacy. And, it seems, those travels were only the beginning.
Glendale Stables
Columbia, Missouri
At most barns, a Saturday in mid-May would be a lesson day, with customers arriving to practice on their show horses. It might have been that at Glendale, too, except that the customers had willingly stepped aside so that Kent and Stacey Swalla could open the barn up to their other great love – hosting a practice for the USEF Young Riders Home Team.
“We have wonderful clients who are willing to let us use some of their horses and give us the time,” Kent said.