(updated Feb. 3, 2021)
With today’s cancellation of the April 5-star Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, it was natural for people to question whether the Jersey Fresh International event will be held 11 days later at the Horse Park of New Jersey.
The answer is yes.
The 4-star Long at Jersey is a qualifier and selection trial for Tokyo Olympic team hopefuls, as is Badminton in Britain running in the same May 5-9 dates. Badminton is happening without spectators, and travel restrictions make it difficult to think of overseas competitors traveling there to participate.
The Kentucky 5-star couldn’t be staged without revenue from ticket sales because it is so expensive to put on a competition at that level, and the U.S. Equestrian Federation has banned spectators from its licensed fixtures in a bid to keep Covid at bay.While the 5-star was a qualifier and selection trial for the Tokyo Olympics, the 4-star Short that is licensed to take place in Kentucky is also eligible to fill those purposes.
Will Connell, director of sport for the USEF, explained “A CCI4*-S can be declared a selection trial under the existing selection procedures. The process of considering and announcing whether this will be a selection trial will start now, as will the process of working with the Kentucky Organizing Committee to see what can replace the CCI5*.”
For more details on the Kentucky situation, click here
Jersey Fresh, with 4-star Long and Short divisions at the top of its offerings, is in a different position from Kentucky. Although the popularity of tailgating around the water complex has grown in recent years, Jersey Fresh doesn’t depend on ticket sales in order to run.
Tailgating on cross-country day has been popular at Jersey Fresh, but it’s still a question as to whether it will be allowed this year. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“We don’t have to have throngs of people to open our doors,” noted Morgan Rowsell, the cross-country course designer and co-organizer with Jane Cory of the event in Allentown, which also includes a 3-star Long and a 3-star Short.
Current conditions do demand adjustments for competitions.
“We’re all trying to survive in this Covid world; it’s a strange new world,” said Morgan. He promises the Jersey Fresh effort is going full-throttle, noting that several horse trials were run last year at the Horse Park and they went well with everyone’s full cooperation in terms of masks and other Covid protocols.
“We’re looking forward to having the riders and owners come,” he said, adding, “We’ll see about spectators.” That will depend on what USEF and the state permit.
“We’ll have to discuss tailgating, whether that’s an option or not going forward. The sponsors are gung-ho with the understanding that we are in a Covid year. We’ll have to change and be as malleable as we can.”
Morgan also is the course designer and co-organizer of the Essex Horse Trials in Far Hills, set for July 17-18. Like Jersey Fresh, it was cancelled last year in the midst of the pandemic, but for 2021, “We are a go,” said Morgan, who co-chairs the event with Ralph Jones.
In terms of how many will be able to attend the spectator-oriented event, it probably helps that “it’s a little further away,” in the year, as Morgan noted.
The Essex Horse Trials is held at Moorland Farm, home of the Far Hills Race Meeting. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“If infection rates go down and the state opens up, then we’re all ablazing like we were two years ago,” he said, while cautioning, “It’s still a wait-and-see at the moment.”
Some things may have to be scaled back at Essex, where hospitality has been a big drawing card.
“Everything’s on the table, because we want to make sure we run and serve the riders’ needs,” said Morgan.
On the other hand, “Jersey is more of a competition than spectator-oriented; we’re not spectator-focused. We don’t necessarily get 3,000 or 4,000 local people to come, other than the tailgating, which is 34 spots. Running in Covid actually plays to our strengths, since we are totally driven by attention to owners and riders and their horses. Big events like Kentucky or Fair Hill, have to be spectator-driven to please their sponsors so they can open their doors.”
