TAH December-January 2023-2024 by Aiken Horse Productions

Volume 19 • Number 3

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

SuzyHaslup_TAH_Sept2019.qxp_Layout 1 3/31/22 12:19 PM Page 1

BRIDLE CREEK FARM

SUZY HASLUP Realtor™

KATHRYN SIDERS Realtor™

An Accredited Land Consultant, Suzy achieved the title of Leading Sales Agent in 2013, 2015, 2016 & 2020, received recognition in Meybohm’s “Best of the Best” & President’s Club, and earned 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 RLI APEX awards for top producing land real estate agents.

FOX HOLLOW ON THE LAKE

$699,000

$419,000

Welcome to this exceptional custom-built 2 BR/2 BA hardiplank house in Bridle Creek Equestrian. This recently constructed light-filled home has an open floor plan with pine floors, 14 foot cathedral ceiling, living room with brick surround wood burning fireplace with ship lap, and eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite, island and custom cabinetry. The large master bedroom has a bath with brick floor, subway tile, granite, and access to a covered deck. There is a guest bedroom, hall bath, laundry, and rocking chair front porch. ATT internet available and HOA fee is $1500 annually. Situated on 2 acres, there is room for your horses with direct access to riding trails at Bridle Creek. Other amenities include dressage and jumping arenas, cross country field, and activity building. Here’s your chance to live in one of Aiken’s most desirable equestrian communities. See it today!

LOT 5 WOOD’S END

Priced at $275,000 this lot provides an exceptional opportunity to own a farm adjacent to the 2200-acre Hitchcock Woods offering 70 miles of riding trails open to the public year round. Lot is partially cleared and ready for home and barn, paved cul-de-sac, underground utilities with city services and no HOA. Possible owner financing. Direct access to the Hitchcock Woods.

JOYNER POND HUNTBOX $319,000 Welcome to the Lake House. Your dream of a waterfront property and an equestrian paradise can come true with this spectacular 12.76 A offering in gated Fox Hollow on the Lake consisting of two lots which could be separated. Your private driveway leads by grass fields, ready for fencing and a barn, to your circular driveway and newly painted cottage, dock and 16X20 storage shed fronting Town Creek Lake. The 1985 board and batten two bedroom/two bath cottage, with ten foot ceilings, has a newer roof and HVAC, screened porch, insulated windows and is landscaped. All appliances convey. Have your morning coffee overlooking the lake and fish from your private dock. Good pasture and recently cleared and groomed trails offer riding and walking opportunities. Fox Hollow has an extensive trail system, irrigated show rings and a cross country course. This captivating equestrian and waterfront property offers a blend of tranquility, privacy, and convenience for the nature lover and equestrian.

UNDER CONTRACT Fantastic opportunity to have a turn key horse property in the area of other horse farms. 1 BR/1 BA apartment with tongue and groove pine paneling, appliances, on demand water heater, & newly screened porch w/dog fenced yard. 3 fenced grass paddocks, 4 stall barn w/12X12 matted stalls, storage and wash stall, sand arena & room for a grass derby field. Septic recently inspected & pumped. Security camera in screened porch. 50 amp RV hookup. No mobile homes allowed. Joyner Pond Road is being paved and Carolina Connect internet is available.

www.AikenHorseRealty.com (803) 215-0153 • suzy.haslup@gmail.com December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

The Sanctuary

Stunning Home & Stable on 12.7 Acres The Sanctuary offers a spectacular setting in the midst of Aiken horse country. Privately situated on 12.7 acres, this French country inspired property offers a gorgeous home, handsome 4-stall stable, saltwater pool & spa and beautiful views across the 6 fenced paddocks. The enchanting setting is peaceful and serene with the feeling of living on a vast estate. You will appreciate the graceful drive, the stacked-stone exterior and cupolas on the barn's roof line. Inside find soaring ceilings, spacious, light-filled rooms, hardwood floors and a wonderful floor plan for everyday living and entertaining. Every room is designed to enjoy the views! Covered breezeways make for easy access to the garage and 4-stall stable with wash rack, wide aisle and great storage above. Property has 6 generous paddocks; 3 with run-in shelters and a level grassy area for schooling. Truly singular in its beauty and exceptionally maintained inside & out!

Offered for $1,800,000 302 Horse Country

Acreage for the Sporting Life

Gum Tree Farm

Barrington Farms

Welcome to ''The Pines at Camp Rawls'', a low-density community of 12+ acre parcels with minimal restrictions to give property owners' flexibility to develop their property to their vision while maintaining standards to protect property values. ONLY 12 Parcels with road frontage on Bluffwood, Shadow Lane &/or Camp Rawls Road and range in size from 12 to 30+ Acres with Deeded Trail Easements. Wonderful opportunity to build your seasonal or full time sporting life retreat!

A tranquil 90+ acre tract with a 4.6 acre pond for the sporting life, including hunting and fishing retreat, horse farm, or as a multi-generational homestead. Multiple home sites provide water views and a peaceful environment. The heart of the tract is nearly level and is perfect for your riding arena and barn. Cleared trails are easy to navigate on foot, horseback, or vehicle. Easily accessible to town and I-20, ideal for a weekend hunting ground, or develop for your farm or legacy property.

Discover the Charm and Convenience of Barrington Farms! Nestled close-in to Aiken along the Banks Mill Equestrian Corridor, this picturesque, gated community boasts gently rolling terrain, old growth trees, and stunning estate homes and farms. Enjoy perimeter walking/riding trails for nature enthusiasts and equestrians alike. Choose your builder and design your home or farm or private retreat! Natuarl Gas & Fiber Optic Cable also Available.

10 - 12 to 30+ Acre Lighlty wooded Parcels Offered for $100,000 - $213,500

90+ Acres with Pond & Multiple Home Sites Call for New Price!

Lot 1-8 | 22.28 Acred | $218,250 Lot 9-1 | 21.47 Acres | $235,000

The Pines at Camp Rawls

Cissie Sullivan

Banks Mill Corridor

Tracey Turner

803-998-0198 | SullivanTurnerTeam.com 4

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Vespers Farm

at the Heart of Aiken‘s 302 Equestrian corridor Exceptional 24+ Acre Horse Farm just 15 minutes from Aiken’s charming downtown shops & eateries. A lovely southern brick home is nicely situated near the center of the property among beautiful established pastures & stunning woodland views. The home's design is warm and inviting; rooms have good scale with natural light, quality craftmanship, and custom finishes. For horse enthusiasts, there is a 4-stall center aisle barn built in 2015, complete with a tack room, 1/2 bath, and open storage area. Additionally, there are three established pastures ready for your horses to graze with two run-in sheds. Ample storage is available in the enclosed hay barn with two covered parking bays for your truck and trailer. Vespers Farm is a beautiful farm in an ideal location for the equine enthusiast, with easy access to numerous top eventing and training venues as well as polo fields, foxhunting fixtures, and show venues.

Offered for $1,625,000 704 Hayne Ave SW

928 Two Notch Road

220 Homeward Bound

Improved Price

Historic “town“ home and beautiful gardens are ideal for entertaining. Great Aiken sporting life location, just a few blocks to Aiken Golf Club, Hitchcock Woods and Mead Hall! This well-renovated home offers the harmony of formal, informal and outdoor living for all occasions. Enjoy poolside parties and the heated/lighted pool year around! Come see this sensational property to appreciate its restoration and exceptional livability!

Looking for a place to call home with easy access to the sand clay roads of Aiken's Horse District and Bruce’s Field? Look no further than this 4.56-acre property! With ample space to add your equestrian amenities, this property boasts a stunning five bedroom home w/elevator and covered veranda, 3-car garage plus equipment bay, studio and one bedroom guest apartment. Perimeter fenced and gated to keep your four legged friends safe and secure!

A Captivating Equestrian & Waterfront Estate Property. Experience tranquility, privacy, and convenience for the equestrian and the sporting-life enthusiasts. This property boasts a quality-built luxury home and barn, stunning infinity pool and spa, and dockside entertainment. School in the nearby Mt. Vintage community arena or ride the trails. Enjoy some of the best spotted bass fishing around or have an active three-sport day without ever leaving home.

5 BR + 3.5 Ba Home| 5926 SF | HEATED POOL Parking Court & 2 Car Parkng Pavilion Offered For $1,545,000

6 BR + 8.5 BA | 4.56 Acres | 3 Car Garage Guest Apartment | Perimeter Fenced & Gated Offered for $1,950.000

3 BR + 3.5 Bath Home| Heated Pool | Dock 8+ Acres | 5-Stall Barn | 3 Pastures Offered for $1,699,000

Morrison-Wright Cottage

Cissie Sullivan

Blue Skies

Sea Horse Farm

Tracey Turner

803-998-0198 | SullivanTurnerTeam.com December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

352 Park Avenue SW “SteepleView”

145 Capriole Drive in Chime Bell Meadows

www.SharerDale.Com SharerDaleTeam@gmail.Com OFFICE: (803) 761- 0678

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

9219 Twiffy Lane “White Rose Farm”

164 Wisteria Drive “Winter Rose Farm”

3725 Lone Oak Drive “Mallet Hill Farm”

690 Old Dibble Road Aiken, SC

CELL: (803) 522-3648

www.SharerDale.Com SharerDaleTeam@gmail.Com OFFICE: (803) 761- 0678

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

SECTION 12 16 20 24 29

News & Notes Windsor Trace CDE Secret Lives of Horses Historic Aiken: The Gun Club Park Avenue Oysters

Section One

Our cover shows Maggie O'Leary driving Invitation Only to win the the Intermediate Horse division of the Windsor Trace CDE. Photography by Gary Knoll.

Julio Mendoza Kirsten Coe Next Decade at Stable View Hunter/Jumper Academy Park Avenue Oyster Bar Tina Konyot Whitethorne in Aiken

Section Two

Joa Sigsbee and RF Taken at the Hunter/Jumper Institute at Stable View. Photography by Gary Knoll

Section Three

Anika Spaeth and Celtic, winner of the PSJ Medal Finals at Highfields Event Center.

SECTION

36 42 46 48 52 54 58

In s i de 36 42 46 48 52 54 58

SECTION

67 70 74 75 76 78 81 89

Julio Mendoza Kirsten Coe Next Decade at Stable View Hunter/Jumper Academy Diamond K Ranch Tina Konyot Whitethorne in Aiken

Shoulder Injuries Ask the Judge Classifieds Directory Horses of Great Oak PSJ Medal Finals Calendar of Events Index of Advertisers

Photography by Gary Knoll

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The

Aiken

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication P.O. Box 332 • Montmorenci, SC 29839-0332 • 803.643.9960 • TheAikenHorse.com • TheAikenHorse@gmail.com Time Dated Material • Periodicals • Volume 19 • Number 3

t’s hard to believe that it’s December already, and another year has flown by. It has been an eventful one here in Aiken, with what seems to be an ever-growing calendar of equestrian events. We’re working hard to keep up with everything that’s going on, and the winter season is just getting started. We hope you enjoy this issue of The Aiken Horse. We’ve been out and about, taking pictures, doing interviews, and meeting new people with interesting stories. In the first section, you can catch up on the fall’s horse news and get a taste of the Windsor Trace CDE. Read about Aiken’s newest restaurant hotspot, Park Avenue Oyster Bar & Grill, right downtown on Park Street near Laurens. The restaurant opened last April, and it made a big impression on the polo crowd when it catered the refreshments at Aiken Polo Club’s Sunday games. Then, we learned new things about the winter colony when we explored the history of the Aiken Gun Club, and its founder, Center Hitchcock, who was Thomas Hitchcock’s older brother. Today, the gun club is an elegant home with a palpable connection to Aiken’s past, proving that restoring and renovating Aiken’s historic structures is definitely worth the effort. Finally in this section, we have Secret Lives of Horses – the subject this time is Jubilee, a retired polo pony on our farm, so I wrote her story. I hope you enjoy it – I also shared some things I did not know before about Thoroughbreds from Down Under. Section Two has profiles of four horsemen with Aiken ties. One is Kirsten Coe, a renowned hunter/ jumper rider and trainer who is now based full time

in Aiken at Red Top Farm where she is working with her mother, the trainer, judge, coach and supreme horsewoman DiAnn Langer. Another is Georgy Maskrey-Segesman, who has brought her Whitethorne operation from California to Aiken and is quickly getting established in the local hunter/jumper world. You will also meet Julio Mendoza, who won the gold medal in dressage at the Pan Am Games in Chile recently and is on his way to the Olympics. Julio lives in Tryon, North Carolina, but he shows here in Aiken, and came to Vaughn Equestrian to give a clinic shortly after returning from South America. We also got to meet another Olympic dressage rider, Tina Konyot, who spent time in Aiken in the spring and the fall, and has a very exciting new horse, Grover, who has movie-star charisma. We’re pretty excited about the new feature in Section Three: The Horses of Great Oak. Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs provides therapeutic riding and equestrian experiences to all kinds of people who could use a little help from a horse. They have some amazing horses, and we have gotten together with them to write profiles of the fantastic equines who bring so much joy and healing to people in need. Our first subject, Arnie, has had quite a life – we don’t know if his stablemates will be able to keep up, but we will find out in the next issue. We also have our regular feature, Ask the Judge with Amy McElroy, an article about shoulder injuries written by Carol Gillis, DVM, and of course, our indispensable Calendar of Events. As ever, we want to be your horse newspaper. So please drop us an email if you have an idea for a story, or if you know something that you think we should know.

The Aiken Horse EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pam Gleason

ART DIRECTOR Gary Knoll

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jean Berko Gleason

LAYOUT & DESIGN Gary Knoll

PHOTOGRAPHERS Pam Gleason Gary Knoll

ADVERTISING

803.643.9960 theaikenhorse@gmail.com

Going Out Of Town? Don’t miss future issues of The Aiken Horse. We will send you a one year subscription (6 issues) for $36. Send check or CC # & your mailing address: P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 Or sign up on the web at TheAikenHorse.com

Enjoy your horses, and Aiken’s exciting winter season.

The Aiken Horse

Aiken

The

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication

Pam Gleason Editor & Publisher

The Aiken Horse Policies: The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers, editors, or the policies of The Aiken Horse, LLC. The Aiken Horse is owned by The Aiken Horse, LLC.

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

News & Notes

MFH Trey Bennett with the Cedar Grove Hounds at Opening Meet

By Pam Gleason

The Hunt is On

On Sunday, December 3, the Cedar Grove Hounds held its first official opening meet and blessing of the hounds. The meet was at Mill Race Farm, about 20 minutes east of Aiken. Mill Race is currently owned by Don Houck, the president of Southern Pines Plantations, a real estate firm based in Allendale, South Carolina. Cedar Grove Hounds is Aiken’s newest foxhunting pack. It was organized just a year ago, and on October 27, 2023 it was officially recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association, which is the governing body of mounted hunting in the United States. With the Aiken Hounds, Whiskey Road Foxhounds and the Rose-Tree/Blue Mountain Hunt, this makes four foxhunts operating in and around Aiken County. In fact, if you are a foxhunting enthusiast in Aiken, you can actually hunt six days a the week, only taking Mondays off to clean your tack, polish your boots and give your horse some well-earned rest. Actually, you had better have more than one horse if you intend to keep up this grueling schedule for very long. Two or three would be better. In his opening remarks, Master of Foxhounds Mark Reader thanked the riders, the spectators and the landowner. He also thanked the Aiken Hounds, saying that the hunt fixture where the meet took place was not Cedar Grove territory; rather it was a fixture belonging to the Aiken Hounds. He noted that it is important for the hunts to cooperate and share fixtures, which is becoming more true by the day: open land in Aiken County is being sold to developers at an alarming rate, and many traditional hunt fixtures and riding trails are in danger of becoming neighborhoods and Dollar Stores. The developers are hungry: if you own any land in Aiken County, you have probably gotten numerous letters and text messages from people who want to buy it. Sometimes they even send you a letter of agreement for you to sign away your property by return mail – the prices they offer are more laughable than insulting, though they are probably both. The weather forecast for Cedar Grove’s opening meet was for rain, not exactly what one wants for an inaugural formal meet. “I am

The Aiken Horse

watching the forecast closely,” wrote MFH and huntsman Trey Bennett on Facebook. “As of now, it looks like very little rain, if any, on Sunday. Opening meet will happen rain or shine. The hunting in the rain is generally excellent!” And Trey was correct: the morning was overcast, with a moody, grey sky that made for a dramatic backdrop to the horses and hounds as they gathered at the top of a hill where the blessing took place. The officiant, Father Richard Wilson of Saint Mary Help of Christians in North Augusta, did the traditional blessing, and then sprinkled holy water on pretty much everyone. Then the hounds, horses and the riders were off over the hills and into the pines – may they stay forever green.

Historic Marker at APC

This fall, Aiken Polo Club was recognized with a State of South Carolina Historical Marker on Whitney Field. Aiken Polo Club has a history that goes back to 1882, when Clarence Sutherland Wallace, a member of the burgeoning Winter Colony, put on Aiken’s first official polo match. Polo, an ancient sport from the Near East, was still in its infancy in America. Officially, the game arrived in America in 1876, in the New York-bound luggage of James Gordon Bennett, who was the publisher of the New York Herald. Unofficially, some polo enthusiasts insist that there was polo in this country for years before that because the second sons of British gentlemen, who did not inherit their fathers’ estates, emigrated to America where they bought ranches in Wyoming, Texas, Colorado and Montana. According to this tradition, the British exiles held matches on their ranches, having gotten a taste for polo in their home country, and that should be considered America’s earliest polo. Whatever the case, the people who founded America’s Polo Association (now the United States Polo Association) were New Yorkers, and they are the ones who wrote the history books. Clarence

December-January 2023-2024

Sutherland Wallace was an unsung hero from that group. Formerly an executive at Havemeyer Sugar company on Long Island, he was a composer and an enthusiastic player, who became the captain of polo back in New York, and then took on that role in Aiken as well. Wallace, who suffered from tuberculosis, had left his job at the sugar company and moved south to Aiken in the early 1880s for his health. Aiken was held in great esteem as a sanitorium, and it was thought that the pine-scented winter air was particularly salubrious and might afford a cure. (Although the bacterium that caused tuberculosis was discovered in 1882, there was no antibiotic to treat it until the 1940s.) Wallace’s wife Jennie was a horse trainer who rode astride (unusual for the time) and she felt right at home in Aiken, too. Both Wallaces died young, leaving behind three young children who were taken away from Aiken. Neither has gotten much recognition until recently: when people talk about the start of polo in Aiken, they usually credit Thomas and Louise Hitchcock, even though the first match occurred quite a while before the Hitchcocks were in Aiken as a couple. Wallace’s inaugural match was a magnificent affair. In addition to polo, there were “sumptuous luncheons” and dress parades by the city’s military company, the Palmetto Rifles. But, according to an April 1, 1882 article in the Charleston News and Courier, “All this paled into insignificance before the brilliant and successful introduction of James Gordon Bennett’s popular national game, polo. It has caused a great sensation and revolutionized the city as far as amusements are concerned.” The James R. Stainbrook finish line tower is the first structure in the "Field of Dreams" at Aiken Steeplechase

Field of Dreams at Steeplechase

Mary Grimes, granddaughter of Clarence Sutherland Wallace with her daughters and granddaughters at Whitney Field, along with Alan Riddick and Gary Bunker. Aiken Polo Club has been proud of its history for a very long time. Since 1932, it has held re-creations of that first match every 25 years, with players dressed in Victorian costume and playing by archaic rules. But until recently, there was no official, state recognition of the club. That situation has been remedied. At the finals of the Aiken Women’s Challenge Cup on historic Whitney Field, the granddaughter, greatgranddaughters, and great-great granddaughters of Clarence Sutherland Wallace came from across the country for the dedication of a historic marker that now stands on Mead Avenue near the entrance to the field. The marker finally gives Aiken polo its due, and restores Wallace to his rightful place in history: “In 1882, the first polo match in S.C. took place in Aiken,” it says. “The sport’s introduction here was credited to Clarence S. Wallace of N.Y. He and other “Winter Colonists” soon after established Aiken as a national polo destination.”

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Steeplechase, which puts on Aiken’s best-attended equestrian event, has a new campaign called the Field of Dreams. The steeplechase recently moved to its greatly improved track, and the Aiken Steeplechase Association, a 501c3 charitable organization, is making sure that the venue is both an asset for the community, and an elegant and impressive place to hold horse races. The Field of Dreams campaign is an initiative to raise funds in order to build a number of permanent structures at the track. There will be naming opportunities available for any and all of the proposed buildings, which include a museum, an office, a conference center, a covered arena, stabling, an exercise track and various other amenities. The first of the permanent structures is already constructed, and already named. This is the James R. Stainbrook finish line tower, built by George Galvan’s Fences by George. Ground was broken for this project at the end of July, and it was completed in November, just in time for the Aiken Fall Steeplechase. If the design of the tower looks familiar, this is because it was modeled after a similar pavilion that Galvan’s company built last year at La Bourgogne Polo Club out in Wagener. Currently, there are only a few steeplechase horses training in Aiken, but it looks like that may change in the future. There are already some training hurdles at the center of the Aiken Training Track, as well as a few steeplechase horses that come down to that facility for the winter. Will the renewed energy around the sport attract more trainers and horses? It is certainly not out of the question, and Aiken was once a major steeplechasing destination. Time will tell. Whether or not Aiken will have a new population of steeplechase horses and trainers, investments in the new steeplechase track have already started to pay off. For instance, Aiken’s fall races have traditionally been held around Halloween. This year, however, the National Steeplechase Association awarded Aiken the final races of the season. This generally made for better sport because all of the top horses and riders in contention for year-end awards had to show up in a final bid for points and accolades.

The Aiken Horse

Three Runs Plantation Equestrian Properties | Aiken SC

1443 Quarry Pass

7681 Rembert Pl

Beautiful custom 4 bed / 3 bath home with many extra features. 10 acres & 4 Stall Barn, pastures $1,525,000

Light-filled & inviting 4/3 home on a quiet cul-de-sac. 5 acres, fenced, run-in shelter & room for a barn $998,000

~ Miriam Graybeal | REALTOR ~

561-603-5580 - AikenHorseProperty.com 14

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Cente

Windsor Tra

er spread, CDE

ace CDE

Photography by Gary Knoll

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

AIKEN’S NEWEST Upscale COMMUNITY

1-2 BEDROOM LUXURY APARTMENTS LOCATED IN THE VILLAGE AT WOODSIDE, FEATURING: Village Fitness Membership Walking & Biking Trails Green Spaces & Parks 6 Bocce Ball Courts Village Eateries Community Events Medical Offices Salon & Spa

CONVENIENT TO DOWNTOWN AIKEN, HITCHCOCK WOODS, & THE CITY’S HISTORIC EQUESTRIAN DISTRICT!

Connect With Us (803)-302-3283

info@VillageatWoodsideApartments.com www.VillageatWoodsideApartments.com 230 Village Green Blvd, Aiken SC, 29803

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

l u xu r i o u s acco m m o dat i o n s • awa r d -w i n n i n g r e s tau r a n t l o b by ba r • i n t i m at e s pa 100 COLLETON AVENUE SW | AIKEN, SC | 803.648.1898 | THEWILLCOX.COM

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Secret Lives of Horses is sponsored by Triple Crown Nutrition: Providing nutrition beyond compare.

Secret Lives of Horses Long Live Jubilee By Pam Gleason

ubilee, 33 years old, is a retired polo pony and former racehorse who was born in New Zealand. Today she lives in the “old horse” field on my farm outside of Aiken, which she shares with three other over-20 Thoroughbreds. Although she played polo into her 20s, she retired sound with legs that are remarkably clean. She is still energetic enough to canter around with her friends, and she still has enough mischief in her to nudge open the gate and escape if I forget to fasten the latch. She loves to go visit other horses on the farm, especially to flirt with my 7-year-old, 17.2 hand grey Thoroughbred, Bullwinkle. He likes her too: they sniff noses over the fence and squeal, and Jubilee tosses her long mane like a filly. For Jubilee, age is only a number. Jubilee was born in New Zealand on September 18, 1990. Her dam was a New Zealand racehorse named Itchy Palm and her sire was the imported British stallion Gay Apollo. Her breeder, listed as Miss L J Coburn, gave her bay filly the uncomfortable name of Itchy All Over – but we will just keep calling her Jubilee. Jubilee’s parents were not very good racehorses. Gay Apollo does not seem to have won many races, and Itchy Palm ran six times in three years but did not pick up a single check. Jubilee took after her parents: she raced twice in 1996, and she was unplaced both times. The last comment on her final race was “No hope.” And so Jubilee’s owner gave up on her as a racehorse, and one way or another, the horse ended up on the polo field. There her talents instantly became apparent. She might not have been a stakes-winner, but she was extremely quick and could produce bursts of sudden acceleration when necessary. She had lightning reflexes, and she was highly sensitive and smart, one of those horses who figures out the game, and seems capable of playing all by herself. By the end of the decade, Jubilee had made her way to Australia and was playing in the prestigious Ellerstina program near Melbourne – this was owned by the Australian billionaire media mogul Kerry Packer. At the time, Tiger Kneece, who is currently the manager of Aiken Polo Club, was playing for a team called Mirage, captained by Jonathan and Phoebe Ingram. The Ingrams were amateur players who lived in Massachusetts. Jonathan was originally from Australia, and during the fall of 1999, Jonathan and Tiger went to Melbourne to play. They were in the market for horses, and Tiger had been playing Jubilee, and he loved her, and recommended her as a horse for Phoebe. When Phoebe came down to Australia, she tried the horse, and agreed to buy her. Then Jubilee and two other recently-purchased Australian horses made the long trip back to the United States. “She was a lot of horse for me at that point in time,” said Phoebe. “So Tiger played her more than I did in the beginning. But after a few seasons, I had her and she was fabulous. She was my best horse. We called her ‘the cat’ because she was so athletic and lateral and easy. You could get in and out of any play. You could do anything on her: She was just amazing.” But Jubilee always had a strong personality, and was not the kind of horse who necessarily liked to be told what to do. At the beginning of the season when she was fresh, she could buck, and buck you off. She was so quick, she could just disappear out from under you. She took great offense at riders who got in the least bit unbalanced and she did not suffer fools gladly. “You know, she would tell you if you she didn’t like what you were doing,” continued Phoebe. “She would tell you if she thought you were wrong. When I was schooling her, she would shake her head and say, No, you haven’t got this right. She did have an attitude. But when she got into a game, she was all business and she was brilliant.” Jubilee played with Phoebe in Florida and Massachusetts, and around 2004, she started playing with Phoebe’s son Alex. Alex attended Saint

December-January 2023-2024

Andrews School in Boca Raton, Florida, and he would have her down in Florida to play during the winters. In the summers, Jubilee came back to Massachusetts to play at Myopia Polo Club in Hamilton, on Boston’s North Shore. Alex, like Phoebe, loved the horse and counted on her for his best chukkers. In 2008, the Ingrams got out of polo. Jubilee came to Aiken where she was turned out with Jill Diaz at her farm, Estancia La Victoria. Jill had been the polo manager at Mirage for many years and she knew Jubilee well. The horse, now 18, was still sound, healthy and playable, but Phoebe was hesitant to try to sell her because she wanted to ensure her best horse had a good future. However, Jubilee seemed wasted out in the field doing nothing, and so Jill had her in work, and was hoping to find someone to take her on. In 2010, I was playing polo at Aiken Polo Club and my best horse, also 20 years old, pulled a muscle and had to retire at the beginning of what would have been his final season. Jill suggested that I take Jubilee instead, and I did, and ended up playing her for most of that spring. She was fast, quick and light, and we got along perfectly. I found her to be the consummate professional, a horse that knew the rules of the game at least as well as I did. I remember once arguing with her about whether or not I really had to take a shot on the more difficult near side. I said no, and she said yes, and her opinion prevailed. She was strikingly dignified, never making a fuss about anything, never misbehaving on the ground or moving a foot when I hosed her off after a ride. I played her a little bit in the fall, and then decided it was time for her to retire. After such a long and successful career, I wanted her to go out on top and in good health. I could have given her back to Jill Diaz, but instead, I decided to keep her at my farm and spoil her. She was close friends with one of my other retired polo ponies and she was no trouble at all.

The Aiken Horse

That was 13 years ago. Jubilee has now spent more time with me than with anyone else in her life. She has already outlived three younger companions in the old horse field, and her pasture mates today are at least 10 years her junior. Today, her back has a pronounced sway, and she seems smaller than when she was in her prime. Her coat is sprinkled with grey, and this spring she unexpectedly developed a streak of pure white hair in her mane. I have to soak all her feed and she eats alfalfa pellet mash instead of hay because her teeth are not wonderful. She does not see very well in the dark, and sometimes she appears to be lost in another world for long moments. She is a very old horse.

But there are also times when she forgets that – on that first cool day of fall, or a warm spring-like spell in the middle of a gloomy winter week. On those days, I have seen her enjoy outbursts of exuberance, cantering in the field, stopping and snorting with her head held high and with a certain light and clarity in her eyes. Does she remember when she was young and sleek, leaving the other horses in her dust? Does she dream of the fields she galloped across, the many places she has been, the horses and the people of her youth? In her mind, is she still that fabulous horse, the cat-like queen of the polo field? I like to think so. I know that she still is that horse to me.

Identifying a Thoroughbred from Down Under

Registered Thoroughbreds from Australia and New Zealand can be identified by the freeze brands that they sport on their left and right shoulders. Like the lip tattoos that were used on American Thoroughbreds until 2020, the freeze brands are primarily a way to ensure that horses entered in races are actually the animals they are claimed to be. The systems employed to derive a Down Under freeze brand and an American Thoroughbred lip tattoo are quite different. American Thoroughbreds have tattoos that begin with a letter followed by either four or five numbers. Every Thoroughbred born in a particular year has the same letter at the beginning of his tattoo, and the letters cycle through the alphabet: 2016 is T, 2017 is U and so on. The only exception to this is that horses born in another country and imported into the United States have an asterisk in place of the initial letter. Starting in 2017, horses also have had a microchip implanted in their necks, and as of 2020, lip tattoos have been discontinued, leaving the microchip as the American Thoroughbred’s only means of permanent identification. In Australia and New Zealand, the large breeding farms have their own registered symbol or set of initials that is branded onto the left shoulder. This mark is called the cypher brand. Smaller or private breeders who have a foal or two per year often don’t have their own cypher, in which case they will use the cypher that is registered to their veterinarian. This was the case with Jubilee: she had the initials GC on her left shoulder, which is the mark registered to the veterinarian Graham Carthew, now retired, who founded the Vets on Riverbank in Otaki, New Zealand. In addition to the cypher brand on the left shoulder, Australian and New Zealand horses have a set of numbers on their right shoulders. The bottom number is the last digit of the year they were born: in other words, a horse with a 0 could be born in 1990 (like Jubilee) in 2000, in 2010 or 2020. The top number indicates the foal’s “drop” number: Jubilee has a 48, which means that she was the 48th foal that Graham Carthew branded in 1990. The breeding farms and veterinarians maintain their own records, and send them to the central registry: The Australian Thoroughbred Stud Book or New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. All Thoroughbreds in Australia and New Zealand are also microchipped: this began for foals born in 2003 in Australia and in 2004 in New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand are a long way away, but a fair number of OTTBs from those countries do end up competing in America in various disciplines, most especially in eventing and polo. Famous examples include Boyd Martin’s Neville Bardos, the Australian former racehorse who was named the USEF Horse of the Year in 2011 – look closely at pictures of him, and you will see the renowned Woodlands Stud emblem on his left shoulder, with the numbers 160 over 9 (for 1999) on his right shoulder. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing is especially committed to the welfare of horses after the track, and the registry has a form on their website allowing you to submit freeze brand information. If they have the horse in their registry they will send you the name, pedigree and racing information for free. The Australian Studbook makes this process more opaque, but they will also do brand research for you – many of their studbook services have a fee and the listed fee for brand research is $75. Visit studbook.org.au (Australian Studbook) or nztr.co.nz (New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing.)

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Historic Aiken

Aiken Gun Club Repurposed By Pam Gleason

n the spring of 1902, Center Hitchcock and his friend Edward L. Smith filed papers with the State of South Carolina to establish the Aiken Gun Club. The stated purpose was “To enter into all manly sports and pastimes, and especially shooting, and such enjoyments as are connected therewith.” Center Hitchcock was the president, with Smith serving as secretary and treasurer. Center Hitchcock (1856-1908) was the eldest of three sons born to Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. and Marie Louise Center in New York City. He and his younger brothers Thomas, Jr. and Francis were avid sportsmen who enjoyed horse racing, polo, foxhunting, golf and shooting. Thomas Jr. married Louise Eustis in 1891, and the two have been credited as the founders of the Aiken Winter Colony, encouraging all their friends to spend the colder months with them in the South, during the early part of the 20th century. The elder Thomas Hitchcock had made a fortune on the stock market. Consequently, the three sons had vast wealth and were raised to be members of the leisure class. Center, who never married, often appeared in newspaper columns with titles such as “Life in the Smart Set” and “Current Club News.” “Center Hitchcock . . .is now one of the few of the old guard of dancing bachelors left free from the snares of matrimony,” wrote one social columnist. “. . . He is considered simply irresistible in his hunting togs, and at the Horse Show always dresses in the extreme of London fashion. Everyone is waiting with expectancy for this coming week to see what he will wear.” The Aiken Gun Club had its own clubhouse and shooting range at the outskirts of Aiken’s historic district. The club became highly popular among members of the Winter Colony during the era when a day in Aiken was not complete unless a colonist had participated in at least three different sports. Shooting was a favorite and many members of the colony enthusiastically pursued quail and doves at various locations, killing vast numbers of birds on every shoot. The Aiken Gun Club was created specifically to shoot pigeons, which were brought in by the thousands and released from traps for the club members to shoot at. Everyone was not equally impressed: “ . . Ten thousand pigeons have been shipped to Aiken, S.C. to furnish targets for members of the Aiken Gun Club,” informed a 1902 article in the Newmarket-Richmond Enquirer. “It seems a terrible commentary on the rich and idle that those who have the money and opportunity to enjoy themselves, and leave the cold and discomfort of the North for the beauties of such a spot as Aiken, should not be able to occupy themselves in any more humane way than by such wholesale butchery.” The gun club was constructed with the comfort of its members in mind. The clubhouse included lockers for guns, a bar and a changing room for women. There was also a specially constructed outbuilding to be used in inclement weather. This building overlooked the shooting range and had large windows that could be opened fully so that the marksmen could stay indoors while shooting at pigeons as they flew by through the rain. There were regular contests at the club that awarded the winners valuable silver cups as well as large cash prizes – one purse from the first decade of the 20th century was said to be $300, which would be the equivalent of around $10,000 today. Although the club was formed for “manly pursuits” women shot at the Aiken Gun Club too, and there were even cups awarded for “ladies versus gentlemen” shooting tournaments. The Aiken Gun Club was in operation until World War II, and even for a time afterward. But in the 1950s when the Savannah River plant (known as the

The Aiken Horse

bomb plant because of its involvement in making nuclear weapons) came to Aiken, the winter colony began to change. Shooting at the club was eventually halted after housing developments were constructed in the neighborhood and the residents complained. The property was owned by Dunbar Bostwick for a time, who had constructed the nearby trotting track in the 1940s. Then in the 1970s, Dunbar’s brother Pete bought it. “He didn’t buy it as a gun club; he bought it because he wanted to use it for horse shows,” said Kiki Murphy, who is the current owner of the property. “But both his horse shows got rained out with torrential rain, and all the horse trailers got stuck in the mud. Pete got tractors and pulled everyone out and then immediately put the property on the market.” Kiki Murphy purchased the Aiken Gun Club in 1977. At the time, Aiken was slowly becoming popular again, and various people were buying the old historic properties and renovating them. Several of these investors had looked at the gun club, but decided it would be too costly to fix. Kiki had been visiting her mother, who had moved to Aiken from Miami; she saw a real estate flier about the gun club, and decided to check it out. “I looked at it, and said ‘Home,’” she said. “But it was in terrible shape. Just terrible. Because it hadn’t been used in a long time, and it was never meant to be a house. It wasn’t winterized and the plumbing was not good. My mother was horrified.” But Kiki Murphy was undeterred and set about renovating the structures, creating an addition, and turning the historic clubhouse into a comfortable place to live. She converted the shooting cabin into a guest house, and planted a garden where the marksmen once stood to aim at pigeons: it still has marker stones that denote how many feet the shooter is from the traps where the pigeons were released. Kiki was drawn to the gun club because she is fascinated by history, especially the history of Aiken. For decades she has been a driving force to keep history alive in the city and to ensure that the old traditions are not forgotten. A former master of the Aiken Hounds, in the 1970s she worked with Gail King to revive the Aiken Horse Show in the Hitchcock Woods. In the 1980s, she was a leader in the successful drive to keep the Willcox hotel from being demolished by the City of Aiken. This November, Kiki’s daughter Hope Blalock and her fiancé Zachary Pallis came to Aiken from New York to be married. The couple chose the gun club for their wedding. Hope, who is the director of an art gallery in Manhattan, inherited her mother’s reverence for the past, and felt a deep connection to the place where she grew up. “Places like this, that have a history, are what makes Aiken different from anywhere else,” she said. “We never really considered getting married any place else.” Above left: Center Hitchcock seated, with members of the gun club. Below: Hope Blalock and Zachary Pallis wedding, Cortney Price Photography

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Now Available

Offered through New Bridge Realty

Contact Raza Kazmi, 888-4NB-POLO, info@newbridgepolo.com

Woodland Farm: $1,200,000

Lauren Circle: $80,000

Woodland Farm is situated on 18 acres in the heart of New Bridge Polo Club on Paloma Lane. The stable boasts 16 matted stalls with indoor wash stall, tack and Dove Cottage: $565,000 La Promesa: $925,000 feed rooms, groom’s quarters Dove Cottage sits atop a scenic La Promesa consists of 12 + with en-suite, horse laundry ridge providing unobstructcted tranquil acres on Petaca Lane and ample storage. Lovely owner’s apartment with updated providing ultimate privacy within views of serene horse pastures which surround the 7-acre parcel. kitchen, bathrooms and open floor the gated polo club. This This 2 bed/2-bath cottage, which plan living and dining rooms. Ten one-of-a-kind pastoral property lush, green paddocks for turnout also offers direct access through was completed in 2022, features lovely rear and front porches, a private, gated entry off New with mature shade trees. This farm is a unique property that is Bridge Road. A charming 8-stall vaulted ceilings, hardwood barn, studio apartment, paddocks, floors, granite countertops, and centrally located to all club white plantation shutters with amenities, including Field #1, the round pen, rich pastures with clubhouse, pool, tennis court, and beautiful, shady live oaks make Board and Batten Hardi Panel exercise track. Ready for you and this farm a turnkey, idyllic haven. siding. Gated property, perimeter fenced with several paddocks Conveniently walking distance your horses to call home, this to all club amenities. A must see! ready for horses. Ample room gem won’t last long, so hurry! for barn and riding ring.

D L SO

December-January 2023-2024

D L SO

Lot 3B is 1.2 acres next to newly built homes. Lovely, level lot with scenic views of polo fields 4 & 5.

SPRING POLO SCHEDULE Club Championship 8 Goal April 19 - May 5 Tommy Hitchcock Memorial 8 Goal May 6 - 26 Pete Bostwick Memorial 8 Goal May 29 - June 16 Louise Hitchcock Women’s 8-14 Goal May 27 - June 9 New Bridge Arena International May 25 New Bridge Arena Invitational June 8 newbridgepolo.com

The Aiken Horse

AIKEN OUTREACH "All Means All" MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE STUDENT AT A TIME Our mission is to provide Aiken County high school students who cannot otherwise aﬀord certain additional academic expenses – such as sports equipment, school trips, graduation, or prom expenses – with the necessary funding. We see this as a simple moment between student and teacher, handled swiftly and discreetly, fostering inclusion and conﬁdence. You can donate now at aikenoutreach.com. Your contribution enriches the lives of our community's teens! Connect with us

@aikenoutreach

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Director of Operations Philip Fisher & Executive Chef Paige Harden

Park Avenue Oyster Bar

Seafood with an Equestrian Connection By Pam Gleason

f you ever wished that Aiken had its own first class, Charlestonstyle seafood restaurant, your wish has finally been granted. The Park Avenue Oyster Bar and Grill opened last spring in the building that formerly housed Betsy’s Around the Corner restaurant, 224 Park Avenue SW, half a block from Laurens Street in downtown Aiken. The restaurant, which is open seven days a week, features oysters (obviously) and a sophisticated menu of other seafood as well as steak, chicken and pork dishes for dinner, and chicken and burgers for lunch. There are vegetarian options, a drink menu with a selection of wines, beers and cocktails, and for those that get hungry in the afternoon, Happy Hour from 3-6 with a “condensed menu” and great prices on everything. On top of this, the restaurant has significant equestrian connections, as well as a commitment to supporting Aiken’s horse community. Park Avenue Oyster Bar provided the catering at Aiken Polo Club’s social pavilion every Sunday this fall, and has committed to doing that again in the spring. The restaurant sponsored a party at November’s Split Rock Aiken CCI** show jumping event at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park; it has a jump at the Equus Events horse shows, and will be a sponsor of the $100,000 Conceal Eventing Showcase at the horse park in March. The director of operations and co-owner Philip Fisher lives on a farm in Wagener along with his four Marsh Tacky horses, and the principal owner, Richard Stoney, who is from the Charleston area, is a polo enthusiast who has played in Aiken off and on for decades. The establishment’s logo pretty much says it all: it shows a pair of oysters with an oyster knife and napkin along with a crossed polo mallet and hunting whip. It can be difficult for new restaurants to thrive, especially in a place like Aiken where the demand fluctuates so much with the seasons. Fall, spring, and especially winter are hopping with activity when the equestrian and golf population swells, while summer can be slow, sometimes devastatingly so. But Park Avenue Oyster Bar has some significant advantages. One is that the restaurant owns its building. The other is that it is run by a team with a long and successful track record in the restaurant business. Richard Stoney already has a number of

The Aiken Horse

extremely popular restaurants in Charleston, while Philip Fisher is an entrepreneur who formerly ran his own restaurant in that city. Philip says that he sold his restaurant several years ago in order to pursue some other opportunities out of state and to live a quieter life. That was when he bought his farm in Wagener, and took up some other businesses, almost by accident, such as building fences on horse farms. When Richard Stoney’s group decided to buy the building in Aiken to open the oyster bar, they reached out to him to ask if he would like to be involved. At first he said no, but then agreed to come back for just 30 days. “And I realized that I love it,” he said. “That part of me that I thought was gone, it came right back. I love the connection that you have with people, and that a restaurant like this is somewhere people go to celebrate and have a good time. It’s so much fun. And I like the problem-solving aspect of it, too. There’s always something to figure out, and it’s diverse things, too. It’s not the same every day.” In addition to the restaurant downstairs, Park Avenue also has an upstairs event space that can be rented out by larger groups, and in 2024 they are expecting to expand their catering business as well. The restaurant’s executive chef, Paige Harden, was formerly the pastry chef at Betsy’s Around the Corner (the entire staff of that restaurant was offered a job at the oyster bar) and, after mentoring with a seafood chef from Charleston, she has come into her own and done a phenomenal job, according to Philip. Although the restaurant offers a sophisticated menu that appeals to a cosmopolitan crowd that has eaten at great restaurants around the world, it is neither pretentious nor overly expensive. “I don’t care how much money you have,” said Philip. “No one wants to pay too much for their meal.” “Our reception in Aiken has been really good,” he continued. “What we’d like to do is provide a great experience, not just with service and food, but with hospitality, because there is a difference between service and hospitality. When you go to a restaurant, you should feel welcomed, you should be thanked for coming in. We hope to provide a beautiful space with amazing food, great service and warm hospitality. That’s what I hope is going to set us apart.” Park Avenue Oyster Bar and Grill is located at 224 Park Avenue, Aiken, South Carolina. parkaveoysterbar.com

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

AIKEN HORSE Bridle Creek 102122.qxp_Layout 1 10/24/22 8:12 AM Page 2

developed with lots of imagination and plenty of Horse sense.

BRIDLE CREEK EQUESTR I AN COMMUN I T Y

From the developer of Three Runs Plantation comes another wonderful equestrian neighborhood in Aiken, South Carolina. Bridle Creek meanders across 1,000 wooded acres, featuring ve-acre lots and larger. Amenities include a dressage arena, jump arena, X-Country Schooling area and an activity center with meeting, social and tness space. All this plus miles of scenic trails. Now selling in Phase Three. Inquire today by calling 1-888-297-8881 or email info@bridlecreekaiken.com 1,000 Acres • Miles of groomed and marked trails • Jump arena • Dressage arena with mirrors • X-Country schooling area Activity/Fitness Center • Homesites from 5+ acres • From the developer of Three Runs Plantation HOMESITES INDIVIDUALLY PRICED • DEVELOPER FINANCING AVAILABLE • BRIDLECREEKAIKEN.COM Marketed by The Carolina Real Estate Company, Aiken, SC. Plans and prices subject to change without notice. This does not constitute an offer in any state where prohibited by law. No time requirement to begin construction.

Inside 36 42 46 48 52 54 58

Julio Mendoza Kirsten Coe Next Decade at Stable View Hunter/Jumper Academy Diamond K Clinic Tina Konyot Dressage Whitethorne in Aiken

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Julio Mendoza Secures Spot for Paris Olympics

First Dressage Gold Medal for Ecuador at Pan Am Games Story by Amber Heintzberger; Photography by Cara Grimshaw/Equerry co.

his October, Julio Mendoza’s years of dedication paid off when he and the Dutch-bred gelding Jewel’s Goldstrike (by Bretton Woods x Scandi) won Ecuador’s first dressage gold medal in the 72-year history of the Pan American Games. Together the pair produced an unbeatable freestyle score of 87.230 that earned not only an individual gold medal, but a spot at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Julio, who lives in the Tryon area with his wife Jessica, often comes to Aiken to compete and to conduct clinics. Although this was Julio’s third Pan Am Games and he also represented Ecuador at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, it was his first medal. It has taken time to develop his horse Goldie into a champion. Julio purchased the 2011 gelding from Eliane Cordia-van Reesema of Jewel Court Stud, and he explained that working with the horse’s nature rather than against it was the key to their success. “When I got Goldie five years ago he was very cheeky; this is what I love about him,” said Julio. “He’s a working beast, he loves to work. For me though, what changed his program, what changed his life, is the turnout: he’s out 24/7 and that’s what he likes and I respect that. If he is happy, I’m happy.” Growing up in rural Ecuador, Julio, now 44 years old, developed a passion for horses at a young age. He learned from his grandfather, who was raised in Spain and had a background in dressage. As a child and later as a young man, Julio took every opportunity to ride and learn about horses. “I was 17 when my grandfather passed away,” said Julio. “He was my everything, and he taught me everything I know about horses. He taught me that everybody can ride the horse’s brain but if you feel the heart you have a great partnership. I feel like that’s why I have a special relationship with Goldie. I spend time in the field just talking to him; it’s very special.” Jessica said that traveling to the Pan Ams, which were in Chile this year, was a good learning experience both for her and for Julio. “I feel like every time we do these shows I learn a lot. It’s always a challenge when you travel out of the country; you can only bring so much, so you really have to pack your trunks very thoughtfully. “Everything went well,” she continued. “The show was well organized, the stabling was beautiful, and the footing was good. We were pleasantly surprised at how well it was run and organized. We’d never been to Chile and the people were very friendly and welcoming.”

The Carolina Connection

Julio and his wife Jessica, 36, met in Ecuador when they were both working with horses, and he said that it was love at first sight. Eighteen years later they are married and raising three children, and they have established a successful teaching and training business in Columbus, North Carolina. They moved to the United States in 2007, initially to the Washington, DC area, and then to the Carolinas in 2016. Jessica, a lifelong horsewoman originally from Ohio, took some time off from riding to focus on raising kids, but she recently started riding seriously again. She also handles the day-to-day aspects of running the farm. “I enjoy the horse care aspect; I do the scheduling and deal with customers and clients and order supplies and whatnot. I’m really involved in horse care and traveling with Julio to shows,” she said. They have a 20-acre farm bordering the Collinsville Equestrian Trail Association (CETA) trail system, and Jessica said that they love that they can take people off their farm and ride for hours. They also have a covered arena and a new outdoor arena. Most of their property is in pasture and the horses spend most of their time turned out. “They get to be horses,” she said. “We live right on the farm and we love that because we don’t have to commute, and our assistant trainer, Cait Kincaid, also lives on the farm.” Their older son Mateo works as their head groom and also rides and competes in dressage. Their younger son Justin also enjoys horses and working on the farm, and their daughter Francis is studying nursing in college.

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Julio said, “We are blessed that our three children are driven to do what they want to do. It’s really good to see them grow, to be good young men and a super young lady.”

South American Roots

Recalling his childhood in Ecuador, where the horses on his grandfather’s farm were mainly cow horses, Julio recounted that when he was a small child, he once saddled up and rode a pig because he was jealous of his cousins who were out for a trail ride. “It was my grandfather’s pig and I got in a lot of trouble!” he laughed. Later, he graduated to a little donkey. When he was growing up, his family didn’t have a lot of money, but he rode a horse an hour each way to school and back. He said he imagined that he was training the old, somewhat broken-down horse. And when his family moved to the city of Quito, his passion for horses got him in trouble again when he climbed a military fence to sneak a ride on one of their horses. Eventually, impressed by his determination to ride, the colonel there agreed to give Julio riding lessons in the afternoons, in exchange for cleaning stalls every morning before school. Julio said that all of the years of hard work and devotion to learning everything he could about horses have been worth it. “It’s a dream coming true: wow, what a horse I have,” he said. “To have that success, he is a king. The entire family, the sponsors, the team here on the farm – everyone is part of our success.”

done!” She acknowledged, “It’s going to be a big financial undertaking but we’re going to give it our best shot. There’s an Olympic Committee for Ecuador, and they do help with a monthly stipend. It’s not a lot but it helps. Usually they help us pay for the flight which is one of the biggest expenses.” The local horse community is also coming together, organizing a fundraiser at the Tryon Equestrian Center with dinner and a silent auction. Comedian and horsewoman Pam Stone is acting as emcee. “I think it’s going to cost several hundred thousand dollars for us to go to Europe for a few months to train and show,” said Jessica. “We’re trying to fundraise so that we don’t have to sell our other horses. The community has been very supportive; people are doing whatever they can to help out. I just love our community and all the surrounding communities. It’s really awesome.”

A Passion for Teaching

Jessica said that over time, they have shifted their business from having a lot of training horses to just a select few, with Julio teaching more lessons. “He’s always said if he had to give up one or the other, he’d

Preparing for the Olympics

Julio, now 13th on the FEI World Rankings, is making plans to compete at the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024. In order for Julio and Goldie to get more exposure to the top judges in the world, Julio and Jessica plan to travel to Europe a couple of months in advance to train and compete in Germany and the Netherlands. “To be honest I’m a little nervous to go to Europe - we’ve never been,” said Julio. “I also want to go give myself more experience so that I can share that with my students. We will be based at a farm in Belgium and I’ll be able to work with my longtime coach, David Hunt, in person.” (They currently do virtual lessons three times a week, since Hunt is based in the UK.) “David is my mentor and my coach,” said Julio. “At this point in my life we are friends, and he knows how he wants me to train. To get to this level he really pushes me to get better and he understands the horse and his training program. He always explains what the judges want to see, where we can afford a mistake or not. I’m very grateful and glad to have David on my side.” Ideally, Goldie will be in top shape for Paris, but Julio has another upper-level dressage horse that he’s trained since it was young, Baylen Dream TWF, owned in partnership with Allison Head of Aiken. “He’s the kind of horse that can get mega scores,” said Jessica. “I think he needs more time to develop, but we could potentially use him as a backup horse.” “It’s so much hard work to get to this point, it kind of doesn’t feel real,” Jessica continued. “But we’re also excited that we can plan for it. We know he’s gotten that spot [on the team]. . . .in that way, we’re kind of lucky; we don’t have to go through a selection trial. Now it’s keeping everyone happy and healthy and fit, which is sometimes easier said than

The Aiken Horse

choose teaching,” she said. Julio agreed, “When I see the lightbulb moment in my students, or I see they are struggling with something and then we talk and discuss the problems and I teach them how to ride better, it makes me so happy! When I’m teaching a lesson, I’m teaching my students not to be just riders; they are learning to be trainers, because they need to understand, so they can produce at home what they learn in the clinics.” Julio travels often to teach - including regular trips to Aiken - and also teaches online as well as at home at their farm. He said, “When you are training a horse you have to have so much patience; you can have all the passion in the world but if you don’t have patience, you can’t explain what you need to. I tell my students, I don’t want to just teach you what you can read in a book; I want to teach you the philosophy behind training a horse.” Julio sums up his horse training philosophy: “I ride every horse for appreciation, not for expectation. Sometimes if you ride for expectation you lose sight of what you feel for each horse. The horses are not a machine; they’re not a tractor a computer. If they break you can’t just go buy another one. When you break a horse, you break their heart, because they try too hard for us. That’s how I try to train my horse: in every ride, I appreciate how much he tries.” For more information or to donate to help Julio and Goldie get to Paris, visit medozadressage.com or follow Mendoza Dressage on Facebook.

December-January 2023-2024

Adams Horse Supplies

HAS 1000’S OF BLANKETS IN STOCK!

WE SPECIALIZE IN BLANKETS FROM

Amigo Bravo 12 Plus

Amigo Bravo Wug (High Neck)

Light weight (no fill) Retail: $239.95 | Adams: $184.99 100 gram (perfect for southern winters) Retail: $249.95 | Adams: $189.99 250 gram Retail: 259.95 | Adams: $189.99

Light weight (no fill) Retail: $199.95 | Adams: $129.99 100 gram (perfect for southern winters) Retail: $209.95 | Adams: $145.99 250 gram Retail: 219.95 | Adams: $145.99

Save Big on Amigo Bravo 12 Turnouts in Adams Exclusive Colors

Shop online 24/7: www.AdamsHorseSupply.com

Visit our store: 119 Bolton Ct. Aiken, SC 29803

THE NEXT STEP iN FOOTiNG

Park Place Polo II, Aiken, SC If you can dream it, we can build it. Clint Bertalan of CB Arenas ~ Professional Design And Installation Of Arenas And Footing

973-222-1668 | CBARENAS.CO December-January 2023-2024

ARENAS

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Helping you create

Ultimate Equine Partnerships

Bitless, Bridle-less & Beyond

TheHorsemanshipAcademy.com December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Kirsten Coe of Red Top Farm International Rider Now Based in Aiken By Pam Gleason

irsten Coe, a professional hunter/jumper rider and trainer, was practically born in the saddle. The daughter of the renowned professional horsewomen, DiAnn Langer, she was raised in California where her mother ran Langtree, a large and successful show stable at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. When Kirsten was still a junior, she came East to train with some of the top horsemen in the business on the way to establishing a career that saw her named to eight Nations Cup teams and four World Cup finals. Her resume includes five-star wins in Canada, Europe and the United States, and she has a wealth of experience that informs her training and sales business. Until recently, she was based in Del Mar, California, but about a year ago she relocated to her family’s Red Top Farm in Johnston, about 20 minutes north of Aiken. “I’ve been coming in and out of this area ever since we had the farm here, but this is the first full year I’ve been here,” she said. “It’s been really nice to be here, especially after being in California for so long, where it is so urban. Here it’s very horse-centric, and it is nice to have all the space for the horses.” Red Top Farm occupies 100 acres with plentiful paddocks and pastures, stables, a sand arena and a grass jumping field. For the past decade, DiAnn Langer has been operating a breeding program at the farm, tailored to producing talented horses for upper-level competition

in the hunter and jumper arenas. Now that Kirsten has come to Aiken fulltime, the focus of the farm has changed. Red Top is getting out of the breeding business and will instead devote itself to developing, training and selling hunters and showjumpers, as well as training clients. Although many of the horses that DiAnn bred at Red Top have already been sold, others are still on the farm and form the basis for Kirsten’s competitive string. “Most of the horses I have right now came through our breeding program,” she said, noting that the youngest horses from that program are now 2-year-olds. The horse she is most excited about is Greene Street ETC, a 7-year-old stallion who is the son Emerald out of C’est Bon, one of her top horses – she actually competed both mother and son this fall at the Aiken Split Rock CCI** show held at the Aiken Horse Park. Her goal is to continue to produce competition horses, both for herself and to sell to other people, as well as to offer her

The Aiken Horse

training services to the Aiken equestrian community. To that end, she and her mother are expanding the facility, adding more stabling and riding areas. “We have room to grow,” she said. “And with our expansion, we can open the doors to more than just my sport horses. It makes sense to open up our doors and pass on the knowledge and expertise we have gained to other people.” And that expertise is certainly extensive. DiAnn, who is the USEF Showjumping Youth Chef d’Equipe, is an “R” judge who has trained multiple champion hunters, jumpers and equitation riders. Kirsten, who describes her equestrian background as well-rounded, had a successful junior career in equitation and hunters, and spent her final junior year riding with the highly respected trainer Andre Dignelli at Heritage Farm in New York. She won the USET Finals West at age 15 and earned the Reserve Championship at the USEF Medal Finals in Harrisburg. As an adult, she returned to Heritage Farm as an assistant trainer and had the chance to ride and show both hunters and jumpers. She got her first taste of international competition when she was selected to the winning USEF Nations Cup team held in Argentina. While riding for Heritage Farm, she also won the World Hunter Rider Championship Professional Challenge at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Washington, DC. After about five years with Andre Dignelli, Kirsten struck out on her own, riding, showing and training in New York, California and Florida with trips to shows across the country and around the world. Because she understands the importance of giving back, she has volunteered her time as a clinician or team chef to the USHJA Gold Star Clinics for five years. These are four days of mounted and unmounted instruction for top riders in the USHJA Emerging Jumper Rider Program. Now that she has settled in Aiken, Kirsten expects to do more showing in this area, but also plans to continue competing on the Florida and Midwest circuits in the winter and summer respectively. “Aiken is really good for the young horses we are developing,” she said. “It’s been really easy to show them because you have a lot of facilities nearby so it’s easy to put them on a trailer and go show for a day. That’s a bit more like being in Europe, where it’s easy to take a horse out to get some experience, as opposed to being in California where you are traveling nonstop.” In addition, Kirsten appreciates Aiken’s central location on the East Coast, just a day’s trailer ride from Florida and Kentucky, and not more than two days from the Michigan show circuit. “Michigan is 15 or 16 hours, but it doesn’t seem like it is that far,” she said, “While if you’re in Del Mar, going to Northern California feels like driving across the country.” Overall, however, Kirsten appreciates Aiken because it is good for the horses, especially at a place like Red Top Farm with its quiet atmosphere and its ample turnout and riding areas. Although her family background may have predisposed her to becoming an equestrian professional, she ultimately pursued her career because she is devoted to horses. “I love working with the horses,” she said. “I love seeing them develop, especially through what we’ve been doing over the years; seeing them from when they’re born, and watching them step up to the divisions they should be in. With the 5- and 6-year-olds you can only do so much, but now we have some who are 7, 8 and 9, and I know I have a nice, nice group of horses to compete on. Seeing them go from babies to actually jumping a proper-sized class and competing internationally? It’s just really, really special.”

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

A 501c3 Non-Profit Organization, not state funded

I-20 Exit 101 Camden SC

scequinepark.com

443 Cleveland School Rd Camden SC 29020 Mailing Address

Your Camden Showgrounds

P O Box 2174 Camden SC 29020

I-20 Exit 101

288 STALLS WITH RUBBER MATS, 3 EXHIBIT RINGS WITH STATE OF THE ART FOOTING, 2 COVERED ARENAS, FANS, CATTLE PENS, GENEROUS SPACE FOR LUNGEING AND SCHOOLING, VENDOR AREA

Please Consider Us In Your Charitable Giving Help Us Keep The Park Moving Forward! Name A Stall or Become a Park Sponsor with Signage & more! Email flinntamara@gmail.com for details

Scan the QR Code or visit scequinepark.com to Donate Online

Dates Subject to Change

December 1-3 SCHJA Palmetto Finals February 8-11 SCQHA - VRH Cattle Classic February 23-24 IEA Region 4 Finals March 1-3 SCQHA - Southern Gold Classic March 22-24 Camden Spring Classic I Please contact your Show Manager with questions about their event

Winter Schooling January 1 - March 31 For Booking Information or Schooling Appointment contact Leon Rembert email camdenhorseshows@gmail.com or 803-229-0057

We Look Forward To Seeing You Ringside!

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

2024 Plans

December we will be preparing Cross-Country with Noll Smith, our designer and looking forward to our first 2024 Horse Trials Check www.sportingdaysfarm.com for info and prize lists Sat Jan 6

USEF/USEA Horse Trials Sun XC School

Tues Apr 2

Schooling Show Dressage CT TOT X Rails & Up Ribbons USEF/USEA Horse Trials XC School

Schooling Show Dressage CT TOT Dressage X Rails & Up Ribbons Sat Feb 3-4 USEF/USEA Horse Trials Thurs/Fri Feb 8-9 Apple Days Sun Mar 3 USEF/USEA Horse Trials Thurs/Fri Mar 7-8 Apple Days 3 Phase

Sat Apr 20 Sun Apr 21

Sat Apr 28

The Cookout at the Water Jump at 6:00pm Bring a Covered Dish and BYOB

Tues Mar 12

Sat

May 4

Schooling Show Dressage CT TOT X Rails & Up Ribbons

Sat

June 29

Schooling Show Dressage CT TOT X Rails & Up Ribbons

Sat

Jan 13

Thurs/Fri Tues Mar 19

Schooling Show Dressage CT TOT X Rail & Up Ribbons Mar 21-22 Apple Days 3 Phase Schooling Show Dressage CT TOT X Rails & Up Ribbons

Sat

Apr 28

Schooling Show Dressage CT TOT X Rails & Up Ribbons

Look for further activities on our Website and Facebook

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Next Decade

Stable View Keeps Innovating By Pam Gleason

hirteen years after its founding, Stable View is continuing to improve and expand. The 1000-acre equestrian facility, nature reserve and event space about 20 minutes north of downtown Aiken was established in 2010 by its owners and managers, Barry and Cyndy Olliff. Over the years, the facility went from being Aiken’s newest eventing venue to holding over 40 different happenings a year, including competitions in multiple equestrian disciplines, horse sales, clinics, trail runs, yoga retreats, weddings and more. The facility features three levels of cross country course, six arenas (one of them under cover) multiple barns, one of which has been converted into apartments, rider lounges, a spectacular pavilion and enough housing for 75 people. This year the facility will add two more amenities. One is an additional arena specifically for hunter shows. This ring will be adjacent to the existing jumper arena near the covered arena. The second is the new Healing Arts Studio, which will have yoga classes and retreats, as well as meditation, massage, aromatherapy and the like. The construction crew broke ground on the building in November. “You have to constantly improve,” said Barry Olliff. “You have to meet the needs of the clients to remain relevant.” The new arena will make Stable View’s hunter/jumper shows more convenient for riders and trainers who might have horses showing in both divisions. Hunter/Jumper shows are Stable View’s most recent addition to the equestrian calendar, and they have yet to reach the level of popularity enjoyed by the facility’s eventing and dressage competitions. The Olliffs hope that this new arena will help attract more exhibitors to their recognized show series, which offers classes at all levels, as well as significant prize money. When it is completed, the Healing Arts studio will allow Stable View to expand activities that are already offered at the facility, where there have been regular yoga classes since early 2023. The classes and therapies offered at the studio will not be specifically geared towards equestrians, although of course horse people are welcome to participate. Instead, they will be a way to make Stable View accessible and inviting to area residents. “There is nothing like this north of Aiken,” said Barry. “There has been massive growth in this area, but if people want to get these kinds of services they have to go to Aiken or South Aiken.” Other new non-equestrian activities at Stable View include trail running events. Stable View held its inaugural Aiken Trailblazers races on November 11, with 10k and 5k divisions along with a 1k kids’ fun run. The race director, Victoria Seahorn, who is the executive director of Marathon Majic in Decatur, Georgia, created the courses on trails through the facility’s 850 acres of conservation land. The first event was such a success that two more are already on the calendar, including a half marathon and 5k on March 30, 2024. New equestrian events include the Southern Belle Classic premium horse sale, which returns for a second year on March 22 and 23. This sale, put on by Belles in Boots Productions, represents Stable View’s first

December-January 2023-2024

foray into the western horse world. It was followed this December by a western horsemanship clinic, and there are at least tentative plans to add yet another arena in the future, this one a sand ring designed for western sports and activities. Another new event at Stable View is the Hunter/Jumper Institute, a series of schooling events that allow riders to practice their jumping and hunter rounds in a show-like setting, but without the pressure of a judge and competition, and without the expense that goes along with those things. The Hunter/Jumper Institute is a monthly affair that costs just $25 per jumper round and $30 per hunter round, with no ship-in or

administration fees. The first two H/J Institutes were this fall, and they were very successful, with about 100 rounds apiece. The new facilities and amenities at Stable View all contribute to the Olliffs’ goal to make Stable View a gathering place, to share the facility with the community, and also to ensure that it is and remains a viable business. Their attention to quality and customer service has given Stable View a reputation that continues to attract prestigious events and world-class athletes to the facility. For example, Boyd Martin, a member of the United States Olympic Eventing Team, will be coming back this month to spend the winter at Stable View for his eighth year. The facility will also serve as the location for the U.S. eventing team’s official final training camp in June before they head overseas to the Paris Olympics. “We are not Tryon International, and we are not WEC [The World Equestrian Center in Ocala],” said Barry. “And we don’t want to be. We are not in the least bit interested in doing 500-, 600-, 700-horse events. We’re interested in doing our thing, in our niche. There’s no ego here; We’re doing it because we want to do it, and we feel like we do it pretty well. . . We are fiercely competitive within the context of doing a good job for riders, providing a good product, a quality product, and good value. I think that’s different from trying to rule the world.”

The Aiken Horse

Hunter/Jumper Institute at Stable View

Photography by Gary Knoll

DFG STABLES AIKEN, SC - OCALA, FL

CATHY GEITNER (803) 270-0574

DFGSTABLES @ AOL . COM DFGSTABLES . NET

The Aiken Horse

DANIEL GEITNER (803) 270-5420

December-January 2023-2024

2024

JUNE

6-9 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Summer Classic I’ 15-16 USEF/USDF “Summer Solstice” Dressage 19 Hunter/Jumper Institute 21-23 USEF/USEA Summer Horse Trials (BN, N, T, M, P, I, A) 27-30 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Summer Classic II’

JULY

4-5 USEF/USEA Stable View Local Charities Horse Trials and USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Championships 8 Schooling Dressage 15 Hunter/Jumper Institute 7-19 Private Function 30-June 2 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Summer Classic’

3-7 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Mid-Summer Classic’ (pending USEF approval) 13-14 USEF/USDF “Only in America” Dressage 17 Hunter/Jumper Institute 19 Eventing Academy X-Country Schooling Day 20 Eventing Academy Schooling Day 21 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials

AUG SEPT

11 Schooling Dressage 12 USEF/USDF “Fall Frenzy” Dressage 18 Hunter/Jumper Institute 19-22 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Fall Classic’ 27-29 “Oktoberfest” $60,000 FEI CCI-S 2/3/4* & USEF/ USEA Horse Trials (BN, N, T, M, P, I, A)

OCT

5-7 Stable View $60,000 FEI CCI-S 2/3/4* & USEF/USEA Horse Trials (T, M, P, I, A) 11-14 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Spring Classic’ (pending USEF approval) 17 Hunter/Jumper Institute 20-21 USEF/USDF “Spring Fever” Dressage 27 Aiken Symphony – Horses and Harmony

9 Eventing Academy X-Country Schooling Day 10 Eventing Academy Schooling Day 11 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials 14-15 USEF/USDF ‘Too Hot To Trot I” Dressage 16-18 USEF/USDF “Too Hot To Trot II” Dressage 21 Hunter/Jumper Institute

2 Schooling Jumpers 3 Whiskey Road Hunt 4-6 T.I.P. Championships 9 Schooling Dressage 11 Eventing Academy X-Country Schooling Day 12 Eventing Academy Schooling Day 13 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials 16 Hunter/Jumper Institute 19 Whiskey Road Hunt 31-Nov. 3 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Fall Finale’ (pending USEF approval)

NOV

MAR

2-3 USEF/USDF “Southern Comfort” Dressage 8 Eventing Academy X-Country Schooling Day 9 Eventing Academy Schooling Day 10 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials 14-17 USEF/USHJA $50,000 National ‘A’ Rated Hunters & Level 4 Rated Jumpers ‘Winter Classic’ (pending USEF approval) 20 Hunter/Jumper Institute 22-23 Southern Belle Classic Auction 29-31 Private Event

“A GATHERING PLACE”

6 Schooling Jumpers 7 Whiskey Road Hunt 13 Schooling Dressage 15 Eventing Academy X-Country Schooling Day 16 Eventing Academy Schooling Day 17 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials 20 Hunter/Jumper Institute 24 Whiskey Road Hunt

DEC

JAN FEB

10-11 USEF/USDF “I LOVE Dressage” 16 Eventing Academy X-Country Schooling Day 17 Eventing Academy Schooling Day 18 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials 21 Hunter/Jumper Institute

MAY

10 Schooling Dressage 13 Winter Combined Test 17 Hunter/Jumper Institute 20-21 USEF/USEA “Aiken Opener” Horse Trials (BN, N, T, M, P)

APRIL

CALENDAR DATES

4 Schooling Jumpers 5 Whiskey Road Hunt 7-8 USEF/USDF “Winter Wonderland” Dressage 13 Eventing Academy X-Country Schooling Day 14 Eventing Academy Schooling Day 15 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials 18 Hunter/Jumper Institute 26 Whiskey Road Hunt

FOR MORE INFORMATION: svfequestrian.com/2024-calendar-dates/ STAY CONNECTED!

AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA • “A GATHERING PLACE” • 484-356-3173

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Diamond K Ranch Clinic Lessons in Leadership By Pam Gleason

n the weekend of December 2-3, Kevin and Marybeth Rabur from Diamond K Horses came to Stable View in Aiken to give their Winter Horsemanship Clinic. Diamond K is located in Jackson, Ohio, and Kevin and Marybeth specialize in training horses for reining and western ranch horse events, as well as in all-around western riding. They are among the hand selected consignors who have been invited to bring horses to the Southern Belle Classic horse sale, also at Stable View, which will take place March 23-24. Both the clinic and the sale are organized by Meredith Mobley and Tiffany Fuller of Belles in Boots Productions. The March sale will be the second one put on by the organization and is expected to become an annual event. Kevin Rabur said that the clinic had several purposes. One was to reconnect with people in Aiken who may have bought a horse from Diamond K, or from a different consignor at the Southern Belle Classic last March, and who could use some help with their horsemanship. Kevin and Marybeth had the top seller at Southern Belle in the spring, and have also sold horses at the Best of the West horse sales, held at the Aiken Training Track in the fall. Kevin says that Diamond K has about 10 graduates of its program living in the Aiken area now. The clinic was open to riders of all levels, and activities were tailored to individual needs. “We worked mostly on basic horsemanship,” said Kevin after the clinic. “What we’re trying to do together with Bells and Boots Productions, is to bring more horsemanship to the area. We wanted people to be able to come to the clinic and kind of do a recap of the horse they’ve bought and show them the cues we use for that horse, what’s going to make that horse better. And we had homework for each of the riders to do afterwards.” The majority of the clinic participants were western riders, or at least riders in western saddles, and the issues they worked on ranged from simply cantering without fear, to improving their side passes. “A lot of the riders needed confidence on cantering, as well learning about leadership when it comes to horses,” Kevin continued. “Knowing when to discipline, and how to discipline is the hardest thing. And there were a few horses that were really lazy and then there a few that were really forward. So we talked about figuring out how to handle that.” In addition to giving lessons to the clinic participants themselves, Kevin also took each horse and demonstrated the kind of ground work he does and then got on to ride, explaining the cues he was giving as he did everything from trotting figures-of-eight to flying changes, stops and spins. “We worked on breaking the horse’s body into three parts; position one, two and three so that we could move that horse’s hips, ribcage and shoulder; and we worked on getting a lot of softness in the face to help with collection, and then also hand, seat and leg position for the riders. We talked about setting the horse up to be successful before we ask for something, using groundwork or just how you’re sitting in the saddle,” continued Kevin. Clinic participants were enthusiastic afterwards. Barbara Williams, who is from the Atlanta area, came with her horse Royal along with

The Aiken Horse

Kevin Rabur demonstrates a spin in the covered arena her son and his fiancée, Charlie. Barbara had bought Royal at Southern Belle last spring and all three have been riding him. Although Royal was purchased from a different consignor, Barbara had met Kevin at the sale and was very impressed with him. When she heard he would be in Aiken, she immediately signed up for the clinic, and Barbara and Charlie took turns riding Royal in the sessions. Charlie, who is transitioning to western from the hunter/jumper ring, got some tips on improving her flying changes. For Barbara, the lessons were more basic. She had been having some minor trouble bridling her horse, and was not totally comfortable asking him to canter “I hate to say it, but I’m over 80 now,” she said. “And I just wasn’t being tough enough. Kevin showed me how to be a better leader, and how I really needed to communicate better with with my horse. He also helped me be smoother at the canter. I wasn’t really sitting right when I cued him, and Kevin showed me how to fix that, and it’s much better now.” Barbara said that she was so happy with the whole experience she was glowing all the way home. “The main thing I would say is that Meredith and Tiffany just make it such a comfortable, positive experience for everybody that it becomes a very supportive group of riders. I just I felt like I was coming home again.” For Kevin and Marybeth Rabur, the clinic was especially enjoyable for a different reason: it gave them an excuse to come to Aiken, which they have loved ever since they first stayed in the city for the Best of the West sale in 2020. Not only did they come themselves, they also brought along five of their horses in training to give them some experience and exposure, and the whole crew stayed in accommodations at Stable View. “Aiken’s one of our favorite areas,” said Kevin. “The biggest thing that stands out to me is just the atmosphere. I love the dirt roads and the trees and the weather, especially at this time of the year. And the people . . . everybody I’ve met in Aiken is super nice. We’re really looking forward to coming back for the sale in March.”

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Passion for Horses

Tina Konyot Pursues the Art of Dressage By Pam Gleason

ina Konyot has a new world class dressage horse and a lifelong dream. The new horse, Grover, is a coming-10-year-old gelding that she has been training for almost three years. The lifelong dream is to compete at the highest levels, and on the world stage, at the most prestigious events in the world. For some people this dream might be out of reach, but Tina has been there before and knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport. She is a veteran of the United

States Equestrian Team, having represented her country at the World Equestrian Games in 2010 and 2014, as well as at the 2012 Olympics in London. She believes in her new horse’s talent, she is confident in her own abilities, and she has the knowledge and the commitment to turn her dreams into reality. But her ambitions are always founded on the principle that the horse comes first. “Always, always,” she said. “You have to take one day at a time, and do the best you can to have a happy, healthy horse.”

Grover’s Progress

Grover, also known as J Everdale, is a 2014 Dutch Warmblood. Big, bold and charismatic, he exudes spirit and enthusiasm – so much so that he had a reputation for being difficult, and even roguish in his younger days. And that was how he came into Tina’s life. He belonged to a friend, who needed to find someone with the ability and the courage to ride him and get him sold. “He was extremely naughty,” said Tina. Tina, now 62, has always had a reputation for riding and fixing problem horses, and she sticks like glue, and so she agreed to take on his training. But selling him was another thing. “He was a challenge beyond a challenge. Before I rode him, he always went from the stall to the arena, maybe 15 feet away; he never just

December-January 2023-2024

walked around the property. That was impossible. Put your seatbelt on impossible. So how were you going to sell a horse like that? How were you going to show him? An Olympic rider came to look at him, and she said, ‘Tina, I don’t want to get hurt right now.’ And she wouldn’t get on him.” It was the spring of 2021, and Tina says she was at a low point in her life. Her mother had recently passed away, she had sold her farm in Connecticut and had no permanent home base. She did not have a competition horse to ride. So she figured she had nothing to lose, and approached a friend, Ambassador Earle I. Mack, a racehorse owner and philanthropist, with whose help she was able to secure the horse for herself. “I thought, I don’t have any children, I’m single, and I don’t have any family. If I get hurt, there’s no one counting on me. It’s not good or bad, it’s just reality. Unless you have some family who will mourn you and miss you . . .my friends will miss me a bit . . .But I have the experience, and I have the knowledge, and I come from five generations of horsemanship, so why not go for it?” Other people might say that something like this as a joke, but Tina is serious. Her devotion to horses and to the sport is so deep she is literally willing to put her life on the line for her art. And her gamble paid off. Today, not quite three years into their dressage journey, Grover is an up-and-coming world class horse, earning scores in the 70s at the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire levels, and will start showing Grand Prix this winter. He is still a live wire, but his vibrant energy is channeled into his performances, giving him an undeniable presence. Tina’s belief in him and her skill and dedication transformed him into a confident performer, and their partnership is both profound and palpable. “He’s just happy,” says Tina. “He can be fresh, but that’s good horse. I don’t need a dead doorbell. A lot of people don’t want their horse to be too sharp, but I like it. I feed him full of power. People laugh at me and say Tina, you feed your horses a lot of food. But they’re athletes, and they need it for their muscles. So to me, he’s perfect the way he is, and I wouldn’t want to change him. I am forever grateful that Earle Mack made it possible for me to secure this horse.”

Growing Up Konyot

If Tina’s devotion to horses seems especially intense, this may go back to her background and her upbringing. She comes from a European circus family. Her grandfather, Arthur Konyot, had his own circus in his native Hungary in the early part of the 20th century. The circus there was an art form, and her family specialized in horses: liberty acts, bareback riders and high school dressage. The family escaped Hungary

The Aiken Horse

when World War II broke out, coming to America to join the Ringling Brothers Circus, which was based in Sarasota, Florida. There, her father Alexander eventually established a riding school and is credited with helping to popularize dressage in the United States. Tina’s mother Josephina was a Czechoslovakian-born high wire aerialist. “She walked the Orange Bowl in Miami from one section of lights to the other back in the 1950s. I have a photo of her at Madison Square Garden in 1962, in her last performance, high over the ring. And all of this she did without a net. She did things that you could never dream of doing, that you wouldn’t be allowed to do today.” Tina inherited her mother’s bravery and her father’s love of horses. She grew up riding, learning her earliest lessons from her father, who used to let her play with his stallions when she was just a toddler. She knew from an early age that horses would be her life, and she did a little of everything: dressage, jumping, galloping racehorses. Her father was a great horseman, but not a great businessman, so when Tina wanted to start competing, there was no money to buy her expensive horses. Instead, she purchased inexpensive mounts, trained them and sold them on, using the profit to trade up to better horses. When she decided to pursue dressage seriously, she went to Europe to train, studying with the best in the business, including the legendary German trainer Herbert Rehbein: she rode horses for him in exchange for discounted training fees. She trained in Europe for 11 years, studying with the great masters: Rudolph Zeilinger, Johnny Hilberath and Nuno Oliveira among others. By her late 30s, Tina was competing at the highest levels, just missing being selected for the US Olympic team in 2000 and 2004. She got her big break with the Danish stallion Calecto V, her partner in the 2010 and 2014 World Equestrian Games, as well as the 2012 Olympics. World class horses are hard to come by, especially if you train them yourself and don’t have big sponsors and an unlimited checkbook. And so after Calecto retired in 2015, she did not have a mount to keep her at the top of the sport. That is, until Grover came along.

Life on the Road

Tina and Grover compete in Dressage at Devon. Bethany P Photography

After selling her farm in 2019, Tina became a self-described vagabond, traveling to teach and train in various places on the East Coast. Initially, her caravan consisted of Calecto, now 25, along with his companion, a miniature donkey name Trixie, her 18-hand gelding Denzel, as well as two barn cats and three Jack Russell terriers. Grover joined the group in 2021, and Tina recently gained six additional horses in training. She came through Aiken twice this year, first in the spring and then in the fall, staying at Samantha Spitler’s farm in the 302 corridor east of town. While in town, she taught clinics, made connections, and showed at the Aiken Horse Park. “Coming to Aiken was the best choice I could have made,” she said, noting how friendly and helpful people are, with real Southern hospitality. “The good thing about traveling and being on the road is that you meet new people, new clients, new faces. Eventually, I will

The Aiken Horse

settle somewhere; I just haven’t decided where yet.” Tina’s immediate plans are to return to Florida to compete, and then, hopefully, to take Grover back to Europe to further his career. Her longtime trainer, Jan Bemelmans, has agreed to fly to Florida from Germany several times over the winter to train her and her special horse (“I sent him a video, and his only comment was ‘Wow’”) and then who knows how far they can go? Asked what drives her, Tina answers immediately that is it the horses and her relationship with them. “I love horses; I think I’m half horse. I think like a horse; I dream about them,” she said. “Dressage is like ballet,” she continued. “It’s a very detailed sport, very precise, but it has to be elegant and look soft. Your horse has to be your dance partner; it’s that partnership, that bond that makes it special . . . How long am I going to do this? Until, I die, right? I love it. I still have that passion; I still have that hunger. I want to win. I’m still striving for perfection. Will that pass? I don’t think anytime soon.” Follow Tina Konyot Dressage on Facebook

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Whitethorne LLC in Aiken California Horsewoman comes East By Nancy Johnson

he name Georgy Maskrey-Segesman is a familiar one in California’s hunter/jumper world. Over the past 20 plus years, Georgy grew her equestrian business, Whitethorne LLC in Somis, California, into an immensely successful equestrian center where she focused on producing and promoting top jumpers and equitation horses. This fall, however, she packed up her 19 horses and moved her family and her entire business to a beautiful facility in Aiken. Many people might wonder why she would make this big change, but Georgy has her reasons. “I wanted to relocate for my family,” she begins. “My business in California was very big, with a lot of customers. It was just a lot for the whole family.” She glances across the spacious covered arena at her 13-year-old daughter, Sophia, who is warming up a Grand Prix jumper. “My goal in coming to Aiken is to focus on my own horses and my daughter and do things a little bit quieter.” She explains that her decision to downsize her business and her choice of Aiken were not made in haste. “I’ve been planning to move East for about six years. It all started the first time we showed at Devon [Pennsylvania]. I just fell in love with the feel of it and thought it was a great environment for horses.” But Georgy knew she had to be patient. “My family was not ready at that time. My husband, Tim, loved his job teaching advanced level high school math and Sophia was still so little.” Georgy had several jumpers competing at the top levels, and so she made the long trip east several times to Upperville in Virginia and to the prestigious indoor shows, which further confirmed her desire to move. Several years ago, a good friend, Lauren Mourmouris, with whom she had worked in California, moved to Aiken. “I came to visit Lauren a couple of times and just loved Aiken.” Georgy then got serious about making the move a reality. “I have to admit that after driving a horse trailer full of jumps across the country to Aiken, I woke up the next morning totally overwhelmed and thought, ‘What have I done!?’” she laughs, then adds, “The property has good bones.” Indeed, it does. Whitethorne LLC’s new home encompasses 66 acres, a portion of which is a large buffer of woods. The property currently has a large huntbox with 8 stalls and a covered arena. “We’ll do everything one step at a time,” Georgy says, noting that they are already putting in additional paddocks and talking with a builder about adding 16 more stalls to make the barn a courtyard style. “My plan is to have a very small, boutique business,” says Georgy. Her main emphasis will be on supporting her daughter Sophia’s riding, as well as on promoting the career of Madison Stephens, 28, a young professional rider originally from Maryland who started riding for Whitethorne in California. “I really wasn’t looking to get involved with another sponsorship, but when I saw her at a show, I knew immediately that this girl could ride!” Georgy says, adding, “And, she truly likes the horses. That’s a big thing for me. A lot of riders confuse the saddle with a throne.” Georgy is widely known for her ability to recognize talent in young riders and for her generosity in promoting their careers with quality horses and instruction. “Madison will ride sales horses, but we will also keep one or two on which she can develop her career,” Georgy explains. Sophia has already “jumped” right into the Aiken horse show scene. She competed at two shows at Bruce’s Field in October. The first week she won both the Medal and Maclay equitation classes and the Jr./ Amateur Jumper classic. The following week she won an Open Jumper 1.20 meter class and was second in a $5,000 Junior Jumper class.

Creating a one-of-a-kind equitation event

Georgy is a huge proponent of the equitation classes, as is evidenced by her founding of the American Tradition of Excellence Equitation

December-January 2023-2024

Challenge. This is a three-phase event held on the Grand Prix field at Blenheim’s June horse show in San Juan Capistrano, California. “It originally came about because I didn’t coach equitation,” she begins. At the time, Karen Healey, a renowned coach who had a large number of equitation students, was based at Whitethorne, and Georgy saw this as a learning opportunity. “I sat on the fence and watched her lessons, paid attention, and asked questions.” Georgy recalls overhearing parents at horse shows making comments like, “I don’t know why my kid didn’t get a better ribbon? I thought her round was so great. What happened?” This sparked an idea. “What if we had a class where the participants could compete and then talk to the judges and have a conversation about what is and isn’t important. And after walking the course, instead of guessing whether the judge wants the inside seven or the bending eight, what if you could just say ‘what do you prefer here? Is the number going to give me a 90 or does it not matter? And how much does the horse influence what the judge sees?’— things like that,” she says. She designed a stand-alone class whereby the riders gain information from the course designer and the judges. She emphasizes that the judges are very specifically chosen. “One is a top trainer from the East Coast and the other is someone who has judged one of the equitation finals.” A scribe sits with each judge and, similar to how it is done at a dressage show, writes detailed comments. The second part of the event includes a dinner at the Ritz Carlton where each rider receives their scorecards from the first round of the competition. The evening is topped off by an educational video presentation. Last year’s presentation featured a discussion about the role of equitation with the United States Equestrian Team jumper riders Laura Kraut, McLain Ward, Karl Cook, and Lillie Keenan. The next day, the riders compete over a second course, armed with information from the judges’ scorecards. The winners are determined by cumulative scores from the two rounds. “Another thing that makes me crazy [with the equitation], is that the kids never get a good prize. They spend all this money to enter and wind up with a ribbon,” Georgy says. “So, I decided to give a Butet saddle to the winning rider, because the rider can’t win money in equitation. However, the winning trainer gets $10,000 . . that’s the way to get them all to show up!” Georgy plans to hold the equitation challenge in 2024 with Frank Madden and Timmy Kees on board to judge. “I don’t know if I will do it after next year because I really want to invest my time in Aiken,” she says. “At some point, I would like to bring something similar to Aiken, though I think it would be a little bit more of a grassroots event.”

Shifting Focus

“The idea is not for this farm to become a big equestrian center. I don’t want to recreate the business I had in California,” Georgy says. “My hope is that it will become a think tank for riding. I want to grow and support the equitation, primarily by hosting clinics with some of the country’s top equitation professionals.” Karen Healey and Diane Carney, a renowned trainer and coach from Chicago, are already slated for clinics at Whitethorne’s Aiken location. Georgy plans to have a small clientele at the farm and will continue to sell and lease quality horses as she has for the past 20 years with her partner Tjeert Rijkens in Germany. “I try to have six to eight sale horses available so when customers come, they can see a bunch,” she says. Georgy typically has equitation horses of various levels, some jumpers, and occasionally hunters. “People ask me how I sell so many horses and it really comes down to the simple fact that I undercut the market by about 15%,” she says. She also does lease options with her sales horses, in which the lease payments can be applied to the sale. “People look at it like a payment plan. I have gotten creative for customers in other ways, too,” she says with a laugh. “I actually took American Express as payment for a horse. I know it sounds crazy, but someone asked me if I would do it because they really wanted the points!” Contact Georgy at 818-618-9949 to inquire about upcoming clinics or to find information on Instagram @whitethornellc.

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

ALL-AMERICAN CLOTHING JACKETS VESTS SHIRTS CONCEALED CARRY OUTERWEAR

AVAILABLE AT:

T H E TAC K RO O M TACKROOMONLINE.COM

December-January 2023-2024

2530 BROAD ST CAMDEN, SC

(800)782-9583

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse

Inside 67 70 74 75 76 78 81 89

Shoulder Injuries Ask the Judge Classifieds Directory Horses of Great Oak PSJ Medal Finals Calendar of Events Index of Advertisers

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 67

Recognize & Treat Shoulder Injuries Ultrasound Guided Rehabilitation

By Carol Gillis DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVSMR

orses frequently sustain shoulder injuries. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, bursae, and joints can all be involved. The usual cause for these injuries is repetitive overuse. This can be the result of repeating a task, such as taking a jump multiple times. Fatigue plays a major role in injury, since tired muscles stop providing adequate support for tendons, ligaments and joints. Occasionally direct trauma such as hitting an object or being kicked can result in shoulder damage.

What structures make up the shoulder?

The majority of shoulder injuries involve inflammation in the shoulder joint and the bicipital bursa that surrounds it, along with fiber damage to the biceps brachii muscle and tendon which extends the shoulder. The supraspinatus muscle, which also extends the shoulder, is injured about 14% of the time, and other structures are infrequently damaged.

What does shoulder injury look like?

Typical signs of a shoulder injury include subtle inconsistent lameness, often seen after resting, that may disappear with brief exercise, sometimes even after a few steps. Another sign is lameness that improves with a few days or weeks of rest, only to reappear as exercise increases. Shoulder injuries often cause a shortened stride and reluctance to stand squarely. The best way to check for lameness in general is to watch your horse walk straight away, straight back, and then on easy 20-30 foot circles to the left and the right. The change in weight bearing on a circle often makes the lameness more obvious. The walk is an easier gait to observe closely than the trot. If you see lameness, the next step is gently checking the lame limb from foot to shoulder to look for pain, heat or swelling. Examining the sound leg first will give you a baseline for comparison. These tests will help you to give your veterinarian good information to continue a lameness evaluation with flexion tests and nerve blocks if needed. If the cause of pain is determined to be in the shoulder, diagnostic ultrasound is the next step to discover the extent of injury and which structures are involved. Radiographs can also be helpful, although

challenging in the horse because of the thickness of the shoulder muscles and their closeness to the horse’s trunk.

Why Use Diagnostic Ultrasound ?

Diagnostic ultrasound provides more information about soft tissue internal architecture than MRI. It can detect cartilage and bone surface injury that is not visible on radiographs. It is safe, relatively inexpensive, and requires either no sedation or light sedation. When you can see clear ultrasound images demonstrating the problem and documenting progress during a course of therapy, it is easier to follow a strict controlled exercise program until healing is complete. Ultrasound is also useful to determine the best level of exercise for each healing stage. A small change in the ultrasound images correlates with a significant decrease in biomechanical strength: therefore rehabilitating injured structures is different from conditioning or strengthening a normal patient. Increasing exercise in small increments encourages tissue healing without overload and re-injury.

Treatment of shoulder injuries: Ultrasound image of the biceps tendon showing a small tear (arrow) in the medial lobe. The bursa, measured between As, Bs and Cs has chronic inflammation.

The Aiken Horse

If you are rehabbing a tendon/ ligament injury of the shoulder, you

December-January 2023-2024

and ligament injuries. Free choice exercise (turn out) yields just a 25% chance of complete healing. The most important component to successful healing and return to athletic endeavors is gradually increasing controlled exercise based on regular clinical and ultrasonographic exams to pinpoint the stage of healing and therefore the current strength of the injured structures. Many injuries will heal with controlled exercise alone or with minimal additional treatments. Multiple treatments will not replace appropriate controlled exercise for successful healing and return to athletic use. Shoulder injuries, on successful completion of a rehabilitation program, have an 80% chance of full healing and return to normal activity without recurrence of the injury.

Prevention of shoulder injuries:

Careful management of horses can go a long way toward prevention of injuries. We know that tendons and ligaments are near their Dogs also can have shoulder injuries and the same principles for diagnosis and treatment apply for them. breaking strength at a gallop and over fences. can often use systemic anti-inflammatory therapy instead of injections Including a 15-minute walk warm-up before to the injured area unless inflammation on the initial exam is severe. every exercise session allows tendons and ligaments to stretch, increasing Systemic joint/ bursa therapies include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory their elastic capability and load carrying capacity. The 15-minute walk medications, Adequan, oral glucosamine and hyaluronic acid. Laser also improves the joint fluid’s protective properties for cartilage. A walk therapy and shockwave treatments also relieve inflammation and cool-down after exercise is essential to allow exercise by-products to be promote healing. metabolized. A schedule that provides days off between exercise sessions Injections into the bursa and/or joint, if needed, can include steroid allows micro-damage that occurs during training and competition to and hyaluronic acid, or regenerative therapies such as Prostride, A2M, be repaired. If this time is not provided, micro-damage accumulates low white cell count PRP. We are still learning how best to use various to become macro-damage, in other words, clinically important tissue regenerative treatments, including timing and use with other treatment damage. It is also important to be aware of fatigue and to end an exercise modalities. session in a timely fashion before injury occurs. Wearable technology is Controlled exercise is the essential factor for healing muscle, tendon progressing quickly for horses that will help to analyze training sessions and assess an athlete’s physical status. Until this is perfected, however, good observation of your horses remains their best safeguard to enable A horse having a right shoulder ultrasound exam. them to do what they do best without shoulder or other injuries. Carol Gillis DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVSMR, is an Aiken-based veterinarian who specializes in ultrasound and equine and canine sports medicine. She can be reached at 803-522-1700 or by email: equineultrasound@earthlink.net. Visit her website for more information: www.equineultrasound.com

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 69

Ask the Judge

Questions about Dressage With Amy McElroy

Amy McElroy is an FEI competitor, and a USEF S judge. She is qualified to officiate at any USEF recognized national show at all dressage levels. She rides, trains and teaches at Fair Lane Farm in Aiken and judges between 15 and 20 dressage and eventing shows each year. In her popular Ask the Judge column, she answers readers’ questions about dressage. Do you have a question for Amy? Send her an email at McElroyDRM@aol.com, or visit her website: www.amymcelroy.com.

Dear Amy, I am planning to compete at several recognized dressage shows this winter in Aiken. My horse has a heavy coat already and I am deciding the best way to help keep him cool, clean and happy while still looking proper for competition. My question is about body clipping. Are there any rules or restrictions in regards to clipping for dressage shows? Would a judge prefer to see a full clip or a partial clip and does the style even matter? I saw on Facebook a beautiful but controversial checkerboard body clip from the USDF Dressage Nationals this fall, but did not know what the outcome was. Was this clip considered legal or not? I know that you can’t add any decorations to your horse, like glitter or good luck charms in the mane, but are clipped patterns in the coat also considered decorations? A second topic: my horse rubbed out most of his tail this summer. I would like to purchase a false tail for him so that he looks better at the shows. Would this be considered legal, or could I be eliminated for it?

Considering clipping Dear Clipping I am glad to hear you will be able to compete this winter at some of Aiken’s dressage competitions. In South Carolina, body clipping is often necessary for horses that are in work over the winter due to our frequent and sometimes drastic temperature changes throughout the days and weeks. Many horses might need to have some sort of clipping one or more times in a season in order to be comfortable and work without being hampered by a thick coat. In addition to being hot, a thick winter coat might also expose your horse to chills because his hair will tend to stay wet for a long time if he gets sweaty. Deciding on a clipping style should be based primarily on where and how your horse will be living. Full clips might be appropriate for horses that spend most of their day (and especially the night) in a stall and out of the weather, while partial or trace clips might work better for horses that spend all or most of their time outdoors. Another big factor is how many layers of blanketing you are planning to use as well as your availability to adjust blankets during the day when the temperature changes. Horses with full clips might be most comfortable on cold days if you ride with a quarter sheet, and this would also be acceptable in the warm-up arena at a competition, but it would not be permitted in the show arena itself. There are many varieties of partial clips that also look tasteful and can even enhance the way your horse looks when he is moving. As of 2024 the USEF has no rules regarding body clipping. This means you are free to create any style, including patterns if you like. As long as you are not adding anything to your horse’s body or coat you are legal! Similarly, you are also allowed to create patterns on your horse’s coat using a damp brush, for example a patch of checkerboard on your horse’s rump. Illegal decorations include glitter, stickers and jewelry. If you braid your horse’s mane with yarn, you are permitted to use conservative colors, but you

The Aiken Horse

Benedictus WS, the famous checkerboard horse from the Dressage Nationals, owned by Nan Hermanns and ridden by Fie Studnitz Andersen

are not allowed to use bling. Also, you may not use any artificial means to cover up or obscure any existing wound or injury. For a complete description of this rule, refer to DR. 121.15 in the USDF rulebook, and always be sure to check for rule changes in the future. When it comes to tails, I can understand why you would want a full lush tail when you are competing. The good news is that, yes, false tails are legal for dressage competitions. The only restriction is that they may not have any metal parts except for the hooks that may be used to hold them on. So, feel free to have your horse fitted for one if you like. However, if you do decide to use one, please make sure that it is securely fitted: You don’t want it coming loose, or even falling off during your ride. I have witnessed this. As for the judges and their evaluation of your ride, the scoring will not be based on whether your horse is clipped or how beautiful he looks with a flowing tail. You should, of course, always demonstrate pride in your horse and your horsemanship by being neat and clean and striving to look your best. But when it comes to scoring, it’s all about how your horse moves and accepts your aids, and how you perform with correct geometry and accuracy. And the infamous checkerboard-clipped horse at the Nationals? Yes! He and his rider created a lot of chatter and generated thousands of shares on Facebook. But there was nothing illegal about his body clip or his turnout. I even heard one of the judges say “See? Dressage can be fun.” They were not eliminated: they even won one of their classes. Whether the unusual clip enhanced their ride or detracted from it is anyone’s guess, but it made them memorable for sure. In answer to your question about clipping, I would recommend either a full or a partial clip tailored to your horse’s living conditions. As a judge, I would also recommend being conservative with shapes and patterns, but artistic freedom is permitted when it comes to body clipping. We often see smaller fun clips, for example, a small heart pattern on the horse’s haunch, which is also perfectly legal. But keep in mind that nothing about your horse’s clipping job will be reflected in your ride or score. Be secure in whatever level you choose and go into the arena with confidence. That is sure to make an impression on your judge.

December-January 2023-2024

❦ Gently Loved Equestrian Tack, Clothing & Stable Supplies ❦

Buy s Sell s Trade s Consignment

❦ BY CHANCE OR APPOINTMENT ❦

3914 Wagener Rd. Aiken, SC 29805 James Keating (803) 295-6901 Cynthia Keating (803) 640-2339 ffif@aol.com

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 71

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 73

Classifieds Ava Max:Hanoverian/TB cross. Perfect first horse for a teen or Pony Clubber. Great lesson horse that can take a joke and adapt to the rider. Experienced with dressage, jumping, and trail riding. $5,500

Safe & Sane 16 hand, 13 year old Irish sporthorse mare. Packer type with a really beautiful trot and smooth canter. Willing jumper. Would make a great first horse. 1Located in Troutman, NC $5,500

607-743-1309

Find her video at www.lanecovedressage.com

BOARDING/TURNOUT/ TRAINING Dry stalls and full care available at Sporting Days Farm 150 acres with practice areas. Great for green horses. 803-226-2024 text preferred. Available self care. One 12X12 stall with trnout paddock and one pasture with run in. Chime Ridge Stables 803.508.3760 South Aiken FARM SERVICES Southern Ridge Excavation. Drainage, grading, small clearing, pad prep, utility ditching, pond mowing. Third generation family operated; Licensed & insured. Call Alex Koegel. 803-522-5752. southernridgex@gmail.com. G. L. Williams & Daughter. Serving the CSRA for over 54 years. Specializing in hauling, grading, clearing, property maintenance, and excavation.We

provide everything from several types of fill dirt, top soil, compost, mortar sands, crushed asphalt/ concrete, to screenings and a variety of rocks. Roll-off containers and manure removal available. (803) 663-3715. Certified DBE. WOSB. www.glwdtrucking.com HAY Hoss Luva Hay. Exceptional quality local Coastal Bermuda Hay, Alfalfa mix and Canadian Timothy. Competitively priced. Will deliver state-wide. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Jim McClain: 803.247.4803 LB Performance Hay. From Farm to Stable. Local and imported hay; large or small quantities. Hay delivery and unloading. Lou Berizzi: 803-640-5484. Round and Square Bales. Oakwood Farms: 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803. $60 per

The Aiken Horse

bale round hay bales. $70 per bale round bales kept inside. Square bales at $7.00 per bale. Will deliver for a small fee. Please call 803-6458960. HORSES & PETS Competitive Third Level Dutch Warmblood for sale. 9 years old, amateur friendly, quiet in the show ring and on trails. Push-button ride. www.haffeydressage.com for video. Text: 607-743-1309. Trinity Farms Terriers: Irish Russell Terriers. Old World, Healthy 100 year old. Bloodlines w/ proven calmer dispositions. Health & dispositions guaranteed. Preservation breeders for 48 years. trinityfarmskennel.com; easyjacks. com. Donna Fitzpatrick 803-6483137.

RENTALS/HOME SHARES Aiken Luxury Rentals. Fully furnished cottages; walk to downtown. Perfect for temporary assignments, Work-from-home ready; high speed internet. Antique finishes & modern convenience. 803-648-2804. info@aikenluxuryrentals.com. aikenluxuryrentals.com. Aiken Vacation Rentals. Comfortable, clean furnished homes. Downtown, Pet Friendly, Fast WiFi. info@ aikenvacationrentals.com Call/Text (803) 216-5414 Locally owned small business. AirBnB Superhost. Whisper Farm: Lodging for riders and their horses. Every bedroom comes with a stall and paddock! Close to foxhunting, eventing & polo in the 302 Equestrian Corridor east of Aiken. 410-9241790. thewhisperfarm.com.

December-January 2023-2024

Directory of Services BOARDING/TURNOUT/TRAINING/SALES Chime Ridge Stables. 803-508-3760 Katie Erpel Dressage offers training of young horses to FEI, boarding, sales, and lessons with USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist Katie Erpel at her quaint, boutique style facility conveniently located off of Charleston Highway on the Windsor/Williston line. Haul-in lessons are welcome to her newly renovated GGT arena or travel to your farm is available as well. www.katieerpeldressage.com (305) 778 5336 Sporting Days Farm. 3549 Charleston Hwy, Aiken, SC 29801. 5.5 miles from Aiken byoass. Offers year round, seasonal or short term board as well as dry stalls. 150 acres with trails and practice areas. USEF/USEA Horse Trials in the winter, schooling shows. Visit our website to see all we offer in 2023. www.sportingdaysfarm.com The Stable On The Woods: Elite boarding & training facility and home to trainers Darrell and Melissa Vaughn. With access to Hitchcock Woods, our barn sits on 70 acres and boasts a full size dressage arena with mirrors, show jumping arena and highquality grass pastures making this the ideal place for you and your horse. Training program to meet your needs, whether your discipline is Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers or Foxhunting. thestableonthewoods.com 603.785.0435 Vaughn Equestrian: offering training, sales, and boarding. Professionalism is the guiding principle of owners Darrell and Melissa Vaughn in shaping every component of Vaughn Equestrian. Dressage, Jumpers, Eventing & Young Horses. training and sales. vaughnequestrian.com (603) 785-0435 COMPANION ANIMALS Trinity Farms Terriers: Irish Russell Terriers. Old World, Healthy 100 year old Bloodlines with proven calmer dispositions. Health & Dispositions guaranteed. Preservation breeders for 48 years. Donna Fitzpatrick 803-648-3137 easyjacks.com, trinityfarmskennel.com CONSTRUCTION & GRADING & FARM SERVICES G. L. Williams & Daughter. Serving the CSRA for over 54 years. Specializing in hauling, grading, clearing, property maintenance, and excavation. We provide everything from several types of fill dirt, top soil, compost, mortar sands, crushed asphalt/concrete, to screenings and a variety of rocks. Roll-off containers and manure removal available. (803) 663-3715. Certified DBE. WOSB. www. glwdtrucking.com Southern Ridge Excavation. Drainage, grading, small clearing, pad prep, utility ditching, pond mowing. Third generation family operated; Licensed & insured. Call Alex Koegel. 803-522-5752. southernridgex@gmail.com. FARRIER SERVICES Alyte Touch Equine Massage: Revitalize your horse’s stride with farrier care and soothing equine massages. Enhance their performance with Alyte Touch. Accepting new clients! Schedule an appointment today: 607-223-9011 or on facebook.com/ alytetouch HAY Round and Square Bales. Oakwood Farms: 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803. $60 per bale round hay bales. $70 per bale round bales kept inside. Square bales at $7.00 per bale. Will deliver for a small fee. Please call 803-645-8960 LB Performance Hay. From Farm to Stable. Local and imported hay; large or small quantities. Hay delivery and unloading. Lou Berizzi: 803-640-5484.

December-January 2023-2024

Hoss Luva Hay. Exceptional quality local Coastal Bermuda Hay, Alfalfa mix and Canadian Timothy. Competitively priced. Will deliver state-wide. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Jim McClain: 803.247.4803 INSURANCE Betsy Minton, Sterling Thompson Equine, 803-617-8353. Now writing homeowners insurance for private residences. No horses required but certainly welcomed. Access to top-notch underwriters offering customized, affordable coverage. Still delivering excellent competitive insurance options for your horses and farms. betsyminton@sterlingthompson.com. Sterling Thompson Equine: 800 942 4258 INSTRUCTION/LESSONS Amy McElroy. USDF Gold Medalist and USEF S judge. Instruction and training at all levels. Visit amymcelroy.com or call 803.6404207. Aiken Horsemanship Academy. Your naturally inspired adult learning resource! Offering Clinics, Courses, Starting young horses, Evaluations, and Lessons. JulieRobins.com 803-220-1768. Jodi Hemry Eventing. Three-Star Eventer offering professional training, sales, boarding, instruction, horse shows, located in the heart of Aiken. 803-640-6691 JodiHemryEventing@gmail.com JodiHemryEventing.com REAL ESTATE/ RENTALS Aiken Luxury Rentals. Fully furnished cottages; walk to downtown. Perfect for temporary assignments, or housing while you build. Work-from-home ready; high speed internet. Antique finishes & modern convenience. info@aikenluxuryrentals.com. aikenluxuryrentals.com. 803-648-2804. Aiken Vacation Rentals. Comfortable, clean furnished homes. Downtown, Pet Friendly, Fast WiFi. info@aikenvacationrentals. com Call/Text (803) 216-5414 Locally owned small business. AirBnB Superhost. Carolina Real Estate Company. Fine homes, estates and horse properties in Aiken, South Carolina. Let us welcome you home to AIKEN, Home of Horses, History & Hospitality! carolinahorseproperties.com. (803) 648-8660 Sharer Dale, Keller Williams Realty Aiken Partners. “Where town meets country.” sharerdale@gmail.com. 803.522.3648 Suzy Haslup, Meybohm. “Your Aiken Horse Real Estate Specialist.” Buying or selling in the most celebrated equine community in the South. ww.aikenhorserealty.com; 803-215-0153 Sullivan-Turner Team, Meybohm. Specializing in marketing & selling Aiken’s horse country properties. southernhorsefarms.com. 803-215-4734. Whisper Farm: Lodging for riders & horses. Every bedroom has stall & paddock! Close to foxhunting, eventing & polo in the 302 equestrian corridor east of Aiken. 410-924-1790. thewhisperfarm. com. SADDLES/SADDLE FITTING Melodie McGowan Saddle Fitting. Servicing all makes and models of English saddles. New and used saddles also available. 585-6135000; melodie@mysaddle.com.

The Aiken Horse 75

The Horses of Great Oak Kilcarna French Fancy: “Arnie” By Pam Gleason

f you were asked to imagine a horse in a therapeutic riding program, you probably wouldn’t immediately think of a horse like Arnie. To start with, he is huge: a 17 hand imported Irish Sport Horse gelding. Then, he is also athletic, beautiful, well-trained and in the prime of his life at 16. What’s more, his resume includes being ridden and shown by not one but two Olympic athletes in two different disciplines. But Arnie has something beyond his background, his training and his handsome looks that makes him special: he is kind, patient and attentive, forming deep bonds with his riders and handlers. These are the qualities that have endeared him to everyone at the Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs facility where he lives. Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs, located a few miles from downtown Aiken, offers a range of horse-centered activities, including therapeutic riding for people with special needs, ground work with horses, and programs to provide equestrian information and experience to people in the community who might not otherwise be able to interact with horses “The best thing about Arnie is his empathy,” said Deborah McWhirter, who runs the stable at Great Oak. “He has a great connection with one of our wounded veterans who does ground work with him. To see it is pretty incredible. I really believe he understands what she is feeling. He is so empathetic and compassionate, and seems to know what she needs from each of her sessions.” In addition to groundwork, Arnie also participates in therapeutic riding lessons, and is particularly valuable for taller riders who need a horse with more substance. Great Oak has a range of programs, including Silver Saddles, which is an activity for older people who may have always wanted to ride, or who used to be riders but have lost their confidence in the saddle. Arnie is a favorite with this group, especially with people who have prior riding experience. He generally has the same riders each week so that he and his students develop a bond. One of his riders is a special needs student who has learned to ride from the ground up on Arnie, and can now walk, trot, canter and jump cross rails. When Arnie does not have a therapy lesson, sometimes Deborah or one of the other volunteers rides him to make sure he stays schooled and obedient. “When we school him, we walk, trot and canter. He does serpentines and leg yields and all the things he doesn’t get to do in his sessions,” said Deborah, who is an eventing rider. “He’s a little like riding a dinosaur. He’s a big mover, and I feel like a speck up there on him, but he’s beautiful to ride; he goes into a frame and moves really well. When people see him, they always remark on what a gorgeous horse he is Arnie’s size does intimidate some of the students, but once they get to know him, their fear fades away. “He connects with people,” said Deborah. “And he’s such a quality horse, a high class horse. You can really feel Arnie has been living and working at Great Oak for two years now, and he has proven himself to be an exceptional therapy horse. But, oddly enough, his early career did not suggest that therapeutic riding lessons would ever be in his future. He started out life in Ireland as an event horse and, when he was 5, he was imported to the United States by Augie Vettorino, an amateur rider who had a home in Aiken. Tall and attractive, he was not as rideable as Augie had hoped he would be – in fact, he tended to buck his owner off. Arnie was still young, and Augie thought he needed more schooling, so he gave him to the Olympic gold medal eventing rider Phillip Dutton to ride, train and show. In the spring of 2015, Dutton, who at the time had a winter base in Aiken, piloted him around several local events at the Novice level, then moved him up to Training when he returned north to True Prospect Farm in Pennsylvania that spring.

The Aiken Horse

Olympian Phillip Dutton riding Arnie during his eventing days

Phillip Dutton campaigned Arnie for about six months with modest success, until the horse sustained a minor injury and needed a little time off. When fall came around, Dutton suggested that Matthew Ulmer, a young professional in Aiken who had been a working student at True Prospect, take him to continue his training. Matthew showed him a few times, but he became convinced that eventing was not really Arnie’s sport: he was not the best dressage horse, and he preferred the stadium to the cross country course where he was a little spooky. Before long, Arnie had been transitioned to the jumper ring, and was shown by a number of riders in Aiken, including Christina Kelly, Sharer Dale and Doug Payne, another Olympic and Pan Am Games team me Finally, Augie sent Arnie to Emily Smith, a young professional show jumping rider, and she had him and loved him for a year and a half, even competing him in the Grand Prix. When Augie passed away, Emily became Arnie’s owner. “He was just an awesome sweet horse,” she said. “He was a really kind horse, a really fun horse. But he was getting a little older, and he had some wear and tear, and it seemed he didn’t want to continue his jumping car Emily was friends with someone who worked at Great Oak at the time, and she had already helped the organization obtain another horse. She thought Arnie might be a good fit. “I was really hopeful that it would work out,” she said. “He was always so affectionate with everybody, and I wanted to be sure he went somewhere he would be loved.” After trying him out and doing some ground work with him, Great Oak accepted Arnie into their stable, and he has been there ever since. “We’re so lucky we got him,” said Deborah McWhirter. “Most of the horses we get because they can’t do their jobs anymore, and I say we’re lucky, but he’s lucky too. He’s lucky to end up here, because his career was not over, and he didn’t end up standing in a field somewhere. He still has more to give, and he loves to be with people. He’s such a sociable horse. I feel like, with the therapeutic riding, he finally found his calling.” Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs is a registered 501c3 charitable organization. Donations and volunteers are always welcome. To learn more, or sponsor Arnie, visit greatoakeap.org

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 77

PSJ Medal Finals at Highfields

Photography by Gary Knoll

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Aiken Area Calendar of Events

December 1-3

1-3 1-3 1-3 2 2 2 2-3 2-3 2-3 3

Aiken December Classics I. Aiken Horse Park Foundation, 931 Powderhouse Rd, Aiken. Equus Events, Inc. J.P. Godard, Show Manager. 803-646-696. equusevents@aol.com. equusevents. com. South Carolina Hunter Jumper Association Finals. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com Sedgefield at the Park Winter Classic. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2075, info@ carolinahorsepark.com, carolinahorsepark.com Schooling Show D & CT at Chatt Hills. 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117, info@chatthillseventing.com, chatthillseventing.com Whiskey Road Hunter Pace. Oakwood Plantation. 725 John Scott Road, Aiken. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com. Jill Mills: 813340-1679 Brick Store Stables IEA Show. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Holiday Breakfast. Camden Hunt. Camden. therealcamdenhunt@gmail.com, camdenhunt.com Winter Horsemanship Clinic with Diamond K Horses. Stable View. bellesinbootsproduction.com; events@ bellesinbootsproductions.com. 803-702-5405 Schooling Show D & CT at Bouekert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117, info@chatthillseventing.com, chatthillseventing.com USEF/USDF Winter Dressage Series I & II. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA 31811. 706-681-8748. poplarplacefarm.com. Full Gallop Farm Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, fullgallopfarm.com

December-January 2023-2024

3 3 3 5 6 7 7-9 7-10

8-10 9 9 9

Cedar Grove Hounds Opening Meet. Contact: Hon. Secretary Ms. Brooke Miller, cedargrovehounds@gmail.com; Trey Bennett: 828-817-3635 Radway Eventing Pony Club Show. 4627 Whiskey Road, Aiken. radwayeventing.com Seven Springs Classic IEA Show. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Board Meeting. Aiken Driving Club. Aiken. Peggy Dils, 803-295-6785 dilsaiken@gmail.com aikendrivingclub.com americandrivingsociety.org Schooling Jumpers. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com Whiskey Road Hunt. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com Sara Schmidt Clinic. Aiken Driving Club. Aiken. Peggy Dils, 803-295-6785 dilsaiken@gmail.com aikendrivingclub.com americandrivingsociety.org Aiken December Classics II. Aiken Horse Park Foundation, 931 Powderhouse Rd, Aiken. Equus Events, Inc. J.P. Godard, Show Manager. 803-646-696. equusevents@aol.com. equusevents.com. Holiday Celebration PSJ C-Series. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Dressage Tests of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com Five Star Hunters Holiday Classic IEA Show. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Home for the Holidays Clear the Shelter Event. $0 adoption fee & free pictures with Santa. Aiken County Animal Shelter. 333 Wire Road, Aiken. 803-642-1637 Ext 3. Email info@ fotasaiken.com

The Aiken Horse 81

28 30

Gymkhana @ The Dale Thiel Show Ring. Camden Hunt. Camden. therealcamdenhunt@gmail.com, camdenhunt.com Christmas Drive & Luncheon. Aiken Driving Club. Aiken. Peggy Dils, 803-295-6785 dilsaiken@gmail.com aikendrivingclub.com americandrivingsociety.org

January 4

5-7 6 10 10 9

Second Saturday Sidewalk Sale. SPCA Thrift Store 1589 Whiskey Road, Aiken. Where shopping saves lives. letlovelive. org. 9-10 USEF/USDF Winter Wonderland Dressage. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com 10 Jingle Bells Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com 10 War Eagle IEA Horse Show. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com 12-14 Lilo Fore Dressage Clinic. Poplar Place, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA 31811. 706-681-8748. poplarplacefarm.com. 14 Dover Saddlery Holiday Party, 4-7. 20% off one full priced item. Dover Saddlery, 2575 Whiskey Road, Aiken: stores. doversaddlery.com/south-carolina/aiken-sc. 803-262-4542 15 Eventing Academy XC Day. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 16 Eventing Academy Schooling Day. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 16 Hoofbeats 14th Annual Christmas Parade and Horseback Caroling. 2 pm start time. Riders, Carriages and Dog Walkers Welcome: registration required. Benefits Equine Rescue of Aiken & SPCSA Albrecht Center. Samantha Spitler: 803-2577407; Trish Leslie: 706-951-2349. Visit Facebook for more information: facebook.com/HorseParadeAiken 16 Enlightened Equestrian Team IEA Show. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com 16 Children’s Drag and Christmas Hunt at Greenboundary Club. Aiken Hounds. Aiken. 803.643.3724, lchickey@gmail.com, theaikenhounds.com 17 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com 17 North Gwinnett High School IEA Show. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com 17 Boykin Christmas Parade @ Boykin Town Center. Camden Hunt. therealcamdenhunt@gmail.com, camdenhunt.com 20 Hunter/Jumper Institute at Stable View. 17 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

The Aiken Horse

11-12 12-14 13 13 13 14 17 17 18 18 19-21

20-21 25 25-28 27

Apple Tree Farm Two Phase. Schooling CT/Dressage, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org Aiken Winter Classic I. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm. 3549 Charleston Hwy. Aiken, SC. Cindy Wood (410) 726 8926 cindy@firefoxfarm.com SportingDaysFarm.com Combined Test, Dressage & Show Jumping. The Vista. 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. 803.262.5263 vistaschooling@gmail. com, schoolthevista.com Schooling Dressage Collection. Stable View. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com Dara Apple: Apple Tree Farm & Dara Knot Three Phase. 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org Aiken Winter Classic II. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Winter Combined Test. Stable View. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com Dressage TOC, CT, Schooling Show. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Hwy. Aiken, SC Cindy Wood (410) 726 8926 cindy@firefoxfarm.com SportingDaysFarm.com Pipe Opener I CT at Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd., Raeford, NC 28376. 910-875-2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com January Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, fullgallopfarm.com Hunter./Jumper Institute. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com Aiken Driving Club Derby # 1. Aiken Driving Club. aikendrivingclub.com Apple Tree Farm Two Phase. Schooling CT/Dressage, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org Member Appreciation Party. The Vista. 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. 803.262.5263 vistaschooling@gmail.com, schoolthevista.com Aiken Winter Premier. Aiken Horse Park Foundation, 931 Powderhouse Rd, Aiken. Equus Events, Inc. J.P. Godard, Show Manager. 803-646-696. equusevents@aol.com. equusevents. com. USEF/USEA Aiken Opener Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com Apple Tree Farm Two Phase. Schooling CT/Dressage, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org Elite H/J at Bouckaert Farm 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117. equestrian@BouckaertFarm.com; BouckaertFarm.com Dressage Tests of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com

December-January 2023-2024

26-28 PSJ Winter I. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 28 January Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com 31 Schooling Dressage Collection. Stable View. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com

February 1

Apple Tree Farm Two Phase. Schooling CT/Dressage, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org 1-7 Whiskey Road Foxhounds Hunt Week. Whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com. 2-3 Eventing Schooling Show. Bouckaert Farm 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117. equestrian@BouckaertFarm. com; BouckaertFarm.com 2-4 Aiken Winter Encore. Aiken Horse Park Foundation, 931 Powderhouse Rd, Aiken. Equus Events, Inc. J.P. Godard, Show Manager. 803-646-696. equusevents@aol.com. equusevents. com. 3 Fashion for Compassion Gala hosted by White Rose. Eclectics to support Equine Rescue of Aiken. The Reserve Club at Woodside. 3000 The Reserve Club Dr, Aiken. aikenequinerescue.org; (803) 643-1850 3-4 USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm. 3549 Charleston Hwy. Aiken, SC. Cindy Wood (410) 726 8926 cindy@firefoxfarm.com SportingDaysFarm.com 7 February Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, fullgallopfarm.com 8-9 Apple Days at Sporting Days Farm & Apple Tree. 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org 8-11 SCQHA VRH Cattle Classic. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com 9-11 Cupid Classic. PSJ Shows. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 9-11 Pine Top Intermediate Horse Trials. Pine Top Farm, 1432 Augusta Highway, Thomson GA.Pinetopfarm.com 10 Golden Driving CT. aikendrivingclub.org 10-11 USEF/USDF I Love Dressage. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

December-January 2023-2024

Region 11 IEA Finals. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com 14 February Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, fullgallopfarm.com 15 Apple Tree Farm Two Phase. Schooling CT/Dressage, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org 16 Eventing Academy X-C Schooling Day. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 16-18 Carolina Classic. PSJ Shows. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 17 Eventing Academy Schooling Day. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 17 Pipe Opener II CT at Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd., Raeford, NC 28376. 910-875-2074, info@ carolinahorsepark.com. Carolinahorsepark.com 17-18 USEF/USEA Winter Horse Trial. Jumping Branch Farm. 179 Fox Pond Rd, Aiken, 240-460-1094. timshaw628@gmail.com. JBFarm.com. 17-18 Regions 1 & 6 IEA Finals. Georgia Horse Park. 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway. Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com 17-18 Spook Busting Secrets with Anna Twinney. A two day clinic with hands on training with your horse or one of our OTTBs. Equine Rescue of Aiken. 532 Glenwood Drive, Aiken. aaieknequinerescue.org. 18 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com 20 Dressage Tests of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com 21 Hunter./Jumper Institute. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 21 February Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com 22-23 Apple Branch at Jumping Branch & Apple Tree. 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org 23-24 IEA Region 4 Finals. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark. com 23-25 PSJ Winter II. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 24-25 Elite H/J at Bouckaert Farm 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117. equestrian@BouckaertFarm.com; BouckaertFarm.com 27 Dressage Tests of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com 28 February II Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, fullgallopfarm.com 28 Schooling Dressage Collection. Stable View. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com 29-Mar 1: Dara Apple: Apple Tree Farm & Dara Knot Three Phase. 1530 Oak Ridge Club Rd Windsor, SC Allison apltrefarm@ aol.com (603)345-0382 appletreefarm.org

The Aiken Horse 83

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Business Cards

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 85

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Top 5 benefits of MagnaWave PEMF (Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field Therapy) Leilani Pacheco HHP, CSM goldwowieequine@gmail.com

Help prevent overuse & Fatigue injuries

Reduce pain & inflammation without the side effects of drugs

Enhance post-exercise recovery, increase blood circulation & oxygenation

Helps soothe laminitis and arthritic joint pain

Provide relief from muscle soreness & tightness

https://goldwowie.com/magnawave-pemf/

805-350-9224 • Aiken, SC www.goldwowie.com

Winner Choice

Our happy clients include • FEI Show Jumping Champions • FEI Dressage Champions • USPA Polo Ponies • Hunter/Jumpers

Laura O’Connor Equestrian Ventures

Rider ~ Trainer ~ Coach

• USEF Licensed ‘R’ Judge • National Snaffle Bit Association Judge • Experienced Clinician • International US Rep. in Showjumping • Jumpers, Equitation & Hunters

Mobile: 561-252-4992

Web: Locequestrianventures.com Email: Locequestrian@gmail.com

Outfitting Southeastern Farriers for Over 30 years

GREAT SERVICE AND QUALITY FARRIER SUPPLIES ARE OUR PRIORITY

Aiken, SC

803.685.5101

Columbus, NC 828.894.0280

www.monettafarrier.com

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 87

Now Open

A PASTURE BOARDING facility for retired horses and resting polo ponies. 742 James Davison Heriot Road, Dalzell, SC 29040

Onsite owners. Convenient access to I-20 and I-95. All new fencing and refurbished grass

Jared and Katherine Thompson 870-816-5814 highmeadowpastures.com

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2023-2024

Index of Advertisers Advertiser

Advertiser

Page Section

Page

Section

Advertiser

Page Section

Adams Horse and Pet Supplies

EXP Realty

Shane Doyle

Aiken Chiropractic

FITS Equestrian/Redingote

Sharer Dale Team RE

Aiken County Farm Supply

FOTAS Aiken

Sharer Dale Team RE

Aiken Horse Park Foundation

Freedom House Wash

South Carolina Equine Park

Aiken Horsemanship Academy

G L Williams and Daughter

Southern Belle Classic

Aiken Land Conservancy

Highfields

Southern Equine Service

Aiken Luxury Rentals

InnerCoastal Livestock

Southern Ridge Excavation

Aiken Outreach

Jill Diaz Polo

SPCA Albrecht Center

Aiken Polo Club

Keller Williams- Gutierrez

Sporting Days Farm

Aiken Saddlery, Inc.

LEGISequine.com

Stable View, LLC

Aiken Tack Exchange

Lightning Protection Systems

Sullivan Turner Team | Meybohm

Aiken Veterinary Clinics, P.A.

Mark Lexton

Sullivan Turner Team | Meybohm

American National Insurance

Meybohm RE Haslup

Tack Shack

Atelier de la Ruelle

Meybohm RE Vaillancourt

Tally Ho Vacation Rentals

B & K Grading and Paving

National Land Realty

Teddi Ismond

Bridle Creek

New Bridge Polo Club

The Kneaded Edge

Carolina Company RE

NibbleNet

The Kneaded Edge

Carolina Equine Clinic

Oak Manor Saddlery

The Tack Room

CB Arenas

Park Avenue Oyster Bar

The Willcox

CHAPS

Performance Equine Vets

Tom Wendel DVM

DFG Stables

Progressive Show Jumping, Inc

Tumbleweed

Engineered Equine Performance

Rado Residential

Whisper Farm

Epona

RE/MAX Tattersall Group

Woodside Communities

Equine Divine

Red Pine Equine Massage

Equine Rescue of Aiken

Red Top Farm LLC

Advertising in The Aiken Horse

CLASSIFIED ADS are $30 for the first 30 DIRECTORY LISTING ADS: $30 per issue words & 40 cents for every word or $100 for the year (6 issues.) thereafter. Add $5 for blind classified. BUSINESS CARDS: $75 per issue or $300 PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for horses: $40; for the year (6 issues.) Limit 30 words & one picture DISPLAY ADS are available in a range of PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for real estate, etc. sizes. For a detailed rate sheet and $50; Limit 60 words & one picture. publication schedule, visit our website: BOXED CLASSIFIEDS: add $5 to your total TheAikenHorse.com

December-January 2023-2024

MAILING ADDRESS: The Aiken Horse, P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 EMAIL: theAikenHorse@gmail.com We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Pay for classifieds and business cards online: TheAikenHorse.com Pay a Bill or call us: 803.643.9960

Advertise in the February-March 2024 issue! Deadline January 19, 2024 Subscribe: $36 per year. Check out on our website or send your check to Subscriptions, 705 Flowing Well Road. Wagener, SC 29164

The Aiken Horse 89

Thrift Store at Mitchell Plaza

BOUTIQUE CLOTHING DESIGNER SHOES & BAGS JEWELRY FURNITURE ANTIQUES PET SUPPLIES BOOKS ART ELECTRONICS HOUSEHOLD ITEMS TOYS

Do Se n’t c M Sid ond iss ew Sa Ou alk turd r Sa ay les ! er m ! o t m s a u r r C rog u O dP n i r Jo wa Re

AND MUCH MORE! Facebook.com/WhereShoppingSavesLives

1589 Whiskey Road, Aiken SC 803-226-0255 90

The Aiken Horse

Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm December-January 2023-2024

December-January 2023-2024

The Aiken Horse 91

A I K E N, S O U T H C A R O L I N A

HOMES | HORSES | HISTORY | HOSPITALITY

C ome Home to Greener Pastures

www.CarolinaCompany.com | 803.648.8660

Winter Colony Estate “Live Oak” THOMAS BOSSARD | 803.640.2845 | $3,500,000

Situated on just under 3 acres on Aiken's famed Easy Street, this completely renovated property was expanded and restored in 2003. Originally 3 separate buildings, the center is believed to be a 1840s home. Around 1910, the structures were combined including new construction of the living room which joins them today. The pool and pool house. were built in the 1920s and restored in 2000. The live oak in the rear of the house is approximately 300 years old and gives the house its name. The final addition to the estate was the current 2-car garage and apartment. The main house features 4 large bedrooms with sitting rooms, baths and closets. Custom kitchen with laundry room and pantry flow into a breakfast room. Large dining room opens to expansive living room with intricate mill work. There are 2 sitting rooms off the main living room, a game room, office, wet bar and half bath. There are extensive decks and patios throughout the property overlooking the gardens. The estate includes magnificent gardens, 2-car garage with gardener's bath & apartment, grand pool house, 9 stall barn with 3 paddocks and room for apartment above. Adjacent to the barn is a 3 car garage with a 2 bedroom apartment above. This property is truly a one of a kind and is just steps from Hitchcock Woods.

Pine Hill Farm

BARB GOULD USKUP | 803.295.3199 | $799,000

Set on just over 5 peaceful acres only minutes from downtown adjacent to the new Aiken Steeplechase course. Enter this fully perimeter fenced retreat suitable for any discipline through a gated entrance to your spacious, well-appointed 4 bed brick split floor plan residence with 3 full and 2 half baths. Features include bright kitchen with granite countertops & stainless appliances, great room with vaulted ceiling, formal dining room, spacious master with en-suite bath, oversized 2-car garage with bonus area & half bath above. The beautifully landscaped backyard includes fiberglass pool, hot tub, pergola, gazebo, and more. A 600 sq ft pool house with attached workshop/garage includes large living area, kitchenette, full bath and laundry hookups. For horses there are 3 paddocks/pastures and 2-stall barn (with room for 3rd stall) surrounded by a 4th paddock, & hydrants for water in each paddock and pasture.

Sandbox Farm

BARB GOULD USKUP | 803.295.3199 | $549,000

Immaculate turnkey equestrian property on just over 10 acres, close to Aiken and equestrian venues. Gated drive with grass pastures on either side leads to an efficient 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath split floor plan residence. Well appointed kitchen, living area with fireplace, formal dining room, flex room, primary bedroom with ensuite bath and gas fireplace. Fiber optic internet available for house and barn.The 3-stall center aisle barn features 12 x 12 stalls with mats, wash rack and large climate controlled tack room. Includes grass dressage arena, 60-foot panel round pen and trails.

Conveniently located in the heart of the eastside equestrian corridor, this multi-use 80+ acre parcel offers an opportunity to create a lifestyle of your dreams. Equestrians, farmers, hunters, and developers — consider the possibilities!

Custom new residence by Donnie Shaffer Homes in on 5.06 acres, 3321 sq ft, 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths plus sunroom, oak hardwood floors in foyer, great room, dining room, kitchen and owners bedroom. Ceramic tile in all wet areas, extra large mudroom, 17 SEER Heat Pump, 10' ceilings in family room and foyer, 9' elsewhere on the main floor. Kitchen Aid stainless appliances including gas cooktop, microwave and dishwasher, garden tub in owners bath with tile shower. Community amenities include miles of trails, dressage ring with mirrors, jumping ring, cross country course, club house/fitness center.

Three Runs Plantation JACK ROTH 803.341.8787 | $354,200

Beautiful and very rare 6.44 acre building site in coveted equestrian community. Very flat building site with nice trees, located close to the Activity Center South with a jump arena, dressage arena with mirrors and a cross country schooling area. Amenities include clubhouse, additional arenas, swimming pool with cabana, and miles of groomed trails.

New Construction at Bridle Creek JACK ROTH 803.341.8787 | $839,000

Beautiful Donnie Shaffer home under construction on 5.03 acres, 3,018 square feet, 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths, oak hardwood floors in foyer, great room, dining room, kitchen and owners bedroom. 18'' Ceramic tile in all wet areas, extra large mudroom, 17 SEER Heat Pump, Kitchen has extra sink, 10' ceilings in Family Room and Foyer, 9' elsewhere on the main floor. Kitchen Aid stainless appliances including gas cooktop, microwave and dishwasher, 6' garden tub in owners bath with tile shower. Bridle Creek owners enjoy amenities including trail system, community arenas, and new fitness center with kitchen. Expected completion in summer 2024.

Mile Bridge Tract

MIKE HOSANG 803.270.6358 | $7,000 per acre

Expansive 362-acre tract available in Johnston area on the border of Aiken and Edgefield counties. Endless possibilities for this lovely land, with part of the acreage cleared, part wooded, and several gorgeous homesites. Approximately 137 acres cleared, and about 225 acres wooded with a mix of hardwoods & pines. Possible uses include hunting, horses, recreational, timber, farm, or residential development. Seller will consider subdividing.

LAND East Side Horse Country MIKE HOSANG 803.270.6358 | $900,000

Elegant New Home at Bridle Creek JACK ROTH 803.341.8787 | $879,000

Ulmer Heritage Lots

JANE PAGE THOMPSON | 803.215.8232 Multiple parcels offered in Williston – Barnwell County at Highway 39 and Shad Road, Ash Lane, Oyster Trail, and Bluebonnett Valley. Paved county roads and private dirt roads provide access to beautiful land with a multitude of uses! Lots range from 0.59 acres to as much as 22.91 acres. BRING ALL OFFERS! Starting at $13,500

Solstice Meadow RANDY WOLCOTT | 803.507.1142 Lovely building lots in this quiet little equestrian neighborhood, with access to miles of trails and the Freeman Preserve! Lots range from 5 to 5.42 acres. ONLY $85,000 EACH LOT

Fox Hollow on the Lake MIKE HOSANG | 803.270.6358 | 2 LOTS AVAILABLE

One of Aiken's premier equestrian communities: private, gated and conveniently located between Aiken and Augusta. Equestrian amenities include community riding/walking trails, dressage arena, jumping arena and cross-country course. Lot 65 has 12 acres at $142,800 | Lot 66 has 12.84 acres at $152,800

Bridle Creek

JACK ROTH | 803.341.8787 Over 600 wooded acres of Aiken’s horse country, featuring equestrian homesites of 5 acres or more. Community amenities include dressage and jump arenas, cross-country schooling, miles of trails and NEW activity center with fitness equipment and kitchen. Developer financing available! $22,500 per acre

JACK ROTH: 803-341-8787 COURTNEY CONGER: 803-645-3308 THOMAS BOSSARD: 803-640-2845 TOM MURRAY: 626-644-3008 BARB GOULD USKUP: 803-295-3199 MIKE HOSANG: 803-270-6358 LORI SALCH: 803-270-5972 RANDY WOLCOTT: 803-507-1142 JANE PAGE THOMPSON: 803-215-8232 ALEX TYRTEOS: 203-249-3071 ELIZABETH BLACKWELL: 850-566-6295 MARY TROTMAN: 502-857-1782 DANA MASSEY: 803-599-0400 BETTINA RUCKELSHAUS: 803-640-1625 LEE HEDLUND: 803-221-6831 LORI MARVEL: 843-324-5341 BRIAN CAVANAUGH: 803-624-6072 SHELLEY FARQUHAR: 561-267-9514