Nona Rutland

Nona Rutland
Rutland, from the 1928 yearbook of Randolph-Macon Woman's College
Born
Eleanora Wills Rutland

(1907-03-14)March 14, 1907
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedFebruary 11, 1980(1980-02-11) (aged 72)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
OccupationsHorsewoman, equestrian educator, camp director

Eleanora "Nona" Rutland (March 14, 1907 – February 1980) was an American horsewoman and equestrian educator. She was co-director of the riding program at Camp Riva-Lake, a girls' summer camp in Winchester, Tennessee, and director of Audubon Park Stables in New Orleans.

Rutland competed in horse shows as a child and a teen, and continued in the equestrian field through her life, as a rider, owner, trainer, and judge.[1][2][3] She was described as "one of this country's foremost authorities on three and five gaited horsemanship" in a 1977 feature.[4]

Early life and education

Rutland was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the daughter of William Patton Rutland Jr. and Eleanora Wills Rutland.[5] Her maternal grandfather was Andrew Woods Wills, Nashville postmaster and a Union Army quartermaster during the American Civil War.[6] She attended Nashville's Peabody College for two years, and graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1928.[7]

Career

Rutland taught riding at the Gulf Hills Club in Mississippi and at the Forest Hills Club in Tampa, Florida, as a young woman.[8][9][10] In 1934,[1][11] Rutland became director of Audubon Stables in New Orleans.[12][13] Mary Belle "Kit" Pillow joined the Audubon staff as Rutland's assistant in 1940.[3] The riders they trained included diplomat Anne Legendre Armstrong[3] and socialite Joan Robinson Hill.[14]

Rutland was a licensed judge for the American Horse Shows Association, and served on the organization's board of directors.[15][16] She was also the equitation editor of Bridle and Saddle, a national publication in the field.[1][17]

During summers, Rutland and Pillow ran the riding school at Camp Riva-Lake in Winchester, Tennessee, "one of the best known girls' camps in the South".[5] Rutland's mother was the camp's founder[5] and director from 1922 to 1952.[18][19]

Publications

  • A Standard for Three and Five-Gaited Horsemanship (1952, with Annie Lawson Cowgill and Helen Crabtree)

Personal life

Rutland and Pillow lived together in a house on the grounds of Audubon Stables.[3] Rutland died in 1980, at the age of 72, in New Orleans.[20] Camp Riva-Lake still offers summer horesback riding sessions for its girl campers.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Barnett, Marilyn (1950-03-26). "Nona and Mounts Win Blue Ribbons from Six to ???". New Orleans States-Item. p. 53. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Horses Vie in Exhibit; Show Thrills Big Crowd". New Orleans States-Item. 1936-04-18. p. 12. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Blake, Jeanie (1976-10-17). "A School Called Audubon... Where Women of All Ages Hold the Reins". The Times-Picayune. p. 83. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Blake, Jeanie (1977-04-24). "Riding Garb Has Influenced Style for Many Years". The Times-Picayune. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 "Mrs. Rutland Dies; Funeral Set Thursday". Nashville Banner. 1952-08-20. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Andrew Woods Wills". Antietam on the Web. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  7. ↑ Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Helianthus (1928 yearbook): 97; via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ "Miss Nona Rutland Will Participate in Florida Horse Show". Nashville Banner. 1932-12-04. p. 23. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Miss Nona Rutland to Spend Winter in Tampa at Forest Hills Club". The Tennessean. 1932-12-04. p. 14. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Miss Nona Rutland's Riding Academy to Present Horse Show". Nashville Banner. 1934-04-08. p. 26. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Meade, Belle (1936-02-02). "Here and Hear About: Riding to Fame". Nashville Banner. p. 22. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Wicks, Amanda Wicks (2011-04-29). "Four Hooves and a Holler". New Orleans Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  13. ↑ Orr, Gilbert M. (1941-05-02). "Speaking of Horses". Nashville Banner. p. 27. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Bullard, Ann (April 8, 2008). "The Evolution of Equestrian Fashion". The Saddle Horse Report Online. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  15. ↑ "Horse Sense Tournament Judges Named". The Tennessean. 1952-08-29. p. 24. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Horse Show Judge". New Orleans States. 1945-06-05. p. 13. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Holder, Betty Jane (1950-08-04). "Women at Work: Days Revolve 'Round Ring". New Orleans States-Item. p. 15. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Awards Given GIrls at Camp; Winners of Summer's Honors at Riva-Lake". Chattanooga Daily Times. 1923-09-02. p. 26. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Riva Lake Closed August 31 with Final Honor Awards". The Tennessean. 1923-09-01. p. 6. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Eleanora (Nona) Wills Rutland (death notice)". The Tennessean. 1980-02-12. p. 26. Retrieved 2026-06-06 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Your Magical Summer Starts Here | Camp Riva-Lake - An All Girls Overnight Summer Camp". Camp Riva-Lake. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
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