by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
On Tuesday Jan. 14 at noon, Rodney Jenkins will be remembered during a ceremony on the second floor of the Laurel Park racetrack’s clubhouse, Racetrack Road and Route 198 Laurel, Md. The ceremony was postponed from Jan. 7 due to weather issues.
One of the greatest grand prix riders of all time anywhere in the world, Rodney also was legendary for his way with hunters. After retiring from showing in 1989, he went on to train racehorses with great success. He had 941 wins on the flat and his horses won $24.8 million during his tenure.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
Wellington, Florida’s Equestrian Preserve Committee was skeptical about plans for a proposed development’s equestrian club, with a 24-stall barn whose occupants would include retired and rescue horses, to be used for riding experiences ranging from hunter/jumper, dressage and polo, to vaulting and endurance.
The concept was presented to the panel on Wednesday, with the equestrian portion as justification for a zoning change from equestrian residential to equestrian planned unit development for the 79.171-acre Isla Carroll property adjacent to the National Polo Center (formerly the International Polo Club) off 120th Ave. South.
After nearly three hours of discussion, the committee disapproved that request, as well as one involving an adjustment to the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District in the Village’s Master Plan.
Isla Carroll, with fields used for polo, was purchased in 2022 by Frank McCourt, one of the founders of the Global Champions Tour, and is a joint project with the high-end Discovery Land developer. Discovery specializes in club communities. Many of those 34 entities are devoted to golf, and located in such luxe locations as the Bahamas, Hawaii and the Hamptons – you get the picture.
Frank McCourt
“We embrace the theme of the activities of the area,” Ed Divita, one of Discovery’s founding partners, told the committee about the clubs’ concepts. There was mention of Discovery’s Silo Ridge Field Club development in Amenia, N.Y., which hosts a 5-star international show jumping competition.
But although the possibility of staging horse shows at Isla Carroll was mentioned, they would have to be small and probably unlicensed—Florida is overflowing with horse shows.
Divita said the approximately 35 single-family lots on a minimum of a third of an acre probably would sell in the $4 million-$7 million range. Five more homes could be on 1.5- or 2-acre lots.
While there may have been some appeal to the multi-discipline equestrian blend he put forward, the context was all over the place, with talk about bringing in school children to learn about horses as one of several possibilities.
“The concept was not thought through,” said EPC member Kristy Lund, while others on the panel offered similar assessments. It was pointed out that the defunct Palm Beach Riding Academy nearby had been designed to introduce people to riding, but couldn’t make it work. Wellington is geared to higher-end equestrian pursuits.
“Wellington doesn’t cater to beginners,” pointed out committee member Ash Atkinson, who is a trainer.
There also was concern about the old barn on the site, with small stalls that had been used for polo ponies. It is in disrepair, and it was suggested that it should be torn down rather than renovated.
While noting Divita said homeowners are not required to join the club, he insisted, “equestrian is the theme” of the development. But committee member Sarah Goos responded, “I am confused how this is an equestrian development.”
The yellow rectangle is the Isla Carroll project site.
Another member, Kirsten Kopp, said, “I have no doubt this team would create a beautiful, wonderful luxury lifestyle community, but it would not fit my definition of an equestrian lifestyle community. It would not fit my definition of Wellington.”
She sees the Village as “a lot of open green spaces and when it’s not, it’s open arenas, that’s what defines it for us, bridle paths that connect to the rest of the community. It’s not defined by a luxury package; it’s defined by a common passion beyond fences and boundaries.”
Kopp suggested the proposed “equestrian community” is “kind of a pimple on the side of the rest…of what they presented here. You had to put it in to get the housing that you wanted.” She suggested breaking up Isla Carroll into “small boutique equestrian farms,” saying that “is the way to go.”
During the public hearing, River Run Farm owner Phoebe Weseley said, “This does not belong in the Equestrian Preserve. This is not an equestrian community. If it was really an equestrian community, there would be the homes and there would be the barns. There wouldn’t be pickleball, there wouldn’t be a spa, there wouldn’t be tennis courts, etc. I’m not sure if any planned unit developments belong in the Equestrian Preserve at this point.”
Then Tim Gannon, co-founder of the Outback steakhouse chain and honorary chairman of the National Polo Center’s Wellington Polo Tour, said he sees the Isla Carroll development “being symbiotic with our club” (National Polo.)
He called Discovery “an incredible organization” saying “they’re people that commit to a project and stay with it.” Gannon added that the project would “allow people to taste equestrian life. That’s what this is about.”
The hearing raised the question of what “equestrian lifestyle” means to the Village that is known for its international shows and horse farms. Lund suggested on social media Thursday that “EPC will have the task of coming up with a definition of equestrian lifestyle as it pertains to Wellington” and urged people to give it some thought.
“Nobody knows what it means,” Weseley said during her time before the committee.
“We need to have something in writing so that we can all understand what that means and how we fulfill that aspiration.”
After covering more than 70 hours of hearings in 2023 and 2024 on the Wellington North and South project which landed a golf community on the Global Dressage grounds in the Equestrian Preserve, I had a sort of Groundhog Day feeling during the evening. EPC had turned down the Wellington North and South project as well, but in the end, the Village Council approved it. EPC is only an advisory group, like the Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board, which would be next in line to screen this project before the Council gets the final word.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
Allegations of horse abuse “involving numerous horses over an extensive period of time” has prompted the FEI (international equestrian federation) to provisionally suspend American eventer Andrew McConnon and open disciplinary hearings in his case. The suspension is reciprocal with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
He finished twenty-seventh with Wakita 54 at the Burghley 5-star in September and seventeenth with the same Dutchbred mare in the Kentucky 5-star last May. McConnon also rode Ferrie’s Cello on the U.S. team in the eventing Nations Cup at Strzegom, Poland, in 2023, when he was twenty-sixth.
McConnon is not allowed to participate in any competitions or activities related to the FEI or USEF while on suspension. The FEI declined further comment on the case.
In order to ensure the integrity of the ongoing legal proceedings, the FEI will not provide further comment on this case at this time
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
During a four-week competition-free window at the Wellington International showgrounds in Florida, a lot of improvements have been accomplished—but more are to come once showing is over for the season.
Murray Kessler, Wellington International’s CEO, gave a report on progress at the facility to the Village’s Equestrian Preserve Committee Wednesday night.
The retired executive and former U.S. Equestrian Federation president took his post last fall because he was “concerned with the direction it might go” following the showgrounds’ purchase by its former owners. Since then, more investors are joining the group.
The venue, the home of the Winter Equestrian Festival, employs 500 people during the height of the show season, when 2,700 horses are competing weekly. The “root problem” of the horse show is that the grounds were built for a third of the number of horses that are there today, Murray said.
He believes Wellington International, formerly known as the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, is “the anchor of this community and it can’t be a healthy community unless the horse show is healthy. I care about the horses first and I care about the sport first and everything else good that will happen to Wellington will happen on that basis.”
Murray Kessler addressing Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee.
His vision is “to keep Wellington International the premier horse sports destination in the world.”
Murray noted that is not to say it’s the best horse show individually in the world, pointing out there are some great ones. But “there’s nothing like Wellington anywhere else in the world where there’s 1,000 horse farms in close proximity.”
A key improvement will be the addition of additional land from “Pod F” to expand Wellington International and enable dressage to move from its current home at the Global grounds a half-mile away, where a golf community will be built. Murray doesn’t expect that to happen before 2027 and it could be 2028. That’s the deadline for completing work on Pod F, as it becomes an operating part of the showgrounds and takes 1,000 horses off the area of what is the current facility, leaving room for dressage and hunters to have their own space.
In the meantime, three rings have been built on Pod F to give riders a place where they can work their horses away from the crowded main showgrounds. FEI stabling is set to expand to 14 acres.
There will be a better opportunity to grow sponsors and hospitality when there is a better design for a unified showgrounds. Murray noted at the moment, there is no hunter VIP, and he criticized the VIP arrangement for dressage at Global, where the food must be driven to the site from a small kitchen at Wellington International.
“Believe it or not, we don’t make money on entries,” he stated. “We make money on sponsors and hospitality.” While the existing grounds is profitable, money for improvements is self-generating.
There has been a flurry of cleaning, painting and landscaping at the showgrounds, where 3,000 stalls were power-washed. Bathrooms are being cleaned around the clock, eight tractor-trailer loads of junk have been taken off the premises.
“While we still have a long way to go, the property is in better shape than it’s been in a very long time,” Murray reported. He has appointed an advisory committee with reps from hunters, jumpers, dressage and para-dressage to be his “eyes and ears” about what is needed at the showgrounds.
The entrance to the International arena at Wellington International.
Improvements that have been installed at Wellington International since he came on board include new stadium LED lighting, which makes the setting in the International Arena as bright as daylight, and offers flexibility in terms of special effects that can be created. With the old vapor lights, once they were turned off, it took a half-hour to get them going again, and the illumination they offered was “gray,” which Murray deemed to be getting unsafe. A new jumbotron will do split screens and replays with graphics that are “terrific.”
As Michael Stone, Wellington International’s president pointed out during a Thursday press conference, production values are being improved “so it becomes much more like any sort of major sporting event. By increasing the level, you’re going to enhance the sport, and enhancing the sport is going to attract more people to come. That’s why we need enhanced production, to show people this really is a top class sport, like the U.S. Open or the Masters.”
The last grand prix at WEF in March will be worth $750,000, a record for the show. It is the finale for a new series from Rolex, a longtime sponsor of Wellington International.
Still to be accomplished are more improvements to wi-fi, refurbishment of footing in the rings and other details that will happen during a break in the schedule.
Murray pointed out that equestrian is the biggest sport in Palm Beach County, with $400 million in economic impact. The next biggest sport in the county is minor league baseball at $60 million. Wellington International is the big time–there are 35 Olympic riders who will be showing at WEF and Global dressage, with eight of the world’s top 10 in show jumping scheduled to be on hand.
Murray is pleased at the feedback he’s getting for what has happened in a short amount of time. In the past, there has been an over-promise and under-deliver situation at the showgrounds, which didn’t have the resources or leadershp to fix things. Murray is operating on the opposite basis, and it’s working.
“I feel a sense of excitement from the community,’ the CEO said, stating the reaction is, “Wait a minute it’s turned a corner and the uncertainty is behind us.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 8, 2025
Four time national driving champion Muffy Seaton passed away Saturday after a long illness. The 75-year-old South Carolina resident was a popular clinician, judge and a well-known breeder at her Shepherd’s Purse Farm.
She held a large R from the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the American Driving Society in pleasure driving and combined driving. In 2005, she trained and qualified Paleface, the pony who won the gold medal at the World Pony Championships at the Royal Windsor show in England. In addition, Muffy was known for her four-in-hand of dark-coated Dartmoor ponies she nicknamed “the four fleas.” Muffy had quite a sense of humor.
Muffy Seaton
Those who took clinics with Muffy will remember her demeanor, a special way of working with others “that made her so well-loved,” said Tracey Higgins, a longtime friend.
Tracey recalled, “her quiet way when people were working with her. She didn’t bark orders or drill. She sat in the carriage next to you like an old friend, making suggestions. She was very kind and helpful.”
Para-driver Jennifer Peterson called Muffy “an extraordinary person and carriage driving mentor who made such a difference in my life and in the lives of so many others in our community.”
Jennifer noted that Muffy was willing to work with her, even though she drives using velcro cuffs around her wrists to control the reins due to a physical disability.
“She didn’t just watch or listen,” Jennifer recalled. “She put those cuffs on herself so she could feel what is was like to drive as I do. That moment meant the world to me.”
Muffy is survived by her husband of 47 years, Douglas Seaton III,who helped her as a navigator, groom and horse whisperer; a son, Jesse McKenzie Seaton (Jenny) and grandson, Tanner McKenzie Seaton.
Interment is private and a celebration of life is being discussed for the spring.
Those wishing to make a donation in her memory can click on this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 7, 2025
Kara Pinato Scro has joined the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation as assistant executive director, a position in which she reports to Executive Director Bonnie Jenkins.
Kara, who previously worked for Jump Media, will oversee delivery of the foundation’s programs and ensure its goals are met.
The foundation is the philanthropic partner of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, the governing body for horse sports. Headquartered in Gladstone, N.J., the foundation provides funding to support the competition, training, coaching, travel, and educational needs of the United States’ elite and developing international high-performance athletes and horses.
The foundation’s goal is sustaining competitive excellence. Scro will be involved with the fundraising initiative, “Pathway to the Podium,” which has a $55 million goal in efforts to put USEF athletes on the podium at major international competitions.
A lifelong equestrian, Kara has more than 15 years of experience in public relations and integrated marketing, having held positions in leadership at public relations agencies in New York. Bonnie noted Kara’s “proven ability to build meaningful relationships and foster engagement aligns perfectly with our mission, and her passion for supporting high-performance equestrian sport is evident.”
For her part, Kara explained, “My interest in horses and competition was piqued as a young child after attending an event at the USET Foundation’s headquarters. Having the chance to make a tangible impact within the sport I love is a full-circle moment in my career.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 2, 2025
Paul Cronin, director of Sweet Briar College’s riding program from 1967 to 2001, died Dec. 29 after a brief illness. He was 86.
His influential time at Sweet Briar ran from 1967 to 2001, but in addition to being a respected teacher, the Middleburg, Va., resident was an author, rider and mentor. Mr. Cronin dedicated his life to educating young people about the American Forward Riding System, teaching and coaching generations of students who have successfully competed at horse shows and spent time riding to hounds.
At Sweet Briar, he consistently turned out capable and knowledgeable horsewomen on different levels and with a variety of goals. Sports Illustrated cited him twice for coaching a record number of winning intercollegiate teams.
A professor emeritus for Sweet Briar since 2001, he taught clinics throughout the U.S., as well as in Brazil and England. Mr. Cronin specialized in teaching advanced students to train and school horses on a range of levels. He emphasized that preparation and consistent hard work led to success with horses and in life.
He received a degree in history from Stonehill College in Massachusetts and a masters in social work in community planning from the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Cronin served as a lieutenant in the U.S. navy from 1960 to 1964 and as a reservist following that.
Mr. Cronin was a lifelong student of internationally renowned horseman and educator Vladimir S. Littauer. He broadened his riding education overseas, including a sabbatical leave to ride at the French cavalry school at Saumur. He rode and developed a large number of young horses that went on to be top show hunters such as Wait Awhile, Night Pomp, On Target, Bridegroom and No Apologies. In addition, he did graduate work in sports psychology and motor learning at the University of Virginia.
During his 25 years as an “R” hunter and hunter seat equitation judge, he served on the AHSA (now USEF) committee that established clinics for judges. His many accolades include Educator of the Year from the Virginia Horse Council in 1997, the USHJA Professional Service Award in 2007 and the USEF Pegasus Award in 2009, as well as induction into the Virginia Horse Shows Association Hall of Fame in 2010. His book, “Riding and Schooling the Sport Horse,” was published in 2004 by the University of Virginia Press and reprinted in 2005.
Mr. Cronin also enjoyed a successful career as a clinician and consultant for both institutional and commercial equestrian programs. He rode regularly with the first flight of the Orange County (Va.) Hounds and especially enjoyed helping young professionals and schooling horses in the Forward Riding System.
He always thought of ways to make things better for horses and riders. Mr. Cronin focused on the relationship between the horse and rider in a way that respected the horse.
Mr. Cronin was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Ann Swift Cronin. He is survived by sons Peter Fleming Cronin (Cynthia Thiele) of Phoenix, Ariz., and David Richmond Cronin (Catherine) of Charlotte, N.C. as well as three granddaughters.
In accordance with his wishes, a private graveside service for family will be held at a later date.
Those wishing to make memorial contributions may consider the Piedmont Environmental Council, PO Box 460, Warrenton, VA 20188 or The Friends of Riding, Sweet Briar College, PO Box 6, Sweet Briar, VA 24595.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 1, 2025
A top rider of hunters and jumpers, Terry Rudd died Tuesday at age 75.
Miss Rudd, who competed on the U.S. Equestrian Team, was tenth in the Alternate Olympics when the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Games. She piloted many well-known jumpers, including Rise ‘N’ Rule, Fat City, Semi-Tough; Mr. Demeanor, winner of the American Invitational and P.S. Gazpacho, victorious in the American Gold Cup.
A member of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, she had a well-earned reputation as a stylist who was equally at home on hunters such as Spindletop Showdown, showing them off to good advantage.
Terry Rudd showing in the hunter division.
A native of Pennsylvania, she gained fame on the 1961 American Horse Shows Association pony team that won an international competition in England. She was riding Hot Shot Kid, who took the large pony title at the 1961 and 1962 editions of the National Horse Show.
Miss Rudd rode for Junie Kulp’s All Around Farm of Gwynned Valley, Pa., where her mounts included Not Always and Brenton Reef. She also had a stint with rider and trainer Paul Schockemohle in Germany.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 3, 2025
The empty champagne bottles were recycled. The confetti scattered on the floor has been swept away. A few people returned to work at the end of this week; others will be heading there on Monday.
Back to reality. The holidays — which felt like quite a long stretch this time around — are over, along with time to reminisce about the year gone by. Horse shows and events are starting up again, so let’s take a look from an equestrian viewpoint at what’s in store for 2025.
The biggest issue likely will be the ever-increasing impact of Social License to Operate, or public acceptance of horse sport and to a certain extent, horse-keeping. One telling comment from last year was made by someone on social media who declared that the mechanical horse in the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Games should be the only horse that takes part in the Olympics.
Scary, but even aside from SLO, there long has been concern whether equestrian disciplines can stay in the Games—especially considering the emphasis on attracting younger viewers with fast-moving, newer sports (break dancing and sport climbing anyone?) which also happen to be less expensive to stage than sports that require stabling, cross-country courses or shipping horses to a Games city from abroad.
Horse sport’s governing bodies are tightening rules with an eye toward SLO, although there often is justifiable impatience about the length of time it takes for offenders to be punished after they are suspended for horse abuse.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation last year voted for a rule change that expanded its ability to discipline those involved in unethical treatment of animals, reaching beyond the confines of the shows it licenses, even to the home stable of a member. Those who belong to USEF are expected to report any instances of abuse they witness. They can text 2USEF to express their concerns.
While USEF has yet to approve restrictions on whip use in horse shows, it has indicated that it will be open to doing that, if the language in a recent proposal is refined to better define it.
British Equestrian mandated five years ago that its riders carry padded batons rather than traditional whips, and as of January 1, these can only be used to reinforce leg aids or support the shoulder in directing the horse, never as punishment. That may well become the standard everywhere.
The blood rule, with varying standards of elimination for different disciplines, is rigid and there have been some calls for revision. Will that happen to some extent this year? Rather than relying on an official’s judgment about whether blood on a horse in competition is a welfare issue and not just an inconsequential mishap, the letter of the law is the guide for elimination of a competitor. Of course, no one wants spectators to see blood on a horse, but an insect bite or a slight scratch are hardly visible and likely negligible in terms of horse welfare. In cases where there is a question, can’t a veterinarian decide? The International Jumper Riders Club is particularly concerned.
World Horse Welfare’s research found that 20 percent of the public does not support any horse sport at all, anywhere; while 40 percent would support it if horse welfare is improved. But how many people really know what “improvements” are realistic, or even necessary?
The less experience the general population has with horses, as development gobbles up open country and stables, the easier it is for the anti-equestrians to make a case that doing almost anything with a horse is abuse. We take for granted that it’s obvious sport horses (and most pleasure horses, for that matter) are well cared-for. But since the majority of people have no idea what caring for a horse involves, they are open to suggestions that abuse is involved.
A little thing struck me during the Tournament of Roses parade on New Year’s Day, when one of the TV commentators said as an equestrian unit passed by, “Oh look, the horses are wearing leg-warmers.” They were, of course, wearing polo wraps, but it reminded me that few people have a clue about anything to do with horses, so they put perspective into their own context. On a larger scale, that can mean trouble.
Initiatives that show a caring link between people and horses, such as therapeutic riding opportunities or retraining of rescue horses and retired racehorses, are easily understood from a welfare perspective, so it’s important to give them support.
Reaching out to a wider audience via new concepts has real potential for helping broaden appreciation of horses and sport. HITS is debuting the Festival of the Horse™ in March at its Ocala, Fla., venue, where a multi-discipline, unrated competition format will offer classes for everything from the usual hunters, jumpers and dressage to western pleasure, Pony Club competition and arena eventing. The Festival also will be held at other HITS venues during the year in an effort to “unite the multifaceted equestrian community around a shared passion for horse sport.” What an interesting idea.
However optimistic you are about prospects for 2025, don’t expect an end to the continued rise in horse-keeping costs, from feed and veterinary care to the price of labor (if you can even find workers). It means less people can afford their own horses, or access to other people’s horses, factors that narrow the base of participants. Riding stables where beginners can get lessons without paying a fortune are in relatively short supply.
On the international front, the Europeans have their biennial championships in the major disciplines. But for the U.S., this is the relatively quiet year of the four-year Olympic cycle, with only FEI World Cup finals in Switzerland on the horizon as an international title meet. That competition will be more exciting when it is held in Fort Worth, Texas, during the spring of 2026. The World Championships are set for Aachen, Germany, a few months later in an unofficial reincarnation of the World Equestrian Games (minus endurance). The 2006 WEG in Aachen was the best of its genre, so the refresh two decades later is highly anticipated.
But in the meantime on this continent, the finals of the new U.S. Equestrian Federation open championships in the Olympic disciplines will be held in Virginia, Florida and California, a chance to bring along possible medal prospects and get enthusiasm into high gear for 2026 efforts. This is the year to build potential championship combinations who will have time to develop prior to the immense pressure of a major title meet. And there’s plenty to do before 2028, when Los Angeles will host the first Olympics in the U.S. since 1996.
On the bright side, there is always something to look forward to in the horse world, whether it’s your own goals, or going to a special equestrian happening. Major shows and events are much more spectator-friendly than they used to be, so attending them can make an outing an occasion, and offer a chance to introduce friends and family to horses.
In September, Dressage at Devon outside of Philadelphia will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. The dressage scene and calendar have changed drastically since the debut of the heritage fixture at the Devon, Pa., showgrounds, because so many competitors and competitions have moved south. But Dressage at Devon has persevered and continues to be a goal for many in the discipline, especially in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region.
Something else to look forward to this year is the reopening in New Jersey of the former Suburban Essex/Essex Equestrian Center stable in West Orange. The building that dates back more than a century is not falling victim to development. It is being renovated, while care has been taken to retain the memorable features that make it a unique facility which played an important role in so many lives over the generations. The project will be a base for hunter/jumper trainer Brianne Goutal-Marteau, whose husband, Romain Marteau, is overseeing the refurbishment.
If you haven’t already given up on your New Year’s resolutions, why not make one or two more? How about vowing to be a good ambassador for horses and sport, taking the time to welcome those who express interest, however casual. Why not become a volunteer for a competition, a rescue operation or any other equestrian organization that needs assistance or is a good cause? And if you have the interest and ability, consider learning to be a judge or steward. There’s always something you can do to help, which will pay off in a better experience with horses for everyone to enjoy.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 31, 2024
The Menlo Charity Show in Woodside, Calif., is a boutique horse show that like many of that genre had trouble competing with the “big box” shows.
Sadly, the U.S. Equestrian Federation Heritage show has stated, “It is with profound sadness that we announce the 2024 Menlo Charity Horse Show will mark the end of a cherished 51-year tradition. This decision was not made lightly as our Heritage Show has been a beloved part of the community having fostered countless friendships and launching numerous equestrian careers. Unfortunately, the evolving landscape of horse showing has made it increasingly difficult to sustain the mission of our boutique event.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support, loyalty, and generosity throughout the years. We encourage all competitors and supporters to continue their philanthropic efforts and volunteerism by keeping our charities in mind with your contributions of time and resources. Let us honor the legacy of the Menlo Charity Horse Show by continuing to make a positive impact in our communities.”
The show, which raised $6 million for charity over the years, supported Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, while educating the community on the issues of the visually impaired.
As the Sonoma County Horse Council noted, “While it’s bittersweet to see this chapter close, the legacy of the Menlo Charity Horse Show will continue to live on in the hearts of those fortunate enough to have been part of its incredible journey.”
