Among the most recent cancellations of New Jersey equestrian competitions are the Flora Lea spring horse trials in Medford, the Princeton May 6-10 hunter/jumper/equitation show in Skillman and the Garden State show in Asbury.
Organizer Debbie Adams stated, “After careful consideration, Flora Lea has decided to cancel their spring horse trials, originally scheduled for May 23-24. It seems the responsible thing to do with the pandemic looming over all of our existences. Flora Lea has been running a USEA event since 1975 and has only cancelled one time, due to a ‘100 year flood’ that hit NJ. We hope that all is well by September and that we can be up and running our Fall horse trials. We will also cancel our June 21 Youg Event Horse competition but will hope to run the August competition.”
While the May Princeton show won’t run, plans are still on for one-day shows June 7 and 21 and the three July Princeton Summer Classic shows.
Meanwhile, April and May were going to be an exciting time for the crew at the Ridge, as the Garden State Show and its pre-show were set to be staged for the first time at its showgrounds in Asbury, Warren County.
Garden State’s dates were April 28-May 3. The U.S. Equestrian Federation, however, is asking for competitions to be suspended through May 3–and there’s a chance that will go on longer. While USEF can’t ban show organizers from putting on their competitions, exhibitors will not be able to get qualifying points or points for award programs.,
Garden State previously was run by the Junior Essex Troop, a military-style organization for boys that had its own farm in West Orange. At one time, the organization presented the largest junior show in America. It became an open show in 1972, known for its challenging outside course, which involved crossing a stream and going up and down a hill. After the property was sold, the show went to Chubb Park in Chester, then the Sussex County Fairgrounds and finally last year to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone.
But the troop alumni who ran it were getting older and decided to sell the license to Nona Garson and her partner, George D’Ambrosio.
“We were happy to do it,” said Nona, who isn’t giving up on the show despite the problem of the pandemic.
“Hopefully, it’s postponed,” she noted. “We’re trying to figure out what would be best,””
But when will the show season resume?
“Nobody can really say when it will start to pass into a state of normalcy,” she observed.