What do you do on the first day of your eventing competition, when downpour after downpour has drenched the venue that was groomed to perfection by months of intensive work, and the ground so soggy it’s positively squishy?
That was the problem facing the MARS Essex Horse Trials organizers Ralph Jones, Morgan Rowsell and their team this morning at Moorland Farm in Far Hills.
They took action, consulted with riders, made safety and horse welfare their first considerations,
and cancelled competition for the day.
Then they figured out how to shoehorn the Advanced division dressage and show jumping into Saturday’s schedule, which now starts with dressage at 7:30 a.m., and moved the Advanced cross-country into Sunday (starting at 8 a.m.)
Meanwhile, sunshine and a stiff breeze was drying out the footing, which should shape up nicely at the home of the Far Hills Race Meeting. The classic car show that was set for Saturday was moved until Sunday, and everything is a go.
The course is beautiful, especially the water complex, where tailgaters will be able to see all the action while enjoying their buffets.
I talked about the situation with Morgan, who is the cross-country course designer. Listen to what he had to say after we walked the course with him and dozens of other people.
Everyone was on hand for a VIP cocktail party that was supposed to be held while the Advanced show jumping was running. But the Essex Foxhounds filled the gap admirably at short notice with a brief exhibition that was enjoyed by the crowd.
Essex, which ran as a 2-star until 1998, was revived in 2017 after a 19-year absence from the scene. In just three years, it has attracted a following.
The addition of an Advanced division this year has drawn a host of prominent riders, including Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton, Will Coleman and last year’s Preliminary winner, Ryan Wood. There are lots of other competitors you’d recognize too.
It makes for a great day out in the country, with shopping in a vendor village and activities for children to fill in the gaps for those who want a break from the horses. Go to www.essexhorsetrials.org for details. Come back to www.nancyjaffer.com every night for an Essex update.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
“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
There were plenty of exciting moments on the Mark Phillips-designed cross-country course today at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, but for sheer survival skills, no one could beat Fylicia Barr ‘s determination to stay out of the water at the Jersey Shore complex.
Hannah Sue Burnett, the rider who went before Fylicia in the CCI 4-star Long at the Horse Park of New Jersey, got a dunking when Lukeswell had trouble clearing the third element of a combination and she came unseated.
Fylicia also ran into trouble there with Galloway Sunrise, as you can see in this photo.
But Fylicia, a professional from Pennsylvania, hung on, righted herself to a chorus of cheers from tailgating spectators and galloped on for a double-clear that moved her up to first from a dressage score that put her fourth in the first phase of the competition yesterday.
What makes it even better is the fact that Fylicia found the mare through Craigslist. She had a $1,000 budget, but only had to pay an economical $500 for a feral backyard-bred thoroughbred/paint cross who kicked Fylicia upon being introduced to her new owner.
“We treated her like a mustang,” said Fylicia, explaining how the mare was tamed.
David O’Connor, the former U.S. eventing coach who has worked with Hannah Sue for years, said the problem several riders had at the trouble spot was that their horses didn’t see the C-element of the brush combo. He noted competitors eventually figured out how to handle the challenge after watching a few riders go.The key was swinging a bit wide so their horse could get a bead on the obstacle and a better approach, David told me.
In case you’re wondering, “What the heck is the 4-star Long?” here’s the deal. The FEI (international equestrian federation) this year renamed all the event categories. So the 4-star Land Rover Kentucky became a 5-star. The change aligns eventing with the other Olympic disciplines, show jumping and dressage, for which the 5-stars are the top of their games. So the 3-stars you know and loved are now 4-stars, the 2-stars are 3-stars. Everyone got a promotion.
And instead of CCI or CIC, the categories are dubbed CCI Long or Short. Okay?
The Jersey Fresh 4-star Long (CCI4-L) ends Sunday with show jumping. Fylicia has a rail in hand (34.4 penalties) over Arden Wildasin and Il Vici (39.2).The 3-star Long (CCI3-L) also has show jumping Sunday. Today, Lynn Symansky kept her lead from dressage with a score of 27.2 penalties on RF Cool Play.
Right behind her is Doug Payne with Starr Witness ( 30.1). Doug’s name was seen most often today at the top of the standings. He also was fourth on Cascor in the 3-L and third with Quantum Leap (40.1) behind Arden in the 4-L.
The 3- and 4-star Short competitions wrapped up today. Will Coleman topped the 4-star with Off the Record (38.30) over Alexndra Knowles and Sound Prospect 42.20).
The 3-star was exciting because Boyd Martin, who led through dressage and show jumping with Luke 140 picked up 5.2 time penalties. Since the horse is a new mount, he didn’t want to push him for speed.
So Boyd’s lead was threatened by Dana Cooke (FE Mississippi), who knew what she had to do to win, but said, “I wasn’t planning to go for time.” She noted, however, her mare goes better “if I ride her a little more forward.”
When she crossed the finish line, Dana looked down at her watch and found she was smack on the 6-minute, 6-second optimum time. Dana, a Canadian who lives in North Carolina, won by 0.7 penalties. It’s no accident that her mare’s nickname is Miss Perfect.
Jersey Fresh, which has too often been unlucky weather-wise on cross-country day, had sunshine, perfect footing and comfy temps in the 60s. It was a welcome reward for 17 years of hard work by never-daunted organizers and volunteers.
Come back tomorrow night to read about the final results in the CCI Long competitions.
The Junior Essex Troop’s Garden State Horse Show got a makeover with its move this spring to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, going to one ring from the eight it utilized in its former location at the Sussex County Fairgrounds.
It’s the same scenario as the Monmouth County Horse Show followed when it came to Gladstone from the Horse Park of New Jersey in 2016. The common denominator of Garden State and Monmouth is manager Tucker Ericson, a respected judge, a sharp organizer and one heck of a bartender.
He’ll pitch in anywhere, but he realizes the importance of hospitality, so when we talked yesterday, he was mixing up Margaritas in the VIP tent.
Tucker noted that about 50 percent of the exhibitors who came to the nine-day show, which ends today, are different from those riding at Monmouth at the Team, which only has a B rating on several days, because Garden State has a double-A rating for hunters and level 4 jumpers that are highlighted by a $25,000 grand prix.
Many of those who came for Garden State were so enthused by the location that Tucker noted the historic main barn already has been sold out for Monmouth at the Team in August. Garden State is “a nice complement” to the other show, and introduced people to the USET Foundation facility at the same time, Tucker observed.
“We have a lot of exhibitors who were waiting a year to see how successful this would be, if we could pull this off, and I think we’ll get a lot of those people back next year,” he commented..
“I think the trainers have been impressed that we can push through so many trips in a day in this ring, because we have no conflicts, we have posted orders and everyone cooperates.” While Garden State had 475 horses last year with the multiple rings, the show should be approaching that number in Gladstone as it wraps up this afternoon.
“There’s great energy with the entire show watching one ring that it keeps moving. It is challenging to keep everyone happy, but what was nice was a couple of exhibitors said their trainers give them more quality attention because they don’t have to run from ring to ring,” said Tucker.
“When any rider isn’t showing, they’re in hospitality cheering on their fellow teammates from their barn.The support from the sponsors has been tremendous, along with trainers rallying their barns to get hospitality,” Tucker pointed out.
“A one-ring horse show is very hard to break even, if not for the sponsors and the trainers supporting hospitality, then these shows can’t exist. It’s critical for that support to pull this off.”
Yesterday afternoon’s feature was the $25,000 EquiJet Grand Prix, which drew 19 starters over the course laid out by Ohio designer Joseph Carnicom, with five coming back for the jump-off. Although there were several professionals in the class, the winner was a junior rider, 17-year-old Randolph High School senior Carley McInerney. Aboard Cortina 200 in her second grand prix, she was clocked in 42.006 by taking advantage of a tight rollback, just ahead of amateur rider Sima Morgello on Azur Van Overis Z (42.480).
Carley, who showed at Garden State when it was in Sussex, said about the show’s new identity, “I love this ring and the property is awesome.”
Of her 13-year-old Holsteiner, Carley noted, “She’s incredibly talented. I couldn’t ask for a better mare. She just tries her heart out every time and I’m so lucky to have her.”
It was the first grand prix for Sima’s mount.
“I typically keep him in the medium amateurs to keep him confident and tonight was the first time I have ever asked for him to compete a course that size,” she said.
“It just felt right; he has produced fantastic results the last two weeks because he was also second, third, and fourth at the Longines Masters last week.”
“I thought the course was fantastic and riding at this facility is always such a pleasure,” she added. “I’ve started grooming for myself, so it was a busy day, but luckily for me it is close to home and it’s always a show I enjoy.”
Bastian Schroeder of EquiJet said he likes the new location for Garden State, which his company had also sponsored when it was in Sussex.
“I think this is a good move, because the setting is great, the footing is perfect. The venue deserves a good horse show,” he commented.
The Junior Essex Troop was a military-style organization for boys that had its own farm in West Orange. The boys took care of the horses and developed a camaraderie that has lasted for decades. Though the organization itself has long since disbanded, the bonds that troopers shared are unbreakable.
The show was a feature of the troop year. After the farm was sold in 1983, the show moved to Chubb Park in Chester and then to the Sussex fairgrounds in 1987, where it became New Jersey’s largest show.
It provides a reunion opportunity for the former troopers, who worked tirelessly for decades to stage it. But handling everything was getting harder as the men got older, and things are different with Tucker and his crew overseeing things.
The former troopers are “sitting outside the ring now, relaxing, realizing they can actually enjoy their show and take a deep breath and watch people having fun and seeing how the facility creates the event for them,” said Tucker.
“I think it’s the best thing we’ve ever done,” said John Walker, a former trooper and show committee member.
“I’m thrilled we have a bunch of amazing people working with us. It’s been nothing but smooth. I think we needed to make this move for the prestige of the show,” said John.
“I think people like the panache of a boutique show where you’re not just a number.”
Allan Spina of Long Valley, who was a trooper from 1970 to 1979, said “I love the show here. The ambience is amazing and it’s setting the bar much higher than we used to in the past. I think it’s a much better experience for everyone.”
“It’s a different pace, a higher quality and it’s just wonderful. The footing here is just tremendous. It was time to make a change,” said Rodney Seelig, the show’s chairman.
Former manager Tim Cleary agreed.
“I think it was the right move at the right time. Tucker and the Team with all the troopers have done a great job.
Exhibitor Katy Merchant, 17, of Branchburg, has a special feeling for Garden State.
“I grew up competing at Garden State in Sussex, from a very young age. It was my favorite horse show because we’d stay in campers,” she reminisced.
While Katy said the show at the USET Foundation “It’s true to the feeling” she had in Sussex, “it’s much different and I think it’s really going to be successful. I loved it. To have the horses stay in this barn is such an honor. The elevated vibe of it is a good thing.”
Oliver Townend, the world’s number one-ranked event rider, remained on top of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event standings today after cross-country, but how long will he be there? The 2018 Kentucky winner and Cooley Master Class don’t have a room for a mistake in Sunday’s stadium jumping phase.
While the crowd at the Kentucky Horse Park seems to love all the riders and cheers for them, Oli got the most applause when he appeared in the dressage arena on Friday. But I’m guessing that the audience will be a little more partisan in the final segment, because Boyd Martin is just 2.6 penalties behind Oli, and has a real chance to become the first American winner of the 5-star event since his buddy, Phillip Dutton, did it in 2008.
The fans here are living their dream, and they can’t get enough of this event. They swarm riders at autograph sessions and love watching them warm-up, when they aren’t buying souvenirs in the trade fair. Boyd is one of their special faves, so it was good news for them when he and Tsetserleg moved up from third after dressage with rip-roaring trip over designer Derek di Grazia’s course. Boyd and Phillip, who stands fourth with Z, accounted for two of the three double-clears (jumping and time) among the 31 starters who finished a route that required them to prepare and think every stride of the way.
The other fault-free rider was New Zealand’s Tim Price on Xavier Faer, and as last fall’s Burghley winner in England, he is going for the Rolex Grand Slam. All he has to do to win the $350,000 bonus is finish first here and at Badminton in England next week. Nothing much. Oli went for it in 2018, but faltered at Badminton and didn’t take the prize, which has only been claimed twice, by Pippa Funnell and Michael Jung.
Since a toppled rail counts for four penalties, you can see that Oli doesn’t have anything to play with in the Rolex Stadium. And Boyd also has to stay alert, because Tim is just three penalties behind him and only 0.8 penalties ahead of Phillip.
You probably could have figured those four would be the ones to catch, but the route’s technicality made everything uncertain.
“I thought the course walked a bit easy this year,” Boyd recounted, “and I was very, very surprised when there was so much trouble and I quickly realized how wrong I was, that this quite a tough course.
Recognition of the situation actually came early for the crowd of 34,889 who watched along the 28-fence route. The first three on course, Islandwood Captain Jack with Caroline Martin, Park Trader with Buck Davidson and DeNiro Z with Liz Halliday Sharp all were eliminated by falls.
Caroline and Buck both fell at 20B, the 3-foot, 9-inch high Normandy Bank; she was too sore to ride her next horse, and Buck broke his collarbone, then scratched his other two mounts. Liz, who had been tied for fifth after dressage, had her tumble at the third fence, the 3-11 high Turning Oxer.
Oli coped when Coolio lost a shoe, but the rider was very conscious of that, and the fact that it presented a challenge of not slipping on the grass.
“It made me a touch more conservative than I normally am,” he said, and it was reflected in the 1.2 time penalties he collected. But he described his horse as keen, enjoying himself with his “ears pricked all the way.” Noted Oli, “A little bit I felt he was more in control than I was. He was definitely up for it.”
Boyd was true to form with his black Trakehner, saying he felt “we’re a bit more a partnership” than they were last year.
“Throughout the course, he kept trying and trying and trying and never looked for a way out.”
Then he offered a typical amusing anecdote: “I was stabled next to Phillip Dutton and we were sort of egging each other on to see who is going to do the Normandy Bank (the straight way). I wasn’t sure he was going to do it and then when I heard the commentator say he did it while I was warming up, I thought, “Aww, I have to do it now, because I’ll look like a big wimp if I go around. That could have seriously backfired.”
Tim knew the course would be tough, but was proud of his mount, who also lost a shoe.
“I was really pleased with my horse. He threw himself over everything and stayed upright in all the important places,” said Tim, who noted he will have to “repackage” Xavier Faer after the horse inspection to get him ready for the stadium jumping.
The course designer has done all he can do once the event starts. As the problems arise, he can only hope the next competitor will go clear.
“As it turned out, all the jumps got jumped because a lot of people opted to take some of the longer routes, which is good,” said Derek.
“There were some more technical things than there were last year. For the most part, the jumps worked in the way I thought they would. And I think that with a lot of the combinations there was a variation on different strides between the obstacles and the riders used all of them.”
He noted at the iconic Head of the Lake water complex, the riders had to work harder than he thought they would have to after jumping into the water over a brush and heading toward a step out of the lake. After that, they bounced over a thick brush with a tiny slot for the horse to pass through, and that led to three refusals there, two riders who re-routed to go the long way and several near-misses.
So the stage is set for an exciting confrontation in a change of venue, from the grass to the all-weather footing in the Rolex Stadium, where Richard Jeffery’s clever courses will determine the order of finish and offer a thrill in the bargain.
Come back to my website tomorrow night to find out who won, and why.
Coverage of Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event on NancyJaffer.com:
It never fails. Every year when I tell non-horsey friends that I’m heading to Kentucky at the end of April, they always say the same thing: “Are you going to the Kentucky Derby?”
When I explain that my destination is the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (known until last year as Rolex Kentucky) there is never a glimmer of recognition. But my horsey pals know exactly where I’m headed and why. It is the only 5-star-rated event in the Western Hemisphere. Billing itself as “the best weekend all year,” it certainly had a good start today with glorious weather at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
The first order of business is the horse inspection, also known as the trot-up or the jog to determine which horses are fit to start. There were 42 presented to the judging panel, one of the smaller fields for the event, which got even smaller when Ashley Johnson’s Technical Manuever was not accepted.
The trot-up doubles as a fashion show, with awards given for the best female and male outfits. But it’s all a matter of opinion, as most riders showing a bit of personality-illuminating flair offer a glimpse at their inner selves not evident when they’re in boots and breeches.
Here is a look at a few of the standouts. Check back here every night through Sunday for the latest update on the action at Land Rover Kentucky.
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