Myra Moss, Equestrian

Myra Moss with Blaney.

When an equestrian passes away, a bit of equine history goes with them. 

That's why I, and some of my friends in California and across the country, spend time at estate sales searching for traces of these people and the horses they rode and loved. Their stories need to be saved. It's like putting together pieces of a puzzle which, were it ever finished, would show the incredible impact of the horse in America in the mid-twentieth century.  

Myra Moss was a prominent member of Southern California's equestrian community in the years following World War II. I happened to be out of town when the sale of items from her estate was held recently, but a friend was able to attend and secured a number of photographs, magazines, and books for me that can help us piece together some of her story. (Perhaps people who knew Myra will read this and send me information so I can make additions to the story.)

An article by Kay Ringe in the September 1970 edition of Modern Horsewoman magazine, found at the estate sale, tells us that Myra started showing horses when she was nine years old. 

"As a young child, she showed stock horses, then bred and exhibited American Saddle Horses when she was in her early teens. Then her love turned to hunters, and she joined the Flintridge Riding Club in Pasadena, Calif., which is nationally famous for the champion hunters which are trained there and shown by its members...."

The estate sale contained photographs of Myra on her horse Smokey.

On the back of this photo is written
"Smoky -- Shadow Hills Show '48."

Smokey is identified as "Smokey Morgan" in a copy of the Children's Open Amateur 28th Annual Horse Show, April 18, 1953, held at the Flintridge Riding Club, which was also at the estate sale.

On the back of this photo is written "Smoky --
Rose Bowl Riders -- 2nd Parade Horse -- '53."

At some point, Smokey had a colt!

On the back of this photo is written "Smoky & Colt (Rasmoe) -- 2nd Pairs -- '49."

There was also a photo at the estate sale of Myra on an unidentified horse, under Western tack.

I think it might be the same horse as this one, identified as Oscar.

On the back of this photo is written "Oscar -- 1st Jump Class -- Dupee's -- 4th"

I'm not sure which horse this is; there was no information on the back. Myra looks very young in the photo.

The 1950 edition of Here's Who in Horses of the Pacific Coast contained a full-page photo spread of Myra on her horses Country Personality, Hylo Ladd, and Smokey.

Myra rode both three- and five-gaited American Saddlebreds.

This appears to be Myra on Country Personality.

 

Myra and Miss Betsy. 

Myra and Miss Betsy.

Myra and Miss Betsy appeared on the cover of The Amateur Horseman magazine in December 1949.

Myra and Andy's Traveler, a five-gaited Saddlebred.

Myra appeared in the 14 November 1951 edition of the Los Angeles Times:

In March 1955, a photo of Myra on Spring Scene appeared in The National Horseman magazine.

Here is a photo of Myra riding a horse identified as Herod Play in the 5 June 1957 Los Angeles Times:

The 1970 Modern Horsewoman article continued, "Throughout her undergraduate years at Pomona College...Myra continued to show her champion conformation hunters Hylo Ladd, Suggestion, and Blaney."

This is Myra with Hylo Ladd. On the back of the photo is written
 "Ladd, 2nd leg...Corinthian Bowl '52."

When Hylo Ladd retired, a magazine reported on it.

In Myra's estate was this magazine clipping on the retirement of Hylo Ladd: 

"In 1949, he was brought from the Midwest to California by James Scarborough and had already compiled a magnificent record in the hunter division by winning blues throughout the state of Virginia, Madison Square Garden, the hunter championship stake at the 1947 Chicago International, and the hunter championship (points) at Detroit in 1948. This handsome chestnut gelding is by Haphazard, out of Highland Lass, she being a daughter of By Hisself, by Man O'War. He has been owned and exhibited by Myra Moss of San Marino, Calif., since 1951, and during that time, has proved to be one of the greatest hearted horses in the show ring today -- he loves to jump... He won a total of 420 ribbons and 60 trophies during the four years Myra owned and exhibited him. These include 160 firsts... In addition to this, he retired the West Hills Hunt Club Corinthian Bowl in 1951-52, won the first leg on the second, then retired from further competition in that class.... It is good news that he will remain at the Flintridge Riding Club as Myra's pleasure horse....

The article on Myra in Modern Horsewoman continued:

"After college she went to Rome to [do] graduate work in philosophy at the University of Rome, and while there she hunted several times with the oldest hunt in Rome. 

"While she was at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, earning her Ph.D. in philosophy, Myra kept her hunters with Jimmy and Marcia (Mousie) Williams, the top trainers at the Flintridge Riding Club. During the school year Mousie and Jimmy showed Myra's horses. But when summer came, Myra went out on the California horse show circuit with Blaney, an Irish hunter who was brought to the United States by Neil McCarthy of Thoroughbred racing fame...and HiFi, an open jumper. Blaney was the Pacific Coast Hunter & Jumper Association Working Hunter champion in 1968. HiFi, a black open jumper, was the Pacific Hunter & Jumper Association High Point Champion in 1966."

Blaney.

In Myra's estate was a framed letter from Neil McCarthy explaining Blaney's history, now yellowed with age. 

Thanks to digital technology, I was able to make a copy of it more legible.

Myra and Blaney in Modern Horsewoman magazine, September 1970.

Myra and Blaney. I think the handwriting is hers.

Myra and Blaney. Several of the photos in her estate
 had Dymo labels across the lower edge. 

Myra and Blaney.

Myra understood all too well the hazards of riding. She took out this ad in the 1962 issue of Horses magazine. 

Myra saved a copy of The Chronicle of the Horse from December 31, 1954. In it is a photo of Suggestion, ridden by    Dorothy McCloud in Chicago.

Here are some pictures of Myra with Suggestion.

Myra and Suggestion.

There's no information on the back of this photo,
but the rider on the right is Myra. 

On the back of this photo are layout instructions for
National Horseman magazine,
January 1966 issue, page 47,
and the horse's name, Suggestion. 

Myra appeared on the cover and sometimes the inside of late 1960s issues of Club & Sports magazine, published in Beverly Hills. 

Myra and Blaney also appeared in the May 1956 issue of Pasadena Junior League Community News.

At the time the Modern Horsewoman article was written, Myra Moss was married to Dr. John Milburn III of Palo Alto, California.   It continues:

"Myra and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Moss, have owned champion green hunters, champion Cal-bred green hunters, working and conformation hunters and open jumpers for 16 years. For the past two years Myra has been showing her champion conformation hunter Fashion Plate, which was the 1969 Pacific Coast conformation hunter. Now her trainer Jimmy Williams is training and showing her new green hunter State Secret, which was foaled in Africa. State Secret was the first year green working Hunter Handy at the Channel City Horse Show this spring in Santa Barbara. Of course Myra's favorite classes are now the Owner-Amateur Hunter Classes when are so popular in California now. Many of these classes have 70 or more entries, so must be divided. Often Myra teaches at Santa Clara University in the morning, catches a noon plane out of the San Jose airport, and is in the show ring someplace in California by 7 p.m." 

Myra showed Fashion Plate in Oregon.
From the September 1970
issue of Modern Horsewoman magazine.

Myra passed away in 2016, and the estate sale was in 2021. Myra's estate contained many more things that my friend and I could not really afford -- trophies and paintings of her horses. I hope they went to people who will appreciate them and their special history.  

The things I was able to obtain, will be offered to the Special Collections Unit at the Cal Poly Pomona University Library, to be part of their local history focus. (Special Collections is the home of the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library.)

Myra's obituary appeared on the Claremont McKenna College website:

Myra E. Moss Rolle, a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Government at CMC, died on July 26 [2016] in San Marino. She was 79.

Moss was a CMC professor of philosophy for 32 years, starting in 1975. She was chair of the department from 1992 to 1995.

She received her B.A. from Pomona College in 1958 and her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University in 1965. From 1958-1959, Moss was enrolled in the graduate program in Philosophy at the University of Rome.

Professor Moss began teaching as a junior instructor at Johns Hopkins in 1960 and won a fellowship as a Gilman Scholar the next year. From 1966-1968, she was an assistant professor at San Jose State College.

In September 1968, Professor Moss lectured part-time at Santa Clara University. She became a tenured assistant professor there in 1970. From 1975-82, she taught as an associate professor at Claremont Men’s College (the precursor to CMC).

During the course of her career, Professor Moss contributed scholarly monographs and articles to many publications and authored several books, including Benedetto Croce Reconsidered in 1987 and Mussolini’s Fascist Philosopher: Giovanni Gentile Reconsidered in 2004.

In addition to her work in academe (she was the recipient of a Plato Award for iconic educators), Professor Moss was an outstanding equestrian in her youth, winning many championship trophies and other awards throughout the years. She also enjoyed gardening and raising orchids and was a fervent animal lover, particularly cats.

She is survived by her husband of 32 years, Dr. Andrew F. Rolle, Robert Glass Cleland Professor of American History, Emeritus (1952-1988) at Occidental College in Los Angeles, a brother, George “Buddy” Moss, and several nieces and nephews. Professor Moss met her husband after auditing a class of his at Occidental College.

https://www.cmc.edu/news/myra-moss-cmc-philosophy-professor-dies-at-79