The Monmouth County Hunt’s Junior Day drew young people from all over New Jersey to Upper Freehold.
Photos courtesy of Doug Raynor, AJ Solomon and Bonnie Drake
Many were trying fox hunting for the first time, and the enthusiasm was such that there were two very full fields.
According to reports, the kids left with smiles on their faces after a very exciting day of hunting.
A breakfast after the hunt was organized by the parents and Cathy Brogan, regional supervisor of the NJ Region Pony Clubs. I’ll bet a lot of the kids will be back to hunt again.
Joining the ranks of such legends as eventing stalwart Giltedge, Olympic double-gold medal show jumper Touch of Class and dressage star Brentina on the pages of history is a tall order for any horse. But joining their ranks in the historic stable at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation (uset.org) is easier to do—for those who can afford to make it happen.
Naming a stall at the barn in Gladstone after a favorite horse runs $100,000 for the top floor of the building and $50,000 for the lower floor, but the tax-deductible charitable contribution goes for more than just a bronze plaque. While paying tribute to a horse, the donation–payable over a multi-year period–is put toward the foundation’s mission. That involves funding competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of the country’s elite and developing horses and athletes for international competition, in partnership with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
The stall-naming program has been going for a while, but the foundation wanted to highlight it as part of the organization’s current fundraising campaign.
“It’s a wonderful way for people to honor and celebrate special horses in their lives and be a part of the team at the same time,” explained Bonnie Jenkins, the foundation’s executive director. Any horse can be honored by a donor who feels they are deserving of recognition, even if they simply were a great friend and had never won a ribbon. There is no requirement for them ever to have been ridden on the team or stabled in Gladstone.
But to kick off the program’s revival, the stellar former grand prix show jumper Madison visited the stall named in her honor this month, trailering down from her retirement home in Connecticut with her owners, the Weeks family. It set the stage for a fond reunion with her former rider, Kent Farrington, who has been ranked the number one show jumper in the world.
Bill Weeks feels a connection with the stable from which the U.S. fielded so many medal-winning teams. He recalled bringing his daughters, Whitney and Alexa, there for the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East.
“I love the building and history,” said Bill, who is vice president of the foundation’s trustees.
He noticed in the past when he walked around the stable that horses had been honored with stall plaques, and the concept clicked with him.
“I thought it was fitting to do for Madison and Kent and to support the USET Foundation at the same time. The first time I came here, I was kind of in awe of the facility. The young riders who compete here in the Talent Search get their first exposure to the facility and I think it stays with them,” Bill observed.
Madison, now 22, has an interesting back story.
“She was not bought as a grand prix horse. She was bought to do the junior jumpers,” Bill noted.
But when Kent’s grand prix horse went lame while he was at a show in Raleigh, N.C. he turned to then- seven-year-old Madison, who went on to win both grands prix at the show. He was, he conceded, “a little surprised,” but that started her career in the big time.
“Every day she showed us she could do more all the way up until competing at the highest level representing the U.S. It’s amazing how high she went with Kent,” Bill said.
“No matter what, she always tried,” Kent commented after getting into the stall at the foundation with Madison, who obviously remembered him. The two even got close for a selfie.
While Madison was funny about her mouth when Kent started with her, often throwing her head up at an awkward angle, he found a way to bring her to her full potential.
“A lot of it was slow work, and taking the time to train and practice,” he said.
She was, he explained, “a trier, a real fighter in the ring. Horses can overcome a lot of other faults just because they have heart.”
In 2005, he and Madison took the grand prix at the Devon Horse Show and then topped the President’s Cup at the Washington International, where Kent also was leading jumper rider during his first time in the professional ranks there. He ended 2005 by winning the American Grand Prix Association Trainer of the Year title, as Madison won the AGA Horse of the Year honors.
Madison competed for the U.S. at the 2006 FEI World Cup Finals in Kuala Lumpur, but she wasn’t herself after the long trip there. So Kent dropped out after the first leg, opting instead for an extra day’s rest and then the non-Cup grand prix, which she won in typical style.
Since her retirement at age 16, Madison had two fillies via embryo transplant. Both are now four and jumping little courses; Elsa is by Elvis ter Putte and Nadia is by Nabob de Reve. Madison, who had been living in Belgium, returned to the U.S. this autumn.
“We felt very fortunate she was able to retire safely and happily,” said Alexa, who is married to Brazilian Olympic individual gold medalist, world champion and three-time World Cup titleist Rodrigo Pessoa, now coach of the Irish show jumping team. He rode Madison at the end of her career.
Madison, handling retirement as easily as she handled competition, “is a great herd animal,” said Alexa.
“She absolutely loves being out in the field with all of her buddies. Some show jumpers don’t retire well. She’s retired really well.”
As far as naming a stall for her, Alexa said, “She definitely deserves the recognition, because she was such a special horse for both Kent and I. We each won grands prix on her,” she pointed out, noting it’s unusual for a horse to do well with both an amateur and a professional.
Kent flew up from Florida for the day to see Madison get her stall plaque. He’s incredibly busy, as always, and about to take off for Europe, but was happy to take the time to pay tribute to her.
“She was the first horse I rode on the U.S. team, (my) first horse to win a 5-star grand prix and it was sort of a catalyst for my career,” he explained after greeting the mare fondly.
“Whenever anyone asks about my most significant grand prix win, I always say it was winning my first 5-star grand prix with her. It was the only five-star in America then and it was on the grass. She was a horse I brought up from when she was young and had gone all the steps with her to get to that level. At every level, she was always competitive and a winner with multiple riders. That says a lot about the horse. Every time we asked her to do something bigger, she always answered.
He pointed out, “I started with my own business when I was 21, it was a lot to take on at such a young age. I had an amazing horse who could win and really put me on the map. Her intelligence was probably her strongest attribute. When you taught her something, she retained it. She knew the job, she figured out the sport, like a lot of the great horses. She was always super reliable.”
Kent rode at the foundation headquarters a couple of times in his youth, once in the Talent Search, once in a George Morris clinic, and has visited on several occasions since.
“It’s an amazing place. I’m still really impressed when I walk in here now. There’s a lot of history here and it’s a beautiful stable,” he said, before looking at the historic photos archived in the stable’s upstairs trophy room.
Kent is generally all business. To do what he’s done, you have to stay focused. But he is not one to forget a good turn, and he got a bit sentimental as he talked about Madison and her owners.
“The horse and the Weeks family were really an amazing start to my career. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am today; certainly not as fast. They took a big chance on me when I was really young to give me that kind of opportunity.
“I’m very proud about what it evolved into and very grateful for all the support and the relationship that we still have today. They were always very generous, that was always their approach,” he said, when asked about their decision to donate for a stall on the stable’s top floor.
“That’s also why they were so supportive of me,” Kent mused. “They saw that I worked hard and they wanted to give me a chance.”
It was 23 degrees this morning when the Essex Fox Hounds started assembling for their Thanksgiving hunt. I expected a small field of riders and figured only a few spectators would show up. Wrong and wrong.
The folks who drove out to Ellistan in Peapack to watch appeared in their usual number; there were several hundred on hand.
Here’s another view.
The riders came out in force, though several wore scarves over their faces to ward off the chill.
Watching the hunt is a tradition that started decades ago when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a member of Essex, and people gathered to catch a glimpse of her. She has been gone for decades, but habits are hard to break. For many people in the area, a visit to the Essex meet is as much a part of the day as the turkey and stuffing. As for the cold? “It’s fine when you’re in the sun,” one bundled woman told me.
And then there were the hot toddies, with folks lined up to get a cup of the steaming beverage. For the kids, there was hot chocolate, and they took advantage of it.
Many of those who attend don’t have a chance to spend time with horses. Some may never have even been close to a horse. So it’s a nice opportunity to reach out and touch a friendly equine. Essex works with the Countryside Alliance of the Somerset Hills, which encourages conservation and an appreciation of nature.
The hunt moved off, led by Huntsman Bart Poole and a pack of eager hounds. Although the area is less than an hour from New York City, it is beautifully preserved, with lovely fields, stunning homes that fit into the landscape and plenty of places to gallop.
There’s always a four-in-hand as part of the festivities. It adds to the elegance of the occasion.
Starting off with a little jump gives bystanders an opportunity to take out their cellphones and catch the moment on video.
Look at this horse’s breath. You can tell it’s a frosty day.
Wild turkeys have made a comeback in the Northeast. This one was spending a peaceful Thanksgiving, nowhere near cranberry sauce or stuffing.
The Budweiser Clydesdales’ appearance at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Dec. 1 drew a crowd of about 600, eager to get close to the horses they know from so many creative commercials. Presented by Sergeantsville Feed & Grain and Purina Animal Nutrition, it was an opportunity for the public to see these gorgeous giants up close and in action around the arena.
The event in Gladstone, which included a demonstration of hitching the horses to their Studebaker wagon, benefited A Home for Every Horse and the USET Foundation, which raises funds for competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of the country’s elite and developing horses and athletes, in partnership with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
Energetic Sussex County teen Shya Beth has started a new online project to benefit Mylestone Equine Rescue in Warren County this month.
The young artist’s Facebook group, Art Of The Horse (the largest equine art group on Facebook with more than 33,300 members), is hosting “Art Of The Horse Saves A Horse.” Each month it will be featuring an equine charity that will provide the artists with five photos of their adoptable horses. The artists then will feature the horses in their art, with half of the proceeds going to the rescue. For more information on the project, go here: https://artofthehorse.wordpress.com/art-of-the-horse-facebook-group/aoth-saves-a-horse
In December, the group will donate proceeds to a charity that is helping equine victims of the California fires.
It’s never too soon to plan ahead, and excitement soon will be gearing up for the 2020 FEI World Cup finals in Las Vegas April15-19–especially since the show jumping/dressage combo it will be returning to its traditional home, the Thomas & Mack Center.
The 2020 finals for show jumping and dressage originally were going to be at the MGM Grand Hotel, because of space limitations at Thomas & Mack that wouldn’t permit all the dressage judges to be seated at the same level. But a $75 million renovation has changed that, and it will be nice to be in a familiar location. The finals have been held six times at Thomas & Mack, beginning in 2000, although dressage did not join the program until 2005.
The lack of “any realistic bids” for the 2022 FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2022, has led the international equestrian federation to open bids for individual world championships “with preference being given to multi-discipline bids.”
Instead of eight separate world championships, there are now seven, with dressage and para dressage being combined at the same venue. The championships are key for the Olympics disciplines and Para because they qualify countries for the Olympics and Paralympics.
Considering the problems involved in running a WEG, well-illustrated by the 2018 edition in September, it is surprising to note that FEI President Ingmar De Vos said the call for individual or multiple championships does not necessarily mean the end of the WEG, and the organization will consider WEG bids for 2022 and 2026, along with the individual/multi-discipline world championship bids.
Accepting a bid for WEG 2022, which seems unlikely to appear anyway, would be unwise because the winner couldn’t be awarded until November 2019, which would be less than three years before the Games. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
It’s time to be realistic and just scrap the WEG concept for 2022, focusing instead on the separate or multi-discipline world championships.
New Jersey riders and trainers made their mark at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, winning an array of championships and reserves across a wide range of divisions. The show at the Kentucky Horse Park drew an impressive 387 competitors from 42 states for a shot at $100,000 in prize money and end-of-season glory.
Bridget Hay, who breeds her own mounts at her Hunterdon County farm, took the Intermediate II Open Championship on Faolan, an Oldenburg stallion. Faolan (Freestyle x Wyoming by Weltstern) is the full brother of Bridget’s Fitzhessen, who sadly died young. Faolan has proven to be a worthy successor, who took his title with a score of 67.794 percent.
Bridget Hay on Faolan. (Photo copyright 2018 by Susan J. Stickle)
“We’re both new to this level and we’re still gaining experience, but he’s unflappable so the atmosphere wasn’t really a concern for me,” said Bridget.
“He tries his heart out in the ring, and I was thrilled with him. He gives me everything. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so much in a ride in my life. I just love this horse.”
Bridget’s close friend, Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, was a big winner. She earned the Intermediate II Adult Amateur division with a 69.069 percent on her 8-year old Hanoverian Candescent (Christ x Farina by Falkenstern II), then went on to take the Grand Prix Adult Amateur Championship (64.203 percent) with the mare.
“I’m thrilled, because she’s a young horse and the quality keeps getting better and better,” said Alice.
She bought Candescent with the idea of joining her friends who do show jumping, eventing and fox hunting. She was looking for a black horse with white socks, a favorite combination since her Somerset Hills Pony Club days with her quirky first horse, Licorice, who was marked that way. Candescent, who came out of the Hanoverian auction as a four-year-old, “she was quite sour when I got her and not so easy to ride,” she recalled.
“Then as we got going, it became clear she would be best as a dressage horse, so here we are. Even though it’s her first year at this level, so it’s still a work in progress, she does all the movements really well and now it’s just improving the transitions and consistency,” Alice said.
She rode different horses in the Third Level Adult Amateur Championship. Alice was champion with a mark of 75.043 percent on her seven-year-old Oldenburg mare,m Donatella M (Furstenball x Dorina by Jazz Time) and reserve at 74.017 percent with her six-year-old Dutch warmblood stallion, Harvest (Connaisseur x Naomi by Ulft).
Donatella started her day by taking offense to a Kentucky Horse Park police horse and got so upset she was rearing in the warmup.
“But then once she was in the ring, she was fine,” commented Alice. “Harvest is such an incredibly good boy and very different from Donatella. He’s like a computer: whatever you put in is what you get out. There’s nothing lost in translation. He’s so straightforward – you just kick, he grunts, and off he goes.”
Alice is an extremely well-educated amateur, who knows how to pick young horses and bring them along.
“When I look for a horse, I have a certain type and presence that I like, and I know it when I see it. Then I enjoy teaching them how to show off the brilliance that’s inside of them, and I do it by focusing on bringing out movement, not necessarily dwelling on correctness of technique. It may be a little different way of approaching things, but it works for me.”
Reserve in the Grand Prix Open Freestyle Championship went to veteran trainer Heather Mason of Lebanon with her 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Warsteiner (Riverman-ISF x Welona by Roemer) on 71.542 percent.
“He was super, I’m so happy with him,” Heather noted. “He’s just a lot of fun. His energy level was good – we did 22 one-tempi’s, and I stopped counting the two’s.”
Heather took the Intermediate I Open Championship with a score of 72.157 percent on her 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding Romantico SF (Romancero H x Wesermelodie by Wenzel I), a fighter who won a battle for his life.
“He was laid up for a year with an injury, and I only had about two rides on him when he went in for colic surgery the week after I returned home from last year’s Finals,” Mason remembered. “But amazingly, here we are. He’s not an easy horse, which is how I originally ended up with him for just $1. He’s back and better than ever.”
In addition, Romantico won the Prix St. Georges open with a score of 69.926.
Heather also owns homebred Nicene (Nimbus x Pamela by Portofino) ridden at the championships by Alexsandra Krossen of Basking Ridge. Alexsandra was there when the now-six-year-old Oldenburg mare was foaled, a relationship that has matured to great effect. She won the reserve championship in the Second Level Adult Amateur Freestyle with 69.533 percent, and the championship in the First Level Adult Amateur Freestyle with 72.700 percent.
Alexsandra Krossen on Nicene. (Photo by Jennifer Keeler)
“We’ve choreographed her freestyle to suit her strengths,” said Alexsandra.
“She was the first foal I ever saw born, but I never thought I’d ride her because she was not an easy baby. She is a chestnut mare in every sense of the word. But she is also a worker when you ride her and usually doesn’t put a foot wrong.”
The points Heather’s horses earned at the championships put her at the head of the class in the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Leading Dressage Owner standings—even in front of Betsy Juliano, who owns Adrienne Lyle’s FEI World Equestrian Games mount, Salvino, among her other horses.
Amy Gimbel of Tewksbury made a triumphant return to the championships with the U.S. bred mare, Eye Candy (UB-40 x Wednesday by Weltmeyer.)
“After Regionals two years ago, I was looking forward to coming back to the Finals after doing so well in both 2014 and 2015. But one day she came in from the field and wasn’t quite right. What we thought was cellulitis ended up being a much bigger issue, with a serious injury to her foot. We spent the winter hand-walking and she was laid up for eight months. It took so much time and patience, all the while wondering if she’d ever be able to come back. But here we are finally, and I feel so lucky to be here,” she said.
They won the Fourth Level Freestyle Adult Amateur Championship with 71.467 percent and also took reserve in the Fourth Level Adult Amateur Championship with 67.407 percent. “She can be a little sassy and sometimes I never know where that sass will come out, so we built our freestyle to allow for some flexibility,” Amy pointed out about the Dutch warmblood.
The horrendous fires in California have created life-threatening havoc for everyone, animals and humans alike. Help is badly needed to rescue, treat and relocate horses.
Meanwhile, Devon Maitozo,, head of the FACE vaulting club, is creating a fund to provide feed and veterinary support to horses affected by the fires, as well as support for the local trainers who have lost their place of business and are struggling to support horses and do business until they find a new home.
“I know so many who have been affected,” said Devon.
“FACE Vaulting Club (www.facevaulting.com) is also currently in need of a new location to operate, and in the wake of the current fire, this effort has become exponentially more difficult. Local ranches that were in consideration to be our potential new home have now been destroyed or cut off, and with access to our current location becoming very difficult, as well as continuing fire danger, we have had to halt all operations indefinitely. I am asking for help to not only support our horses in this very difficult transition, but to assist me in helping other horses and desperate horse trainers/owners who have been effected by this devastating fire storm.
“Any support from the equestrian community and horse lovers in general would be so appreciated,” he continued.
“My first payment will go to local feed suppliers to provide support to those in greatest need, as well as our local equine veterinarians to support their effort to treat horses injured by the fire and smoke.
“There have been numerous equine casualties in the wake of this fire, and I want to do my part to help prevent any more. I also want to ensure the continued top care for our two horses Maximillion and Corentine in our relocation efforts. Thank you for your help however big or small. It takes a village!”
Melanie Smith Taylor, who won a 1984 Olympic team gold medal on the famous Calypso, will be giving a clinic with Master Horsemanship Clinician Greg Eliel Nov. 16-18 at Bow Brickhill Stables in Milford.
Melanie Smith Taylor is an expert on groundwork as well as show jumping and flatwork. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The program, being presented by 3 Pillars Equestrian, will offer participants a chance to combine groundwork with flatwork and jumping.
Registration for the clinic is $650 per person, with those taking part having the choice of a cavaletti class during the morning and jumping in the afternoons each day. Spectator auditing is $25/day at the facility at476 Milford-Mt. Pleasant Road, Milford.
In addition to Melanie’s show jumping record, which included victories in such major competition as the American Gold Cup and the American Invitational, she also is an author and a broadcaster who has commentated on the Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Games.
In June, Greg Eliel [EE-lee-ul] co-founded 3 Pillars Equestrian, along with master horseman and clinician Peter Boglioli [Bo-yo-lee] and director/trainer Donna Vroom on Route 519 in Baptistown, Hunterdon County. For more information, go to 3pillarsequestrian.com, email 3pillarsequestrian@gmail.com or call 908-328-4999.
