Paces, which require less time and money than showing, are increasing in number around the state and offering opportunities for all kinds of riders to enjoy a competitive outing

A Moment in Time Photography/For The Star-LedgerThe Amwell Valley Hounds' hunter pace is one of many similar events across the state that are getting more popular for their informality, reasonable cost and opportunity to see the countryside

The paces, put on by hunts once or twice a year, tended to attract people who were regulars in the hunt field or those who aspired to be. Times have changed, however.
New Jersey now has a busy calendar not only of hunter paces, but also trail paces, put on by trail groups or other organizations. There are go-arounds at every fence, western riders are welcome and for the most part, the only dress code is the requirement to wear a helmet.

The paces are wildly popular; it's not unusual for as many as 100 people to turn out. Although prizes in the past tended to be just ribbons or trophies, they are often more elaborate these days. The great number of paces means riders have a choice of where they will go, and on some weekends, there even may be two paces in different parts of the state.

In the face of competition, many paces have upped their game to attract more participants. The Amwell Valley Hounds (avhounds.com), offer a free outing with the hunt to pace winners. This year, their three paces have become a triple crown, with coolers to the riders finishing on the best score overall in the events May 1, June 12 and Oct. 2.

"We see a lot of the same people each time, so we wanted to encourage people to come out for all three. We said, `Why don't we give a grand prize?' "said Brian Skowronek of Readington, who organizes the paces with Katy Mathews of Pittstown and can be reached at (908) 963-5587.

Pairs of riders, or in some cases, a team of three or four, try to finish as close as possible to an ideal time for the course. Set by an experienced hunt rider (or trail rider, in the case of trail paces), the time is kept secret, so participants have to decide what would be best when considering the terrain as well as their horses' comfort and safety.
Skowronek compared paces to car rallies, because "it involves your judgment, rather than someone judging you."

Pluses of paces over showing include lower costs, a key factor in tough economic times. Most are $50 or less, with a discount for junior riders, compared to the hundreds of dollars that can be spent on a day of showing, with the cost of lessons and a fancy horse also factoring in.

Another advantage involves doing things with someone else, rather than riding alone. For families, it means mom or dad can participate with junior rather than simply standing by and watching their child go around the ring at a show.

The hunt's paces go through parts of Somerset and Hunterdon counties. As is the case with other paces, while serving as important fundraisers, they give people a chance to see countryside to which they would not ordinarily have access, said Skowronek. He gets entries from Pennsylvania and Delaware, as well as all over New Jersey.
Amwell requires riders to wear boots as well as helmets, but what they put on in between is up to them, said Skowronek, noting the proclivity of young girls for taking part in crop tops and riding tights, rather than breeches.

Paces also provide an opportunity to start young or inexperienced horses. That's particularly important this year, noted Margie Margentino, who runs Somerset County's Lord Stirling Stable (www.somersetcountryparks.org) in Basking Ridge.

A hard winter meant many people didn't have much chance to ride or train this year and get a jump on the season, she pointed out. The Lord Stirling pace, being held today from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., has no jumps higher than 2-feet, 3-inches, making this a good opportunity for training younger horses and conditioning.

"Our pacesetters go at a recreational pace," she said, which means those hoping for a prize can take it relatively easy. The fall pace tends to be longer and a bit faster than the spring pace; again, a nod to horses that may not be in shape this early in the season.

She called the "low-key" pace, put on by the Friends of Lord Stirling Stable, "a real family event." Wide trails mean parents can bring a child who is on a leadline. As many as four people are allowed to ride as a team, and if someone shows up alone, organizers try to pair them up with another competitor.

The Somerset Hills Pony Club (somersethillsponyclub.org) stages an annual Derby Day pace, set this year from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on May 7, that raises money for the kids' trip to the U.S. Pony Club Festival in Kentucky this summer.

This one has a lot of frills, including a vendor village, an ad book, a tailgating prize, a silent auction and a goodie bag for each of the 100 participants expected by Kim Horn of Long Valley, who is handling entries. The Pony Club pace has an extra draw; it is staged at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation's property in Gladstone, which adds a bit of cachet to the ride.

The Readington Trail Association (readingtontrail.org) holds its pace next Sunday from 9 a.m.-noon at the towerfields, 109 Cole Rd. in Whitehouse Station.
"It is fun to see mother daughter teams and barn buddies going out," said Pat Casey, the RTA's secretary.

The Readington pace usually attracts between 50 and 60 riders. Discussing its popularity, Casey said, "I think there is little pressure to `win;' no points going to standings, no one watching your every move. There seems to be a great feeling of camaraderie.

"Sometimes old fiends meet and are pleasantly surprised. We try to cover every possible need and groom the trails well beforehand."

Other groups in the state that stage paces include the Monmouth County Hunt (monmouthcountyhunt.com), the Spring Valley Hounds (springvalleyhounds.com), the Tewksbury Trail Association (tta-nj.org), the Colts Neck Trail Riders Club (cntrc.org), the Windy Hollow Hunt (windyhollowhunt.org) and the Horse Park of New Jersey (horseparkofnewjersey.com), which draws a big crowd for its annual Turkey Trot and pig roast in November.

ON THE RAIL -- The Chapot family of Neshanic Station is making a habit of dominating the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival's circuit awards. At the WEF, which ended last weekend in Wellington, Fla., they had a three-peat. For the third consecutive year, Laura Chapot took the overall jumper rider title, while her mother, Mary Chapot, received the overall jumper owner and jumper trainer awards. The Chapots also had circuit champions in Zealous, the 7-year-old titleist; Star Quest, 6-year-olds; Bradberry in the 1.40 meter category and Valentia, 1.35 meter.

Other Jerseyans who scored in the championships included Scott Stewart of Flemington, the overall hunter rider and trainer, and Elizabeth Benson of Whitehouse Station, who took the Christy Conard trophy for equestrian excellence.

On the WEF's closing weekend, Kate Steenberg of Westfield riding Tres Bien and Madeline Cox of Pennington on Kix were half of the the winning Zone 2 team in the medium division of the $30,000 Junior/Amater-Owner Jumper Zoe Team Competition Final. They rode with Pennsylvanians Cynthia McGrath and Heather Irons. Steenberg, a student at Lynn University in Florida who trains with Holly Mitten, McGrath and Irons were on the winning team last year as well and recruited Cox to help them this time.
Cox, a student at the College of New Jersey who trains with the Chapots, was also circuit champion in the low amateur-owner jumpers.

"It was a pretty tough course, pretty demanding, but it was so much fun," said Cox of the Nations' Cup-style team event.

"I just kind of rode it like a speed round and he usually goes really well with that. We kept it together everywhere and this was his first time under the lights, so I am really pleased with him."

The ticket office for the Devon, Pa., Horse Show May 26-June 5 opens tomorrow at 10 a.m., and the lines start forming early for seats at one of the country's most entertaining, oldest and prestigious shows. The Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon, to be held on the night of June 2, is always a sellout. For ticket information, call (610) 688-2554. The office is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
For additional information go to www.devonhorseshow.org.

The show has made many improvements this year, from upgrades to some of the stalls to the cafeteria and food area. Most important from an exhibitor standpoint is new footing in the gold ring and the warm-up area to go along with the surface put down in the main arena in 2010.

Horse Rescue United, Inc., a registered not-for-profit New Jersey business that has applied for 501(c)(3) non-profit status, is holding an open house next Sunday from 11 a.m. -3 p.m. at 199 E Colliers Mills Road, New Egypt. The event is free and visitors will have a chance to meet the rescue’s horses.

The organization has placed more than 30 horses since it was founded in March 2010. Some have been saved from slaughter, while others have been surrendered by owners who did not want them or could not take care of them anymore.

The Somerset County Park Commission Therapeutic Recreation Department and Lord Stirling Stable are seeking volunteers to assist with Therapeutic Recreation Adapted Instruction at Lord Stirling.

TRAILS provides an opportunity for children and adults with developmental disabilities to learn the basics of horseback riding at a level adapted to their needs. No equestrian experience is needed to volunteer, but they must be 18 or older, though 17-year-olds will be considered if they have previous experience with horses.

Those interested in participating may call the Therapeutic Recreation Department at (908) 526-5650 or go to somersetcountyparks.org.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

Sunday: Lord Stirling Stable Hunter Pace, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge (9 a.m.-1 p.m.); Flora Lea Horse Trials, 21 Branin Rd., Medford; Briarwood Farm Show, Pleasant Run Road, Readington; Oxbow Stables Dressage Show Combined Test and Horse Trials, 39 Orts. Rd., Hamburg; Central Jersey Horsemen's Association English/Western/Standardbred Show, East Freehold Park, Kozlowski Road, Freehold; Baymar Farms Show, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville; NJQHA All-Breed Charity Ride, Sleepy Hollow Stables, 47 Woodruff Rd., New Egypt
Thursday: Four Seasons at Duncraven Show, 1300 Trenton-Harbourton Rd., Titusville (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Sussex County Benefit Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Garden State Appaloosa Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday); Dressage Schooling Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown.
Next Sunday: Readington Trail Association Trail Pace, Cole Road Towerfield, Whitehouse Station (9 a.m.-noon); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Toad Lane, Sergeantsville; Hidden Hollow Farm Combined Training Schooling Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Clover Valley Farm Dressage Show and Combined Test, 91 Hillcrest Rd., Whitehouse Station; Cream Ridge Pony Club Dressage Show and Combined Test, 80 Petty Rd., Cranbury; Baymar Farms Show, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville; Triple Challenge Trail Event Breast Cancer Benefit, Sleepy Hollow Stables, 47 Woodruff Rd., New Egypt.
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

As the Sussex County Horse Show prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, it is locked in a dispute with the New Jersey State Fair, a situation that show supporters say puts the future of the equestrian competition in jeopardy.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerCompetition at the Sussex County Horse Show runs against a unique backdrop of the New Jersey State Fair's ferris wheel and carnival, but the two organizations are now at odds over their financial arrangement

The iconic multi-breed show is a summer highlight that runs concurrently with the fair, staged by the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show Association at the fairgrounds it owns in Augusta. The ferris wheel, funnel cakes and agricultural exhibits are as much a part of the show experience as the divisions offered in the main arena, and in turn, horse show exhibitors patronize the fair and spend their money there.

The horse show, which has attracted some of the country's best-known riders, from Bernie Traurig and Rodney Jenkins in the 1970s to McLain Ward and Hillary Dobbs today, was an independent entity until 1978. At that time, it became part of the FHSA, but was constituted as a committee that handled its own finances and had its own checkbook.

The FHSA's auditor, however, repeatedly recommended that all the financial accounts for the fair's various committees and subdivisions be consolidated in one general ledger, rather than allowing each to maintain its own. While the committees could still make decisions about day-to-day spending, checks would be issued centrally by the Association.

Under these circumstances, the show would be "powerless to do anything about changes we objected to," contended Susann Gerber of Frankford, a former show president, noting the show cannot override the fair's executive board.

The show is recognized by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, has an "A" hunter rating and a $50,000 grand prix. There is apprehension by some on the horse show side that the fair eventually might want to cut prize money _ which show people worry could lead exhibitors to go elsewhere _ and perhaps even drop affiliation with USEF.

Robin Fairclough of Newton, whose late father, Robert Rost, was the show's longtime manager, said that being under USEF rules means "prize money has to be paid by a certain date, you have to make your applications by a certain date; all those finances need to be available to us at a moment's notice." Added Fairclough, the show's vice president of operations, "We're concerned that our hands are going to be tied."

Fearing a loss of financial autonomy could affect the quality and character of the show, as well as being concerned that its money might be used for non-horse show purposes, the horse show refused to turn over its records and checkbook. After voting to separate from the fair association, it went through arbitration and mediation, to no avail.

The Northwest Jersey Horse Show was created in November to "protect its finances and identity." However, the group is not yet doing business, because the show is still operating under the old structure.

Said Gerber, "We no longer are discussing consolidation; we are no longer discussing the checkbook. We are discussing the fact that the horse show committee wants to be its own corporation...and what we should be negotiating is the terms under which we will work together."

Gerber, who serves as president of the new organization, said the fair association has threatened to seize the show's bank accounts, totaling $140,000, if "legal recourse" is sought. Both the fair and the show have threatened legal action.

The association will seek to "recover all losses, expenses and costs, including attorney fees, from any legally responsible individuals who are found at fault for misusing their membership in the organization in order to carry on activities detrimental to the interests of the association."

At the same time, the association stated it "wants to assure the public that the association is dealing with this situation in a manner designed to keep events running as usual at the fairgrounds."

Gerber sent out a letter asking friends of the show to contribute to cover legal expenses and the cost of the show if its money is seized. The new group is seeking to raise $250,000 toward those ends.

"We have tried to avoid going to litigation, but the executive board has said, `Take it or leave it,' " commented Robert Muir III, the horse show group's attorney.

"If it has to go to litigation, my feeling is it could destroy the horse show as it has existed and it could destroy the fair too; there's a lot of horse people in Sussex County. The desire of the horse show members is that the Farm and Horse Show stay together and work together. We have been threatened that is not going to happen unless we agree to their terms."

However, there were indications last week that talks between the adversaries may resume.

Larry Supp, an attorney who is handling the matter for the fair association, contended the horse show committee "has been assured they will be able to make their own spending decisions," though the horse show group obviously is not confident that would happen. He did note that under the new system, someone from the fair would have to sign the checks.

"I would like to settle the case,'" Supp said, adding, "I would like to find a way to do it without going to court."

"Hope still exists that we might be able to get together," said Gerber.

In the meantime, she vowed, the show will go on as planned Aug. 8-14. The Sussex County Benefit series of 13 one-day shows, a big fundraising effort that is crucial in keeping the August show solvent, will continue as well. The first of those shows, also staged at the fairgrounds, was held yesterday.

ON THE RAIL -- Today's Readington Trail Association pace has been postponed because of weather conditions. It is rescheduled for May 15 at the towerfield on Cole Road. Go to readingtontrail.org for updates.

Olympic individual gold medalist David O'Connor is all but affirmed as the new chef d'equipe/technical advisor for the U.S. eventing team, a slot that will open when Mark Phillips retires after the 2012 Olympics _ and O'Connor's term as president of the USEF ends.

After a long selection process, in which O'Connor was a finalist with another Olympic individual gold medalist, U.S.-based British rider Leslie Law, the USEF Eventing Eligible Athlete and Eventing High Performance Committees unanimously recommended O'Connor. They also interviewed Australian Andrew Hoy, who originally had not made the final cut, before making their decision.

The High Performance Working Group and the Executive Committee will meet to review the recommendation before the nomination is finalized.

O'Connor coached the Canadian silver medal eventing team at last fall's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, where the U.S. squad finished fourth.

A second Colts Neck horse farm was quarantined Friday as part of the state Department of Agriculture's investigation into an outbreak of the neurologic form of Equine Herpes Virus, Type One (EHV-1) that has led to the death of one horse and sickened five others.

The disease was discovered by a private veterinarian treating a sick horse at Overbrook Farm. The filly was euthanized by the veterinarian Wednesday after she failed to respond to treatment. The other affected horses at the farm are recovering.

While the department was tracing activities at the farm to determine the extent of the outbreak, it led to the subsequent quarantine of Tourelay Farm, where no sick horses were reported.

The EHV-1 virus spreads quickly from horse to horse, has a high mortality rate and can cause symptoms from respiratory problems to spontaneous abortions in pregnant mares. The neurologic form of EHV-1, additionally, can cause an acute paralytic syndrome, which results in a high mortality. The incubation period of EHV-1 is typically two to ten days. The virus spreads readily through direct contact with infected materials.

The virus does not affect humans and other domestic animals, with the exception of llamas and alpacas.

Concerned owners should consult their veterinarian prior to taking any action as the clinical signs of infection with the neurological form of EHV-1 are common to many other diseases. For more information, go to nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ah/pdf./equine_herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf.

A line-up of big name show jumping and hunter trainers highlights the Masters Clinic series at Bow Brickhill Stables in Milford.
Mark Leone of Ri-Arm Farm in Oakland, who will be directing the stable's hunter/jumper lesson program, will handle the second clinic session May 14. His brother, Olympic team silver medalist Peter Leone, will kick off the series Saturday. Jimmy Torano will appear at a date to be announced in August and Frank Madden in November.
More information is available by calling (732)616-1856 or going to bbhstables.com.

In last week's column, James Fairclough should have been mentioned as the rider of Star Quest, the Chapot family's Winter Equestrian Festival 6-year-old jumper circuit champion.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Toad Lane, Sergeantsville; Hidden Hollow Farm Combined Training Schooling Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Clover Valley Farm Dressage Show and Combined Test, 91 Hillcrest Rd., Whitehouse Station; Cream Ridge Pony Club Dressage Show and Combined Test, 80 Petty Rd., Cranbury; Baymar Farms Show, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville; Triple Challenge Trail Event Breast Cancer Benefit, Sleepy Hollow Stables, 47 Woodruff Rd., New Egypt.
Thursday: Hunter Farms Spring Classic, 1350 The Great Rd., Princeton (through Saturday).
Friday: Palermo Show Stable Show, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster.
Saturday: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Hunter Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Toad Lane, Sergeantsville;Palermo Festival Hunter Finals, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster; Diamond Creek Dressage Schooling Show, 39 Gulick Rd., Ringoes; West Milford Equestrian Center Show, 367 Union Valley Rd., Newfoundland; Garden State Paint Horse Club Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130
South, Logan Township (through next Sunday); Woodedge at the Park Show; Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Miniatures provide an answer for folks who want a "horse fix" but can't afford a full-size animal. Several New Jersey shows offer chances to compete this spring and summer with the minis.

Harry Feeney/For The Star-LedgerMelinda Feeney of Port Murray, driving Hunt Acres Jumpin Jack Flash, is one of the enthusiastic converts from full-size horses to miniaturesIn a sputtering economy, miniature horses have some advantages over full-size horses.

They don't require as much acreage, or as much to eat. When the farrier comes, they can get away with a trim rather than expensive shoes. Showing them costs less, and while they can be ridden only by a small child, they excel in driving and are able to pull a carriage carrying two adults.

Minis weigh between 180-300 pounds and stand under 34 inches high (for category A) and between 34 and 38 inches (category B).

For those who have had to give up big horses, minis, "offer a reasonable way to stay in competition; you can still work with a green horse and see them improve, and handling them on the ground is easier," said Melinda Feeney.

She became a convert after selling her Hanoverian and deciding that her mini, which formerly was his companion, ``might as well do something for a living.'' She taught the mini to drive and now competes regularly, as one little horse became three, with plenty of room to run on her 4 1/2 acre Port Murray farm.

Interested in promoting the shows for minis, Feeney noted there are several competition options for them in New Jersey. The New Jersey Pony Breeders & Owners Association has two shows, May 14 and July 31 at the DVHA showgrounds in Sergeantsville and Aug. 8 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, with next Sunday the deadline for nominations for the first of those shows. Meanwhile, the Garden State Miniature Horse Association has its competitions at the Warren County Fairgrounds in Harmony May 21 and June 18.

Those choosing one of those shows to exhibit minis for the first time shouldn't be intimidated.

"I find people in the mini world very helpful. It isn't a cutthroat competitive atmosphere,'' said Feeney.

"They like to win and I like to win, but at the same time, if they saw I was doing something that wasn't quite right, they'd come over and say, `You should change this.' It's a nice crowd of people."

Purses are as small as the horses, but it isn't about the money. Feeney said while winning $300 or $400 on the mini circuit doesn't compare with the prize money on the big horse circuit, it's still helpful in covering some expenses.

"It sounds like peanuts, but it's something. You don't have a half-a- million dollar horse. When you get in that situation, people get a little bit more competitive; they have to do better to justify that kind of expense."

Jim Barenklau, president of the American Miniature Horse Association, said at one juncture,"the miniature business was huge for dollars; it was nothing to get $5,000, $6,000, $7,000 or $8,000 for a horse all the time. Those numbers are gone, but prices have held up well," he contended, commenting that at an auction 300 miles from his South Dakota home, minis averaged $1,900, though he noted some horses will go for less; a lot depends on the location.

Barenklau testified that a strong point of the minis is how good they are around little children. "They're pretty bulletproof as a whole," he commented.

Another, he said, is that "pound for pound, a mini will out-pull a Clydesdale."

Clair Severson, the association's vice president, said, "As a registry, we've come through better than most big horse associations."

Registrations are down, with 5,685 last year, compared with 7,493 in 2008, but percentagewise, many of the big horse groups had greater losses, he maintained.

Pluses for the minis not only include the fact that being involved with them is less expensive, but also "a lot of people who are getting older have gone to the miniatures for safety reasons

"If a mini steps on your foot, you might say `Ouch' and that's about it. If a quarter horse or Arabian steps on your foot, you could have something broken," he pointed out.

The minis' personality is also a selling point.

"They're a great animal: Fun-loving, sweet, they love people, a docile animal that wants to please. They'll give you the same horse fix as a big horse."

Minis are shown in halter classes and obstacle classes as well as pleasure driving and combined driving; many combined driving events have divisions for "Very Small Equines."

Membership information for the Garden State group is available from Joan Wolfe at (908) 362-5788. Information for the pony breeders and owners' association can be obtained at njponybreeders.org.

ON THE RAIL-- Kentucky Derby-bound jockey Rosie Napravnik, who will ride Louisiana Derby winner Pants on Fire in the Run for the Roses, has her roots in eventing and show jumping in the Somerset Hills.

The 23-year-old racetrack sensation grew up on a Bedminster farm, the daughter of eventing trainer Cindy Napravnik, who ran a boarding stable, and Charles Napravnik, a farrier who is involved with organic farming.

Although Rosie Napravnik was a member of the Somerset Hills Pony Club and did well in pony jumper competition, her mother noted that the track was what drew her daughter, a veteran of the pony racing circuit. She took her first gallop with her mother when she was 18 months old.

At age 13, she was galloping horses for trainer Jonathan Sheppard. She moved to Maryland to be with her older sister, Jazz, a racehorse trainer, who her mother said was an important influence on Rosie, as was her younger brother, Colt, when being involved in competitions was a family affair.

There was never any question about what Rosie was going to do.

At age seven, after breezing her pony on one of the local tracks, she told her mother, "I want to ride in the Triple Crown races someday." Cindy Napravnik wisely took that as gospel.

"I knew she was serious," she said.

Can't make it to the Rolex Kentucky eventing competition next weekend? The U.S.Equestrian Federation will be live-streaming the 4-star, which runs Thursday through Sunday at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The streaming will be suspended from 2-3 p.m. next Sunday, when the show jumping will be aired live on NBC, along with highlights from the previous days' dressage and show jumping. Go to USEFnetwork.com for the broadcast schedule and to watch the event.

Auburn University sophomore Anna Becker of Branchville was undefeated in the NCAA Varsity Equestrian National Championship in Waco, Texas, last weekend, helping her school take both the hunt seat and national titles.

The Readington Trail Association trail pace, called off last weekend because of footing conditions, has been rescheduled for May 15 at the towerfield on Cole Road. For more information, go to readingtontrail.org.

Celena Z, the winner of the 2008 Canadian Show Jumping Championship with Keean White, has been sold and now will be ridden by the USA's Margie Engle. The 11-year-old Belgian warmblood mare is being aimed for the London Olympics next year.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

Today: Hunter Farms Spring Classic, 1350 The Great Rd., Princeton; Garden State Paint Horse Club Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Woodedge at the Park Show; Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown.
Tuesday: Hunter Farms Spring Classic Show, 1350 The Great Rd., Princeton (through next Sunday).
Friday: Palermo Show Stable Jumper Festival and Grand Prix, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster (through next Sunday); N.J. Palomino Exhibitors' Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday); N.J. Quarter Horse Association Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Gladstone Horse Driving Trials, Pine Meadow, Hamilton Farm, Fowler Road, Gladstone (through next Sunday); Garden State Preview Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta (through next Sunday); Rutgers Agriculture Field Day Horse Show, College Farm Road, Cook Campus, New Brunswick (10 a.m. star).
Next Sunday: Rutgers Young Horse Mustang Auction, Round House, College Farm Road, Cook Campus, New Brunswick (Preview and bidder registration 11 a.m. Red Horse Barn; auction 1 p.m.); Lord Stirling Stable Family Fund Day, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge; Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Good Times Farm Dressage Schooling Show, 278 Jackson Mills Rd., Freehold; Gold Clover Dressage Show, Gloucester County 4-H Fairgrounds, 275 Bridgeton Pike, Mullica Hill; Hidden Hollow Dressage Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Central Jersey Horsemen Association's English/Western/Standardbred Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Monmouth County Hunt Hunter Pace, East Branch Road, Allentown.
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Jerseyan is the top-placed American at the Western Hemisphere's only 4-star-rated three-day event

Nancy Jaffer/for The Star-LedgerSinead Halpin of Branchburg stands fourth on Manoir de Carneville at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day event, where the obstacles included this intriguing frog jump

While some may be surprised that the 29-year-old Branchburg, N.J., rider is standing fourth after the cross-country phase on Manoir de Carneville at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event _ ahead of a two-time individual Olympic gold medalist and the world's number one eventer in 2010 _ Halpin was convinced "my horse should be fairly competitive'" in the duo's first try at a 4-star rated fixture.

"I knew coming in he was not confirmed enough at the level to put in a winning dressage test, but I wanted to be accurate...I didn't want any mistakes,'" she said yesterday about the first phase of the event on Friday, when she finished eighth of 44 starters at the Kentucky Horse Park.

"And then I wanted to go clean (cross-country) and do well and hopefully that would put him up on the leaderboard," she explained. Halpin, a trainer who works out of a Pittstown stable, had no problems at any of the 28 obstacles, and incurred only 4.4 penalties for finishing slightly over the 11-minute, 10-second optimum time.

The rider has gotten what she wanted, "so far," she cautioned, as she looked ahead warily to this afternoon's final segment, the show jumping showdown with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Great Britain's Mary King, an Olympic multi-medalist, is not only first on 47.7 penalties with her homebred Kings Temptress, she is also two points behind in second with her other horse, the distinctive Portugese gray gelding, Fernhill Urco.

Australian Olympic gold medalist Clayton Fredericks is third with 53 penalties about Be My Guest, just 0.1 penalty ahead of Halpin and her chestnut Selle Francais, known around the barn as Tate.

The pressure comes not only from the top, there also is a big threat below, with Hannah Sue Burnett and St. Barth's on 53.3 penalties, while defending champion and last year's world number one, William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain, has just 54 penalties on Neuf des Coeurs. Surprisingly, though, New Zealand's Mark Todd, the double Olympic gold medalist, who won England's 4-star Badminton event last weekend, languishes in 18th place after a refusal with Grass Valley.

Halpin credits her experience on the silver medal U.S. team at the Boekelo, Netherlands, 3-star last year for putting her at ease for Rolex, one of the sport's ultimate challenges.

While Halpin was enjoying her moment, the other New Jersey rider in the competition, Heather Gillette of Califon, had her longtime Rolex dream dashed when her mount, Our Questionnaire, just wasn't himself on cross-country.

Torrential April rains had left the course awash until a few days ago, but even though it dried up rapidly, the footing still was tricky and "suction cup-like."

Questie "wasn't in it, and I've never had him not be in it before," said Gillette, who decided to retire from the competition and try another day after having a refusal at the seventh fence and feeling her mount's lack of interest in continuing three jumps later.

"It didn't seem right to press him,'" explained an understandably disappointed Gillette, who would like to return to Rolex next year.

A New Jersey horse, Titanium, owned by Carl Segal of Pottersville and the gelding's rider, Pennsylvanian Buck Davidson, was 39th after dressage and did not start on cross-country.

ON THE RAIL -- Rolex Kentucky show jumping will be live streaming today on the USEFnetwork.com. At 2 p.m., the streaming will stop and NBC will broadcast the top riders' show jumping live, as well as highlights of dressage and cross-country.

Mother's Day rides are listed for next Sunday at Union County's Watchung Stables in Mountainside and Somerset County's Lord Stirling Stables in Basking Ridge. For Lord Stirling, registration must be received by Tuesday. Contact the stable at (908) 766-5955. To register for the Watchung ride, call (908) 789-3665.

N.J. ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Hunter Farms Spring Classic Show, 1350 The Great Rd., Princeton; Palermo Show Stable Jumper Festival and Grand Prix, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster; N.J. Palomino Exhibitors' Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; N.J. Quarter Horse Association Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Gladstone Horse Driving Trials, Pine Meadow, Hamilton Farm, Fowler Road, Gladstone; Garden State Preview Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Rutgers Young Horse Mustang Auction, Round House, College Farm Road, Cook Campus, New Brunswick (Preview and bidder registration 11 a.m. Red Horse Barn; auction 1 p.m.); Lord Stirling Stable Family Fun Day, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge; Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Good Times Farm Dressage Schooling Show, 278 Jackson Mills Rd., Freehold; Gold Clover Dressage Show, Gloucester County 4-H Fairgrounds, 275 Bridgeton Pike, Mullica Hill; Hidden Hollow Dressage Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Central Jersey Horsemen Association's English/Western/Standardbred Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Monmouth County Hunt Hunter Pace, East Branch Road, Allentown.
Wednesday: Garden State Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta (through next Sunday); Flying Change Farm Dressage Show, 60 Sutton Rd., Lebanon; Literary Horse Lecture, George Schoch, farrier; Sussex County Main Library, 125 Morris Turnpike, Newton (7 p.m.).
Friday: Eastern Pennsylvania Reining Horse Association Show, Gloucester Couty Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Somerset Hills Pony Club Trail Pace and Vendor Village, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, Fowler Road entrance, Gladstone (8 a.m.-3 p.m.); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Dressage Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; The Meadow Dressage Show, 640 Powell Rd., Mt. Holly; Baymar Farms Show, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville.
Next Sunday: Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Monmouth County Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold;
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Branchurg rider is the top American in the standings at the USA's only three-day event

Nancy Jaffer/for The Star-LedgerSinead Halpin of Branchburg stands fourth on Manoir de Carneville at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day event, where the obstacles included this intriguing frog jump

While some may be surprised that the 29-year-old Branchburg, N.J., rider is standing fourth after the cross-country phase on Manoir de Carneville at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event _ ahead of a two-time individual Olympic gold medalist and the world's number one eventer in 2010 _ Halpin was convinced "my horse should be fairly competitive'" in the duo's first try at a 4-star rated fixture.

"I knew coming in he was not confirmed enough at the level to put in a winning dressage test, but I wanted to be accurate...I didn't want any mistakes,'" she said yesterday about the first phase of the event on Friday, when she finished eighth of 44 starters at the Kentucky Horse Park.

"And then I wanted to go clean (cross-country) and do well and hopefully that would put him up on the leaderboard," she explained. Halpin, a trainer who works out of a Pittstown stable, had no problems at any of the 28 obstacles, and incurred only 4.4 penalties for finishing slightly over the 11-minute, 10-second optimum time.

The rider has gotten what she wanted, "so far," she cautioned, as she looked ahead warily to this afternoon's final segment, the show jumping showdown with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Great Britain's Mary King, an Olympic multi-medalist, is not only first on 47.7 penalties with her homebred Kings Temptress, she is also two points behind in second with her other horse, the distinctive Portugese gray gelding, Fernhill Urco.

Australian Olympic gold medalist Clayton Fredericks is third with 53 penalties about Be My Guest, just 0.1 penalty ahead of Halpin and her chestnut Selle Francais, known around the barn as Tate.

The pressure comes not only from the top, there also is a big threat below, with Hannah Sue Burnett and St. Barth's on 53.3 penalties, while defending champion and last year's world number one, William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain, has just 54 penalties on Neuf des Coeurs. Surprisingly, though, New Zealand's Mark Todd, the double Olympic gold medalist, who won England's 4-star Badminton event last weekend, languishes in 18th place after a refusal with Grass Valley.

Halpin credits her experience on the silver medal U.S. team at the Boekelo, Netherlands, 3-star last year for putting her at ease for Rolex, one of the sport's ultimate challenges.

While Halpin was enjoying her moment, the other New Jersey rider in the competition, Heather Gillette of Califon, had her longtime Rolex dream dashed when her mount, Our Questionnaire, just wasn't himself on cross-country.

Torrential April rains had left the course awash until a few days ago, but even though it dried up rapidly, the footing still was tricky and "suction cup-like."

Questie "wasn't in it, and I've never had him not be in it before," said Gillette, who decided to retire from the competition and try another day after having a refusal at the seventh fence and feeling her mount's lack of interest in continuing three jumps later.

"It didn't seem right to press him,'" explained an understandably disappointed Gillette, who would like to return to Rolex next year.

A New Jersey horse, Titanium, owned by Carl Segal of Pottersville and the gelding's rider, Pennsylvanian Buck Davidson, was 39th after dressage and did not start on cross-country.

ON THE RAIL -- Rolex Kentucky show jumping will be live streaming today on the USEFnetwork.com. At 2 p.m., the streaming will stop and NBC will broadcast the top riders' show jumping live, as well as highlights of dressage and cross-country.

Mother's Day rides are listed for next Sunday at Union County's Watchung Stables in Mountainside and Somerset County's Lord Stirling Stables in Basking Ridge. For Lord Stirling, registration must be received by Tuesday. Contact the stable at (908) 766-5955. To register for the Watchung ride, call (908) 789-3665.

N.J. ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Hunter Farms Spring Classic Show, 1350 The Great Rd., Princeton; Palermo Show Stable Jumper Festival and Grand Prix, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster; N.J. Palomino Exhibitors' Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; N.J. Quarter Horse Association Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Gladstone Horse Driving Trials, Pine Meadow, Hamilton Farm, Fowler Road, Gladstone; Garden State Preview Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Rutgers Young Horse Mustang Auction, Round House, College Farm Road, Cook Campus, New Brunswick (Preview and bidder registration 11 a.m. Red Horse Barn; auction 1 p.m.); Lord Stirling Stable Family Fun Day, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge; Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Good Times Farm Dressage Schooling Show, 278 Jackson Mills Rd., Freehold; Gold Clover Dressage Show, Gloucester County 4-H Fairgrounds, 275 Bridgeton Pike, Mullica Hill; Hidden Hollow Dressage Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Central Jersey Horsemen Association's English/Western/Standardbred Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Monmouth County Hunt Hunter Pace, East Branch Road, Allentown.
Wednesday: Garden State Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta (through next Sunday); Flying Change Farm Dressage Show, 60 Sutton Rd., Lebanon; Literary Horse Lecture, George Schoch, farrier; Sussex County Main Library, 125 Morris Turnpike, Newton (7 p.m.).
Friday: Eastern Pennsylvania Reining Horse Association Show, Gloucester Couty Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Somerset Hills Pony Club Trail Pace and Vendor Village, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, Fowler Road entrance, Gladstone (8 a.m.-3 p.m.); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Dressage Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; The Meadow Dressage Show, 640 Powell Rd., Mt. Holly; Baymar Farms Show, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville.
Next Sunday: Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Monmouth County Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold;
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Sinead Halpin ends an impressive 4-star debut as the highest placed American rider in one of the world's great three-day events

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerA fault-free round in show jumping at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event propelled Sinead Halpin of Branchburg to the U.S. Equestrian Federation National Championship as the event's highest-placing American when she finished third on Manoir de Carneville

Halpin, 29, shed tears of amazement and joy yesterday after crossing the finish line of the show jumping finale at the Kentucky Horse Park aboard Manoir de Carneville. She had no penalties and moved up from fourth after Saturday's cross-country after Australian Clayton Fredericks dropped a rail with Be My Guest and went from third to fifth.

Great Britain's five-time Olympian Mary King was 1-2 with Kings Temptress and Fernhill Urco, the first person ever to achieve distinctio that at the Lexington, Ky., fixture.
While Halpin never dreamed she would do as well as she did, Rolex long has been a goal for her.

"The first time I came to Rolex, I was 13 or 14...and didn't realize it was something I could actually participate in," recalled Halpin, who runs a training facility in Pittstown..
"Once I got into eventing and realized that was the highlight, that was always the focus. Right now, I feel great. I'm just beside myself. I'm not going to cry anymore," she concluded, and then cheerfully amended that vow.

Those she defeated included the defending Rolex champion and world number one eventer of 2010, William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain, for whom she worked several years ago. Fox-Pitt, fourth on Neuf de Coers, said of Halpin after the event, "I felt very proud watching her jump today and making it look so easy. I'm delighted to be one place behind."

McLain Ward, who has had victories all over the world, took the grand prix at New Jersey's largest horse show for the first time since 2000

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerMcLain Ward won the $40,000 Junior Essex Troop/Garden State Grand Prix at the Sussex County Fairgrounds on Oh' D Eole

"We're just trying to give her some miles," said the country's number one-ranked show jumper, explaining why he brought her to the Garden State Horse Show at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta.

"I think she's super talented. She has all the jump, she's very careful, she's very sensitive,'' said Ward of the Belgian/French mare, but he couldn't make more of a prediction of what she might do as she continues to compete and move up the ranks.
Could she ever be as good as his two-time Olympic team gold medal mount, Sapphire?
"I think you just have to be patient," said the Brewster, N.Y., resident.

"Which ones come through, you never know, but it's nice when you can win some stuff along the way."

He took the $12,000 first prize by virtue of a blistering gallop to the final fence, finishing with a clear round in 41.555 seconds. The runner-up in the 12-horse tiebreaker was Irish Olympian Kevin Babington on Mark Q, clocked in 43.104, while the only other fault-free trip in the jump-off belonged to Callan Solem on Magic Cruise (44.723).

"I knew Kevin was pretty fast,' said Ward, who had to slow down for a tricky double and then turned on the speed.

"I thought I needed to get on here a little bit. She's very good off the gallop. You can press her at one (jump) and she reacts quite well. She actually jumped me a little loose at the last fence. She really put out," said Ward, who had no hesitation about pushing her.

"They have to learn how to do it," he explained.

Things didn't work out as well for Ward with his other horse, the Belgian warmblood Domino, who had two rails down in the tiebreaker to finish eighth.

"He's inexperienced at going fast and maybe I tried to go a little too hard," he reflected.

Course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio Jr. had a tough task, because he was faced with a group of veteran and inexperienced riders, as well as horses that belonged to both categories.

"What I did was stay very much to the conservative side of the specifications," D'Ambrosio said before the class.

"My feeling is I'm respecting the specifications and the amount of prize money, and also respecting the fact that we have some young horses and they'll have to step up. But I don't think it's a course that should get a young horse frightened, or that a young horse couldn't even win if it had a good day and was ridden well."

More than half in the starting field of 23 were fault-free, but Ward didn't think that was a problem.

"It's a nice national grand prix. I don't see anything wrong with that, you have a good winner and horses get a great education. It's a good competition, but it's not the place to really separate them by an over-tough course."

The show marked its 60th anniversary with a reunion of the Junior Essex Troop, a defunct cavalry-style unit that used to be headquartered in West Orange. Former troopers have continued their show tradition over the decades, making their show into New Jersey's largest, with more than 1,100 horses entered this year.

ON THE RAIL -- Centenary College of Hackettstown was the high-point team at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's national finals in Kentucky yesterday. Centenary student Marissa Cohen won the Cacchione Cup for individual honors.

Jersey Fresh, one of the country's premier three-day events, has drawn a stellar field for this week's 2- and 3-star-rated competition. Those entered at the Horse Park of New Jersey fixture in Allentown include such big names as Boyd Martin, Buck Davidson and Phillip Dutton.

There is no charge for parking or admission. Competition begins Thursday with dressage, while cross-country is set for Saturday and show jumping on Sunday.

For the first time the event is offering tail gating on Saturday. To make arrangements, call (732) 505-9700. Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m. "Dining with the Stars" is an opportunity for spectators to join the competitors' party in the indoor arena. To reserve tickets at $30 each, call (609) 259-0170.

The event is dedicated to the memory of the late Horse Park President Dr. Stephen Dey, and honors the U.S. military.

Centenary College on Saturday will bestow an honorary doctorate on IHSA founder Robert Cacchione. From a group of five friends, with whom Cacchione started a riding club at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1967, IHSA has grown to a nationwide organization of 380 colleges and 8,800 students. Cacchione travels to one or two of the shows every weekend during the school year. He has never lost his passion for the organization.

"I love the kids, I love to see the smiles on their faces, the excitement when they come out of that ring and know they did their best, whether they won or got a sixth place," said Cacchione.

"That opportunity is for every one of them, whether they're a walk-trot rider or a Medal/Maclay rider."

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Garden State Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Eastern Pennsylvania Reining Horse Association Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Monmouth County Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold.
Tomorrow: Literary Horse Lecture, Sussex County Main Library, Chaps and Breeches 4-H Club, 125 Morris Turnpike, Newton (7 p.m.).
Wednesday: Hawk Hollow Ranch Dressage Show, 100 River Rd. West, Bedminster.
Thursday: Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday)
Friday: EMMA Spring Fling II Dressage Show, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, Pottersville Road, Gladstone (through Saturday).
Saturday: N.J. Pony Breeders and Owners Association Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Ringoes; Palermo Show Stable Show, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster (through next Sunday); Sussex County Benefit Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Carousel Farm Dressage Show, 8 Linn Smith Rd., Augusta; Saddlebrook Ridge Dressage Show, 10 Saddlebrook Court, Shamong; Saddle Up for St. Jude Trail Ride, 104 Hasley Rd., Newton (973-383-9144); Baymar Farm Show, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville; Woodedge Stable Show, Borton Landing Road, Moorestown.
Next Sunday: Readington Trail Association Trail Pace, Cole Road Towerfield, Whitehouse Station (readingtontrail.org); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Fidler Run Dressage Show, 456 Fidler Rd., Woodbine; Monmouth County Hunt Show, East Freehold Showgrounds, Kozloski Road, Freehold.
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Only half the leaders from dressage are able to retain their edge during a day of ups and downs at the Horse Park of New Jersey

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerCanada's Rebecca Howard and Roquefort leap c over the bar after the ``Jersey Shore'' water complex at the Jersey Fresh three-day event, where she leads the CIC 2-star

The morning started off with Phillip Dutton, a two-time Olympic team gold medalist, getting a surprise soaking at the water jump complex, where he took a dive from Ben, the leader after dressage in the competition's largest division, the CCI 2-star.

Dutton said he saw a backward distance to the jump where he fell, and he guessed his mount "didn't pick up" on the fence and was surprised by it, pitching over the obstacle.
Jessica Phoenix of Canada, who had been standing second with Pavarotti, also was eliminated when officials thought some of her jumps were looking risky, and Kim Severson withdrew after a refusal in the water with Wiley Post.

That left the far less-well-known Lisa Fergusson of Canada, fourth after dressage,, leading the standings with Smart Move going into today's final show jumping phase. Fergusson, who started the horse as a 4-year-old, sold him and then bought him back, which was a tactic worthy of her horse's name.

Two of the leaders in the four divisions were able to maintain their edge over the John Williams-designed cross-country course where the "Jersey Shore" water complex, complete with beach umbrellas and a bar (but not Snooki) was most influential in different configurations for each section.

Rebecca Howard of Canada kept Roquefort first in the CIC 2-star despite a hold on course as medics attended to Shannon Baker, who had a hard fall when her Cordonelli tumbled over the 18th obstacle, an imposing oxer. Baker, whose horse walked away from the scene, was in the hospital for evaluation last night.

Roquefort took the waiting in stride.

"He's just an athlete," Howard said proudly about the 12-year-old Dutchbred she's had for three years. "I feel like we put it together."

Tiana Coudray, a winner at Jersey Fresh last year with Ringwood Magister, was leading with that horse at the Rolex Kentucky 4-star last month when she fell and was eliminated on cross-country. She was determined not to let that happen again.

First at Jersey Fresh in the CIC 3-star after dressage on Master Hill, she was fault-free jumping, but did log time penalties like everyone else. She simply had less, only 4.4, to stay on top.

"I had a lot to prove to a lot of people and myself most of all," she commented, saying she is still processing what she learned the hard way about accuracy at Rolex.

In the CCI 3-star, Andrea Leatherman moved up from fifth to first on Mensa with one of the section's four double-clear trips, as the overnight leader, Alexandra Slusher, dropped to fourth on Last Call with 11.2 time faults.

The day was a mixed bag for the New Jersey competitors. Doug Payne of Gladstone, who rides with a helmet cam so he can share his experience with others, is sixth in the CCI 3-star on Patti Springsteen's Running Order, but took an unplanned dip in the water from Camerlingo during the CCI 2-star, where he was fourth after dressage. His sister, Holly, withdrew from that division after two refusals wth Fruition's First.

Heather Gillette of Califon, who withdrew Our Questionnaire early on the cross-country course at Rolex, is 14th in the CIC after a refusal in the water. Clarissa Wilmerding of Oldwick is 13th in the CIC 2-star.

ON THE RAIL -- The Alltech National Horse Show will have a $250,000 show jumping grand prix as its feature when it moves to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Nov. 2-6.

The National has been a wanderer since it departed Madison Square Garden after the 2001 show. Finding a permanent home in Kentucky offers a chance to build itself back to the position of prominence it once enjoyed.

"Our aim is to restore the National Horse Show to the top of our sport," said manager Hugh Kincannon last week, detailing how $600,000 in prize money will be distributed.

Meanwhile, Hunter Harrison has been named chairman of the National's board. One of the most prominent owners of show jumpers in the business (his HH Rebozo was fourth last fall in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with Rodrigo Pessoa riding), he is the retired CEO of CN Railway, which sponsored major competitions during his tenure
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Centenary College's hunt seat title at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's national championships last weekend in Kentucky was the second in three years for the Hackettstown school.

Michael Dowling, who coaches the team with Heather Clark, thinks part of the secret of Centenary's success is the "diverse" group of horses at the school that help prepare the riders.

"We put them on everything from little quarter horses that don't do flying changes to horses that have been to the Medal finals or Devon. I think that really enhances their riding skills," he said. But he noted that while he and Clark go to the ring with the students, team members also have the benefit of working with the college's entire faculty during the year to hone their skills and teamwork.

The team is very young, which bodes well for the future, although the co-captain and Cacchione Cup winner, Marissa Cohen, graduated this weekend. However, the other captain, Jennifer Kuder, is a junior who is returning next year. She did not qualify for nationals, but she oversaw the barn and the team members who reported every day at 5 a.m. to clean stalls and do other chores.

During the school year, team members spend a lot of time together.

"We try to create a family supportive atmosphere," said Kelly Munz, the equine studies department chair, who emphasized it's all about teamwork, but notes that the finals get tougher every year.

"At the open level, it's a very competitive world. There are a lot of great-riding kids who have come out of the junior ranks who are doing IHSA now," she said.

Taking the title again is a plus for recruiting, she added, pointing out, "Everyone wants to be on a winning team."

Ground was broken last week for a new complex at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Fla., that will feature dressage, with plans calling for a major series of big money shows and perhaps even a dressage Nations' Cup.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; Palermo Show Stable Show, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster; Readington Trail Association Trail Pace, Cole Road Towerfield, Whitehouse Station (readingtontrail.org); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Fidler Run Dressage Show, 456 Fidler Rd., Woodbine; Monmouth County Hunt Show, East Freehold Showgrounds, Kozloski Road, Freehold.
Tomorrow: Literary Horse Lecture, James Edwards, Equine Dentist, Sussex County Main Library, 125 Morris Turnpike, Newton (7 p.m.).
Friday: NJ Half-Arabian Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Briarwood Farm Show, Pleasant Run Road, Readington; Blue Spruce Farm Dressage Show, 5 Stanley Pl., Jackson; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Flora Lea Horse Trials, 49 Chapel Ave., Medford; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Jumper Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Oxbow Stables Dressage Show and Combined Test, 39 Orts Rd., Hamburg; Northeast Regional Show, West Milford Equestrian Center, 367 Union Valley Rd., Newfoundland; Judged Trail Ride, Sleepy Hollow Stables, 47 Woodruff Rd., New Egypt; Woodedge Show, Borton Landing Road, Moorestown; Monmouth County Hunt Hunter Pace, Hunt Kennels, Branch Road, Allentown; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

The state's biggest three-day event wrapped up with the leaders from cross-country in three of four divisions emerging with victories

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerDoug Payne took a dunking in a fall with Camerlingo at Jersey Fresh, but his upbeat attitude won him the competition's sportsmanship award

Following the 2010 edition that had light entries, there was a question about whether the competition would continue. However, energetic fundraising efforts paid off and having four divisions, along with Young Horse classes, brought more than 100 horses, a record, to the facility in Allentown.

"It was fun to see such a big turnout here," said Canadian competitor Rebecca Howard.

"I think the organizers have tried really hard to put on a great event and they did that for sure."

"We have plans to even do more along the same lines, but growing more," said event manager Jane Cory, who expects the event will get a green light for 2012 from the Horse Park board.

The only downside was the fact that some of the ground was hard. There was less roping of routes between the jumps, which gave the riders more leeway -- which they liked -- but the ground couldn't be worked everywhere.

The biggest upset was in the CIC 3-star, which drew the biggest number of marquee names. Tiana Coudray, winner of a 3-star at Jersey Fresh last year with Ringwood Magister, was first with Master Hill after both dressage and cross-country, going so well it was looking as if she would take a 3-star title again. But three fences down in stadium jumping dropped her to second behind Will Faudree, the only rider to go double-clear in show jumping in either of the 3-star sections. His victory on Pawlow was his first individually in an FEI event, though he rode on the U.S. gold medal Pan Am Games team.

The leaders after cross-country won the other three divisions. That was Canada's Lisa Fergusson on Smart Move in the CCI 2-star and Howard with Roquefort in the CIC 2-star. Mensa, an ex-racehorse bought for $5,000 who rose from fifth in dressage to first after a brilliant cross-country trip clinched the victory for owner/rider Andrea Leatherman by a mere 0.6 penalties. She just managed to stay ahead of Nina Ligon, who rides for Thailand, on Fernhill Fearless.

In third place was Doug Payne of Gladstone with Running Order, an Irishbred owned by Patti Springsteen, a horsewoman best known for singing with her husband, The Boss.

Payne had high hopes of winning in the CIC 2-star with another mount, Camerlingo, fourth after dressage, when he and the horse got a dunking in the Jersey Shore water obstacle. Some who saw the incident, in which neither horse nor rider were hurt, thought the horse stepped in a hole. Laine Ashker, who had gone through 12 minutes before with Rising Spirit, also splashed deep but came through, raising suspicions there might be a problem where she and Payne crossed. An attempt to see if there was uneven footing beneath the water found nothing, however.

Payne handled his disappointment well and was rewarded with the event's sportsmanship award. He also won the 5-year-old competition for young horses with Royal Tribute, a bay Oldenburg.

Some said the main water obstacle, presented in a different pattern for each division, didn't ride well. But those who attacked it with impulsion had no problem.

Will Coleman, second in the CIC 2-star with Obos O'Reilly and fourth on Westwind's El Dorado, said the big water obstacle at Jersey Fresh, which had scores of tailgaters on one side, "always rides a little spooky. I don't know if it's just that there's a lot of people there. It's at the bottom of a hill and I think it's a somewhat intimidating complex for a lot of the horses, especially the greener ones.

"Mine jumped through it well. I thought the questions were fair in the 2-star class. It (the water) will catch you out if you don't ride your horses forward and get them in front of your leg and ride out of a good rhythm."

Jersey Fresh was relatively accident-free. The worst fall was taken by Shannon Baker with Cordonelli. She went to the hospital but checked out fine, and her horse was able to walk away from the crash at a large oxer near the end of the course.

A near-tragedy was averted when veterinarians Dr. Scott Palmer and Dr. Debbie Williamson came to the aid of CIC 3-star rider Lucia Strini, who lost her seat on Oudo after he clambered over a difficult corner jump in the water. She fell into the water, but her left leg was caught in the stirrup as she screamed for help. Her horse stood like a champ as his rider was extricated, none the worse for wear.

Aspirants under 21 from three states come to New Jersey to learn from Olympic gold medalist as part of U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Initiative

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerMelanie Smith Taylor teaching riders in the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association's Emerging Athletes Program at Centenary College

The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association started EAP three years ago in order not only to improve the country's level of riding, but also to "encourage complete horsemen" while identifying and nurturing riders 21 and under with the potential to have careers in the horse industry, or who perhaps someday may compete internationally in show jumping for the American team.

The two-day clinic is being run by 1984 Olympic show jumping gold medalist Melanie Smith Taylor, who co-chairs EAP with Sally Ike, the U.S. Equestrian Federation's managing director of show jumping.

The program at the college's equestrian center in Long Valley, which ends today at 1 p.m., involves residents of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, the USEF's Zone 2.

"I think the EAP gives young riders the opportunity to advance their horsemanship skills and riding, specifically people who don't readily have that available to them, like people who don't have the best horses or have the most money, but just really care about their horses and want to ride well," said Shannon Donnelly,17, who came to the clinic from Corning, N.Y., with her 10-year-old Argentine warmblood. She hopes to ride in intercollegiate competition for the Savannah College of Art and Design next year.

"This was one of our largest group of applicants," said Taylor, who lives in Tennessee and travels the country to help the EAP riders.

The EAP committee chooses the candidates, who must be comfortable over 3-foot, 6-inch or 3-9 jumps, based on a questionnaire that is like a college application and recommendations from three people who evaluate their riding skills. The committee doesn't have time to screen videos, but from the applications, Taylor said, "You can get a sense of whether they have a passion for the horse."

After today's session, the best 12 to 15 from this group and Zone 1 (New England) will be picked go to a regional competition in Buffalo, N.Y., at the beginning of September. Twelve riders are chosen from the five regionals to go to the finals in the Chicago area in November, when they will be aboard horses they have not ridden before.

Graduates of the program have gone on to distinction. Centenary student Katie Haley, last year's winner, clinched the college's Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Championship earlier this month, while a co-winner from two years ago, Richard Neal , is on the Young Riders Nations' Cup team in Belgium this weekend.

"These young riders the program has attracted are so enthusiastic and so ready to learn and improve their horsemanship that it's been very refreshing and rewarding for me,'' said Taylor.

She pointed out that "the present generation doesn't have the opportunity to develop horse sense and horsemanship skills, as people in my generation did. We all grew up with horses in our backyard and spent so much time with the horses.

"It's a different world now; there's a lot less land, people can't ride out on the trails the way we did. Kids are more attracted to computers and the social networks and are heavily scheduled; they don't just hang out at the barn, and that's how you develop a second sense of the horse," she continued.

"I really try to teach not just riding skills in my clinics; I try to help these kids understand what's important to the horse and the importance of the horse feeling right on the inside, not just how he looks on the outside."

Taylor had the riders warm up on the flat by doing exercises that helped them feel what the horse was doing; from moving one hoof at a time, to halting square within the boundaries of four cones and making sure they were working both longitudinally and laterally. Jumping involved cavaletti and gymnastics, with an emphasis on transition of gaits and keeping the horse straight. Riders also took a written test and had a discussion about it.

Grace Weidner of Clinton, 16, who goes to school on-line to enable her to travel for competitions with her 9-year-old warmblood, is interested in becoming a professional.
Her take from the clinic?

"We focused on riding every step and making it count." She also discovered a new approach, learning that horses, as prey and herd animals, need a leader and "are looking at you to give them confidence."

Devin Cox, 18, of Westchester, Pa., who hopes to have a career in breeding and training young horses, brought a borrowed Irish sport horse to the session.

"I haven't gotten to do many clinics, so it was nice to watch how the different riders dealt with their horses. I was so excited and shocked to be selected, and grateful to experience this," she said.

Taylor knows her students have gotten her message "when they understand the horse is not a tool of sport, like a tennis racquet or a car; that they can use that living, breathing, thinking creature to their advantage, when they realize there's so much more to riding than just position."

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerThe EAP group and Melanie Taylor

She added, "The feedback I get from the riders on how much of a change it has made in their riding and how much better they feel about their interaction with the horse makes me feel like I'm accomplishing my goal: To help the horses through the people who ride them. I feel I can make a difference to the horse by opening people's eyes to the importance of thinking about how a horse feels."

ON THE RAIL -- Top dressage competition is coming to the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown next weekend, when the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association holds a 3-star-rated show.

The competition, which is drawing many big name riders _ including Ashley Holzer, Chris Hickey, George Williams and Lauren Sammis _ is a qualifier for several championships, including the national title ride-offs in Grand Prix and Intermediaire I.
Sports psychologist Jenny Sussa will speak on Friday at 5:45 p.m. Commentators include judges Kem Barbosa on Friday and Marilyn Payne for the Grand Prix Freestyle at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The show runs from 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.

It benefits the Kessler Foundation, where Olympian Courtney King Dye was treated last year after a near-fatal fall from which she is still recovering.

The ESDCTA donation will be dedicated to supporting research into traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury; two of the most common injuries sustained by equestrians. ESDCTA is the first equestrian group to make Kessler a beneficiary.

Want more dressage in your future? The Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Dressage Championships, also a selection trial for October's Pan American Games team, is now set for Sept. 8-11 at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone.

The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, one of the country's best, horse shows, begins Thursday at the showgrounds on Route 30 in Devon, Pa., with junior weekend. Four-in-hand driving is among the featured events beginning May 30, with saddlebreds, hunters, jumpers and hackney ponies among the items on the schedule.
Seats already are sold out for the June 2 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon, but other highlights include the open jumper stake June 4 and the hunter derby June 5. The fair and a small carnival offer other diversions besides the competition at an event that has an old-fashioned feel.

The ticket office may be reached at (610) 688-2554, or go to the website devonhorseshow.org

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: N.J. Half-Arabian Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; Flora Lea Horse Trials, 49 Chapel Ave., Medford; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Jumper Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Oxbow Stables Dressage Show and Combined Test, 39 Orts Rd., Hamburg; Northeast Regional Show, West Milford Equestrian Center, 367 Union Valley Rd., Newfoundland; Judged Trail Ride, Sleepy Hollow Stables, 47 Woodruff Rd., New Egypt; Woodedge Show, Borton Landing Road, Moorestown; Monmouth County Hunt Hunter Pace, Hunt Kennels, Branch Road, Allentown; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Wednesday: Applewood Farm Dressage Show and Combined Test, 30 Fox Hill Rd., Califon.
Saturday: ReRun Benefit Trail Ride, Washington Crossing State Park, Bear Tavern Road Entrance, Titusville (registration 10 a.m.-2 p.m. ReRun.org); The Ridge at Riverton Show, 3 Wolverton Rd., Asbury; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Thursday: Thursday Night Dressage Show, Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville.
Friday: ESDCTA Memorial Day Dressage Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Arabian Horse Society of N.J. Dressage Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; CJL Show, Baymar Farms, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville;Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Hunter Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Wit's End Farm Show, 371 Jackson Mills Rd., Jackson; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Competition at the Horse Park of New Jersey offers updates on two well-known horses as well as a look at up-and-coming mounts, but Canada's Ashley Holzer can't be beaten

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerLauren Sammis of South Orange salutes her supporters at the Horse Park of New Jersey after a strong finish in the ESDCTA dressage show's Grand Prix with Sagacious

Sagacious, who was scratched from the freestyle at last summer's national dressage championships after a subpar performance in two previous classes, demonstrated that time has been well-spent during nearly a year away from the international scene.

Rider Lauren Sammis of South Orange worked not only on his training, but also on his physical comfort, easing tension after switching to an organic/natural diet, eliminating grains and using beet pulp and alfalfa cubes, as well as substituting almonds for certain commercial supplements.

The charismatic black gelding put in a well-modulated Grand Prix test followed by a convincing freestyle at the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association's 3-star-rated show. That bodes well for Sammis' efforts to qualify him for this year's national championships in Gladstone during September. Looking beyond that, the goal is the London Olympics next year.

"He's a very generous horse; he puts a lot out there. If he physically doesn't feel safe in his body, that's when he gets a little bit funny," said Sammis, explaining he had strained his back last year.

Sammis noted there is an advantage to having been out of the show ring for awhile.

"The pressure's off me because I'm under the radar at the moment," she explained, but that would seem to be over after her performance at the Horse Park.

Things didn't go as well for Neruda, the 2008 Olympic reserve horse, who has been out of action for two years.

The Dutchbred gelding had colicked dozens of times, leaving trainer Michael Barisone fearing for the horse's life. Then a conversation with veterinarian Carolyn Weinberg last summer shone a light on the situation; a big part of the problem was his diet. He now gets chopped, steamed, crushed forage and grass, with extruded feed that looks like dog kibble. Coupled with free choice turnout, Neruda has not colicked for 10 months.

Back in front of an audience, a willful Neruda emerged as all muscle.

"You've got to start someplace," said Barisone, who had counted on being rusty after such a lengthy layoff.

Neruda's test showed off his exceptional passage and piaffe, but there were mistakes and resistance elsewhere.

While Barisone is built like a football player, Neruda is an equine mountain that's hard to handle when he's hot.

"Oh man, I'm strong, and he was just too much horse," said Barisone, who isn't sure where he will go from here with the 16-year-old Neruda.

"The old man doesn't owe me anything. He did an enormous amount of wonderful things for me," said Barisone. He is busy training two prospects for the 2012 Olympics at his farm in Long Valley. Barisone plans to take them to Europe this fall to work with Swedish trainer Jan Brink.

The Grand Prix and the freestyle were big wins for Canada's Ashley Holzer with her reliable Olympic and World Championships veteran, Pop Art. Her score of 69.404 percent in the Grand Prix gave her a comfortable margin over Sammis (67.851), whom she trains. In the freestyle, she was even further ahead of Sammis, 74.085 percent to 70.140 percent. No one else in that class broke 70.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerCanada's Ashley Holzer rode Pop Art to victory in both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle at the ESDCTA show

"What I love about him, though, is that he always tries," she commented.

"You feel him underneath you, not ever saying `Aw, forget it.' He'll say, `Oh, this is hard.''' When that happens, she gives him a break, such as letting him travel forward in one piaffe in the Grand Prix rather than forcing him to march in place.

"It's nice to have a partnership you've had for so long; you can cut a little slack," said Holzer, who has been offered a fortune for the horse but will not sell him.

Holzer presided over a sweep, also taking the Prix St. Georges (71.404) and the Intermediare I (72.982)on her new mount, the flashy bay Ultiems Flemming.

While a number of people in the division are shooting for this fall's Pan American Games, Holzer said she is pointing Flemming toward a European tour and concentrating on moving him up to Grand Prix so he can be a backup for Pop Art with next year's Olympics in mind.

The Pan Ams are a major goal, though, for the Prix St. Georges runner-up, Cesar Parra of Whitehouse Station on Grandioso (70.395), who put in a compelling performance. He dropped four places to sixth in the I-1, where he was marked at 68.772 percent. In the freestyle, however, he was the winner with the rangy bay. He earned 72.417 percent, the only entry in the class to break 70 percent.

Parra, a native of Colombia, earned a silver medal at the Games when riding for his native country. Now an American citizen, he wants to work for gold this time if he makes the team. Not that he's abandoning his homeland; he's training riders on the Colombian squad.

Chris Hickey, third in the Prix St. Georges, is still getting used to a new mount, the 8-year-old Witness Hilltop (68.640), making his international show debut at the park. After Hilltop Farm's very successful Cabana Boy -- who had been another top Pan Am prospect -- sustained a fatal pasture accident last year, Hickey sought a new mount. He tried 15 horses before settling on Witness.

While it will be hard to qualify for the Pan Am trials starting so late, Hickey is giving it a shot. Although he dropped to fifth in the I-1, he had a better score, 69.079 percent.

"This is a fabulous young horse that we're very excited about," he said.

ON THE RAIL -- Michael Hughes of Allendale made his mark at the Devon Horse Show last week with a score of 96 in one section of the Washington International Horse Show equitation class, and more victories in a section of the Maclay and a section of the Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Talent Search, The 15-year-old, who is home-schooled, wound up reserve champ behind Charlotte Jacobs in the Ronnie Mutch Equitation Championship.

The show continues today through next Sunday at the showgrounds on Route 30 in Devon, Pa. The ticket office may be reached at (610) 688-2554, or go to the website, thedevonhorseshow.org.

ReRun, the organization that finds new homes and new lives for thoroughbred ex-racehorses is hosting its annual Day at the Races benefit Saturday at noon in the clubhouse Pavilion at Monmouth Park. Tickets are $100 and may be ordered from ReRun at Box 113, Helmetta, NJ 08828.

The first Alltech National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park in November continues to come together. The latest development is designation of the competition's $250,000 grand prix as a World Cup qualifier.

The show, which offers $600,000 in prize money, will present big purses to the hunters, as well as $50,000 to junior and amateur jumpers.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: ESDCTA Memorial Day Dressage Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Hunter Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Wit's End Farm Show, 371 Jackson Mills Rd., Jackson; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Tomorrow: Bow Brickhill Stable Dressage Show and Combined Test, 476 Milford-Mt. Pleasant Rd., Milford; Smoke Rise Riding Club Show, 1 Talbot Dr., Kinnelon.
Saturday: CJL Show, Baymar Farms, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville; Diamond Creek Dressage Show, 39 Gulick Rd., Ringoes; West Milford Equestrian Center Show, 367 Union Valley Rd., Newfoundland;The Meadow Dressage Schooling Show, 640 Powell Rd., Mt. Holly; Carousel Farm Dressage Show, 8 Linn Smith Rd., Augusta; The Ridge at Riverview Show, 3 Wolverton Rd., Asbury; N.J. Quarter Horse Association Charity Trail Ride, Lewis Morris Park, 73 Kahdena Rd., Morristown (njqha.com); USWHBA Wild Horse and Burro Fun Show, Rick's Saddle Shop, 282 Route 539, Cream Ridge; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Spring Valley Hounds Hunter Pace, Sand Spring Lane Showgrounds, New Vernon ( 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., springvalleyhounds.com); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Driving Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; N.J. Region Pony Club Open Horse Trials, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; Hidden Hollow Farm Combined Training Schooling Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Fidler Run Dressage Show, 456 Fidler Rd., Woodbine; CJL Farm Show, Centenary College Equestrian Center, 220 Middle Valley Rd., Long Valley; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

From the jumpers to the hunters and saddlebreds, Garden State entries do well at one of the country's most prestigious competitions

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerLaura Chapot of Neshanic Station took the Devon Horse Show's Leading Open Jumper Rider title and also won the Open Jumper Championship with Bradberry

Victory at Devon is never routine for the Neshanic Station resident, whose parents, Olympians Frank and Mary Chapot, also did well at the grounds along Philadelphia's Main Line during their riding years. Their names, and those of other legends in the sport, are engraved on gleaming silver trophies kept carefully behind glass during the show and only trotted out for presentation ceremonies, which are handled in formal style.

So it's easy to understand why Chapot, 39, was excited about doing well again and again in the compact showgrounds that attracted more than 100,000 spectators for the 2010 show and could pass that mark this year.

"Every win here is definitely meaningful. This is such a great place and the crowd just loves it and they really get into it. I think that makes the horses perform better as well," said Chapot, one of several New Jersey competitors who made their mark at the show.

"There's so much history here with my parents and for the sport of show jumping in general," she continued.

"I think it's important to support this horse show and it's an important place to win. There's a lot more meaning to winning at Devon than at a lot of horse shows."

Bradberry, who won two classes during the week, secured his title last night with the points he earned for a third-place finish in the $50,000 Idle Dice
Open Jumper Stake. That class was topped for the second year in a row by Todd Minikus on Pavarotti, who had the lone clean trip in the jump-off.

Minikus was third in the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon Thursday night, when Ireland's Kevin Babington was victorious aboard Mark Q. He was well ahead of runner-up Callan Solem, logging the only other clean round in that jump-off with VDL Torlando. Chapot, who did not compete in that class, also had victories during the week with Valentia and with Zealous in the Young Jumpers.

Another rider from the Chapots' stable, Jimmy Fairclough, also experienced the joy of a Devon victory, riding Star Quest in the Young Jumper section.

Fairclough also works for Olympic double-silver medalist Anne Kursinski in Kingwood Township, usually putting in a 12-hour-day there before heading over to the Chapots' place.

"Learning from two legends in the horse world is definitely a privilege and not many people get to do it. I'm trying to take advantage of it," said the Drew University graduate, whose parents are jumper rider Robin Rost Fairclough and international four-in-hand driving medalist James Fairclough.

Asked to size up Fairclough's prospects in the jumper world, Frank Chapot said, "Jimmy's tough, and when we need somebody tough, we put him on." He recounted that when he was riding a horse who reared up and fell, Fairclough was on the animal's back again before it could get off the ground.

"That's the kind of rider I need. When I was younger, I could do that," said Chapot.

Another perennial Devon winner is Scott Stewart of Flemington, who took the show's Leading Hunter Rider title for the ninth year in a row after earning the Grand Champion Hunter honors with Touchdown, the titleist in the Regular Conformation division
.
A different type of horse was a winner for another Jerseyan, Pat Johnson of Blairstown. Piney Flats, a 19-year-old riding school mount, took the championship in the Saddlebred Western Country Pleasure. Johnson said the bay gelding was a giveaway when the owner couldn't sell him.

"It's fun to show in front of a crowd and wave at them,'' said Johnson, executive director of the Saddlebred Rescue charity.

While saddlebreds are versatile horses who can do a variety of jobs, they perhaps are most closely identified with the high style of the three-gaited, five-gaited and fine harness divisions. In contrast to Johnson's cowboy hat and chaps, Annika Bruggeworth of Mays Landing turned up in a shocking pink coat for her victory on her black gelding The Decisive Moment in the Ladies' Five-Gaited Class. It is no coincidence that the colors of her Siren's Song Stable are black and pink. She had 12 horses, including Friesians, at Devon.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerAnnika Bruggeworth of Mays Landing with The Decisive Moment

Bruggeworth wasn't always so enthusiastic about horses. Growing up in Illinois on a farm with her mother, she said, "It was really hard, snow drifts and chipping ice; I really quite hated it."

She became involved in fashion illustration, but said she wanted to be involved the horses in an elegant way and be successful.

"I'm living my childhood dream," she said.

Competing at Devon isn't all about winning. John White of Hoboken, who owns a farm in Stillwater, Sussex County, made his debut in the coaching section with his bright yellow coach and a team of gray horses that includes Kladrubers, a breed from the Czech Republic dating back to the 16th Century.

"They stand out," he said proudly about his equine color scheme.

White, a 64-year-old patent attorney, took up driving in his mid-40s in order to do something that would take his mind off his job.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerJohn White and his team

"Golf and things like that were useless," he said, explaining why he went with the horses.

Although he was in the ribbons at Devon, he arrived knowing victories likely would go to
world championships combined driving medalist Tucker Johnson, who won all the classes he entered before leaving the show to attend his son's graduation.

Devon ends today with a hunter derby.

ON THE RAIL -- A tragic stable fire last week in Westchester, Pa., not far from Devon, has united many segments of the equestrian world in an effort to aid eventer Boyd Martin and his team.

Six horses died in the blaze at the barn Martin utilized at Phillip Dutton's True Prospect Farm, while five others-- including Martin's top performer, Neville Bardos--were rescued by heroic efforts. Three of the horses are being treated at the University of Pennsylvania veterinary hospital, while two others have been discharged already.

Three people living in an apartment near the barn lost everything as they rushed out to save the horses while their home burned. Donations and benefits of all kinds are being conducted by a variety of equestrian groups. Those interested in giving can do so through a number of organizations, including the American Horse Trials Foundation, 221 Grove Cove Rd., Centreville, Md., 21617. The website is AHTF3day.org.

Martin's wife, Silva, a native of Germany, described in her blog the gratitude she feels about what has been done for those who were affected by the fire.

"It is unbelievable how generous and amazing everyone has been. People have put everything on hold for us and have done everything they can for us, from cooking food and sending flowers, and sending donations to the funds that have been set up," she wrote.

"We've been getting phone calls and e-mails from all over the world, and even though I'm really sad, it's such a good feeling to know that so many people are behind us. I think the American people are amazing that way, making things happen the way they are making things happen for us. I hope someday I can help someone out the way people are helping us out."

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

Today: Spring Valley Hounds Hunter Pace, Sand Spring Lane Showgrounds, New Vernon ( 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., springvalleyhounds.com); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Driving Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; N.J. Region Pony Club Open Horse Trials, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; Hidden Hollow Farm Combined Training Schooling Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Fidler Run Dressage Show, 456 Fidler Rd., Woodbine; CJL Farm Show, Centenary College Equestrian Center, 220 Middle Valley Rd., Long Valley; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).

Wednesday: Hawk Hollow Ranch Dressage Show, 100 River Road West, Bedminster.

Thursday: Thursday Night Dressage, Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville.

Friday: Jersey Classic Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday); Woodedge Show, Borton Landing Road, Moorestown (through next Sunday); Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Breed Show. Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Eastern Pennsylvania Reining Horse Association Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday).

Saturday: Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show. Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta (through next Sunday); On Course Riding Academy Show, 210 Beaver Run Rd., Lafayette (through next Sunday); Saddle Brook Ridge Dressage Show, 10 Saddlebrook Court, Shamong; Monmouth County Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Smoke Rise Riding Club Show, Talbot Drive, Kinnelon; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).

Next Sunday: Amwell Valley Hounds Hunter Pace and Tack Sale, Sourland Farm, 33 Lindbergh Rd., East Amwell (9 a.m.-1 p.m., amwellvalleyhounds.org); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Hunter Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Briarwood Farm Show, Pleasant Run Road, Readington; Central Jersey Horsemen's Association Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Now it's time for Branchburg eventer to point toward Burghley and the London Olympics while staying on course with the training regimen that brought her great success this spring

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerSinead Halpin was overcome with emotion after a clean show jumping round on Manoir de Carneville that made her the highest-placing American at Rolex Kentucky and raised her profile in the sport of eventing

But after her impressive third-place effort as the highest-placed American, behind British eventing legend Mary King, who was first and second--and ahead of another British legend, her former mentor, William Fox-Pitt--nothing was quite the same for the 29-year-old Branchburg resident.

"It was really, really cool," she said, reflecting on the reaction to her performance from friends, acquaintances and people she didn't even know. Halpin was flooded with "phone calls, texts, facebook messages, everything. I couldn't really keep up with it all, which was exciting. It's almost embarrassing, honestly."

Halpin, who works out of Fieldstone Farm in Pittstown, noted that by the weekend of April 30-May 1, when the Kentucky Horse Park was flooded with thousands of fans, "I didn't really notice everybody else there. You are so focused on the task at hand," she explained.

A fault-free show jumping round before a packed stadium on Manoir de Carneville, which would elevate her to the top three in the standings, brought a burst of tears as she crossed the finish line.

While it obviously was "such an emotional moment for me," Halpin said, "I didn't realize the magnitude of how many people were in that moment."

Her horse, known to his friends as Tate, was turned out to rest after coming home from Kentucky and Halpin continued with the rest of her routine. But a few weeks later, while she was at the Virginia Horse Trials with another mount, the Rolex aura was still in force.

"So many people came up to me and said, `I was in tears, too,' and I said, `Oh my God, you were there?' Afterwards, I think the main thing that hit me was how many people were following and supporting us. The after-effect of the last couple of weeks has been, "Wow. It wasn't just me and Tate out there."

One of her many lessons from Rolex is realizing, "You get so over-focused you tend to forget there are people out there we can help or who can help us with guidance, or support or just a little inspiration. The number of people who said they can relate to me is really cool," said Halpin, who believes her accomplishment proves to others, "You can do this. It's very doable if you work really hard at it. I'm somebody they can relate to. It's really awesome."

Halpin, who gives clinics when she isn't competing on weekends, notes interest in her teaching has risen since Rolex. At a Canadian clinic, for instance, she had to stay an extra day in order to teach everyone who wanted a lesson.

Tate was competitive, but hadn't been winning big time when Halpin went to the Netherlands last fall on the U.S. squad for the Boekelo 3-star. It was her first European competition and just a look around at the European talent when she got there made her realize, "Whoa, we are not going to be in the top 10."

She was 21st of 107 there while riding on the silver medal team, an experience that opened her eyes. It helped pave the way for her achievement at Rolex, where she only had been hoping for a "successful result," rather than a specific placing.

Next up for Halpin and Tate is Burghley, the British 4-star in September. She hopes the approach that enabled her to succeed at Rolex will carry through.

"I'm trying really hard not to change my focus," commented Halpin, who has honed her skills under the guidance of Karen and David O'Connor.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerHalpin enjoyed her moment of triumph with a presentation by U.S. Equestrian Federation President David O'Connor, who also has trained her

"My horse is still maturing and I'm still maturing and we set a tone that lets us get better in small increments.

"I need to improve, but I like the progression it's taking if we can keep this consistency up so we remain a player at this level. I'm trying not to change my focus too much."

With the London Olympics on the horizon next year, Halpin has the potential to be a contender, though anything can happen along the way in her demanding discipline.

"I realize how fickle this sport is," she said, while adding, "London hopefully will be the next productive step. I'm trying to keep my feet firmly planted."

Tate is the only advanced horse she has at the moment, though several others are coming along. U.S. eventing team veterinarian Dr. Brendan Furlong and his wife, Dr. Wendy Leich, have given her the ride on Classical King, a talented 7-year-old jumper by Lion King. He is at 1-star level now, as she focuses on his flat work.

Another prospect is D-Lux, a 6-year-old who hasn't evented yet, but is well-bred "with big-time potential written all over him," Halpin believes.

A partnership with Halpin seemed logical to the Furlongs, who also live in Pittstown.

"We picked her before she starred at Rolex. She's a local girl and a hard worker who rides well," said Furlong. And, added his wife, "she's hungry."

Working with the Furlongs is a treat for Halpin.

"They're so educated, there's always a good dialogue back and forth. I don't know how I got so lucky," she said, noting they are helping her work on syndication, a key to having a strong string of horses.

Halpin's head has not been turned by her recent success.

"I'm fortunate to be a little older than the young riders who are just getting the first taste of it, and a little bit younger than the guys who have been doing it forever, so I'm still quite impressed but not naive," is the way she puts it.

Even so, her 4-star finish has made a big difference in her life. Being the best American at Rolex, she noted, "has allowed me all these other ideas and dreams and goals to come into my daily thoughts.''

ON THE RAIL -- The Essex Foxhounds are holding a foxhunting clinic Saturday at Cedar Lane Farm, 87 Homestead Rd., Oldwick. The 1-5 p.m. session offers an opportunity to learn more about the sport, with a chance to expose a horse or pony to hounds.

Riders of all ages and abilities are invited. They will be divided into jumping and non-jumping groups for training and a mock foxhunt.

The clinician is Sally Ike, a former eventer, experienced foxhunter and the U.S. Equestrian Federation's managing director of show jumping.

The fee is $50 for adults and $25 for riders under 18 to benefit Essex. For information and reservations, call Mary Lane at (201)787-3795 or Sue Travellin (908) 400-8223.

The U.S. Young Rider Show Jumping Team scored its first Nations' Cup victory of the season in Austria this weekend, with a 5-penalty victory over the Swiss squad. The effort was led by Reed Kessler with a double clear. Jessica Springsteen of Colts Neck finished fault-free in the first round and had a knockdown in the second, while Catherine Pasmore was 4/0 and Ricky Neal 1/15.

The Sussex County Benefit Horse Shows of June 26 and July 5 are being cancelled, but organizers say that a dispute between the Sussex County Horse Show and the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show Association/N.J. State Fair is not the reason. Each has sued the other in a clash over finances and control.

Sue Gerber of the Northwest Jersey Horse Show explained the cancellations are "due to slightly slack business at shows so far" and because these dates traditionally have not drawn good entries. Other benefit shows will go on as planned at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, with competitions slated for June, 22, June 25, July 6 and July 16, as well other dates in August, September and October.

The Tewksbury Trail Association's group ride Saturday will benefit the Morris County Mounted Park Police. Groups of five or six riders may choose among a slow ride (walk-trot), a medium ride (trot and chat) or a fast ride ("trot, canter and go.") An RSVP from those who would like to participate is requested by today to ktaylor@ktaylorrenderings. For more information, go to the association's website, tta-nj.org.

An auction of new tack is set for 5 p.m. Saturday in the Shotwell Building at the Sussex County Fairgrounds on Plains Road in Augusta. The Helping Horseshoe Therapeutic Riding Club of Newton is hosting the affair with J P's North tack store. The event is a fundraiser for a non-profit program to provide affordable lessons to special needs riders. For more information or to request a particular item, size or color, contact Kara Stark McGrew at (973) 579-9537 by Wednesday. Year-round, Helping Horseshoe raises funds by collecting Nutrena Horse Feeds feed tags and welcomes donations of the tags.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; On Course Riding Academy Show, 210 Beaver Run Rd., Lafayette; Amwell Valley Hounds Hunter Pace and Tack Sale, Sourland Farm, 33 Lindbergh Rd., East Amwell(9 a.m.-1 p.m., amwellvalleyhounds.com); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Hunter Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Briarwood Farm Show, Pleasant Run Road, Readington; Suddenly Farm Dressage Show, 325 Main St., Lumberton; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Wednesday: Sunrise Series Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta.
Thursday: Kenwood Racing Presents “An Insider’s Look at Thoroughbred Racing,” part two of a three-part series by Rob Levinsky celebrating the Month of the Horse, Monmouth County Library's Eastern Branch, 101 Route 35, Shrewsbury (7 p.m. start; kenwoodracing.com.)
Friday: The Ridge at Riverview Equitation Show, 3 Wolverton Rd., Asbury.
Saturday: Emma Dressage Show, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters, Pottersville Rd., Gladstone (through next Sunday); Half-Arabian Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday); Blue Spruce Farm Dressage Show, 5 Stanley Pl., Jackson; New Tack Auction benefitting Helping Horseshoe Therapeutic Riding Club, Shotwell Building, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta (5 p.m. start, 973 579-9537); Palermo Show Stable Show, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster (through next Sunday); Tractor Supply and ReRun Thoroughbred Adoption Meet, Eat & Greet, 701 Route 524, Allentown (11 a.m.-4 p.m.); Monmouth County Show, East Freehold Park, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Harding Township/Green Village Bridle Path Association/Crewe Hill Show, Spring Valley Showgrounds, Sand Spring Lane, New Vernon; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

The national championships later this summer are going to offer an opportunity for Jerseyans to watch top-level dressage close to home

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerSteffen Peters, the top-ranked U.S. dressage rider with Ravel, is planning to compete with him in the national Grand Prix championships in Gladstone later this summer

After Aachen, Ravel -- a prime candidate for the 2012 Olympics -- is headed back to the States, as Peters focuses on the Pan American Games trials at the foundation with his Small Tour horse, Weltino's Magic. But Ravel probably will be along for the ride.

"We are planning on taking it easy in August, and since the whole procedure for the Pan American Games is quite lengthy, most likely he will come with me to Gladstone and do the Grand Prix championships," Peters revealed in an interview, referring to Ravel, with whom he is ranked 11th in the world.The championships run Sept. 8-11 concurrently with the trials.

Fans missed seeing Ravel at the 2010 championships in Gladstone, when the U.S. Equestrian Federation show doubled as the trials for the WEG. Because of his stellar record, which includes a World Cup championship, Ravel got a bye from the screening process.

Weltino's Magic is leading the qualifying standings for the trials. The Pan Ams, to be staged during October in Guadalajara, Mexico, are run at the level of the Small Tour, the Prix St. Georges/Intermediare I level.

"If Magic makes the team, I would be in Gladstone for about a month," said Peters, then added it actually could be five weeks, counting preparation. He is considering bringing two other horses, Shiraz and Sundance 8, since he will be away from his California home for so long, but notes it would be an expensive trip to fly them east.

Meanwhile, finances permitting, Germany-based Catherine Haddad also is hoping to spend August and September stabled at Gladstone with Winyamaro, the U.S. reserve team horse for WEG, and Cadillac, her other Grand Prix mount.

Haddad noted, "I really want to make a journey to New Jersey this summer with my horses, so I'm trying to pull together enough money to cover their travel expenses"
.
In December, she married Califon veterinarian Greg Staller, whose Running S equine practice will handle the trials and championships. Under those circumstances it would be a conflict of interest for her to compete in the championships.

"Greg and I both want to support the USEF and all the horse shows it hosts, so we have agreed that Running S will cover the Festival in non-selection trial years, and I will ride in the competitions when it is really important for team selections," said Haddad.

"I don't have a candidate for the Pan American Games, so it's Greg's turn this year. I would love to do an exhibition or two at the Festival, especially with Cadillac, since nobody in the USA has seen him, but that possibility is still in discussion," she stated.

Haddad, the defending Dressage at Devon Grand Prix freestyle champion with Winyamaro, would like to return to that show. Peters also expressed interest in exploring participation in the iconic competition, which runs Sept. 27-Oct. 2 in Devon, Pa.

"I have a series of clinics planned throughout the U.S. in August and September, including a two-day session at Randy Leoni's Hawk Hollow Ranch in Bedminster Aug. 9-10. I'm looking forward to showing in the United States and spending time with my husband," Haddad continued. The couple takes turns visiting between Europe and the U.S.

"We will work on some renovations to our house in Califon and we are both anticipating some evenings of good fly fishing on the Raritan River,'' added Haddad, who is planning to move to the Garden State permanently after the 2012 Olympics, for which she will be a candidate.

ROBERT DOVER SYMPOSIUM -- The six-time Olympian is giving pointers this weekend to riders from First Level to Grand Prix at Michael Rucci's WoodsEdge Farm in Califon.

Those participating included such big names as Olympic judge Marilyn Payne, Olympic aspirant Sahar Hirosh and the versatile Heather Mason, as well as young people striving to learn.

Each year, Dover only gives four symposiums, which play to a larger audience than his private clinics that generally are for high-level riders and tend to have just a few people looking on.

The symposiums "show the training scale from the basic, just beginning, horse and rider through the Grand Prix," he said.

Dover likes providing education to a bigger group.

"It gives me a chance to go back to my own roots and my own basics of what I am as a teacher and a trainer," he said.

"It allows me to touch of the lives of way more people at one venue, and make more people understand the basic principles of the art of dressage."

Clinics and symposiums are among the many phases of retired competitor Dover's busy life that includes a weekly radio show on Tuesdays; the new Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla., which is his base, and the new Emerging Dressage Athletes Program.
While focusing on the symposium participants, he never forgets the audience.

"At the very least, I hope they'll go home saying, `Well, that was entertaining.' But my hope inside myself is that I can actually make them go home saying they had a life-changing experience," Dover commented.

The symposium, sponsored by County Saddlery, continues today and is open to auditors for a $90 fee.

Hirosh will be making a return appearance on the promising Fourth Level mare Sacro Santa by Sandro Hit, who is getting ready for Prix St. Georges.

Although to the average eye Hirosh looked as one with his horse, Dover asked him to shorten his stirrups, which put him in even better balance and a position to ask for more from the Rhinelander mare, nicknamed Prima, as in Prima Donna.

The work on tempi changes, which had been a problem before, suddenly improved.

"I think he is an amazing trainer," said Hirosh, who has worked with Dover before, noting, "I learned everything from him."

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerRobert Dover in action at the WoodsEdge symposium this weekend

The day began with a lecture that included basic principles, such as the goal of controlling tempo, rhythm, the length of stride and the frame of the horse.

"What else is there?" Dover asked spectators with a smile. In connection with the length of stride, he emphasizes use of the suppling rubber band exercise, in which the horse moves forward and comes back in quick response to the rider's aids.

With two Third Level riders, Emily Blumberg, 18, and Lilli Matusow, 17, he talked about the importance of the independent hand and seat. He suggested the "legs away" exercise in which the legs are taken off the saddle, that helps the riders balance and improve the seat. He recounted his own experience at age 13 as an experienced vaulter making the transition to dressage, working for nine months on the longe line with a German instructor to develop his seat.

When an independent seat is achieved, he told the teens, "You will go like meteors up in your ability level."


ON THE RAIL -- A U.S. Eventing Association Instructor Certification Program dressage workshop will be offered July 11-12 at Windswept Farm in Augusta with Eric Horgan of Ireland as the clinician. Horgan, who rode in the 1976 Olympics, was the bronze medalist at the 1989 European Eventing Championships.
The session, the only one in this region during 2011, will enable instructors to take their first step toward certification. Auditors also are welcome and riders are needed to be demonstrators.
Those interested in watching or participating may contact Patricia Lutfy via e-mail at yogaandhorses@gmail.com, or call (570) 296- 8223.
The N.J. Quarter Horse Association is inviting people to meet and chat with American Quarter Horse Association President Peter Cofrancesco of Sparta at the NJQHA youth show Saturday at the Gloucester County Dream Park.
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Emma Dressage Show, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters, Pottersville Road, Gladstone; Half-Arabian Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; Harding Township/Green Village Bridle Path Association/Crewe Hill Show, Spring Valley Showgrounds, Sand Spring Lane, New Vernon; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Palermo Stable Show, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Wednesday: Applewood Farm Dressage Show and Combined Test, 30 Fox Hill Rd., Califon; Good Time Farm Dressage Show, 278 Jackson Mills Rd., Freehold; Sussex County Benefit Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta.
Thursday: Middlesex County Horse Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday); N.J. Quarter Horse Association Youth Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday); Thursday Night Dressage Show, Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville.
Saturday: Sussex County Benefit Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Jumper Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Oxbow Stables Dressage Show, Combined Test and Horse Trials, 39 Orts Rd., Hamburg; Golden Gait Farm Dressage Show, 323 Sweetmans Lane, Millstone; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

An evening of musical freestyles in Gladstone next month may be the first step to an even bigger annual competition

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerAn evening of dressage freestyles will be added to the roster of competitions staged at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation facility in Gladstone

Such is the demand now that at the Olympics and other championships, the freestyle tickets are among the hardest to obtain. Even at the lower end of the scale, music adds the magic to dressage. The freestyle enables riders to showcase what their horses do best, instead of following in the hoofprints of everyone else who is performing the same test, whether it's Third Level or Grand Prix.

Randy Leoni wants to capitalize on that as she takes the next step in her presentation of "an evening of freestyles" that she has put on for the last two years in conjunction with shows at her Hawk Hollow Ranch in Bedminster.

This year, she is staging it at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, along with a two-day dressage show July 6-7.

"I want to turn it into an event. This is the first time I'm doing this show at the Team, because I'm thinking if I do it at the Team, I'll ultimately be able to get some sponsorship and be able to offer prize money. I can't do that at home with a small show," said Leoni.
She hopes next year it will be a more lavish affair, held in conjunction with a cocktail party, and has plans for increasing its scope.

Although the show will feature two rings during the day, there will be just one ring for the freestyle evening, which will begin about 4 p.m. July 7 and run through all the levels. Among those competing will be Pan American Games team gold and individual silver medalist Lauren Sammis of South Orange and well-known trainers Heather Mason of Tewksbury and Sara Schmitt of Pittstown, both U.S. Dressage Federation gold medalists.

There is no admission charge. People can bring their own picnics or buy something to eat from the In Thyme caterer, which provided the food for the VIP tent at last year's national dressage championships. Leoni, who has handled the hospitality at USET events for 25 years, hopes that her show can be on a weekend in the future, which would help maximize attendance.

"People love to show at the Team and people love to go there for events," said Leoni, who wants it to be as successful for spectators as it is for exhibitors. One thing that helps is the cachet of the historic venue, which can't be overestimated; it hosts numerous events put on by everyone from the U.S. Equestrian Federation to a variety of smaller organizations.

"The Hamilton Farm facility has been an important part of the community, and our United States Equestrian Teams for 50 years," said the federation's executive director, Bonnie Jenkins.

"Upgrades and improvements have recently been made to the competition arenas, providing a world class facility for high performance training sessions, national championships, selection trials, Pony Club Camps and a host of other local equestrian competitions. No matter what discipline or level of riding, Gladstone is a special place, where we welcome riders and equestrian supporters to come and enjoy."

"It's an enchanting place," agreed eventer Sinead Halpin of Branchburg, who is having a benefit cocktail party there July 28.

"You walk in and it's got every bit of history and every bit of nostalgia that goes along with that. It's a really beautiful venue; you feel part of the venue," she said.

Halpin is hoping to raise funds for several worthy causes as well as her trip to the British 4-star Burghley event in September with Manoir de Carneville. She finished third with him as the highest-placed American at the Rolex Kentucky 4-star last month.

The party, billed as "An Evening at the Team," will feature eventing team veterinarian Brendan Furlong as a speaker. Halpin plans to do her 4-star dressage ride at the place her event poster calls, "The Heart of American High Performance Horse Sports."

This has been quite a week for Halpin, who was selected to be an observer at next month's test event for the 2012 Olympics in London.

"I'm super-excited," said Halpin, who also just made the "A" national eventing high performance training list and dreams of riding in the Olympics. She is ranked eighth in the U.S. Eventing Association Rider of the Year standings, while Manoir de Carneville is first in the Horse of the Year standings.

"It's a whole brand-new experience and it would be helpful to have already gone there once and know what the venue is," she said of her July trip to London.

Also on the "A" list are Will Faudree, Boyd Martin and veteran Phillip Dutton. All will be working with coach Mark Phillips in preparation for the Pan American Games and Olympics.

Named to the "B" list is Doug Payne of Gladstone, who had previously been on the developing roster. Payne's top mount at the moment is Running Order, owned by Patti Springsteen. He hopes to take the Irish former steeplechaser to the 3-star in Blenheim, England, this fall and then to Rolex Kentucky in the spring as he bids for the Olympics.

"Realistically, it seems like he has a pretty good shot at it. A lot of things have to go right and it's a long time from now, but it's a good position to be in right now," said Payne, tied for sixth in the USEA rider standings. Running Order is fourth in the Horse of the Year standings.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerDoug Payne and Running Order

Payne has a number of promising horses, but he also had some bad luck this spring. For instance, he was second in the 1-star after cross-country at the Bromont, Canada event earlier this month with Camerlingo, but the gelding twisted an ankle and was not presented for the final horse inspection. He expects Camerlingo to be fine for the Fair Hill International this fall, however.

"In a year's time, we should have three or four advanced horses going," he said.

"I've got a couple of exceptional nice young horses. The most exciting one I've got is Royal Tribute, an Oldenburg/thoroughbred cross, who did his first Training last week at Bucks County."

Payne owns half of the horse; Kristen Burger owns the other half. He is very excited about the 17.3-hand horse, who was a champion as a 3-year-old. While Royal Tribute seems to have potential for the top ranks, it will be a long wait. Payne said the 2014 World Equestrian Games might be a little soon; more likely he'd hit the international championships at the 2015 Pan American Games or the 2016 Olympics, if all goes well. With eventing, you have to plan far ahead.

ON THE RAIL -- The FEI (international equestrian federation) is moving to follow the lead of the U.S. Equestrian Federation in expanding the requirement for riders to wear protective headgear on showgrounds. In dressage national classes, all U.S. riders must wear approved helmets, though those competing in international classes can still wear top hats because that is the purview of the FEI.

However, now the medical committee of the FEI has recommended making protective headgear mandatory in every international discipline for those riding at show grounds outside competition arenas.

The FEI Dressage Committee is preparing a draft rule to be discussed in August calling for protective headgear to be mandatory everywhere on the showgrounds except during competition and warm-up prior to competition. Riders under 18 and those in Young Horse classes, where the mounts are less experienced, would have to wear the headgear everywhere on the grounds, including in the warm-up and their tests.

"The FEI proposal is very similar to the rules the USEF has implemented for national events in the U.S.," said Trond Asmyr, the FEI's director of dressage.

Asked why protective headgear would not be mandatory across the board for dressage, he responded, "Risk assessment has shown that the risk of accidents during a dressage event is minimal, and that the risk in the warm-up and actual competition in high level classes is even smaller."

For jumping, a recommendation will be made in August to national federations that it will be mandatory for riders to wear protective headgear when mounted, even if they are just hacking.

In other business, the FEI Dressage Committee has proposed a new rule that calls for a performance to be halted "if blood appears anywhere on the horse."

At the World Equestrian Games last year and the World Dressage Masters this year, two Grand Prix dressage riders were stopped and eliminated when a judge spotted evidence of blood in their horses' saliva.

At the WEG, the incident caused a furor because it involved Adelinde Cornelissen of the Netherlands and Parzival. After she left the ring, it was determined her horse had bitten his tongue and had only a tiny cut as a result, but there was nothing she as one of the medal favorites could do to get reinstated. Cornelissen was ousted under a general welfare rule, as there was no specific rule about what should be done if there were evidence of blood.

To avoid future incidents like that involving a minor injury, the rule proposal calls for FEI veterinarians at major championships to examine the horse whose test has been halted. After the exam, the horse could resume the test if the bleeding had stopped. If vets were not present to examine the horse, bleeding would mean elimination.

Like helmet rule proposals, this change would have to be submitted to the FEI's General Assembly for consideration this fall, and if approved, would take effect next year.

Volunteers are needed for the Horse Park of New Jersey's horse trials that are being held Saturday and July 30-31. The competitions are part of the fundraising efforts for the May 2012 Jersey Fresh event, which is marking its 10th anniversary next year.

Volunteers will receive a free auditor pass to the Oct. 13-14 clinic by British eventer Lucinda Green. Those who want to ride can deduct $20 from their entry fee. Volunteers also will get breakfast and lunch, as well as a T-shirt and a gas stipend. The contact is Jersey Fresh organizer Jane Cory. Reach her at jane@pleasanthollow.com or (215) 262-2870.

Volunteers also are being sought by Centenary College next month for restoration of the back barn at the school's equestrian center in Long Valley. The project will start July 6 and run for eight weeks on Wednesday, Thursdays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Morris Habitat for Humanity is assisting by providing a volunteer supervisor and training. Those interested in volunteering can contact Simone Knaap at (908)852-1400 ext. 2336 or knaaps@centenarycollege.edu.

Two-time Olympic show jumping course designer Olaf Petersen of Germany will be laying out the routes for the Princeton Show Jumping competition at Hunter Farms that begins Wednesday and ends with a $30,000 Grand Prix next Sunday afternoon. Petersen designed last month's Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

Today: Middlesex County Horse Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; N.J. Quarter Horse Association Youth Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Jumper Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Oxbow Stables Dressage Show, Combined Test and Horse Trials, 39 Orts Rd., Hamburg; Golden Gait Farm Dressage Show, 323 Sweetmans Lane, Millstone; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Wednesday: Princeton Show Jumping, Hunter Farms, 1315 The Great Rd., Princeton (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Horse Park of N.J. Horse Trials, Route 524, Allentown; Garden State Paint Horse Club Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday); The Meadow Dressage Show, 640 Powell Rd., Mt. Holly; CJL/Snowbird Show, East Freehold Park, 1500 Kozloski Rd., Freehold; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Hunter Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Hidden Hollow Farm Combined Training Schooling Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Woodedge Show, Borton Landing Road, Moorestown; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Competitive trail riding doesn't require expensive clothes or a fancy horse; all it takes is the desire to enjoy the countryside with like-minded equestrians

Hugh Mac Donald/For The Star-LedgerThe Canal 25 Competitive Trail Ride offers an opportunity to compete in a fun and casual atmosphere

"We'd like to see a big turnout because this is our 30th anniversary and also we'd like to encourage people who are new to the sport to give it a try," said Liz Turrin of Jackson, who co-chairs the ride with Jessica Wysocki of East Amwell.

"We do have a Conditioning Distance Ride, which is a shorter distance of the competitive trail ride, it's about 15 miles as opposed to 25. It's more of a learning experience; we're hoping to get more people into the sport that way, and especially more junior riders," Turrin commented. Horses do not have to be as fit for the CDR, and they are given recognition for completing.

Any kind of saddle is accepted, and the only dress requirements are
a safety helmet and suitable footwear. Turrin said water will be offered at the rest stop, and horses are encouraged to eat along the trail (a no-no in other horse sports) to keep up their strength.

This is the only competitive trail ride held in the northern part of the state. Others are staged in the south by the New Jersey Trail Ride Association. This one also is unusual because overnight camping is available at Blackwells Mills.

Competitive trail riding isn't a race, like the sport of endurance, but it does demand endurance. The idea is to finish within an ideal specified time window: 4 hours, 10 minutes and 4 hours, 40 minutes
for the 25-mile ride.

"There is a time frame, so you don't race your horse," said Turrin. But completing within the time frame is only the first step. Horses are evaluated before the ride on everything from their heart rate to soundness. They start with 100 points and the placings are determined on their condition when they undergo the same exam after crossing the finish line, with points subtracted for less than optimum marks in each category. So a horse who comes in behind four others, for instance, could win if he has the most points.

Those who want to participate should start legging up their mounts now. While the canal ride normally is held after Halloween, it is being moved this year to a new date, Aug. 28, which avoids conflicts with other rides in the region. Although the ride is sanctioned by the East Coast Trail Riding Association, non-members can take part as well.

Turrin said riders who aren't sure how to get their horses ready are welcome to contact her, and she can put them in touch with an experienced mentor. She got involved with the sport because she used to board her horse with CTR enthusiast Sarah Ralston. A medical editor, Turrin owns a thoroughbred, Zeger, and RU Tootsie Pop, a half-paint/half-draft that she got through Ralston's young horse program at Rutgers. She has never done the canal ride itself, but she took part in several clinics there, and that is why she decided to help stage the competition.

"It's a day out on beautiful trails with your horse, and I've found it a good way to learn more about your horse's health and condition. It's a way of bonding with your horse, because you take care of them on the ride. You learn a lot as you condition them as well," she said.

The ride used to be held entirely on the towpath of the Delaware & Raritan Canal, but only part of it goes there now.

"While it's very scenic, a lot of riders find the towpath very hard, so we're moving it more into the Six-Mile Run area," said Turrin, referring to a state park in Franklin Township.

The ride is a fundraiser for the Somerset Horse & Pony Association, which started it. Somerset will share proceeds with Mylestone Equine Rescue in Warren County.

Those who are wary of riding in their first exposure to the sport are welcome to volunteer. Wysocki said people with and without horse experience are eligible. Jobs range from supervising road crossings and offering refreshments to taking pulse and respiration, scribing for veterinarians or even just offering a hand to competitors in need _ for instance holding a horse while someone visits the Port-a-Pottie.

Wysocki rides a 9-year-old Arab mare, Mars.
"We're just shy of 1,000 miles," said Wysocki, a chemist who has competed as far north as Maine. She decided to volunteer in honor of Ribbons, her retired Arab mare, who loved the canal ride.

Remembering her first trip on the towpath with Ribbons, she had "no idea what we were signing up for," as bicycles and strollers passed them, since the trail can't be closed off to others during the ride. She noted, however, that everyone respects the other users, so it works out.

One of the best things about CTR is how open it is to a variety of participants.

"If you like to see new territory, pretty much anybody who's interested and has a horse can do the lower distances. You develop such a bond with your horse, that you know before they do what they are going to do. It's a bond I don't think you can get if you don't do these longer distances,'' said Wysocki, who also rides dressage. She started CTR on a Pony of the Americas that she had since she was a child.

"I didn't have a clue; I didn't bring a sponge, I wore a pair of sweatpants. And everybody said, `Come on in, we'll teach you.'"

Added Wysocki, "It's not cutthroat at all. There have been rides where someone gets hurt close to the end and people have stopped riding and helped the person or the horse, and not cared about completing first. It's almost like a family."

The entry fee is $65 for the full ride and $55 for the CDR, with breakfast and lunch included.

For information, contact Turrin at lizturrin@yahoo.com or to volunteer, contact Wysocki at syreino@verizon.net.

ON THE RAIL -- Barns are a big part of your lifestyle when you own a horse, but you don't have to be an equestrian to appreciate the bi-annual Tewksbury Barn tour, sponsored by the Tewksbury Historical Society and the Tewksbury Trail Association.

"We have old and new, large and small. Almost every barn has horses," said Loren Spiotta DiMare, chairman of the tour, a fundraiser for both groups.

Highlights of this seventh tour include Dapple Grey Close, which offers a compact design that is home to two horses and looks like a little guest house. At Desai Farms, a mini-horse shares the premises with goats, alpacas and llamas. Orchard Lane is a 2010 re-creation of 17th and 18th Century barns by Amish tradesmen and carpenters.

Dapple Grey Close looks like a guest house, but it's actually a home for two horses

Order tickets by July 13 from the THS Barn Tour, P.O. Box 457, Oldwick NJ 08858-0457. Tickets will not be mailed; they can be picked up on the day of the tour at the Christie Hoffman Farm Park, 108 Fairmount Rd. West (Route 512 in the Fairmount section of Tewksbury.)

Briarwood Farm in Readington will hold its second annual Derby Day July 12, featuring a $5,000 hunter derby at 3 feet with options at 3-3, the PNC Bank jumper add-back class at 3-9 and 4 feet and the Ride for the Pledge, a gamblers' choice in which sponsors pledge a certain number of dollars per point.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerThe Briarwood Farm Hunter Derby offers attractive natural fences that make the class more interesting

"We raised $22,000 last year and are looking forward to doing that again, or something close to it," said Katie Benson, his widow.

All the hunter division include handy hunter classes "in the spirit of Derby Day," said Benson, who believes their featured class, which starts at 9 a.m. is probably the only benefit derby in the state.

After her husband's death, there never was a thought of cutting back on the business he started.

"We continue in the fashion that Jack taught us," she said.

"I don't think he would like it if we didn't continue."

For more information, go to briarwood-farm.com.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE>
Today: Princeton Show Jumping, Hunter Farms, 1315 The Great Rd., Princeton; Garden State Paint Horse Club Show, Gloucester County Dream Park, 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Hunter Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Briarwood Farm Show, Pleasant Run Road, Readington; Hidden Hollow Farm Combined Training Schooling Show, 1100 Old Chester Rd., Gladstone; Woodedge Show, Borton Landing Road, Moorestown; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Wednesday: Hawk Hollow Ranch Dressage Show, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters, Pottersville Road, Gladstone; Princeton Show Jumping, Hunter Farms, 1315 The Great Rd., Princeton (through next Sunday); Sussex County Benefit Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta.
Thursday: An Evening of Freestyles, Hawk Hollow Ranch Dressage Show, U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters, Pottersville Road, Gladstone (5 p.m. start) Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Thursday Night Dressage, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville.
Saturday: Bow Brickhill Stables Dressage Show and Combined Test, 476 Milford-Mt. Pleasant Rd., Milford; N.J. Professional Horsemen's Association Show, East Freehold Showgrounds, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org)
Next Sunday: Monmouth County Show, East Freehold Showgrounds, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Driving Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Palermo Jumper Show, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster; Fidler Run Dressage Show, 456 Fidler Rd., Woodbine; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

The Texas-based American Quarter Horse Association and its national youth group look to Sparta for their presidents

Abigail Pait of Sparta is the new president of the American Quarter Horse Youth Association

But while the American Quarter Horse Association is headquartered in Amarillo, Tex., its leadership is based in Sparta, N.J. Abigail Pait, a 17-year-old senior at Pope John XXIII Regional High School, just has been elected president of the American Quarter Horse Youth Association. She joins Peter Cofrancesco, another Sparta resident who is the president of the senior association, in working to spread the word about the versatile quarter horse, which can do everything from roping and racing to driving and dressage. Cofrancesco is the first person who was a youth association president to rise to the top job in the AQHA as well, but he likely won't be the last.

Discussing the New Jersey contingent, Courtney Martin, AQHA manager of youth and education, observed "One of the comments I've heard is that they could be a very powerful team because they are such a close-knit group over there." She explained with a smile that "in Texas, everything else is `over there.'"

Being more specific and referring to the Northeast, she added, "the industry is hopping there now, it's not all just about what's going on over here. It's really expanded and they've taken hold and they're doing great."

As a regional director in the youth group, conference calls and the fundraising committee are a familiar routine to Pait, though at first she asked herself, "`Could I take on this job?' The longer I thought about it, it was something I really wanted to do. I want to help increase membership in our association.

"The country is not based on agriculture anymore, or horses for that matter. It's something I want to be around for my kids. I figured I have a chance to make a difference -- why not?"

Pait will be at major events around the country, but she's also focusing locally, including 4-H and Future Farmers of America in her efforts to recruit for AQHA. She's got her sales pitch down pat.

"The American Quarter horse is an all-around horse. You can do whatever you want with this horse. There's nothing the American quarter horse can't do. They're a loving horse and fun to be around; they're a family horse," she emphasized, explaining how she introduces the breed to those who don't have experience with it.

There is, she conceded, a small culture gap when she meets her counterparts in other parts of the country.

"They all ask me if I live near the Shore, and I laugh," she said, explaining they reference "Jersey Shore'' from TV.

"They think we all act like that and I tell them, `No, we don't.'" While she does live on a farm, she notes, "My life is a little more `city' than theirs."

She has no problem, however, relating to people who grew up on vast farms and ranches after spending part of her summers riding on a ranch in Oklahoma and doing whatever needs to be done, such as hauling hay and herding cattle.

Pait rides western and does a lot of halter, showmanship and trail competition. She won the 2009 and 2010 AQHYA championship in the yearling mares, and last year she made the top 20 of the AQHYA horsemanship class.

"It was a really big honor, considering there's usually 180 people in that class," said Pait, who wants to ride on an NCAA team at college. While she sees herself being involved with AQHA for life, she has no thought of becoming a professional, noting, "I just want to keep it as a hobby and enjoy it with my family."

Pait's mother, Bronwyn, said her daughter is following a family tradition by giving her time to lead the youth group.

"We've always been big volunteers, at our church and with the 4-H; it's something we've always done as a family,'' she commented.

Her husband, Jeffrey, is the trainer and manager at Cofrancesco's quarter horse farm. Cofrancesco always has been close to Abigail, and the two had a lot of discussions about her moving up to the presidency, her mother said.

Commenting about the new AQHYA president, Martin observed, "She's always very well organized and contributed a lot to the (regional) team and kept everyone encouraged and their spirits high. I think that made her a great presidential candidate and I'm really glad she got the office."

LOOKING AHEAD TO LONDON -- When Sinead Halpin walked the cross-country course at the test event for the 2012 London Olympics last week, her immediate reaction was "Sweet."

The hilly, twisting route in Greenwich Park, with a backdrop of London's skyline, seems as if it would suit her Frenchbred horse, Manoir de Carneville.

"He's got a lot of thoroughbred in him and he doesn't pull at all. Horses that don't pull are uber careful, and he's not spooky," the Branchburg rider said.

Although the Olympic 4-star course will be different and longer than the 2-star test event, hills and turns are going to be part of the formula.

"It's the type of track that horses that have a lot of thoroughbred in them should make it up the hills and make the tight turns. It also needs to be a horse that can whip around the turn to something (a jump) that's quite impressive, with a lot of spectators and a lot of atmosphere and not be backed off," said Halpin, who thinks her mount fits the bill
.
Halpin finished third at Rolex Kentucky last spring, making her the highest-placed American in that 4-star and landing her on the "A" high performance eventing training list for this year. She was a natural choice to go to the test event as an observer to gain first-hand experience she could use next year if she makes the Olympic team.

"Rolex was an image I always had in my head since I was a little kid," said Halpin, who thinks it's good to actually see what you dream about so you can focus on it.

'The Olympics is such a big deal and you see them on TV your whole life growing up. It's such an overwhelming thing, when you're still just going to do your job at a venue.

"Going to that venue made me realize that while it's amazing in the middle of London, it's the same footing in the ring that we have at home. It's still just a cross-country course and it's still something that needs to get done, and get done well. I think it helps me a lot in my vision of going to the Olympics. It's very reachable and very doable, not something that's beyond a possibility. That's something very important to know in the next year of training."

Although some show jumping specialists at the test event wanted to see changes in the footing for their discipline, that can be tweaked, according to Jim Wolf, the U.S. Equestrian Federation's executive director for sport programs, who felt the event was impressive.

In order to leave the historic parkland unmarked, arena surfaces are
set on elevated blocks that rest on adjustable stanchions, an approach Wolf characterized as "innovative construction."

"The atmosphere was great. The facilities are great. The site is going to be spectacular. As a backdrop, I think it's going to be the most beautiful venue we've ever been in and the most iconic for sure," he commented.

'It's going to be a fantastic event."

ON THE RAIL -- Riders have access to a new park in Hunterdon County's Kingwood Township, a 313-acre facility that was dedicated last week. At one time, what has become the Horseshoe Bend Park was in danger of being developed, but a cooperative effort by the township, state Green Acres program, the Hunterdon Land Trust, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the federal Department of Agriculture saved the tract not only for riders, but also for bird-watchers, hikers, mountain bikers and others who enjoy scenic countryside.
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The park, now open to the public, will be managed by Kingwood Township. The property, which cost $7.5 million, has seven miles of trails on a segment that includes an old equestrian center. It abuts preserved farmland and open space for a total of 800 acres that has been saved.

The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association's Zone 2 (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania) is offering six $2,000 scholarships this year for students who are members of the organization and attended high school in the zone. They are required to have been accepted to a college anywhere in the U.S. and meet certain academic requirements.
The deadline for application is Aug. 15. Find out more at ushja.org or by contacting dpopp@ushja.org.

Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge will have a moonlight ride Friday from 8-10 p.m. for private horses. A guide will accompany the group.
In-person registration is open until Tuesday and a negative Coggins test is required. For information call (908) 766-5955.

If you've never seen a hunter derby, Tuesday presents a chance to check off the experience. Briarwood Farm on Pleasant Run Road in Readington holds its derby at 9 a.m. that day. It will be followed by two special jumper classes, with all proceeds going to the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center in Flemington.

Don't forget next Sunday's bi-annual Tewksbury Barn tour, sponsored by the Tewksbury Historical Society and the Tewksbury Trail Association.

The self-guided tour, which runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., offers access to six barns. An information booklet giving pertinent details of each barn comes with the tickets, which run $15 per person and $5 for children 12 and under.

Order tickets by Wednesday from the THS Barn Tour, P.O. Box 457, Oldwick NJ 08858-0457. Tickets will not be mailed; they can be picked up on the day of the tour at the Christie Hoffman Farm Park, 108 Fairmount Rd. West (Route 512 in the Fairmount section of Tewksbury.)

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

Today: Princeton Show Jumping, Hunter Farms, 1315 The Great Rd., Princeton; Monmouth County Show, East Freehold Showgrounds, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Driving Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Palermo Jumper Show, 1555A Burnt Mills Rd., Bedminster; Fidler Run Dressage Show, 456 Fidler Rd., Woodbine; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Tuesday: Briarwood Farm Hunter Derby Show, Pleasant Run Road, Readington.
Wednesday: Duncraven Back-to-Back Show, 1300 Trenton-Harbourton Rd., Titusvile (through next Sunday).
Friday: West Milford Equestrian Center Show, 367 Union Valley Rd., Newfoundland; Eastern PA Reining Horse Association Horse Show Gloucester County Dream Park , 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Dressage at the Park, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday); Sussex County Benefit Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Blue Spruce Farm Dressage Show, 5 Stanley Pl., Jackson; The Ridge at Riverview Show, 3 Wolverton Rd., Asbury; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Oxbow Stables Dressage Show, Combined Test and Horse Trials, 39 Orts Rd., Hamburg; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

Declining standards at home mean problems abroad for Nations' Cup jumpers, says George Morris

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerU.S.Show Jumping Coach George Morris is worried about American prospects in the discipline internationally

The most recent in a series of disappointments for the U.S. team came last week at Aachen, arguably the world's most prestigious show. On paper what seemed to be a top-notch squad finished sixth of eight in the Cup, with 32 penalties to 12 for the winning Netherlands squad.

Overall this season, the U.S. is seventh of the eight countries. At the end of the series, it could be "relegated" to the less-prestigious Promotional League, which is the fate of the two bottom-ranked squads. In Coach George Morris' view, that would be a disaster, since he considers the Promotional League "another planet" while the more competitive top league (once known as the Super League) is the centerpiece of his program and excellent preparation for championships such as the Olympics.

The downturn is hard to believe, since the U.S. won team gold at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. However, the squad did finish a dismal 10th at last year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympics at that competition.

Morris feels a great deal of the problem for U.S. show jumping internationally stems from the decline in standards at home. Specifically at Aachen, however, he noted in an interview, "The conditions were very difficult and I'd say European horses are much more used to that. Not that that is an excuse."

Cold rain on the night of the class and a grass surface, as opposed to the all-weather rings used for most jumping in the U.S., conspired against several of his riders.

"I'm very, very disappointed. We've had a very difficult year. This show, I thought we had a hell of a team and I thought we might win the Nations' Cup here," said Morris, one of the most respected figures in the sport globally.

"Our horses in America are so protected with the all-weather footing, the same fences'' he said, critiquing a U.S. circuit that he considers less than challenging training for the world scene.

Team member Margie Engle's mount Indigo, who accumulated 12 penalties in the first round at Aachen and 16 in the second, is an Australian import. Morris doubted the gray gelding had ever been in circumstances like those he encountered in Aachen.

He said the horse was "totally undone," which led to lack of confidence during his stadium experience.

McLain Ward's Antares had a "green" mistake to drop a rail in the first round, but the 2010 Dublin grand prix winner then went on to log 16 additional penalties in the second round.

Laura Kraut's Olympic team gold medal mount, Cedric, faulted at the water in each round. Morris said she had not been able to school the water for the last few weeks because she broke her jaw earlier this summer and didn't want to push her luck.

The star of the team was Beezie Madden on Coral Reef Via Volo, who had a rail in the first round, then went clean in the second, but that was not enough to change the result.

"When you add all those things up in this company, that's not going to cut it," sighed Morris, who has been warning for years that U.S. performance was heading south.

"What's happened in this country is we're lowering the standards, from basic riding to basic stable management, from the hunter division to the generic factory horse show," said Morris, noting show management and course designers often are pressured to lower fences.

"Even Arabia and China and all these other countries are really working at high performance. European countries are getting better and better."

He's also disturbed that Americans own horses and parts of syndicated horses that are ridden by people from other countries.

"You have kids coming from Ireland and Brazil, Argentina and Germany. They're tough. They'll ride green horses, they'll ride water stoppers (horses that refuse water jumps). So eventually, they'll get the customer," commented Morris, who was on the 1960 silver medal Olympic team.

He said he had a talk with his squad, because "They are the leaders of the next generation. If this is the direction it's going, I'm very worried about the future for America, with our history of success and our traditions. This is not new, but it is coming more and more to fruition. You can't go from our national circuit to this circuit. It's too big a step. There are fewer and fewer people we have to draw from."

October's Pan American Games in Mexico offer another chance for the U.S. to qualify for the Olympics with a lesser degree of difficulty.

The other major show jumping countries in this hemisphere, Canada and Brazil, qualified at the WEG, so the U.S. has plenty of latitude to make it. If the team can't be part of the top three, excluding Canada and Brazil, Morris said, "they shouldn't go to the Olympics."

Morris, 73, is retiring after the 2012 Olympics. He thought about retiring after the gold medal in 2008, but explained, "That's not a very good character reference; to win and then leave."

While he said he has worked "to the best of my ability to set up this program," Morris contended, "They definitely need a new contemporary outlook on this whole thing that understands the culture today. Yes, I think it's time for that, but it's a difficult fix for whoever takes over. You can get lucky at a show or even a championship, but to fix it on a permanent basis, where you have depth to go to Europe, I think it's a very big fix."

ON THE RAIL -- Not all the U.S. news from Aachen was bad. Dressage rider Steffen Peters, the Californian who swept all three Grand Prix competitions at the show with Ravel in 2009, came within a whisker of beating WEG gold medal superhorse Totillas and his new rider, Matthias Alexander Rath of Germany, in the Grand Prix Freestyle.

Totillas scored 82.83 percent; Ravel, 82 percent. World Cup champ Adelinde Cornelissen of the Netherlands was third on Jerich Parcival (81.78 percent.) In the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special, Totilas was the winner while Peters and Ravel were fifth in each.

On the small tour, Peters won both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediare I on Weltino's Magic. The Westfalen gelding is the leader in the standings to qualify for the Pan American Games trials.

Germany topped the dressage team competition, even without a drop score when the fourth member of their squad had to withdraw because her horse had a hematoma. Britain finished second, ahead of the Netherlands and the U.S.

In Kentucky, the USEF Adult Saddle Seat Medal Finals went to pediatric gastroenterologist John Stutts. Sixth was a Jerseyan, Sherrill
Ducharme of Lawrenceville, trained by Nealia McCracken.

DERBY DAY -- Hunter derbies have put the excitement back into a discipline that too often was ho-hum for all but the most devoted fans, after the era when horses galloped over natural obstacles set on rolling outside courses faded into history.

Those courses were replaced by standard fences on flat, all-weather footing, a competition that too often lacks dynamism.

The derbies, which began in 2007 under the auspices of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, are making the hunters fun again for the riders, the horses and the spectators. Natural fences and obstacles, as well as a variety of options, add interest and different ways to win.

"The template is out there for the hunter division being rejuvenated on a national basis, and we got it done here on a local basis as well," said New Jersey Horse Shows Association President Katie Benson, who hosted a derby that drew 43 entries at her Briarwood Farm in Readington last week.

"I don't think we realized how much people were searching for more to do in the hunter ring. We knew it got a little dull, but everybody's excited now," she observed.

"It's something new, something different, and it opens up the judging to be more involved than just simply eight fences based on style and performance," she continued.

"It's so much more for the exhibitors to have to present, they have to do more on pace control, they have to do more on the horse and his way of going, as far as his readiness for what might come in the ring. It just is better horsemanship, I think, and the judges love it because there's more to judge."

The route, designed by Brian Livell with input from Benson, was reminiscent of the old-fashioned outside courses. The ring had manmade streams and a little lake. In the first classic-style round, horses jumped out of the ring to a back field, where they took two more jumps, then had to walk before coming back and clearing the last of the group of 14 fences in the arena.

In the second round, over a handy hunter course that called for a hand gallop, points were added for choosing the higher-option fences at 3-feet, 3-inches, as well as for making bold, tight turns.

The derbies reward those who take a chance, if they pull it off with style. That was the strategy of Briarwood's come-from-behind winner, Brian Feigus, who was in fifth place with a score of 82 after the first classic-style round with Cherish the Moment.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerBriarwood Farm Hunter Derby winner Cherish the Moment, ridden by Brian Feigus

"She happens to jump very well, so a lot of judges tend to like her. She's a classic hunter type, she's not that typical big warmblood,"
he noted.

"It's very hard to miss on her," explained Feigus, who won the inaugural Briarwood Derby last year on another horse, Tesoro.

In the second round, he got a score of 100; a base of 88 plus four points for high options and eight points for handiness. His total for two rounds was 182, one point ahead of Gitano, ridden by Brendan Weiss of Southampton, Pa.

This was the fourth Derby the Dutchbred Cherish the Moment has won since October. She was imported by Emil Spadone and previously handled by Holly Orlando. The mare belongs to Feigus' 24-year-old sister, Laura, who rides in the adult amateur division.

Feigus, 21, who turned professional in March and is sponsored by Antares Sellier, works out of his family's Nevergreen Farm in Howell with his mother, Barbara, who is a trainer.

The leader after the first round with a score of 87 was Holly Mitten, a professional from Bedminster on Isabel, owned by Vicky Sroko. The elegant bay Dutchbred 6-year-old, who Mitten calls "My Rolls-Royce" is eligible pre-green and the show was only the fifth of her short career.

That meant Mitten had no choice but to put in a conservative trip in the second round, where she got a 75, with four points added for the options and three points for her handiness. With her first round, that gave her a total of 169, putting her fourth.

"I needed to be careful because she's a baby," said Mitten, "as a young horse, she's just learning to go straight. Turning back on things is not something I've schooled her on a lot yet. But I think she's going to make a fine derby horse. She's very brave to the jumps."

Mitten, a former eventer who was making her derby debut, likes the concept.

"People need to be able to gallop and get out in a field like that. I think hunter derbies are a great idea. It makes the hunters look a little more interesting, though I have a great deal of respect for the hunter riders, because eight perfect jumps scares me more than the grand prix jumps," she laughed.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerHolly Mitten and Isabel, tops in the derby's first round

The Derby was among the highlights of a day benefitting the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center. Approximately $30,000 was raised for the facility, where Benson's late husband, Jack, underwent treatment.

The cancer center had a community outreach tent at the show, with a dermatologist nurse on hand to answer questions. People could give individual donations and receive ribbons to pin on their show coats representing the different types of cancer, such a pink for breast cancer or orange for leukemia.

Discussing why the concept of the show was so successful, Benson said, "Cancer touches many of our lives now, sadly, and people love riding their horses. I think they enjoy putting what they like to do together with helping out."

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Dressage at the Park, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown; Eastern Pennsylvania Reining Horse Association Show, Gloucester County Dream Park , 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Duncraven Back-to-Back Show, 1300 Trenton-Harbourton Rd., Titusville;Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Oxbow Stables Dressage Show, Combined Test and Horse Trials, 39 Orts Rd., Hamburg; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Tuesday: The Ridge at Riverview Show, 3 Wolverton Rd., Asbury.
Wednesday: Applewood Farm Dressage Show and Combined Test, 30 Fox Hill Rd., Califon.
Thursday: Thursday Night Dressage Show, Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville.
Friday: Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta (through Saturday); Smoke Rise Riding Club Show, 1 Talbot Dr., Kinnelon; United Professional Horsemen's Association Children's Benefit Show, Gloucester County Dream Park , 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township (through next Sunday); Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Beginner/Camp Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville;
Saturday: On Course Riding Academy Show, 210 Beaver Run Rd.., Lafayette (through next Sunday); Bit O' Woods Farm Dressage Show, 2207 Fostertown Rd., Hainesport; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Jumper Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Orange County Dressage Association Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta; Centerline Farm Hunter/Equitation Schooling Show, Route 517 (north of the Fairmount light), Tewksbury; Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center Dressage Show, 260 Millstone Rd., Perrineville; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.

U.S. effort to strengthen the high performance "bench" in the discipline is geared to pay off with medals

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerU.S. Developing Dressage Coach Debbie McDonald gives pointers to a rider during a clinic at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerDebbie McDonald and Brentina at the 2006 World Equestrian Games

Garden State representatives demonstrated sportsmanship and horsemanship as well as riding ability at the Kentucky Horse Park

The New Jersey Pony Club crew was a strong force at their national festival in Kentucky

"We had kids from all over the country sharing their different styles of horsemanship and how they handle problems," said Cream Ridge Pony Club District Commissioner Anne Stevens of Princeton, whose 17-year-old daughter, Kelsey, was on a "scrambled" squad made up of young people from different states.

"It's very intriguing," said Stevens, who runs the Cream Ridge program out of Silver Dollar Stable in Cranbury.

"On Kelsey's team, we had two girls from the deep South who had gone through all kinds of traumatic things with the hurricane (Katrina). They had horses they had to go find after the hurricane came through.

"For them to make it up to championships and then share it with my daughter, who had only seen it (the hurricane) on TV, it became reality," she observed.

"It's very interesting when you have the same passion and then find somebody who shares it from another geographical area."

"You can watch all different disciplines while you're there, and it's more of a competitive atmosphere than some of the places I compete at around here," said Kelsey Stevens, who stays in touch with the new friends she makes at the competition via Facebook and texting, and sees many of them again when they come to national rating sessions.

Festival winners Kalie Beckers, Merideth Herbet, Kayla Pavlick, Kelsey Stevens, Zoey Gudger

New Jersey had a strong contingent and several winners, including Kelsey Stevens' team. It topped the First Level and Up Dressage. But the festival, and Pony Club, are about a lot more than victory. Horsemanship, sportsmanship and stable management are emphasized.

'In Pony Club, care of the animal and tack are equally important as what they do in the show ring," said Anne Stevens.

Stable managers like Rutgers student Gabie Pikul of West Windsor are considered a part of each team, rather than just an adjunct to the riders. Her Maryland/Midwest/New Jersey scrambled show jumping team, which also included another Cream Ridge member, Penn State graduate Tori Hynes, finished first overall in its division.

Brittany Veninger, an 18-year-old member of the Jockey Hollow Pony Club who lives in Hewitt, Passaic County, nearly achieved five fault-free jumping performances in her show jumping competition as captain of the New Jersey/Camino Real/Southwest team scrambled team, which also included Tracy Mandrona of the Jersey Shore club and Gabrielle Pasquale of Jockey Hollow as stable manager.

In the last round, however, Veninger's horse ran through a fence. The teen somehow managed to stay on, completing the round with only 4 faults and her team placed first overall in its division.

Young men weren't left out. Mack Morris of the Autumn Ridge Pony Club won the intermediate tetrathlon (riding, running, shooting and swimming.)

"Each member who competed was a credit to our region," said Regional Supervisor Cathy Brogan of Frenchtown, noting the Garden State representatives wore stone-washed blue T-shirt with a logo on the front and all the team members' names on the back.

"They all tried so hard. At times, everything went well, and at times the heat, etc., caught up with various kids and/or horses during the competition. I am so very proud of how our members conducted themselves. Whether they won or didn't, they always displayed the best sportsmanship, concern for their team members, and care of their horses in very difficult circumstances _ the worst heat wave in three decades."

Brogan has been involved with Pony Club since 1978 and has no thoughts of retiring, despite the fact that her children are long grown up.

"Even though our own kids are done, there's legions of us who stay in it, because we all love the kids and love what it does for kids."

It benefits the youngsters, she said, because, 'They're allowed to set their own goals, work toward them at their own pace, they learn to work as a team, to fail, to fall flat on their face and get up and make it work again without parents interfering. Because they have to do it, they learn so many life lessons. They go off to college with so many skills of how to fight their own battles...and be responsible and care for others; it just goes on and on."

Sinead Halpin of Branchburg, the highest-placed American at the Rolex Kentucky 4-star event this year, was in Pony Club while growing up in South Carolina.

Ask Halpin the most important thing she picked up in the program and she instantly replies: "Barn mangement."

"It's so great to learn from A to Z and take from it what you want and apply it to your daily work. I teach a group of pony clubbers out here. In New Jersey, they have an awesome group, because they have so many professionals to draw on to help them."

ON THE RAIL -- Kristin Schmolze took a gamble on a long trip and competed at the Rebecca Farm event in Montana earlier this month, acting on the guidance offered by U.S. eventing coach Mark Phillips when she asked about the possibility of making the Pan American Games team.

The Califon woman's mount, Ballylaffin Bracken, had competed only once since last fall, after being sidelined when he "tweaked something" while bucking this winter, so she had to prove his mettle. They finished seventh in the 2-star.

"It gave me a lot of confidence in my horse," said Schmolze.

"It was a lot to ask of him. He stepped up to the plate and felt fabulous everywhere. We had one little bobble cross-country, an unfortunate mishap when he misread a vertical toward the end of the course. He knocked it jumping in, which unseated me a bit. But it was an A-B (two-part combination) and I had to circle to get to B just to get myself in the saddle and get him in balance. So that was an unfortunate 20 (penalties) that I had to take," she said, explaining being safe was, of course, a priority.

Her strategy to go to Montana paid off, at least so far, when she was named to the Pan Am short list last week.

"It's a big step," she said, though the mandatory outing at the Richland Park, Mich., event later this month will determine who actually goes to Guadaljara, Mexico, as part of the team of five for the October competition.

Scores of friends and supporters turned out Thursday night at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone for a benefit designed to send Halpin to next month's Burghley British 4-star with Manoir de Carneville. Her chestnut Selle Francais, known as Tate, hasn't had a start since Rolex Kentucky and will do one event in England before attempting Burghley.

Halpin gave a dressage demonstration at the benefit with Tate and also showed off a young horse, D-Lux, owned by eventing team veterinarian Dr. Brendan Furlong and his wife, Dr. Wendy Leich.

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-LedgerDr. Brendan Furlong and his wife, Dr. Wendy Leich, with their D-Lux, ridden by Sinead Halpin

Commentary was provided by international judge Marilyn Payne, who offered an explanation of what the horses were doing and why for the neophytes in the crowd.

Halpin, who works out of a farm in Pittstown, was gratified by the turnout to her fundraiser. It definitely was a popular cause.

"I've been overwhelmed in the last year at how much the community around here has gotten involved and excited," said Halpin, who hopes her Burghley trip will be a stepping stone to next year's London Olympics.

"We're just going to go and do the best we can and I hope that puts us on top," she told the crowd.

The U.S. team improved on its recent Nations' Cup placings Friday at the Hickstead show in England, where it finished third in a three-way jump-off. But overall, it is still in danger of relegation to the Promotional League by being in next-to-last place in the eight-member top league's standings, although it is only 0.5 points behind the sixth-place Belgian team.

There are two more Nations' Cups in the series, giving the Americans a chance to recoup.

In the North American Junior and Young Riders Championship in Kentucky on Friday, Michael Hughes of Allendale contributed to the Zone 4 junior show jumping team gold on Shockwave.

Rebel’s Pony Palooza, a summer party hosted by Somerset County Park Commission’s Rebel the Pony (who is actually a miniature horse the size of a St. Bernard), will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. next Sunday at Lord Stirling Stable, 256 South Maple Ave., Basking Ridge.

Volunteers are needed to help lead the ponies. Those interested in participating should contact barbara.roche@verizon.com.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE

Today: N.J. Pony Breeders and Owners Show, Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Smoke Rise Riding Club Show, 1 Talbot Dr., Kinnelon; Baymar Farms Show, 38 Harbor Rd., Morganville; Northeast Paint Connection Show, Gloucester County Dream Park , 400 Route 130 South, Logan Township; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Wednesday: Sussex County Benefit Show, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta.
Thursday: Thursday Night Dressage, Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Woodedge at the Park Show, Horse Park of N.J., Route 524, Allentown (through next Sunday).
Friday: Quarter Horse Show, Sussex Country Fairgrounds, Plains Road, Augusta (through next Sunday).
Saturday: Nine Pines Open English and Western Pleasure Show, Warren County Farmers' Fairgrounds, Harmony; Dressage at the Meadow, 640 Powell Rd., Mt. Holly; Flying Change Farm Dressage Show, 60 Sutton Rd., Lebanon; Tinicum Park Polo, 963 River Rd., Erwinna, Pa.(1 mile from New Jersey over the Frenchtown bridge, 2 p.m. start, tinicumpolo.org).
Next Sunday: Delaware Valley Horsemen's Association Western and Draft Show, DVHA Showgrounds, Route 604, Sergeantsville; Central Jersey Horsemen's Association English/Western/Standardbred Show, East Freehold Showgrounds, Kozloski Road, Freehold; Wit's End Farm Dressage Show, 371 Jackson Mills Rd., Jackson; Colts Neck Polo, Buck Mills Park, Colts Neck (2 p.m. start, coltsneckpolo.com).
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@att.net.