It seems like common sense to acknowledge that New Jersey’s horse industry is part of the agricultural community, but everyone doesn’t see it that way.
To some who raise crops, “Horse people are not farmers. That’s the mentality,” noted equine veterinarian Brendan Furlong, recalling a comment from an acquaintance whose business is growing vegetables. And that farmer isn’t alone in his viewpoint.
In an attempt to change the mindset, members of the horse industry got together with farmers this week at the Desiderio family’s Tranquillity Farm in Chester during the “Equine is Agriculture” gathering.
Explaining the effort to have representatives of both sectors at the meeting, Brendan said, “We’re trying to integrate them.”
Such a move seems long overdue, considering their shared concerns about such issues as farm labor, farmland preservation, waste management and the pressures of development, as well as the often-burdensome regulations that go with the territory in the country’s most densely populated state.
Brendan’s Oldwick-based practice, B.W. Furlong Associates, partnered with the New Jersey Farm Bureau, Califon Animal Hospital (one of its owners, Mary Beth Hamorski, is a past president of the N.J. Association of Equine Practitioners) and John Deere/Central Jersey Equipment on the program. It drew 135 people to the show stable’s indoor arena for the lively session.
Brendan’s son, Adam, a vice president of both the Furlong practice and the Horse Park of New Jersey, said that as a member of the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s Leadership Development Program, he learned, “There was a sense the equine community was separate from the agricultural community.”
He put in a call to discuss the subject with Somerset County hay farmer Ryck Suydam, the farm bureau’s president, who is well aware of the horse industry’s importance to larger New Jersey agricultural picture.
“Our interests are perfectly aligned with each other,” said Ryck. “What is good for the hay farmer is good for the horse owner and vice versa.”
The two began planning for the event about a year ago. Ryck said this is the first in a series of such get-togethers, with another already requested for Gloucester County.
Such meetings facilitate what he called “old school networking,” with people getting together beforehand and afterwards to share their points of view.
“It’s better face-to-face that it is in an email or a tweet,” Ryck continued. The last time the Farm Bureau did something similar, when the subject was changes in farmland assessment, three such meetings were planned. “We wound up doing 11,” he said.
The question is why there has been a lack of cohesiveness between equestrian interests and non-equine farmers in the Garden State, where the horse is the state animal.
“I don’t think either side is to blame,” observed Adam.
“Equine is very definitely a big component of agriculture,” he continued, explaining organizers of the event want to “create a more singular voice. If we look out for interests of the equine community, it’s going to go hand-in-hand with the agricultural community. Likewise, we should support farm legislation in general.
“If commodities go up in price because land values skyrocket, or it becomes too inefficient to farm here, it will have a negative impact on the equine community in New Jersey. People are moving out; it spirals.”
Citing the Horse Park’s struggle to obtain more funding, Adam observed, “the only way get it is if more revenue is counted in through agriculture and/or equine and showing the state this is a revenue-producing industry for them.”
Speakers included Brian Smith, chief of legal affairs for the State Agriculture Development Committee. He discussed the right-to-farm act, which offers protection to agricultural operations. Its website is worth a look at http:nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/rtfprogram, particularly for those whose operations are having trouble with neighbors taking issue with farming in their area.
Ed Wengryn, a farm bureau research associate, offered welcome news that the much-hated sales tax on boarding horses, which went into effect in 2006, may soon be a thing of the past. A bill pending in the state Legislature is designed to repeal it, but a provision to make it retroactive didn’t fly because it would be too costly and complicated to refund the money collected over the last 12 years. Equestrian interests have been trying for more than five years to kill the fee, which is a “storage” tax, similar to what you would pay to keep your sofa and bookshelves at a facility somewhere.
“Horse are livestock, they are not furniture,” Ed pointed out. The bill, which has been passed by the Assembly, will go through the Senate budget process and from there to a floor vote.
Brendan gave an equine health update, discussing the importance of turnout and ways to feed horses more naturally (less grain, more forage), cutting down on the chances of colic in the process.
Organizers of the meeting are hoping more horse people will join the Farm Bureau and help its efforts with their support. The cost is $150 for a regular membership, $60 for an associate membership and a $210 corporate membership. Fine out more at https://njfb.org/join/.
The bureau offers information on current farm issues through a weekly newsletter, a quarterly publication and its website. Among many other initiatives its efforts include working with legislators, providing leadership development for young farmers and focusing on immigration reform to ensure a stable and affordable source of farm labor.
“I hope the Farm Bureau increases their membership out of this,” said Adam.
“I want the farming community to think about changing the mindset, being supportive of each other and really acknowledging how much our interests are aligned.”
The phrase “old-fashioned fun” is too seldom heard these days in connection with equestrian sports, which tend to be high stakes, played with horses bearing even higher pricetags.
So it was refreshing to roll back the clock this weekend at the Masters’ Chase, “a family-friendly day of amateur horse racing” put on by the Peapack-based Essex Fox Hounds (essexfoxhounds.org) and the Countryside Alliance of the Somerset Hills. It all took place on the great lawn at Natirar, a former estate in Peapack now owned by the Somerset County Park Commission.
Don’t confuse this with the 98th Far Hills Race Meeting, which will be run a little more than a mile down the road next Saturday at Moorland Farm in Far Hills. That’s serious business, professional steeplechasing complete with pari-mutuel wagering this year for the first time, and $850,000 in purses. (See the On the Rail section of this website for more information about the Far Hills Race Meeting.)
The Masters’ Chase didn’t offer purses; its prizes were ribbons, small trophies and lots of candy for the kids taking part, along with opportunities for real amateur riders to get a taste of what it’s like to race, the thrill of pounding hooves and cheers from the crowd. Some competitors, like the team that won the baton relay, wore racing silks. Others were togged in hunting attire or show clothes. But few crossed the finish line without smiles on their faces.
The relay was lots of excitement for the six teams of four participating, particularly with the trickiness of passing off a baton while barely pausing in mid-gallop.
Nancy McCaffrey was grinning broadly after coming in first in the Senior Fieldmaster race on Simon. Her trainer, Ann Sullivan Scher, had warned her that Simon was rather slow. Nancy, of Far Hills, was glad to find that wasn’t the case in this instance.
“It was fantastic,” said Nancy of her racing experience over fences. “He was just so strong. He just wanted to win.”
Ann, who brought eight horses to the Masters’ Chase, recounted Simon’s interesting history. He is by Sale Johnson’s stallion, Golan. His granddam is Isle of Erin, a great show ring performer for the Scher family. Simon was trained by top show jumper Laura Chapot and was the high money-winner in the Preliminary division in Florida years ago. He also jumped with Sarah Segal in amateur classes and has spent time hunting.
The race was led by Karen Murphy, joint master of Essex with Jazz Merton. She set a sensible pace for the 10-horse field over fences at various heights arranged around the lawn, then peeled away before the home stretch to allow the contenders to battle it out on the flat.
There were similar races for juniors and ponies. Karen rode at the head of the pack for all of them, alternating among her three gray horses; George Clooney, Sean Connery (do you see a naming pattern here?) and Bentley.
Jackie Gattoni of Bedminster got popped off her horse, Levi, over a fence in the Senior Fieldmaster race, but true to the sporting spirit, came back with him to win one section of the Senior Foxhunter Flat Race in a close call over Nancy and Simon.
While Simon has quite a background and lineage, the day drew all kinds of horses and ponies, like the black-and-white pony aptly named Oreo, ridden by Ian Ucko. The little paint ran gallantly in several races, before taking a break to nibble grass and get some love.
The smaller children were involved in stick pony races for three age groups, making early converts to the equestrian scene. The winners got three-streamer blue ribbons; all the other participants got rosettes with checked streamers on either side of the main ribbon.
The next age group up had the option of a lead-line race, in which the leaders walked, or a match in which the folks holding the line could run.
Take a look at the video below to get the flavor of the Masters’ Chase, which started off with an appearance by Essex huntsman Bart Poole and the hounds, who made friends with the kids. In the stick pony race, watch for the little girl in pink boots who dropped behind the rest of the field but didn’t give up.
While racing was the afternoon’s focus, there were other things going on as well.
Prudence Theriault of Kinderhook Lake, N.Y., was recruited for the new vendor village by her friend Penelope Ayers, who organized the initiative in a tent on one side of the racecourse.
“I love the combination of the jewelry and the horses; I have fox earrings and pawprint jewelry for the dog lovers,” said Prudence, who designs the pieces she sells. Other vendors offered dog beds, paintings, honey and a variety of knick-knacks.
Tailgating was right next to the track, enabling mounted riders and their friends to mingle and grab a sandwich or a drink. Mary Lane sat comfortably on her horse, Denali, sipping champagne (what else?) from a plastic glass.
“That’s what makes it a race day,” she said cheerfully of the bubbly.
Wallis Weiner-Trapness was next to her, enjoying the ambience aboard her mare, Brons Flicka (a great-granddaughter of Bold Ruler).
“I’ve been involved in this event since it started (in 2013),” said Wallis.
“I love competing in it. It takes me three months to get the horse quieted back down. It’s a great day of friends competing against each other. It’s a great venue and it’s getting bigger and bigger every year.”
Wallis pointed out that Essex started the races that became the Moorland meeting. The steeplechase originally was done as a thank you to farmers and landowners over whose acreage Essex hunted. The fixture became known as “the hunt races,” and although the hunt is no longer involved, some people insist on referring to the Moorland races as “the hunt.” Anyone who calls it that obviously doesn’t know what they’re talking about…
Sally Ike, who missed much of the action because she was the “front gate host,” had a chance to see everyone at the end of the day for socializing and reminiscing.
“It reminds me of what steeplechasing was like in the old days. It’s a family outing and a community-based thing and it was a great deal of fun,” said Sally, who chairs the Essex hunt committee.
“It’s an opportunity for our neighbors to come together on a Saturday afternoon and just enjoy being out and watching the races. What struck me was the public coming in to watch. That’s the kind of atmosphere we want to have.” She would also like to see more riders participate.
This year, members of the Windy Hollow and Amwell Valley hunts took part.
“We had a great group of people,” said Karen Murphy, who thanked the park commission for its cooperation.
“I absolutely loved it. This is super fun. It was super inviting and nice,” said Gabrielle Sterling of Amwell.
Ed Wiley, joint master of Windy Hollow, noted, “I think the concept of getting the various equestrian organizations together to enjoy a day of good sport is fantastic, and I thank the Essex Foxhounds for accomplishing that task.”
The U.S. Equestrian Federation just awarded a slew of championships for the Garden State Combined Driving Event’s Oct. 11-13 2019 edition. The divisions will include all Intermediate Classes: Single pony, Pair pony, Pony Fours, Single Horse, Pair Horse, Horse Fours, and all preliminary classes:VSE (if offered), Single pony, Pair pony, Pony Fours, Single Horse, Pair Horse and Horse Fours.
If you haven’t ever attended a driving event, Garden State will offer an opportunity to learn about an exciting sport. Seeing the horses compete cross-country in the marathon, as they have to work their way through complicated obstacles, is really fascinating. The elegance of the dressage and cones phases also is worth watching.
At the end of three phases of competition, 2017 ASPCA Maclay winner Maddy Goetzmann and 2018 North American Young Rider show jumping individual gold medalist Daisy Farish were 1-2 in the Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East. But it wasn’t over yet.
Yesterday’s flat and gymnastics segments–as well as this morning’s show jumping—each were won by Maddy, who looked as if she were gearing up to take the whole thing this afternoon at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone. Her total for the three phases was 421, to 406 for Daisy.
The only segment left to contest was the Final Four, where the top quartet of riders started with a clean slate to compete over a shortened course, then rode the same route aboard each of the other finalists’ horses.
While Maddy earned a 90 on her mare, Faemes Van T Poelzelhof (AKA Famous) Daisy got an 88 with Arsouille Des Etangs, the horse she brought to the party. So Maddy was still ahead at the end of round one.
Maddy stayed one point in front of Daisy when each rode Cooper Dean’s Braavos. But the game changed in the third round when Maddy was on Arsouille, who cross-cantered, where the horse is on one lead in front and the other behind.Judge Ralph Caristo, who noted the young women had been “neck-and-neck” called the mishap “a slight bobble” but after everything was added up, that little mishap gave the title to Daisy by a single point.
In Ralph’s view, however, “To me, they were both the winners of this class.”
Last month was the first time that FEI World Equestrian Games has not used a Final Four format to decide its individual show jumping titles, but the other Talent Search judge, Chris Kappler, likes the concept continuing as part of this competition.
“I can understand why they have taken it out of the WEG, because of such big jumping,” said Chris.
“But I think it’s still very important. It makes this class different and distinct. You really get to see the horsemanship, the feeling, that these riders can give. We tried to have a somewhat simple course…that riders really had to use their eye…and their ratability and feeling for the horse.”
Maddy and Daisy, who are close friends, held hands as they waited for the announcement about who had won, then embraced as they heard the decision. Daisy’s score in the final four was 349, to Maddy’s 348.
“I knew it was going to be close, and I wasn’t sure which way it would go,” said Daisy, a 17-year-old high school senior from Kentucky.
“I felt the same way as Daisy…when it was just us two, the final two, and Daisy won,” said Maddy, briefly breaking into tears, “it was a very proud moment, we’ve been dreaming of this for awhile, she’s been one of my best friends for a long time.”
Maddy, who is coached by Stacia Madden and Beezie and John Madden, is headed in the next few weeks for the USEF Medal finals and Washington International horsemanship championship with her longtime ride, San Remo VDL. She isn’t sure if she will try the Talent Search again. Unlike the other finals, which are only open to juniors under 18, riders can compete in the Talent Search until they are 21. But she’ll be starting at Fordham University in September 2019, so what the New York resident does after that is to be decided.
Cooper, who finished third with a score of 311, works for Heritage, the farm headed by Andre Dignelli, the 1985 Talent Search winner who is also Daisy’s coach. A 19-year-old from Alabama, Cooper was reserve champion in the Medal last year. He noted that two weeks ago, he didn’t know what horse he was going to ride, and gave heartfelt thanks to Andre, the judges and God “because I wouldn’t be here without his support. To come here is a dream come true.”
Asked what he does at Heritage, he said, “I ride as many horses as I can. When they need me to be there at 3 in the morning, I’ll be there at 3 in the morning. Whatever needs to be done, if they need me to do it, I do it.”
Lili Kaissar, fourth on a score of 309, is going to Vanderbilt University in the fall of 2019 and hopes to become an equine vet.
The 18-year-old New Yorker was the only Final Four competitor who rode her own horse, Salt Lake. The dark brown gelding, who has an endearing habit of sticking his tongue out of his mouth as he goes around the ring, was named Best Horse of the finals.
The other riders’ mounts were leased or borrowed for a class that goes above and beyond what is required in most equitation finals. That was reflected in the fact that there were only 33 starters this weekend, down from 52 last year.
The idea of the Talent Search is to discover riders who have the ability to go on and perhaps someday represent the U.S. internationally, the way such previous winners as McLain Ward, Richard Spooner and Charlie Jayne have done.
“I think the great part of this final is the people who have won it in the past, and just looking at where they have gone in their riding careers,” said Daisy, who emphasized that her life will include “something to do with riding” after she goes to college.
Frank Madden, who trains Lili with his wife, Jennifer, noted that in 1982, when the Talent Search began, the only other equitation finals were the Maclay and the AHSA Medal (now the USEF Medal). Then the Washington International Horse Show put in a final, and soon a host of other championships were on the calendar.
“I think people have so many options and they made the standards of this more difficult than it had been,” Frank observed.
“You need a special horse. I think a lot of people have made the choice, (and say) `Maybe we’re not ready for this’,” he commented, though he suggested professionals need to keep an eye on what’s happening “so we don’t let it turn into 25 kids.”
Other trainers suggested lower numbers might stem from the advent of an easier option, the new USHJA jumping seat championship that has 3-foot, 3-inch fences, as opposed to the 1.20 meter (over 3-feet, 9-inches) that is the maximum obstacle height in the Talent Search, which also requires a water jump.
In other years, we’ve often seen competitors who really weren’t ready for the Talent Search challenge. Some of them may have opted for the USHJA class this year. The riders who participated this weekend all rose to the occasion, without the unhappy outcome for some that has happened in other years.
Stacia Madden pointed out that the sensible courses devised by Ralph and Chris were most welcome. The gymnastics at the Talent Search, for instance, had “historically been kind of a sticky wicket,” she noted, citing the fact that segment often relied on gimmicks. This time, it was more straightforward, including a serpentine of four fences down the middle of the ring, which gave the judges the opportunity to see “how their legs their hands, their seats, all work together; their eyes, using all their aids,” Chris explained.
Stacia was grateful that the gymnastics “were going to be something productive to treating these horses well and working on their jumping style and rideablity and letting judges judge the class, instead of the gimmicks. Ralph and Chris took this very seriously to make sure it was very standard and straightforward. I think the horses and riders were able to all solve the problems and come away feeling like they learned something.”
Asked what he thought of the event, managed by international judge David Distler, Frank–who has attended since the first finals–said, “Class is a word that comes to mind. This is such a class place, a class event for 33 classy riders here this year and two very classy guys judging it. It was the best of all the USEF finals I’ve been to.”
Meet the rescued horses at Mylestone’s open house from noon-4 p.m. Oct. 7.
Taking care of the horses who have been through so mujch and promoting responsible horse ownership takes a lot of time and expense. Mylestone is eager to share with visitors what goes on at the farm in Warren County..
The rescued horses will come up to the fence to greet visitors. They are eager for a friendly pat on the neck and hello. For those who have always wanted to meet a horse (or two) close-up, this is a great opportunity.
Mylestone is located at 227 Still Valley Rd (Pohatcong), Phillipsburg. For more information, call 908-995-9300.
The horse Park of New Jersey’s schooling fun show Oct. 28 offers a hunter derby, hunt teams, gambler’s choice, trail obstacle course, western games and dressage test of choice.
The show, which benefits the park, will have points for the Thoroughbred Incentive Program, ESDCTA, and junior and amateur awards. Go to http://www.horseparkofnewjersey.com for details.
Billed as a “family friendly day of amateur horse racing, just like the old days,” the Masters’ Chase is set for Oct. 13 at Natirar, the county park on Route 202 in Peapack. Gates open at noon, with the first post time at 2 p.m.
The event is presented by the Countryside Alliance of Somerset Hills and the Essex Fox Hounds. Games and stick pony races are on the agenda along with the regular horse races.
Those who want to picnic on the hill for the view can do so for $40, although no alcohol is permitted. Tailgating on the course is $500 per space. Those who prefer not to pay for parking can leave their vehicles in the park’s public lot and take the short walk over to the races.
If you want to race, get the entry blank at www.essexfoxhounds.org. Those who have questions can contact Karen Murphy at 908-727-0222.
Two New Jersey horsemen carried a little extra baggage in the form of gold medals on their flights home yesterday from the FEI World Equestrian Games at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
The realization of a lifetime dream came 40 years after Jimmy Fairclough of Newton started training for his first world four-in-hand driving championship. Devin Ryan of Long Valley had a shorter time frame in his efforts to make the show jumping team that won the top prize at the WEG, but his journey with a serious concentration on the top of the sport took more than 16 years of trying to make it, in addition to how long he spent learning his craft after starting out on a $50 horse.
On his plane leaving North Carolina, the passengers were told a gold medalist was among them, and Devin got applause after making a brief speech.
“Ten years ago, I said at some point I want to represent the U.S. on some level, even at a Nations’ Cup level,” Devin commented when I caught up with him following the team awards ceremony at the WEG.
“It’s been a whirlwind coming here and being able to make it to the WEG, a major championship, and win a gold medal. That’s setting a high peak, so I guess the only thing after this will be an Olympics,” he said with a smile.
Devin, 36, emerged on the global radar when he was the surprise second-place finisher last spring at the Longines FEI Show Jumping World Cup Finals in Paris, which was won by veteran Beezie Madden. Coach Robert Ridland made a bold move when he put Devin on the team as the pathfinder, and made Beezie the alternate, but it paid off when the squad earned the top prize and a berth for the U.S. at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to boot.
After three rounds of jumping at the WEG, the U.S. and Sweden were tied on 20.59 penalties. As Robert noted, the odds were long that two nations would have the same score to the hundredth of a point, but once it happened, a jump-off was the next step.
Devin, McLain Ward and Laura Kraut all were fault-free in the tie breaker, as were three of the Swedes, but the total time taken on course by the Americans was 2.03 seconds less than their rivals, giving them the gold.
This was Devin’s first team championship, and he found “expectations are high; they expect more out of you, you expect more out of yourself. I would think it never gets easier.” The team experience involved having every member of the squad, including the fourth member, Adrienne Sternlicht, living in the same house.
While Devin knows fans often are awed by the sport’s big names, he advised, “don’t be shy, because they’re no different than us. Everyone was doing their job, and that’s why we got our medal.”
He didn’t take his first riding lesson until age 13, then joined Pony Club and dealt with problem horses. A lesson with George Morris on one of those mounts started him on the path that would take him to the top. He worked with George for four years, then rode with dealer Alan Waldman in the Netherlands. He returned to New Jersey to open River Run farm and pursue his goal: Riding for the U.S.
Devin got Eddie as a four-year-old and developed the Dutchbred by Zirocco Blue himself. At age 9, the horse owned by LL Show Jumpers was among the youngest entries in the 124-horse field, where Devin finished 16th.
By bringing Eddie through the levels, he formed a stronger bond with him than he would have buying a ready-made jumper, which he couldn’t afford to do anyway.
“Look at the top riders and the horses with which they have been most successful,” he once told me, citing such Olympic gold medalists as McLain with Sapphire or Great Britain’s Nick Skelton with Big Star.
“They usually started with those horses as 5- or 6-year olds, when they’re young enough that they’re not set in their ways.”
Next up for Devin is trying to qualify for the 2019 World Cup finals.
It bothers him that there’s an impression that making it to the top level of show jumping requires a huge amount of cash.
“You don’t have to be uber-wealthy to get there,” said Devin, who didn’t come from big money.
“There’s so much talk that it’s not possible to get there,” he continued, noting hard work is the way to make it, even for those short of funds. He advises parents whose children are aspiring riders, “tell your kid to put the cellphone down and go to work.”
Fairclough’s marathon—where he had the disadvantage of being first on course–and cones scores contributed to the U.S. win, even though he had a control problem in the final segment after one of his horse’s nosebands broke. It had to be fixed with a zip tie when the teams were called back to the arena for the presentation.
Jimmy stood proudly on the podium with teammates Misdee Wrigley-Miller and his former student, Chester Weber, who also earned individual silver for the second time in a row. He was particularly pleased to be accepting the medal with Chester.
“At one point in life, we kind of parted ways a little bit, but we always still worked on teams together, no matter what,” he said. “Over time, it’s worked out and so it’s great. He’s worked very hard at it, so it’s nice.”
Thoughts on the podium were with people who worked hard to improve American driving but had passed away. One was Finn Caspersen, who brought the 1993 World Pair Championships to Gladstone and really put driving on the map in the U.S.
“Finn would have been ecstatic,” said Jimmy. He also mentioned Ed Young, the four-in-hand chef d’equipe, who died a year ago. “He would have been ecstatic too.”
As Chester noted, Ed “was the force around U.S. Equestrian’s program and led the way for a number of years, and today, when the reality was there that we won team gold, to me personally, for me and this team medal, that’s for Ed Young.”
At age 60, Jimmy isn’t sure what his next move regarding driving will be.
“I’m going to semi-retire,” he believes, noting without a sponsor, it’s hard to compete at the top level, especially since he owns his horses and pays their expenses. He thinks he’ll still compete in this country, but he’s no longer looking ahead to the next world championships, which would be in 2020.
“It’s been 40 years. It’s a lot of work to keep horses in the kind of training for that period of time. Five shoulder surgeries later and everything else, it’s a lot.”
The very next move is easy, though. He’ll be putting this gold medal next to the team gold he won at the 1991 World Pairs Championship. Those are nice punctuation points for a lifetime passion.
If you’re trying to get you child interested in dressage, but it isn’t working out, Dressage at Devon has some answers.
The Dressage Explorers program will take place Sunday, September 30 at the end of the Pennsylvnia show’s six-day run. and will feature the Make and Take Stick Horse. The show supplies the “horse” and all the trimmings to deck-out your child’s “mount” for a ride in the famed Dixon Oval – with professional announcers and judges. (Note: This is a lot less expensive than buying your offspring an imported warmblood.)
Another fave at the show in a suburb of Philadelphia is the Selfie Scavenger Hunt, where kids are looking for five yellow signs posted throughout the showgrounds. It they take a selfie with each sign, they can head over to the souvenir shop to receive an exclusive DAD prize.
There also will be special exhibitions by regional first responders and other demonstrations of excellence in horsemanship. Meanwhile, the day’s performances feature the sport’s rising stars, young riders from 16-25. These include the FEI Pony Freestyle Test and the FEI Young Rider Freestyle, among others.
Had enough horse stuff? The show features a Fall Festival, with lots of dining opportunities and shopping that appeals to the whole family, even those who aren’t equestrians. Ladies Hat Day – a favorite Dressage at Devon tradition – will take place on Friday, Sept 28.
For more information, visit www.dressageatdevon.org.
A 12-year-old Camden County gelding who was euthanized Aug. 27 had the second reported case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in New Jersey this year. The horse had not been vaccinated against the mosquito-borne disease, which should be a lesson to horse owners to make sure their equines have their innocculations.
“With this being our second case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis reported in the last two weeks, we are reminding horse owners of the high importance of having their animals vaccinated against diseases spread by mosquitoes,” said state Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher.
“Vaccinated animals are much less likely to contract deadly diseases such as EEE and West Nile Virus.”
New Jersey’s first case of EEE this year was reported in a Monmouth County mare last week. EEE causes inflammation of the brain tissue and has a significantly higher risk of death in horses than West Nile Virus infection.
West Nile is a viral disease that affects horses’ neurological system. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. 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 “dead-end” hosts for the virus.
Effective equine vaccines for EEE and WNV are available commercially. Horse owners should contact their veterinarians if their horses are not already up-to-date on their vaccinations against both EEE and WNV.
For more information about EEE in horses, visit the New Jersey Department of Agriculture web site at:
EEE and West Nile virus, like other viral diseases affecting horses’ neurological system, must be reported to the state veterinarian at 609-671-6400 within 48 hours of diagnosis. The New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory is available to assist with EEE and WNV testing and can be reached at 609-406-6999 or via email – jerseyvetlab@ag.nj.gov.
