Randy Rouse '39, Legendary Virginia Horseman
Randy Rouse, of the Washington and Lee Class of 1939, is the subject of a nice profile in the Jan. 16–23, 2012, issue of the Chronicle of the Horse. Titled “Randolph Rouse Has Ridden into Virginia History,” the piece, by Meghan Blackburn, describes him as a “sporting legend” for his career as an amateur steeplechase jockey, trainer of racehorses and foxhunter.
Unlike many Virginia horsemen and horsewomen, Randy did not grow up on horseback. Raised on a farm in Newport News, he discovered his passion for horses in the 1940s, after earning a B.S. in commerce from W&L and serving in the Navy during World War II. An invitation from the Fairfax Hunt did the trick. “When I first started hunting,” Randy told the writer, “I just thought, ‘The object is to stay on top of this thing.’ ”
And stay on top he did, serving as the MFH (master of foxhounds) of the Fairfax Hunt for 31 years. As an amateur steeplechase jockey, he won all the races—11—that he and his prized horse Cinzano ran as a team. He has owned and trained many other racehorses, and his wife, Michelle, enjoyed her own career as an amateur steeplechaser.
Randy’s business concerns, according to the article, have including home building and ownership of a gas station, auto parts shop and the Middleburg Training Track. He and Michelle have a farm in Lenah, Va., and a home in Arlington, Va.
The current article is accessible online only to subscribers of the magazine, but you can read here an earlier Chronicle piece about the victory that Randy and his horse Fields Of Omagh won at the 2005 Chronicle Cup timber race.
If you know any W&L alumni who would be great profile subjects, tell us about them! Nominate them for a web profile.
