Instead of marking its 50th anniversary next month at the Horse Park of New Jersey, the Four Seasons show will be in limbo.
“We’re taking a year to regroup,” said show manager Mason Garrity as he announced cancellation of the fixture. However, he’s not making predictions about the future for what normally is the first big outdoor show of the year in New Jersey.
“We’ll see what next year brings,” he commented.
“Last year, the weather was gorgeous, in the 70s, but no one was there,” Mason recalled. Asked why that was the case, he noted that people are staying in Florida longer into the spring, with many not coming home until the week of Four Seasons. In addition, he pointed out, the Horse Park is showing its age, and leasing a facility is another expense for the show.
Stand-alone shows don’t have the resources of the big circuits.
“The landscape is changing,” observed Mason, who also owns a jumps company, announces and manages other shows.
Four Seasons was started in Readington in 1973 by the late Gary Kunsman, the father of Mason’s wife, AJ.
“Because of Gary, we ran it as long as we could,” said Mason. The show was also cancelled in 2020 along with most other competitions because of Covid.