by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 20, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
February 20, 2018
It’s been discussed for years, but now the Horse Park of New Jersey really is on the verge of improving the grand prix arena, as well as performing deferred maintenance on its other two rings.
Wisely, the park has moved on from the impossible dream of raising $350,000 for footing with artificial components and instead is going down a workmanlike, more economical path with natural footing. It starts by changing the base of the ring from convex to concave and improving drainage, on the advice of a consultant. Masonry sand, which has a fine appearance, will be put on top of crushed stone and fill to achieve a surface that does not accumulate water. An auxiliary drainage area will handle runoff.
The grand prix arena at the Horse Park of New Jersey is nearly ready for its makeover. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’re going to take tried and true and just have a trusted, solid product we can put out and offer to people,” said Allyson Jeffery, president of the park’s board of trustees.
“The mixture will offer energy return and confidence to the horse while having the ability to be groomed for the many disciplines that share the park,” according to board of trustees.
An important consideration is the fact that the plan “comes within reach of funding that has been raised to date” through personal donations, pro bono work, grants and contributions from groups.
Recent gifts from Investors Trust and Ricki and Bill Neuberg have added $10,000 more to the pot of what already has been raised. An additional $20,000 will make the plan reality, and it can be given in various increments, from 20 gifts of $1,000 each to two of $10,000 or four of $5,000. You do the math.
Some might ask why they should focus on the Horse Park if their barn is not nearby or they don’t show at the facility in Allentown, Monmouth County. Here’s why: This is a non-profit on state land that serves New Jersey’s horse industry. Having a thriving industry benefits every horse owner in making this a better place to own horses and ride. It raises consciousness in government at both the local and state levels that the equestrian community is an important factor in the most densely populated state in the union. Do I have to mention the word zoning?
Also, the park isn’t going away, unlike some of the private facilities that no longer exist, where shows once were held around New Jersey. Some shows, such as Middlesex County and Four Seasons, formerly held at other sites, now call the Horse Park home.
The pressures of development are such that there are no guarantees your favorite place to compete will always be available in areas where land is at a premium. Although there are some lovely new showgrounds in the state, it’s possible things will change and owners could sell at some point down the road.
An investment in the Horse Park’s rings will insure it can attract more shows and activities, which will pay dividends for those who take advantage of them. (Case in point: look at this site’s On the Rail column, where we detail a unique March dressage clinic at the park by Olympic judge Marilyn Payne).
The park is working on a deadline for arena improvement, because the time to do the work and allow the ring to settle is before the show season starts mid-April. An important goal is to have it ready for the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event May 9-13.
Tailgating on cross-country day at the Horse Park is popular at Jersey Fresh International. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“We just have to be able to take the step forward to start and then maybe we’ll see some momentum,” Allyson commented.
This window is “the best we could possibly make it as far as exposure,” she pointed out. Jersey Fresh has prestige as a selection event for the FEI World Equestrian Games that will be held this September in Tryon, N.C. This year also is the 30th anniversary of the park, a venue many believed would never be built, but happily, the doubters were proven wrong.
Discussing what she sees as the importance of the Horse Park, Allyson notes it “provides a place for people to show the best of personal abilities, partnerships and perseverance in a challenging sport.
“From the grassroots to Olympians, it’s a venue that enables those who are willing to climb the ladder of goals and dreams through the care and training of equine partners, putting another’s needs before their own. That’s what the Horse Park has to offer and why we work to keep the doors open.”
Now it’s another crossroads for the facility, which serves anyone from those starting out to the higher levels of the sport in a variety of breeds and disciplines.
The next part of the plan after initial improvements requires more fundraising for the installation of rubber in the Grand Prix arena. All of the park’s three rings could get rubber for another $33,500, though less money may work if the rubber is added in increments.
Donors can be recognized through banners, social media promotion or special requests. The park is a 501(c)(3) educational charitable organization, which means donations are tax deductible.
Anyone wishing to donate can use PayPal or send a check to the park at 626 Route 524, Allentown, NJ 08501. Be sure any donation is clearly marked for the footing fund.
The park is always looking for volunteers, and trustees also urge attendance at schooling and educational programs, because they can’t be offered if they don’t draw participants.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 30, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
January 30, 2018
Tom O’Mara’s equitation championship-winning children once enjoyed more name recognition than he did.
But the former investment banker has become high-profile through his roles in the U.S. Equestrian Federation and helping insure that equestrian competition continues to be part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which organizes programs for 24 sports (including football, baseball and basketball) at 1,281 colleges and universities.
The Rumson resident did an artful job moderating the USEF’s inaugural Competition Summit in Lexington, Ky., earlier this month. That role fits him well.
Tom O’Mara moderating the competition summit at the USEF annual meeting. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“I worked on Wall Street for 30 years, so there were a lot of contentious conversations with clients, customers, corporations, employees and regulators,” he explained.
While Tom is affable, with an engaging personality, at his core he is a serious negotiator and problem-solver.
“I’m pretty good at being in the middle of groups of people who don’t see eye-to-eye on things,” he observed, citing his experience in the financial world.
“I had to solve problems on a daily basis, which usually came about because people had a different opinion about something. I do think that’s one of my strengths,” continued Tom, who was managing director at Cowen and Co. and Credit Suisse First Boston. Now he works as a consultant, advising people involved in financial technology as to how it could be used.
His family has a long history with horses. Tom’s grandfather, Thomas Mason, who rode with the Essex Foxhounds, also was a hunter judge. In fact, when his children were planning to get married and each suggested they wanted to tie the knot on the last weekend in May, he turned them down because he was judging at Devon. The weddings had to be the Fourth of July weekend, he told them, “because that’s the only weekend there isn’t a horse show.”
Tom’s uncle Thomas Mason Jr., rode in the Maclay finals at the Garden, and he has cousins who are trainers and farriers. Although Tom’s time in the saddle involves just an occasional trail ride, his wife, Liz, rides, while daughters Casey, Abby and Meg were active in showing. Son T.J. won the Pessoa/USEF Medal and the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search as well in 2016.
Tom O’Mara (right) and his wife, Liz, with trainer Max Amaya and 2016 Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search winner T.J. O’Mara. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Meg, who topped the Medal finals in 2012, rode NCAA at the University of Georgia, where she was the National Collegiate Equestrian Rider of the year in equitation on the flat and over fences. Abby also rode for Georgia, and the girls’ participation got their father involved.
There are seven competition outlets, including rodeo, saddle-seat and eventing, as well as hunt seat, for riders who want to compete while pursuing their higher education. The best known is the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association, which offers English and western classes, permits both men and women to compete and is associated with 400 colleges.
In an effort to present more opportunities for female college athletes, the NCAA began an equestrian program in 2002. The goal was for the National Collegiate Equestrian Association to include 40 schools, but when the numbers fell far short of that, NCAA equestrian was on the verge of being dropped in 2014 at the recommendation of the Committee on Women’s Athletics.
Tom was among those who rode to the rescue of the program.
“I spent more time lately on equestrian things than not,” he said. Tom had seen the difference that riding made in his childrens’ lives.
“It helps develop character traits such as discipline. They have a commitment and they know not everyone in the world can do it and they are privileged to work with these animals and have the opportunity to have it be part of their life,” he observed.
In that vein, he realized how important it was for equestrian to remain as part of NCAA.
“That’s big time,” commented Tom, now co-chair of the NCEA’s national advisory board which is working to expand equestrian in the NCAA.
“The NCAA started something called an emerging sport to create more opportunities for women in collegiate sport,” he said. “There are only two designations, championship and emerging.”
The problem originally was that there was just one metric—participation–to measure the success of the program, which enables the schools to offer scholarships to riders. While equestrian was given 10 years to get to 40 member schools for NCAA, at the deadline, they only had 25. A two-year extension still didn’t get the number to 40, and the situation was serious.
At the same time, Tom pointed out, there are a number of championship sports that have 50 teams but only 200, 300 or 400 participants across the country. In contrast, there are 900 women riding on NCAA English and western teams.
Common sense prevailed over the metric.
“We’re not dropping a women’s sport. We’re in a Title IX world,” he said, referring to the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, and is best known for breaking down barriers in sports for female athletes.
The recommendation to scuttle equestrian was tabled and it was decided to keep it as an emerging sport. Tom noted that four years ago, when colleges were approached about adding NCAA equestrian, the response was, “I thought they were dropping it.”
Now, however, that “black cloud” is off the sport, and “there are more conversations with universities about potentially adding the sport than ever before,” according to Tom. He said there are 23 schools signed up, with 20 actively competing, three new ones set to take part at nationals in April, and four more coming on next year.
Universities love the equestrians, said Tom, “and here’s why. They’re the highest quality student athletes that most of those schools have. Most are the number one GPA (grade point average) of all their athletic teams and the number one community service hours of all their athletic teams.”
Tom is one of two independent directors on the 19-member USEF board; in other words, he is not connected to any one group, breed or discipline. And he’s not in the horse business.
One of Tom O’Mara’s duties during the USEF annual meeting was presenting awards to Horse of the Year winners such as fellow USEF board member Elisabeth Goth. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“Tom is the perfect independent director,” noted USEF President Murray Kessler.
“Not only did he have a family that competed and multiple equitation finals winners…he also has been very, very involved in NCAA and has been a leader in that.
“When we look to balance out our board, we look at…how do we match the board against where we’re trying to go strategically? A huge leak in the bucket is when kids go off to college. We are trying to bring the entire intercollegiate and high school community into USEF,” Murray continued.
“Who’s leading that? Tom. Besides all of his value as a board member on moderating meetings…he’s been getting more and more involved on the world stage,” Murray pointed out, referring to Tom’s trip to Lausanne, Switzerland, last year to moderate an FEI (international equestrian federation) meeting on a new invitation system for riders to participate in shows.
Tom has more work cut out for him as the chair of a task force that will do a strategic review of USEF’s drug testing laboratory. It has been the target of criticism after a major mistake in handling a sample resulted in the nullifying of heavy fines and suspensions for a well-known trainer and rider, a year after an announcement that a horse they showed had tested positive for a prohibited substance.
The appointment is a mark of the regard with which Tom is held in the organization and the fact that he can play several key roles.
“What I just love about him is how connected he is to one of our major strategic priorities with building this sport and bringing the joy of horse sports to as many people as possible,” concluded Murray, citing the USEF’s “joy” mantra.
That’s what Tom is all about as a board member.
“The intent is for an outreach of our sport to people who are not in our sport,” he said.
“It’s a great sport, whether you ride or not. Our sport is interesting. Everyone in our sport knows it’s interesting. We have to tell the story to people outside of our sport.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 4, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
January 4, 2018
It’s going to be a year with potential at the Horse Park of New Jersey. There’s quite an opportunity on the horizon because its premier competition, the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, offers a selection trial for the U.S. eventing team that will compete at the FEI World Equestrian Games in September.
More precisely, the trial and qualifier is the CCI 3-star division, but Jersey Fresh May 9-13 also presents a CCI 2-star, as well as CIC 2- and 3-stars that are part of the package at the Allentown venue, where big names such as Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton and Buck Davidson are regular competitors in the event.
Mark Phillips, the former U.S. eventing coach and a high profile name in the sport, took over as cross-country course designer last year and is making more changes for 2018. A new show jumping course designer, Chris Barnard, is coming on board to complete a fresh look with new fences for the event’s final phase.
It’s the 30th anniversary of the park, which means all eyes will be on the facility, where change has been slow but is proceeding.
Because of the anniversary and selection trial, “Publicity would be exponential this year,” believes Allyson Jeffery, president of the park’s board of trustees.
Phillip Dutton competing at Jersey Fresh on Mr. Candyman. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The park has been working toward improving footing in the grand prix ring, which is a major issue, but so far, just $60,000 of an estimated $350,000 required for the arena development campaign has been raised.
“A big step needs to be taken that involves money. What is needed is a corporate grant or matching funds,” said Allyson, who suggested this could be an opportunity for some entity that would like corporate naming rights to a ring is hoping work on the base of the grand prix ring can be finished before the show season begins in April.
Tailgating at the Jersey Fresh water complex is a big draw. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Even if new top dressing can’t be purchased at that point, those maintaining the ring have been prepped in how to work with the current footing more effectively. Now all that’s needed is an ATV to facilitate the grooming, and Allyson is hoping for a donation. Other needs are being examined before a formal request for more assistance is publicized.
Former Jersey Fresh winner Ryan Wood on Powell jumping in the grand prix ring. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“What we’re looking for is for people to come back to the park,” said Allyson. “We’ve worked on the footing we do have. We’ve had issues with the rings, so people are hesitant to come back until they hear we have all new rings.
“That doesn’t help. You’ve got to continue to support the park, as you know we’re working toward that goal. This is the New Jersey horse park.”
Yet despite its name, it receives no funding from the state and must pay for maintenance and other needs while conducting the capital campaign for refurbishing the footing.
Allyson became president at the end of June and Adam Furlong came in during October as the vice president. The trustees now have a united vision.
“Everyone on board is (using) all their skill sets. Everything is working together now,” Allyson said of the trustees.
Changes that have been implemented include the new winner’s circle in memory of Gwen Stableford, a longtime exhibitor at the park who left a bequest for that purpose.
The Horse Park winner’s circle
Mason Garrity, manager of the Four Seasons Show, is donating new fencing in the areas between the East and West rings. In the stabling area, maintenance has been done on the stall floors and stall panels will be replaced.
The park hosts a variety of disciplines and activities, including November’s popular Turkey Trot pleasure ride/drive, barrel racing, schooling for members and clinics. Eventer Sally Cousins, who competes at Jersey Fresh, is presenting clinics Jan. 21, Feb. 11 and March 18. Get more information via the park’s homepage, www.horseparkofnewjersey.
Auditors are admitted to the Cousins clinics free of charge.
Those who wish to participate can sign up by emailing jane@pleasanthollow.com. Include your name, address, the level of your horse, a cell number and any information that will help in assigning you to the appropriate group. Send a check and negative Coggins to Horse Park of New Jersey, 626 CR 524, Allentown, NJ 08501, att: Sally Cousins Clinic.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 6, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
December 6, 2017
Donna Strait Martin personifies staying power, a virtue as important in people as it is in horses.
Her lifelong dedication to equestrian sport remains productive. While there are 700 U.S. Equestrian Federation-recognized hunter judges (many of whom, like Donna, also judge jumpers and equitation), she is among only 20 who have held their licenses for 50 years.
Always impeccably organized and turned out, the Pottersville resident is one who not only respects the history of her sport, but also emphasizes its best traditions.
Donna Martin’s expertise has contributed to the success of her granddaughter, Morgan Munz, in the show ring. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Ever since she began teaching young people to ride, Donna stressed the importance of a firm foundation, while insisting on a broad grounding in horse care as well. Her record has earned her the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Jane Marshall Dillon Award East, to be presented Dec. 12 at the organization’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
The honor goes to trainers who pass on the values exemplified by Mrs. Dillon, while eventually sending well-schooled students to other instructors who can hone their skills when they become more advanced are ready for the next level. (Misty Morgan, president of the Arkansas Hunter/Jumper Association, won the Dillon Award West.)
Interestingly, Donna actually rode at the Junior Equitation School in Vienna, Va., with its founder, Mrs. Dillon, famous for her book, “School for Young Riders.”
Although Donna called Basking Ridge home much of the time while she was growing up, her father, World War II fighter ace Air Force Brigadier Gen. Donald Strait, was regularly transferred to bases around the country. When her dad was at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., Donna took lessons from Mrs. Dillon at the same time as Kathy Kusner, who became a U.S. team member and medaled in the Olympics. (Joe Fargis, the 1984 U.S. Olympic show jumping double gold medalist, also was taught by Jane Marshall Dillon.)
“I loved riding with her,” Donna said of Mrs. Dillon.
“She emphasized really great equitation, natural feel—nobody counted strides in those days. She ran a tight ship. We took care of our own horses,” Donna said.
“It was a beautiful farm, with rolling hills and lots of natural jumps. It was such a great time. We’d go foxhunting, go riding with a group of kids; you’d go into the brooks, ride bareback with a halter and shank, things that kids don’t do nowadays.”
Donna got started on the road to her life’s work by something that could have ended as a tragedy. Most people today don’t remember the fear polio (also known as infantile paralysis) struck into the hearts of parents before the mid-1950s, when Dr. Jonas Salk came up with the vaccine that stopped the disease short. It affected so many young children and some adults as well. (President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was among its victims.)
Donna contracted polio at the age of four.
“I hardly walked for a year,” she recalled.
“My mother carried me or I was in the stroller (while) my young brother walked.
“By the time I turned five, I was ready to be more active,” said Donna, for whom riding lessons with the legendary Clarence Nagro became therapy.
The master of Hilltop Farm in New Vernon, Clarence trained many top young riders, and Donna was among them. She competed in the ASPCA Maclay and AHSA (now USEF) Medal finals, and won many championships with her classic style and ability to get the most out of a horse.
Donna on Royal Audience at Hunt Cap Farm in 1973.
Sally Ike, now the USEF managing director of licensed officials, competed against Donna during their teenage showing days. Remembering Blue Mermaid, Donna’s rather hot thoroughbred, Sally said, “She had to be very tactful” to get the best out of the mare, which she did.
Donna and Blue Mermaid in their glory days.
Married at 19 to Jim “Red” Martin, a year later, Donna walked across the street from her home to the new Purnell School in Pottersville and was hired as the riding instructor, with a gig handling field hockey as well.
Donna took care of the horses in addition to teaching. She remains as the liaison for Purnell’s riding program, which eventually was moved off-campus, and still works in the school’s fundraising department.
“I never left,” she noted, observing she has no thoughts of retiring. “Being around young people is what keeps you young and knowledgeable about today, the day that you’re living in.”
Donna, who teaches two days a week at Centenary University, guided the riding of her daughter, Kelly Martin Munz, a USEF steward and chairman of the equine studies department at Centenary. She also worked with Kelly’s daughters, Maggie, a student at the College of Charleston, and Morgan, 16. Donna believes the teenager, who attends Purnell, “is traveling a path that horses are in her future.”
Donna Martin, right, with her daughter, Kelly Martin Munz and granddaughter Morgan Munz. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Morgan, who won a class at the College Preparatory Invitational show in Florida last year, said her grandmother “always taught me to be proper, doing it the right way, the George Morris way. She was there at every show. We were always early, no matter what.
“She gave me the fundamentals of riding, then sent me off to someone else to better myself,” commented Morgan. While she now rides with Ashley DiBongrazio, Donna is still at the shows with her. She was involved with helping produce Morgan’s horse, Louis, who came from Germany as a three-year-old and has matured into a lovely five-year-old. Grandma usually is the first person Morgan calls when she has a question about something to do with the horse.
Elizabeth Bugliari rode with Donna since she was in pigtails during their days at Hilltop.
Donna on Escapade at Hilltop Stable in New Vernon in 1963.
“She reads people extremely well,” said Elizabeth. “She’s a very good teacher.”
Elizabeth recalled how Donna adjusted to her students’ needs, but didn’t brook any nonsense.
“She has a wonderful no-nonsense way of dealing with kids. They soon learned, `We do it Donna’s way. Someone who knew Donna called her Donna Direct, because you get it right straight from the shoulder with her.”
Elizabeth, who worked at Purnell and now is director of development and alumnae relations at Kent Place School in Summit, explained that “If you were going to earn your stripes with Donna, you had to do it right. She’s the kind of person you want judging a show. She wasn’t going to be impressed by a name.”
Another of Donna’s virtues is modesty. When she was notified about the award, her response was, “Really? Me? Are you sure you have the right person? I was flabbergasted.”
Looking back at her long career, however, it’s easy to see why the award is so well-deserved.
“She was always the same, the stable, calm person that I see now,” said Sally.
“Isn’t it great that she’s still doing what she’s doing, doing a great job and contributing to the sport.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 16, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
November 16, 2017
“I’m still smiling,” said Maia Barnes, days after winning the Fourth Level Adult Amateur Championship at the U.S. Dressage Finals presented by Adequan.
Maia, who rode Benvica to a score of 69.889 percent at the Kentucky Horse Park, had little in the way of major mileage before finishing as Fourth Level reserve champion in a combined open/amateur competition at Dressage at Devon, six weeks prior to the Nov. 9-12 Finals .
Maia Barnes and Benvica during the championship awards ceremony at the U.S. Dressage Finals. (Photo by Susan J. Stickle Photography)
With 351 entries from all over the country, the Finals can be intimidating for first-timers, especially someone who had only been doing dressage for two years.
“Show experience wasn’t really there for me,” said Maia, who is based at Back Brook Farm in Ringoes.
Before she even started competing, she said, “I was actually nervous, because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to handle the pressure.”
But the Finals victory with her 11-year-old Dutchbred gelding (Sandreo x Renieta by Jazz) gave 24-year-old Maia a boost, and may have started her on a new course in life.
Maia Barnes and Benvica. (Photo by Amy Riley)
At Temple University, she switched her major several times before graduating with a psychology degree, but now it looks as if she has found her focus.
“This will definitely help with the confidence aspect I’ll probably change my status soon to open and hopefully people will feel comfortable paying me to ride their horses or helping them,” said Maia, who trains with Stephan Cheret and hopes to become a professional.
In exchange for lessons, she is cleaning stalls and turning out horses at Back Brook, but has dreams of being an assistant trainer and moving up the levels some more.
“Next year, I would like to keep my horse and do I-1. I was watching the freestyles at nationals and I want to do that. Full pirouettes might be hard, but if we work over the winter, I think we can do it.
“I’m thinking to take him as far as I can and let him give me this awesome show experience, which obviously is going really well.”
Maia and Benvica on their resrve champion victory lap at Dressage at Devon. (Photo by Hoofprint Images)
Her trainer, the 1994 French national champion, notes how fast she has progressed, from a novice in 2015 to training at Prix St. Georges this year.
“She’s extremely serious, very hard on herself. She’s also very competitive. She has the right attitude to be a very great show rider,” he believes.
“She is a talented rider for competition because she really focuses and does her thing and does it well.” Of the horse, Stephan said, he was green in the changes and the lateral work when he was imported.
“He was a little bit of a handful to begin with,” the trainer continued.
“He’s a lot better now because of the showing and the experience he’s getting. She really loves him. They really have a good connection and work together well.”
Maia has a kiss for the equine love of her life. (Photo courtesy of Maia Barnes)
Maia noted that going to “huge competitions is so exciting and so much fun. Just being there, you learn so much and get to meet so many great people. I would love to take my riding as far as I can and one day be in a Grand Prix ring.”
Starting out as a jumping and eventing rider on borrowed mounts, Maia participated in one eventing competition, but chuckles now as she recalled that the horse would only walk around the cross-country course.
“It was a disaster. I couldn’t get him to move,” she explained.
Even so, she had thought at one point she’d get back to jumping, “that was fun for me. Then I started doing dressage. I got on a horse and piaffed for the first time and did an amazing pirouette for the first time. To me, it felt so much more exciting, even though it’s on the ground. You sit on a horse that can do these amazing movements and for me, that totally trumped jumping any day.”
Her father, David Barnes, is helping his daughter achieve her ambition and saw the purchase of Benvica as “an investment in my future and went for it,” she said, noting Dad has developed an eye for dressage.
When she bought Benvica off a video, “It was like the ultimate blind date,” Maia observed. “It was a huge gamble.”
Luckily, the gamble paid off. Maia started at Training Level when the horse arrived from the Netherlands in July 2015.
“I had never ridden him. He was very wildly crazy,” said Maia, who wondered at the time, “What did I get myself into?”
She started lessons with Stephan’s wife, Caroline, then moved on to Stephan because her schedule didn’t mesh with Caroline’s.
Having Stephan ride the horse in training sessions improved his collection and made his flying changes more expressive. He even had “an inkling of a pirouette,” she commented.
Being able to do well at shows is a huge bonus.
“The excitement of it all makes me ride better than I do at home,” she said.
“The more I get out there and the more I see myself doing well, the more I feel like, `Okay, I can do this and I could have a lot of fun with this.’”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 22, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
October 22, 2017
It had been years since I attended the Far Hills Race Meeting, once a “must” stop for me, but now off my calendar because it often conflicted with the Dutta Corp. Fair Hill (don’t confuse the names) International Three-Day Event in Maryland. This year, though, Fair Hill was last weekend, leaving me free yesterday to head back to the races a few miles from my home in New Jersey.
For those unfamiliar with the Far Hills phenomenon, I should explain that it is a day when everything seems to stop (including the traffic) in this tiny Somerset County town, where as many as 40,000 racegoers have descended on it. The whole day is about the steeplechase races. Stores close, trains to the Far Hills station are packed, sidewalks are jammed and caterers stay up all night to prepare the feasts served at coveted tailgate spots on the hill at Moorland Farm. Want to buy a ticket at the gate? That’ll cost you $200.
I could go by car only so far on the road to the races, because the traffic was overwhelming. So my husband dropped me off and I started walking, carrying a couple of cameras and other gear. A woman in an SUV obviously felt sorry for me and kindly asked if I’d like to ride with her. I didn’t see the point, since the line of cars had been proceeding even more slowly than I was, and she agreed that we’d probably arrive at the same time. She was right. We ran into each other near the first turn on the race course and caught part of the first race, the Gladstone, together.
Turned out she was Laura Traphagen, a former show ring competitor and friend of the family with whom I used to board my horses in New Vernon (about 20 minutes from Far Hills). That’s how it is on race day at Moorland; you’ll see people who have some connection with you that has nothing to do with racing.
I noticed that eventer Holly Payne-Caravella had sent out a tweet Friday saying she would be at the races (like me, she had been obligated to go to Fair Hill instead when there was a date conflict.) I found her at a space in the front row that her family has had for 30 years, although she sadly pointed out that since she last attended, a big tent had been erected in front of the their location, so the Paynes’ view of the racing was blocked.
Holly and her brother, Doug, also a successful eventer, had ridden in the pony races that once were a feature at Far Hills, and of course, we started talking about the old days. I had her there, since I can remember going to the races in the 1960s (before she was born), when there may have been about 5,000 people maximum there, most of whom were wearing tweed and knew each other. The crowd often used to include Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who had a home in Peapack and hunted with the Essex Foxhounds.
Long ago, the races were sponsored by the Essex, so the local hunt could thank farmers across whose property they rode. The races moved to Moorland, then a private estate, in 1916.
For years, they were called the hunt races by those in the know. Essex hasn’t been involved for decades, however, and the crowds grew after the races were marketed as “Family Day in the Country” during the early 1970s. The races have raised millions of dollars for charity, benefitting Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (where the Steeplechase Cancer Center is located) and RWJ Barnabas Health, as well as the Cancer Support Community.
As Holly noted, folks in the know these days call Far Hills “the races.” Those not in the know call it “the hunt,” which annoys me (I work in words, after all) since the steeplechasing has nothing to do with a hunt anymore. But those folks often don’t even know what the occasion is about anyway; they’re just there to eat, drink and socialize.
They also make fun side bets. Although it was hoped that pari-mutuel betting would be in place for this year’s races, it didn’t work out and 2018 should be the first time it is in effect.
Under-age and excessive drinking had become a problem at the races, so this year there was a real crackdown and increased presence of law enforcement. There also was an initiative between Lyft and Beam Suntory (Makers Mark) to offer some free rides home from the event.
I have only anecdotal evidence of how the initiative worked from what I experienced, but walking out of Moorland in the past, I’d often run into stumbling, falling-down drunks. I encountered none of that this year, and the young people with whom I spoke seemed fine. I did wonder, however, why so many people searching for the Far Hills train station to return home were walking in the direction of Peapack instead. I gave out directions to a good number of young folks to get them back on track, so to speak.
Conditions were optimum both for the horses and the spectators, while the autumn colors of the trees added just the right artistic note to the picture.
“It’s a beautiful day, the racecourse is in perfect shape and I’m tickled pink,” said Guy Torsilieri, president of the National Steeplechase Association, who chairs the race meeting with Ron Kennedy. He noted sales were “a little off because we really aggressively launched that campaign against underage drinking and I’m okay with that. If they figured out they couldn’t come here and drink, it’s fine with with me.”
Non-racing sport horse competition is my mainstay. I used to cover racing (most notably, I wrote about Secretariat’s Belmont victory that secured the Triple Crown in 1973, the first time in 25 years that a horse had taken that honor.) But I’ve been away from racing for a long time, so I was looking for a sport horse link—and I found it.
That first race, the $50,000 Gladstone for three-year-olds, was won by Menacing Dennis, after Snuggling, first across the finish line, was disqualified for interference and placed third. Dennis is trained by Julie Gomena, who was the winner at the 1994 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
The feature at Far Hills is the $400,000 Grand National Steeplechase, which dates back to 1899 and has been run in various locations, including Saratoga and Belmont. It’s the richest steeplechase in the U.S.
The honors went to Mr. Hot Stuff, an 11-year-old son of Tiznow who had an undistinguished performance in the Kentucky Derby as a three-year-old. He’s owned by Gil Johnston, who also owns show jumper Leslie Burr Howard’s top ride, Gentille van Spieveld. See, there’s that connection. Gil also gave me a little scoop when she told me that a new mount, Flo, has been purchased for Leslie.
As the horses headed to the finish line, where a solid mass of people watched along the fence, Mr. Hot Stuff showed his class by passing the battling Modem and All the Way Jose to win by a nose.
Although Mr. Hot Stuff has had some soundness issues, and often needs to go back to Gil’s Tennessee farm for a year or so to recuperate, she believes in him and her patience has paid off. Mr. Hot Stuff appears likely to be the National Steeplechase Association’s leading earner of 2017.
“He’s a cool horse,” said trainer Jack Fisher, who pays off the thoroughbred in his favorite mints.
Gil bought him as a five-year-old at auction, without knowing whether he could jump. But she had confidence, since he was “an athletic-looking horse.” At the moment, she has no plans to retire him, but when they hang up his saddle for good, he’ll be living at her Tennessee farm along with 20 or so other retired horses.
The last race, the 3 and ¼-mile New Jersey Hunt Cup over timber, brought me together with people from the eventing world. Nina and Tim Gardner, who own Jennie Brannigan’s best-known eventer, Cambalda, were in the winner’s circle after their 9-year-old gray, Where’s the Beef, took charge of the seven-horse field.
Jennie reconditioned the gelding by Rockport and rode him in several eventing competitions “to get him going and relaxed,” Nina said. The rider made her debut as a jockey in March 2015 with the horse, finishing fourth in an allowance race on the turf at the Aiken Spring Steeplechase. He was ridden at Far Hills by Mark Beecher. The Gardners, residents of Maryland, are now looking to have their horse start in the Maryland Hunt Cup.
In the second race, 2 and 1/8 miles on the turf, Whitman’s Poetry scored the victory. The race is named in memory of trainer Harry E. Harris, whose daughter, Diane, presented the trophy. Diane’s late mother, Muriel Harris, was the secretary of many of our local horse shows in the Somerset Hills several decades ago, and Diane was quite a rider herself. She had a top pony named Little Bronze Wing, but isn’t involved with horses these days. Still, seeing her brought back memories.
The races sponsored by the Open Road Auto Group and Peapack-Gladstone Bank, really have become an extravaganza with many moving parts, including a vendor village and giant viewing screens. Those tweedy folks who attended in the 1960s and before wouldn’t recognize their event. Ron Kennedy, who co-chairs the races, said he got up at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning after a few hours of sleep to make sure everything was on target at Moorland. He keeps a pad of paper and a pencil by his bed to keep track of thoughts he has during the night about what has to be done.
The race meeting, he pointed out with a good-natured smile, “is so explosive. It’s like a cannon—there’s no chance to get ahead of it.” But the organizers do an excellent job in managing their once-a-year-day.
If Moorland sounds familiar to you, maybe it’s because you identify it as the home of the Essex Horse Trials, which was reinstituted in June after a 19-year absence from the scene. It will host the trials again June 23-24 2018, offering another chance to spend time at one of the most beautiful locations in New Jersey.
It had been years since I attended the Far Hills Race Meeting, once a “must” stop for me, but now off my calendar because it often conflicted with the Dutta Corp. Fair Hill (don’t confuse the names) International Three-Day Event in Maryland. This year, though, Fair Hill was last weekend, leaving me free yesterday to head back to the races a few miles from my home in New Jersey.
For those unfamiliar with the Far Hills phenomenon, I should explain that it is a day when everything seems to stop (including the traffic) in this tiny Somerset County town, where as many as 40,000 racegoers have descended on it. The whole day is about the steeplechase races. Stores close, trains to the Far Hills station are packed, sidewalks are jammed and caterers stay up all night to prepare the feasts served at coveted tailgate spots on the hill at Moorland Farm. Want to buy a ticket at the gate? That’ll cost you $200.
I could go by car only so far on the road to the races, because the traffic was overwhelming. So my husband dropped me off and I started walking, carrying a couple of cameras and other gear. A woman in an SUV obviously felt sorry for me and kindly asked if I’d like to ride with her. I didn’t see the point, since the line of cars had been proceeding even more slowly than I was, and she agreed that we’d probably arrive at the same time. She was right. We ran into each other near the first turn on the race course and caught part of the first race, the Gladstone, together.
Turned out she was Laura Traphagen, a former show ring competitor and friend of the family with whom I used to board my horses in New Vernon (about 20 minutes from Far Hills). That’s how it is on race day at Moorland; you’ll see people who have some connection with you that has nothing to do with racing.
I noticed that eventer Holly Payne-Caravella had sent out a tweet Friday saying she would be at the races (like me, she had been obligated to go to Fair Hill instead when there was a date conflict.) I found her at a space in the front row that her family has had for 30 years, although she sadly pointed out that since she last attended, a big tent had been erected in front of the their location, so the Paynes’ view of the racing was blocked.
Holly and her brother, Doug, also a successful eventer, had ridden in the pony races that once were a feature at Far Hills, and of course, we started talking about the old days. I had her there, since I can remember going to the races in the 1960s (before she was born), when there may have been about 5,000 people maximum there, most of whom were wearing tweed and knew each other. The crowd often used to include Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who had a home in Peapack and hunted with the Essex Foxhounds.
Long ago, the races were sponsored by the Essex, so the local hunt could thank farmers across whose property they rode. The races moved to Moorland, then a private estate, in 1916.
For years, they were called the hunt races by those in the know. Essex hasn’t been involved for decades, however, and the crowds grew after the races were marketed as “Family Day in the Country” during the early 1970s. The races have raised millions of dollars for charity, benefitting Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (where the Steeplechase Cancer Center is located) and RWJ Barnabas Health, as well as the Cancer Support Community.
As Holly noted, folks in the know these days call Far Hills “the races.” Those not in the know call it “the hunt,” which annoys me (I work in words, after all) since the steeplechasing has nothing to do with a hunt anymore. But those folks often don’t even know what the occasion is about anyway; they’re just there to eat, drink and socialize.
They also make fun side bets. Although it was hoped that pari-mutuel betting would be in place for this year’s races, it didn’t work out and 2018 should be the first time it is in effect.
Under-age and excessive drinking had become a problem at the races, so this year there was a real crackdown and increased presence of law enforcement. There also was an initiative between Lyft and Beam Suntory (Makers Mark) to offer some free rides home from the event.
I have only anecdotal evidence of how the initiative worked from what I experienced, but walking out of Moorland in the past, I’d often run into stumbling, falling-down drunks. I encountered none of that this year, and the young people with whom I spoke seemed fine. I did wonder, however, why so many people searching for the Far Hills train station to return home were walking in the direction of Peapack instead. I gave out directions to a good number of young folks to get them back on track, so to speak.
Conditions were optimum both for the horses and the spectators, while the autumn colors of the trees added just the right artistic note to the picture.
“It’s a beautiful day, the racecourse is in perfect shape and I’m tickled pink,” said Guy Torsilieri, president of the National Steeplechase Association, who chairs the race meeting with Ron Kennedy. He noted sales were “a little off because we really aggressively launched that campaign against underage drinking and I’m okay with that. If they figured out they couldn’t come here and drink, it’s fine with with me.”
Non-racing sport horse competition is my mainstay. I used to cover racing (most notably, I wrote about Secretariat’s Belmont victory that secured the Triple Crown in 1973, the first time in 25 years that a horse had taken that honor.) But I’ve been away from racing for a long time, so I was looking for a sport horse link—and I found it.
That first race, the $50,000 Gladstone for three-year-olds, was won by Menacing Dennis, after Snuggling, first across the finish line, was disqualified for interference and placed third. Dennis is trained by Julie Gomena, who was the winner at the 1994 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
The feature at Far Hills is the $400,000 Grand National Steeplechase, which dates back to 1899 and has been run in various locations, including Saratoga and Belmont. It’s the richest steeplechase in the U.S.
The honors went to Mr. Hot Stuff, an 11-year-old son of Tiznow who had an undistinguished performance in the Kentucky Derby as a three-year-old. He’s owned by Gil Johnston, who also owns show jumper Leslie Burr Howard’s top ride, Gentille van Spieveld. See, there’s that connection. Gil also gave me a little scoop when she told me that a new mount, Flo, has been purchased for Leslie.
As the horses headed to the finish line, where a solid mass of people watched along the fence, Mr. Hot Stuff showed his class by passing the battling Modem and All the Way Jose to win by a nose.
Although Mr. Hot Stuff has had some soundness issues, and often needs to go back to Gil’s Tennessee farm for a year or so to recuperate, she believes in him and her patience has paid off. Mr. Hot Stuff appears likely to be the National Steeplechase Association’s leading earner of 2017.
“He’s a cool horse,” said trainer Jack Fisher, who pays off the thoroughbred in his favorite mints.
Gil bought him as a five-year-old at auction, without knowing whether he could jump. But she had confidence, since he was “an athletic-looking horse.” At the moment, she has no plans to retire him, but when they hang up his saddle for good, he’ll be living at her Tennessee farm along with 20 or so other retired horses.
The last race, the 3 and ¼-mile New Jersey Hunt Cup over timber, brought me together with people from the eventing world. Nina and Tim Gardner, who own Jennie Brannigan’s best-known eventer, Cambalda, were in the winner’s circle after their 9-year-old gray, Where’s the Beef, took charge of the seven-horse field.
Jennie reconditioned the gelding by Rockport and rode him in several eventing competitions “to get him going and relaxed,” Nina said. The rider made her debut as a jockey in March 2015 with the horse, finishing fourth in an allowance race on the turf at the Aiken Spring Steeplechase. He was ridden at Far Hills by Mark Beecher. The Gardners, residents of Maryland, are now looking to have their horse start in the Maryland Hunt Cup.
In the second race, 2 and 1/8 miles on the turf, Whitman’s Poetry scored the victory. The race is named in memory of trainer Harry E. Harris, whose daughter, Diane, presented the trophy. Diane’s late mother, Muriel Harris, was the secretary of many of our local horse shows in the Somerset Hills several decades ago, and Diane was quite a rider herself. She had a top pony named Little Bronze Wing, but isn’t involved with horses these days. Still, seeing her brought back memories.
The races sponsored by the Open Road Auto Group and Peapack-Gladstone Bank, really have become an extravaganza with many moving parts, including a vendor village and giant viewing screens. Those tweedy folks who attended in the 1960s and before wouldn’t recognize their event. Ron Kennedy, who co-chairs the races, said he got up at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning after a few hours of sleep to make sure everything was on target at Moorland. He keeps a pad of paper and a pencil by his bed to keep track of thoughts he has during the night about what has to be done.
The race meeting, he pointed out with a good-natured smile, “is so explosive. It’s like a cannon—there’s no chance to get ahead of it.” But the organizers do an excellent job in managing their once-a-year-day.
If Moorland sounds familiar to you, maybe it’s because you identify it as the home of the Essex Horse Trials, which was reinstituted in June after a 19-year absence from the scene. It will host the trials again June 23-24 2018, offering another chance to spend time at one of the most beautiful locations in New Jersey.
