Get Away From It All At Camp

CAMPWhether you missed the chance as a child or just want to relive the experience, adults can be summer campers too!

By AMBER HEINTZBERGER

Time in the saddle, goofing around with friends, learning about horsemanship and everything horsey. Sound like a great place to send your kids for the summer? Well, riding camp isn’t just for kids anymore.

Whether you want to “rough it” at a ranch or luxuriate in spa-like facilities, adult riding camps offer a chance to get away from it all and spend a week in a beautiful location immersed in all things equine.

Many adult camps, like the one offered at Maplewood Stables in Nevada, offer a chance to get out of the ring and relax on the trail.

TRICIA BOOKER PHOTOS Campers at Maplewood’s Adult “Ride And Whine” camps enjoy shopping outings and dinners at Lake Tahoe and in Virginia City.

The Adult Ride And Whine camps offered at Maplewood Stables in Pleasant Valley, Nev., approximately 10 miles south of Reno, are for hunter/jumper enthusiasts of all ages and riding abilities. The 150-acre property features ponds, hills and creeks, with much of the acreage devoted to trails, as well as top-notch stabling, an expansive indoor arena, a grass jumping field, two outdoor arenas, multiple round pens and a state-of-the-art equine treadmill.

Owner Julie Winkel is one of the country’s foremost judges, clinicians and educators. She also serves on numerous committees and task forces with the U.S. Equestrian Federation and U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, and her son Kevin is an accomplished grand prix show jumper.

As well as three days of riding instruction, lots of extras are included, such as a fashion show, wine tasting, shopping outings and dinners in Lake Tahoe or Virginia City, Nev., as well as presentations on topics like conformation, fitness and nutrition for riders.

“It’s geared to having fun, but [it’s] also very educational,” said Winkel. “The benefit is that they get to relax, hobnob with other adults who have their same interest, and get to talk about horses. It’s a mixture of having a great time with horses and a learning experience for women and men who enjoy the horses for what they are. It’s not a competitive environment; it’s a chance to share fun times and ideas with people who enjoy the same thing they do.”

While campers can bring their own horses, many people fly in from all over the country and use the farm’s horses. Limited accommodations are available on-site, while nearby accommodations range from Airbnb rentals to upscale resorts with spa amenities.

Professional rider and trainer Carol Hinckley, from Brick Road Farm in Snohomish, Wash., attended the camp in 2016 with a group of her students and had so much fun that she plans to go back.

“Two of my students were fairly advanced, and one of them was somewhat of a beginner,” said Hinckley. “Being a

“I’m a big fan of adult riding camps!” said Claudia Winter, shown here at GMHA aboard Freia. “I’ve met so many great people.”

professional I know everyone thinks it’s silly to go to riding camp, but it was a nice break. I rode one of Julie’s young horses, and it was nice to have Kevin’s eyes on me and Julie’s eyes on me. The reinforcement is that you’re doing it for the right things, the things you love. We did a poker ride, and it was really different and really fun. It takes the pressure off. As a professional we love what we do, but at the camp there were no expectations. One of my students already went back for the fall session.”

Hinckley also enjoyed the “extracurricular” sessions. “They brought in a lady to work on stretching exercises you can do at a horse show using your tack box and water bucket, and I’ve really used them since then,” she said. “We’re athletes, and we should take care of ourselves. I used to just stretch when I got sore, but now I prep to ride with stretching. Julie’s lectures were really good too; when you’re teaching at home things can get a little stagnant, and I took a lot of her information back and applied it to teaching at home. It was very refreshing, and I would encourage other professionals to do it.”

Hinckley and her students stayed at an Airbnb rental. “It was about 10 minutes away, very affordable—especially split four ways—and after camp we played cards and drank wine and had a great time. It really lightened up the whole trip,” she said. “It was a great experience.”

Winkel also enjoys the opportunity to take a break from the usual schedule at her farm. “It’s one of the most fun things I put on every year,” she said. “I enjoy teaching people about horses and enjoy the other parts of it, the shopping, wine tasting, lectures and preparing all the other parts of making horse camp fun for adults.”

JOAN DAVIS/FLATLANDS PHOTO

Time To Focus

Paula Halesky Siry had attended pony camp as a child and spent a semester riding in college, but she became more involved with horses at age 40, when her husband Marc gifted her a package of riding lessons for her birthday. She jumped at the chance to spend a week at the Vershire Riding School camp, immersed in horses with like-minded adults.

Located on over 400 acres in scenic central Vermont, the Vershire Riding School, founded in 1970, offers an eventing camp for adults every summer. The facilities include five sand dressage arenas, a 72' x 150' indoor riding arena, cross-country courses, two stadium jumping fields and miles of trails. They also host a horse trials in the summer.

The camp is open to beginners, and riders may bring their own horse at no extra charge, or use one of the camp’s horses. Along with four hours of daily mounted lessons, campers can enjoy yoga, tennis, lectures, meals and wine. The website says, “Prior experience is not necessary—just motivation to learn, the sense of adventure in doing something different, the willingness to work hard, and the stamina and wit to put it all together.”

Siry, who lives in Philadelphia, will be spending her sixth summer at the Vershire camp. “Not only is it a relaxing getaway, the phone connection is very limited. I called home once a night to say hi, but otherwise you’re focusing on the horses and learning.

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You ride two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon and take care of your horse and your horse’s stall. You really bond with the horse during the week.

“They break you up into groups by ability, and I always like to be in a group where I’m the worst rider in the group, so I feel like I’m pushed to succeed,” she added. “You get a lot of focus and one-onone attention from the instructors. The groups are four to six adults, and it’s not competitive. You’re only competing against yourself. There’s a show at the end of the week, but everyone is very encouraging.”

She described the accommodations as rustic but comfortable. “I always take a foam bedroll, but you each have your own room and groups of rooms share showers. You get a lot of downtime between the lessons, and there’s always happy hour with wine and beer and hors d’oeuvres, and they serve delicious home-cooked food with a vegetarian option,” she said. “I usually have a nap in the afternoon, and after dinner I’m in bed reading by 8:00, because I’m tired! There are always talks on different horse-related topics like saddle fitting, and once a guy showed us how to drive his logging horses.”

One of her favorite parts of the week is on the last day, when the campers turn their horses out into a big field. “On the very last day after the event, we all take our horses out and release them into the field and watch them run off bucking and rolling,” she said. “After they’ve been in the stall all week it’s like a reward for a job well done.”

TRICIA BOOKER PHOTOS

Even professional trainers were able to learn from presentations at Julie Winkel’s Maplewood “Adult Ride And Whine” camps, taking new information home to share with their own students.

But after 45 years, 2017 will be the last year that Vershire offers a riding camp.

Denny and May Emerson also used to host camps at their Tamarack Hill Farm in South Strafford, Vt., and Southern Pines, N.C., and while they no longer do so, Denny believes camp is a worthwhile destination for most adult amateurs. “These are probably people, many of whom didn’t get to go to horse camp when they were kids, and now at 40, 50, 60, whatever, they’re able to do it, and it’s a fun experience for them,” he said. “They sort of like having a peer group rather than a bunch of hotshots their kids’ ages; they can moan together about how hard the sitting trot

JOAN DAVIS/FLATLANDS PHOTO JOAN DAVIS/FLATLANDS PHOTO

(From left) Kathrin Midgely, Claudia Winter and Jennifer Ferree focus on instruction from Bobby Costello at a GMHA camp.

Riders like Tom Davis benefit from training with eventers like Bonnie Mosser at a GMHA camp.

is. That said, we tried to be pretty serious and open people’s eyes to things they could pursue once they go home.”

He said that adults also tend to enjoy the feeling of being “in it together” with their peers. “They can go home and say, ‘That was fun,’ and some of them form friendships that last for years,” he said.

Home Away From Home

While Vershire is in its final year, a camp is once again running at Vermont’s Green Mountain Horse Association in South Woodstock. The USEA Adult Eventing Camp organized by Barbara Marks came to an end when she passed away, but it’s now back in business, this time as a three-day clinic.

Organizer Amber Braun said that the GMHA Eventing Clinic on June 6-8 is open to 30 participants and offers instructors like John Zopatti, Kim Severson and Jane Hamlin. There will also be a USEA Festival Of Eventing Clinic at GMHA, held Aug. 7-9, with instructors Sharon White, Allison Springer, Bobby Costello and Rebecca Vick, followed by a horse trials through the one-star level on Aug. 11-13.

Claudia Winter participated in the clinic when it was the Adult Camp, and she’s continued to return as GMHA has taken over, going every summer for 12 years. “I’m a big fan of adult riding camps!” she said. “I’ve met so many great people, and we end up touching base in the winter too. Vermont is beautiful—it’s kind of my home away from home.”

Winter’s four-hour drive from Germantown, N.Y., is just long enough to feel like she’s away. “I use that as my vacation,” she said. “It’s nice to be with my horse, with nothing else going on. They always have great clinicians, and we have dinner together, and it’s so much fun.”

Winter and her husband, who own a large textile screen printing facility in Kingston, N.Y., hope to organize a camp at their own CSW Farms, which has a crosscountry schooling course up to preliminary level, including sunken roads, banks and water, built by ETB Equine Construction.

“I have had a lot of clinicians coming here over the years—Allison Springer, Boyd Martin—and we’re working on putting together a recognized event,” she said. “Eventers are down to earth and fun.”

From Longeing To Roping

For dressage aficionados, the mountains of Virginia offer a four-day Southwest Virginia Dressage Association Camp, operated under the guidelines of the USDF Adult Camp Program each September.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VERSHIRE RIDING SCHOOL

Judy Ofchus rides Boomer during one of the Vershire camp’s summer sessions in Vermont.

Want To Find Out More About One Of These Camps?

SWVADA Dressage Camp 2017 Dates: Sept. 21-24 Cost: $720, including accommodations for horse and rider Discipline: Dressage Location: Penmerryl Farm, Greenville, Va. Website: swvada.org/Education.html

Adult Ride And Whine Camp At Maplewood Stables 2017 Dates: May 25-28; Oct. 19-22 Cost: $1,500, including board for your horse or lease of camp horse and three dinners, including Lake Tahoe, Virginia City and a welcome dinner Discipline: Hunter/Jumper Location: Maplewood Stables, Reno, Nev. Website: mwstables.com/adult-rideand-whine-0

“This camp has been going for about 20 years; I moved to the area 10 years ago, and in that time I’ve been an instructor for three years, and in the past couple years I’ve been an organizer with two other people,” said Tracey Smith-Oliver.

The camp receives an annual grant from the U.S. Dressage Foundation, which helps keep the cost low for participants. “Our goal is to break even; we don’t make any money off the camp,” said Smith-Oliver.

The camp includes meals Thursday night through lunch on Sunday, lodging for the camper and horses, and it also includes instruction on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“We typically get two instructors, one who is a USDF-Certified instructor,” said Smith-Oliver. “Last year the cost was $720, but we offered an ‘early bird’ discount.”

Smith-Oliver said that the camp offers a fun, casual atmosphere, with mostly adult amateurs participating, though they occasionally get professional riders and FEI-level riders.

“For the most part they’re training/ first level riders,” she said. “The last couple years we had a popular format where each camper rode twice Friday and Saturday, with a private in the morning, a semiprivate in the afternoon, and the next day switched instructors. Sunday you could have a longe lesson, cavaletti or hill work, to keep things interesting. People can also arrive early on Thursday and trail ride for a small facilities fee.”

Like other camps, they have extra lectures and demonstrations; last year a roping lesson was a big hit.

Whether you want to learn the basics or hone your competitive skills, relax with friends or make new ones, adult riding camp could be the chance to get out of your usual routine and spend some quality time on the back of a horse.

GMHA Eventing Clinics 2017 Dates: June 6-8, GMHA Eventing Clinic; Aug. 7-9, USEA Festival of Eventing Clinic at GMHA Cost: TBD Discipline: Eventing Location: South Woodstock, Vt. Website: gmhainc.org/event/juneeventing-clinic/

Vershire Riding School Adult Camp 2017 Dates: Five weeks, June through August, and five shortened weekend options Cost: $1,800/week or $900/ weekend Location: Vershire, Vt. Discipline: Eventing Website: vershireridingschool.com/ RidingCamps/AdultCamp/adultcamp.htm

CITY GUIDE THE WORLD’S COMING TO OMAHA

By MOLLIE BAILEY

When the Fédération Equestre Internationale announced Omaha, Neb., would host this year’s combined dressage and show jumping FEI World Cup Finals, the horse world’s response resounded across in-gates and the internet: “Wait, Omaha?”

Sure, the biggest city in Nebraska has hosted international show jumping since 2012, adding dressage last year, but the area isn’t traditionally known as a hotbed of elite equestrian sport. But those who’ve visited Omaha for the Inter-

national, hosted at the downtown CenturyLink Center, have left raving about the city—stuffed with culture, great restaurants and friendly people.

Visitors who head to Omaha March 29-April 2 will love the approachable vibe and big city amenities without the accompanying hassles.

1935 Triple Crown winner

Omaha is memorialized in Stinson Park in downtown Omaha,

Neb., near the former Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDON VOGEL

OMAHA’S HENRY DOORLY ZOO AND AQUARIUM

No trip to Omaha would be complete without heading to the zoo. This world-class facility frequently earns a spot on various top-10 lists, and in 2014 TripAdvisor named it the No. 1 zoo in the world in its annual Travelers’ Choice awards.

You can check out the world’s largest indoor desert and the animals who live there, the biggest indoor rainforest in the country, the orangutan forest and an amazing aquarium complete with shark tunnel.

Admission prices range from $17.95 to $19.95, with discounts for children, seniors and members of the military.

3701 S. 10th St. Omaha, NE 68107 (402) 733-8400 omahazoo.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HENRY DOORLY ZOO AND AQUARIUM

LOCAL BEER, PATIO AND KITCHEN

During my trip to cover the 2016 International Omaha, I found my way to Local Beer, Patio And Kitchen multiple times, and I’ll be heading back this year. The pub/restaurant has a great patio, happy hour and friendly service, and it’s situated right around the corner from the CenturyLink Center, stumbling distance from many downtown hotels.

The restaurant serves tasty homestyle food—think tater tots and open-faced meatloaf sandwiches—but the 100 beers on tap are the stars of the show. There’s a special emphasis on local brews, with a wide range of choices from local beermakers.

902 Dodge St. Omaha, NE 68102 (402) 315-4301 localbeer.co

DEHNER BOOT COMPANY

Carlton Dehner started the Dehner Boot Company in Junction City, Kan., in the late 1800s, and now his great-grandson Jeff Ketzler carries on the tradition of extraordinary craftsmanship.

Stop by the showroom in downtown Omaha to see how the boots are handcrafted and get measured for your own pair, or check out deep discounts on seconds. Call ahead, but the family-run company will have extended hours with an open house and snacks in honor of the big event.

3614 Martha St. Omaha, NE 68105 (402) 342-7788 dehner.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEHNER BOOT COMPANY

TED AND WALLY’S PREMIUM HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

Another Old Market favorite, Ted And Wally’s sells delicious scratch-made ice cream that’s 18 percent butterfat thanks to plenty of cream and eggs. There are regularly changing flavors like Quit Yer Job And Eat Chocolate and Sarsaparilla, plus less indulgent homemade options like sorbet, sherbet and even coconut milk ice creams for customers sticking to paleo diets.

In addition to ice cream, you can enjoy treats from a big menu of malts, shakes, popcorn and a slew of other products in a stylish shop. If the mercury’s high you may have to queue up, but it’s worth the wait.

1120 Jackson St. Omaha, NE 68102 (402) 341-5827 tedandwallys.com

THE BERRY & RYE

Cocktail aficionados relax: The Berry & Rye has you covered. This bar takes its drinks very seriously, with a menu sorted by main ingredient and lots of pre-Prohibition-style libations on the menu. All bitters, sodas and syrups are made in-house. Even the ice is craft, using a reverse osmosis system to get the purest water possible.

The decadent drinks are served with panache, like the Trinidad Smoke, which is delivered smoking in a carafe. Reservations are highly recommended for this speakeasy-style space.

1105 Howard St. Omaha, NE 68102 (402) 613-1331 Theberryandrye.com

JOSLYN ART MUSEUM

Omaha’s premier visual art institution has more than 11,000 works by artists like El Greco, Degas, Renoir, Monet and Cassatt. The museum’s permanent collections focus on 19th and 20th century European and American art, as well as art of the American West.

Highlights of the American Indian collection include ledger books by Howling Wolf and White Horse, and a beaded jacket belonging to Logan Fontenelle, grandson of the renowned Omaha chief Big Elk.

Wander around the museum’s three sculpture gardens and stop by the café in the museum’s atrium for a lunch with a serious view. The museum is free, though temporary exhibits— contemporary American artist Virginia Beahan will be featured during the FEI World Cup Finals, and there will also be an exhibit on hunting and fishing in American art—may have a fee.

2200 Dodge St. (402) 342-2376 Omaha, NE 68102 joslyn.org

GORAT’S

If you ask Omaha’s most famous resident, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, where to grab a steak in town, he’ll send you to Gorat’s. Luckily the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders annual meeting takes place the weekend after the FEI World Cup Finals (it’s also at the CenturyLink Center), because the place will doubtlessly be booked the whole time.

Thanks in no small part to Buffett’s influence, the steakhouse has been written up in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, among others, and it’s as unassuming as he famously is. Locals recommend the onion rings, but if you want to eat like Buffett, order the 22 oz. Omaha T-bone ($39) with a double side of hash browns and a cherry Coke.

4917 Center St. (402) 551-3733 Omaha, NE 68106 goratsomaha.com

BOILER ROOM

If you’re up for a special night out, head to this restaurant located just outside of the Old Market district. Sure, it’s unassuming on the outside, but head in and it’s a hip locale where the dining tables overlook the bar and kitchen.

There’s just as much attention paid to the wine list and cocktail offerings as to the menu, which changes almost daily corresponding with the seasonal items available from 18 local purveyors. There’s not a huge selection—at last check there were six entrees available and about as many appetizers—but everything is painstakingly crafted.

Chef Tim Nicholson’s personal favorites include the charcuterie ($15), as everything is cured in-house, and the pastas, also homemade, and he recommends the whole fish for two ($65). Reservations recommended.

1110 Jones St. (402) 916-9274 Omaha, NE 68102 boilerroomomaha.com

CRESCENT MOON ALEHOUSE

Crescent Moon Alehouse is part of Beer Corner USA, a consortium of three pubs and a retail beer store next to each other in Midtown Crossing. Crescent Moon is serious about craft beer and has garnered national accolades and a local following for its extensive selection.

But Crescent Moon has a bigger claim to fame, namely that it regularly tops local reader’s choice lists for making the best Rueben in Omaha—no small feat given that this town invented the sandwich. Crescent Moon’s is made from slow-cooked corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on grilled marble rye.

After you finish your sandwich at Crescent Moon, stick your head in Huber-Haus, an authentic German beer bar with Bavarian pub food, and Max & Joes, which focuses on Belgian brews. Or maybe just stop by the retail store, Beertopia, for a six-pack to take back to your hotel.

3578 Farnam St. (402) 345-1708 Omaha, NE 68131 beercornerusa.com/CrescentMoon

DROVER RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE

It’s a little hard to find The Drover, which is tucked away near some office buildings, but if you’re a beef fan make sure you do track it down. The Drover has been serving signature whiskey-marinade steaks for over 40 years and has gathered legions of followers and local awards. Don’t be put off by the modest interior; the food is the real star here.

Salad bar notwithstanding, this place is all about the meat, with a menu stuffed with steakhouse favorites like the whiskey filet ($39.95) and Drover prime rib ($27.95).

2121 S. 73rd St. Omaha, NE 68124 (402) 391-7440 droverrestaurant.com

BEANSMITH COFFEE ROASTERS

Serious caffeine addicts should head over to Beansmith in the Old Market district. The coffeeloving owners are obsessed with their craft and offer espresso drinks as well as pour over and cold brew options. The mochas have a serious fan club—made with dark chocolate, so they’re not too sweet—and the baristas will help you pick the roast that’s right for you.

The owners have partnered with local bakery Sweet Magnolia to provide mouthwatering sweets (think pop tarts, hand pies and scones) so you can have the best of both worlds.

1213 Harney St. (402) 614-1805 Omaha, NE 68102 beansmith.com

BEERCADE

Want to find the hippest neighborhood in Omaha? Check out historic Benson, whose residents boast that “creativity is our culture.” It’s where the yoga studios abut collaborative studios, with great dining and entertainment venues like the Waiting Room Lounge, which frequently attracts top music acts.

Locals will point you toward the Beercade, which gets busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Choose a brew (or three) from the taps, which rotate daily, then play some pinball, skee-ball or a classic arcade game. The Beercade’s happy hour special includes four quarters with a beer. Kids are welcome with a parent until 7 p.m., but after that, it’s adults only.

6104 Maple St. (402) 932-3392 Omaha NE 68104 thebeercade.com

LAURITZEN GARDENS

This botanical garden is a living museum of unique fourseason plant displays, all maintained to the highest environmental and horticultural standards.

Even though the FEI World Cup Finals will hit in early spring, there’s still lots to see at the urban oasis, including lush tropical displays in the Marjorie K. Daugherty Conservatory and azaleas and southern magnolias in the temperate house. Make sure you stop by the Nature Connects: Art With LEGO Bricks special exhibit, which features awesome LEGO sculptures inspired by the outdoors.

100 Bancroft St. Omaha, NE 68108 (402) 346-4002 lauritzengardens.org

DURHAM MUSEUM

Situated in the spectacular art deco Omaha Union Station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Durham Museum chronicles the history and development of the nation’s western region. The museum has a wide range of artifacts, including train cars that date back to 1890 and an extensive photo archive with more than 800,000 images going back 150 years.

Don’t leave without stopping by the 1930s soda fountain or checking out the temporary exhibit “Searching For the Seventies, The DOCUMERICA Photography Project” which chronicles everyday American life during the disco era, a collaboration between the Smithsonian and the National Archives and Records Administration.

801 S. 10th St. (402) 444-5071 Omaha, NE 68108 durhammuseum.org

UPSTREAM BREWING

Another Old Market staple, Upstream Brewing has a dozen or so of its own beers up for grabs, with some regulars and rotating seasonal creations. There’s tons of seating and a fantastic patio, perfect for people-watching or enjoying well-priced happy hour specials before the evening jumping session kicks off.

The extensive menu offers plenty for carnivores and vegetarians alike, and locals will tell you not to skip the smoked gouda and beer soup.

514 S. 11th St. (402) 344-0200 Omaha, NE 68102 upstreambrewing.com

DAVID RADLER PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO

Making The Most Of The Time Between Barn And Bed Tired of getting strange looks from other shoppers as you pick up a last-minute ingredient for dinner in your breeches? Try a meal preparation kit to simplify your weeknights.

BY MOLLIE BAILEY

For the last few months, I’ve had the best leftovers in the office. While co-workers have waited for chefs d’equipe to call them back, huddling over take-out food or reheated soup, I’ve sauntered up from the kitchen boasting “kale tahini flatbread with poached pear and beet salad,” or some other delicious creation, all in the name of testing a variety of meal delivery services.

The services are a great fit for busy equestrians who get home from the barn late but still like to make and eat a homecooked meal on a regular basis.

The general concept: Once a week a company overnights a box with pre-measured ingredients and recipe cards to your house, office or barn with everything you need to make two, three or four meals. Depending on your plan and the company, each box serves two, three or four. My boxes came to the office, and occasionally didn’t get into my fridge until as late as midnight, but I never had a problem with food arriving less than perfectly fresh.

Overall, the services had many more similarities than differences. All the ones I tested allowed you to manage your account online, and if you’re organized ahead of time, it’s easy to skip a week, or three, in case of a horse show. The account management systems make it easy to select which of the meals offered each week you’d like to make.

They’re accommodating toward those with allergies, food sensitivities and preferences, though those with no food restrictions will obviously have more options. The meals tend to use seasonal,

fresh ingredients, often incorporating an unfamiliar veggie or preparation, and the recipes are easy enough for any novice to follow.

Most importantly, the food tends to be really tasty. My personal experience and informal polling of others says that four out of five of the meals are good to amazing.

For me, cooking is a relaxing endeavor that usually involves a glass of wine and an occasional interruption to change the laundry, but even when I prepped for dinner single-mindedly, it generally took me a little longer than the 30 to 45 minutes each recipe card claimed.

To be clear: These kits aren’t for everyone. If cooking is something you hate, this won’t change your mind. If you’re counting your pennies to save up for a new Devoucoux saddle, the $9 to $12.50 per serving the services generally cost isn’t your most cost-effective dinner option.

While I enjoy the creative recipes, if you’re not an adventurous eater, you may, as my sister did, deem some of the meals “too weird.” The meals tend to be nutritionally balanced, with generous portions, but as my now too-snug breeches will attest, they’re not specifically geared toward those focused first and foremost on slimming down. And there’s no getting around the ecological impact of mailing a large box, complete with ice packs and insulation—though each has instructions for recycling or composting most or all of the packaging materials.

Many of the kits have regular promotions for discounted or free boxes for new subscribers and easy cancellation policies, so see which could be a fit for you and give it a try.

FOR THE NOVICE CHEF: PLATED

Plated offers a great variety of meals—you can choose from as many as 11 options each week—and they couldn’t be more foolproof. All of the ingredients for each recipe are pre-measured, individually wrapped and included in a plastic bag with the name of the recipe on it. When one recipe called for a small baking dish, they included a foil one.

The food is thoughtfully sourced, with sustainable seafood, pork and poultry raised without antibiotics, and beef without added hormones. Plus there’s an option to order dessert as well.

Much of the prep work for the veggies is already done—the butternut squash for one meal was peeled and coarsely chopped—which makes this an especially approachable choice. The recipes could not have been clearer, and I’ve seen a kitchen klutz friend manage just fine. While pre-prepped ingredients shortened cooking time and greens-heavy recipes tasted delicious, the short shelf life of prepped food meant that the meals really did have to be made within a week, or else things would start to go bad.

One note: All of the meal companies require that you have oil and salt and pepper on hand, and they provide you with the other ingredients. Plated also requires you provide your own eggs, if needed.

There are instructions on how to recycle and reuse most of the extensive packaging, and compost (read: throw in the manure pile) the jute insulation, and their customer service team was fantastic when I experienced a delivery snafu.

Ease of preparation: 5/5 Yum factor: 4/5 Environmental friendliness: 3/5 Price point: $12/serving

Special diets supported:

vegetarian, pescetarian

FOR COOKS WHO NEED A LITTLE INSPIRATION: BLUE APRON

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUE APRON

Blue Apron is probably the most familiar of the subscription services, and they’ve earned their reputation as a great dinner option. In addition to fresh food, you can also sign up for wine deliveries—paired with individual meals, of course—and, more recently, cooking accouterments from their site.

Of all the options, Blue Apron seemed the most “advanced,” not because it required specialized knowledge of techniques, but because it held your hand the least of any of the kits. The recipe for a sweet potato gratin, for example, didn’t specify what size baking dish to use, so my mother, ever the rules follower, spent a good five minutes trying to divine the size of the pan from the photo on the recipe card before we downed our wine glasses and grabbed the top baking pan from a drawer, which worked fine.

I found Blue Apron’s prep times to be the most optimistic; I always went significantly over the time allowed. But as a regular cook who gets stuck in a rut from time to time, I especially enjoyed their creative recipes and interesting flavor combinations.

Most meal kits gathered the ingredients for each recipe together, so preparing each meal requires pulling a bag out of the fridge. With the exception of the “knickknacks,” the spices, herbs and little extras that are bagged and labeled for each meal, most of Blue Apron’s ingredients are all separate and not designated in any way as belonging to a particular recipe. That means they easily get mixed up with regular groceries, necessitating a minor scavenger hunt when it came time to cook—no worse than normal cooking.

While two of my favorite meals came from Blue Apron, my two least favorite came from here as well. One of the losers, a butternut squash risotto with brussels sprouts and chestnuts, was a victim of a common pitfall I found in testing these recipes: trying to shorten a lengthy cooking technique to make it a weeknight meal.

In addition to providing instructions on how to recycle the packaging, Blue Apron also lets you mail the packaging—for free— back to them.

Ease of preparation: 2/5 Yum factor: 3/5 Environmental friendliness: 4/5 Price point: $8.74 to $9.99/serving

Special diets supported:

vegetarian, pescatarian Blueapron.com

FOR THOSE WITH RESTRICTED DIETS: GREEN CHEF

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREEN CHEF Green Chef is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic service that places a premium on working with sustainable providers. The service accommodates a variety of diets—including paleo and gluten-free—and ranked among the tastiest of all the dinners. Green Chef relies regularly on delicious pre-made sauces, which makes for some complex meals without much work, but also means it’s pretty much impossible to duplicate the recipes again on your own.

Relative to other meal kits, there’s a medium amount of prep involved with these recipes—for instance, the butternut squash came halved but not peeled or seeded—and the recipes are well organized and easy to follow. The ingredients are individually wrapped, and each is colorcoded by recipe, which seems like a decent way to minimize packaging while making it easy to pair each ingredient with its recipe.

The only miss with the six Green Chef meals I prepared was probably user error, as the cannellini bean patties didn’t hold together as well in the pan—but still tasted delicious. And the prep time on each recipe card was pretty accurate, which I appreciated.

Recycling the packaging, much of which is paper, is pretty straightforward, and their customer service team is especially responsive.

Ease of preparation: 4/5 Yum factor: 5/5 Environmental friendliness: 4/5 Price point: $10.49 to $14.99/serving

Special diets supported:

vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, paleo, gluten-free Greenchef.com

FOR THE ETHICAL EATER: SUN BASKET

Sun Basket is another choice that puts extra emphasis on where food comes from. Much of the produce is organic, and the company sends hormone-free meats and sustainably sourced seafood. They’re transparent about nutrition, putting the calorie count right next to the delicious-looking photo on the front of the recipe card, and additional nutritional information on the back. It took me a little longer to make the recipes than the cards claimed, but Chronicle managing editor Sara Lieser and her husband, Eric, consider the timing pretty accurate.

The ingredients for each meal come in a labeled, no-frills brown paper bag, and the recipe cards aren’t as fancy as most of the others. The biggest complaint any of us had was that we couldn’t quite get the

It sounds silly, but Peach Dish feels like it’s run by a couple that lives around the corner, not like it’s a growing company in Atlanta.

Each Peach Dish box comes with a sheet outlining which local Atlanta farms provided which ingredients for the week, and each recipe has a photo and bio of the chef who created it. They also include full nutritional information right on the recipe card.

The ingredients for each meal are tucked into an endearing organza bag that makes finding ingredients a breeze, and they’re shipped in the smallest of all the boxes that I received, along with a little bonus dessert. The customer service team is responsive to emails and requests, and even the occasional typos in the recipe seem to reinforce the fact that the company isn’t a huge conglomerate— compare their 200,000 meals a year to Blue Apron’s 8 million a month.

Peach Dish’s recipes are “southern inspired,” but there’s plenty of variety in their menu, which features four new meals a week as well as four seasonal favorites. About two of the meals each week are part of their “SuperFood Series” which focuses on especially healthful meals. I was surprised to mark “A+” on the front of one of the SuperFood meals (a tofu bowl with carrots, greens and Sriracha nuts) and put all the recipe cards in the re-make pile.

If you’re local to their Atlanta headquarters, you can leave your shipping materials with Peach Dish at a local farmers’ market to recycle, and most of the packaging materials are recyclable and compostable. While Peach Dish offers free shipping to most states, there are 20 or so mostly western states for which they tack on an extra $15/box for shipping.

food to look as lovely as the photos, but my notes from the recipes include “tasty!” and “exceeded expectations.”

One downside is that Sun Basket does charge a $5.99 delivery fee after the first week.

Each Sun Basket box is especially easy to recycle, and I liked that the insulation can be recycled in a curbside bin.

Ease of preparation: 4/5

Yum factor: 4/5

Environmental friendliness: 5/5

Price point: $11.49/meal, not including shipping

Special diets supported:

vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten-free, paleo

Sunbasket.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUN BASKET

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO FEEL CONNECTED TO THEIR FOOD: PEACH DISH

PHOTO COURTESY OF PEACH DISH

Ease of preparation: 4/5 Yum factor: 5/5 Environmental friendliness: 5/5 Price point: $11.25 to $12.50/ serving, not including shipping

Special diets supported:

vegetarian, pescatarian Peachdish.com

FEED ROOM FOR THE SIMPLE EATER: HELLO FRESH

PHOTO COURTESY OF HELLO FRESH

Hello Fresh has a lot of fans, and it’s easy to see why. The meals are tasty, there’s a good variety of food, and the recipes are simple. Compared with the other options, most of the dishes will be familiar, and, picky eaters take note, there are fewer unusual ingredients than the other products.

Hello Fresh includes the difficulty level for each recipe, and it’s helpful to see what you’re getting yourself into before you actually put on an apron. And while the enclosed ingredients are portioned for each meal, the exact amounts are printed on the recipe card, detailing how to make the dish for two or four, so it’s easy to re-make. I also liked that the nutritional information is printed on the recipe cards.

Subscribers can choose from six to eight recipes each week, and each meal is in its own self-contained box, so it’s easy to grab and cook. Chronicle advertising account manager Laura Honohan is a longtime Hello Fresh subscriber who swears the proteins are the best she’s ever had, and she raves over their customer service.

This probably isn’t the first choice for food purists—Hello Fresh was the only service tested that used a stock concentrate, for example—but it’s straightforward and reliable. The packaging is mostly but not entirely recyclable, making Hello Fresh a little less environmentally conscious than some other services.

Ease of preparation: 5/5 Yum factor: 3/5 Environmental friendliness: 2/5 Price point: $8.75-$9.90/meal

Special diets supported:

vegetarian, pescatarian Hellofresh.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF PURPLE CARROT

You won’t find the word “vegan” or even “vegetarian” on the Purple Carrot website. The service, once partially owned by food guru Mark Bittman, instead markets itself as providing “plant-based” meals for those who want to incorporate more veggies into their lives. But to be clear, there’s no meat, fish, dairy or animal products in any of the meals.

I really wanted to love Purple Carrot, but I ended up just liking it. The recipes were a little uneven, though one, the sweet potato and chickpea salad, was a

FOR THE VEGGIEHOLIC: PURPLE CARROT

surprising favorite. The website offers exactly three meals a week, so there’s no wiggle room to select a different option if one of the meals isn’t to your taste. The style of the meals struck me, for lack of a better word, as “vegan restaurant food.” I often like vegan restaurants and their food, but the recipes don’t always have the subtlest flavors.

Purple Carrot, like all the plans I tried, prides itself on sourcing seasonal ingredients, and I found myself wishing I were getting the boxes in the spring or summer for a bit more variety.

Purple Carrot earned the dubious honor of being the only service to provide a recipe that requires a food processor. (I’m looking at you, kale pesto cavatelli.) Even though I own a food processor, I wasn’t especially keen to dig it out from underneath the sink on a Tuesday night before I’d even taken off my paddock boots. Though to be fair, all the other Purple Carrot recipes were easy to make, with minimal equipment requirements.

Having tried it, I’m inclined to agree with the Purple Carrot marketers that this choice could be a winner if you’re looking to add some healthy balance to your life. Basic nutritional information is right on the recipe cards, and they have creative ideas.

Purple Carrot’s packaging is all made from post-consumer waste. You can recycle most of their packaging, with only the box liner being non-recyclable but biodegradable.

Ease of preparation: 2/5

Yum factor: 3/5

Environmental friendliness: 4/5 Price point: $9.25-$11.33/meal

Special diets supported:

vegetarian, vegan Purplecarrot.com

VICKI WRIGHT PHOTO

Shades Of Cara entered the Standardbred Retirement Foundation at 3. She’s now 16, and she’s competed with Stephanie Jacobs in hunters, competitive trail riding, team penning, western pleasure, barrel racing, driving and in-hand classes.

A Closer Look At: The Standardbred Retirement Foundation

This New Jersey-based nonprofit retrains and rehomes non-competitive Standardbred race horses while also upsetting stereotypes about the breed and providing help for atrisk youths.

By CHRISTINA KEIM

The question of what to do with a horse no longer earning his keep is one plaguing nearly all branches of the racing industry. While hundreds of Standardbreds leave the track each year, needing retraining for new careers, the breed is sometimes overshadowed by its more popular cousin, the Thoroughbred.

Judith Bokman, wife of a track veterinarian, and Paula Campbell, whose husband is a prominent driver, founded the Standardbred Retirement Foundation in 1989 after they noticed a disturbing pattern of events. Non-competitive Standardbreds were purchased from training centers with promises of rest and rehabilitation. Instead, the animals were frequently worked hard, even if they had injuries, and they often ended up at the New Holland auction in Pennsylvania.

Bokman and Campbell believed the horses needed better promotion and more careful placement options after their racing careers ended. Now the SRF’s mission is twofold: first, to rehabilitate and secure lifetime adoption of non-competitive Standardbred race horses; and second, to bring at-risk youths in contact with these horses, to the benefit of both groups.

“Compassion is key to what we do,” said Bokman, who added that the adoptable horses live at the boarding stable in Cream Ridge, N.J. A dedicated core of about 15 volunteers work with the horses regularly under the watchful eye of a professional trainer, Mari Norbye, whose experience spans both competitive riding and the Standardbred industry.

Since most Standardbreds are levelheaded horses, when a rideable horse arrives at the SRF’s main farm, he or she is often saddled and taken out on the trail that same day. Bokman said SRF alumni have gone on to careers in everything from dressage to show jumping to 4-H.

“The most popular home is for trail riding,” said Bokman. “We don’t have many requests for driving, which is sort of funny since they are already trained.”

Bokman said a common misconception about Standardbreds is that they only pace. In fact, race horses do most of their training at the trot, jogging nearly 25 miles per week.

“For the Standardbred, the natural gait is the trot,” said Bokman. “It is only when a horse wears hopples that they pace. Pacers will usually only wear them for an hour or so per week. I can count on one hand how many freelegged pacers have come through the program in 26 years.”

Volunteers teach SRF horses to organize and collect their gait.

“They usually just need to be told that it is OK,” said Bokman. “They are so willing to learn and to try. A lot of our horses are adopted for kids to ride.”

In fact, the breed’s tractable temperament has made the horses an ideal match for programs geared towards at-risk youth. For more than a decade, the SRF has partnered with the New Jersey Juvenile Justice System, bringing some of the state’s most challenging young

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STANDARDBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION

Falcon’s Fire Fly entered the Standardbred Retirement Foundation as a 3-year-old and has since competed in jumping and dressage with her first adopter, and she also worked in a therapeutic riding program. Now 23, she’s retired with Amber Nickerson.

people—more than 110 each year—in contact with the gentle horses.

Students are taught everything from how to be safe around horses, to removing the horses from their stalls, to grooming, mucking and eventually even getting on board.

“We do a lot of teaching,” said Bokman. “Through the horse, they learn important life lessons. They learn that the horse is counting on them, and they have to learn to think ahead. If they are a super active kid, they have to learn how to calm down. They have to learn how to handle the horse fairly but not let the horse take advantage.”

Bokman said combining the retired Standardbreds with young people needing direction was a logical extension of their mission of compassion.

“These are the kids who get into trouble after school because they don’t want to go home, or because they need something to do,” explained Bokman. “One little boy actually begged the owner of the farm to let him come and work for free.”

With the help of volunteers, the SRF also runs programs in the spring and fall for local students at their main facility. One of the most touching stories >>involved a fifth-grade girl who had

Standardbred Zonka, 13, served on the Massachusetts National Guard Ceremonial Unit from 1997 until 2002, when the group reduced its number of horses. He now lives with adopter Jennifer Janulewicz and enjoys leisurely trail rides.

suffered a severe trauma; she had not spoken for more than a year.

“After working with our horses, that all changed,” said Bokman.

The SRF follows up on each animal they have placed for the remainder of their lives. If an owner’s circumstances change, SRF horses are welcomed back into the fold.

“People have lifestyle changes, and sometimes the horse has to go,” said Bokman. “Their value to be sold for a riding horse is not there yet. They are less valuable [than a Thoroughbred] and are at much greater risk without an advocate like SRF if a new home is needed.”

Twice a year, adopters must submit a report, signed by a veterinarian, verifying that the horse remains in good health and in a safe environment. Standardbreds placed through SRF are not allowed to be rehomed or sold. If an owner cannot keep the horse, they are to be returned to the program.

Currently the organization is supporting 218 Standardbreds, which is an all-time high, with about 130 of those animals suitable for companion homes only.

Bokman said horses who are difficult to rehome, due to age, unsoundness or other issues, remain permanently under the care of the organization. Many of the horses are boarded at facilities in less expensive areas of the country, like Kentucky, Virginia and New York. Others live in foster homes, with some caregivers assuming full expenses for the animal.

Despite adopting out more than 120 horses per year—nearly 3,000 total since its inception—the program maintains a waitlist of about 100 more horses needing placement. Most of the budget is met through individual donations, supplemented by fundraising events. The program can support its current herd, but without additional funds they are unable to take more.

“There is a limit to how much more we can grow,” said Bokman. “There isn’t a limit when funds are available.”

Potential adopters are carefully screened, with references required from a veterinarian, a farrier, a neighbor and a personal, nonrelated friend. Trainer references are also expected if one is available.

“If the adopter is going to board, then we need to speak with the facility owner,” said Bokman.

Adoption fees start at $350, with no fee charged in the case of a horse suitable for companionship only. “We are so grateful for companionship adoptions,” said Bokman.

At the end of the day, the SRF remains committed to its vision of finding and providing lifetime homes for retired Standardbred race horses.

“Our biggest concern is we don’t want to help a horse once and then put them back out there at risk,” said Bokman. “Follow-ups are so important to what we do. Otherwise, we are not serving the horse the right way, or our donors.”

>> LEARN MORE: Visit www.adoptahorse.org.

>> GET IN TOUCH: Contact the program administrator at admin@srfmail.com or 732-446-4422.

>> GET INVOLVED: The SRF offers many opportunities to support its work, including fostering or adopting horses, volunteering at the New Jersey farm to groom or train, shipping horses, and coordinating or assisting with fundraising events. Donations are always gratefully accepted via adoptahorse.org/donate.

What’s Hot On The Web

u Where Did HH Azur Come From?

She burst onto the scene in 2015 as a bright new star, but the roots of HH Azur’s success start in Belgium. The mare’s breeder, Nathalie Beaufort, and her husband, Pedro Nolasco, spent years carefully developing their homebred until she was ready to take on the world on a bigger stage.

“When she was a 3-year-old, we made the decision to break her in. What a phenomenon! Her capacity to understand what Pedro was asking her to do was completely incredible. That was when Pedro realized what an exceptional mare he had in front of him.” We got the full story from Beaufort herself: coth.com/article/ ahis-hh-azur-breeder

u COTH Horse Show Dad: Ghosts, Dreams, And The Way It Goes

This blog from COTH’s resident horse show dad, Chad Oldfather, resonated with readers. Oldfather wrote of the loss of his daughter’s horse and the repercussions of that for his daughter’s future goals. “But there’s more,” he writes. “Her passing also represents the death of a dream. It was a dream that wasn’t going to come true without good luck and the taking of some substantial risks, but luck’s not always good, and the thing about risks is that they often don’t pay off. There were lots of eggs in that basket, and it crashed to the ground.”

It’s a poignant message: coth.com/article/coth-horse-show-dadghosts-dreams-and-way-it-goes

FALLAW PHOTO

u Throwback Thursday: Joe Hill Made Chrissy Bushkin’s Dreams Come True On Both Coasts

Chrissy Bushkin was just 12 and Joe Hill a mere 6 years old when the pair earned their first grand junior hunter championship at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Marianne Taylor tells the tale of how this precocious young rider found her horse of a lifetime, making her mark in California and on the East Coast.

Take a trip back in time: coth.com/article/tbt-joehill-chrissy-bushkin-both-coasts

Don’t Miss In The Magazine

u Horseman (And Messiah) Of The Year Phillip Dutton

Why does Boyd Martin call Phillip Dutton the “unofficial (and unintentional) Messiah”? How does Dutton manage to get the most out of the people and horses around him? How did decades of eventing and a few twists of fate lead him to an individual Olympic medal in 2016? We looked back at where he’s been, the choices he’s made, and the mindset that’s made him a champion in our profile honoring him in the Feb. 6 & 13 American Horses In Sport Issue.

EQUITATION ISSUE: Two Takes On Two-Point p. 50 & p. 52 u A Riding Lesson From Steinkraus

One of the world’s all-time leading show jumping specialists looks back at the evolution of the modern forward seat: Who, how, why and from where did U.S. riders develop the jumping position? Find out in the Dec. 19 Equitation Issue and learn how Steinkraus cultivated a wealth of knowledge on the subject through extensive reading.

“American horsemen tend to think of Caprilli’s Forward Seat as having been totally and radically revolutionary and quite sudden, but I don’t doubt that a lot of evolution was mixed in with it as well,” he says.

$4.99 Vol. 79, No. 33

December 19, 2016 • WILLIAM C. STEINKRAUS Explores The Evolution Of The Forward Seat p. 36 Inside: Robin Fairclough On Eq Trends & Family Traditions p. 54 Jimmy Torano: Chronicle Fan, Steak Lover, Eq Judge p. 48 Finding Our Next Four-Star p. 72 FLATLANDSFOTO PHOTO u Living Legend: Denny Emerson

His determination and integrity have earned him a team gold medal, induction into the Hall of Fame, and a reputation as the conscience of the sport. Whether he’s training the next generation of horses or riders, tackling (and excelling in) a second sport of endurance, working in the sport’s governance, or opining in a Chronicle column, Denny Emerson is driven to protect the wellbeing of the horse and sport and share his passion for learning.

After finishing last in his first three-day event in 1962, he recalls, “I was 21. I knew nothing about anything. I told myself I had to get better at this.”

Find out more about one of the sport’s most well-known characters in the Jan. 30 Master Class Issue.

Do A Little Dance

Photo by ASHLEY NEUHOF After a miscommunication at the wall, Swiss rider Werner Muff did a dramatic dismount off Daimler during the Credit Suisse Geneva Classic CSI last December in Switzerland. Post fall, Muff gave his horse a pat, and the pair walked out together.