By Nancy Jaffer May 12, 2019 Could there have been a more appropriate winner than Doug Payne for a division of the 2019 Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event? Even though Doug lives in North Carolina now, he’s still considered a hometown hero...

By Nancy Jaffer Dec. 25, 2018 Okay, he didn’t have eight tiny reindeer and a sleigh. His transportation was a propeller-driven airplane that landed at an airport, not on a rooftop. But Matt Kiener might as well have been Santa Claus this Christmas...

By Nancy Jaffer September 8, 2018 When Heronwood Racing Partners set out to buy a thoroughbred who would run under the stable’s colors, members of the group already were thinking of a way to make sure the horse would have a new job after he...

By Nancy Jaffer August 9, 2018 Over the decades, the farm on Schooley’s Mountain has had its ups and downs. But now the 64 acres, dotted with pastures and a variety of buildings in varying states of repair, belong to an optimistic new owner. “We’re...

  By Nancy Jaffer July 24, 2018 The Tewksbury Trail Pace in Hunterdon County has been a favorite post-Labor Day destination for recreational riders from New Jersey and beyond since 1996, when it was introduced at Christie Hoffman Park. The...

By Nancy Jaffer July 8, 2018 On her left leg, Katie Jackson wears a sleek black Cavallo boot. On her right leg, it’s a prosthetic device and a running shoe. When she mounts Diesel, her statuesque black Oldenburg, she swings her right leg over his...

By Nancy Jaffer July 1, 2018 The Garden State Horse Show, once New Jersey’s largest hunter/jumper competition, is moving next year from the Sussex County fairgrounds to the U.S. Equestrian Federation Foundation’s historic Gladstone facility. Garden...

By Nancy Jaffer June 24, 2018 The Mars Essex Horse Trials, which finished the second year of its re-emergence today, will be making a big jump forward next year. Not only is it ready to host an Advanced division (Preliminary was the highest level...

By Nancy Jaffer June 23, 2018 After a brilliant return to the eventing calendar in 2017 following a 19-year absence, the Mars Essex Horse Trials had a hard act to follow for 2018. But today, more big names competing in the Preliminary division and...

By Nancy Jaffer April 22, 2018 Beezie Madden winning her second Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals in Paris last weekend? Not surprising. But Devin Ryan as the runner-up? Now there’s an unexpected result from a field that included the likes...

By Nancy Jaffer April 12, 2018 She did it again. Laura Chapot took the Equiline Overall Jumper Rider title for the 2018 Winter Equestrian Festival. The Neshanic Station resident has won that championship so many times she can’t put a number on it....

By Nancy Jaffer March 31, 2018 Four Seasons is more than just a horse show to its manager, Mason Garrity, and his wife, Alexandra “A.J.” Garrity, a freelance trainer. Once part of a series that began in 1972, Four Seasons was the pet project of...

By Nancy Jaffer March 13, 2008 Spring Thaw may have started out as a troublemaker, but the Appaloosa gelding went on to be a long-serving guide and inspiration for those seeking help. Until his death in January, shortly before his 31st birthday, he...

By Nancy Jaffer March 2, 2018 While suffering through a winter of gray skies, rain and way too much mud in the paddocks and pastures up North, you doubtless have a personal understanding of why so many horse owners flee to Florida during the bleak...

By Nancy Jaffer January 15, 2018 Kelly DeSaye nearly hung up on the person who notified her that she had won the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Amateur Sportsmanship award. “She said, `Hi Kelly, this is Cheryl Rubenstein from the awards...

By Nancy Jaffer December 23, 2017 She’s done it all, from winning Olympic team show jumping medals and writing a book, to victories in the world’s major grands prix, as well as earning spot in the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. Her mounts have included...

By Nancy Jaffer November 23, 2017 It’s a traditionn that began when Jacqueline Kennedy, then the charismatic First Lady of the U.S., would ride out with New Jersey’s Essex Foxhounds on Thanksgiving. The interest in her and her family was intense....

By Nancy Jaffer November 1, 2017 The horses who were part of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s development dressage training  and evaluation session in Gladstone someday may be on an American team at a major championship—or they may never rise to...

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...

By Nancy Jaffer October 8, 2017 Two of the biggest names in equitation headlined the weekend’s Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East, with Taylor St. Jacques (a star at Devon this year) leading the standings after three...

By Nancy Jaffer November 23, 2017 It’s a tradition that began when Jacqueline Kennedy, the charismatic former First Lady of the U.S., would ride out with New Jersey’s Essex Foxhounds on Thanksgiving. The interest in her and her family was intense....

By Nancy Jaffer Sept. 15, 2017 She’s never owned a horse. But Isabelle Heckler of Colts Neck has managed to get some pretty extensive experience in riding and equine care because, simply put, she’s a worker. The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s...

By Nancy Jaffer August 30, 2017 When the applause ends, after the crowds go home, what’s next for a top horse who has retired from eventing? In the case of Ballynoe Castle RM, better known as Reggie, that question can be answered with one word:...

By Nancy Jaffer Aug. 20, 2017 Monmouth at the Team may well be one of the friendliest shows you’ve ever attended—it seems as if a smile is the uniform of the day. “It’s like a neighborhood gathering, so we want to be open to everybody coming,” said...

By Nancy Jaffer July 25, 2017 When she’s competing in the Novice or Training divisions, Marilyn Payne is far from being just another lower-level eventer. The Tewksbury resident is unique in many ways, not least because she is an internationally...

By Nancy Jaffer July 12, 2017 How many horse owners do you know who have left New Jersey for good over the past few years? What about trainers and managers who have shut down their barns? Judging from my experience, your answer probably is “Lots.”...

By Nancy Jaffer June 25, 2017 The dream has become reality. How often do vanished equestrian competitions come back to life? That's why it was so special yesterday when the Mars Essex Horse Trials got under way for the first time since 1998....

By Nancy Jaffer May 24, 2017 Can you imagine taking a sample of feed every time you open a new bag, keeping it in a baggie marked with the date the feed bag was opened and the lot numbers? Oh, and writing all the information in a log book,...

By Nancy Jaffer May 24, 2017 Can you imagine taking a sample of feed every time you open a new bag, keeping it in a baggie marked with the date the feed bag was opened and the lot numbers? Oh, and writing all the information in a log book,...

By Nancy Jaffer April 14, 2017 They saw the light. The CP National Horse Show, where the ASPCA Maclay at 3-6 has been the industry standard for generations, just scrapped plans to use the Maclay name for a new 3-3 equitation competition. In my...

By Nancy Jaffer April 6, 2017 It can be argued that the CP National Horse Show’s ASPCA Maclay is the most iconic of the hunt seat equitation championships held over 3-foot 6-inch fences. Certainly, it’s the oldest. A long run at Madison Square...

By Nancy Jaffer March 21, 2017 This month’s Live Oak International driving event, which hosted four national championships, brought back memories from the era when the sport of combined driving reached its peak in the U.S. It built to a crescendo...

By Nancy Jaffer February 28, 2017 He’s got a list of international contacts that ranges from royalty to captains of industry and star athletes. Jim Wolf, a go-getter who has experience in both administration of equestrian sport and finding...

By Nancy Jaffer February 7, 2017 Wellington, Fla.’s designation as “The Winter Equestrian Capital of the World” is no exaggeration. On Sunday, two $216,000 show jumping grands prix were held at different locations about a mile apart. That’s...

By Nancy Jaffer January 21, 2017 It’s always nice to get a trophy. But it’s even better when the honor comes in memory of a mentor. Endurance rider Meg Sleeper of Kingwood Township proudly stepped up to accept the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence...

By Nancy Jaffer December 20, 2016 The enterprising artist juggles a lot of ventures, including wildly ambitious sculpting for charity, making carousels out of hobby horses, blogging and bringing together other artists at #equinearthour on Twitter....

By Nancy Jaffer December 14, 2016 He is, without a doubt, the best dressage horse in history—owning every world record and a slew of gold medals from the European Championships to the World Championships, the World Cup and the Olympics. So it is...

 By Nancy Jaffer December 9, 2016 He was the superstar of American three-day eventing after making history by winning the individual gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. From there, he assured the end of a disruptive governance battle by...

By Nancy Jaffer December 2, 2016 The last 18 months or so have been full of good news for equestrian fans and participants in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills, an area that is revving up to once again be a center of multi-discipline horse sports—which...

By Nancy Jaffer November 22, 2016 Those who dream about riding in the Olympics will need to temper their plans (real or fantasy) following the International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) decision yesterday to cut teams from four to three in each of...

By Nancy Jaffer October 12, 2016 Persistence paid off last weekend for T.J. O’Mara of Rumson, who set a goal and returned year after year to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone attempting to realize it. On his fifth try, he finally won...

By Nancy Jaffer October 6, 2016 Who needs a groom when you've got a friend? Bridget Hay of East Amwell and Kim Herslow of Stockton were rooming together, stabled their horses side-by-side and shared a tack room during an often-rainy Dressage at...

By Nancy Jaffer Sept. 20, 2016 A generation-spanning who's who of American show jumping gathered yesterday at the Gladstone headquarters of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation for a smile- and tear-filled tribute to Olympian and coach Frank Chapot....

By Nancy Jaffer Aug. 28, 2016 You saw the Olympic eventing from Rio on TV or the live stream, but Marilyn Payne lived it as president of the ground jury, and she had quite a different view. It was, of course, serious business, but also an adventure...

By Nancy Jaffer Aug. 7, 2016 While I realize the Olympics are the main focus for the next couple of weeks (who could miss that?), it's past time to discuss what's happening with the FEI World Equestrian Games, scheduled to be held somewhere on the...

By Nancy Jaffer July 31, 2016 Monmouth is New Jersey's oldest horse show, but at the same time, it is also the newest. Next month, a re-invented version gets under way at the sixth venue in its history, and the second outside the county where it...

By Nancy Jaffer June 22, 2016 Even before yesterday evening's Invitational Derby Cross competition at Moorland Farm in Far Hills, I knew there wasn't going to be just one winner. I'm talking big picture here, not who was taking home the blue ribbon...

By Nancy Jaffer June 20, 2016 Through six Olympic Games, scores of Nations' Cups and dozens of victories at the world's most important equestrian venues, Frank Chapot always rode to win when the nation's flag was on his saddlepad. In the subsequent...

By Nancy Jaffer June 5, 2016 At the age of 21, Amanda Derbyshire left her native England “to experience America” for three months. Six years later, the charming grand prix show jumper is still here, competing at major shows with an impressive...

By Nancy Jaffer May 29, 2016 If you own a horse, you probably have a familiarity with pasture, but how much do you really know about making the most of the property where your horse eats and roams? Equine Extension Specialist Dr. Carey Williams of...

By Nancy Jaffer May 22, 2016 There certainly was tragedy aplenty at last weekend's Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, and it can't be forgotten. But there needs to be perspective in seeing the big picture while looking back at the...

By Nancy Jaffer May 15, 2016 On a day that started with glorious weather and perfect ground conditions, it seemed all the effort that had gone into improving this year's Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event was paying off. A record crowd was...

By Nancy Jaffer May 1, 2016 The show jumping phase today at Rolex Kentucky was marked by heavy rain alternating with sun and sprinkles, but the riders paid it no heed and focused on the tough course Richard Jeffery put together in the Rolex Arena...

By Nancy Jaffer April 10, 2016 A member of the Olympic press commission who spoke at last week's FEI (international equestrian federation) sports forum noted, “There are tons of new sports trying to knock on the Olympic door. Skateboarding, surfing...

With $9 million in prize money, classes for everything from cross rail hunters to 1.6 meter jumpers and 12 weeks of competition in sunny (much of the time) Florida, the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington has all the earmarks of a dream...

By Nancy Jaffer March 20, 2016 It takes bravery to jump the types of fences that George Morris cleared many thousands of times in a career that stretched from the 1940s until now, but it required even greater courage to reveal himself in his...

By Nancy Jaffer March 13, 2016 You've seen the ads; they're all over the internet. “Free to a good home, can no longer keep my 21-year-old horse. Not sound to ride, but would be a good companion.” There are lots of reasons for giving up a horse....

By Nancy Jaffer February 28, 2016 It looks like an ordinary riding lesson, the kind of session in which beginners get their first taste of working with horses and being in the saddle. But what goes on during weekly sessions of Operation Centaur at...

February 21, 2016 Growing up in Saddle River, B.J. Ehrhardt was a star junior rider. Yet her life wasn't complete; for some reason, she decided she needed a zebra. "I've always wanted one since I was a small child. They totally intrigued me,"...

By Nancy Jaffer February 7, 2016 An incredible performance in the Intermediaire I at last summer's Pan American Games in Canada put Kimberly Herslow and Rosmarin in the spotlight as they made a major contribution to the gold medal that qualified...

By Nancy Jaffer January 31, 2016 We all know HITS impresario Tom Struzzieri is multi-dimensional (yes, he's a hotelier and he's big into triathlons, as well as shows) but I was interested to learn he also has a restaurant in Manhattan, which he...

By Nancy Jaffer January 31, 2016 If you've been on the New Jersey equestrian scene for a long time, many of your memories probably revolve around the Middlesex County, Sussex County, Monmouth County and Garden State (formerly Junior Essex Troop)...

By Nancy Jaffer January 24, 2016 While everyone in the North was complaining about the monster blizzard, Wellington, Fla., had its own share of bad weather this weekend. Classes at the Winter Equestrian Festival and the Adequan Global Dressage...

By Nancy Jaffer January 17, 2016 LEXINGTON, KY -- Remember that beloved Disney movie, "The Horse with the Flying Tail?"If they made a sequel about Jus d'O, the U.S. Equestrian Federation's Grand Green Hunter national champion, it would be "The...

By Nancy Jaffer January 10, 2016 Where can people go if they're interested in learning to ride? It's an important question from several aspects, not the least of which involves growing the base of equestrianism, which all too often is regarded as...

By Nancy Jaffer January 2, 2016 There were plenty of good tidings for New Jersey's equestrian community in 2015 that will be paying off in a happy new year during 2016. The return of the Essex Horse Trials after a 20-year absence is among the most...

By Nancy Jaffer December 24, 2015 The Middlesex County Horse Show moved to Monmouth County, New Jersey, several years ago. The Monmouth County show moves to Somerset County, New Jersey in 2016. But the Sussex County Horse Show, which marks its 80th...