The year’s first reported New Jersey case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a serious, mosquito-borne illness, was found in a mare vaccinated against the disease in April. The mare, who was about 12 years old, was euthanized this week.
“Horse owners need to be vigilant in vaccinating their animals against diseases spread by mosquitoes,” state Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher said. “Vaccinated animals are much less likely to contract deadly diseases such as EEE and West Nile Virus.”
Unfortunately, that was not the situation with the mare in this case. EEE causes inflammation of the brain tissue and has a significantly higher risk of death in horses than West Nile virus infection. West Nile virus is a viral disease that affects horses’ neurological system. The disease is transmitted by a mosquito bite. The virus cycles between birds and mosquitoes, with horses and humans being incidental hosts. EEE infections in horses are not a significant risk factor for human infection because horses (like humans) are considered to be “dead-end” hosts for the virus.
In 2018, New Jersey had five cases of EEE and one case of West Nile.
The Pittstown Trail Association is presenting its Trail Obstacle Challenge Aug. 17 at Finn Park, 36 Perryville Road, Pittstown from 8-11 a.m.
The course of approximately 3.5 miles will offer several fun and unique trail obstacles. Children are welcome. The event is beginner- horse and -rider friendly, with go-arounds for all obstacles.
You may ride alone or in groups of up to five, but riders are judged individually.
All finishers will get one raffle ticket for each completed obstacle. Raffle tickets will be used for prize raffles. The drawing is at noon. Winners must be present or have someone available to pick up the prize.
To pre-register (optional) or for questions, email Sandy at SANDY.HOWLS@GMAIL.COM or call 908-303-7955.
We’re all feeling the heat, but don’t just duck into the air conditioning and fail to consider your horse.
The Liberty Side-Saddle Network cancelled its shows this weekend, which were set for the USET Foundation in Gladstone, because of concerns over horse and human welfare.
Princeton Show Jumping in Skillman sent an email advising that while its show this weekend will continue, there will be adjustments to the schedule “as dictated by weather and conditions. The decision whether to compete will be left to individual riders and trainers. Please use good judgment and consider the health and welfare of your horse first. Don’t forget to take good care of yourselves too!”
Princeton also passed along some tips from the Running S Equine veterinary clinic in Tewksbury:
Be aware of the temperature and heat index. Try to work in the cool of the day. If your class is in the heat of the day, it is wise not to compete, unless you know your horse is very fit and handles the heat well. Some horses are very stressed by extremes in heat and humidity.
Provide plenty of cool, fresh water and shade to your horse as often as you can.
Sponge baths with a little alcohol in the water in front of a fan are a great way to cool your horse down. Remember to remove the water with a sweat scraper as you sponge or hose your horse off. Ice water is fine to use, especially on the head and neck and between the back legs.
Provide electrolytes, either free choice in a block or granular, or with a good-quality paste. Horses lose a great deal of sodium and chloride in their sweat and these need to be replaced.
When riding or exercising your horse, pay close attention to whether they are sweating. If they are not, stop exercising and get them to shade and cool conditions quickly.
Pay close attention to your horse in the heat and do not continue if your horse appears stressed or tired.
Manhattan Saddlery put out a recipe that could give your horse a cooling boost with frozen treats.It’s easy enough for you to grab a slushie, popsicle, ice cream cone or frozen margarita, but what about your horse?
It’s a snap to make horse popsicles, and any help with hot weather hydration is a plus, so why not give it a try. There are myriad recipes online (and some really bad videos on YouTube…), but it is this simple: Fill a plastic cup or food storage container with some apple and carrot chunks, add a bit of gatorade or unsweetened apple juice diluted with water, freeze, remove cup and serve.
Mix it up the way you want–grate the carrots/apples and add some oats, include a dollop of unsweetened applesauce, a couple of peppermints or a spoonful of molasses. Just make sure the ingredients are all horse-safe, and not too sugary. You can put the popsicle in your horse’s feed tub, or hand feed (freeze a carrot in the center as a “stick” to hold).
If your horse doesn’t engage with the popsicle, he/she will likely eat all the chilled fruit and veggie chunks after it melts.
There are summer camps for nearly every pursuit these days, whether it’s surfing, movie-making, weight loss or archeology. But one of the most unusual is Camp Leaping Horn, the annual side-saddle gathering that wrapped up today at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone.
Everyone at the camp came to side-saddle in a different way. Jen Stevenson, the camp organizer, passed a sign for a clinic being posted at her barn seven years ago by Shelley Liggett, who was president of the International Side-Saddle Organization (ISO). When Shelley asked if she would attend, Jen said no–then walked 10 steps before remembering that she was getting married in a few months and wanted to go down the aisle on horseback.
“I had seen all these horrifying videos of brides being run off with,” said Jen, who quickly decided the clinic was a good idea, even though she only wanted to learn how to “get on, get off and survive my wedding day. But by the end of it, we were trotting and cantering and having a blast.”
Jen, who owns Paws and Rewind Photography, “got swept into the ISO,” so much so that after running the camp with Shelley in 2018, she took it on by herself this year.
Virginia Hankins came from California to ride side-saddle at the USET Foundation.
The leaping horn, in case you’re wondering, is the second pommel on a side-saddle, curved to enclose the left leg, while the right leg goes over the horn, or top pommel. The leaping horn provides a greater measure of security for the rider.
A closeup of a side-saddle and the leaping horn.
“The ladies of camp are the most welcoming, inclusive, unique group of women I’ve ever met,” said Jen, who wasn’t exaggerating, considering those in attendance include a professional mermaid and a female jouster. The camp drew 18 riders and nine auditors from as far away as California, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
A few years ago, Shelley told me why she started the camp.
“I thought side-saddle riders needed to get together more often in a casual environment, as opposed to a show, which is more stressful,” she explained.
“There also was a definite need for education and information.”
Not only were campers learning about riding side-saddle this week, they enjoyed speakers—including a judge talking about side-saddle from her perspective–and got lessons in make-up and costuming (many side-saddle riders are re-enactors, take their horses in parades or participate in festivals). They also got schooled in the dress appropriate for fox hunting or showing and enjoyed many other components that make up this unique experience.
Stunt actress Virginia Hankins came all the way from California for her side-saddle fix after learning how to ride side-saddle at last year’s camp.
“Where I am in Los Angeles, there aren’t any good trainers for sidesaddle,” said Virginia, who said someone might put a western saddle on a horse and just tell the rider to throw her leg over the horn if she wanted to try side-saddle. Coming to the camp enables her to get tips from instructors and work alongside like-minded riders, although no one else is teaching their horse to handle a side-saddle rider in a mermaid’s tail. That took training, Virginia noted, since the tail would slap along as her horse, Milo, walked out in his role as a unicorn.
She didn’t bring horse or saddle to camp, but it was arranged for her to borrow a saddle and lease Macaroni, the very patient Wonder Pony, as she called him. Virginia, who has been riding since she was five, founded a company called Sheroes that provides mermaids and pirates for entertainment and private parties. She was in the movie “Star Trek into Darkness,” and served as the mermaid trainer for the 30th anniversary of “The Little Mermaid.”
The support of the other campers, who keep in touch during the year, is very important to her.
“Their philosophy is, `Why shouldn’t you? If you have an interest in it, if you have a passion for it, just do it.’ They’re right behind you.”
Virginia was taking a lesson from Angela Alutin, a former master of the Windy Hollow Hunt. Angela was inspired by tales of her great-grandmother riding side-saddle up a mountain to a fancy hotel in her Tennessee town. Her husband, Ken, whom she married last month at the Essex Horse Trials, told her of a side-saddle clinic at Red Tail Farm in Bedminster six years ago that introduced her to a new world. She got a side-saddle on permanent loan from a friend, Anne Van den Berg, and her involvement really took off.
“Side-saddle has allowed me to go foxhunting all over the East Coast,” said Angela. “There’s a sisterhood, we’re all good friends and help each other, which is so unusual in the horse world.”
Angela Alutin out with the Essex Foxhounds riding sidesaddle.
Asked about the appeal of side-saddle, she responded with, “the elegance, the tradition. It’s like getting a Barbie doll and all the outfits for it.”
But despite that, riding side-saddle isn’t frivolous.
“It’s hard, it’s a challenge and it’s something else you can do with your horse. This is not the type of discipline you do with a green horse,” noted Angela, saying it’s something to try on an animal with which you have a seasoned partnership.
And what makes it hard?
“The way you hold on is by bringing your right leg to your left knee, this is the grip. You don’t do this in anything else, riding.”
Kate Hopkins, who studied fashion design in college, was the costume queen of the camp. She started riding one of the horses used by her father for his logging business in Maine, then stopped riding in the sixth grade. She always wanted to go back to it, though.
After she and her husband, Robert, visited a Renaissance fair, they talked about getting involved with horses but knew the equines had to earn their keep. So they came up with the idea of a jousting company. (I’ll bet you never thought of doing that to make your horses pay their way…)
Side-saddle plays a big role in the life of Kate Hopkins, one of the participants in Camp Leaping Horn.
Round Table Productions uses rescue horses and serviceably sound horses who can’t compete in shows anymore. Kate, who has trained lions and other large cats, trains the horses with patience and respect.
“I had always wanted to ride side-saddle,” Kate said, recounting her reason for getting involved with it 15 years ago at one of Shelley’s clinics.
“I am the proverbial child who wanted to be a princess when I grew up. Princesses ride side-saddle all the time, preferably on unicorns. I get to do all these super-cool things, and it’s even better when it’s done in a side-saddle.”
She’s made movie appearances, including one in “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with Nicholas Cage.
Jeannie Whited, a museum specialist at the Smithsonian, was among those giving lessons at the camp. She remembered her inspiration for getting involved in side-saddle came when she was eight at a dressage show, where she spotted a woman in a black habit on a gray horse.
“That was all I could see,” she recalled, repeating exactly what she thought at the time: “I want to be her.”
You don’t need a fancy horse to ride side-saddle. North Carolina veterinarian Laureen Bartfield goes side-saddle on her very versatile mustang, Diesel. She rides the former reining horse aside for a variety of pursuits, including hunter paces and working cows (for which she has a western side-saddle.)
Laureen Bartfield and Diesel in the USET Foundation stable.
Explaining why she has trailered 12 hours from her home to get to camp every year since it began, she said, “I love it because of the friendships I form when I come here, and let’s face it, you get to play dress-up,” said Laureen, who has a 110-year-old vintage habit to wear in shows.
“It’s so elegant and lady-like and there’s not much else in my life that’s ladylike,” added the vet, who is involved with a mobile spay-neuter operation that addresses pet overpopulation, serving the low-income pet owner.
She enjoys housing Diesel in the elegant USET Foundation stables. “Just to be able to stay here, he’s a mustang, in this hall of fame. I camp out in the north field. It’s a whole vacation for me. My email says I am not texting, phoning, goodbye.”
Amy Magee was sitting on the floor of the rotunda, near where vendors displayed their wares, repairing a side-saddle. Amy, who works as a nurse, has been riding side-saddle for 30 years but couldn’t find anyone to repair her saddle. So she learned how to do it herself after learning leather working from a saddler. Most saddlers don’t want to repair side-saddles, because of the time involved; there are no quick fixes as there would be with a modern astride saddle.
“You open them up and 10 other things fall apart, this piece falls off and that piece falls off. They’re old. I wish they could talk to me,” Amy said.
“World War II crushed the side-saddles because women started riding astride and all the skilled artisan craftsmen went off to fight the war and never came back.” Some of the companies that made side-saddles also didn’t survive, so the pre-war saddles must be treasured and preserved.
She rides her Hanoverian, Little Lady, in a side-saddle, doing everything from eventing, point-to-points and dressage to hunting and showing. Amy had ridden side-saddle for 30 years, but really focused on it when a horse reared up and fell over on her in 2001. Ending up with a crushed pelvis and broken back, she found the side-saddle more comfortable for her when she resumed riding..
Participants were supposed to demonstrate their improved skills at the Liberty International Side-Saddle Network shows this weekend, but in the interest of horse and rider safety, they were cancelled due to the excessive heat wave.
A regular instructor at the camp had been Roger Philpot of Great Britain. For nine years, he served as head of that nation’s prestigious Side Saddle Association, and spent more than two decades teaching in the U.S.
A tribute to the late Roger Philpot at Camp Leaping Horn.
He had talked to Jen about starting a Camp Leaping Horn in the United Kingdom, but sadly died last year before that could be accomplished.
An award in his name for the most improved rider was presented to camper Abigail Thurston, a cardiothoracic pediatric nurse-anaesthetist.
Jen is buying a farm in Stockton, where she hopes to run another clinic this fall and have more regular side-saddle get-togethers before the next Camp Leaping Horn.
Dear Readers: We’re revamping this website to improve its appearance and readability. It’s a bit of a process, so we’re still doing some tinkering. But you probably won’t notice, and everything — On the Rail, New Jersey Activities Schedule and features — are all available. We will be having two features instead of one on the front page now. I hope you like what we’ve done.
In the 20 years she has been involved with the U.S. Equestrian Team and then the U.S. Equestrian Federation, Laureen Johnson has been involved with a variety of disciplines–from show jumping to eventing, reining and endurance; just about everything except able-bodied dressage.
Currently, she’s in charge of two disciplines, ParaDressage and Vaulting. Could they be more different? But Laureen is up to the task and was saluted by her co-workers in Gladstone yesterday for two decades of dedication.
Of course, she got a watch–what else would be appropriate for such a milestone–and a chance to reminisce about her years serving horse sports.
Those she has worked with when she was an assistant discipline director included show jumping with Sally Ike, who’s now managing director of licensed officials, and Jim Wolf for eventing, Jeff Fox and Jamie Saults for reining, Mary Lutz and Pam Lee.
The Allamuchy resident became a director herself in 2015. She noted how important the work of team trainer Michel Assouline has been for the Para riders.
Laureen also is very proud of helping those athletes recognize their issues through a video on-line judging program, because they don’t get a lot of competition opportunities. The videos are sent to 5-star judges for critiques.
The 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games was Laureen’s first WEG and very exciting, because Para and Reining brought home a treasure trove of medals.
.”I love everything that I do,” said Laureen as we chatted during her.celebration.
“I love working with the para athletes, I find it so uplifting working with them. And I love vaulting, it’s creative artistic. But what I like best about my job is helping the athletes achieve their goals.”
The Equine Science Center at Rutgers University is hosting its annual “Summer Showcase” open house from 10 a.m.-noon July 10 at the Equine Exercise Physiology Laboratory on College Farm Road on the George H. Cook Campus in New Brunswick.
The free event is open to the public and designed for anyone age eight and up who is interested in horses.
Karyn Malinowski, director of the Equine Science Center, will explain why horses are an excellent animal model to study and what type of research is conducted at the facility. Those attending also will have an opportunity to see a horse galloping at full speed on the 21-foot equine treadmill.
After the treadmill demonstration, guests will learn all about equine anatomy with RU Wish Bone, the life-sized horse skeleton. The Showcase will also include a round of equine-themed “Jeopardy” and a tour of the exercise lab..
What do you do on the first day of your eventing competition, when downpour after downpour has drenched the venue that was groomed to perfection by months of intensive work, and the ground so soggy it’s positively squishy?
That was the problem facing the MARS Essex Horse Trials organizers Ralph Jones, Morgan Rowsell and their team this morning at Moorland Farm in Far Hills.
They took action, consulted with riders, made safety and horse welfare their first considerations,
and cancelled competition for the day.
Then they figured out how to shoehorn the Advanced division dressage and show jumping into Saturday’s schedule, which now starts with dressage at 7:30 a.m., and moved the Advanced cross-country into Sunday (starting at 8 a.m.)
Meanwhile, sunshine and a stiff breeze was drying out the footing, which should shape up nicely at the home of the Far Hills Race Meeting. The classic car show that was set for Saturday was moved until Sunday, and everything is a go.
The course is beautiful, especially the water complex, where tailgaters will be able to see all the action while enjoying their buffets.
I talked about the situation with Morgan, who is the cross-country course designer. Listen to what he had to say after we walked the course with him and dozens of other people.
Everyone was on hand for a VIP cocktail party that was supposed to be held while the Advanced show jumping was running. But the Essex Foxhounds filled the gap admirably at short notice with a brief exhibition that was enjoyed by the crowd.
Essex, which ran as a 2-star until 1998, was revived in 2017 after a 19-year absence from the scene. In just three years, it has attracted a following.
The addition of an Advanced division this year has drawn a host of prominent riders, including Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton, Will Coleman and last year’s Preliminary winner, Ryan Wood. There are lots of other competitors you’d recognize too.
It makes for a great day out in the country, with shopping in a vendor village and activities for children to fill in the gaps for those who want a break from the horses. Go to www.essexhorsetrials.org for details. Come back to www.nancyjaffer.com every night for an Essex update.
Tickets are on sale for the Mars Essex Horse Trials Country Weekend Friday June 21 through Sunday June 23, with the addition of an Advanced division that has attracted top competitors, raising the excitement level at Moorland Farm in Far Hills.
Those competing include Boyd Martin, who was just named to the team for the Pan American Games, where the U.S. squad will be under pressure to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Also competing at Essex will be Phillip Dutton and Lauren Kieffer, named as reserves to the Pan Am team that includes Doug Payne, Tamie Smith and Lynn Symansky, in addition to Boyd.
The 2017 return of Essex–which had been last held in 1998– was very well-received, filling the Beginner Novice through Preliminary divisions. Those divisions will continue to be a part of the event, giving horses and riders a place to start out and move up, even as organizers answer the request of top competitors for an Advanced division.
Ralph Jones, president of Mars Essex Horse Trials explained, “adding this elite division is another step forward in returning the event to its glorious past.”
For three decades, the Essex Horse Trials was a “must” destination for an impressive list of U.S. and international riders. It also drew thousands of spectators. When last held in 1998, the event was run at Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, home of the U.S. Equestrian Team.
That was just a few miles from where the event began in 1968 at the Haller family’s Hoopstick Farm on Lamington Road in Bedminster. When Essex outgrew that property, it moved to the more spacious site offered by the USET. Moorland Farm, the third venue where Essex has been held, is located on 230 acres. It is also the home of the Far Hills Race Meeting, where prestigious steeplechase races are held each October.
Originally developed as a cavalry test, eventing combines the precision of dressage with the challenge of going cross-country at speed, finishing with show jumping in an arena. It demonstrates the teamwork between horse and rider, often developed over years of fitness work and training.
In addition to the competition, the Mars Essex Horse Trials has plenty of other attractions for the family, including a classic car show and a farm stand offering fresh farm-to-table food from local markets. Shopping opportunities include equestrian-related items, jewelry and artwork. The Children’s Activity Center, sponsored by The Willow School, offers younger spectators and their parents a fun and creative way to spend the day.
Mars, Inc., the original sponsor of the Essex Horse Trials, returned in 2017 and continues as the event’s title sponsor. Presenting sponsors include Open Road Auto Group, Peapack-Gladstone Bank, RWJ Barnabas Health, Running ‘S’ Equine Veterinary Services and AIG.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Greater Newark LifeCamp in nearby Pottersville, which provides an enriching day camp experience for approximately 300 Newark-area youths per day for six weeks during July and August.
For more information about Essex, go to www.essexhorsetrials.org. Tickets may be purchased on line, with a two-day pass purchased in advance going for $10, while a one-day pass at the gate is $10. Children 14 and under are admitted free.
Those who want to combine a party with the competition can buy a $100 ticket for the ringside Hoopstick Club, the setting for lunch and an evening cocktail reception on the Saturday. Tailgate options include admission for four to a spot by the water jump for $300, a water view location for $200 and on the hillside for $100.
The Monmouth County Hunt will hold a Prospective Member Ride on Saturday June 15, a great opportunity to see the hunt country, get your horse out in a group, meet the Masters, and learn more about MCH over breakfast.
Those interested are asked to confirm their attendance by Friday, June 14 by email at monmouthcountyhunt@gmail.com or calling Jen Donaldson at (732) 915-0492. The cost is $25 per person and horses are available for leasing.
