NEW YORK HORSE STORIES. ADVICE. HORSEPLAY.
SUMMER 2017
SUMMER BECKONS RIDE LIKE A ROCKEFELLER HOT DAYS AND HARNESS HORSES BEHIND THE MIKE: THE VOICE OF THE STATE FAIR HORSE SHOW
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EQ Style throws an equestrian wedding
10 KEY HABITS FOR EVERY RIDER
STOMP A FEW DIVOTS & PLAY TO WIN
TOP PICKS FROM SUMMER’S CALENDAR
HOW TO: MAKE EMAIL A MARKETING TOOL
In association with the NYS Center for Equine Business Development
Canterbury Stables,
warm and welcoming
Where Your Journey is Our Destination… At Canterbury Stables, we’re passionate about excellence. Set on 225 rolling acres in the heart of Cazenovia’s horse country, Canterbury offers the finest in hunter/jumper and dressage lessons in a family-friendly atmosphere. We are dedicated to providing quality lessons tailored to each rider’s age, level and goals, and the boarding, care and training of performance and pleasure horses.
Riding, training and boarding All amenities for you and your horse
Canterbury Stables, 4786 Roberts Road, Cazenovia, NY • Online: www.canterburystablesny.com • Call: 315-440-2244
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Features 29
There’s no Business like Horse Show Busines
At least there isn’t for Kenn Marash, for 40-plus years the voice of the New York State Fair
43
EQ Style
From horse-drawn carriages to attendants in boots, an equestrian wedding is all about the details
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Summer’s Adrenaline Rush
Polo is where high-octane horsepower goes on a date with a thousand years of tradition
53
The Rider’s Toolbox: 10 Essential Habits
When it comes to the lessons of horsemanship, school’s never out for summer
35
Sausage Sandwiches and Standardbreds
In NY’s heartland, the county fair circuit is where top driver David Dewhurst teaches his horses to win
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Guide
SPECIAL SUMMER EDITION 57 Happy trails (well heeled, too)
Go Off the Beaten Path as The Guide travels to the equestrian playgrounds of NY’s elite, now open to every rider
58 59 60
Stop 1: Rockefeller State Park
Drive into a Gilded Age at the private preserve of the state’s first billionaire Stop 2: Knox Farm State Park
Explore the country estate of the horse-loving heirs to the Woolworth dynasty Stop 3: Caumsett State Historic Park
Ride where retail baron Marshall Field III once whiled away the day flushing pheasants
Departments 61
Stop 4: Lorenzo State Historic Site
Discover an elegant collection of horse-drawn vehicles tucked beside a 200-year-old mansion
On the Cover
Photographer Debbi Waxenfeld says she considers herself “just a girl with a camera” who tends to be her family’s personal photographer. When shooting a country wedding, Waxenfeld says, it’s important to capture the details. For our summer cover, from the scalloped lace of the bride’s dress, to the well-worn boots and natural wood doors at Wolf Oak Acres in Oneida, she caught the fine points that say equestrian wedding. See more of her work at
facebook.com/debbiphotos.
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Collected Thoughts Thanks To Our Underwriters Calendar
If you can’t find something to do this summer, don’t blame us. Roadtrip, meanwhile, heads for the border Leg Up
News, Notes and Conversation Starters Newsmakers
How a Cornell vet saved a living legend’s favorite horse Newsmakers
It was a golden year for NY riders at IHSA’s 50th nationals Guest Column
The best teachers sometimes have hooves Equinomics
Social media should be part of every equine business owner’s marketing plan EQ Business: Solutions
The simple technique that keeps planes safe also works for stables Parting Shot
This show season, stay cool and collected with …
The Show Trunk II
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JUMP START
“You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen. It said ‘Parking Fine.’ ” —Tommy Cooper
PHOTO OF AMISH BUGGY PARKED IN THE VILLAGE OF HAMILTON BY NY HORSE STAFF
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COLLECTED THOUGHTS
Our latest team member spells nothing but trouble
T
suris was born in Kentucky and bred to run fast. He trained, he worked hard and, in 2006, the dark bay gelding by Smoke Glacken out of Pine Forest set hoof on track and promptly embarked on an unremarkable racing career. In his first year, he never reached the winner’s circle once. Year two — not bad, all things considered — he raced 11 times and won four. In 2008, after winding up with a 1-and-11 record, his days of galloping counterclockwise were over. Going nowhere fast where racetracks were concerned, Tsuris was a good horse in need of a new start. Perhaps, on reflection, if his breeders had given him a different name — Tsuris is Yiddish for trouble — the 16-year-old Kentucky bred might have wound up someplace other than behind bars. But Tsuris he was named and so, fittingly, it is at upstate New York’s Wallkill Correctional Facility that this sweet and shy guy has found his calling. In 1984, a gelding named Promised Road was the first. On the grounds of Walkill, he stepped off a van, into the care of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation — a non-profit dedicated to finding homes for retired racehorses — and onto a new stage. Promised Road would become the founding equine in TRF’s Second Chances program. For the horses, the program is a sanctuary and a chance at a second career. For inmates, it is a second chance at life, learning equine care and stable management through a vocational program that is accredited at nine correctional facilities in nine states. Now Tsuris is a member of the herd. And that’s how New York Horse became first a fan, and then a foster family. In May, TRF launched a ’31 Days, 31 Horses’ campaign to find sponsors for 31 off-the-track Thoroughbreds over the course of the month. Sponsorship starts at $250 a year, meaning that, as Thoroughbred Daily News publisher Sue Finley notes (she sponsors Wallkill’s Renaissance Bob), “for the cost of your daily caramel macchiato … you can do your part for Thoroughbred aftercare, and have a meaningful impact.” Sponsorship directly impacts the horses in the herd by helping TRF to care for them for their lifetime, and enabling the organization to continue with rescue, adoption and continuation of its Second Chances programs. Why Tsuris? Well there’s his name, for starters. Trouble is something we are constantly in and out of in the magazine business. Then there’s that face: At least some of us, it must be said, are total pushovers for tall, dark and handsome. And finally, we believe strongly in the restorative power of horses, and respect, admire and value the work he and the herd are doing at Walkill. Over the years, he will have rescued many lost souls; in a very small way, we are returning the favor. Welcome to the family.
Janis
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NEW YORK HORSE
MAGAZINE
NEW YORK HORSE Editor & Publisher Janis Barth editor@nyhorsemag.com
UNDERWRITING SUPPORT
New York Horse is published in part with underwriting support from: Canterbury Stables; Cazenovia College and the New York State Center for Equine Business Development; Nye Auto Group; Blue Ocean Strategic Capital, LLC; New York State Fair; The Beattie Sanctuary; Madison County Tourism; Morrisville State College; New York Farm Bureau; Central New York Dressage and Combined Training Association; Central New York Reining Horse Association; From The Ground Up Therapeutic Horsemanship and New York State Horse Council.
PRESENTATION
Art Director Darren Sanefski dasanefs@go.olemiss.edu
EDITORIAL Contributing Editor RenĂŠe K. Gadoua
Nationally Honored Equestrian Quarterly Web: NYHorseMag.com
Editorial Intern Kelsey Keathly
Email: nyhorsemag@gmail.com Paul Caldwell Doug Emerson
Contributing Photographers Jessica Berman Rachel Philipson Michael Davis Al Cook Debbi Waxenfeld Wells Horton Kenn Marash
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New York Horse magazine is published quarterly by: Tremont8 Media, LLC Cazenovia, NY 13035 All rights reserved. ISSN 2375-8058. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express consent of the publisher. All material submitted to the magazine becomes the property of Tremont8 Media. Submitted material may be excerpted or edited for length and content and may be published or used in any format or medium, including online or in other print publications. To subscribe: Write to New York Horse, P.O. Box 556, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Subscriptions are $12/year. Please include your name and address and a check or money order for the full amount. For gift subscriptions, include the name and address of each recipient and we will send a card in your name.
NEW YORK HORSE From show jumping to trail riding, reining to dressage, we cover it all with unbridled passion
10 NEW YORK HORSE NYHorseMag.com
New York Horse is a proud member of Farm Bureau and New York State Horse Council
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR
NEW YORK HORSE UNDERWRITERS Canterbury Stables W O R L D
C L A S S ,
M I N U T E S
A W A Y
Address: 4786 Roberts Road, Cazenovia Phone: 315-440-2244 • Email: info@canterburystablesny.com
NEW YORK STATE CENTER FOR EQUINE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
One Strong Voice for the Future of Horses Join today at: www. nyshc.org
Promoting the sport of Reining through shows, clinics and educational seminars
“… Engaging the power of the horse to motivate, teach and heal.” Webber Road, New Woodstock
(315) 662-3000
LEG UP: CALENDAR JUNE 28-July 1
Syracuse International Horse Show, classes for Saddlebreds, Morgans, Hackney ponies and road horses. Toyota Coliseum, NYS Fairgrounds. More info: ashany.org
JULY 4-9 7-9 8-9 15-16 AUGUST 4-6 5-6 10-13 13-15 22-Sept. 3
I Love New York horse show, one of the nation’s most prestigious competitions. Lake Placid showgrounds, 5514 Cascade Road. More info: lakeplacidhorseshow.com
The Rebel Soule, paint horse barrel racing competition. Toyota Coliseum, NYS Fairgrounds. More info: apha.com “Mid-Summer Tune-Up,” clinic to hone your dressage test with FEI judge Carel Eijkenaar. Voltra Farm, 6000 Rock Road, Verona. More info: voltrafarm.com Lorenzo Driving Competition, pleasure driving classes for horses and ponies. Lorenzo State Historic Site, Cazenovia. More info: lorenzodriving.com
PtHA of NYS Summer Color Extravaganza, Pinto/Palomino horse show. Toyota Coliseum, NYS Fairgrounds. More info: nypinto.org
NYS Horse Council, “The Making of a Trail Horse” clinic. Wolcott Farms, 4085 Quakertown Road, Warsaw. More info: nyshc.org Coliseum Classic, hunter/jumper show designed as a fun, family event. Toyota Coliseum, NYS Fairgrounds. More info: classichorseshowseries.com Equestricon, NY’s first horse racing convention. Saratoga Springs City Center. More info: equestricon.com
New York State Fair horse shows, all breeds and disciplines; classes from minis to drafts and jumper to ranch. Toyota Coliseum, NYS Fairgrounds. More info: nysfair.ny.gov
26-27
SEPTEMBER 20-24 22-23 To submit events for the New York Horse Calendar, in print and online, send an email to: nyhorsemag@gmail.com.
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Clinic with PJ Crowley, ridden and driven dressage. Cazenovia College Equine Center, Woodfield Road, Cazenovia. More info: cherryvalleycarriage.com Empire State Quarter Horse Association fall horse show. Toyota Coliseum, NYS Fairgrounds. More info: esqha.org 2017 Annual Meeting of NYS Horse Council. Knox Farm State Park, 437 Buffalo Road, East Aurora. More info: nyshc.org
LEG UP: ROAD TRIP Discover the artist of the Old West’s NNY roots
I
n paintings and sculptures, Frederic Remington captured for all time the characters of the vanishing Old West: the cowboy and the rancher, the cavalryman and the Plains Indian. But the artist of the American frontier called New York his home. He was born and is buried in Canton, but the northern border city of Ogdensburg was his boyhood home, and it is there that the Frederic Remington Art Museum houses an extensive collection
of his artwork, personal items including elk’s tooth cufflinks, and recreated library. Turn down Washington Street and the doors to an 1800s mansion open onto a wood-paneled lobby lit by Remington’s Tiffany turtle-back chandelier. Remington’s widow, Eva, lived in the mansion after his death in 1909, and most of the museum’s collection – artwork, easel, diaries, sketches and photographs – came from her estate. (She even bequeathed the cigars that were in his pocket before he died.) Check out “Remington Masterpieces,” a gallery of 18 paintings including Charge of the Rough Riders, and rare bronzes
including Polo, of which only two casts were made. Don’t miss The Rattlesnake No. 14, which was in the Oval Office during the Reagan and first Bush administrations. For more information, go to: fredericremington.org.
“If you don’t have time, don’t ride. You need talent, but you also need patience. You must see the horse like a best friend, not a machine.” GEORGE THEODORESCU
At Voltra Farm, we are committed to a friendly and welcoming environment for horse and rider to feel happy and invited to learn the art of Classical Dressage. Our trainers, Carel Eijkenaar and Michelle La Barre follow George Theodorescu’s classical system of training that has stood the test of time. They share, with owner Carin Mei, a commitment to keeping the balance between challenging horse and rider and allowing them the time needed to grow into their potential.
6000 Rock Road, Verona NY • Phone 315-723-0277 • www.voltrafarm.com NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 13
Leg Up
News, Notes and Conversation Starters Skaneateles teen takes Reserve Championship at Devon Madison Goetzmann of Skaneateles won the $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior Jumper Classic at Devon. Goetzmann and her own Prestigious kicked off the jump-off round fault-free, setting a pace that could not be beat at 38.300 seconds. Goetzmann also was awarded the 2017 Junior Jumper Reserve Championship. The course put 28 of the nation’s top junior riders to the test; only four managed to navigate the course fault-free and move on to the tie-breaking round. Goetzmann called the win “amazing,” and said of Prestigious: “We’ve been working very slowly with him. He’s an incredible horse that has a lot of scope, and his ride is a little different for me from what I’m used to, so it’s taking me a little longer to click with him. These last few months, our partnership has definitely developed ... I hope to be jumping national grand prix events with him in the future.”
New group to guide NY’s Standardbred racing growth A new advisory group will help guide the growth of Standardbred racing in New York and highlight its importance to agriculture. The group will include breeders and industry stakeholders, representatives from Farm Bureau, and from colleges and universities with equine programs, including Cornell and Morrisville State. “... The equine industry, including Standardbred racing, is critical to our agricultural community,” Agriculture Commissioner RIchard Ball said. “I’m excited about this new advisory group, which will identify needs and help shape the programs critical to expanding equine operations.” New York is home to the Sire Stakes program and seven harness tracks for Standardbred racing.
Lake Placid named among nation’s best horse shows The National Show Hunter Hall of Fame has named the Lake Placid Horse Shows as one of the nation’s Top 10, for the third consecutive year. “It’s extremely rewarding to know that our efforts are being recognized by top equestrians on the national circuit,” said Richard M. Feldman, chairman of the Lake Placid Horse Show Association. The shows have hosted the nation’s top horses and riders for nearly 50 years. This year’s shows, June 27-July 9, offer over $535,000 in prize money. The Lake Placid Horse Show is June 27- July 2, highlighted by the $75,000 Devoucoux Grand Prix on July 2. The I Love New York Horse Show follows on July 4-9, featuring the $100,000 Great American Insurance Group Grand Prix on July 8.
CNY rider places in Top 3 at IEA National Finals Kendra Duggleby finished among the top riders in the nation in two premier classes at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association’s 2017 Hunt Seat National Finals. Duggleby placed third in both Open over fences and the Leading Rider Championship at the finals, which drew nearly 400 of the nation’s leading middle and high school equestrians. Duggleby competes for TAPS/North Riding, Cleveland. The IEA format requires that riders compete in unfamiliar tack on unfamiliar mounts, drawing their horses the day of competition and entering the arena after a brief, if any, warm up. Celebrating its 15th season, the IEA has more than 13,500 middle and high school student riders across the U.S. Next year’s hunt seat Nationals will be at the state Fairgrounds in Syracuse. 14 NEW YORK HORSE NYHorseMag.com
National Museum of Racing names three Pillars of the Turf Sherburne native John R. Gaines, has been elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame, along with Ogden Mills Phipps and Matt Winn. Three of the most influential and respected individuals in American thoroughbred racing history, they have been named the 2017 Pillars of the Turf and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Saratoga on Aug. 4. Gaines, who died in 2005, made numerous contributions to thoroughbred racing, including organizing the creation of the Breeders’ Cup and developing Gainesway Farm into one of the sport’s elite stallion operations. He was a founder of the National Thoroughbred Association, and was also instrumental in the founding of the Kentucky Horse Park. Also being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year are jockeys Javier Castellano, Victor Espinoza and Garrett Gomez; trainer Tom Voss; and the racehorses Goldikova and Good Night Shirt. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
Second phase of equine complex opens at JFK
Cazenovia College dressage team finishes fifth in nation
The opening of the Equine Import Quarantine marks the completion of the second phase of the ARK – a 24/7 animal handling complex – at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport The Equine Quarantine will be the first of its kind in the U.S., providing care for equine “guests” entering the country. Amenities include:
The Cazenovia College team placed fifth overall at the Intercollegiate Dressage Association National Championship in its first year under new head coach Stefani Watson. Allison Austin placed first in team competition in Lower Training Level and placed 11th in individual competition. Alexandria Belton took fifth place in the USDF Quiz Challenge Finals
• Specially designed trailer to move jet stalls safely to The ARK and directly into quarantine • Biosecurity designs and protocols in consultation with Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine • 48 stalls with individual climate controlled advanced HEPA filtered HVAC system • Adjustable stall lighting to simulate night and day to allow horses to rest The ARK, located at JFK’s Cargo Building 78A, is the world’s first privately-owned, 24-hour animal terminal and airport quarantine center. The 178,000 square foot complex will become fully operational in Fall 2017, with Phase 3 to include a full service, round-the-clock veterinary clinic.
New Vocations opens NY satellite New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has opened a New York satellite at October Hill Farm in Fort Edward. The facility will partner with New Vocations – which also has farms in Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania – to assist in expanding the program’s New York aftercare efforts. Both Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds are part of their retired racehorse programs, “We are taking in over 80 retired racehorses a year just from New York racetracks and farms, so it was a logical step for us to open a facility there,” said Program Director Anna Ford. For more information, go to newvocations.org. NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 15
LEG UP: NEWSMAKER
Cornell surgeon helps save Captain Canada’s top partner ‘We live for these horses,’ says Olympian Ian Millar
H
Dr. Norm Ducharme developed surgery to rescue a worldclass jumper
e went clear, and then he went fast and clear, and then Ian Millar gave a thumbs up to the crowd and patted the neck of the horse he thought he might never show again. The victory at the FEI World Cup Qualifier in Wellington was a comeback win for Millar and Dixson, and it would not have been possible without innovative surgery from a Cornell University surgeon. Last year, Millar – known as Captain Canada – withdrew from contention for the Rio Olympics because Dixson, his top partner, wasn’t fit to compete. It would have been Millar’s record 11th Olympics, but ongoing hematomas in Dixson’s sinuses had kept the Belgian Warmblood gelding out of the ring for the better part of a year, and Millar wouldn’t risk his teammate’s health. Hematomas – a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues – are a rare condition in horses. Dixson’s were very veinous and very painful, and when he jumped or exercised they bled and caused extreme discomfort. Over the course of three years, the hematomas
were treated first with formaldehyde injections and then with surgery. But when they returned, they appeared at first to be inoperable. It looked like a career-ending condition. That’s when Dr. Norm Ducharme – professor of surgery and staff surgeon at Cornell University Hospital for Animals and Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists – stepped in. Ducharme, who specializes in equine sports medicine, devised a procedure to eliminate the underlying cause of the condition by extracting the problem tissue at the root of the hematomas. The hematomas had already been surgically removed a couple of times, Millar recalled, “and at Cornell, ‘The Dixson Procedure’ is named after him because it was developed specifically for him. At one point it looked like it couldn’t be operated on, but (Ducharme) said ‘I think I know how to do this.’ It’s been ongoing for about three years, but hopefully they got it all this time and that’s the end of it.” Ducharme worked out the procedure with Dr. Richard Hackett, a fellow Cornell surgeon. Ducharme, chief medical officer at Cornell Ruffian, has dedicated much of his research to understanding the equine upper airway. “I … was driven by the horses, which seemingly are always saying, ‘You got to do better!’ And, ‘How hard can this really be?’ ” Ducharme said last year when he was inducted into the University of Kentucky Equine Research Hall of Fame. The answer this time came in an emotional win for the veteran pair – the 70-year-old rider and the 14-year-old horse – as Millar and Dixson bested a field of 97 to capture the Palm Beach Masters World Cup Qualifier. “It’s personal and quite emotional because at one point I thought I might never ride the horse again,” Millar said. “It’s extremely rewarding. We live for these horses.” PHOTOGRAPHY BY RACHEL PHILIPSON
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WHEN IT COMES TO EXCELLENCE REINERS STOP AT NOTHING!
Catch the action: August 12-13 Summer Slide Morrisville College Oct. 20-22 Fall Classic & NEBT Futurity Fairgrounds, Syracuse Future Champions! Feb. 1-14 CNYRHA Stallion Auction
Central New York Reining Horse Association Promoting the sport of Reining in the NE Jennifer Hoyt: 315-447-4166 • hoyttrain1@gmail.com
LEG UP: NEWSMAKER One Strong Voice for the Future of Horses…
IHSA turns 50, and New York riders were golden (and silver, and bronze) Words to compete by from one: ‘Ride to win, don’t ride to not get beat’
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By LA Pomeroy
Members can receive $1 Million liability insurance policy PLUS discounts on equine, business and personal products
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or Kristen Wesoja, her inaugural trip to IHSA Nationals was the slide of her life. The Cazenovia College senior was crowned National Champion in the NRHA Individual Open Reining competition, riding a flawless pattern to a score of 147, the high score of the show. Wesoja’s ride qualifies her to represent the college at the end of June in Oklahoma at the National Reining Horse Association Derby Collegiate Challenge. But that’s not all. Wesoja, 22, rode “honest” Luke, provided by the University of Findlay, to a bronze in the AQHA High Point Western Rider competition. Out of 26 riders, she placed 12th in the horsemanship phase and second in reining after a tie breaker. “My horse was amazing,” Wesoja said. “I couldn’t have done it without him. This was a great experience, especially getting the feel of different horses.” “This is a show that brings good horses and good riders together,” said AQHA World and Congress judge, Mike Carter, who joined Deborah Kail in judging western horsemanship and
IHSA FINAL STANDINGS Collegiate Cup Hunter Seat Team: Skidmore College, 4th place, St. Lawrence University, 5th
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AQHA Trophy Western Team: Cazenovia College, 8th place Open Reining, Individual: Kristen Wesoja, Cazenovia College, champion; Haleigh Hurd, Alfred State, 6th; Haley Ruffner, Alfred, 9th Open Equitation Over Fences: Claudia Freeman, Rochester Institute of Technology, champion USEF Cacchione Cup (top national hunter seat rider): Rachel Kowalczyk, Hartwick College, 7th place; Allison Epstein, Syracuse University, 22nd; Amanda Ko, Cornell University, 24th
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AQHA High Point Western Rider: Haley Ruffner, Alfred University, reserve champion; Kristen Wesoja, Cazenovia College, 3rd; Morgan O’Sullivan, SUNY Cobleskill, 5th
reining classes at the finals, May 3-7, in Lexington, KY. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in 1967 by then-Fairleigh Dickinson freshman Bob Cacchione, the show brought together 25 hunt seat and western teams and more than 400 individual qualifying riders to vie for the most coveted titles in collegiate equestrian sport. “This is the fourth time I’ve judged Nationals,” said Kail. “IHSA continues to advance. Its horses and riders get more talented every year.” Also making her first trip to Nationals was Haley Ruffner, who took home a Kristen Wesoja was the trophy as the AQHA High individual open reining national champion Point Western Rider reserve champion. Said Ruffner, 19, of Alfred University: “I’m beyond excited. I just listened to my coach, who says ‘Ride to win, don’t ride to not get beat.’ ” “She’s a young rider with an old cowboy heart. That’s not a bad thing,” said her coach, Harry Hurd. The sophomore rider also earned an EquestrianCoach.com Achievement of Excellence Award that includes a six-day apprenticeship and $500 stipend with 2000 NRHA Hall of Fame inductee and 2010 World Equestrian Games Reining Team Gold medalist, Tim McQuay. An EquestrianCoach.com Achievement of Excellence Award also went to Claudia Freeman, a hunter seat rider on the Rochester Institute of Technology team. Freeman clinched an individual national championship on the first morning of competition in Open Equitation Over Fences. She received a six-day apprenticeship and $500 stipend with 2005 COTH Show Hunter Horseman of the Year, Stacia Klein Madden, of Beacon Hill Stables. The excellence awards were presented to one rider each from the Open hunt seat and Open reining classes. Recipients were chosen by the judges based on style, ‘effective riding,’ and potential to excel in equestrian sport. Reflecting on the impact IHSA has made on college riding and the opportunities it has offered to students, Cacchione observed that “half a century of intercollegiate horse shows has made a world of difference.” Said Cacchione: “It was my love for the horse that drove the vision of providing riders, regardless of skill or finances, to compete on animals with such big hearts. I am humbled when I step back and think of what these amazing partners have provided IHSA for generations.” The 2018 IHSA National Championships will be May 3-6 in Harrisburg, PA.
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LEG UP: GUEST COLUMN
Lessons learned from master teachers with hooves ‘There have been many moments of understanding, and they began almost from the start’ By Paul Caldwell
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n the summer of 2011, my teenage daughter became a volunteer at From the Ground Up Therapeutic Horsemanship. Evelyn had a classmate with autism who rode at FTGU’s farm in New Woodstock, and my wife and I saw a chance to teach our daughter the value of volunteer work. The lessons learned, however, would be mine. Because I would be driving Evelyn to the farm, I decided to become a volunteer too – a nice father-daughter opportunity. Within a few months, Evelyn moved on to other pursuits but I was hooked. I was 61, and other than a few trail rides years ago, I had no horse experience. Now I was hanging out frequently with these beautiful creatures,
fascinated with them both personally and professionally. If you’re not familiar with its work, FTGU provides equine-assisted activities and therapies, the very special gift of horses, to people in need from toddlers to senior citizens. They all face challenges – physical, as well as emotional – with stories that were often familiar to me. I was a social worker and therapist for 15 years, working in mental health and addiction treatment settings; now I teach at Syracuse University’s School of Social Work. But until my work at FTGU, I had no idea about the power of horses to help others through life’s challenges – or what insights they could bring to my own life. There have been many moments of understanding, and they began almost from the start. As a new volunteer at FTGU, I was told that I had to be the dominant one when handling horses. I cringed inside. I cannot “dominate” anything, I thought. It is not in my nature. Then I learned that with horses, someone must be the leader, and I came
to understand that if it’s not me, it will be the horse. That’s their nature, to figure out who’s in charge, who’s the “alpha” in the herd. But it wasn’t safe for the horse to be the leader in FTGU’s human-horse herds; we work with physically vulnerable individuals. So it’s up to the humans to socialize horses in such a way that we become “the dependable leader” and they trust and respond to us as the one in charge. I understood the rationale for this approach; it was necessary for the safety of everyone involved. And I liked the dependable leader concept better than the notion that I was the dominant one. But I have had to work at it, to tune into myself and into the other being with whom I’m working, whether horse or human. As a social worker, I sometimes provided assertiveness training to clients. Assertiveness is the balance between passive and aggressive. When people are assertive, they state their opinions while being respectful of others. When they are aggressive, they may attack, dismiss or ignore others’ views and feelings. And when people are behaving passively, they may refrain from sharing thoughts, feelings or needs. What I did not see back then about myself – even as I helped people learn to be assertive – were my own conflicted feelings about assertiveness. I have learned from working with horses that I sometimes shy away from being assertive with others because I don’t like aggressive behavior – and assertiveness can feel like aggression to me. It was a revelation. After years of supposed self-awareness, I didn’t fully understand this aspect of myself until the horses, master teachers, showed it to me. Working with horses, as FTGU Director Andrea Colella says, is more about our own personal training, learning and growth than about training the horse. It is, in my view, simply amazing. Paul Caldwell is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Syracuse University and is an Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association Certified Mental Health Professional. Reach Paul at pecaldwe@syr.edu.
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Equine & Wine At Sunshine Horses, we believe in second chances
HANNAY FARM MINIATURE HORSES
Help Us Help Horses Since our founding in 2003, we’ve found homes for over 200 horses Now it’s our turn. Join us for an evening of wine, food and music to benefit Sunshine Horses October 14
Greenwood Winery & Bistro 6475 Collamer Road, East Syracuse $50 per person, includes a flight of wine, pasta dinner & dessert Silent Auction, Raffle baskets, Meet & Greet with one of our adoptable horses Contact Kelly Holt 315-391-5578 or sunshinehorsesinc@gmail.com for tickets Help finance the purchase of Sunshine Horses’ forever home
EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC Voice trained to drive. Quality conformation. Useful, friendly and affectionate.
Sunshine Horses
Helping Horses, Helping People 501(c)(3) not for profit
Registered minis for sale. Visitors welcome by appointment. Gene & Mary Smith, Cazenovia, NY • 315-655-9748 Email: spice5@windstream.net • www.hannayfarm.com
Serving the Agricultural Community with Pride • Equine Feed - Triple Crown, Nutrena and Purina • Dry, Bagged, Bulk Fertilizer & Lime • All types of Dairy and Farm Feeds available In Our Garden Center & Gift Shop • Garden Flags & Fairy Garden Supplies • Bulk and Packaged Vegetable & Garden Seed • Bedding Plants, Shrubs, Fruit & Shade Trees • Hanging Baskets, Roses & Perennials • ❤ Your Hometown with our New Mugs
Delivery Service Available ( 3 1 5 ) 8 5 2 - 3 3 1 6 • 6 D e w e y A v e n u e , D e R u y t e r , N . Y. 1 3 0 5 2 • D e R u y t e r C o o p . c o m •
EQUINOMICS: E-MARKETING
Add social media to your marketing toolbox Every equine business owner should master Facebook and email. Start here.
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ocial media allows small businesses to “flip the funnel” and reach as many people as much bigger companies. Instead of one person spending time to reach out individually to 100 potential clients, one Facebook post or email blast can reach several hundred potential clients. It’s a tool that every small business can and should include in their marketing strategy says Amanda Funk, whose company, Funk & Jackson of Cortland, helps businesses cultivate growth. With social media, a stable owner can reach out immediately and directly to announce an upcoming clinic, for example, or a 12 hour flash sale on lessons for new riders. It’s also a way to maintain current relationships by sharing information that is relevant and useful. It may seem too simple to be effective, but start with email. It works, Funk says, noting that 90% of email gets delivered to inboxes. The key is to craft a great subject line, one that will entice recipients to look inside. Subject lines should be five to eight words, should include numbers, and encourage further reading. For an equine business that might be “Ride better! Check out these three tips” or “Act fast – take 10 lessons, get one free.” Next, Funk says, design a call to action so compelling it will cause readers to take action – and not just the action of hitting delete. “A call to action is the bridge between your goals and the results you want to achieve,” she explained at a seminar at the Onondaga County Small Business Development Center. Here’s how: A call to action is the specific action you want your audience to take when they see your message. Narrow it down to one action. For example: Sign up for lessons. Next, use actionable language in your pitch. Try something like this: “Is this the year you resolved to conquer flying changes? Our individualized lesson program will put 22 NEW YORK HORSE NYHorseMag.com
you on the 20-meter circle to success. Sign up by the end IN A NUTSHELL of the month, and receive These are the three steps 10% off an introductory to email success: package of 10 lessons.” Decide on a goal Remember to keep the message short. Stay above Create a call to action the scroll, Funk says. (Yes, Measure the results that short.) Finally, create clickable buttons; they result in a 45% boost in responses. And here’s another important tip: Don’t have the button say “Click here.” It should have a specific function – “Find out more,” “Contact us” or “Sign up now” – that follows through on the call to action. Make sure the button drives your audience to a spot that will generate results. The business website or Facebook page, a coupon or event registration are just a few possibilities. Don’t forget to measure the results after the email is sent. If the goal was to get 10 more riders to sign up for lessons, was that number met or, better yet, exceeded? Think about what worked and what didn’t, Funk says, and ask yourself “If you were to continue working on this objective, what would you do differently?” Many of the same tips for email also apply to Facebook, and Funk says simply that “everyone should be on Facebook.” To be effective – and not run afoul of Facebook’s rules for businesses – make sure that 50% of posts entertain or engage; 30% share information or industry news; and no more than 20% are a call to action. “They’re Facebook’s customers, not yours,” she notes, “and their goal is to enhance their customer’s experience.” Posting three to five times a week is often enough, she says. With email, once a month “is plenty.” “Remember that content is all about them, not you,” Funk counsels. “You may love apple pie, but if your customers love blueberry, you’d better send them blueberry.”
EQ BUSINESS: SOLUTIONS
How a pilot’s tool can help an equine business owner Good daily habits – and a written reminder – keep order in a potentially chaotic work life
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By Doug Emerson ou developed good habits in your childhood. You looked both ways before crossing a street, fastened your seat belt in a car and put on a life jacket in a small boat. While habits keep you in good form most of the time as an equine business owner, distraction will often disrupt the routine and consequently provide the opportunity for disaster. You’ll probably agree that your mind, once interrupted, has a hard time picking up where it left off prior to the interruption. How many times have you or others said after a conversation was interrupted, “Now what was I talking about before?” It may be surprising, but the aviation industry is responsible for a tool that can make all jobs, including those involving horses, easier and safer. In 1935, Boeing’s new B-17 bomber was being demonstrated at an airport; a huge government contract was on the line. The aircraft’s four large engines roared as the plane climbed into the sky in front of the officials responsible for the government’s purchase decision. But shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed killing three. An investigation concluded the seasoned pilot had not released an elevator lock switch while on the runway. Pilot error had doomed the test flight. From the disaster, however, a group of forward thinking and problem solving pilots and engineers salvaged the aircraft, and the B-17 survived to be the most powerful air weapon in the World War II arsenal. The production contract for thousands of B-17s was the result of the tool developed to maximize safety after that first crash. You know it as “The Pilot Checklist.” Checklists are not exclusive to pilots; they’re now used in all 24 NEW YORK HORSE NYHorseMag.com
industries everywhere. A surgeon, Dr. Atul Gawande, who pioneered using checklists in the operating room, wrote a book, The Checklist Manifesto, about their power. Surgeons and support staff decreased errors significantly. While surgery includes many complex procedures, it’s often in the simplest details – like counting sponges – where trouble starts. These basics can and should be handled easily with a checklist. Gawande believes checklists are appropriate for everything. Me too. Here are some ideas for checklists you can create that will keep your equine business running smoothly:
New riding student intake: Contact information, present riding skill assessment, special health conditions, lesson goals New boarder: Contact information; horse health history; present weight and body score; vices; feeding history Training client: Owner’s goals and expectations; health information; weekly training plan for next four weeks Emergency check lists: Human injury; equine injury; fire; natural disaster Feeding checklist: Morning and evening feeding schedules for hay, grain and supplements; water check; restocking bin; clean-up
Equine medical care: Required medicines and wound treatment; leg wrap; bandage change; hand walk and exercise requirements Horse show: Tack; medical kit; feed; water buckets; trailer hook-up checklist; clothing; tools Barn daily open and close: Doors and windows; lights; sweep up; stall check; water freeze protection; security system Manure handling: Empty wheel barrows; tools back to storage; broom clean aisles; manure spread or piled in designated area Bookkeeping: Daily lesson sales sheets recorded or posted on computer; cash and check payments collected and placed in secure spot; farm purchase invoices and packing lists collected and placed in designated spot for data entry It’s easy to overlook routine when distracted by situations that require immediate attention. Steps get skipped and problems result. Checklists keep everyone reminded of the important items in a process.
Keep checklists short. They are not how-to manuals and, if over a page long, the effectiveness diminishes. Ideally, a checklist fits on 3” X 5” index card and serves as a shorthand note to avoid missing steps. Granted, you’re not performing brain surgery or flying a fighter jet in your daily work. However, you’re in charge of the safety and well-being of your students and the horses under your care
and that is a weighty responsibility. Additionally, you manage the operation of a business expected to deliver quality service and earn a reasonable profit. Checklists are the perfect tools for meeting those expectations. Doug Emerson of Lockport, consults, writes and speaks about the horse business. He publishes a free electronic newsletter with tips about making money with horses. Visit ProfitableHorseman.com to subscribe.
LEG UP: THE ARMCHAIR EQUESTRIAN
Updated: Everything you wanted to know about horses
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rom Akhal-Teke to zebra – and all the Morgans, Percherons and Warmbloods in between – here’s the latest answer to every equine sentence that begins with what, how or ‘do you know?’ Indeed, says Jessie Haas, author of The Horse-Lover’s Encyclopedia, 2nd
edition, An A-Z Guide to All Things Equine, that thought was the inspiration behind her work. “I started by reading the first edition, making notes and saying over and over again, ‘I didn’t know that!’” says Haas. “Then it was time to dive into research: What had changed, and what had we learned in the years since the first edition of the encyclopedia was published in 2000?” Originally published as Storey’s Horse-Lover’s Encyclopedia, the updated and revised edition is an extensively researched reference essential for any horse-lover’s library. More than 1,700 entries cover English, Western, driving and draft, equine care and management, tack, behavior, recent medical advances, and emerging disciplines and fields. The Encyclopedia (Storey Publishing, 419 pages $29.95 paperback) is illustrated with full-color photographs by noted equine photographers Bob Langrish and Dusty Perin. Haas says that what she learned as she researched the new edition is that change is the eternal constant in the horse world. “When the first edition came out in 2001, Natural Horsemanship wasn’t an entry, and round penning wasn’t a verb,” she says. To keep up with the changes and retain the
A IS FOR AKHAL-TEKE An ancient hot-blooded breed developed in Turkmenistan. The name (AK-hal tech-ay) means “pure Turkmen.” Beautiful and fast, with a soft gliding gait and legendary powers of endurance, Turkmen horses were highly valued in the ancient world, and were traded from North Africa to China. During the 1600s and 1700s many were imported to England, where they had a profound influence on the modern Thoroughbred.
constants, the new Encyclopedia also received a design makeover. It features more than 90 breed profiles, there is an increased emphasis on driving and draft horses, and updates based on new scientific research. Bran mashes? No longer recommended. Sheath cleaning? More controversial than you may have realized. And horses may not enjoy that congratulatory slap on the neck, according to research conducted at the 2012 London Olympics. What remains constant? Horse vital signs, the eternal rhythms of spring shedding and foaling, the benefits of turnout and a forage-based diet. “We aimed to create something that would be both beautiful and useful,” says Haas. “Like a good horse!”
BITS AND PIECES HIGH FIVE: NUMBERS OF INTEREST THIS ISSUE New York Horse took a spin through the stacks of research, news releases and other nuggets of information that come our way and gleaned these items of equine intelligence.
3.9M The number of horses used for recreational riding in the United States
$32B
The economic impact of the recreational riding sector in the U.S., according to the American Horse Council
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95
The percentage of all Thoroughbreds who can trace their lineage to one horse, the Darley Arabian
13.5K Total of middle and high school students who ride with the Interscholastic Equestrian Association
1980
The last time an American won a World Cup Final on U.S. soil until McClain Ward’s victory this year
Gene Gissin Photo
“Engaging the power of the horse to motivate, teach and heal…”
Since 2002, we’ve built hope, fulfilled dreams and changed lives. Join us this summer as we move to our forever farm in Tully. www.ftguhorses.org • 315-662-3000 • Follow us on Facebook
Escape to our carriage house, gardens & mansion
Lorenzo State Historic Site, Cazenovia www.LorenzoNY.org / 315-655-3200
The Voice of Summer Traffic cop, awarder of ribbons, narrator of show ring action: Kenn Marash is the man behind the State Fair mike BY RENÉE K. GADOUA CONTRIBUTING EDITOR NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 29
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ay 10 of the New York State Fair and the boys are back in town. The wooden gate at the far end of the show ring oval swings open, the six-horse hitches trot inside, and the Coliseum rumbles as 72 hooves the size of hubcaps move in thundered rhythm. The draft horse hitches are a fairground draw as venerable as fried dough and the stands are packed.
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Behind the floor-to-ceiling window of the announcer’s booth, Kenn Marash is a study in syncopated motion. At his left hand, the tools of the trade: walkie-talkie, cell phone, desk phone, binoculars, water bottle, chewing gum and the stacks of papers and lists that staple the day’s classes into an orderly queue. Marash has guided the two hitches of Percherons and one of Belgians precisely through their paces: walking, trotting and reversing direction in a figureeight across the center of the arena. Now, as they queue up for a final review, Marash shares a bit more. He’s learned the traditions of shows, breeds and disciplines. Today, as the horses and drivers catch their breath, it’s a history lesson in a voice like burnished leather: “Percherons are French in origin, from an area of northern France called La Perche. Like all of the draft breeds, they trace their heritage back to medieval times when they were raised as war horses. They were also used in the farms and factories, transporting goods to the towns and cities … Long before tractor-trailers and gasoline engines and interstate highways, this was the way that goods got transported.” For 40 years, this solitary perch above the show ring has been his domain: Coliseum traffic cop, dispenser of judge’s instructions, awarder of ribbons, the pulse and voice of the State Fair horse show. The announcer, says Marash, is “the heartbeat of the show, keeping things going, keeping them interesting, both entertaining and informing people, as well as smoothing over problems so they don’t interfere with the show’s progress.” He’s seen a lot from that unique perspective. The lights have gone out, leaving jittery competitors and spectators in the dark. Classes have gone, in an instant, from nothing happening to high drama: radios and phones lighting up, plus a sideshow in the ring. Riders and horses have been hurt or killed and, he says, “It stabs me in the heart every time.” On the best days he’s watched young riders, at the start of their years on horses, and “you immediately know they have something special.” Always, there stays with him the memory of being at Madison Square Garden, an 8-year-old child spellbound by the National Horse Show. “I remember … sitting at the edge of my seat, just enthralled at what I was seeing. It was a spark that was lit inside me that burns as strong today. “…People have an innate connection with a horse. Horses throughout history have held a very special place in their association with humanity, their nobility, their loyalty. There’s that connection, even though people are exposed to horses a lot less these days.” Marash came to announcing after deciding to leave veterinary school. Horses continued to draw him, and Marash taught riding and managed the Cornell University polo team. When the team needed NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 31
PHOTO BY KENN MARASH
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SHOW DATES The 2017 New York State Fair horse show runs from August 22 through Sept. 3, awarding over $100,000 in cash plus trophies. Miniatures, August 22-24 Sport Pony Star Search, August 22 Welsh, August 22-24 Palominos, August 23 Arabians, August 23-25 Half-Arabians, August 23-25 Miscellaneous Open & Opportunity Classes (Section I), August 23-25 Quarter Horse, August 24-25 Draft Ponies, August 24-25 NYS Championship NBHA Barrel Race, August 26 New York State Championship Horse Pulls, August 27 Hunters, Jumpers and Hunter Seat Equitation, August 28-29 Draft Horse Halter, August 30 Saddlebreds, August 31- Sept. 3 Friesian Horses, August 31- Sept. 3 Morgans, August 31- Sept. 3 Draft Horse Driving, August 31- Sept. 3 Hackney Ponies, August 31- Sept. 3 Roadster Horse and Ponies, August 31- Sept. 3 Saddle Seat Equitation and Academy Classes, August 31- Sept. 3 Open Miscellaneous Classes Section II, August 31- Sept. 3 Light Harness Ponies, August 31- Sept. 3 Open Pleasure Driving Horses, August 31- Sept. 3 Visit nysfair.ny.gov for updates to the premium book
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an announcer for its games, he jumped into the role that led to a lifelong career. His first paid announcing gig came in 1974 – a Welsh pony show at the state Fairgrounds. Now he’s on the road 42 weeks a year, traveling from his home near Ithaca to announce at the nation’s top venues including the Washington International Horse Show, Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Capital Challenge in Maryland, and the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. “The fact that I can make a career and a living out of talking about horses still astounds me,” Marash said, recalling his first time PHOTO BY KENN MARASH announcing that same National Horse Show, one of the country’s oldest. “When I sat in that chair I got a chill up my spine ... I never forget that I’m just a kid from Upstate New York.” In late April, his authoritative voice presides over the five days of the Syracuse Professional Horseman’s Association show – the unofficial demarcation between winter and competition season. As he keeps the day’s classes flowing, Marash toggles between the riders and the spectators, speaking to both but always keeping the show at the forefront. “Most of the time you’re really not talking to anyone but the horse show people,” he notes. “My job is to communicate between the judge and the riders. If I talk too much, people tune me out. If I’m talking to the audience, I’m not paying attention to the riders.” It’s different at shows like the State Fair that draw thousands of spectators who may know little or nothing about horses. When there’s a good chance the audience can’t tell the difference between a hackney and a hunter, “you have to use different language,” says Marash, and it’s one of the reasons he loves the Fair as much as he does. “It’s fun to engage with an audience and make them feel part of what’s happening.” He sees himself in the young people who line the bleachers, and Marash hopes to ignite in them the same ember he found so many years ago, sitting rapt in the stands at Madison Square Garden. “Whenever I can, I slip in encouragement,” he says, urging youngsters that “‘if you like what you see, talk to someone. Get your parents to buy you a horse.’ I want them to become horse-crazy kids, to light that spark. Get involved with horses. It’s fun and it’s good for you.”
Driven T “Once you get horses in your blood, that’s it” PHOTOS BY MICHAEL DAVIS
Story by Janis Barth
he air is thick as flannel. Puffs of dust swirl off the track at the Chenango County Fairgrounds, an old dirt oval brushed smooth with expectations of silks and sulky wheels. Midway tents snug up to the outside rail; in the wooden grandstand, a couple shares a lemonade and the day’s racing sheet. The skyline is a lazy Ferris wheel and the backside of the Mighty Mouse ride.
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his is where David Dewhurst takes his horses to teach them how to win. His working life has been defined by horses since he was 18 – he’s 50 now – a three-decade journey as trainer and driver. He’s raced at the big tracks, but the county fairs, those one-week marvels of demolition derbies and slightly dubious sausage sandwiches that describe New York’s rural summer landscape, are where his horses show that they are heart and stamina and grit. Or not. “Some just find ways to get beat,” he says. “Some find ways to win. Some try to please you, some try to break your chops. It’s just the way it is.” Walk into the low-slung gray horse barn at the fairgrounds and heads pop over the stall doors. Generations of bored Standardbreds have chewed divots into the wood; a hand-lettered card tacked to the front of one, identifies today’s occupant, currently finagling a last wisp of hay, as a Dewhurst entry. A stablemate stands quietly in cross ties, 15 otter-brown hands of quick twitch muscle waiting for a chance to trade in a halter for a harness and show what he’s got. Dewhurst kneels and checks the colt’s legs. This is a six-race day for David Dewhurst Stables and he’s been up since the sun was a whisper. At his home farm in Clinton, every day starts before coffee. Horses first, proper human caffeination second, then training. Each horse in the barn spends 30 minutes on the automatic walker, 15 minutes each way, trotting in deep sand to build up muscle and condition. From there, the routine varies – maybe time on a treadmill, maybe turnout, maybe time in their stall to think deep equine thoughts about race strategy. “Every horse is different,” Dewhurst says, “every horse needs different conditioning.” On this hot July day, that means several determined laps around the pond for a 12-yearold bay with the alarming name of Choke Hold. Submerged up to his neck, he swims easy, purposeful laps building lung capacity and strength without putting pressure on his joints. At the other end of the lead, Dewhurst controls the pace and keeps an eye on the time. Eight, nine minutes, and that’s enough. “He needed some hard work today,” Dewhurst says, reeling in the now-sopping gelding for a slow saunter back to the barn, with the occasional stop
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to sample some particularly enticing grass. “I like horses. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad. “I’m just trying to make a living, raise a family. I’m not real hard on my horses. I’m trying to win races, not kill them.” When they’re ready, he’ll take them a few miles down the road to Vernon Downs, a harness track where Dewhurst closed out the 2016 season as the third winningest driver, notching 47 wins in 292 starts. A top five trainer in five of the last six years, over the length of his career he’s earned some $7 million in purses, with more than 1,500 wins. “I’ve been lucky,” he says. “That’s what I tell everybody. I’ve been lucky.” The track has been good to him, and as he passes each horse in his barn – ruffling the mane of one, telling the little stallion with the big personality to stop bugling – Dewhurst worries that the future will not return the favor. Vernon Downs opened in 1953, and for years the currency of summer nights was the $2 parimutuel ticket. But time passed, and the neon draw of Upstate casinos challenged the flash of silks around a 7/8-mile track. Revised, reborn, reinvented as a racino — with big payout promotions, concerts and slots – the track beckons to a new generation of railbirds. Against this shifting landscape, the horsemen hold their breath and hope. “It’s a lot,” Dewhurst says. Farriers, vets, feed mills, restaurants – he counts the numbers who rely on the health of racing and shakes his head. “It supports so many different things.” In a season measured in mileposts, this has been a good day. On this afternoon, the horses have learned how to win. Driver Truman Gale, “The New York Night Train,” trots off the track with a sideways smile and a victory in the 14th race for Linda’s Choice. Stable manager Jerry Sheridan towels off a colt slick with sweat, sponges another, consults with Dewhurst, harnesses the horse that is next to go. Dewhurst changes into racing silks – red and white with a “D” on each sleeve – and takes his turn on the oval, leaning into the lines as a fine fog of dust settles. He will be the New York County Fair trainer of the year, but really, he says, it is more than that. It is a pulse as powerful as the rhythm of hoof on track: “Once you get horses in your blood, that’s it.” Dewhurst hoists a bag of gear over one shoulder, tucks another under his arm and heads for home. Today is in the record book. Tomorrow will wait to be written.
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“Some just find ways to get beat. Some find ways to win ... It’s just the way it is.” — David Dewhurst NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 39
“Money, horse racing and women: three things the boys just can’t figure out.” — Will Rogers
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EQ STYLE
Bridal Path Something old, Something new, Something hunter/jumper, Something yahoo
Story by Kelsey Keathly
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ain Street, Morrisville. The ground shakes as six tons of perfectlymatched black horses trot down the highway. They are polished, groomed and braided with green-and-white ribbons and rosettes. The autumn sun glistens off the silver on each harness. The six Percherons are veterans of parades and festivals and fairs. But today is special. On this day, the boys are hitched in the service of getting hitched. In the front of the wagon, bride Julie Corey holds tight to her bouquet and her new husband and beams. “Every little girl dreams about their wedding day,” Julie says as she thinks back on that moment. “In my dream, I would appear in a horse drawn carriage.” Whether it’s farm casual or black-tie formal, for horse people, an equestrianthemed wedding is a way to put a personal stamp on tradition; to say “I do,” but also, “this is who we are.” From attendants in chiffon dresses and Western boots to fairytale coaches – ah, to be English royalty – there is a style for every couple to embrace. Equines not invited? Save-the-dates, place cards, centerpieces: The ways to incorporate a love of horses into a wedding can also be a deft detail. For Julie, an equine science instructor at Morrisville State College, and husband Doug, a farrier, equestrian touches were woven throughout every aspect of their wedding day. Every floral centerpiece sported a horseshoe flourish. The groom’s cake was in the shape of a steer and the groomsmen wore their cowboy hats with pride. Most weddings begin with the when and the where; in other words, the date and the place. Rustic wedding venues are becoming increasingly popular, and for an equestrian-themed wedding, a barn is a natural choice. At Wolf Oak Acres, weddings are set in a restored historic barn, nestled in the Madison County countryside on the banks of Cowasselon Creek. Outside, the landscape flows from manicured lawns and gardens to natural meadows and waterfalls. Inside, a fieldstone fireplace, natural wood and chandeliers are the scene setters. Including 2017, Wolf Oak Acres 44 NEW YORK HORSE NYHorseMag.com
has received a Wedding Wire Couples’ Choice Award three years straight, and owner Katrina Blanchard says, “We’ve had everything from high end with a side of caviar, to rustic with everyone in cowboy boots with a country band and pig roast, and everything in between.” Some couples have built their entire event around horses, Blanchard adds, recalling at least one entirely Kentucky Derby-themed wedding. Other touches have included an ice sculpture in the shape of a cowboy boot; wedding party pictures with hay bales and a vintage pick-up truck; bouquets in Mason jars; and a bride in lace, a double strand of pearls and gray-and-black tooled boots. “A lot will incorporate it in their photography and decorations … with horse silhouettes, burlap, wagon wheels,” Blanchard says. “Every wedding is a little bit different, but with almost 200 acres here, it’s easy to have horses and wagons brought in.” Indeed, horse-drawn carriages are one of the most-chosen and most memorable ways to incorporate horses into a wedding. Bride Samantha Barnes, who was married in August 2016, decided on a two-horse hitch before she decided on her wedding dress. “Even though I don’t have horses now, I grew up with them,” said Samantha, who chose JK Percherons on the spot at a wedding expo. “Six years ago, I lost my once-in-a lifetime-horse to a heart attack. He was the most perfect appaloosa, and he meant the world to me. Having the Percherons there not only made the day feel like a fairytale, but it also made it seem like my old horse was there with me in spirit. It was incredible.” Julie Corey, who thundered down Route 20 with JK’s six-horse hitch, also calls the Percherons the most memorable part of the day: “Even though the wedding was nearly seven years ago, I’ll never forget how magical it felt to arrive to my reception like that.” Making the childhood dreams of horse-loving girls a reality is what makes weddings a special passion for Jim Kehoe, owner of JK Percherons, who went into the business after retiring from a successful career showing his team. (If the name sounds familiar, it’s Kehoe’s gentle giants who trot down the midway each evening as part of the New York State Fair parade.) NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 45
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF DOUG & JULIE COREY, WOLF OAK ACRES AND DEBBI WAXENFELD
“We really try to help paint that fairytale picture for the brides,” says Amy Tolbert, Kehoe’s assistant. Whether the bride has chosen JK’s wagon or the white, Victorian-style carriage, every time the team leaves their home farm in Moravia, they are the image of excellence. From their coats – groomed to a patent-leather luster – to polished hooves, they are a stylish and striking touch. “A lot of times, we bring the bride and groom, or the entire wedding party, from the ceremony to the reception ... Other times we will give carriage rides during the cocktail hour,” Tolbert says. “No matter what we are doing, though, everyone really loves the horses. They’re so sweet and gentle. People come right up to them and take pictures with them or hug them. “It’s really great to see everyone’s faces light up.” Capturing those moments at an equestrian wedding, is a special art. There are a few unique points to consider when a horse is part of the equation, says photographer Debbi Waxenfeld, who shot the image on the cover of this issue of New York Horse. “I approach equestrian-themed weddings a little differently, as I look for the special details that were included in both the engagement shoot and the wedding,” says Waxenfeld, who shoots professionally as Debbi Jo’s Photography, Bridgeport. “When working with a live animal there are always challenges. Like people, they can be unpredictable and you have to be willing to go with the flow. But when the bride or groom is in love with the horse you can see that, and it makes the pictures even more special as you have the love for each other and the love of the animal.” Waxenfeld said she looks for images that represent the bride and groom, the little details that make the day special to the couple – a touch of burlap perhaps, or, as in the case of our cover photo, the contrast of white lace, a ribbon-tied bouquet and well-worn cowboy boots. Whether you’re a little bit country, or a little bit crop and knee roll, equestrian style embraces a wide spectrum and offers limitless combinations. Go, ahead, create. Envision the day, then pick up the reins. Imagination is the only limit when “I do” includes the horses, too.
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POLO WHERE ADRENALINE & HISTORY HANG OUT
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he year was 1972. Atari introduced PONG, a gallon of gas cost 55 cents, and just outside the village of Skaneateles, a grassy patch on Andrews Road was groomed into a regulation-size polo field. Forty-five years later, the four-beat crack of galloping hooves and the thwack of mallet hitting ball is an enduring, adrenaline-infused summer tradition. Gas, meanwhile, is $2.49 a gallon and your kids think you’re making it up when you tell them a black-and-white, 2-D game based on ping pong was once the coolest thing ever in the video arcade. From a competition played by mounted nomads in Central Asia, to its modern status as the Sport of Kings, it takes only seven words – as the Polo Museum notes – to embrace the roots of a game that predates written history: “the inspirational relationship between humans and horses.” It is the oldest equestrian sport and, on summer Sunday afternoons in Skaneateles, this special bond – the fusion of full-steam horsepower and precise, tactical riding – puts points on the board and strikes the heart. Drive out. Bring binoculars, picnic fare, and sturdy shoes to stomp the divots. The parking, the pounding pulse and the sudden desire to speak with a British accent are all free.
PHOTOS BY JESSICA BERMAN/ESSENCE OF EQUINE
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“… Arriving at precisely the right time and place on a field which is 300 yards by 160 yards is the job of the seasoned polo pony, each and every seven and a half minute chukker of its life.” — Adam Snow, “Polo Life”
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“Everyone was given a mallet and ball and the fun began … Some of the horses who had done some polo before had such good brakes the novice riders didn’t expect the obedient stops. We called the result an emergency terrain check.” — Juann Cunningham, Polo in Skaneateles, kihm6.wordpress.com
WHERE TO WATCH Skaneateles Polo Club, 785 Andrews Road, about a mile south of Skaneateles off Route 41A. Details at: skaneatelespolo.com Central New York Polo Club, Fragnoli Field, 234 Tompkins St. (Route 13), Cortland, and Preble Valley Field, 7305 Route 11, Preble. Details: centralnewyorkpoloclub.com Saratoga Polo Association, Whitney Field, 2 Bloomfield Road, Greenfield Center. Polo has been played here since 1898. Details: saratogapolo.com Cornell University, Oxley Equestrian Center, 220 Pine Tree Road, Ithaca. Details: cornellbigred. com/index.aspx?path=mpolo Knox Farm State Park, Chur Equestrian Center, Knox Field, East Aurora, hosts annual polo charity match. Details: Knox Memorial Polo Cup on Facebook.
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Summer School
1 0 I M P O R TA N T H A B I T S F O R E V E R Y Â R I D E R
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By Patrick King
egardless of discipline, preferred breed, or level of training, some riders consistently improve themselves and their horses while others languish. The degree of success can be measured by the habits the riders form: great horsemanship comes down to a series of great habits. Here are 10 habits that you can start adding to your horsemanship today that will help you to find consistent improvement. NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 53
Habit 1: Equitation Equitation is more than just “sitting pretty” on a horse
Habit 5: Organization of our tools
Many riders think that equitation is just about “sitting pretty” on their horse, or as simply another class at a horse show, yet this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Equitation refers to the rider’s position and ability to communicate correctly and effectively with their aids. As Charles de Kunffy, noted dressage rider, states: “Horses are born knowing how to be horses. Riders are not born knowing how to be riders.” Alignment, tact, timing, and sensitivity are major pieces to our equitation – and we are wise to make a habit of being mindful of this and working to improve with every ride.
Habit 2: Improving Fitness Riding is an athletic endeavor and having a regular routine for fitness is going to be very important in improving horsemanship skills. Fitness programs with a focus on balance, coordination, and core strength such as yoga and Pilates will improve equitation. Increasing flexibility, muscle control, and tone through stretching and basic fitness allows us to use our aids more effectively and will contribute a great deal to the improvement of our equitation. We are asking our horses every day to give the best of themselves to us – shouldn’t we offer the same thing back to them?
Another important habit that is common with great riders and horsemen that I know is the organization of their tools. They handle their lead ropes neatly while they use them, not bundled in a wad in their hands like a handful of spaghetti. The same is true of their reins, lunge lines, ropes, bridles, whips, training sticks, and saddle pads. There’s a preparation that is always in place with this kind of coordination – they are always ready for use and adjustment as necessary. Similarly, when not in use, they are neatly hung in preparation for the next time they are needed, rather than left in a pile or tangled mess.
Habit 4: Dressing the Part Wear appropriate clothing for your discipline
Habit 3: Ambidexterity Ambidexterity is the skill of using both sides of our body equally – and that’s important for helping our horses to use both sides of their body equally. Saddling from both sides, mounting and dismounting from both sides, leading from both sides, haltering and bridling from both sides are great habits. Making a conscious effort to start to work with our horses in both directions evenly will help us to keep our horse more balanced. 54 NEW YORK HORSE NYHorseMag.com
Dressing the part is important. Riders should wear appropriate riding clothing such as breeches, jeans, riding boots, and properly fitting helmets. Ill-fitting clothing and untucked shirts can result in a rider’s getting caught on the saddle horn or grab-strap.
Habit 6: Cleaning and Conditioning Your Tack/Gear
Habit 9: Releasing on the Effort
I am always telling my students: take care of your gear as if your life depends on it, because it does! This means regular oiling of their leather, washing or scrubbing of any non-leather gear, bits and other tools. Sweat, dirt, dust, slobber, and weather conditions can damage tack and gear. The No. 1 reason for broken leather and other tack is dry-rot and damage to stitching that routine care would have prevented.
It’s the release of our aids that tells the horse that he is on the right track. We should release our aids when the horse is getting ready to do the right thing in order to help the horse to develop confidence in his own decisions. We help him to find the idea and then we soften the aids. This softening helps the horse to hunt for an understanding inside of our aids when he makes his effort toward what we’re asking of him. The result of this will be the horse getting softer with each request, understanding us more, and putting forth more effort from less aiding on our part. Make it a habit to soften your aids when your horse puts effort toward what you’re looking for.
Habit 7: Consistent Expectations Don’t leave the horse to guess at what you want
Habit 10: Continuous Learning
Our communication with our horses relies on our ability to maintain consistency in our expectations of them. Many riders get by with excuses of “that’s good enough this time” or “well, there was ‘this or that’ distraction” or “I’m in a hurry, so that’ll do for now.” Without maintaining consistent expectations for our horse, we leave the horse to guess at what we want from each request. Make consistency a habit. If it’s “good enough” this time, it will need to be “good enough” next time. Make it a point to decide what you will accept, and stay consistent.
Habit 8: Preparing for What’s Next Great horsemen are always riding ahead in their mind. They are always planning and preparing for what’s coming up next with their horse – both in an immediate sense (riding and preparing for the next maneuver or obstacle) as well as in the longterm sense (building today’s work in preparation for longer-term goals). There’s the old adage that “the fastest way to dig a crooked furrow is to turn around to see if it’s straight.” In other words, don’t worry about the move that just happened – it’s too late to change that. One of my mentors, Ray Hunt, used to say, “When it’s time to act, it’s too late to prepare.” Make it a habit to always be preparing for what’s coming next so that you are ready when you get there.
Never rest on your past knowledge or experience. Especially in a time when science, technology, and philosophy are all coming together within the horse world to expand our knowledge more each day. We are so much farther along in our understanding now than we have ever been, but we have to actively seek this knowledge. We should remain eternal students of the horse. Make it a habit to constantly be seeking more knowledge, skills, and experiences, so that you can become the best possible rider and horseman you can be. Patrick King, of Patrick King Horsemanship, is a regular visitor to the region, most recently offering clinics at Canterbury Stables in Cazenovia and Whisper Wind Equestrian Center in Rome. Find him at pkhorsemanship.com.
INDEPENDENT STUDY Patrick King will be at Canterbury Stables, Cazenovia, July 11-13. For more information, or to book a space, call 315-440-2244 or go to canterburystablesny.com.
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GUIDE THE
TIPS. EXPERT ADVICE. SECRETS WORTH STEALING
PHOTO FROM THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTION
Go Off the Beaten Path in this special how-the-other-half-rides edition
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hey were the names that built fortunes and empires and lifestyles that spoke wealth and power in one glance. In New York, the economic elite bought land, built mansions and made horses a central part of their extravagance. Today, four of those estates are state parks and preserves and a gift to New York equestrians. Spend a leisurely afternoon in the hills north of Westchester on trails laid out by Rockefellers. In Western New York, ride past the genteel remains of polo stables where the Knox family once housed their champion ponies in lavish quarters. In Cazenovia, a carriage collection summons a pleasure-driving past. And on Long Island’s Gold Coast, the hunt fields that were once the private preserve of Marshall Field are everyone’s to explore. No bulging bank account required, these properties beckon horsemen of all abilities and interests. Summer days are fleeting. Get out there and ride! NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 57
THE GUIDE: AMERICAN IDYLL
Rockefeller State Park Preserve Spend a summer day horsing around like America’s first billionaires
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t the intersection of fortune and philanthropy lies Rockefeller State Park Preserve, a centuryold landscape of woodland and wetland, hills and meadows, sewn together by 55 miles of carriage roads. The roads were built by John D. Rockefeller Jr., son of the founder of Standard Oil, who shared with his father a passion for coaching. Designed to complement the landscape, the carriage roads wind beneath towering trees, through forests rich in wildlife, traversing streams and rivers on wood and stone spans including the first triple-arch bridge in America. Since 1983, 1,600 acres of this grand country estate, in the Westchester County hamlet of Pleasantville, have been open to the public – a gift to New York from the Rockefeller family. The roads are open year-round to riding and carriage driving, a rare chance to step into the Gilded Age, and the shoes – even if it’s only the horseshoes – of America’s
The Old Croton Aqueduct flanks the preserve
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first billionaires. Grab a trail map and trot past the foundation of Rockwood Hall, once the 220-room home of William Rockefeller. Meander through the snags and hollows along 13 Bridges Loop Trail and the hemlocks of Witch’s Spring Trail. Wherever you wander, do it in style. John D. would approve. First things first: Equestrian and carriage driving permits are required and are available at the Preserve Office along with trail maps showing the distance and grade descriptions of all the carriage roads. An annual equestrian permit is $40; an empire passport is $65 for the season or $6 per visit and is required for trailering horses. A one-day equestrian pass is $15, plus the vehicle entry fee. Keep an eye out for: An architectural and engineering wonder of the 1830s, the Old Croton Aqueduct was built to bring fresh water from the Croton River to New York City. Look for 0.9 miles of the old aqueduct at the western edge of the Rockefeller Preserve. Birds and the bees: The preserve is designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, with 180 species recorded on the property. The old trees that line the forest trails provide nests for bluebirds, owls, woodpeckers and wood ducks. The occasional flying squirrel also swings through the canopy. The park’s 22-acre Swan Lake attracts migrating buffleheads, hooded mergansers, and the occasional loon. While you’re there: Don’t just drive around Swan Lake, get a license and fish for bass – in season, of course. Prefer
brown trout? Drop a line in the Pocantico River, where it traverses the preserve. In late April and early May, the landscape blossoms with 2,500 tree peonies, a post9/11 gift from Japan. Food service: There is no picnicking allowed in the area of the carriage trails. There are, however, several picnic tables opposite the equestrian parking lot located just before the entrance to the general parking area. Open fires are strictly prohibited. Special health note: For horses that have not had the Flu/Rhino vaccine, the park has the following instructions: Don’t use the trails if your horse shows any signs of illness. Don’t let your horse graze. Do not let your horse come in contact with other horses or any farm animals in the park. Contact park officials if your horse shows any symptoms within a week of using the preserve. Nerd alert, history edition:
The carriage roads were created by Rockefeller to provide access to the landscape while preserving its natural beauty. He was inspired by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Manhattan’s Central Park, to be enjoyed by everyone, not just the privileged few. Hours: The Preserve is open year round, from 7a.m. to sunset. The park office is open from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., closed Christmas Day. Phone 914-6311470. Be prepared: Carry a cell phone on you. That way if you part company with your horse – beware of equine-eating dandelions – you have the phone.
THE GUIDE: WESTERN RAMBLE
Knox Farm State Park A fortune built on nickels and dimes leaves a rich equestrian legacy
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rive along the low fieldstone wall, through the wrought iron gate and back into a time when Knox Farm State Park was the country estate of the polo-playing heirs to the Woolworth department store fortune. The founding father was Seymour H. Knox, who bought the property in East Aurora after making an extremely wise investment: the North Country entrepreneur decided to join his cousin, Watertown native F.W. Woolworth, in the five-and-dime store business. The rest, as they say, is retail history. His fortunes assured, Knox turned his interests to raising horses and creating a self-sustaining farm. His heirs expanded the property and established the Knox
name as a pillar of Buffalo’s economic – and equestrian – elite. In the 1920s, the farm was the anchor for the East Aurora Hunt Club. Polo stables were built in 1927, and on his home field, Seymour Knox II led the Aurora Polo Team to the U.S. Championship. (The blue-and-yellow colors of the team became the colors for the Buffalo Sabres, the National Hockey League team founded by Seymour Knox III and his brother, Northrup.) Today, the park remains a center of equestrian life. Riding and carriage driving are welcomed on the five miles of trails that wind along its 633 acres, past the grand main house and historic stable and through a landscape of mixed woodlands and open fields. The NYS Horse Council says the footing is excellent, the parking is ample and the trails are suitable for a novice. It’s an idyllic day’s ramble, and a chance to remember why this family and those longago days were part of a Gilded Age. Necessary papers:
Horseback riding and driving in the park is free, but a permit is required. The permit application can be downloaded from the Friends of Knox Farm website, friendsofknoxfarm. org. Horses must be
While you’re there, check out the grave of America’s last Whig president
certified to be free of Equine Infectious Anemia to come into the park; bring a test record from the NYS Department of Ag and Markets. A current negative Coggins test also must be filed
with the park office. As for the humans: All riders are required to wear helmets certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Rules of the road: Stay on designated horse trails and out of restricted areas, including the old stable, surrounding pastures and mansion lawn. Keep off the polo and soccer fields and avoid blacktop areas wherever possible. Remember to share the road: Meet and pass other horses or hikers at a walk and in single file. This is a (three) gaited community:
Ride at a walk, trot or canter. Galloping is prohibited in the park – so is jumping. Speaking of Prohibition: Alcoholic beverages and smoking are banned. Try this: The East Aurora Driving Society holds pleasure drives in the park in the spring and fall and is also host to an annual carriage drive and competition at the park’s Chur Family Equestrian Center. The one-day competition, now in its 42nd year, will be July 30. While you’re in the neighborhood:
East Aurora was once the home of Millard Fillmore, the last Whig Party President of the United States. Fillmore is buried in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery, and a statue of him stands outside Buffalo City Hall. Nerd alert, equine edition: In the late 1800s, East Aurora was home to celebrity stallion Mambrino King, touted as the “most handsome horse in the world.” Hours: The park is open year round, dawn to dusk. Parking is at the equestrian field, Knox Road at Gypsy Lane. The caveat, of course, is that this is “weather permitting.” This being Western New York, count on the fact that the weather will not always be permitting. Be prepared: Carry a cell phone on you. That way if you part company with your horse – beware of equine-eating rocks – you have the phone. NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 59
THE GUIDE: GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve Ride into New York’s gilded past at Marshall Field’s Gold Coast estate
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n 1921, Marshall Field III – heir to a department store empire – purchased an entire peninsula extending into Long Island Sound and turned a derelict landscape into an English-style estate. When he was done, he’d created a lavish home complete with game preserve, salt water pool, polo barn, and its own electrical grid. He called the estate by its Matinecock Indian name, Caumsett, which means “place by a sharp rock.” Acquired by New York in 1961, Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve is a relic of the days when this stretch of Long Island was known as the Gold Coast and home to mansions and millionaires. Located in the village of Lloyd Harbor, the 1,500 acre park includes meadows, beaches, woodlands and Field’s main house and outbuildings from the Roaring 20s. The park is patchworked with equestrian trails – horses must be trailered in – and that would delight
Caumsett was considered a newcomer in the grand estate era
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whatever ghosts still linger. “Polo matches and other equestrian activities were central to life at Caumsett,” Walter D. Kolos writes on the Caumsett Foundation’s website. “The pheasant shoots were legendary, with hired beaters flushing out the birds into the swale for an easy shoot. Some described it as a slaughter rather than hunt. Fox hunting was also in vogue, as the Fields not only had horses, but kennels full of hunting dogs.” Listen as you ride and you may yet hear the pack in full howl. The details: There are three Equestrian Loop Trails in the park. Trail 1 is 1.6 miles in the southeastern corner of Caumsett. Trail 2 (3.2 miles) and Trail 3 (1.3 miles) both start near the polo stable and skirt the western edge of the park, angling north toward the sea bluffs before heading back into the interior for the return leg. Other equine pursuits: The Lloyd Harbor Equestrian Center, at the polo pony barn, provides lessons and boarding. There’s an indoor arena, dressage ring, and cross-country course Required for horse and rider: Horses must be current on all vaccinations and riders must be able to show proof upon request. All riders must wear helmets. Watch out for: The park is home to more than 200 species of birds and is one of NY Audubon’s Important Bird Areas. Keep an eye open for osprey, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles. Read all about it: A trail map, a map of the Bird Conservation Area
and a Caumsett bird checklist are available for download at: parks. ny.gov/parks/23/details. Share the path: Hiking and biking are allowed on all trails so be prepared to pass with caution. Horses and humans are also permitted on all unpaved trails south of Fresh Pond, in the northeastern tip of the park. (Download a map!) Leave Spot at home: Horse people are dog people – right? Not at Caumsett. There are no pets allowed. And since we’re talking prohibited: Open fires are banned. Nerd alert, how the other half lived edition: There were two ice-making
plants on the estate and so much melt from the icebox room in the main house that a fast-flowing brook was created. Lawn mowers had not been invented, so much of the trimming was done with scythes. A circus party given in 1932 had a china smashing booth and freak show. Hours: The park is open year round, from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. During peak season, April through November, a vehicle use fee is in effect. The Empire Passport — $65 for the decal for the season or $80 for a wallet-sized card that can be shared – is accepted. Otherwise the fee is $8. Be prepared: Carry a cell phone on you. That way if you part company with your horse – beware of equine-eating squirrels – you have the phone.
THE GUIDE: PAST PERFECT
Lorenzo State Historic Site Return to an era when driving meant four hooves and a whip
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PHOTO COURTESY OF LORENZO STATE HISTORIC SITE
eave the equines at home and step back into a time when horsepower required actual horses and four horsepower meant the owner was really living large. Overlooking Cazenovia Lake, the Lorenzo State Historic Site offers a unique glimpse into the luxurious and idyllic life of five generations of the Lincklaen/Ledyard family. The centerpiece is a neoclassical mansion built in 1807 for Col. John Lincklaen, founder of the village of Cazenovia. His heirs lived there until 1968, when the property – including all of the family’s furnishings, art, and personal possessions – was granted to the state. Visitors can enjoy guided tours of the mansion, linger among the perennials in the formal garden, and wander the double row of white pine, hemlock and Norway spruce known as the Dark Aisle Arboretum. (And you should!) But for the horsey set, the jewel of Lorenzo
is tucked behind the mansion in the restored 1892 carriage house. Look up when you come inside. The nameplates suspended from the ceiling – Sultana, Diana, Waterloo, Prince, Fred and Logan – are real and once graced the stall doors of Lorenzo’s horses. Walk through a small museum, and the back of the building, with its Oakman Carriage Collection, is what you’ve come to see. It’s the gift of Anna Oakman, great-great-niece of John Lincklaen, who despaired at seeing the horse-drawn era destroyed. Determined to save the remnants, she visited local summer estates and assembled a charming collection of vehicles, harnesses and accessories, which she donated to Lorenzo in 1970. Among the gems: an 1821 Curtain Quarter Coach – a refinement of the coachee used by wealthy families – originally owned by John Lincklaen; a 1905 child’s pony buckboard; an 1870s Victoria, a park vehicle used by elegant ladies for afternoon drives; and an 1890 Stanhope Phaeton, a gentleman’s town vehicle, which was driven in formal turnout, including liveried grooms. John Lincklaen convinced the Holland Land Company to buy the 135,000 acres where the village of Cazenovia grew. In 1792, he envisioned a “great commercial city in the wilderness.” Today, the village is known for its equestrian heritage, picturesque
Among the hidden treasures, a watering trough dated 1852 lakefront and historic downtown. Not a bad turn of events at all. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d miss: Among the many treasures of the
mansion grounds are stone watering troughs, a utilitarian reminder of the site’s equestrian past. Stroll to the back of the formal garden to find a trough inscribed LL – for Ledyard Lincklaen, one of the earliest residents of Lorenzo – and the date 1852. Another, inscribed LL and 1862, is stored near a barn on the mansion grounds. Nerd alert, unsolved mystery edition:
Why is the estate named Lorenzo when the families who lived there were named Lincklaen and Ledyard and had no ties to Italy? No one really knows. Haunted history: The ghost of John Lincklaen and some of his household are said to materialize as stately gentlemen, servants, or lights that come on and go off when no one is in the building. Well this is cool: This summer, Lorenzo is one of the sites included in NYS Park’s Geocache Challenge. To play, pick up a passport at the office, or download a copy from nysparks.com. Hours: The grounds, including the formal garden and Dark Aisle are open year-round, dawn to dusk. Guided tours of the mansion are available WednesdaySunday, and Monday holidays. The site closes for the season on Oct. 9, but is open again in December for special holiday hours. Admission: There is no charge to tour the grounds and carriage house. Tours of the mansion are $5 for adults and $4 for seniors and students. Children 12 and under are free. NYHorseMag.com NEW YORK HORSE 61
THE GUIDE: SPOTLIGHT New York Horse honored as Best Magazine
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Megan Stapley’s image from the Winter 2016/17 issue was named Best Sports Photo.
ew York Horse came home with a stack of blue ribbons, including top honors as “Best Magazine,” at the Syracuse Press Club Awards banquet in May. Said the judge who made the award: “An exceptional magazine. This one has all the elements of greatness: clever, well written content, captivating images, and sensational design – all while remaining true to its equestrian identity ... No photo finish. This one outran its competition by several legs.” The award is shared by editor and publisher Janis Barth and art director Darren Sanefski. Darren is the one who takes e-folders of words and images (and semi-baked notions from the editor and publisher) and crafts them into the “sensational design” recognized by the judge. The NYH stable of writers and photographers, without whom there would be nothing but blank pages, took six awards, including four first-place – more than any other print media.
HONORED WERE Bill Flynn, Glenye Cain Oakford and Janis Barth, 1st place sports story, “3 Legends” Renee Gadoua, Margaret McCormick and Katie Navarra, 2nd place, “The Healing Horse” Michael Davis, 1st place photo essay, “The Artful Horse Saratoga” Wells Horton, 1st place, scenic photo, “September 3 – Woodland Pond” Megan Stapley, 1st place, sports photo, “Height of Perfection” Jessica Berman, 2nd place, portrait, “Unbowed”
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PARTING SHOT
PHOTO BY MICHAEL DAVIS OF THE HARNESS TRACK AT THE CHENANGO COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
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