By Nancy Jaffer
December 8, 2018
While the holidays are an occasion for celebration, at the same time, they offer an opportunity to polish memories. We think of those who are no longer with us, recall cherished moments with our horses and reminisce about eras that live on only in our hearts.
Few are better at calling up times gone by than Judy Richter, whose new book, “The Kitten’s Cooler and Other Stories,” is a real treat. While it’s filled with tales that include a variety of big names—both human and equine–that you’ll recognize, from George Morris, Bertalan de Nemethy and Norman Dello Joio to Johnny’s Pocket, Gaelic and Glasgow, Judy’s mastery as a storyteller also is evident in pieces about the many quirky folks she’s met along the way. You may not have heard of such characters as Bootstrap Jerry and Floyd van Alstyne, but you’ll never forget them after reading Judy’s treatment. She finds the humor in situations, but also tends to treat her subjects with respect.
If you’re a hunter/jumper person, you need no introduction to Judy. She’s a noted rider/trainer as well as an author with several other books to her credit. Horses are her heritage. Her father, Philip Hofmann, was a noted four-in-hand driver who became a founder of the U.S. Combined Training Association and her sister, Carol Hofmann Thompson, enjoyed a reputation as a stellar show jumper who rode for the U.S. Equestrian Team.
Judy Hofmann Richter and her sister, Carol Hofmann Thompson at the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame dinner. (Photo©by Nancy Jaffer)
The book’s title comes from the time Judy visited Carol’s widower, J. Willard Thompson, after his wife’s passing. To make her feel at home, Willard put a wool cooler on the brass bedstead in the guestroom at Quiet Winter Farm in Colts Neck. The cooler had belonged to The Kitten, one of Carol’s great horses, and was always by the bed when Judy came to stay with her sister. Willard, who sadly left us last month, had put out the cooler so Judy could sleep under it and bring back the past in her dreams. And now she brings back the past for her readers.
Although Judy had written the “Between Rounds” column for The Chronicle of the Horse, her writing really took off when she enrolled in a course taught by Steve Schnur at Sarah Lawrence College. She has taken the course from Steve, a magazine editor, for 20 years, missing only two semesters.
Early on, she received an A-minus on a story about a horse who had a “93” brand on his shoulder.
“The class loved the story and that got me going,” she recounted.
While those familiar with the Somerset Hills of New Jersey where Judy grew up will particularly enjoy the book, she also goes into great detail about the horse country of Westchester County, N.Y., the location of her Coker Farm, and details her time in Vermont, another place where she has spent a lot of time over the decades.
Judy acknowledges in her new book’s final chapter, “Lamington Farm Remembered,” that the days are long gone when she galloped around with her sister and friends at one of her favorite spots in Bedminster. Not only is Lamington Farm now the site of the Trump International Golf Club, but as she ruefully noted, “We are no longer carefree girls, but careful old ladies.”
The entrance to the Trump National Golf Club at what used to be Lamington Farm. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
As she points out, “`Progress’ has dictated that open countryside become suburbia or even urban sprawl, but nothing can spoil the view from the top of the hill where the double white chicken coops used to be. If nowhere else, it’s in my mind’s eye forever.” And also in the mind of the reader, who can ride with her in the chapter, jumping back and forth over the post and rail fences, as well as dozens of those chicken coops.
With this book, available at www.amazon.com, Judy said she was trying to bring readers “an appreciation of the horses and the life we enjoy with horses. How great it is.”
Another book perfect for reading while there is some down time from the shows over the holidays is Frank Waters’, “The Golden Age of Show Jumping.” While it’s heavy on British riders, such as Harvey Smith, Caroline Bradley (who developed the great Milton before her death), David Broome, and many others that the horse show announcer knew personally, he also was well-acquainted with plenty of Olympic medalist Americans who were stars in the past, among them Mary and Frank Chapot, Bill Steinkraus and Neal Shapiro.
Frank Chapot in a familiar pose–as a winner.
Frank, who also has a background in riding and training, always has the inside scoop and makes those he writes about come alive. So even if all the names are not familiar, their stories will capture your attention and you’ll get a fascinating equestrian history lesson.
This one also is available at Amazon—what isn’t? Think books when you’re shopping for someone who appreciates the equestrian scene.
