We’ve lost another good one.
Philip A. DeVita has passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Although he was a respected U.S. Equestrian Federation judge, the Apopka, Fla., resident is perhaps is best known for his hands-on involvement with horses. His email was “horseshowjunky.”
(Survivors and memorial service information are listed at the bottom of this story.)
Hunter/jumper rider Jimmy Torano posted a tribute to him, calling Phil “one of the original pioneers of our sport.”
Jimmy explained, “Everyone went to Coral Hills Farm when looking to buy a horse. Phil helped everyone, including me. I remember on several occasions as a junior, needing a horse to show. Phil always stepped up and loaned me one of his nice sale horses. And trained me. Never charged me a penny.”
Phil DeVita receiving his USHJA Lifetime Achievement Award from Dianne Johnson. (Photo © 2017 by Nancy Jaffer)
The winner of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award, Phil recalled that for him, it was always about the horses.
“I didn’t want anything else. It was part of my life from the beginning,” he told me.
He had a multi-faceted career during which he sold horses to the biggest names in the business, worked as a trainer, got involved in selling horse transportation and was a highly regarded judge, retiring in 2017.
It all started when he lived in Harlem as a child and spent time with his maternal grandfather, who rented out horses and wagons by the Willis Avenue Bridge that connects Manhattan with the Bronx.
“I just loved looking at horses, and my grandfather became my first mentor,” said Phil, who went to auctions with him and developed a sharp eye for conformation. That served him well when he started buying and selling horses.
At age 12, he helped with horses during the summer at a riding academy in upstate New York.
Unlike many kids growing up in the 1930s and ‘40s who wanted to ride western because they idolized cowboy heroes such as Tom Mix or Gene Autry, Phil focused on hunters and jumpers.
“I just had a feeling it would be a great industry someday, and I wanted to be a part of that,” he explained. He didn’t take riding lessons; rather, he learned by observation.
“I was in the era with Benny O’Meara. The fellow that was a great mentor to all of us at that time was Herman Kaplan. He was probably the best blacksmith, the best horseman, I’ve ever known,” observed Phil.
One of his top horses was Colombo, who showed in the conformation division with Rodney Jenkins and DeVita’s son, Philip, who is himself a prominent judge, course designer and horse show manager.
Another favorite was Mink ‘n’ Pearls, purchased as a weanling, who went on to stardom with Bernie Traurig. He also had No Alibi and You Watch, horses he bred and raised.
Phil got involved in judging because he wanted to give back to the industry, hence his help for Jimmy Torano and others, including Margie Goldstein.
He is survived by his sons, Philip John DeVita (Mary Beth) and Travis DeVita, daughters, Deborah Ann Omerovic (Selmir) and Denise DeVita ; a sister, Angela Pear (Meir); grandchildren, Anthony Joseph DeVita, Philip John DeVita, Jr., Joseph John DeVita, Alecia Damico, Deidra Slachter and William Gallagher, as well as several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial ceremony will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Mount Dora, Fla., on Monday, March 27 at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation,
2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, New York 10306; www.t2t.org/donate