The CWHBA mourns the loss of a truly inspiring supporter: A New Boss Mare In Heaven - In Memory of Elaine Partington On April 1 2011, Elaine Partington, Treasurer for the Saskatchewan Chapter CWHBA, passed away. Words cannot convey how valued and loved Elaine was by the members of the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association. She was a stalwart, unwavering supporter with the phrase “what can I do to help” always on her lips. More important than this; she inspired us to be enthusiastic, generous and loving. She will be greatly missed, but her spirit will endure in the lives of all those she touched. Chris Gould writes:: For those of you that did not have the pleasure of knowing Elaine, she was a key person in vitalizing the Saskatchewan Chapter, signing on as one of the founding directors. She and her husband Terry worked behind the scenes, making Ebon Stables the centre for Warmblood activities in Saskatchewan, while partner Pat Slimmon sat on our Board for many years. She was a person of great energy, outspoken and full of humour, on top of being a wonderful horse woman.
Family photo 2009: Elaine & Terry’s 40th Wedding Anniversary, kindly supplied by Shawna Partington (left), Tanys at right..
Elaine’s Lessons for Life
In 2001, Colleen Embree-Jay and I had the good fortune of traveling to Sweden with Elaine, Terry and their daughter Shawna, to observe the SPT there, while we (CWHBA) were considering adopting the short test format. It was a great trip made doubly so by the enthusiasm and curiosity that Elaine brought to everything, from sight seeing in Sweden and Denmark to closely observing the SPT proceedings. I know she made a great impression on our Swedish hosts, including Dr. Ingvar Fredricson. (Group pictured above) Elaine was a formidable presence; she spoke her mind, was generous and thoughtful, put
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There are people who give you an all her energy into everything that she did. My heart goes out to her family, Terry and Shawna and her close friends Pat Slimmon and John Blacklock. She will be sorely missed. Opportunity for a defining moment knowledge, and at the same time practising his profession as an engineer. in your life, Elaine Partington gave us a When the “mature” riders were taking lessons, and Elaine was drawing diagrams in the arena footing, she wasn’t just showing us about horses, lifetime of such moments. by Charmaine Bergman
s influential as she was within the Saskatoon horse community, her inquisitive side sought to find more and better things for us all and she strode into the Provincial and National arena with her clear logic, no nonsense ability to cut to the chase and made things happen, the right way. As a competitor her skills were high and her sense of humour made many a show incident into a tale of laughter to carry forward. In fact, we all have great stories of funny show incidents, and Elaine was often the centre of the story, or the person who had just the right phrase for the story. A creative writer early in her adult years, Elaine learnt to be crafty with words and there are phrases emblazoned on our psyche forever, that were Elaine’s alone. All her life, Elaine worked hard, from dawn to dusk and beyond, yet she raised two fabulous daughters, Tanys and Shawna, with her husband Terry. Where she found the time to be all the things she was to all the people, whose lives she touched, is impossible to know. But she did and her family was right there helping her. Shawna is an accomplished Coach in her own right. She also schools the young Ebon horses that her father, Terry, gives the right start to and she has helped the SK CWHBA Chapter through many a Showcase. Tanys was the French speaker that was so appreciated the years the Chapter hosted the Stallion Service Auction at PBR Auctions. And Terry, well, Terry has just always been there, holding the physical plant of Ebon together to the highest standard, helping many with their horses by offering sage and timely
she was giving us lessons in life. Since the inception of the Saskatchewan Chapter of the CWHBA in 1998, Elaine was a leader amongst us, sometimes dragging us kicking and screaming, and always showing unique insight, extreme attention to detail and tons of fun. She kept us on line financially. Terry, Shawna, and Tanys were part of the team of great and hard worked volunteers, often giving more than one ever expected.
Elaine made us all grow. She kept and held many close when they most needed it; she was the centre of many circles, from Pony Club to the Ebon crew, to the Coaches in Saskatchewan, to the SK CWHBA, to her friends and most of all to her family, pictured above left on the occasion of Elaine & Terry’s 40th wedding anniversary. We thank her for her greatness of character that gave so much to so many. She leaves behind a community that is enriched for having her. As her very good friend John Blacklock put it, “there is a new boss mare in heaven, with a herd of good friends, and that is Elaine Partington.”
Photos courtesy of Elaine’s friend, Judy Wood
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