This week Mary will be hosting a special guest at the Red Eagle
Ranch. Marianne Du Toit a 32-year old South African woman, has been
undertaking a 10,000 mile and two year trek with two horses across
South and North America (starting in Buenos Aires, Argentina and
ending in New York) in a major fund raising venture - The TATA
(Travels Across The Americas) Challenge. Money raised throughout
the duration of Marianne's journey will go towards building an
Equestrian center outside Dublin, specifically catering for the
needs of children with disability. With the exception of the help
of an occasional local guide particularly in Central America (and
Mary Muldoon in Maryland of course!), Marianne will complete this
trip solo.

Aimé Tschiffely, a Swiss Explorer in the 1920's who completed the
trip with two Criollo horses from Argentina and published a
fascinating tale of his travels, inspired Marianne. Mary and
several students of the PPS recently attended a lecture about
Tschiffely's journey at the Swiss Embassy in Washington, DC.
Marianne is a delight and we were pleased to have her as the guest
of honor at a dinner party at Mary's neighbor's home last night
shared with Marianne, Mary, Dante, Big Joe Muldoon, Alyse, Mary's
brother--Joe III, Dr. Keith, and our hostess Marzi.

You can learn more about Marianne at her very informative website,
which also provides a travelogue. http://www.tatachallenge.com/

We hope that you are getting fit for the polo season. It'll be here
before you know it. And remember, the US Open black tie party with
the Potomac Polo School is April 16th in West Palm Beach. Don't
miss it!

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