U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 1991 : NOTEBOOK

Teamwork: Valerie Parr, an equestrian participant from Santa Ana has a good working relationship with her horse, Beelzebub. It’s been that way from the moment they met in March.

“I liked him, he liked me,” Parr said. “That’s important. But the best thing about him is he’s a teacher, a good teacher. If you ride well, he’ll perform well. If you ride bad, he won’t ride well. But he won’t hurt you or hold a grudge.

“We crashed at a show in Del Mar--my mistake--and that poor horse just got up and said, ‘That’s OK, Val. Let’s just keep going.’ He’s the kindest horse I’ve ever owned.”