Hannah Sue is the star at the Essex Horse Trials

Not surprisingly, Hannah Sue Hollberg is a big fan of the Essex Horse Trials.

It wasn’t just that she won $10,000 Sunday in the Open Intermediate section, where she was the only rider to finish in a field of three, and she topped the  Preliminary division as well.

A great crowd, a challenging but safe cross-country course and a prime location in the heart of New Jersey’s Somerset Hills were all big selling points for Hannah Sue, along with the prize money.

“It’s so much fun coming here because everyone is cheering for you and it feels like such a big time event,” she said.

“I’m surprised people aren’t beating down the door to come. I think it was off people’s radar,” Hannah Sue said. People she talked to didn’t know there was an Intermediate Division.

“I’ve been telling everybody about it and next year it will be better,” she promised.

Another person I spoke with agreed riders were unaware of the $10,000 in prize money being offered by sponsor Running S Equine Veterinary Services, so they didn’t enter. A total of 98 horses ran. The lower levels were full, but the upper levels were sparse.

Morgan Rowsell, co-organizer of the event with Ralph Jones, noted, “We don’t need a lot of rides to run, but we’d like good quality riders here so they can get ready for international competition, to develop a team for the (U.S.) team.

“I’m disappointed not more riders showed up. We jumped around a lot of dates (the date has changed three times in three years). We’re not in the habit of the riders at the moment, they’ve got other choices. Hopefully, the word will get out from this great weekend to promote us for next year.”

Hannah Sue feels emails or calling riders isn’t enough to get out the word in this era. Her suggestion to let everyone know about Essex is to tag all the riders on Essex social media posts.

“Their social media people, if they (riders) don’t see it themselves, will tell them about it. Essex, the date and prize money is pretty much all you need.”

The event moved from the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, where dressage and show jumping were held on Saturday, to Moorland Farm in nearby Far Hills for the cross-country on Sunday.

Hannah Sue’s victory in the Intermediate came despite two runouts with a new mount, the 11-year-old Dutchbred Hachi (VDL Cardento X Dylona), ridden by Phillip Dutton until December. Prior to that, he was a show jumper with Beth Franco.

“We’re still getting to know each other,” Hannah Sue said of Hachi.

“He’s such a character. A really cool horse. I’m still sorting out the bit, and turning is a little bit of an issue sometimes. He just jumped so big into the water…I almost fell off.”

Hachi ran past the second element in the complex.

“I almost had him, I turned him and he looked away from it, he didn’t quite lock onto it,” she recounted.

He lost some heart with the water problem, Hannah Sue believes, and ran out at 18 B, six fences later.

“Now I know what to work on,” she said. The other riders had bigger problems, which left all the prize money to her.

“It was more of a learning mission with him,” she said.

“I’m just lucky nobody beat me.”

Hannah Sue’s other blue ribbon of the day in Preliminary came with the cute-as-can-be Rockster, a palomino Morgan who is a true dream horse. Not only is the 9-year-old gelding beautiful, he also is easy to ride (Hannah Sue’s 12-year-old niece jumps him over cross-rails).

Originally named Mia-Mar Hillbilly Star (Mia-Mar Remo X Shato’s Lucky Star), he came from Washington State.

Trish Arnold, the veterinarian her family used when Hannah Sue was growing up in Kentucky, had moved west and the two lost touch. But they re-connected when the vet decided to sell Rockster, who has competed at Intermediate level. She sent the 9-year-old gelding to Hannah Sue, who is marketing him for sale.

“He’s an amazing little athlete. He’s so cute and he’s amazing cross-country,” said Hannah Sue.

“His little face–you can’t beat it. I love riding him; he does it on his own. He’s the safest, easiest, most fun thing I’ve ever ridden,” she added.

Rockster led wire-to-wire, finishing on his dressage score of 27.3 penalties, ahead of Emily Bradford and LJS LanaTraveler (31.6).

The Training section was dominated by Caroline Martin Pamukcu, who won with Billy Be Jolly (24.3) and finished second on Cascadella 8 (25.5). Caroline also won the Advanced Combined Test on Saturday with HSH Blake (34.7).

Be Jolly came from British team member Pippa Funnell, with whom Caroline worked while she was training in England last year. Caroline sold the “very sporty” mare to a client, Gail Davis, who bought the horse for Caroline.

Cascadella came from dealer Paul Hendrix two months ago as a replacement for a horse he had sold to Caroline that didn’t work out.

“I think the world of her,” Caroline said of Cascadella.

“She’s got really good technique. I think she’s the real deal as well.”

Several special honors were handed out. The Jean and Elliott Haller horsemanship trophy went to Matt Crutchfield, an 18-year-old Virginian who was fifth in the Preliminary on Independent JWB.

Matt, who trains with Caroline, enjoyed Essex.

“The environment is great for riders and horses. It’s such a big environment you don’t see it at many shows, at least smaller shows, in America.

“Everything around the water (complex) is amazing. I went over to Europe with Caroline and this is an event like you’d see in Europe.”

He hopes to make the Young Rider team next year and is in a lease to buy arrangement with his horse.

Essex began on the Haller family farm in Bedminster in 1968. Their son, Roger, went on to design the cross-country courses at the 1978 World Championships and the 1996 Olympics.

For the second year in a row, the Golden Nugget Memorial Trophy donated by Clarissa Wilmerding was presented to Peyton Brienza, the winner of the Novice Rider section on The Brave Little Toaster (best horse name!) The award is given to the lowest-scoring member of Pony Club, age 18 or under, who has completed all three phases of the Essex event. Peyton won with 27.2 penalties.

Essex had a great turnout for the Peter Chesson Memorial Car Show, which runs concurrently with the eventing. A number of people who came for the car show wandered over to the cross-country to watch the horses compete.

Proceeds from Essex benefit the Greater Newark LifeCamp in Pottersville, which provides an enriching day camp experience for approximately 300 Newark-area youths per day for six weeks during July and August.

This year, the event invited those who will be attending the camp and their parents to a picnic by the water complex, so the children could watch the action and even had a chance to sit on a pony.

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