Monmouth at the Team is hitting the road.

The innovative one-ring show that debuted at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation to an overwhelmingly positive reception in 2016 will be held instead this year at the Centenary University Equestrian Center in Long Valley. The show was cancelled last year when Covid restrictions meant the ringside hospitality tent that is a focal point of the fixture couldn’t be offered

Hospitality in a tent alongside the ring has been a drawing card for Monmouth at the Team. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)

The U.S. squad for the Paralympics in Tokyo will be quarantining at the Foundation’s Gladstone headquarters during August, which means the Aug. 16-23 show can’t run there this year, either. It was a surprise to the organizers, but they quickly pivoted. Monmouth will take a different tack as it uses two rings and a grass derby field for competitors at Centenary, where it can include A-rated hunter classes for the first time.

“We figured instead of cancelling for two years in a row, let’s reinvent ourselves once again,” said Tucker Ericson, who owns the show with his cousin, trainer Michael Dowling, a member of the Centenary faculty.

Michael Dowling and his cousin, Tucker Ericson, are owners of Monmouth at the Team. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)

Will the show stay at Centenary in 2022 if it works well there this year?

“We’re open-minded. I think the consumers will make that decision for us,” said Tucker, who in any case hopes to host “something special at the Team still.”

But he cautioned, “We’re trying to hold off pressuring ourselves for any decision or foregone conclusions until after this year’s show. The Team is very special to us. We love the facility, I love the feel of one ring. Maybe there’s a whole other twist we could do with something there as well, and try to accommodate both concepts.”

He pointed out, “The one thing about moving to Centenary, it enabled us to apply for an A-rating. A one-ring horse show can’t support the cost of the prize money for an A-show, but a two- and three-ring show can.  Maybe we just need to think outside the box and think of something unique to continue to have at the Team. We’ll re-evaluate at the end of this year and see what everyone wants.”

The show, the oldest in New Jersey, was a fixture at several locations in Monmouth County since the 19th Century until Tucker and Michael moved it an hour’s drive north. It gained immediate acceptance, as outstanding hospitality became a trademark and a drawing card.

Ribbons from the first Monmouth County Horse Show in 1895. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)

While exhibitors had to pay for their meals at the Team, Tucker and Michael are thinking about having hospitality at Centenary be free of charge. That would make it easier to keep track of things in three separate areas. To cover the cost, Tucker said they probably will put the prizelist/program on line rather than printing it, for a savings of $10,000, and dispense with a scoreboard, for another $10,000 in savings. They also are hoping that barns, families and vendors will volunteer to sponsor meals.

“I find it hard to believe people will want a program and a scoreboard over free food and drink every day,” Tucker observed.

The end of Centenary’s indoor arena, where classrooms and a lounge are located, can be a hospitality hub since it has air conditioning and electricity. In addition, there will be tents along the side of the outdoor ring and the grass field. Tucker envisions the landscaped vendor village being a circle in what is now a parking lot, with tables and umbrellas in the middle where people can relax.

“We’ll just move the parties around, depending on where the special classes are,” said Tucker, noting, “for the special classes, they will be the only thing going on.” Those would include a mini-prix and the $10,000 Bobcat Derby for hunters.

The Bobcat Derby is a popular feature of Monmouth at the Team. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)

At this point, USEF is not allowing spectators at the shows it licenses, but Tucker is hopeful that seven months from now, things will be “80 percent better.

If not, we have much more flexibility at Centenary, so one blessing in disguise for being forced to move is the flexibility of  (room for) a lot more social distancing,” he said.

The flexibility also extends to the number of classes that can be held. For instance, there is a chance to do three days worth of Outreach, for those just getting into showing..

“That’s a lot of opportunity for the grass roots,” said Tucker. There should be more people in the hunters, too, since people who shied away from the show because they were going for points can earn them at Monmouth. And Monmouth won’t have to turn away entries due to lack of time in one ring during daylight.

The schedule is still a work in progress, since USEF approval just happened this month, but expect to hear more in February.

At the same time, he noted that “until we start getting feedback about the plan, we really don’t know if we’re going to change.”

Tucker noted that when he ran the idea of the move past two sponsors, the Nature Conservancy, which backs the Bobcat Derby, and Running S veterinary services, they were eager to be part of it again.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of energy because of everything being so quiet the past year,” said Tucker.

“Having things to look forward to will be really healthy for all of us. I think it will draw a lot of people if we do it right.”

Among the questions that need to be answered: What about the name? Instead of Monmouth at the Team, maybe it should be Monmouth at Morris County, as I suggested to Tucker. (Long Valley is part of Washington Township, Morris County, for those not familiar with the geography)

Despite the change of venue, Tucker said of the name, “We’ll keep it this year until we know the long-term future.

“If we stay at Centenary, we have to think hard about that. Maybe we’ll have a contest.”