A Letter Fit For a Prince

A Letter Fit For a Prince

By Jimmy Hatcher

Iam carrying you back to 1951. There appeared in Time Magazine a picture of the proud Prince of Japan, jumping his horse.

Being a teenage boy myself, I sent the Crown Prince a picture of me on my horse being champion at the first Loudoun Horse Show, then a junior show at Glenwood Park in Middleburg.

My horse had qualified me to go to the first civilian tryouts for the U.S. Olympic team at Warrenton over a course with four-foot jumps under lights and in the mud. He was three years old and I was 15 at the time. I didn’t have to wait long before I received the following letter, written by the Prince’ s Chamberlain. Naturally a better picture than the one in Time Magazine was enclosed.

The envelope and photo from the future Emperor of Japan.

“Dear Mr. Jimmy Hatcher,” he wrote. “Your warm letter for Prince Akihito has been received by Prince himself most delightfully. I am Jiro Shimidzu, one of the chamberlains to the Crown Prince and I am pleased to have the honor to send you Prince’s heartfelt thanks for your nice words, and the most interesting pictures. Prince appreciated them so much, especially your fine jumping, and the admirable pony-jumping of your young friend.

Jimmy Hatcher on Candlewick, Champion Loudoun Junior Horse Show in 1951.

Photos © Country ZEST.

“Prince and all of us send you congratulations for your success at the National Horse Show in New York this year. We expect you will realize your Olympic hopes in 1956 with gallant deeds and lucky successes, together with your fine pet, “The Candlewick.” I send you a picture of Prince Akihito on his other horse “Mineyuki” (that means snow on the summit), which was taken last year on the occasion of the American and Japanese goodwill horse riding tournament, held on the Japanese New Constitution Day in Tokyo.Thank you again master Jimmy and hope you are fortunate in the future. Yours most sincerely, Jiro Shimidzu.”

Many years later at the old Coach Stop restaurant in Middleburg, I was telling the story to a young woman who worked at the Japanese embassy. She almost arranged a ride for me with the prince, who was now the emperor. He was coming to Washington, but unfortunately, his schedule would not permit us to get together.