Galway Downs Welcomes New Course Designer
Ian Stark, the three time Olympic silver medalist from Ashkirk, Scotland, has taken over as the new cross-country course designer for the Galway Downs Three-Day Event, on Nov. 1-4. Stark has succeeded Michael Etherington-Smith, who has designed the cross-country course for both the November and March events at Galway Downs ever since they began in 1999.
Etherington-Smith has had to reduce his worldwide course designing obligations because last spring he became the director of sport for British Eventing, the organization that oversees eventing in Great Britain. The influential and highly respected course designer is now creating the tracks for the Rolex Kentucky CCI****, the Chatsworth World Cup-Qualifying CIC*** in England, and the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong.
Stark, 53, who won team silver medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, the individual silver medal at the1988 Olympics, and the individual silver medal at the 1990 World Championships, announced in April that the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** would be his final international competition. Robert Kellerhouse, the Galway Downs organizer, said that when he watched Stark ride Full Circle II to 11th place in Kentucky just after announcing his retirement, it turned on a light bulb in his head.
Kellerhouse knows Stark well since he has been coming to Temecula for the last nine Januarys to teach a popular series of clinics to local riders. He knew that Stark, who rode 17 different horses to eventing’s highest level, the four-star, has worked with Etherington-Smith in creating several courses. “Ian has incredible passion and energy, and he doesn’t finish second at anything in life, so I knew he’d be a great fit for us,” said Kellerhouse.
Stark said, “The decision to turn from rider to course designer was not taken lightly. It seems like I’m giving up the pressure of competition to setting myself up in the firing line should the riders be unhappy with my course! I find the challenges ahead both exciting and scary, and I have no doubt it will certainly keep the adrenalin pumping.”

Founding member of Equestrian Trails Inc. Passes Away
One of the founding members of Equestrian Trails Inc. and a long-time Universal Studio hairstylist, Carmen Dirigo, passed away at age 99.
Dirigo, was born Daisy Obradowits in New York on December 30, 1907. She moved with her mother Lilley to Southern California in the 1920s. Soon after, Lilley started a beauty shop on Cahuenga in Hollywood while Carmen went to school. Lilley finally broke into the movie business during the last years of the silent films.
By 1933, after taking a state test to get her cosmetology license, Carmen followed her mother and entered the hairstyling field, first working at United Artists. After four years, she moved to Paramount where she first worked with stars like Fontaine and Fredric March. Eight years later, she came to Universal as head of hairstyling, where her mother had broken ground working with legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce, famous for Universal’s slate of classic monster films.
Dirigo worked on nearly 100 films and TV shows during her lengthy career. Among the films she added style to are House of Dracula, The Cat Creeps, the original version of The Killers, The Brute Man, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, Diary of a Madman and 1776.
Until a severe fall at home in 2000 left her partially immobilized, Dirigo was an avid equestrian. She was active for many years and was president of Corral 17 in North Hollywood from the 1970s until the chapter closed in the mid 1980s.
She leaves behind no living heirs and died as Carmen Dirigo Heckler.
Information in this obituary was provided by Scott Essman.

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