by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 14, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
July 14, 2018
It doesn’t really seem as if being held for just eight years qualifies a horse show as a tradition, but the Briarwood Derby Day is an exception to that rule.
Started by N.J. Horse Shows Association President Katie Benson in memory of her husband, Jack, Derby Day is a major fundraiser for the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center. Jack was treated at the facility, and the ties have remained strong between the center and Katie, as well as her clients and the Bensons’ friends.
Last week’s Derby Day, held at the Princeton Show Jumping grounds in Skillman, raised $41,806 for its cause. All proceeds, less the cost of running the show, went to the charity. In addition to entry fees, sponsors and donors, money is raised by a jumper class, “Ride for the Pledge,” in which sponsors give as much as they like per jump for the riders they sponsor. Participants have 60 seconds to jump as many fences as they can.
“Derby Day started as a tribute to Jack and his contributions to the industry and how we horse show based on what he taught us,” said Katie.
The late Jack Benson, the inspiration for Briarwood Derby Day.
“We’ve certainly carried that torch along, but now a lot of people who are involved in the competition never met him. They feel the excitement of Derby Day because it’s a specialty horse show. The people who put this together, everybody pulls not at 100 percent, but at 120 percent.”
Sponsors included CWD Sellier; Dover Saddlery, for the first time and Horse Flight, which paid for a golf cart that provided rides from the parking lot to the arenas. The cart was driven by John William Benson Jr., Katie and Jack’s son, who came up from his home in Miami where he works in commercial real estate. The Bensons’ daughter, Elizabeth, was teaching a camp at Auburn University, where she was an NCAA equestrian star, and couldn’t get away.
The family link among the Bensons, Briarwood and those at the show extends beyond blood relations. Brian Livell, who designed the derby courses, has a long history with Briarwood. His grandmother, Shirley Grisewood, was the show secretary for years; his grandfather, Norman, was often the announcer.
“I grew up riding with Jack and Katie,” said Brian, who owns Hunter Hill Farm in Pipersville, Pa., where his wife, Corey Golden, rides and teaches. “So for me,” he noted, “this is a fun special day to be part of. It’s like coming full circle.”
Everyone at the show seems to have some connection with Briarwood. Kelly Matthews of Derby Day sponsor Brown & Brown Insurance, who was helping out with the awards, said the memory of Jack—a family friend—makes the occasion special.
“As a Briarwood family, we are here to help and make it a successful day,” said Melissa Ho of Princeton Junction, who was working the awards booth with Kelly. Melissa didn’t know Jack, but her 13-year-old daughter, Erica Lee, trains with Katie.
The five-ring show drew 250 horses and included several derbies. The feature was the $2,500 Rutgers Landscaping National Hunter Derby, won in come-from-behind style by Kianna Luscher of Hawthorne on the Mecklenburg mare, Carissima W. The class, which drew 52 entries, brought 12 back from the classic round for the handy round.
$2,500 Rutgers Landscaping USHJA National Hunter Derby winner Kianna Luscher and Katie Benson. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Kianna, a 20-year-old Fordham University Law School student, is a regular at hunter derbies with her 13-year-old mare.
“She’s very, very handy. She has a really big step and can turn on a dime, which I think is the fact that she used to be a jumper. I can go in and gallop; she’s easy to find a distance on, very sweet and no spook,” said Kianna, who trains at On Course Riding Academy in Lafayette with Katie Moriarty.
Kianna Luscher and Carissima W on course. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Carissima, her former junior hunter, now competes in the amateur-owner classes. Kianna keeps on her good side by bringing her munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts.
“She’s very food-motivated,” explained Kianna.
Daphne Smith, 10th in the national derby on Right O’Way, left Oley, Pa., at 5 a.m. to get to the show. But it was worth it for her.
“It’s always a fun event to come out here,” said 17-year-old Daphne.
“We always get a big crowd from our barn, Valley Mist Farm. A lot of people do the derby, there’s not a whole lot of derbies that we do, it’s for a good cause. We have a lot of fun doing it. It’s a far drive, but it’s worth it.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 18, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
June 18, 2018
The doors are locked at Beval Saddlery Ltd. in Gladstone, a fixture in the Somerset Hills for 63 years.
Beval Saddlery in Gladstone
Although a paper sign tacked up at the entrance said the store is closed “temporarily,” area equestrians are uncertain of what that means, since the shutdown began at the end of May. In April, the Beval store in New Canaan, Conn., was shuttered. The Beval website is no longer operating. The other Beval outlet, in North Salem, N.Y., remains open, however, and once again can be reached by phone.
The “temporarily closed” sign on the door of Beval’s in Gladstone.
Michael Joyce, Beval’s landlord in Gladstone, said the closure was due to non-payment of rent. He added he has been in email contact with Beval’s owner, Solera Capital LLC, about the company’s hope of reopening.
“I would hate to see them close permanently,” he said.
Solera, a private equity firm, has been in the headlines this month due to financial problems with one of its holdings, Latina Media. Both its co-presidents have resigned, according to an article in the New York Post last week. Another Solera property, Calypso St. Barth’s, went into Chapter 7 bankruptcy last November after vendors claimed they hadn’t been paid. Solera did not respond to phone and email requests for comment about the Beval’s situation
Founded in a garage in 1955 by Bev Walter and Al Merrill (hence the name), Beval Saddlery started off in Bernardsville before moving to what became its longtime home in Gladstone in 1984. Bev had learned to fix leather goods while he was in the armed services, and his equestrian background made the new enterprise a natural. While Beval’s started as a repair business, expansion into sales came fast.
Beval’s was a bold arrival in a time when the business was dominated by Miller Harness Co., H. Kauffman & Sons and M.J. Knoud, all in New York city. Eiser’s, first in Newark and then in Hillside, offered saddlery and equipment closer to home for those in New Jersey.
When Beval’s appeared on the scene, “it was on top of the trends but keeping with tradition,” recalled Sue Benson, who enjoyed visiting the store in the days she was showing, even though it was a bit of a drive from her Long Island home.
Al dropped out early, leaving Bev to implement his innovative concepts. Bev’s wife, Lois, and son, Mark, along with Tom Spinks, were involved in running the company as it expanded and its reputation for quality leather and furnishings grew.
Lois, who is retired in Arizona, remembered a few of the innovations marketed by Beval’s included saddles in tree sizes and stretch breeches. Of Bev, who died in 1993, she noted he was a born entrepreneur, who succeeded with “perseverance and dedication.” His talent played well in an area where opportunities to fox hunt, show and trail ride abounded.
“Maybe we were in the right place at the right time,” mused Lois. She noted that when Beval’s started, many items of tack and equestrian apparel were made overseas and they didn’t always fit U.S. horses and riders to the optimum. Bev visited factories abroad and helped improve fit and quality.
Sue Benson joined Beval’s in the mid-1980s, developing the direct mail business and putting together the company’s first catalogue. Beval’s was synonymous with quality, and people wanted what it provided.
“We started doing gangbusters; the growth was amazing,” said Sue, who now runs an equestrian branding site, somsersetequestriantrading.com.
In addition to the stores in Gladstone, New York and Connecticut, at its peak, Beval’s also had a mobile unit and shops on the HITS showgrounds in Saugerties, N.Y., as well as at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla.
When Sue started her original somersetsportart.com business, Beval was her client until 2007, when a private equity firm bought into the company. Solera became involved in 2012, she said.
Beval’s was an institution in Gladstone, a key player in the equestrian community. It was known for not having sales, with the exception of its once-a-year bargain days in February, when people would line up before the store opened and so many came looking for a bargain that valet parking had to be provided, Sue recalled.
Other highlights Sue mentioned were the big parties, especially the Equus in October fixture held to benefit the Somerset Hills Handicapped Riders, now Mane Stream, in Tewksbury.
Beval’s hosted many fundraisers over the years, like this 2016 affair to raise money for Holly Payne’s trip to Burghley. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’d clear the space and have a silent auction, band and food,” she recalled.
“It was a great American success story, “ Sue observed about Beval’s.
“It’s where I learned so much of what I still use today. They were a great team and a great brand. They did so many things right. What set them apart from being a little tack store was that they were innovative.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 18, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
June 5, 2018
He’s a character. He’s been a clown (literally). And now he’s a champion.
Who could ever forget Andy Kocher as a clown in the Washington International Horse Show’s 2016 costume class, where he won the prize for the best outfit. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Andy Kocher, a native of Pennsylvania who grew up attending the Devon Horse Show as a spectator (“I never showed”), rode into the Dixon Oval last weekend to receive the Leading Open Jumper Rider sash as members of the U.S. Olympic and 2014 World Equestrian Games Teams remained on the sidelines along with severa other short-listed competitors for this September’s WEG.
“For me, it’s a little weird. I never thought I’d be leading rider at Devon. It’s my favorite show,” said Andy, a scrappy guy who makes the most of whatever horse happens to come his way and calls things as he sees them. You’ll always get a laugh out of a conversation with him.
He only started showing at Devon two years ago; it took him a while to get into the ring there. “I’m 35 now, so it’s been a long time,” said Andy, who won the second jumper class of the show on MKO Equestrian LLC’s Zantos II. Andy was wearing a riding jacket lacking a top button that was held together with a blanket pin, the same one he had worn when he won the first class of the 2017 show. He’s focused on the game, not how he looks. That’s an afterthought—if it’s a thought at all.
Andy on Zantos in the winner’s circle at the Dixon Oval. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Zantos, 15, was out for a year with a tendon injury. “I nursed him back and turned him out for awhile,” said Andy, whose patience paid off.
The horse is a cribber, but Andy doesn’t hold that against him.
“I don’t think cribbing is a problem,” the rider explained. “He rips his stall doors down but I don’t care. He’s done so much for me, it wouldn’t matter what he does. I wouldn’t sell him–and I sell a lot of horses.”
Previously ridden by Great Britain’s John and Robert Whitaker, Zantos came to Andy through his British friend Paul McTeer. Andy calls him, “the most colorful man you’ve ever met in your life. He would be the most for me, and I’ve met a lot of weird people.”
He has two horses in Europe, where he prepared for his first Longines World Cup finals last spring.
“I couldn’t afford to fly all the horses home,” explained Andy, pointed out that in Europe, “It’s cheaper to show, I meet a lot of new people.”
Of Zantos, Andy said, “We bought him cheap because he’s a runway. He has one gear and if it goes well, he wins. Every time he jumps clear, he’s won a class. But he can get out of hand a lot, too. That’s a problem. He has a lot of classes that don’t go so smooth.”
At Devon, though, Andy pointed out, “He was going to be hard to beat. Someone was going to have to do something ridiculous to get him, y’know?”
Another of his victories came in the 7-year-old jumpers with La Luciole, a mare he rides for a new owner, Erica Hatfield.
Andy on his 7-year-old class winner, La Luciole. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I don’t have many owners. Most of the owners are me,” said Andy, who is number 101 on the world ranking list.
He wasn’t sure how the horse would go in her show ring debut with him. “I was hoping like, `Please jump these jumps’.”
He clinched his Leading Rider title with a victory on Kahlua in the $70,000 Idle Dice Stake on closing night.
“She’s a machine,” Andy said.
Andy and Kahlua. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
“She won two ranking classes in Kentucky and a ranking class in Wellington. Her first grand prix was the World Cup qualifier in Vegas (in January). I jumped her in a 3-star in Wellington and then a 5-star in Miami then New York (the Masters on Long Island). I really threw her to the wolves. She has lots of personality. She has her own way of doing things. Over time, I’ve gotten her to be more agreeable when I need her to be.”
Kahlua also tied for the show’s Open Jumper Championship with Mattias Tromp’s mount, Eyecatcher.
All the recognition in the Dixon Oval was a dream come true for Andy, who at one time would have been happy simply to compete in the grand prix at Devon.
“Now, I’ve gotten to where I want to win a lot of classes,” he said. “You always want to do more.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 20, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
May 20, 2018
“They’re trying their hearts out,” commented Boyd Martin, discussing improvement efforts at the Horse Park of New Jersey, where he won three of four divisions at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event presented by B.W. Furlong & Associates.
During its 16-year history, the Mother’s Day weekend fixture has had plenty to overcome, much of which involved weather-related difficulties, but the park’s featured competition has always been a product of dedication and a time to show off what the facility in Monmouth County has to offer.
This year, there was anticipation that footing issues would at least be partially solved by a re-do of the grand prix ring. But alas, New Jersey’s peculiar winter weather put the project behind schedule.
The new footing in the grand prix ring was used for dressage and flatwork during Jersey Fresh. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
The ring was not ready for April’s Four Seasons show, though it was used for the dressage phase of Jersey Fresh. The footing hadn’t settled in enough to handle the Jersey Fresh show jumping finale, however. It actually worked out well to use the ring in front of the pavilion instead, so spectators had cover when it rained hard during a portion of the show jumping, but that ring is a smaller space than the grand prix arena.
More is being done so the grand prix arena can be its best, according to Allyson Jeffrey, president of the park’s board of trustees.
Allyson Jeffery, president of the Horse Park board of trustees. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’re going to continue to bring it along and perfect it, but we’re happy with the way it has performed so far,” Allyson said, noting it is in shape to be used for the ESDCTA Memorial Day Weekend dressage show at the end of the month. Plans also call for improving footing in the West Ring, which was used as a warm-up during Jersey Fresh.
“Footing is a real headache to get perfect,” noted Boyd.
“They’ve obviously worked very, very hard at raising a lot of money to try and improve the event. We’re heading in the right direction at Jersey.”
Boyd Martin and Long Island T, his Jersey Fresh CCI 3-star winner. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Footing isn’t easy anywhere, as Boyd noted. At the Winter Equestrian Festival, for instance, the world’s largest and longest horse show is starting this month to plan footing improvements for its Wellington, Fla., international ring, which at one time was considered to have a state-of-the-art surface.
As WEF impresario Mark Bellissimo noted, “There are many different and varying opinions about what is perfect footing and how you achieve that in a major competition setting.”
There was a time when footing was what it was, and people simply rode on anything presented to them. U.S. Olympian Mary Mairs Chapot recalled what the U.S. Equestrian Team encountered in the days when she was on the show jumping squad.
While reminiscing about her team and individual gold medals at the 1963 Pan American Games in Brazil, she noted, the footing often “was horrible, and we jumped them (the horses) a lot. Now we kind of coddle them and complain if there’s a piece of fluff out of place somewhere in the footing.”
For his part, Boyd remembered phoning home to Australia when he first competed at Jersey Fresh in 2006 after emigrating to this country.
“We’re riding on footing!” he enthused about the novelty during that call 12 years ago.
“Now we’re whinging (complaining) about that it’s not the synthetic bouncy stuff. We can’t slag them (the park) out too much because it’s better than last year. We’ve always got to be looking for better and better if we want this country to be the best in the world.”
But he added, “We’re getting spoiled now in America.”
Discussing cross-country, Boyd felt the CCI 3-star route was really a 2.9 star, while at the same time praising Mark Phillips, who came in as course designer last year.
Mark “has done a good job. I think he’s been a bit cautious of building anything monstrous,” said Boyd of the former U.S. coach, who is designing the course for the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. this September.
“This is sort of a building 3-star. This one’s got its place.”
Like Boyd, former U.S. Equestrian Federation President David O’Connor, another former U.S. coach who is now training Canadian eventers, believed cross-country could move up a notch, but he cited the 2-star in that regard.
“I thought the 3-star was actually pretty good, but I thought the 2-star maybe was a bit soft and I think that needs to bump up because it’s a qualifier for a 3-star. But those are all easy adjustments to make,” David observed.
Mark, who will be returning as course designer next year, according to Jersey Fresh organizer Jane Cory, said his primary concern is being fair to the horse and helping the animals see and understand the problem at each obstacle. There were only two rider falls and no horse falls, which was optimum. Everyone who was at the event in 2016 remembers the death of Philippa Humphreys in a rotational fall, and so it is always especially good news when things go smoothly at Jersey Fresh.
As for his thoughts about the degree of difficulty, Mark said, “I thought this was a normal 3-star. The 2-star probably had a bit of minus in it and the CIC 3-star may have had a bit of minus in it; I don’t think the CCI 3-star had minus in it.” That division was a qualifier for the WEG.
David, pleased at the crowd that turned up on cross-country day, said, “I thought the community supported it pretty well. It’s getting to be a better and better event for the riders.” At the same time, while noting, “It’s hard to make these things financially go” he praised the investment in the grand prix ring.
“I think they’re really trying to do something.”
NEWS AND NOTES
Boehringer Ingelheim stepped up in a big way for the event with an exhibitors’ hospitality tent arrangement that provided meals, as well as pizza and beer after cross-country. Zoetis sponsored the CIC divisions, while Furlong backed the CCIs in addition to being the presenting sponsor. The park itself is always looking for backers. It receives no money from the state (contrary to what some may think because of its name) and relies on the aid of sponsors, volunteers and members.
“It’s just going to get better if we have sponsors join us,” said Jeffery, who has a wish list of things to accomplish. In addition to making the rings better, she said, “We’d like to swap out panels in stabling that are in need of improvement and get fresh panels in there”…
The highest-placed New Jersey entry was the handsome gray Holsteiner Charm King, ridden by Holly Payne-Caravella of Old Fox Farm in Chester to second place in the CIC 2-star. Going into show jumping, she was just 0.3 penalties behind Anna Loschiavo on Prince Renan. Neither she nor Anna had a rail, so both finished on their dressage scores.
Holly Payne-Caravella and Charm King (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Of Charm King, Holly said, “My horse is a phenomenal jumper. As he’s gotten fitter, he’s gotten a bit wild. I was really pleased with him, because he was feeling frisky but listened and stayed with me and jumped just amazing, jumped me out of the tack a couple of times. That’s okay. I will take it if he jumps clean.”
Alexa Lapp, third with Cambalda, 0.1 back of Holly, is pointing toward the Area II team that Holly will be coaching in Montana this summer at the Adequan/FEI North American Youth Championships presented by Gotham North…
The Phillippa Humphreys Sportsmanship Award went to Alexandra Sacksen , the rider of Sparrow’s Nio.
Lisa Mackintosh of Jersey Fresh with Philippa Humphreys Memorial Sportsmanship Award winner Allie Sacksen on Sparrow’s Nio. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
A college fund has been set up for Phillippa’s daughter, Millie. Those interested in finding out more about that can go to milliecollegefund .
For full results of Jersey Fresh, go to evententries.com
by Nancy Jaffer | May 9, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
May 9, 2018
A horse show manager’s tenure usually is measured in terms of several years—if the person in question lasts even that long.
So it’s very unusual when someone manages a show for three decades, as Tim Cleary has with the Garden State Horse Show. But then, Garden State—which wrapped up its 68th edition last weekend—is a very unusual show.
Tim, an associate professor of equine studies at Centenary University and a lawyer to boot, is stepping down from his Garden State post.
Tim Cleary is known for his commitment to the Garden State Horse Show. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s the right time for somebody newer or younger to come in; it’s a good time to go. I’ll stay on the committee and certainly do everything I can for the show,” said the Hackettstown resident, 61.
Tim is a veteran of the Junior Essex Troop, which stages Garden State at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. Originally based at its own farm in West Orange, the troop was open to boys between the ages of 10 and 18 who trained in the cavalry tradition, cared for the organization’s 25 horses and maintained the stables. At its peak, troops A and C in West Orange had 120 members. Some boys, notably the late Roger Haller, who became the 1996 Olympic cross-country designer, also rode at Union County’s Watchung Stables in Troop B.
Troop was founded in 1931 by officers of the 102d Cavalry Regiment, New Jersey National Guard and incorporated in 1943 “to encourage patriotism, to foster the love of horses among boys and to train boys in horsemanship, cavalry drill, marksmanship, military training and discipline.”
The bonds that Troop’s regimen created are beyond durable; they’re unbreakable. Men who started a half-century or so ago with the organization are still incredibly close. Think “Band of Brothers” and you’ve got it.
Troop’s annual horse show—which originally gained recognition decades ago as the country’s largest competition for junior riders—has always been a spring highlight in New Jersey. In the days when it was held at the West Orange farm, indelible recollections include trying to cross the stream to get to the outside course (not every horse was eager to do that) and the drill that ended with riders in plumed helmets jumping their horses through a flaming arch.
A tragic turning point came in 1981, when the show’s manager, Jamie Griesenbeck, died in a fire a few months before the competition. Faced with “a steep learning curve” in addition to sorrow and adversity, the troopers and their advisers as usual rose to the occasion and made sure the show went on.
“We had to scramble around like crazy to figure out how to run a horse show, because we didn’t know how the mechanics worked,” said committee member Ed Jeklinksi of Cedar Knolls, noting experts in the horse show world were gracious about offering advice.
When the troop farm was sold after the 1983 show, the competition (which had become a show open to all years before) moved to Chubb Park in Chester under the direction of Rodney Seelig, the show’s chairman. It outgrew the Chester location and moved to its current home in Sussex County in 1987.
“Rodney really kept it together for such a long time,” said Brian Colquhoun, a Morris County-based veterinarian who ended his 36-year stint as one of the show’s announcers this month.
Garden State grew to be New Jersey’s largest hunter/jumper show, but bad luck with the weather and changing times have cut back on entries.
Still, the fixture has carried on with the devotion of the former troopers. The troop itself did not last beyond the late 1980s, even when it went coed. Originally, the goal of those involved with the show was to re-form the troop for a new generation with proceeds from the competition, but the era for an organization of that nature has passed into memory.
“It became clear to all of us that maybe we did hold out a little bit of a pipe dream and this generation may not be into that kind of thing,” observed Brian.
“I think that vision has started to fade in everybody’s mind a little bit. I think we see we’re never going to get troop back, but we’re bound to each other. We had so many shared experiences.”
Troopers’ families are part of the scene as well. Ed’s daughter, Lauren, met her husband, Ryan Black, when she was working at the show and he was on the jump crew. Lauren is pregnant now, and Ed notes she will be having “a troop baby.”
“It’s in your DNA,” Ed maintained.
Committee member Bill Bonstein of Chester met his wife, the former Kim Hewitt, at the show in West Orange 40 years ago when he overheard that one of her students was trying to deal with a broken martingale.
Coming to the rescue, “Bill ran to the JET barn and came back with one, saving the day. And that was our beginning together,” said Kim.
Tim, who had served as the director of horsemanship at the West Orange farm, was a natural choice to be Garden State’s manager.
“It was like he was born to run the show,” mused Bill.
“He knows everybody and doesn’t walk 10 feet without someone grabbing his sleeve.”
Ed, who joined Troop at age 10 and is now 63, noted, “it’s just amazing how much time Tim puts into it before the show even starts. I’d get there by 7 a.m., and Tim was always there before me.” Their day didn’t end until 7 or 8 p.m. through the run of the five-day show, as well as the two-day preview show the previous weekend.
Part of the key to Tim’s success, apart from knowing everyone’s name and being very fair, “is his patience and understanding. He listens,” said Ed.
Brian, who knew Tim from their days as troopers, pointed out, “Our best and oldest friends are all troop guys. Maybe it was the shared experiences during a very formative time in our lives. It was a unique organization, and one for which we were in the right time and place.”
Tim Cleary (left) and others involved with the Garden State Show share a salute reminiscent of the Junior Essex Troop Days. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Tim joined Troop in 1957 and rose through the ranks, leaving as major in 1975. That honor even landed him on the old quiz show, “To Tell the Truth.”
As he thought back on what made Troop such a lasting experience for so many, Tim explained, “The horses were the bond. We all loved horses and we were learning great old cavalry skills on how to take care of horses.
“The military framework taught you leadership. As you acquired a new rank, you became another level of a leader and became in charge of people. It taught lot of responsibility, not only for the horses, but also, you became responsible for each other, too.”
When he was director of horsemanship, Tim said, former troopers started coming back to run the show “in the spirit of what we had learned. It’s not about the money, it’s trying to be service-oriented and give people a good show.”
The show donates to charity, with Centenary a beneficiary in terms of scholarships.
Brian noted how much things have changed in the show world, and Garden State has “felt the pressure, with all the extra time in Wellington, when Tryon opened up, people going to Kentucky.”
There was a day, Bill pointed out, when the upper level of the New Jersey show scene was basically just Garden State, Middlesex (now at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Monmouth County), the Sussex Farm and Horse Show and Monmouth (now in Somerset County at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation.) Other big shows have developed since in the state, including the Princeton series in Somerset County and The Ridge in Warren County, while HITS in nearby Saugerties, N.Y., has also become a stop on the circuit.
The Garden State committee will come up with a new manager, whether it’s someone from within or an outsider, said Tim, and together, members will chart what’s ahead for the show.
There has been some discussion of packing it in and turning it over to another non-profit, but Tim believes, “I think that’s pretty far off in the future. There’s still a pretty active committee that enjoys it.”
And for many of the riders who come back every year, it’s a treasured tradition.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 26, 2018
March 26, 2018
Swimmer Michael Phelps. Track star Carl Lewis. Para-equestrian Annie Peavy?
Why not? Annie is one of seven finalists for the AAU James Sullivan Award, which has been won by Phelps, Lewis and so many other top U.S. athletes—but never by an equestrian.
Presented since 1888 by the Amateur Athletic Union to an outstanding amateur athlete in the United States, it would be a major statement on behalf of the American para-equestrians who work so hard to beat the odds and shine on horseback.
“It is a great honor to be nominated for this award, along with many other highly respected athletes,” Annie said.
Annie Peavy in competition
“I began riding as a form of physical therapy, never imagining how many amazing experiences would come from it. From my first local show to my first Paralympic Games, the joy I have for this sport has never faded.”
Annie rode in both the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ and the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Her achievements last year included a win in the Grade IV FEI Team Test and Individual Test, as well as a second place in the Grade IV FEI Freestyle Test at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival CPEDI3-star.
She and her equine partner, Royal Dark Chocolate, Rebecca Reno’s 10-year-old Oldenburg mare, went on to win the Grade IV FEI Team and Freestyle tests at the Bishop Burton CPEDI3-star in Great Britain.
Annie Peavy with Grand Prix dressage rider Heather Blitz. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
They were the overall champions at the 2017 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships, sponsored by Deloitte at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, home of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games. The pair also helped the Deloitte U.S. Para-Equestrian dressage squad earn top honors in the team competition.
Annie is known for cheering on her teammates and handling herself with grace, whatever the results.
Her father, Ed Peavy, views Annie’s finalist status as a “big deal” for his daughter, who suffered a stroke before she was born.
“I could never have imagined that the little girl who started on a therapy pony (and just wanted to trot) now has a chance to be the first equestrian to win this prestigious award.”
Voting for the winner runs through March 29. You can vote here once a day per device, tweeting to #Peavy4sullivan as many times as you can.
“We’re so proud of our daughter, and for all the amazing Paralympic riders who are her friends and her teammates. Your votes are for all of them,” Annie’s father said.
