This weekend’s Essex Horse Trials offers an opportunity to spend some time at one of New Jersey’s prettiest spots, Moorland Farm in Far Hills, where eventing competition will be held at every level from Preliminary down to Beginner Novice. Tickets are a very reasonable $10, with kids 17 and under getting in free.
Watch some of the most recognizable names in the sport, including Buck Davidson, Hannah Sue Burnett, Heidi White and Michael Walton, as well as competitors from New Jersey, among them Meg Kepferle, Holly Payne Caravaella and her mother, Marilyn Payne. Missing will be Essex regulars Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin and Will Coleman, because they are quarantining in Aachen, Germany, prior to the Tokyo Olympics, but that gives you an idea about the caliber of competition Essex has enjoyed over the years.
Competition is Saturday and Sunday, with a concert kicking things off on Friday evening. There’s also a big car show on Saturday in memory of Peter Chesson. For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.essexhorsetrials.org.