ADAMS TWP - Horse lovers from here to Virginia are pooling their efforts to find an Olympic-level horse for a local equestrian.

Becka Simmons, who grew up in Adams Township until age 17, is a professional-level competitor in three-day eventing.

Her first eventing horse, Guinness, was an Irish Cobb purchased straight from the Emerald Isle. After establishing promising success with Guinness in eventing, which includes dressage, cross-country jumping and stadium jumping, the small but plucky horse suffered a career-ending injury to both his front tendons and had to be put out to pasture.

Simmons, now 20, said Guinness may be able to show again, but her love for the horse precludes her from taking a chance on another injury.

"I would have a line of people waiting to buy him," said Simmons, "but I wouldn't do that to him. He's special, and he's staying with me."

Upon Guinness' back, Simmons was able to rise through the levels of competition in three-day eventing under the wing of Karen O'Connor, who is arguably the most well- known eventer in the United States.O'Connor boasts multiple Olympic medals and was named Female Equestrian Athlete of the Year nine consecutive years.Simmons moved to O'Connor's Virginia farm at 17 as a result of her mother's acquaintance with O'Connor. There, Simmons began the intense training it would take to rise to the level of competition she has attained.But just when Simmons thought she would move from two-star to three-star competition, Guinness was retired. The cost of an eventing horse of two-star caliber starts at about $30,000.Enter Gina Miller of Mars, who is familiar with the promising young Simmons' plight. She and other fans of Simmons and O'Connor have coordinated a dinner and equestrian fashion show at 4 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Treesdale Country Club in Adams Township.Proceeds from the event will go toward acquiring Simmons a new horse.But the part of the dinner local equestrians are most excited about is the attendance of O'Connor, along with Darren Chiacchia, who won a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Stephen Bradley, who participated in equestrian events in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.In horse circles, the trio is the equivalent of a Beatles reunion. Not only will the athletes attend the fund-raising event, they will model riding and equestrian-themed street clothes in the fashion show.In addition, said Miller, O'Connor will model pajamas, then autograph them before they are auctioned off.

Other prizes at the event will be a riding clinic session with O'Connor in Mars, three riding lessons from Chiacchia, a clinic session and private riding lessons with Bradley, and the grand prize: a training session in Virginia with Simmons on the winner's horse.Equestrian gear will be auctioned off. Non-equestrian items will also be auctioned, including a 2004 Suzuki dirt bike worth $1,600, a Tiffany lamp, jewelry, oil paintings and other items.In addition, the three celebrities will sign autographs and pose for photographs at the dinner.Miller said the athletes are traveling to Mars because they know a good rider when they see one."These three Olympians believe in (Simmons') talent or they wouldn't be here," said Miller. "I think the autographs and photos are going to be the hit of the party."Many of the equine items to be auctioned and modeled are from

Everything Horses in Mars. Owner Sharon Gregory is not only happy to help out the local equestrian champion in her effort to find the perfect eventing horse, she is as delighted as any other horse lover to see O'Connor and the other athletes."I am just thrilled that they are coming, and especially that they will model clothing from our store," said Gregory. "This is really exciting in the local horse community."Simmons said while she missed out on a potential horse for sale in England, O'Connor has her eye on a warmblood/thoroughbred mix in Australia. She said it would cost about $60,000 to purchase and ship the horse to Virginia. While the warmblood mix looks promising, Simmons said it is not quite at three-star level."A horse that is ready to compete in the Olympics would cost about $300,000," she said.Simmons currently rides two horses owned by others. One is to be sold, and the other is a great jumper but may not possess the mental stability required in three-day eventing, said Simmons. The warmblood mix, on the other hand, has the potential to improve to Simmons' level.Simmons said her next competition is in 2005."I don't know if I'll have a horse or not," said Simmons. "I'd love to hop on it and get back in the game."

Three-day eventing tests the stamina and skill of horse and rider as they compete over three consecutive days.The three areas of competition include:Dressage- A French word meaning "training," dressage is the test of horse's response to its rider's subtle body signals. Dressage is often described as ballet on horseback. For example, the horse must complete "lead changes," or the switching of the lead hoof while cantering; "sidepassing," in which the horse walks in a diagonal direction while crossing one front hoof over the other; and other intricate maneuvers in the show ring.Riders often twist the horse's mane into an intricate "knob" pattern, and the riders wear top hats and dress coats.Cross-country jumping- Often the most popular facet of three-day eventing, the horse and rider race over miles of terrain, jumping fences and gates at racing speed.Stadium or show jumping- The horse must jump a number of obstacles inside a show ring to prove it can still display control and stamina after the grueling cross-country competition of the previous day.Thoroughbreds and the sturdy warmblood breed are the main horses used for three-day eventing, but other breeds also compete.Three-day eventing resulted from competitions between mounts in the Army to test their fitness for continued duty.The 1924 Paris Olympics were the first to include a three-day eventing competition.Three-day eventing is ranked in difficulty by a star system. One star is for horses and riders just entering the discipline; two-star competition is geared for horses that have some experience of international competition. Three-stars denote international-level ability, and the highest level of competition is four-star, with only four such competitions in the worldSOURCE: Horse in Sport and Hartpury International Three-day Event Web sites.