by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 6, 2026
Sonja Keating, who serves as the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s chief operating officer and legal counsel, will be the organization’s new CEO after Bill Moroney retires Dec. 31.
“Our purpose is to serve members, protect horse welfare, and uphold fairness, safety, and enjoyment,” said Keating.
“Those responsibilities will guide every decision I make. There is important work ahead, and I am excited to get started.”
After Moroney announced his retirement in June, following more than 10 years at the organization’s helm, USEF hired a search firm to help with locating his replacement.
They didn’t have to look far to find Keating, who long has been working closely with Moroney in both her roles as COO and counsel.
Discussing the selection of Sonja, who joined USEF 20 years ago, USEF President Tom O’Mara noted, “More than 100 leaders from equestrian sport, other national governing bodies, membership organizations and the commercial world were considered.
“Every candidate, from inside the Federation or outside it, went through the same interviews, assessments and references. Sonja was the strongest fit against what the role demands and what you told us you need.”
However, some members who have been unhappy with USEF felt a selection should have been made outside the organization’s hierarchy, and thought those who pay dues were entitled to weigh in on the choice. Major concerns include a feeling that the base of the sport has been neglected, while the elite end gets the attention. A member of the executive team who had been in place for years was not the change for which they were looking.
On the other hand, “An outsider would spend the first year learning what Sonja already knows,” is a viewpoint from attorney Bonnie Navin, who has spent time representing her clients on the other side of the table from Keating. And a plus, as Navin noted about Keating, is that “she listens.”
Added Navin, “Do not assume that because Sonja has been inside USEF for 20 years, she believes everything USEF has done for 20 years was correct.”
Navin’s advice to USEF members about Keating: “Give her a chance.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 11, 2026
Parker Peacock led all the way through the Valencia Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Sunday, winning the title after more than nine hours of a competition that drew 155 entries.
Trained by Ken and Emily Smith and their team at Ashland Farms, she earned a score of 98 in the first round and never let go. Her 96 in the second round for the top 25 in Harrisburg gave her a 97 going into the final test for the top six, where she scored a 96. The North Carolinian ended with a total average of 96.5.
The runner-up in the 2025 edition of the class, Parker was fifth last weekend in the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East. A consistent performer who attends Auburn University, Parker first and foremost gave credit to her mount, Montverdi, who was named the Best Horse in the class.
“He was outstanding today and I am so glad I got to be his partner,” she said.
Parker Peacock and Montverdi. (U.S. Equestrian Photo)
“He deserves all the attention. He wants to win just as much as I do. Every time he goes out, he gives me 100 percent. There’s a reason he’s the barn favorite, and I couldn’t be more grateful for him.”
Discussing her strategy, she mentioned, “The part I was probably most proud of was the consistency. I came back on top going into the second round, and that was a lot of pressure for me. I knew I just needed to go in and have a consistent round and stay consistent through the test. That was my goal throughout the three rounds today.”
Reserve champion was Kaitlyn Linck on Don Touch de Tiji Z. She is trained by Stacia Madden and the team at Beacon Hill. It was a close competition: Kaitlyn’s final total was 96, just a half-point behind Parker.
“I am really proud of myself and my horse for staying consistent and not letting the pressure get to us,” she said. “It’s really special to ride a horse I’ve brought along and spend so much time with.”
The courses were designed by Kevin Holowack with judges Geoff Teall and Jennifer Bauersachs, who used the open numerical scoring system.
“We all worked together for a long time to develop these courses,” said Geoff.
“I think we built for the top level of this sport which is a little more than I’ve done in the past, but with the influx of 3’3” competitions, I felt I could challenge the athletes more. The course was difficult, but we saw some phenomenal rounds.”
The finalists had to do an exacting test that included a change to counter-canter after cantering the first and second fences, a halt before another canter and then a hand gallop to the last fence, among other requirements.
On Saturday at the show, a former Medal Finals winner, JJ Torano, took home the Turnham Green/USEF National Junior Jumper Championship. Aboard Vitus K, the 16-year-old was clear in all three phases. He also contributed to Zone 4’s win in the team competition, a week after he won the Talent Search.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 22, 2026
Do you have tack or horse-related items you no longer want? There is an opportunity in Hunterdon County, N.J., this autumn to motivate tidying your tackroom or closet by making donations of everything from saddles to equestrian collectables and riding clothes. Proceeds benefit an organization that offers therapy opportunities with horses.
Mane Stream, a leading provider of adaptive riding and therapy services, will hold its tack sale at 83 Old Turnpike Rd., Oldwick. It runs from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 21.
Donations of new or gently used tack, riding gear, and equestrian-themed items are welcome. That includes not only bridles, saddles, blankets, tack boxes and outgrown boots and breeches, but also unique items such as equestrian jewelry, horse models or knick-knacks.
Proceeds benefit Mane Stream’s programs, including adaptive riding, therapy services that include counseling, summer camp, and also specialized initiatives, such as “Horses for Healing: Cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.”
Support for Mane Stream helps provide transformative experiences for children and adults with physical, developmental, emotional, and medical challenges.
Drop donated items at Mane Stream during office hours Mondays through Fridays. Pick-up of large donations is available upon request.
For questions or to coordinate a donation, contact Rachel Doyle at rachel@manstreamnj.org or call 908-439-9636. Visit www.ManeStreamNJ.org to learn more.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 10, 2026
Will Coleman, who had to settle for second in the 2025 debut of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Open Eventing Final, moved up on Saturday from seventh after the dressage phase to first on Off the Record, as he seeks to gain the title that eluded him last year.
He finished the 26-fence cross-country course fault-free and will defend his lead Sunday in the show jumping finale, the segment where a rail down cost him the victory 12 months ago at Morven Park.
Will Coleman heads the leaderboard with Off the Record at the USEF Open of Eventing. (USEF Photo)
Will has only a 0.3-penalty lead over second-place Isabelle Bosley and Conner. Both riders finished the 4-star Long cross-country on their dressage scores, 28.6 and 28.9 respectively.
The leader after dressage at the Virginia venue, Californian Tamie Smith on Danito, had a runout at the challengingly angled fourth element of fence 9, the leaf pit, and retired at fence 22. Sharon White on Claus 63, second after dressage, collected 4.8 time penalties to sit third on a score of 30.8. Last year’s winner, Boyd Martin, who rode Miks Master C in 2025, stands nineteenth this time around with Luke 140 (71.1) after a runout at the same obstacle on the course as Tamie.
Will called Timmy, as his 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse is known around the barn, “A really awesome horse, he’s like a member of our family at this point. You can’t sometimes measure a horse by how well they move or how well they jump. Sometimes, it’s something deeper, and he has a lot of that.”
Will Coleman and Off the Record
The rider felt his mount “knew the track.”
When the combination started out on the course designed by Derek DiGazia, Will said, “I felt pretty comfortable once I got out there. We know each other so well. It’s pretty similar to last year, he was reading the questions well.”
His longtime equine partner is “not the best galloper,” but Timmy is fit thanks in great part to his veterinarian, Tim Ober, and the team at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.
“We’re in a good spot with him conditioning-wise,” Will said.
He gave major credit ot his wife, Katie, saying she “is kind of the foundation of everything we do. My wife is an amazing horsewoman.” He also offered kudos to Erin Jarboe, his head groom, and others on his team.
“My success, as much as anything, is about their expertise,” he emphasized.
Will was fourth individually at last summer’s world championships, where he rode Diabolo on the fourth-place U.S. team. Off the Record was the reserve horse for that competition.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 4, 2026
A new era in the 43-year history of the Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals began this weekend.
The “Final Four,” in which the top quartet of competitors would jump a course on their own mounts and then with each of the other riders’ horses, has been scrapped. That development followed the lead of the World Show Jumping Championships, which originated the concept, then considered it outmoded after the 2014 World Equestrian Games.
Instead, the top 10 riders from the Talent Search East field of 33 — winnowed out over two days by flat work, gymnastics and a show jumping round –came back on their own horses for a final test over a new route. That segment was ridden and judged similarly to a jump-off, with a time allowed and points for rollbacks, leaving out strides and similar strategies.
It enabled the judges/course designers, Olympic medalist Chris Kappler and rider/trainer Michael Tokaruk, to place the riders with the goal of the class in mind, as a step toward preparing team prospects who can someday represent the U.S. in international competition.
If there had been betting on the class at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, N.J., the odds-on favorite would have been JJ Torano. And the 16-year-old superstar didn’t disappoint.
JJ Torano with his parents, Jimmy and Danielle Torano, Missy Clark, John Brennan, Maggie Gamfer, Eleanor Rudnicki and judges Michael Tokaruk and Chris Kappler.
Although going into the final round he enjoyed a big lead, which was compared to having a fence in hand, JJ didn’t have the top score in each round on Oak Grove’s Carlyle.
Adriana Forte of New York on Commander Bond earned the winning mark of 95 in the first two phases, while JJ was one point behind in both the flat and gymnastics segments. That put Adriana 2.5 points ahead of him going into Sunday morning’s jumping. But after that segment, JJ soared with the top mark of 94, while Adriana had a rail down to earn 85.5. He went into the final segment with a total score of 423 after a multiplier was applied, while she had 408.5.
Talent Search runner-up Adriana Forte at the water.
Team members need to exercise judgment and restraint when they’re competing to represent their country. JJ demonstrated those qualities by not going all out in the final phase. There was no need to.
“I didn’t totally want to take all chances,” explained JJ, a Florida resident who competed in the Young Riders classes at Aachen during the summer. So he went easy on the speed and rollbacks with his mount, a former 5-star jumper. He wound up on a score of 87 for that phase, which was won by Parker Peacock with 94. But his total for the competition was 597, to Adriana’s 584.5. Third went to Baylee Rowan of Rhode Island, with 580.75. She also won the Hollow Brook Wealth Management Sportsmanship Award, and her mount, Watermelon, took the Grappa award as the Best Horse of the final.
Baylee Rowan and Grappa Award winner Watermelon.
It was JJ’s third time competing in the Talent Search.
“The first year, to be honest, I felt a little bit like a fish out of water here,” he recalled.
“I was a little bit overwhelmed,” noted JJ, who finished fourth that time.
Having already won a series of championships, including the USEF Medal and ASPCA Maclay, there’s little left for him to do on the equitation roster. All that’s left is the Washington International class this month. Then, he said, it will be time for him to focus entirely on the jumpers.
But the Talent Search (which is far more jumper-oriented than focused on equitation) is a major milestone.
“It’s definitely a good feeling knowing that people like McLain (Ward), who have represented the U.S. on the biggest stage, have won this final. So I hope to make it there one day,” he said.
JJ Torano in action.
JJ, the son of rider/trainers Jimmy and Danielle Torano, had lots of support. He is trained by the team from North Run, which includes Missy Clark; her husband, John Brennan and Maggie Gampfer.
“What he’s accomplished at his age is, I’d say, fairly unparalleled,” said Missy. In addition, she cited, “The fact that he’s able to play ball and beat the big boys when he goes in the jumper ring.”
Missy, who also co-trained last year’s winner, Eleanor Rudnicki, appreciates the changed Talent Search format.
“We’re in a new world, 2026. It’s a new era. Horses are very very valuable,” she said, citing one reason why a catch riding competition is no longer viable.
“I think the format was very good, especially for this event. It’s about jumper riding, it’s not hunter seat equitation. That mindset is not applicable to this. The new format will accentuate that even a little more. Some people could have rolled their dice a little more heavily, some played it a little safe because they were thinking equitation,” she noted, critiquing the final phase.
Judge Michael noted, “A nice part of this weekend was you could see some good progression, even if there’s still some mistakes. I think overall the riders and horses are better now than they were before they started.”
One fan of the new format is Peter Wylde, who coached eighth-place Eleanor Pieters (Eleanor’s grandfather, Joe Dotoli, had been Peter’s trainer).
Peter actually rode in the Final Four at the 2002 WEG, where he earned individual bronze, but doesn’t see the Final Four concept as “applicable.”
What’s important, he explained, is “The work that you do with your horse.”
He called all the riders in the top 10 “amazing. You can see these kids representing the U.S. in the future. These are good riders. We should be proud as a country that we have this talent that can ride as sophisticated as is asked for them to ride.”
And there’s more! The West Coast segment of the Talent Search will be held in California this December with the same judges.
Click on this link for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 9, 2026
Tamie Smith and her long-time partner, Danito, took the lead with 22.8 penalties when the dressage phase wrapped up Friday at the U.S. Equestrian Open Eventing Final, enjoying an edge of more than 4 penalties over second-place Sharon White and Claus 63 (26 penalties) in the competition at Morven Park. Just 0.4 penalties behind Sharon was Alyssa Phillips and Rockett 19 in third.
Tamie explained the connection she enjoys with her horse.
“We have such a long-standing partnership, so I kind of know what to expect,” she noted, adding that she always feels sure of Danito heading into the dressage — even if the Hanoverian takes a moment or two to adjust.
“He actually got into the ring and got a little spicy, and I had to back off,” Tamie mentioned.
“My first couple of movements weren’t what I really loved.” she observed, but commented, “After a couple of movements, he just sunk in and felt really great. So I’m really pleased with him.”
World number two-ranked rider Boyd Martin, who won the inaugural U.S. Open in 2025 with Miks Master C, stands sixth on Luke 140 (28.3) in the 4-star Long, which drew a field of 35 to the Virginia venue. Last year’s runner-up, Will Coleman –now world number three- is in seventh place with Off the Record. He’s right behind Boyd, with 28.6 penalties.
The event is a culmination of 20 qualifiers across the country, where contenders vied for a chance to ride for $200,000 in prize money this weekend. Tamie was the series winner. They all start out over Derek DiGrazia’s cross-country course Saturday morning.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 4, 2026
The U.S. team at the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona missed the podium Sunday, but two veterans were able to produce double-clears, while two less-experienced riders earned valuable experience.
“I’m never too excited about being fourth,” sighed coach Robert Ridland.
“I’d rather be fortieth. Fourth means you just missed the podium by one slot. We managed to do that in Aachen (August’s world championships) as well.”
In Spain, history also repeated itself for Germany, which won the world championship and now has taken the LLN title as well.
“Germany is the gold standard,” said Robert, and who could argue with that?
But it did come down to a jump-off, after Germany and Brazil each ended up with 4-penalty totals after two rounds. Germany’s 4 surprisingly came from European Champion Richie Vogel on the lovely Cloudio, who toppled a rail in the second round at the ninth of 12 fences, the oxer decorated with horse head cutouts.
That tied Germany with the ever-improving Brazil, a country I cited as on the rise before the world championships.
Brazil selected 53-year-old Rodrigo Pessoa as its representative. He had a rail at the first fence in the first round, and did the same thing in the tiebreaker.
Richie was back in the ring for the jump-off with Cloudio and didn’t make the same mistake twice. Knowing he had some breathing room because of Rodrigo’s rail, Richie was fast enough, but not at the expense of being careful. His 40.85 clocking was a bit slower than Rodrigo’s 39.48, but he was fault-free.
“Rodrigo has so much experience, a real living legend in the saddle,” mused Richie, 29.
“Unfortunately for him, the first fence came down, so that made my job a little bit easier, but there was still enough pressure to bring it home, especially after I gave it away once.”
Cloudio received the Best Horse award, presented to the horse with the most clear rounds across the qualifying legs. The gorgeous stallion, whose name reflects his gray color, is owned by Vogel and Will Equestrian GmbH.
Richie Vogel and Cloudio after clinching the LLN win.
“Cloudio jumped fantastic, not only this week but all season,” Richie said.
“He’s been the most successful horse of this League, so I think if someone deserves this win, it’s Cloudio.”
Interesting to note that while Barcelona in 1992 was Rodrigo’s first Olympics, Richie would not even be born until five years later.
Third place went to European champion Belgium, always a contender. The Belgians collected 5 penalties. If Abdel Said had not had a time penalty in the first round for exceeding the 71-second time allowed over Santiago Varela’s course, it would have been a three-way jump-off.
The U.S. was farther behind with 12 penalties. Laura Kraut (Tres Bien) and McLain Ward (Jordan Molga M) were among the nine double-clears in the class, but the other half of the team was far less experienced.
“He was totally with me the whole way,” said Laura, the pathfinder for the team, noting it was a thrilling experience to handle the huge jumps with her horse.
“The way he did it was just class,” she commented about the mount that Great Britain’s Tim Gredley had brought to the 2-star level before she started riding him.
Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Jireh had the plank down at the 1.6 meter vertical, the sixth fence, and collected a time penalty as well. It was Kristen’s first time on a team.
McKayla Langmeier, who has very limited team experience, moved a block on the tape at the water in the first round with the 9-year-old Riseling van de Gaathoeve. In the second round, she had a knockdown at the B element of the Beach Bar double and then a rail at the 1.62 meter Longines vertical near the end of the course.
Paris Sellon originally was on the team, but after the Saint-Tropez qualifier where the U.S. made the cut for the final, her horse was “a little off,” Robert said.
With just a week before the Final, the U.S. had a problem. So Robert called McLain Ward to ask if he knew anyone who could fill the slot. He didn’t ask McLain to make the trip, noting if McLain couldn’t find anyone, the U.S. would have gone with a team of three and no drop score in the first round.
But “McLain was great. He texted me at 11 o’clock at night and said `I’m coming,’ ” Robert commented.
The Germans understandably were enjoying another triumph.
“Teamwork makes the dream work, and this team did it again,” Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker reflected. “All four riders delivered super rounds today, and I’m happy that in the end Richie could make it in the jump-off.
“To win the Longines League of Nations again after the World Championship in Aachen is a great feeling. This team really deserved it, and I’m really, really happy.” Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 3, 2026
As the cost of grain rises (along with so much else), some horse owners are relying more on hay to feed their animals.
While bags of feed carry nutritional information, the hay you buy does not come with such a message. That means you have questions about the nutrition provided by the hay you’re feeding, whether you’ve bought it or produced it yourself.
Somerset Grain & Feed, 224B East Mill Rd., in Long Valley, N.J., is offering answers to those questions, including the percentages of such elements as protein and sugar in the hay your horse is eating. Such information is particularly important for those who are feeding horses with metabolic problems.
On Oct. 10, from 10 a.m.-noon, the store is presenting “Coffee and Carbs,” an opportunity to get a quart-sized bag of your hay analyzed by Nutrena. There is no charge for participating, with free coffee and donuts as part of the deal.
Those who are not able to come that day can just drop off the hay in a ziplock bag by Oct.8. Anyone who does that will receive an email with the results. Advance registration is required at https://learn.nutrena.com/nutrena-pre-event-hay-form.
Somerset Grain can be reached at (908) 766-0204 or somersetgrainandfeed@gmail.com.
The store, which moved from Bernardsville to Long Valley in 2025, is run by Jesse and Brianna Milesnick. Tom Milesnick, Jesse’s father, put in 45 years there and as of last week is no longer working full-time. But he will come in a couple of times a week to help out.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 2, 2026
British rider Jessica Mendoza won her second class of the Barcelona show Friday, taking the $349,000 5-star grand prix with In the Air.
In the Air was timed in 46.94 seconds for a fault-free trip as the top 12 in the class of 37 entries faced off for the final round. Second was Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa on Major Tom in 47.06. The 1.60-meter route was laid out under the lights by Spanish designer Santiago Varela and his team.
“It got a little hairy out there to be honest,” said Jessica before the prize-giving ceremony. Of In the Air, the U.S.-based rider declared, “She’s the best horse I probably ever had and ever will have.”
On Thursday, Jessica and In the Air won another 5-star grand prix, this time taking the Estrella Damm trophy for a 1.50 meter test. The mare is owned by Jessica in conjunction with U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Chairman, President and CEO Kristi Mitchem, Georgia Kipp, Melissa Skowlund and Pernilla Amman.
The highlight of the show is Sunday’s final of the Longines League of Nations series, for which there were four qualifiers during the season. Jessica, who is married to U.S. show jumper Nick Dello Joio, will ride Summerhouse in that class for the British team, which is the defending champion. She calls 11–year-old Summerhouse In the Air’s “brother,” even though they have different sires and the mare is a KWPN and Summerhouse is a Zangersheide. But both are out of the same mare, Selva by Indoctro, which makes Summerhouse 13-year-old In the Air’s half-brother. They were purchased together on the same day at the same location.
Click here for results of the Barcelona Grand Prix.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 1, 2026
“Sportainment.”
Maybe you don’t recognize that word, but the definition is simple: a marriage of sport and entertainment.
It’s a perfect designation for the Far Hills, N.J., Race Meeting, which combines high-level steeplechase competition with tailgating, major hospitality offerings and shopping at scenic Moorland Farm Oct. 17. (Click here for a link.)
It’s a fun time all around, drawing more than 22,000 people to the borough of less than 1,000 residents in its 4.8 square miles. Even better is the fact that local charities are the beneficiaries.
The event is more than a century old. Its roots were in the 1914 debut of the Farmer’s Day Race Meeting, started as a low-key informal affair organized by the Essex Fox Hounds to thank area landowners for allowing the hunt to gallop across their property.
It has grown into a nationally televised fixture featuring the cream of the steeplechase crop, with horses coming from Ireland and Great Britain to test their luck against the best U.S. contenders.
Featured is the $300,000 (up from $250,000 last year) Grade 1 American Grand National Hurdle Stakes, a demanding 2-mile, 5-furlong test over national fences.
Spectator interest is such that organizers had to find new areas on the scenic property where they could erect tents, opening up areas on the back stretch and near the homestretch.
Covid in 2000 was a demarcation point for the race meeting, as it was for so much else in the world. The event took the year off, due to restrictions from the state involving how many people were permitted to attend.
Prior to the pandemic, attendance could go as high as 50,000 or so, and there were episodes of rowdiness from young people who saw it as an occasion to drink heavily while they partied in the infield.
“It was not an event we were really proud of as pertained to the infield,” said Guy Torsilieri, who co-chairs the race meeting with Ron Kennedy.
“We took a long look at ourselves and turned the Queen Mary around. Covid opened up our eyes. We were running in the red before Covid.”
After that year’s pause, when the meet returned in 2021, “We redirected what we wanted to do and what we wanted to accomplish. Our goal is to have world class steeplechase racing and continue to support all our local charities,” Guy commented.
Attendance-wise, he said the “sweet spot” would be about 30,000, and no more. A larger meet “became unmanageable at many levels,” he explained.
“It put too much stress on the town and surrounding towns. We made a conscious decision to redirect our efforts into multiple avenues. We have had a nice 10 percent growth year after year since Covid.”
Massive planning is required, with copious notes and maps involved, along with the efforts of employees Michelle Basto and Michele Oswald. The pressure is always on.
“We only do this once a year. If you make a mistake, you can’t fix it next day; you have to wait 364 days to fix it,” the co-chairman pointed out.
Steeplechasing brings excitement to the countryside.
Now it’s “quality over quantity,” and the traffic situation, once a massive tangle, is improving.
A number of management updates have helped.
“We don’t mail out tickets,” Guy mentioned, noting that sending tickets to spectators’ phones instead is a money-saver, paying off for the event’s beneficiaries.
However, to improve traffic flow, he advises people to print tickets at home before they come, saving time instead of fumbling through their phones as they enter. An inducement is an express line for those with printed tickets.
The races used to have live tellers for parimutuel betting.
“It was costing us a fortune to have live tellers and set up machines,” he said.
Now all wagering is via phones and laptops. NYRA Bets has joined 4NJBets. For the latter, a bettor has to be in New Jersey, but now the bettors from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and elsewhere can place wagers, which led the race meeting to expect “a huge increase” in betting. And it already was three times the betting at a Giants football game.
However, even though organizers are working with Verizon to increase internet capacity, it is not enough to download the betting apps on site, so racegoers should do that at home before the races.
Steeplechasing is growing in multiple areas of the country. Before Covid, total U.S. purses were $4 million; last year, the figure rose to $7 million. Far Hills attracts European trainers who are very successful. They bring groups of horse owners with them who contribute to the economy during their stay, attending Broadway shows, going to restaurants and booking hotel rooms.
But financially, the race meeting’s most important benefit is to its charities, which have received $22 million so far. The charities include the RWJ Steeplechase Cancer Center/RWJBarnabas Health; Crossroads4Hope network of cancer support, Bonnie Brae, CIC for Prevention and Recovery and the Life Camp.
What sporting event would be complete without branded merchandise?
This year, for the first time, Barstool Sports is offering The Hunt X Barstool collection of hats, T-shirts, hoodies, etc. They are emblazoned either with The Hunt or Far Hills Race Meeting lettering.
The races no longer have anything to do with the hunt; the Essex Fox Hounds Race Meeting Association became the Far Hills Race Meeting Association in 1984. But the nickname stems from the fact that those in the know called them “the hunt races” because of the Essex Fox Hounds link.
There was a time when just a few thousand people who knew each other would show up at the races wearing tweed to cheer on their own horses and those belonging to their friends. We’re talking decades ago. It all changed in the 1970s, when organizers got the idea of promoting it as “Family Day in the Country,” which brought in people who weren’t from the Somerset Hills.
A flag of the old Essex Foxhounds Race Meeting Association with historian Barry Thomson, former Essex joint master Jazz Johnson, new joint master Rose Biedron and Far Hills co-chair Guy Torsilieri.
“For years,” Guy recalled, “I would work to not call it `The Hunt’.”
But in that regard, he was fighting “all the social media and all the kids. I gave up: Call it the races, call it The Hunt. It’s called both. I chose to take the high road and let it happen.”
He’s busy looking at the big picture.
“I’m just thrilled with where we are, how we got there and where we’re going,” Guy emphasized.
