by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 18, 2019
Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge is presenting “Pony Pals,” a program for children and their parents designed to introduce kids to ponies while encouraging child-parent interaction.
“Pony Pals” on June 29 is tailored to two groups: children 2-4 years of age and 5-7 years. A parent or legal guardian must accompany their child/children for the program at 256 S. Maple Ave.
The younger group will meet from 10-11 a.m. Activities are a pony-themed story and a pony ride. The fee is $10 per child/parent pair and $5 for each additional sibling age 2 to 9 years.
Children ages 5 to 7 will meet from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Their activities include a pony story, a game or craft,and a pony ride. The fee is $12 per child/parent pair. Siblings ages 5 to 9 may attend for an additional charge of $6 each.
Pre-registration is required online at www.somersetcountyparks.org, by phone at 908-722-1200, ext. 5010, or in person at the Stable office. Payment by cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover is required at time of enrollment.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 18, 2019
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.
Ryan Wood and Ruby won the Open Preliminary division at the Mars Essex Horse Trials in 2018. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
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.
Coverage of the MARS Essex Horse Trials:
June 23, 2019: MARS Essex Horse Trials ends with a win by a top combination
June 22, 2019: The MARS Essex Horse Trials: “It’s what riders all dream of”
June 21, 2019: After a rain delay, the MARS Essex Horse Trials is ready to run
June 9, 2019: The MARS Essex Horse Trials is set to run with high stakes and big names
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 15, 2019
It’s been nearly 30 years since a complete rodeo (not just the professional bull riders) came to Madison Square Garden, so let’s hope it’s been worth the wait.
The Cowboy Channel will present Rodeo New York on Father’s Day weekend 2020, with competition June 19-21. It’s not too early to mark your calendar for next year.
Find out more at https://www.rodeonewyork.com/about
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 15, 2019
The Equestrian Businesswomen group, which presented a day of meetings during its first gathering in West Palm Beach, Fla., in January, is having a meetup June 20 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
The session, which runs from 6-9 p.m. at Jacob & Anthony’s American Grille, 38 High Rock Ave, will involve cocktails and conversation with female entrepreneurs and businesswomen in the equine industry.
The event will feature an open bar and hors d’oeuvres for a night of conversations, networking and community. There is no fee and no need to formally RSVP, but the organization asks that you mark yourself as “going” on the EQBW Facebook event page so they can get an idea of how many people will attend. Feel free to share the event with other women in the industry who would want to attend.
At the meetup, get an idea of what EQBW will give members when it launches its membership platform. It will offer more opportunities for networking–both online and offline–and collaboration among members and participating experts.
EQBW is creating a digital community aimed at helping engage, support, and inform equestrian businesswomen through eLearning content created by industry experts on various topics from business management and how-to business tool tutorials to personal growth and development.
For more information about both the Summit and the new membership platform, please visit www.EqBusinesswomen.com.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 14, 2019
When you mention the name of Major Gen. Jonathan “Jack” Burton anywhere in the equestrian world, it instantly sparks admiration.
Now, however, it will bring expressions of sorrow. Word came today that this great horseman died on May 29 in Tucson, Ariz., at age 99.
Jack Burton played a big role in making equestrian sport what it is today in the U.S. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
The personification of dedication and fairness, he was an Olympian who made a seamless transition from the U.S. cavalry to decorated soldier and modern military commander, serving in three wars.
“The ability to lead other men in combat is a rare skill, and he found a home in the Army,” noted Jim Wofford, an Olympic eventing medalist who was a lifelong friend of Gen. Burton.
Jack went on to become a prominent civilian figure on the equestrian scene as well, serving as a judge, steward, committee member and inspiration, remaining an important part of the sport until just a few years before his passing. He served as a horse show official for the last time when he was 92.
He always made it his business to stay fit enough to do his job, whatever it was, and rode with the Loudon, Va., hunt into his 80s.
“He never takes the elevator, even if his room is on the 10th floor,” Sally Ike, the USEF’s director of licensed officials, observed a few years ago. She would always salute Gen. Jack when she saw him, and invariably received a snappy salute in return.
A native of Illinois, Jack was a member of the ROTC at Michigan State College when he graduated in 1942 in the midst of World War II. Four days later, he found himself taking an intensive six-week cavalry course at Fort Riley, Kansas, before being shipped to El Paso, Texas. There, as part of the First Cavalry Division, he patrolled the Mexican border, “looking for spies, saboteurs or whatnot,” he recalled a few years ago when I interviewed him for a story.
He got a good education in riding and horsemanship during college, because in those days, ROTC at land grant schools had horse cavalry or horse artillery, with a detachment of soldiers taking care of horses and a few officers to teach classes.
“The military system was based on the European system,” he explained to me once. The ROTC guidebook was “The Cavalry Manual of Horsemanship and Horsemastership,” vintage 1935. The instruction including shoeing, conditioning and stable management, as well as riding.
Jack Burton in his army days
But his time on horseback once he was serving with the Army turned out be short-lived.
The Australians were light on infantry, since they had shipped four divisions to fight with the British in the Far East, while the Japanese were on their doorstep in New Guinea, bombing Darwin and Brisbane.
So Jack’s outfit, was sent over, without horses, to “clean up New Guinea.”
While he was still in Australia, Burton saw an attractive blonde dancing during a gathering at a hotel.
“I cut in on her, got her phone number and it went on from there,” he remembered.
“When we took the Admiralty Islands, we spent six months building a naval base, and they let us go down to Australia on leave. I called her up and said, ‘Let’s get married.'” He and Joan were married in 194 and had two children, Jonathan Jr. and Judy Lewis. Joan pre-deceased him.
Jack didn’t get back to horses until after the war, when the show circuit started up again following a four-year hiatus.
Although the army had been mechanized, he was assigned to the cavalry school at Fort Riley, where he was the instructor for the last two years that horsemanship classes were held for officers.
Although it was clear that the cavalry was nearing the end of its days, “They finally decided they wanted to send a team to the 1948 Olympic Games in London, since the Army had sent teams to all the previous Olympics,” Jack recollected.
Jack Burton on Air Mail in 1948. USET Foundation archive photo.
He was in the elite group of officers who were getting ready for the Olympics, which had not been held since 1936.
“All we did was train,” he said. “We trained jumpers, three-day horses and what we had in dressage.”
While preparing for the Olympics, the Army team competed in jumping at the biggest shows, including the National at Madison Square Garden, as well as Dublin and Geneva.
“I was a junior officer, so I would travel with the horses. We’d go in baggage cars equipped to haul horses. When we shipped horses to Europe, we went by boat. It took about 11 days. Soldiers would clean the stalls, but I helped,” he remembered.
In 1947, the same year he was U.S. Three-Day Eventing Champion, Jack won the National Horse Show’s international individual show jumping trophy with Air Mail, beating the legendary Mexican General Humberto Mariles, whose country’s teams dominated the competition at the National for a decade.
Although Jack was selected for the 1948 Olympic jumping and eventing teams, his horse went lame and he found himself in the position of helping his teammates as reserve rider. It was the last gasp for the cavalry in the Olympics.
After the Army gave up its team in 1950, the fledgling U.S. Equestrian Team was formed. Jimmy Wofford’s father, 1932 Olympian Col. John “Gyp” Wofford, the USET’s first president, asked Jack, who was in Europe with the Army horses, to bring back any he thought could be candidates for the 1952 Olympics.
“I returned by boat with 12 horses that could be used on the team, one of which was Democrat. He could jump, he could three-day and he could dressage. He was a thoroughbred bred by Gordon Russell in the army remount system,” Jack had recounted.
“When we had 14 regiments of cavalry, we had to buy thousands of horses. The highest price buyers could pay for a horse was $165.”
Jack chose well. The fledgling USET won the bronze in eventing and show jumping, with Democrat playing a role in the latter success, then going on to major victories at the National Horse Show and elsewhere.
While Jack had hoped to ride on the 1952 Olympic team in Helsinki after missing his chance four years earlier in London, the Army had other plans for him. After serving in Korea, however, he finally made the eventing squad in the 1956 Olympics.
He fell off Huntingfield when the horse stumbled coming off an 11-foot drop on cross-country.
“In that day, we had a phase E after cross-country,” said Jack, who was picked up by his horse’s owner and thrown back into the saddle so he could complete the test.
“The horse galloped phase E, 1,000 meters, but when I arrived at the finish line, the Swedes there saw I was noncomprehensible and put me in the ambulance.”
After doctors determined Jack had a concussion, they said he shouldn’t ride in the jumping phase the next day. He followed their advice.
“There was no point, because one of the other U.S. riders got eliminated in jumping and the other was eliminated in cross-country. But I probably should have,” he said wistfully, “so we at least could have had a horse finish.”
That wasn’t his last experience with the Olympics, as his involvement with horse sports took another turn when he became an official. He judged eventing at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, as well as the 1966 World Championships in Burghley, England, and the 1982 World Championships in Luhmuhlen, Germany. At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, he was on the appeals committee.
After two tours of duty in Vietnam, Jack retired from the military in 1975 as commander of the Third Armored Division and went on to be executive vice president of the USET.
Following World War II, there was nothing in the way of civilian eventing. The sport was known as “the military,” appropriate since it had started as a test of cavalry officers’ mounts.
“The Army once a year had an Olympic-level three-day event. It was the graduation of the advanced (officers) course. That was the only eventing in the U.S.,” Jack remembered a few years ago.
A correspondent for the Nashville Tennessean newspaper contacted him when he was stationed at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, asking him to come to Tennessee and help put on a civilian event in 1953.
“We went down to Percy Warner Park, where there was a steeplechase course. We added some tires and barrels and made a cross-country course. We didn’t have a rulebook, so I copied the FEI rulebook,” Jack said.
What would be a training/preliminary-level event today, attracted about a dozen riders, including some from Canada, and the sport grew from there.
“Denny Emerson (a former president of the U.S. Eventing Association) referred to Jack as the Johnny Appleseed of the eventing world,” recalled Jimmy Wofford.
Jack Burton with Jimmy Wofford. (Photo©2006 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Wherever Burton would be stationed, suddenly an event would spring up. He got Pony Clubs involved in it; he got local combined training associations started. The interesting thing is that after he left, they still kept going, so he must have had some knack of developing things that could stand on their own two feet and didn’t depend on Gen. Burton being there.”
Jack adapted well to change, knowing from his experience in the military when to argue against it and when to fall in line and accommodate it. He served as president of the U.S. Combined Training Association (now the U.S. Eventing Association) and wrote the first U.S. rulebook for eventing.
He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery last this year, and his memory will be honored in December at the USEA’s annual meeting in Boston. Jack was among the last of a great generation of horsemen, and we salute him.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 10, 2019
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.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2019
By Nancy Jaffer
June 9, 2019
It’s an idea whose time has come—again.
The MARS Essex Horse Trials was a popular stop for eventers during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s—attracting marquee names in the sport–until the 2-star event was discontinued after its 1998 edition. Its revival in 2017 was a success, with Preliminary as the highest-rated division, and Essex went on to solidify its standing in 2018.
Ryan Wood, the 2018 Preliminary winner with Ruby, will be back this year for the new Advanced section and other divisions. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
This year, the June 21-23 event presented by MARS Equestrian has upped the stakes. It’s offering an Advanced division for the first time (skipping Intermediate), and the big step forward is being well-rewarded with entries from some of the top riders. Phillip Dutton, the 2016 Olympic eventing individual bronze medalist, will be bringing his best horse, Z, and his close friend, Boyd Martin, also is coming.
“I’ve got a couple of horses who need a run around the Advanced level at this time of the year,” said Boyd, explaining why he decided to enter the competition at Moorland Farm in Far Hills.
“I’ve heard great things about Essex; it’s an event with a lot of history. I’m looking forward to spinning a few around for the first time. It’s always a challenge going to new places, but riding at the very top level, you get to know which are the good events that have the good courses.
The MARS Essex Horse Trials’ Advanced Division has attracted Boyd Martin, whose second-place finish at the Land Rover Kentucky event last month made him the top U.S. rider at that competition. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s a little bit nerve-wracking going to a brand new event. Sometimes it takes a year or two for the designer to figure out the track and the course, but Essex is a great venue and a good course designer, so it should be a good event,” noted Boyd, the highest-placed U.S. rider last month at the 5-star Land Rover Kentucky event, where he finished second.
The rebirth of Essex came about as the result of the 2015 “Gladstone Gathering,” held at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation stables for area equestrians and those interested in the sport.
Jim Brady, whose family once owned Hamilton Farm, the foundation’s home in Gladstone, felt that the area wasn’t hosting as many top-class equestrian events as it once did. He revitalized the old Gladstone Equestrian Association, and came up with the idea for the party.
Essex previously was held at Hamilton Farm, but construction of a golf course meant there wasn’t enough property to continue the event at that site, leading to its cancellation.
Tewksbury resident Ralph Jones attended the Gathering and was inspired to think Essex could be revived.
“I was just thrilled with the idea of starting it over,” Ralph said at the time, and pitched right in. He’s co-chairman with course designer Morgan Rowsell at Moorland, home of October’s Far Hills Race Meeting.
“What says `Essex’ is being able to run on that track,” Morgan commented, noting part of the cross-country course will go over the turf used for the races on the 230-acre property, just down the road from Gladstone..
“It just doesn’t get any better than that footing.”
The addition of the Advanced section is an effort “to gradually bring this event back to its glorious past,” said Ralph, “and to do that, we need to attract more of the professional riders.”
Added Morgan, “it will be an international event at some point. Ralph and I and Julie (Berman, director of operations and hospitality) and the team are dedicated to doing it right.
“The community’s been very eager to be involved,” said Julie. “There’s a lot of buzz on being part of Essex. Everybody wants to be a part of history and bring it forward.”
The five-year plan also includes all-weather footing for the dressage and show jumping, Ralph mentioned.
At the same time, Morgan noted, “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We want to grow, get sponsorship, keep the sponsors happy, grow again. Everything’s got to balance. You’ve got to have the sponsors, you’ve got to have the money, you’ve got have the good grass.”
Word about Essex has gotten around, and well-known riders are coming in droves. The demand matches the prize money; there’s $10,000 more being offered this year than last year, for a total of $30,000.
Buck Davidson, a regular visitor who starred in the reborn 2017 Essex edition, will be competing, having recovered from a fall at Land Rover Kentucky that left him with a broken collarbone. Others who will be seen there are Will Coleman, Lauren Kieffer, Sharon White, Colleen Rutledge, Hannah Sue Burnett, Jennie Brannigan, Canada’s Jessica Phoenix and Ireland’s U.S.-based Ryan Wood, back with Ruby, his 2018 Preliminary winner. She’s entered in the Preliminary Essex division, which is more challenging than the Open Prelim division. He’s also is bringing Woodstock Bennett for the Advanced section.
It’s a terrific opportunity for Jerseyans to see top competition close to home (Moorland is a five-minute walk from the Far Hills train station), and it offers a great introduction to eventing for those who enjoy horses but haven’t had a chance to see this discipline in person.
I went over to Moorland on Route 202 to get a look at preparations for this year’s Advanced course. Former U.S. eventing coach Mark Phillips, designer of the Jersey Fresh and Burghley, England, cross-country courses who is Morgan’s mentor, had visited as well. He gave advice and a thumb’s up.
Most interesting to me was work on a timber obstacle that Morgan described as, “big and impressive,” no over-statement there. It will stretch nine feet across, erected over a ditch five feet deep, with a center bar to fill in the gap for this first year of Advanced.
Essex Horse Trials co-chairs Ralph Jones and Morgan Rowsell show off the Advanced division’s Liberty Corner Leap, a work in progress during my visit to Moorland Farm. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Trees will be placed on the vertical posts to define the jump and enable the horses to judge the scope of the fence. It’s appropriately called the Liberty Corner Leap, named after the road that runs along one side of the property.
Ralph estimates that midday on the Saturday, June 22, will be “prime time” for spectators who want to see the Advanced riders in action on the most challenging route that Essex offers. The Advanced horses will not only go through the impressive water complex, but they also will be jumping in the main arena as the path for their division winds through the property.
This oxer won’t be in this location for the actual event, but it was placed there for a photograph to show some of the scenic surroundings at Essex. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
There are 74 tailgating spots at the water complex, where a good number of different jumps are visible in rapid succession (“In a minute, you’ll see a lot,” said Morgan). There is also tailgating on the hillside above the track and the announcer’s stand, for a different view of the course and some interesting table jumps.
Another fence I previewed was an impressive oxer, with both a MIM Clip on the front rail and a frangible pin on the back rail. Both reduce the possibility of rotational falls.
The MIM clip, left, and frangible pin, right, are safety devices that will be used during the Mars Essex Horse Trials (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’re trying to dedicate ourselves to safety as much as possible,” said Morgan. He noted about one-third of the jumps at Training Level and higher have frangible elements, while another third involve brush.
He explained the MIM clip activates to release its rail on horizontal pressure, which is what would happen when the horse is on an upward trajectory, while the frangible pin activates on downward pressure, so if a horse doesn’t get across the entire distance of the obstacle, the pin breaks and the rail drops.
A frangible table jump, donated by Essex supporters Carl and Cassie Segal, also offers a safe alternative on the Advanced course if a horse hits it, folding down on impact. Such tables are very expensive, but Morgan would like to see one added every year.
The days at Essex will be busy. Advanced dressage takes place Friday, June 21, and that division’s show jumping will run during the early evening in conjunction with a VIP cocktail party. The Advanced cross-country is set for Saturday, June 22, along with all segments of the Preliminary competition, which features show jumping in the early evening that day, along with a competitors’ party at the Hoopstick Club. The lower levels will take place on the Sunday.
Being billed as the Mars Essex Horse Trials Country Weekend, the fixture has a lot more to offer than sport. A huge car show runs from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on the Saturday (the rain date is the Sunday) with more than 200 classic and exotic vehicles expected. The Hoopstick Club offers lunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on the Saturday and a mimosa brunch from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Sunday.
The children’s activity tent, provided by the Willow School, will be open both Saturday and Sunday, as will the Edible Jersey Food Court and the Essex Market vendor village. With MARS Equestrian as the presenting sponsor, it’s no surprise to learn that there will be a MARS candy hunt for children Saturday and Sunday.
The benficiary of the horse trials is the Greater Newark LifeCamp, located on 90 acres of fields and woodlands in Hunterdon County. It provides an enriching summer day camp experience for 300 Newark-area youths per day for six weeks during July and August. Campers between the ages of 6 and 13 come from the greater Newark public school system, as well as from Newark Charter School Programs.
The mission is to empower youth to succeed by developing life skills, character and leadership through a program outside an urban environment
For more information on Essex or to buy tickets, go to www.essexhorsetrials.org.
Coverage of the MARS Essex Horse Trials:
June 23, 2019: MARS Essex Horse Trials ends with a win by a top combination
June 22, 2019: The MARS Essex Horse Trials: “It’s what riders all dream of”
June 21, 2019: After a rain delay, the MARS Essex Horse Trials is ready to run
June 18, 2019: The Essex Horse Trials is coming up this weekend with big-name riders
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2019
The New Jersey Equine Artists’ Association’s 2019 Invitational Exhibit of equine art by local/regional artists began June 9 at Prallsville Mills, 33 Risler St., Stockton, and will be on display through Sunday, June 23. It is open Thursdays through Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. or by appointment.
“This is the group’s third time at Prallsville Mills and it has been a great venue to showcase these majestic animals at work, sport and play, in the wild and dreams,” commented the group’s founder/director, Sheila Barnes.
“This is NJEAA’s 20th anniversary, starting with local artists in 1999. We have been thrilled with the response of art/horse lovers‘ to our shows over the years.”
The Sawmill at Prallsville Mills is a historic site on the Delaware River and Raritan Canal, with a lovely backdrop for this exhibition. NJEAA provides information, education and networking opportunities for its members, whether beginners or professionals. To learn more contact Barnes at: xochitlb@comcast.net or call (908) 284-9751.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2019
The U.S. Center for SafeSport will debut five free online youth training courses, beginning June 12.
They will include courses for children of pre-school age, grades K-2, grades 3-5, middle school and high school. They are designed as an introduction for athletes who are minors, and their parents or other caregivers, to understand the importance of positive, welcoming environments in sports, where misconduct such as bullying or abuse is less likely to happen.The course are also designed to help participants know where to report abuse.
Each course will be hosted on www.athletesafety.org and requires that a parent/legal guardian create an account to provide consent for their child to access the training. Once an account is created, parents can choose which course is best for their child, based on their actual or developmental age.
Every course will take less than 30 minutes to complete. While the youth training courses are not required, a PDF certificate is available at the conclusion of each training, and parents are encouraged to create one bearing their child’s name.
Competing members of the U.S. Equestrian Federation are required to take the SafeSport course for adults, as are licensed officials.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2019
After its popular top-25 show rating program was put on hold for five years, the North American Riders Group (NARG) is back to represent riders, owners, trainers and their horses, with a focus on improving the sport.
After three meetings in 2019, the NARG board has elected new members, submitted an updated position statement to the International Jumper Riders Committee and approved a proposal for the return of the NARG Top 25.
Following the February and April meetings, the NARG board took on Lauren Hough as its new treasurer and invited three new members to join. Mark Leone remains as president and Tiffany Foster of Canada as vice president. The board includes Kent Farrington, Jimmy Torano, Andrew Welles, Missy Clark and Will Simpson of the U.S., along with Canadians Mark Samuel and Ben Asselin, and Mexicans Enrique Gonzalez and Eugenia Garza. Jennifer Markee continue as executive director.
The board has updated and reinstated the NARG Position Statement to IJRC, including addressing the blood rule (involving blood found on a horse in competition) with solutions for revision. It also deals with adjusting the allocation of FEI Ranking Points for the AAA Category as well as the Nations Cup Final; the escalating costs of competing at FEI events in North America, particularly 2* shows; and the potential implementation of an FEI Course Designer Certificate of Capability.
The ranking of the NARG Top 25 shows will return in 2020, taking into consideration six years of past reports, the current show jumping landscape in North America and revamping the evaluation system, NARG website and communication systems. There also has been a discussion of presentation methods and reaching out for feedback from an evaluation panel in the sport.
EqSol returns as not only producer of the NARG Top 25 report, as it was from 2010-2015, but the agency has agreed to take on the vision and mission of the entire project.
Anyone who wants to participate or has ideas for NARG should contact Jen Markee at (516) 428-4423.
