It was with great sadness that I came across this page of remembrance for 
Elise, or Liz as I knew her.  
  I came to know her when I was invited by Rita Pugh, to take on the riding school
on Paradise Island in the 70s.
 Along with other people, both Liz and her husband showed me great kindness, something I will never forget, and, it has had a long and lasting effect on me.
 During my time on the Island, I came to know Liz as a person who would give her all, who would go to any lengths to help a person, even to the detriment of her self. Nothing was to big or to small, and especially when it came children or horses.
  She also had the nack of being able to sum people up very quickly and could see 
falseness a mile off, but would always keep her council.
 I came to see her about 12years ago, Nassau had changed from my time there and not for the better, but Liz still had that determination and spirit that she always had to continue the fight.
By other comments left here, I see that others have also been touched by her
great spirit and kindness and are the richer for it.
What a sad loss to us all and to the Bahamas.
Gone but never forgotten

Rodney Nevols.

There were many many lessons. Two that stand out at the moment: 1. Believe in yourself, despite the judgments of others. 2. Your horse has a bit in its mouth, so maintain quiet hands.

Spending years of my childhood with Mrs. Toothe, I discovered that the adult world was full of pitfalls, biases, weirdness (Judy Richter yelling that King should be rendered into dogfood when he kicked out at, but never touched, another horse during a clinic), and that I could trust my own instincts, even though I was just a kid. In fact, Mrs. Toothe showed children the same respect as she showed adults.

Competing in Bermuda at about age 10-11, I had to choose a local pony for myself. I was driven around the island to wherever ponies had been volunteered. I picked a little firey chestnut mare called Lillibet from a crappy stable where none of the elite Bermudian kids rode. My host family told me I was making a big mistake: Lillibet had never done anything remarkable. I should choose a better mount. But amazingly I stuck to my guns, even as opinions grew against my choice. As it turned out, Lillibet was a gem, jumped and cleared everything super fast, won, and the Bahamas team won too.

A more important lesson was about the experience of the horse: Mrs. Toothe would say, "Imagine wearing a bit in YOUR mouth and someone pulling on it, see-sawing." You couldn't force a horse to go on the bit or to have a frothy mouth. You had to be patient and have quiet, gentle contact with the mouth. It is a metaphor for life, for all relations.

I am grateful for these and many other lessons. I don't think it's an accident that I am today a teacher. Mrs. Toothe had such a profound influence on me.

 

Saturday Lessons with Ms. Toothe at her place in Charmichael