Canada's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the venerable final leg of the North American Fall Indoor Circuit, will not be held for the second year in a row due to the "international impact" of the Covid situation. "After considerable research and...

“It’s always so hot for this show,” I heard a rider say as she walked her horse toward the ring during the Summer Days dressage show at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone yesterday. Well yes, because it’s summer in New Jersey. Now if...

At 11 p.m. on a frigid December night, as far north in Germany as you can get without reaching the Danish border, Mary Gadek Bancroft and trainer Holly Payne Caravella found an exciting eventing prospect. The conditions weren’t optimum for trying...

The observation event for U.S Olympic dressage team hopefuls wasn’t officially a selection trial, but last night’s results in Wellington, Fla., yielded a clear indicator of who is on top--with no surprises.(Check out the On the Rail section on this...

Just call him Champ. Boyd Martin completed his sweep of the two U.S. spring eventing championships today at the Jersey Fresh International Horse Trials, where he came from behind in the 4-star Long on Luke 140 to win the division, taking the U.S....

You might have thought the 4-star Long competition at the Jersey Fresh International Three Day Event could be a rematch between Tamie Smith on En Vogue and Alyssa Phillips with Oskar, who overtook Tamie’s lead from dressage and cross-country in the...

She was meant to be an eventing horse, or perhaps go out in the hunt field. But once Candescent’s potential was glimpsed by Alice Tarjan, it was obvious that  neither of those destinies would be in the mare’s future. The four-year-old Hanoverian...

As an advisory group considers the future for the  Somerset County Park Commission’s Lord Stirling Stable, which stopped offering riding lessons when the pandemic began, a survey has been sent out to aid in developing a strategic plan for reopening...

It all started with Licorice, a black pony with four white socks who tactfully could best be described as “a brat.” But he provided quite a legacy for Alice Tarjan, who figured out how to ride him well enough so he would do what she wanted, rather...

They cancelled the cancellation! The Land Rover Kentucky 5-star Three-Day was called off last week because U.S. Equestrian Federation Covid protocols prohibited spectators and the event needed revenue from tickets to proceed. But then a grassroots...

(updated Feb. 3, 2021)   With today’s cancellation of the April 5-star Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, it was natural for people to question whether the Jersey Fresh International event will be held 11 days later at the Horse Park of New...

Eight months after riding lessons ceased at the Somerset County Park Commission's Lord Stirling Stable, work will begin on planning how to go forward in the wake of its Covid-related shutdown, which resulted in curtailed offerings at the facility...

I have never posted the work of others on my website, but this story from Horsey Hooves about an Appaloosa who lost his eyes is so touching and amazing it just seemed perfect for Christmas. And at this point of a difficult year, we all can use...

Anyone who has spent time with Lynn Matthews knows she is rarely at a loss for words. The one exception was the moment when the N.J. Department of Agriculture’s equine specialist learned she would be getting the prestigious Spirt of the Horse award...

This weekend is one that the Essex Foxhounds usually devote to appreciating the country way of life, highlighted by its Masters Chase of fun races at Natirar, a Somerset County park that once was part of a great estate. The Covid situation meant...

It is truly the end of an era. Lt. Col. John Russell, the last of America's influential cavalry veterans, passed away at his home in Texas Sept. 30 The world's oldest living Olympic medalist was 100 years, 7 months and 28 days. He likely was the...

There are still plenty of horses in the New Vernon section of Morris County’s Harding Township, but in an earlier era, the area really could be called horse country without any exaggeration. It was the original home of the Spring Valley Hounds,...

Heading west from Oldwick to Illinois for the Dressage Festival of Champions last week, Alice Tarjan had her own little wagon train. She was hauling four horses herself, while two were shipped commercially. Asked about the challenge of dealing with...

  You could see it coming. A virtual Town Hall yesterday with U.S Hunter Jumper Association President Mary Babick highlighted the problems involved with the Covid-related cancellation of major competitions, such as the USEF Pony Finals, which...

Things were Covid-quiet at the USET Foundation’s Gladstone headquarters for several months while it was closed to visitors. So this week’s Summer Days Dressage shows, presented by the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association,...

The Covid crisis was far in the future when Christine Reupke came up with the idea for the Horsemanship Society International website in 2018. The concept of combining virtual showing with a lesson was designed for people who do not have access to...

Today the state of  New Jersey has lifted pandemic-imposed restrictions on horseback riding, but that won’t mean the reopening of the lesson program at the Somerset County Park Commission’s Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge. A month ago, the...

The good word for New Jersey stables that have been stalled in pandemic lockdown is that as of Friday, May 22, Gov. Phil Murphy is lifting coronavirus restrictions on horseback riding, along with a number of other recreational activities such as...

Virtual eventing? It's even got its own T-shirt. These days in the horse world, it seems as if it's virtual everything. The USEF’s announcement that recognized competitions won’t run before the end of May is another push for equestrian sport to...

As the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last night added its voice to the chorus of national Olympic committees calling for postponement of this summer's Tokyo Games, the International Olympic Committee bowed to pressure and moved the Games to...

The tsunami of pandemic-sparked cancellations involving equestrian competitions large and small will be felt by a diverse group that runs from top athletes looking toward the Olympics down to kids hoping to qualify for their championships;...

Dressage trainer Michael Barisone reached out to the U.S. Center for SafeSport last year after complaining of harassment by a woman he subsequently was charged with shooting. The comment about SafeSport was made by defense attorney Ed Bilinkas as...

The highlight of the considerable jumping action in Wellington, Fla., last week was the Palm Beach Masters, a splendid fixture at Deeridge Farm that culminated in a riveting Longines FEI Nations Cup with a hard-fought victory for the home team....

What a weekend! Wellington, Florida, is a perennial winter equestrian hotspot, but for the past three days, it outdid itself as a multi-discipline destination. Think of the whole thing as a mini World Equestrian Games, without the baggage that WEGs...

So close, and yet so far. The bill to end the sales tax on stalls for boarding horses finally passed the state Legislature almost unanimously, but New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy didn't sign it. That's what known as a pocket veto (since it wasn't...

Horse people don't have a lot of time to reflect; we all know the demands made on us by caring for even one equine. So at the turn of the year, I always try to stop for a few minutes, put down my glass of champagne, and think about the past 12...

The MARS Essex Horse Trials is moving to a new date for 2020, hoping that a switch from June to July will offer better weather for the event. "We're really just trying to improve the odds," said Ralph Jones, who co-chairs Essex with cross-country...

Making things better for horses: Doesn't everyone who is involved with these special animals want to see that happen? But the Rutgers Equine Science Center translates the desire into action. The research with which it is involved makes a difference...

Kevin Babington's wife, Dianna, shared an exciting update today about the New Jersey-based Irish show jumper, who suffered a critical spinal cord injury in a fall during a competition at the end of August. He is being treated at the Kessler...

I was soaked this afternoon, which was not surprising and something to which I’ve become accustomed after 31 years covering the Dutta Fair Hill International  three-day event, where rain has never been a stranger. But you come to expect that while...

There really was something for everyone this afternoon during the Essex Fox Hounds Masters’ Chase at Natirar, the scenic Somerset County park in Peapack. There were numerous opportunities to enjoy all aspects of a day dedicated to appreciating the...

It has been 26 days since show jumper Kevin Babington suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury in a traumatic fall at the Hampton Classic, His wife, Dianna, wrote on facebook that surgery Tuesday at NYU "went as well as possible," but plans to...

It has been 20 days since show jumper Kevin Babington suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury in a traumatic fall at the Hampton Classic, His wife, Dianna, wrote on facebook that surgery Tuesday at NYU "went as well as possible. "We are...

It has been 20 days since show jumper Kevin Babington suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury in a traumatic fall at the Hampton Classic, His wife, Dianna, wrote on facebook that surgery Tuesday at NYU "went as well as possible. "We are...

An  outpouring of support for injured rider Kevin Babington has raised more than $500,000 on a Facebook donation page, while charity horse shows and merchandise sales will continue contributions to funding his medical care and rehab, following his...

(See information about the funeral, survivors and memorial donations at the end of the obituary. Shelley Howerton Page, who will be going to the funeral, would like to print out email remembrances and give them to Ann's family. Contact her at...

The announcement Monday of the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s lifetime ban against 81-year-old former U.S. show jumping Coach George Morris triggered immediate outrage from top show jumpers and a host of others in the horse industry. During the days...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Call it Dr. Meg Sleeper’s version of the trifecta--or maybe just a self-styled hat trick. Last weekend, the veterinary cardiologist rode three different home-bred horses, who are all related, to win 75-mile, 100-mile and 50-mile endurance...

WELLINGTON, Fla.—Watching a 20-year-old horse competing in the Western Hemisphere’s only 5-star-rated dressage show is pretty impressive, but when he does more than just participate, it’s really remarkable. If you didn’t know the age of Elmegardens...

November 18, 2018 New Jersey riders and trainers made their mark at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, winning an array of championships and reserves across a wide range of divisions. The show at the Kentucky Horse Park drew an...

By Nancy Jaffer October 21, 2016 “It was the luckiest day of my life when I met Jennie Brannigan,” said Beth Battel, who has owned Footlight Farm in Roosevelt, Monmouth County, for 37 years. A rider, trainer and horse breeder, Beth is a half-owner...