December-January 2018-2019

Volume 14 • Number 3 •

December-January 2018-2019

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803-215-0153 www.AikenHorseRealty.com 2

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

Deirdre Stoker Vaillancourt, REALTOR®

803.640.4591

THIS IS MY NEIGHBORHOOD Aiken, South Carolina — Southern Charm and Equestrian Sport 1218 STIEFEL RD.

• Agnus Forest Farm - 302 corridor • Gated Custom 2800 sq. ft. home • In-ground pool with new pump • Fencing replaced in 2017 • ½ bath in barn, wash stall

785 GRACE

• 6 stall center aisle barn • 4 large fenced grass fields, 1 run in shed • Room for dressage arena • 8 acres $800,000

MLS # 71716

• 10 Acres in Historic Horse Distr.

• 3 barns; 20 stalls, 20 paddocks • 2 grass training fields • Guest cottage

• Frontage on 3 clay roads • Easy access to The Woods • 4BR/3BA residence • $3,100,000

525 LAURENS ST

1050 CLEAR CREEK CT

MLS # 97065

MLS # 103247

1063 COLBERT BRIDGE MLS # 102282

• Exceptional training facility • 10 paddocks, fenced grass ring • Euro-walker, 3 storage on 67 acres buildings, 3 pond • 12 stall barn, 4 stall barn • 4 BR 3 BA residence, in-ground w/apt pool • $1,800,000 • Sand exercise track

534 MARION ST SE MLS # 102676

• 8.5 acre Hitchcock Stables • 8 large paddocks • Adjoins The Woods • 27 12x12 stall barn • Original family stable yard dating from 1882 • 2 carriage sheds, bunk house • $2,300,000

• 8.32 acres in the heart of Aiken’s Historic Horse Distr. • Restored 1BD 1BA residence • 11 stall barn w/ separate covered wash stall • 4 large, irrigated, cross-fenced grass paddocks • Multi function carriage bldg • $2,200,000

1064 GRAND PRIX DR

169 WILLOW RUN RD

MLS # 103839

MLS # 104387

• 2BR 2BA 1730 sq. ft. owner’s residence • 8 stall European style cement block courtyard barn • Tack room; feed room • 4 large grass paddocks 20+ acres • Fox Hollow amenities • $690,000

951 SHELL BLUFF DR

• 14 board fenced acres in coveted Bridle Creek • 4 BR/3.5 BA Luxury executive estate, 3 car garage • 1800 sq. ft barn apt. over luxurious 9 stall center aisle barn with every amenity

MLS # 104052

• Light By Night Farm built in ‘14 • Attached garage for adding • 11.54 acres Perimeter fenced stalls, housing tractor, etc • Exceptional 4 stall ctr aisle barn • 2008 sq. ft. 3 BR, 2 BA • Tack room with bath & shower house • $735,000

• Tack room, feed stall, wash stall • Large fenced arena w/ professional footing • Multiple grass turnouts • $1,750,000

3 RUNS PLANTATION LOTS

• Exceptional private lots on cul de sac within Aiken’s most established equestrian community • Amenities include: clubhouse, exercise area, swimming pool, xcountry schooling area, 2 dressage arenas, fenced Stadium jumping arena & miles of managed trails for riding or walking • Lot 48 6.33 acres $151,920 • Lot 49 6.27 acres $150,480 • Lot 50 6.55 acres $157,200 • Lot 39 5.5 acres $132,000 • Will consider seller financing with qualified offer

• New four stall ctr aisle barn • Hay storage bldg • 4 BR 2.5 BA brick ranch with screened porch • 5 mins to Bruce’s Field & Hitchcock Woods • 6.42 acre Heartview Farm • $390,000

322 RUSHTON RD

• Updated turnkey horse farm • 3 BR 3BA brick home, garage, and in-ground pool • 11 acres • Fenced grass riding arena

• 4 stall barn, wash stall, feed & tack room • 3 large grass paddocks with water & run-in sheds

www.AikenSCProperties.com December-January 2018-2019

The Aiken Horse

3

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THE ACADEMY is a delightful brick residence on Aikenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WYLZ[PNPV\Z )LYYPL 9K ,HZ` HJJLZZ [V /P[JOJVJR >VVKZ /HUKZVTL TPSS ^VYR ^P[O OPNO JVŃ&#x153;LYLK JLPSPUNZ [HSS ^PUKV^Z >VVK [PSL THYISL Ă&#x2026;VVYZ 2P[JOLU OHZ >VSM YHUNL w/8 gas burners, wine fridge, & gorgeous granite counter tops. Paneled library w/vaulted ceiling. Elegant living & dining YVVTZ 3HYNL Z\U YVVT ^ IHY /LH[LK ZHS[ ^H[LY WVVS ULZ[SLK PU H ;YH]LY[PUL THYISL WH[PV 4HZ[LY :\P[L OHZ ^HSR [OYV\NO closet and a screen porch that faces patio & pool. Master )H[O OHZ QL[[LK [\I WYP]H[L ^H[LY JSVZL[Z SHYNL ^HSR PU ZOV^LY \WZ[HPYZ ILKYVVTZ ^ 1HJR U 1PSS IH[OYVVT Z[HSS IHYU ^ ^HZO Z[HSS [HJR MLLK YVVTZ HJYLZ ^ SHYNL MLUJLK WHKKVJRZ

TREASURE FARM is a rare downtown gem, within ZPNO[ VM [OL *VRLY :WYPUN LU[YHUJL [V /P[JOJVJR >VVKZ *OHYTPUN )9 JV[[HNL ^P[O Z[HSS IHYU WHKKVJRZ )LH\[PM\S 4HZ[LY :\P[L 3HYNL ZJYLLULK WVYJO PU [OL YLHY WS\Z [^V JV]LYLK WVYJOLZ >VVK Ă&#x2026;VVYZ -PYLWSHJLZ PU [OL 3P]PUN +PUPUN 9VVTZ 4HNUPĂ&#x201E;JLU[S` YLUV]H[LK ILH\[PM\SS` THPU[HPULK )HYU OHZ IH[O WYLW room, sink, temperature-controlled secure tack room, & hayloft. Appliances, water heater, screen porch, & /=(* HSS ^P[OPU SHZ[ `LHYZ

SOLD SHELBORNE FARM PZ H NYHJPV\Z )9 )( J\Z[VT HIGH COTTON FARM This equestrian estate has a

YLZPKLUJL VU HJYLZ ^P[O THNUPĂ&#x201E;JLU[ ]PL^Z 0U[LYPVY )9 )( YLZPKLUJL HUK VY Z[HSS IHYU ^P[O JOHYTPUN MLH[\YLZ HYL Ă&#x201E;YLWSHJLZ NYHUP[L JV\U[LY [VWZ UK Ă&#x2026;VVY HWHY[TLU[ HSS VU HJYLZ 3VJH[LK JSVZL [V [V^U [OL VIZLY]H[PVU KLJR ^VVK Ă&#x2026;VVYZ Z[\UUPUN Z[VY` NYLH[ farm has 5 fenced grass paddocks and an electric gate YVVT HUK H MYHTLK PU HWHY[TLU[ V]LY [OL NHYHNL :P_ Z[HSS entrance. The home has: new roof, numerous upgrades, IHYU ^P[O ^HZO YHJR MLLK YVVT KYLZZHNL YPUN _ tankless water heater, and new interior colors. Gas O\PU[LY Q\TWLY YPUN )VHYK MLUJLK WHZ[\YLZ ;OYLL JHY heat, thermal-pane windows. Extra-large master suite garage. $999,989 downstairs. $925,000

CHADBOURN FARM VŃ&#x153;LYZ HU PK`SSPJ LX\LZ[YPHU SPMLZ[`SL ;OL ZX M[ )9 )( YLZPKLUJL ^HZ I\PS[ PU HUK L_[LUZP]LS` \WKH[LK PU 3PNO[ Ă&#x201E;SSLK PU[LYPVY .YLH[ 9VVT ^P[O Ă&#x201E;YLWSHJL -VYTHS KPUPUN YVVT >VVK Ă&#x2026;VVYZ OPJRVY` JHIPUL[Z NYHUP[L JV\U[LY [VWZ :WHJPV\Z THZ[LY Z\P[L HJYLZ PUJS\KLZ H Z[HSS JLU[LY HPZSL IHYU ^P[O ^HZO YHJR HUK [HJR YVVT 3HYNL MLUJLK pastures, dressage arena, and 6.5 cleared acres for any LX\LZ[YPHU \ZL

SNIPES POND is a 4028 sf renovated historic plantation home on 46 acres of beautiful rolling farm land.

The top-quality renovation by skilled craftsmen from 9L`UVSKZ *V VŃ&#x153;LYZ TVKLYU HTLUP[PLZ Z\JO HZ H NYHUP[L kitchen island, French country sink, walk-in closets, ceiling fans, & security system. multiple porches on both Ă&#x2026;VVYZ HUK OHUKZVTL ^VVK Ă&#x2026;VVYZ ;OL HJYLZ are ideal for farming, horses, other recreation or quiet enjoyment. Additional acreage available. $769,900

HARMONY FARM is an elegant residence with topX\HSP[` PU[LYPVY :[VY` 3P]PUN YVVT )LKYVVT VU Z[ Ă&#x2026;VVY )LKYVVTZ \W IVU\Z YVVT ^P[O IH[O JV\SK IL [O ILKYVVT .YHUP[L JV\U[LYZ ^VVK Ă&#x2026;VVYZ NVYNLV\Z ^VVK^VYR [OYV\NOV\[ 6U HJYLZ ^P[O Z[HSS IHYU ^VYRZOVW HUK Y\U PU I` LSP[L JVUZ[Y\J[PVU 3\ZO Pastures. Perimeter fencing and cross fencing. Groomed riding trails in woods. $694,500 THIS FARM WENT UNDER CONTRACT IN 41 DAYS!

SOUTH AIKEN LAND PZ H HJYL [YHJ[ ^P[O [HSS stands of lovely old growth forest rising rising gently from 6SK +YH^ )YPKNL 9VHK [V H OPNO SL]LS OPSS[VW ;OL OPSS[VW is cleared for crops and hunting, with sweet views of the valley below. Perfect for your custom horse farm, an apiary, a truck farm or an organic farm. Adjacent to dairy MHYT HUK TVYL MVYLZ[ SHUK WLY HJYL *HSS +H]PK MVY PUMVYTH[PVU H[

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4

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

December-January 2018-2019

The Aiken Horse

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Sybil Davis DVM: Rehab & Acupuncture Certified 307 Willow Run Rd. Aiken SC 29801 info@petfitnessandrehab.com

` DANIEL GEITNER (803) 270-5420 CATHY GEITNER (803) 270-0574

1224 SIZEMORE ROAD AIKEN, SC 29803

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

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6

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

SECTION

1

SECTION

2

10 18 22 25 26 30

Cot Campbell Katydid in Pictures Gift Guide Ask the Judge News & Notes Lauren Biddle

Our cover shows Wendy O’Brien competing her four-in-hand in the Intermediate Pony Teams division at the Katydid CDE at Katydid Farm in Windsor.

Find more pictures from this event on pages 18 and 19. Photography by Gary Knoll

41 42 48 53 54 56

ETB/Martin Course Junior Foxhunters Jumping Branch Pockets Eventing Calendar Winter Season

The cover of Section Two shows Rohena Armstrong riding Dexter 209 in the Open Novice division of the Jumping Branch Farm November Horse Trials.

Find more pictures from this event on pages 48-49. Photography by Gary Knoll

`

SECTION

Ruben Coscia goes for the goal during the Chukkers of Hope charity match at New Bridge Polo and Country Club Chukkers of Hope was a benefit for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the Child Advocacy Center of Aiken and Saratoga Warhorse.

Photography by Pam Gleason

December-January 2018-2019

65 68 70 72 74 77 80 81 86

3

Silent Witness Young Horses USC Equestrian New Era Farm Chukkers of Hope Calendar Directory Classifieds Index

The Aiken Horse

7

December-January 2018-2019

Aiken

The

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication

P.O. Box 332 • Montmorenci, SC 29839-0332 • 803.643.9960 •

www.TheAikenHorse.com • Editor@TheAikenHorse.com

Time Dated Material • Periodicals • Volume 14 • Number 3

I

t’s December in Aiken: the air is fresh, the sun is bright, and it’s a perfect time to go riding. By now, all the foxhunts are in full swing, the eventing organizers are looking forward to the annual migration of the snowbirds, and our horses have that extra pep in their step that comes from the cooler temperatures.

I grew up in New England, and I remember how fall always felt different at the barn, how there was a special scent that came from the mingled perfume of the fallen leaves and the smell of the horses themselves. December in Aiken has a similar type of scent, one that feels exciting and somehow new.

Mix that scent with the extraordinary beauty of the winter sunlight in the early morning and late afternoon, and Aiken in the winter can feel a little bit like horse heaven. It’s still winter of course, and it’s still cold, and there are still some days that call for long underwear and heavy boots. For the most part, however, winter in Aiken is sunny, bright and temperate. If you love horses, it’s a great place to be.

Of course, December also marks the end of the year, and it has been a year that flew by for us. The end of the year inspires many of us to reflect on events that took place over the last 12 months, and to look forward to the 12 months to come. By the first of January, the news will be full of 2018 retrospectives, along with 2019 predictions and the inevitable New Year’s resolutions that are intended to improve our lives. The experts say that one reason that New Year’s resolutions are so hard to keep is

8

The Aiken Horse

that they are often unrealistic. We tend to set big goals that require a lot of energy and a lot of change that we just don’t have time for. If you want to keep your New Year’s resolutions, you need to keep them small, or at least to break them down into small steps that are easy to accomplish.

So what would be a good, realistic New Year’s resolution? I was thinking about that the other day when I took a break from working on this paper to ride one of my horses through the woods on our property. It was one of those perfect late fall afternoons. The slanted light filtered through the pines, and the air had that magical Aiken winter scent. My horse was enthusiastic and attentive; she wanted to go, and so did I. The trail vanished under her hooves. It was a perfect respite from work. I should do this every day, I thought. And so that is my New Year’s resolution for 2019: to ride and enjoy my horses every day, even days when I have a lot of other things that have to get done. Horses are why so many of us are in Aiken in the first place. They are certainly what brought me here: I’m going to try to remember that.

We hope you enjoy our winter issue. You will find a variety of articles on different subjects, and of course many pictures from the fall season. We went to polo, to eventing andto the combined driving competition at Katydid in Windsor. Aiken has so many disciplines, we really do try to get to them all, but sometimes there is so much going on, we have to pick and choose.

Do you know of a story that we should be covering? We always say that we want to be your horse newspaper and we really do mean it, so please contact us if you know something that we should be sharing.

Enjoy Aiken!

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 editor@theaikenhorse.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 $24.00. Send check or CC # & your mailing address: P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 Or sign up on the web at www.TheAikenHorse. com

Aiken

The

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication

All contents Copyright 2018 The Aiken Horse

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 2018-2019

From intimate gatherings to boxed lunches for events.

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The Aiken Horse

9

Cot Campbell – a Life Well Lived

Cot with Summer Squall after the Preakness win, 1990. Pat Day up.

By Mary Jane Howell

W

hen Cot Campbell was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame last August, it was as a “Pillar of the Turf,” a category that honors those individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing. He joked during his acceptance speech that of the 24 pillars of the turf, he was the only one who was still alive. With a twinkle in his eye, he exclaimed, “I am the only one who can change that statistic, and I don’t intend to do it.” For those of us who knew Cot, it was classic Campbell repartee, and it was true, but only for about two more months. On October 27, the man who lived his life with such gusto, passed away at age 91.

I came to work for Cot in August 1998, as Dogwood’s public relations director. It was a position I held full time for 14 years, and then I would return to my desk at the office whenever he needed a newsletter written or a special project completed, for example, the Dogwood Room at the Aiken Thoroughbred Hall of Fame and Museum. Cot inspired loyalty, amongst his staff here in Aiken, his trainers throughout the country and with the many partners who bought into Dogwood horses throughout the years.

He was generous with his time and always had a handshake and a smile for anyone who would stop him in a restaurant or at the track to ask about Dogwood’s horses. He loved the fact that so many Aiken residents came out to see Dogwood’s Classic winners, Summer Squall (1990 Preakness Stakes) and Palace Malice (2013 Belmont Stakes) when they returned to town for a few months off in the winter. He had a special relationship with Summer Squall. Cot was not the first person to feed peppermints to a horse, nor will he be the last, but Summer Squall had a fine-tuned sense of hearing, and when Cot walked down the shedrow – whether it was in Aiken or Saratoga – Summer Squall

10

The Aiken Horse

would hear that wrapper crinkling and he would lean out over his stall guard and lift his right leg and ever so slightly paw the air. Many years later, when Summer Squall was retired from his stud career and pensioned at Lane’s End in Versailles, Kentucky, I went with Cot to visit this grand horse. We took a golf cart to his paddock and we could see Summer Squall grazing way off in the distance. Cot didn’t raise his voice, just called to his old friend and took a peppermint from the deep pocket of his camel hair coat. Although his galloping days were long over, Summer Squall broke into a trot, and when he got close to the fence he lifted that right leg in anticipation. Between us we probably fed him 10 peppermints, and all the while that right leg kept pawing the air.

It is one of my favorite memories.

Cot loved horses. He rode five-gaited American Saddlebreds as a youngster, and rarely missed the big show held every summer at Lexington’s Red Mile that attracted the top Saddlebreds from around the country. The fact that the show dates coincided with the summer yearling sale was even better! The Augusta Futurity was another favorite – he would go the night of the finals and would talk for days about the way those quarter horses would practically be on their bellies as they worked the cows. He could also be seen at the Aiken Horse Park for schooling days where he had more than one conversation with the Olympic event riders Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton. There is a theme here. Buying and racing Thoroughbreds with his Dogwood partnerships was how he made his money and he certainly loved racehorses, but he truly loved all good horses. Horses with class. Whatever the breed.

Many within the sport of racing have called Cot the grandfather of racing partnerships. He liked to call himself that. He liked a good saying. His favorite had to be this one: “I am the poster boy for the

December-January 2018-2019

slogan, ‘Energy and enthusiasm can overcome stupidity and bad judgment.’” All of us in the Dogwood family heard that a hundred times during interviews and speeches and yet it never got old. That small sentence was his life in a nutshell, and in front of an audience it got him laughs and applause every time. People responded to him because he readily admitted his failures, and who can’t help but cheer for the guy who lost three cars in as many days during a drinking jag in Atlanta?

He straightened himself out with the help of AA and a steel resolve to improve his life. Later he met Anne, his wife of 59 years, a soulmate if there ever was one. She shared his enthusiasm for life – whether they were in the winner’s circle at Belmont, riding a camel in Dubai as a guest of Sheikh Mohammed, or sharing a Valentine’s dinner at Waffle House.

folks. There could also be tax benefits to racehorse ownership, but Cot would always emphasize the fun. He liked fun. He liked wackiness and he appreciated enthusiasm. He could never understand when people sat in their seats at the track and did not scream or cheer or generally go crazy as their horse was flying down the stretch. When Summer Squall ran in the Preakness, the broadcast team put a small mike on Cot’s lapel, thinking that it would be a colorful addition to the broadcast.

Little did they know that Cot’s cheering included much more than a mere smattering of choice words, and as Summer Squall and Unbridled battled down the stretch, they found they had to cut the sound.

Wackiness often found its way into the Dogwood office. We started every day with a meeting, with each member of the staff reporting on

Racing partnerships would have happened without Cot, but he wore the unofficial title of pioneer/grandfather/inventor of racing partnerships with a certain panache. In 1967 Cot’s advertising agency (co-owned with Jack Burton) was in the big time, and Cot’s horse fever was on the rise. With a budget of $1,000 Cot sent an agent to buy a horse. Simple as that. She was named Social Asset. Now Cot needed to find some partners and it took about five minutes. The turn of phrase and enthusiasm that had helped launch Burton-Campbell into one of the South’s leading advertising agencies helped Cot convince friends that it was a good idea to buy a share in this unproven filly. They were all in! Although Social Asset won only one race, and that was at a small midwestern track called River Downs, Cot was firmly on the path that would eventually lead to the formation of Dogwood Stable. If the horse was Cot’s “steak,” then the atmosphere, the tradition and the madness of Thoroughbred racing was surely the “sizzle.”

Being the advertising man that he was, Cot knew about selling the sizzle. From those first few partners in Atlanta to well over 1,500 partners by the time Cot closed Dogwood’s doors, he always knew it was about the sizzle. Whether a prospective client was the CEO of a major international company, or a retired banker, Cot sold the idea of adding some zest to that person’s life. Racing at the best tracks with box seats and a chance to be seen in the paddock; going to the backstretch in the morning to see their horse breeze, and meeting other like-minded

whatever they were working on, and then together we would go over the HIT List (Horses in Training). Cot would be at his desk, the rest of us either on the sofa or in chairs. It was a bit like a classroom, with Cot the teacher. We would go over every horse – what their next race would be, or what the reason was for a poor performance. Maybe a horse would leave one trainer’s barn for another or return to Aiken for a freshening.

Some days we would walk in and Cot would be wearing a hideous mask – he owned probably 50 really, really gross masks. Sometimes he would want us to wear them as well. In one memorable photo in a Dogwood newsletter, we all stood around the Dogwood jockey at the front of the office, with masks on. In the next newsletter, we were in the same positions, but unmasked. He got such a kick out of weird photos like that one.

He liked eating out and loved 21 in New York and Joe’s Stone Crabs in Miami. When he was in the office, however, he dined on bouillon and crackers, with perhaps a few slices of apple. He had an orange cafeteria-style tray that used to crack me up. I always wondered where it came from. He liked salt and would carry his own miniature salt shaker with him, in case a restaurant didn’t offer salt shakers at the table. He wanted his coffee scalding hot and always black.

Whenever he and Anne were in New York, they would dine at least once at 21. The famed establishment has jockey statues that line its wrought iron balcony, painted in the silks of the county’s top racing

December-January 2018-2019

The Aiken Horse

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stables. Dogwood’s green and yellow silks are on display, alongside so many of the old guard stables. Those same owners who probably shuddered at the thought of this young Southern upstart who dared turn the game on its head, had to share the limelight.

When he wasn’t purchasing yearlings and 2-year-olds at the sales, or attending the races, Cot loved to write. He was asked

by The BloodHorse back in 1999 to author a how-to manual of sorts on the racing industry. He interspersed factual material with lively autobiographical detail and the outcome was a marvelous book entitled Lightning in a Jar: Catching Racing Fever. What followed was book signings around the country (he loved them) and the opportunity to follow the first book with a second, also published by The Blood Horse and called Rascals and Racehorses: A Sporting Man’s Life. In 2006, knowing that he had so many other stories to tell and lessons to impart, he wrote his full-fledged autobiography, Memoirs of a Longshot. He loved being an author, loved playing with words and recapping escapades that few would believe he could survive – and yet he did.

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The Aiken Horse

In a way, Cot was always an author. He truly was an individual who wrote the chapters of his own life. The good and the bad.

He relished his good fortune, but always said he did so because he knew the depths to which a man could sink.

To those of us who worked for him, Dogwood was much more than a job, it was our life. As in most offices, we were all there Monday through Friday, but when we were lucky enough to run in those big weekend stakes, that meant being at the office to watch the race and write press releases. There were the Saturday mornings at the track with our Aiken trainers Ron Stevens and Brad Stauffer. I will miss seeing Cot at the clocker’s stand this winter, with his cap on and his jacket collar pulled up, stopwatch in hand. Jack Sadler, who was his right-hand man at Dogwood for many years, is now the vice-president of Eclipse Partners. He will miss Cot as well. They would rejoice when their stopwatches clocked a horse in the same time – which did not often happen. There would always be a slight gap in the sound of their two watches starting the time of a breeze. That is fitting to me, now that I think of it. Cot’s stopwatch was just like the man. He kept his own pace and ran his own race to the end.

December-January 2018-2019

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WELL-APPOINTED HOME, OWNERS SUITE DOWN, MEDIA RM & DOUBLE PORCHES, PASTORAL & POND VIEWS, 9 STALL BARN, ARENA & HAY BUILDING. 4 BR | 4 BATHS | 3 HALF BATHS | 4950 SF | 74+ ACRES | $1,990,000

WALKING DISTANCE TO HISTORIC HORSE DISTRICT, DOWNTOWN & WOODS. CLASSIC 1927 WILLIS IRVIN DESIGNED HOME, POOL & GARDENS. 4 BR | 3 BATHS | 2 HALF BATHS | 3804 SF | MLS 102602 | $935,000

GREEN PLAINS –HISTORIC DUTCH COLONIAL HOME DELIGHTFUL, LIGHT FILLED ROOMS OVERLOOK POOL & COURT YARD. FABULOUS FOR EVERYDAY LIVING & ENTERTAINING W/BRICK TERRACES & GARDENS 7 BR | 7 FULL BATHS | 2 HALF BATHS | GUEST APT | MLS 104379 | $799,000

TURNKEY, IDEAL FOR OWNER/TRAINER, GORGEOUS HOME, 8-STALL STABLE, CARRIAGE BARN, ARENA, 10 FENCED PASTURES WELL KEPT MOBILE HOME | MLS 102332 | $765,000

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HISTORIC & VERSATILE WITH HITCHCOCK CEILINGS, PERIOD DETAILS, GARDENS, WALKING DISTANCE TO WILLCOX, DOWNTOWN & THE WOODS! 6 BR | 5 BATHS | 1 HALF BATH | 4474 SF | MLS 101785 | $625,000

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SHED ROW BARN, GUEST BARN, 10 PADDOCKS, 4 RUN-INS & MORE! 4 BR | 3 FULL BATHS | 1 HALF BATH | MLS 104024 | $450,000

December-January 2018-2019

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GRACIOUS & INTIMATE LIVING SPACES DOWN, FOUR BEDROOMS UP. SAVVY LAYOUT OF TWO STALL BARN & FENCED PADDOCKS. 4 BEDROOMS | 2 BATHS | 1 HALF BATH | 2,992 SF | $445,000

THOUGHTFUL LAYOUT, OPEN LIVING & SPECTACULAR KITCHEN. GREAT INTERIOR DESIGN, BUILT-INS & CUSTOM DETAILS! EQUIDISTANT TO BOTH RIDING COMPLEXES! 3 BEDROOMS | 2 BATHS | 5.18 ACRES | MLS 104701 | $699,000

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The Aiken Horse

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HOMES . HORSES 803.645.3308 803.507.1142 803.221.6831 803.270.6358 803.341.8787 203.249.3071 HISTORY . HOSPITALITY

Courtney Conger Randy Wolcott

Lee Hedlund

Mike Hosang

Jack Roth

Alex Tyrteos

Suzan McHugh Thomas Bossard Brian Cavanaugh Jane Page Thompson Donnita Harmon Barb Uskup

803.292.8525 803.640.2845 803.624.6072 803.215.8232 803.508.1936 803.295.3199

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.648.8660

www CarolinaHorseProperties com . 803

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Good Winds Farm Remarkable equestrian property includes 29.54 acres of board fenced fields and woods. Custom built residence encompasses over 5,000 square feet with covered porches, heart pine floors, state of the art kitchen, spacious great room with fireplace. Cypress paneled sunroom overlooks salt water pool and board fenced pastures. There are 4 bedrooms, each with bath ensuite. For horses there is a 3-stall barn with tack room, feed room and covered wash rack with hot and cold water. Two run in sheds with access to miles of protected riding trails. Separate “barn” with full bath and attached workshop, equipment shed. Call Courtney Conger $1,100,000

The Estate at Meadow Hill . Showcase equestrian estate features

stunning 6,116 square foot main residence with exquisite finishes including hardwood floors, stone fireplace, Hitchcock ceilings and gourmet kitchen. Wonderful outdoor entertaining space with sparkling pool, built in gas and wood fire grills, stone fireplace and expansive view. Two barns (32 stall center aisle and 12 stall Carolina), irrigated sand and grass riding surfaces, fenced and cross fenced, 4 large pastures with run ins, 11 paddocks for the horses. Three staff residences and a large shop building complete the package. Call owner/agent Barb Uskup $2,499,999

The Polo Club . Location, Location, Location! "Polo Club" is an

early century charmer, which was originally built as a clubhouse for Whitney Polo Field. Directly across from Aiken's Training Track in Historic Horse District, the property has easy access to downtown Aiken and south side shopping. Enjoy the wrap-around porch with picturesque views. Keep cozy in front of the 5 fireplaces. Beautiful hardwood floors and original details enhance this historic property that also boasts ample paddock space. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $1,075,000

BRIDLE

Creek

Woolworth House . Historic Winter

Colony cottage with stables in downtown Aiken just steps from Hitchcock Woods! Delightful 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath home, updated in recent years, features high ceilings, wood floors, fireplace, and wall of windows overlooking patio & paddocks. For horses, there is a 3-stall shed row barn. Call Courtney Conger $675,000

Equestrian lots range from 5 acres to 11.77 acres.

Community amenities to include miles of groomed trails, gallop, stadium jumps, cross-country jump field and dressage ring. New fitness center planned!

Call JACK ROTH

$18,000 per acre

Pecan Grove . Custom 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home fea-

Wadmalaw Island Equestrian . This

tures front and back porches, hardwood floors, floor to ceiling stone fireplace. Master bedroom on 1st floor, kitchen has granite counters and stainless appliances. Quality built home and excellent site for future barn in pastoral wooded setting on 123 lush acres, partially fenced. Approximately 50 acres of producing hay fields. Excellent proximity for easy travel to many competition and schooling facilities for a variety of disciplines. Call owner/agent Barb Uskup $799,999

Charleston equestrian property offers proximity, privacy and possibilities!

Renovated main residence has 5 bedrooms (2 master suites!), 3.5 baths, huge walk-in closets with built-ins, home office and gym. Property includes nearly 17 acres, with 15 acres of fenced pasture and riding arena. Large 8stall barn with kitchen, bath, laundry, wash area and detached tack room.

The 4-stall barn has hay loft & storage. Call Jack Roth $1,150,000

CULLUM

Farms

Field View Cottage . Handsome 3 bedroom cottage

features hardwood floors, lovely kitchen with stainless appliances and granite counters, soaring stone fireplace, front and back porches all set amidst beautiful mature oaks on 115 acres of verdant grass. Gaze out your first floor master with attached bath and large walk-in closet upon your piece of paradise! For horses, established pastures are fenced and cross fenced including 6 large pastures with run-in sheds, 4 paddocks, 30 X 36 barn, round pen, storage shelter and 20+/acres of irrigated grass. Call owner/agent Barb Uskup $999,999

C’est La Vie Farm . Located on over 60

acres of fenced fields & woods, this fully developed horse farm includes brick 3 bedroom home, 2-car garage, center aisle barn, dressage arena, 6 large paddocks, 2 run-in sheds, round pen and dog run.

The custom barn has 8-10 stalls with rubber pavers, tack room/ lounge with Mexican tile floors, half bath, feed room, wash stall, fly spray system, and large unfinished apartment with enclosed stairs to loft. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $550,000

Polo Vista Stables . Beautifully constructed center

aisle barn in like-new condition offers 18 large, matted stalls on 22.47 acres overlooking polo field. Included are wash stall, spacious tack room/lounge combo, 2 bunk rooms, laundry room and full bath. There is also an 1800 square foot, insulated equipment shed and 13 four-board fenced paddocks and pastures. New Bridge Polo amenities include riding trails, clubhouse and pool. May be purchased in conjunction with charming 4-bedroom residence across polo field (see below). Call Courtney Conger $695,400

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Polo Vista . Comfort and craftsmanship are the hallmarks of this delightful cottage with 2929 square feet.

Features include open floor plan with 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, cathedral ceilings, stone fireplace, wood floors and window walls overlooking one of New Bridge Polo’s beautifully maintained polo fields. Combine with Polo Vista Stables (above) for a fabulous farm! Call Courtney Conger $454,000

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Kings Ridge Private gated equestrian estate with sweeping views of 5 verdant acres, lakes and gleaming pool artfully situated to capture vibrant sunsets. Multiple outdoor living spaces, elegant kitchen and cozy den overlooking the lake. With 5100 square feet under roof, the exterior living spaces have been designed with as much attention to detail as the interior living spaces. Studio apartment above garage with workshop, fenced yard for pets. Call Jane Page Thompson $799,000

EQUESTRIAN

Meadow

Gardens

Call COURTNEY CONGER

$72,000 Call ALEX TYRTEOS or DONNITA HARMON

Magnolia Blossom Ranch .

Beautiful equestrian estate at Three Runs Plantation on two lots, over 13 acres of established grass with majestic views! The quality built huntbox has 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, custom kitchen in 1638 square feet of living space, and includes 5 stalls with automatic waterers, wash stall, tack/grooming stall and storage. There are 3 large paddocks, irrigation, security system, and stone entry with custom gate. Call Jack Roth $735,000

SOLSTICE

TIMSHEL Level, partially cleared lots in developing equestrian area with easy access to Aiken, Edgefield and I-20. Riding rings and trails are underway, and homeowners with interests in eventing, hunter jumpers, driving and trail riding are in residence. Best of all, lots from 12.25 to over 14 acres are available for only $4,500 per acre!

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Crescent Cottage Minutes from downtown, cozy "Crescent Cottage" is set up for your comfort with equestrian accommodations including paddock with run-in shed, building with extra storage, tack room and hay loft. Built in 2014, the home features hardwood and tile floors, solid surface counters, vaulted ceilings and fireplace. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $224,000

RARE undeveloped 5 acre lot in an established equestrian community!

Located on a cul-de-sac, the lot’s gentle slope offers the potential for a two-level home, with main living quarters on the ground floor and walk-out entertainment areas below, all with magnificent views.

Three Runs Plantation . Aiken’s

most desirable equestrian community is the setting for this delightful home on over 5 fully fenced acres. Custom home features wood floors, high ceilings and extensive millwork with formal living room with fireplace, formal dining, custom kitchen with granite, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, screened porch and oversized garage. Call Courtney Conger $575,000

The Aiken Horse

Two partly cleared tracts ready for you to have horses at home! Direct access to trail system with miles of dedicated trails, including the 61 acre Freeman preserve, which has a wonderful pond. Ask about owner financing! These 5-acre parcels offered at just

$85,000 PER PARCEL Call RANDY WOLCOTT

Corridor

Three Runs Plantation .

Beautiful NEW Wolf Construction home on a great lot in Phase 7 has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths on main floor, with bedroom/bonus room and full bath upstairs. Property has 5.2 acres and 2-bay garage. Flooring throughout entire house is either oak hardwood, ceramic tile or carpet in bedrooms.

Natural gas and hi-speed fiber optic internet available. Miles of groomed trails, schooling areas, dressage ring, pool, clubhouse and fitness center. CallJack Roth $579,000

In the heart of Aiken’s east side Highway 302 horse country is this beautiful parcel with 34 acres of gently rolling pasture planted in well established grass, complete with fencing and gate. Adjoins Shellhouse Lake Farm (see right)

Call MIKE HOSANG

ONLY $306,000

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Calvary Training Center . Picture-perfect property with a host of potential uses in Bluffton, SC includes 43+ acres, beautiful lake, Low Country home with 7 bedrooms and 4.5 baths, education center with offices and classrooms, and extensive infrastructure that could handle a 100-unit development. The world class equestrian facility includes 25 stalls, tack rooms, grooms’ lounge and baths, wash stalls, storage and 42,000 square foot covered arena. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $4,900,000

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Steeplechase Cottage Beautiful 3-acre parcel in Aiken's Horse District has magnificent views of the steeplechase track and horse show grounds. The 3458 square foot main residence has open floor plan that includes 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths. Kitchen boasts top of the line appliances, and gracious screened porch overlooks salt water pool. Charming guest house has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Call Thomas Bossard $1,599,000

Red Top Estate . Historic Aiken estate with grand rooms for entertaining, 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and classic original architectural elements throughout. This Gilded Age residence with modern updates includes an apartment, formal gardens, carport on 1.22 acres. Call Jane Page Thompson or Alex Tyrteos $998,500

PALMETTO

Farms

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Three Runs Plantation Located on over 8 acres in Aiken’s premier equestrian community, this stately 10-stall barn awaits completion to make it a show place. Features include hand-crafted cupolas, gabled entrance, pine paneled breezeway, large tack room, office/apartment with 2 rooms and full bath. The entry area opens to a t-shape with 5 stalls on either side, plus wash stall and feed room. Large loft accessed by outside stairs can be finished as living space. Call Courtney Conger $390,000

Private, wooded building lot with frontage on paved roadway. Mostly level with a gentle slope towards the back of this beautiful 5.32 acre lot.

Old Buckland Barn . Equestrian training

facility in Aiken’s historic downtown Horse District has spacious 2,787 square foot main residence, combining 2 original cottages with central great room. Cottage is delightfully renovated with wood floors, granite countertops and all appliances. There are 2 converted race barns with 15 expanded stalls total, board fenced paddocks, grooms’ apartment, dressage arena with mirror. Call Courtney Conger $1, 425,000

RANDY WOLCOTT JUST

$50,000

The Wilrose . Stunning private country estate on 12 lovely

acres with beautiful live oaks! Custom home features 5 bedrooms & 4 baths, well-appointed kitchen with granite counters, high ceilings and wood flooring throughout. Attached 4 car garage plus finished basement space. Additional 18 acres with 2 large metal buildings available — complete 30 acres offered at $1,300,000. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $999,000

GOODSPRINGS

Plantation

.

Oak Tree Farm Country contemporary with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths is nestled among live oaks on over 48 acres of board fenced pastures. All new baths and kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite counters, and all new wood & tile floors throughout.

Sunlit great room and master bedroom feature cathedral ceilings and window walls with sweeping views of in ground pool and coastal fields.

Center aisle barn has 3 stalls with room for more, tack & feed room, runin and storage space. Call Courtney Conger $699,000

Crooked Creek Farm . This 27 acre proper-

LOT 22 $57,000 4.68 acres Call MIKE HOSANG or BRIAN CAVANAUGH

Shellhouse Lake Farm .

Sportsman's retreat located in Aiken’s east side equestrian corridor less than 10 miles from downtown! Drive through the gated entrance and past grassy fenced pasture to the sparkling 11 acre lake. Parcel Two offers approximately 43 acres mostly cleared and grassed with Shaw's Creek at the back border. The brick 2 bedroom, 1 bath country cabin has spacious kitchen/family room, fireplace and full length porch, with wonderful views overlooking lake. Call Mike Hosang $480,000

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Three Runs Plantation Pristine, low-maintenance home boasts high ceilings, hardwood floors, wainscoting & crown molding. Fabulous kitchen features island, farmhouse sink, granite counters, pantry and stainless steel appliances. Spacious owners’ suite has room-sized bath and TWO walk-in closets. Separate den/office, laundry/ mudroom, bonus room with full bath above 3-bay garage, screened porch, security and irrigation systems. Call Jack Roth $579,000

way of this classic European courtyard farmhouse, overlooking koi pond and heated pool. Perfect for the Aiken lifestyle, this beautiful property melds outdoor & indoor living with 3 en suite bedrooms, 2 wood-burning stoves, huge kitchen & greatroom with hardwood floors. Adjoining office, family room, laundry, workshop, 4 stalls, tack & feed room with paddocks beyond. Over 8 acres with 3-bay garage. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $689,000

Wexford Mill Southern Living at its finest! This 4-bedroom, 2.5 bath home sits on over an acre with amazing views of the lake from the rocking chair front porch. Plenty of room for entertaining with bright & spacious living room and family room, crown molding, smooth ceilings and calming colors. Lots of storage in walk-out attic and the finished garage with workshop.

Call Donnita Harmon $309,500

Thirty Oaks Farm . Charming

2 bedroom, 2 bath cottage with fireplace surrounded by horse country 12.38 acres. Equestrian amenities include 6-stall barn with feed/tack room, separate workshop, hay storage building, 10 turnouts, lay-up field, and 5 run-ins in perimeter fenced established pasture. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $389,900

NEW BRIDGE

TALATHA

Large lot (8.71 acres) complete with fencing, well & septic across from endline of Field 2. World class polo community with polo fields, clubhouse, tennis & swimming pool.

Planning your ideal Aiken horse farm?

Here’s 2.5 wooded acres in south side equestrian community just minutes to shopping and dining!

BLUFFWOOD

Polo Club

East

Call RANDY WOLCOTT JUST $3,200 per acre!

LOT 13 $41,000 3.41 acres

ty features established pasture grass, 2 barns, one with 8 stalls and the other with 12 and 3 smaller outbuildings. Home was designed to be used as two living spaces featuring two kitchens, 6 bedrooms, 4 full baths, and a large living/dining/ kitchen area in the center of home with a fire place. There is also a glassed in porch. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $350,000

Black Sheep Farm . Dine al fresco in the breeze-

Large trees abound on these TWO adjoining level lots approximately 16 acres each, with plenty of road frontage and beautiful home sites. Many horse farms and large estates surround this east side horse country community.

Build the home of your dreams! Two lots available in small, private, gated equestrian community that's close to Stable View with easy access to the interstate, downtown Aiken and Augusta

Three Runs Plantation .

Beautiful Phase 1 lot offered with NEW hunt box combo to be constructed by Farmfield Builders. Includes 700 square foot apartment, 3 stalls, tack room, feed room and wash stall. Close to community amenities including clubhouse, riding arenas, pool, and direct access to the 30-mile riding trail system! Call Alex Tyrteos $320,000

Courtney Conger Randy Wolcott

Farms

Three Runs Plantation . Beautiful

new Donnie Shaffer Construction home on a great lot in Phase 7A in Three Runs Plantation! Comfortable floor plan with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths on main floor, upstairs bedroom/bonus room with full bath. Property has 5.12 acres, two car garage.

Entire house is either reclaimed pine wood floors, ceramic tile or carpet in bedrooms. Call Jack Roth $575,000

$99,900

Call MIKE HOSANG Lee Hedlund

Mike Hosang

Jack Roth

JANE PAGE THOMPSON

$46,000

Alex Tyrteos

803.645.3308 803.507.1142 803.221.6831 803.270.6358 803.341.8787 203.249.3071

Suzan McHugh Thomas Bossard Brian Cavanaugh Jane Page Thompson Donnita Harmon Barb Uskup

803.292.8525 803.640.2845 803.624.6072 803.215.8232 803.508.1936 803.295.3199

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.648.8660

www CarolinaHorseProperties com . 803 December-January 2018-2019

The Aiken Horse

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December-January 2018-2019

Katydid CDE 2018

December-January 2018-2019

The Aiken Horse Photography by Gary Knoll

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The Aiken Horse

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December-January 2018-2019

The Aiken Horse

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Epona

2018 Holiday Gift Guide

Horse people have plenty style, and Epona is a fantastic place to shop for the stylish horsewomen in your life. This poncho and necklace are a good start.

Epona: 137 Laurens Street SW, Aiken. 803-262-5102

Equine Divine

If you are looking for cool jeans, Equine Divine is the place to shop. They have so many styles to choose from, along with art, jewelry, dĂŠcor items, outerwear and so much more.

Equine Divine: 125 Laurens Street, SW, Aiken. 803-642-9772 www.equinedivineonline.com

Aiken Saddlery

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winter and your horse is cold! Warm him up with a blanket or turnout rug from Aiken Saddlery. Many different styles and sizes in stock now!

Aiken Saddlery, 1044 East Pine Log Road, Aiken. 803-649-6583 www.aikensaddlery.com

Oak Manor Saddlery

Save your legs; save your boots; get some half chaps! Oak Manor chaps are stylish and practical. Buy some for your friend; buy some for yourself. You can never have too many.

Oak Manor Saddlery, 2677 Wagener Road, Aiken. 803-641-7070.

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The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

FITS Equestrian

Downtown Dog

We all love dogs! Show it with these coordinated dog print accessories from Downtown Dog. While you are in the store, pick up some fresh baked treats for your best friend. Downtown Dog, 150 Laurens Street SW, Aiken, 803-226-0347 www.aikendowntowndog.com

The freshly updated Frankie-2 Quilted Jacket is as warm as it is lightweight. Sporty equestrian styling and tying self-belt give this jacket the chic look perfect for everyday wear at the barn or around town. Visit the new outlet store in Aiken and be sure to bring your discount coupon from the FITS ad on page 21 of this issue. 111 Warehouse RD, Aiken. 888-360-3487

Aiken County Farm Supply

Of course you love your horse. Show him how much with some treats. Nickerdoodles and studmuffins, banana flavored, carrot flavored, oat flavored and apple flavored horse cookies. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hold back! Aiken County Farm Supply, 1933 Park Avenue, Aiken. 803-649-2987

Wellness Deserved The Tack Room

For serious shopping, a trip to The Tack Room in Camden might be in order. You can find all kinds of horse supplies as well as fine leather goods; for instance, this Sedgefield Legacy Purse from Tucker Tweed. Available in a variety of colors and designs. Â The Tack Room, 2530 Broad Street, Camden, SC 803-432-2264. www.tackroomonline.com

PEMF at your home or barn. For Horses- reduces pain/ inflammation, performance enhancement, relaxation/recovery and behave better. For Humansreduces pain and inflammation (even for injuries that are years old), increased energy, better sleep, leaving you feeling better all around. Say you saw it in the Aiken Horse and get a human session free when you purchase a horse session. Contact Carrie Srnka: Call 330-432-6850 or visit www. pulseequine.com

Gift Guide

The Perfect Gift Kerrits EQ Quilted Moto Jacket A trendy jacket with quilted insulation for warmth and stretch panels that allow full freedom of movement

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December-January 2018-2019

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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 looking forward to competing in dressage shows this season. I am new to competition and I have a few questions.

First, is there a proper side on which to wear your number? I have seen many variations.

Second, if I choose to have a reader, do they need to have any qualifications, and do they need to sign up or do anything else to be permitted to call the test for me? Where should the caller stand?

Finally, I am planning to ride with a whip and I will be carrying it in my right hand. I understand it is not appropriate to salute with your whip. So, can I salute with my left hand instead of my right one?

Dressage Newbie Dear Newbie, The new dressage season has begun with the revised tests in effect on December 1, 2018. These are all interesting topics to review before the shows begin. They are also important, because if you don’t abide by the official USEF rules in these areas, you could get an error, and might even be eliminated.

Let’s start with the proper placement of the number. Most shows will give you one number to wear; although some shows do provide two numbers, only one is mandatory. According to USEF rule DR121.12: “Numbers must be worn at all times when a horse is being exercised or ridden.” This means you must be wearing a number or you will not be allowed into the show arena; technically, you should not be allowed in the warm-up arena either.

Not wearing a number as you enter the competition arena will entail immediate elimination: you will not be allowed into the arena and elimination is mandatory in this situation. Where you wear the number is a matter of personal preference: Legally, there is no assigned place or side for it. Traditionally, if you choose to put it on your bridle, you would put it on the left side, at the juncture of the headstall and the browband. It is also acceptable and often popular to have your number pinned or sewn neatly onto your saddle pad, usually on the bottom corner of the left side. Most important, your number must be visible at all times when you are mounted. As a courtesy to your judge and scribe, when you pass the judge’s booth before entering the arena, confirm with them your competition number.

You bring up an interesting point about having a reader. You do not have to tell the show in advance that you are planning to use one or who it will be. Anyone you choose may perform the service for you: currently there is no qualification system or any other official requirement for readers. But do choose your reader carefully and make sure he or she reads the test accurately and succinctly. It is important that the reader does not add instruction or read movements more than once. This could be considered “unauthorized assistance”, in which case, it would result in elimination. It would be advisable to have a reader with a loud and clear

December-January 2018-2019

voice, with some knowledge of dressage, of your test, and of the letters of the arena. There is no ruling on which side your reader should be stationed, unless specified by the show management. However, standing at either E or B (midway on the long side) is the appropriate position.

The reader should start calling with the rider’s entry, after the judge has signaled that the test can begin. Readers are permitted (with no scoring deduction) at all national tests, Fourth level and below.

If possible, you might want to have a practice session with your reader before the show. It is important that the reader not call movements too far ahead in your test, or fall behind your performance. You need to have sufficient time to prepare for the next movement, but if the reader gets several movements ahead of you, it can be confusing. When called out, the names of the letters can often sound similar (“B”, “E”, “C”, etc.) so your reader needs to speak clearly and enunciate well. A voice that carries is also a prerequisite since no amplification devices are allowed. Even if you are planning on having a caller, you should still have your test memorized and be very familiar with it. The rider is ultimately responsible for performing the test correctly: unfortunately, you will have no dispensation if your reader gets late, or calls the wrong movement, or does not speak loudly enough for you to hear the directions. The success of your ride is always up to you.

Finally, your salute is an essential part of your dressage test: it appears twice, at the entry and exit of every test. According to the USEF rules, not releasing one hand in your salute is considered an error. The first error is two points, the second error is four points, and the third error is elimination. So make sure that your judge sees and acknowledges your salute. It is required to put the reins in one hand and to let the other hand drop loosely by your side, while slightly inclining your head in a bow. It is easy to forget your initial salute, possibly just from nerves.

People sometimes forget at the end of the test because they are so pleased with their ride that they are too busy patting and praising their horse. Thanking your horse is wonderful and many judges like to see it, but be sure to salute first. Keep in mind that in case of a missing salute, your judge does not need to ring the bell to give you an error.

As far as the salute itself goes, it is more traditional to put your reins in your left hand and salute with your right one, similar to a military salute, but this is not a requirement. You are certainly allowed to use your left hand and there will be no deduction or error for doing so.

Bear in mind that when you cannot find a regulation in the USEF rulebook, then it is not a rule. However, tradition and elegance is always a positive, contributing to a successful ride. Always be mindful about possible elimination situations. Don’t forget your number, and if you realize that you have forgotten it on the way to the arena, go back and get it as soon as possible. Benefit from having a reader, but always assume responsibility for your test. Don’t forget your salute at the beginning or the end of your ride.

Thank you for these interesting questions. I hope you have a wonderful showing season!

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News and Notes

By Pam Gleason

Future of the WEG

The World Equestrian Games may be ready to go out to pasture. Started in 1990 and including the world championships for essentially all the FEI sports, the WEG have been held every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle at a different international location.

The WEG sounded like a good idea, and for a while, they were. The idea behind having all the world championships in one place was to promote equestrian sports internationally and give them more prominence and importance.

It was hoped that a single location would encourage more spectators to come out and would attract more sponsorship money to the various disciplines.

But in real life, the logistics of putting on massive equestrian events are extremely daunting. One reason for this is that the places in the world that have the infrastructure to support a large influx of international competitors, spectators and press tend to be in or near cities, and these places don’t tend to be especially horse friendly. Places that are horse friendly don’t tend to be ready to accommodate large crowds of people. The WEG have also grown.

The first competition in Stockholm, Sweden had 13 events. By 2010, when the WEG came to Kentucky, there were 27 events, and the 2018 WEG at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina had 29.

Although the WEG have often been praised for the quality of their competitions, they have also often had many vocal detractors who were disappointed in their experiences for various reasons. The main news that came out of the 2014 WEG in Normandy, France may have been that the traffic that clogged the roads on the way to the venue made hundreds of people miss competitions for which they had purchased expensive tickets.

A main complaint about the 2018 WEG in North Carolina was that the TIEC was still an active construction zone when the competitors and spectators arrived. Some events went well, others not so well, including endurance, which was an unqualified disaster.

(Some riders were sent the wrong direction at the start; the race was stopped and restarted about four hours later; the whole thing was eventually canceled while some horses and riders were less than two hours from finishing.)

Another WEG difficulty is that, even though organizers always promise a positive economic impact on their surrounding communities, the games themselves tends to lose money, often a lot of it. This makes it hard to find someone who is willing to take themon: in fact the 2018 WEG were

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originally going to be held in Canada, but the Canadian group that won the bid to host them dropped out after running into funding issues.

This fall, the FEI tacitly acknowledged that the WEG may have run its course. At their November general assembly meeting in Bahrain, the FEI Board of Directors admitted that, although they opened the bidding process for the 2022 games twice, they did not receive any “realistic” proposals.

Because of this, they have decided to accept bids to host championships in the individual disciplines.

The FEI president, Ingmar de Vos, stressed that this “does not necessarily mean the end of the FEI World Equestrian Games and bids to host the seven-discipline games for 2022 and 2026 will be considered.” He went on to say that preference will be given to multidiscipline bids.

Bidding for individual championships or the full WEG will reopen in February 2019 and allocation of the various world championships for 2022 is expected to be announced in November 2019, around the time of the next FEI general assembly.

Leslie Burr-Howard at Dollamor

Leslie Burr-Howard, who has won Olympic gold and silver medals in showjumping for the United States, came to Aiken this November to give a jumping clinic. The weekend clinic was organized by Jane McDonald and took place at Mary Guynn’s Dollamor Farm in Wagener. Leslie wanted to be sure to give everyone ample personal attention, and so she limited the number of participants to 12.

The first day, riders were split into four groups of three to practice gymnastics and flat work. The second day, there were three groups of four who worked on jumping. The jumping sessions focused on course work, and Burr-Howard emphasized the importance of having a good plan when tackling a course, including counting strides and always knowing where you are in the ring.

Jane McDonald, originally from Ireland,

used to work for Burr-Howard and now cares for two of her retired Grand Prix showjumpers. She also has several young horses from Burr-Howard’s string at Kinova, the Aiken County farm she shares with her husband, Cameron Mac Leod.

“I’ve been trying to get her to come for a while, and I finally nabbed her,” says Jane, who also organized a clinic with the Olympian McLain Ward at Five Henry Farm in Aiken almost three years ago. Jane says that she plans to organize a few more clinics with well-known coaches this winter, and is hoping to get Ward to come back to Aiken sometime soon as well.

Stay tuned!

USC Economic Impact Study

This October, the University of South Carolina in Columbia launched an economic impact study of the horse industry in South Carolina. The study, which was funded by a $46,500 grant from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, aims to discover how much money is generated by equestrian activities in the state.

According to a press release put out by the university, a recent American Horse Council study found that the equine industry is responsible for about $122 billion in economic impact and 1.74 million jobs in the U.S. The study also determined that horses generate $79 billion in total salaries, wages, and benefits. The USC study, which will take six months to complete, will examine racing, “sport”, ranch work, guide work and recreation to uncover differences in the various sectors of the horse industry. “The data will be used to inform future policy and business discussions.

“The last statewide study of South Carolina’s equine sector was conducted 14 years ago, so the new study will play an important role in showing how much the industry has grown and how much it means to the state in 2018. In Florida, for example, the equine economic impact has risen by 33 percent in the last decade,” said the press

Leslie Howard coaches Susie Clarke in a clinic at Dollamor

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December-January 2018-2019

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release.

The study is led by Simon Hudson, who is the director of the Richardson Family SmartState Center of Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development.

Hudson’s name might be familiar to Aiken’s horse people, since he was also the leader of the team that conducted a study of the feasibility of constructing a world class international horse park in Aiken in 2012. (The results of that study –they were tentatively positive—were published as a white paper that is available online here: https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/ hrsm/research/centers/richardson_family_ smartstate/pdfs/studies/aiken_horsepark_ feasibility_study.pdf ) “The equine industry is a dynamic blend of tourism, entertainment and cultural heritage that plays a critical role in South Carolina’s identity and economy, so we are excited to have a strong team of specialized experts working together on this project,” Hudson said.

Professor Todd Koesters, who is the former vice president of marketing and sales at Churchill Downs Entertainment Group, will collaborate, as will Joseph Von Nessen from the Darla Moore School of Business.

“Studies like this provide great benefit to the tourism industry, the communities that depend on it and the state as a whole,” Hudson continued. “Effective knowledge development and sharing between academic researchers and industry practitioners provides a competitive advantage for South Carolina that is critical for adapting to evolving and growing industries.”

Quarter Horses in Aiken

Although the American Quarter Horse is the number one horse in America, the Aiken horse world tends to have a Thoroughbred heritage, with a focus on the disciplines that Thoroughbreds built – racing, polo, foxhunting, showjumping and the like. In recent decades, Warmbloods have supplanted Thoroughbreds in many of their traditional disciplines, both here in Aiken and in the horse world at large. Meanwhile, the Quarter Horse industry is going strong and Quarter

Horses are continuing to prove themselves to be uniquely capable and versatile: America’s horses in every sense.

Aiken’s Quarter Horse world has been growing lately, and this area is becoming more and more prominent and successful in the show world. This fall, halter horses conditioned by Jeffrey Pait of Pait Show Horses on Aiken’s Southside had excellent results at the Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio, as well as at the AQHA Select World Show in Amarillo, Texas and the AQHA World Championship Show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

For instance, Ina Ginsberg, who lives here in Aiken, was Reserve World Champion at the Select Show with her mare Can’t Touch Her Guns, as well as Reserve Congress Champion in Aged Amateur Mares. Jeffrey Pait showed the mare in the open division, and was Reserve World Champion in Aged Mares at the AQHA World Championship Show and third place in the same division at the Quarter Horse Congress.

Jeffrey’s many awards this fall also included conditioning and handling the Champion Yearling Filly at the Quarter Horse Congress, She’s So Radiant. This filly, so far undefeated, was also the AQHA Youth World Champion handled by Trent Searles of Scottsdale, Arizona. Jeffrey also had the Congress Champions in Limited Two Year Old Mares (ER A Secret Fox, owned by Gus Holliday); and in NSBA Performance Halter Mares (Do Ya Dream of Me owned by Gerri Leigh Pratt.) At the AQHA World Championship Show, Scorz, a yearling gelding owned by Ina Ginsberg and bred here in Aiken, finished third in his championship class.

Aiken also has another new contender on the Quarter Horse and Paint Horse circuits.

This is Carolyn McGaughey, who purchased Hilltop Farm in the 302 corridor from the polo player Karen Reese. Carolyn comes to Aiken from Georgia, and she has many top horses, including A Very Cool Charm, who was the 2018 APHA World Champion, and Epic, a 16.3 hand black AQHA stallion who is a four-time winner of the Quarter Horse Congress and was the 2017 and 2018 AQHA World Champion. Epic is standing at stud in

Illinois at Chris Arentsen Quarter Horses, but Hilltop Farm of Aiken is the new home of the McGaughey Quarter Horse and Paint breeding operation.

Great Oak Exhibition

Great Oak Therapeutic Riding Center opened for business on February 14 of this year. According to a press release from the center, they have helped 75 individuals with special needs through “equine assisted activities” over the past 10 months, and are looking forward to doing even more.

On December 1, Great Oak held its first exhibition show, giving students a chance to demonstrate their new equestrian skills to their friends, family and the supporters of Great Oak. Fifteen students took part in the show, riding in the new Bruce Duchossois indoor arena. Riders displayed their control over their mounts by steering through cones and walking and stopping on command. One student demonstrated a posting trot.

According to Nicole Pioli, who is the program and volunteer coordinator at Great Oak, there are plans in the works to have exhibition shows twice per year at the facility.

“The students were really on Cloud Nine afterward,” she said. “I think it is important to add the competitive aspect. It gives the student something to work for.”

Last May, Great Oak riders participated in the Special Olympics State Tournament for South Carolina, which took place at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park. T The state tournament will return to Bruce’s Field again in the spring, and Nicole says that she hopes to have eight students (the maximum allowed per region) ready to compete. Riders will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis: the first eight that sign up will have a spot.

Lessons at Great Oak are taught by instructors who are certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship Instructors. Riders often require several volunteers for help and support. Those who are interested in volunteering should contact Nicole Pioli, at nicole@greatoakatrc.org or attend the next volunteer training on January 28, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.

We offer a wide range of fencing, including equestrian properties and residential privacy fencing.

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Free estimates and design assistance Contact John at (803) 292-5161 December-January 2018-2019

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In Memory of Lauren Biddle

T

he equestrian and polo worlds were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Lauren Biddle, 22, this October. Lauren was the daughter of Tommy and Yvette Biddle, and the granddaughter of Tom and Linda Biddle who have been mainstays of the Aiken equestrian world since the 1970s. A lifelong horsewoman and polo player, Lauren had recently been accepted into Team USPA, which is the United States Polo Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s training program for promising young players. She had traveled to Australia and New Zealand to play polo and her death was accidental but not related to polo or to horses.

Lauren was a fourth generation polo player. Both her parents played polo, and she took up the sport at an early age. She also rode jumpers in the show ring as a teenager and was circuit champion at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida for two years in a row. Although she was based in Florida, she spent a great deal of time in Aiken, riding and training here for the show ring and playing in many Aiken polo tournaments. Perhaps her most memorable polo performances in Aiken came in 2012, when she teamed up with her father to play in a pair of 8-goals at Aiken Polo Club. Her team lost the Smoak Cup in overtime, and won the USPA Congressional Cup in exciting, fast paced matches that showcased outstanding teamwork

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between the father and daughter pair. Most recently, she was in Aiken during the spring of 2018 for Team USPA tryouts, during which she rode and played with the former 10-goaler Adam Snow.

Lauren was an enthusiastic, vibrant person who loved animals and lived her life to the fullest. Her sense of adventure took her around the world, where she enjoyed playing polo and meeting new people. She was spirited, thoughtful and creative. When she was not playing polo, she might be found on the sidelines taking pictures. She had an eye for detail and the pictures that she took captured the connections between horses and people. She left an indelible impression on everyone who met her.

A celebration of Laurenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life was held at the Wellington National Golf Club on November 18. Her friends and family have created several ways to honor her memory. Hook Polo has designed a pair of Lauren Biddle Memorial Gloves embroidered with her initials, and friends have set up a Lauren Biddle Memorial Fund to accept donations in her name. All donations will go equally to the Polo Players Support Group and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for orphaned elephants. (www. gofundme.com/lauren-m-biddle-remembrance-fund)

December-January 2018-2019

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Happy Holidays!

EVERYTHING FOR THE HORSE & RIDER From the owners and staff at Aiken Saddlery!

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy and safe 2019!

1044 East Pine Log Road, Aiken, SC 29803 | www.aikensaddlery.com | 803 649 6583

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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.

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ETB/Martin Course

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Junior Foxhunters Jumping Branch Pockets Eventing Calendar Winter Season

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December-January 2018-2019

December-January 2018-2019

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ABOUT NEW BRIDGE (visit newbridgepolo.com)

The Best Home for Your Horse Winter Boarding Available

New Bridge is an 860-acre gated equestrian community nestled among rolling pasture lands just 15 minutes from downtown Aiken. Born from the excitement, intensity and tradition of polo, New Bridge is the home of New Bridge Polo & Country Club, but also embraces equestrians of all disciplines as well as those who simply love the outdoors, with all sharing the essential joy of a life that celebrates horses, people and land - in a place that connects them.

Residents enjoy an array of equestrian amenities including five meticulously groomed polo fields, stick and ball areas, an exercise track, polo arena, riding trails, all-weather GGT dressage and jumping arenas, miles of groomed roads made for riding and The Stables, our full-care, premier 24-stall boarding facility.

A swimming pool with lounge area, a clay tennis court, and an Argentinian colonial-style Clubhouse with restaurant/bar (open spring and fall), balcony, porch, and outdoor spaces round out the perfect setting for everyone - from families to empty nesters, casual riders to competitive athletes, and those simply seeking solace from a busy world.

The Stables offers full-service boarding by the year or by the season and welcomes all riding disciplines. Our thoughtfully designed facility and horse-friendly roads and bridle paths promote a quiet and peaceful atmosphere providing all the conveniences for horse and rider. And we’re passionate about horses. That’s evident in the quality of care you’ll find at The Stables. Here, your horse’s health and happiness are our top priority. Our devoted staff are experienced and knowledgeable professionals ready to care for your equine partners.

The New Bridge world is one where all can revel in the luxury of leisure, the excitement of sport, the abiding beauty of horse country, and the deep connections of a close-knit community. New Bridge: room to play; ! room to ride; room to live, all in a place you will want to call home.

Our riding arenas provide the perfect place for schooling. The jumping arena and regulation sized dressage arena, with all-weather GGT footing, are conveniently located near the barn with expansive views of the property.

The Stables at New Bridge feature: Spacious 12 x 12 stalls outfitted with wall-to-wall comfort matting, fans, large windows, and a fly spray system Meticulous daily stall care, feeding, turn out, blanketing, and night check Temperature-controlled tack room with individual storage Comfortable rider’s lounge with two full baths and laundry Multiple indoor hot and cold wash racks with fans 30,000 square foot jumping arena with all-weather GGT footing Regulation size dressage arena with all-weather GGT footing Miles of bridle paths and a shaded exercise track Turnout paddocks to accommodate individual needs Professional, knowledgeable staff Boarders enjoy social member swim and tennis privileges

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Pictured: The Berkshire II (3BR, 2.5 bath, 2,100 SF + garage, veranda and deck), one of several New Bridge custom home designs available from Cooper Home & Stable to be built on your New Bridge homesite. Priced from $315,000 plus homesite.

Contact Raza Kazmi at New Bridge Realty for available real estate options.

1-888-4NB-POLO info@newbridgepolo.com December-January 2018-2019

Martin/ETB Schooling Field at Stable View Keeping High Performance Eventers in Aiken

By Amber Heintzberger

O

ver the past five years, the schooling cross country course at Windurra, Boyd Martin’s farm in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, has become one of the premier schooling facilities in the United States.

Built by Eric Bull of ETB Equine Construction in Scottsville, Virginia, the course consists of nearly 200 jumps from beginner novice to the four-star level. It features two water complexes, a sunken road, ditches, banks, and more, all built on well-maintained, established turf footing.

Martin, a member of the U.S. Olympic eventing team, spends the winter months at Stable View in Aiken, which is one of the leading training and competition facilities in the area. Stable View has multiple jumping and dressage arenas with Attwood Equestrian Surfaces footing, a covered arena, and competition cross-country courses. Starting in 2019, Stable View will also sport a new schooling cross country course modeled after the Windurra course in Pennsylvania. Located on a tract of land separate from the existing competition courses at Stable View and planned over the past two years, the Boyd Martin/ETB schooling course will initially focus on the upper levels and will contain many of the elements found at Windurra: a big water complex with many different approaches and including two mounds and two walls; a sunken road, coffins, ditches, and about 30 portable jumps to start.

There will also be triple brushes, corners, and wedges, as well as basic elements such as tables, cabins, and coops.

All of the portable fences will be constructed at the ETB Equine Construction workshop in Virginia and will also be available for purchase. Eric Bull and his team recently built the course for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. They also built the courses at Plantation Field in Pennsylvania, Fair Hill International in Maryland, and the competition courses at Stable View.

“The schooling course is a shared business venture between the three of us, which is unique,” said Bull, referring to himself, Boyd Martin, and Stable View. “All of the portable fences are for sale; you can take home one sitting there or a have a new model custom-made and arrange delivery. We’ll try to have pricing info on all of the jumps, and we can schedule delivery or arrange for someone from Stable View to load them on your truck.”

Barry and Cyndy Olliff, the owners of Stable View, are enthusiastic about the project. “Between Boyd Martin, Eric Bull and Stable View we believe that we have provided a state of the art, specialist cross country schooling field that will be varied, testing and inviting,” said Barry.

Martin’s role will include moving the jumps around each week while he’s in Aiken for the winter, creating new challenges for riders so that they will come back to school on a regular basis.

“As everyone has found out, Boyd is good at his craft,” said Bull. “He’s good at building things that you’re going to see on competition courses.

Obviously a lot of the pieces he’s had at Windurra we’ve copied for the course at Stable View, and he applies what he’s learned from competing around the world to setting up new questions.”

Martin said, “The sport of three-day eventing is always evolving, especially in the cross-country phase. The course design we’re seeing now has got a new dimension: there are mounds, humps, steps, banks, coffins and corners to narrows. To be competitive in the modern sport we feel very strongly that you must train and school in an appropriate facility.”

The course will open starting in January 2019 from dawn until dusk, and riders can just drop in, no reservation required. It will be monitored by closed-circuit video camera for safety. The schooling fee is $60, which can be paid by the honor system with a mailbox on-site that will also contain emergency release forms.

The property consists of between 10 and 15 acres located on

December-January 2018-2019

Springfield Church Road and is fully irrigated with water cannons.

The sandy soil has been seeded with the Celebration variety of Bermuda grass as well as with winter rye. Because the turf has not been established for long, Olliff said that they will be closely monitoring how well the footing holds up and adjusting the schedule as necessary. If the footing performs well they anticipate keeping the course open until the end of March.

Keeping Top Eventers in Aiken

Many top eventers are based in Aiken for the winter, but there is an unofficial battle between Aiken and Ocala, Florida to become the premier winter destination for eventing riders and trainers. The hope is that the new schooling course will encourage more high performance riders to call Aiken home for the winter. Stable View has already played host to United States Equestrian Team high performance winter training sessions, which have been held in Aiken for over a decade.

The new schooling course will benefit high performance riders as well as those aspiring to reach the upper levels, with jumps ranging from modified level to the 2019 four-star level.

Cyndy Olliff explained that they wanted to build the new schooling course to cater to the upper levels, since they already have offerings for lower level riders at Stable View.

“The Eventing Academy course is a softer, easier course that we use for the Aiken Opener,” she said. “The rest of the season our horse trials are held on our original cross country course and in the arenas near our new pavilion. At the Eventing Academy we also offer just schooling rounds, and we’re starting a series in December, putting the stadium on grass, with a schooling dressage show on Saturday in the arenas with the Attwood footing.”

Barry noted, “The main course was designed by Mark Phillips: it’s open, it’s got lanes, it’s got terrain, but also a lot of trees. It’s very good for the upper levels but intimidating for lower level horses and riders, which is why we created the Academy course. They are interconnected and we sometimes run on both, but the course with the trees isn’t so good for the beginners.”

Eric Bull said that the new schooling field will be an advantage for riders who want to prepare for big events such as The Fork CCI4* and the Land Rover Kentucky CCI5*-L. “We want to keep them in Aiken for the winter, and this will provide a schooling opportunity that wasn’t previously available here. There’s a lot to Aiken: it’s a long established horse community steeped in history and a big, diverse horse community.”

Boyd Martin agreed, “Aiken is a popular destination for eventers and we really feel that our course will add a new dimension to training the horses in Aiken. Our goal is to eventually build and design the world’s best schooling course, which will make Stable View not only a wonderful competition venue but also a first-class training center for event horses.”

Barry Olliff said, “I think the difference in what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to be a bit more upmarket. We want to make this exclusive to upper level riders because we want to keep our upper level riders in Aiken. We hosted our first three-star this fall, and our farm is home to several upper level riders each winter. Aiken has a great community, downtown and shopping, and camaraderie in the horse community. We want people to either retire here or move here in their younger years.

Having riders like Boyd and Phillip [Dutton] here is great, and we want to keep the support for that infrastructure here. We hope that a whole lot of upper level riders located in and on the outskirts of Aiken will use our new course on a regular basis.”

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Junior Field Hunter Championships A different kind of competition

By Ragan Morehouse

A

iken area hunts were well represented at the Junior North American Field Hunter Championships when the competition celebrated its 16th anniversary this year. The 2018 JNAFHC Finals were hosted by Old Dominion Hounds in Orleans, Virginia on November 10 and 11. Seventy-one children travelled there to compete against other juniors from hunts up and down the East Coast. The Aiken area was represented by two riders from the Aiken Hounds and eight competitors from the Belle Meade Hunt, including the winner of the “First Field 13 and Over” group, Ashleigh Currier.

“I think Ashleigh had more fun spending time with children from other hunts than she did riding,” says Ashleigh’s mom, Heather Currier, who is Belle Meade’s JNAFHC coordinator. “Well maybe not...she really loves competing in the finals. But the kids really do love getting to see each other every year. They ask why it can’t happen more often!”

Fostering relationships among the junior foxhunting community is one of the main goals of the JNAFHC. “The yearly championship is an opportunity for juniors to meet other foxhunting kids from across the country and make what for many will be lifelong friendships,” says Marion Chungo, one of the directors of the event. “The JNAFHC provides a way for juniors to enjoy foxhunting, develop their skills, and, in the long run, helps assure the future of this wonderful sport. That last point has far-reaching merit because today’s junior foxhunters will be tomorrow’s leaders in the ongoing effort to maintain our farmland and countryside.”

Dismayed by encroaching developments into Virginia hunt country, Douglas Wise-Stuart and Iona Pillion founded the JNAFHC in 2003 to ensure junior hunters understand the importance of preserving open land. Marion Chungo and Michelle Arnold, the current managers of the event, joined the JNAFHC organization in 2005 and 2014 respectively. To underscore the necessity of keeping open land for fox hunting, proceeds from the event are donated to land conservation groups designated by the host hunt. This year, Old Dominion Hounds donated funds to the Piedmont Environmental Council and the Land Trust of Virginia.

Juniors from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania hunts have been attending the finals since its inception but in the past few years, the reach of the JNAFHCs has expanded to include Kentucky, Ohio, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida hunt members as well. This is in large part due to the interest and support of Dr. Jack Van Nagell, MFH of the Iroquois Hunt and former president of the MFHA (Masters of Foxhounds Association). In 2016, he offered to host the event at his home hunt in Lexington, Kentucky, in an effort to attract juniors from the southern states. To maintain southern involvement, the Belle Meade Hunt hosted last year’s championships in Thomson, Georgia.

“We had participated in the adult competition [NAFHC] for a number of years and our kids started asking us if they could go,” explains Heather Currier. “We got involved by hosting the qualifiers and then in 2018, we decided to host the finals. It was a lot of work but it was really great.”

At the finals, host hunts are responsible for orchestrating an entire weekend of activities for the visiting families. In addition to the JNAFHC itself, there are lunches and dinners each day, horn blowing

and whip cracking contests, and a formal Sunday hunt. Many of the out-of-town competitors are matched up with a member of the host hunt who houses the families and the mounts that accompany the junior. This not only helps reduce costs for the travellers but it enables foxhunters from different areas of the country to get to know each other and oftentimes, create life-long bonds.

“Hosting the finals is a big job,” agrees Marion. “It can cost a lot of money and certainly takes a lot of time and effort to organize. A lot of hunts participate by hosting the qualifiers. We have seen a big increase in the number of qualifiers that are offered in the past few years.”

Throughout September and October, children qualify for the finals by riding in designated ‘qualifier hunts’ in their home territory. This year, 57 hunts in 14 states hosted qualifying events. At the qualifiers, host hunts appoint a field judge who follows the junior rider on the hunt to determine whether the child is capable of riding safely and is sufficiently experienced in the field to attend the finals. One hundred and twenty children qualified for the JNAFHCs this year.

“We know how important it is to develop our youth in the sport of foxhunting,” says Larry Byers, MFH of the Aiken Hounds and former president of the United States Pony Club. “They need to understand and appreciate the importance of maintaining open space for riding. That’s why the Aiken Hounds participates as a JNAFHC qualifying hunt, encourages youngsters to come out for hound exercises in the summer, and hosts children’s hunts.”

If Aiken area junior hunters cannot attend the Belle Meade or Aiken Hounds qualifiers, the Camden Hunt and the Lowcountry Hunt also offer qualifying hunt days. Children are not required to be a member of a hunt but must be registered with the JNAFHC. Juniors qualify and compete in one of four categories determined by their age and hunting experience: Hilltopper 10 and under (new this year), Hilltopper 11 through 18, First Flight 12 and under, and First Flight 13 through 18 years old.

At the finals, competitors are judged on the suitability of their mount, their manners, and the decisions they make in the field. Although the judges are looking for a neat and tidy appearance, braiding is not required and although a wrong diagonal or lead may preclude a ribbon in the show arena, minor mistakes may be overlooked in the hunt field in lieu of the overall impression of their ride.

“You can never predict what is going to happen on a hunt,” says Marion. “At one finals, the hilltopper group encountered angry bees.

After the ride, the judges commended the juniors for handling the situation so well.”

“The JNAFHCs are unique,” adds Heather. “As opposed to showing, more skills are used foxhunting. It’s more functional riding; more reallife.

The date and location of next year’s championships have not yet been announced. “We have done well building the South,” reports Marion Chungo. “Now we need to get the northern hunts involved and reach hunts out west.”

Left, Ashleigh Currier aboard Quint. Photo by Joanne Maisano. Above, riders head out. Photo by Ragan Morehouse

December-January 2018-2019

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43

JNAFC 2018 Finals Recap:

This year, finals day was chilly and windy. Trailers began pulling in to the Hinckley Memorial Hunter Trial Field in Orleans, Virginia at about 9 a.m. and at 10 a.m., 71 children lined up their horses and ponies for the JNAFHC group photo. After the line-up, the riders dispersed to warm-up their mounts; older children galloped their horses up the large hill and jumped coops while the pony set trotted and cantered betwixt and between. It is a testament to the saintliness of their mounts that the warm-up proceeded without incident. At 10:30 a.m the judges called for the first group, the Hilltopper 10 and Under, to congregate at the bottom of the large hill. With a lot of direction from parents and Old Dominion Hounds members, the children formed a single-file line circling around the judges. Thus began the competition. After watching the group walk, trot, and canter for 10 to 15 minutes; the judges mounted up and led their group into the field for a 45 to 60 minute mock-hunt.

“It was so much fun!” exclaims Harrison Labuschagne, a 9-yearold Aiken Hounds representative. “We jumped creeks and waded through streams. We went through big fields and some woods and a lot of mud. It is so different from Aiken.”

While the youngest hunters were out in the field, the rest of the groups repeated the process: circling around their judges and then heading off for their ride. By 11:15, the Hinckley field was bereft of horses, with only the hordes of family members and a few spectators left to await the return of the children. To the delight and relief of the crowd, the youngest hunters returned unscathed, most of them chatting happily with their new friends about their shared adventure.

After a tense half hour (for the parents and trainers), the top ten finalists who would participate in the final phase of the competition were announced and the rest of the competitors were excused, several

44

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of whom were overheard muttering their gratitude that they could go warm up with hot cocoa and donuts instead of having to keep riding.

Soon after, the judges reassembled the young Hilltoppers and announced the test. Riders were to trot down a hill, cross a muddy stream, canter up the far-side of the hill, circle a tree, trot back down the hill, re-cross the stream, trot past the group of the nine remaining riders toward a split-rail catch-pen, stop at the gate to the pen, open the gate, go through the gate into the pen, walk out of the pen over a downed rail, and finally, rejoin the group. One by one, the youngsters departed the group (again, saintly ponies, each and every one of them) and attempted the test; some more successfully than others.

Meanwhile, the other groups returned to the field, finalists were selected, and their tests were explained and then executed.

By about 2 p.m. the competition had concluded and the competitors were asked to gather once again for the awarding of ribbons to the finalists. David Twiggs, the Executive Director of the MFHA, was in attendance to present the champions with their prizes.

“The JNAFHC is more than a championship,” says Marion Chungo. “It’s about getting everyone together and enjoying our sport. The competition is not the most important thing.”

There were no tears or sullen faces when the rosettes were handed out. There were hugs and pats on the back and lots of laughing. There were no grooms leading away horses; there were no trainers tensely gripping the rail and there was no rail to grip. There were Appaloosas and Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. There were stock trailers side-by-side with shiny aluminum rigs. It really was a wonderful mix of horse people who share of love of riding in open spaces.

December-January 2018-2019

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The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

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The Aiken Horse

51

H I S TO RY. T R A D I T I O N . L E G AC Y.

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the perfect relaxation after an adventure in hitchcock woods hotel • lunch • dinner • cocktails • sunday brunch full-service luxury spa & salon experience

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HIGHLIGHTED EVENTS December 9 Eventing Academy Schooling HT, CT or Dressage only *Year-End Awards*

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January 30 “Winter” USEA/USEF Horse Trials 52

Aiken, South Carolina

117 Stable Drive Aiken SC 29801 484.356.3173 info@stableviewfarm.com www.StableViewFarm.com

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

“Pockets:” Forever an Aiken Icon

By Mary Jane Howell, photography by Gary Knoll

O

n November 18, 2018, James Carter, known to all at Pockets, passed away at the age of 79. He packed an awful lot those 79 years, and Aiken is a better place because he chose to put downs roots here.

Pockets and his wife Carol started the Track Kitchen, located on Mead Avenue in the historic horse district, back in 1978. The plain cinder block building hides a treasure trove of racing photos and has long been the best place in Aiken to find a hearty home-cooked breakfast. There are omelets, French toast, eggs, grits, and bacon, with self-serve coffee in the kitchen and you can choose your own vintage mug. The Carters not only cooked a good breakfast, they made you feel at home.

The idea of home was important to Pockets, who had led the vagabond life of a race tracker for decades. He was born in Camden in 1939 and was drawn to horses at an early age. By the time he was 8, he was mucking stalls, grooming and riding a neighbor’s horses. The owner had a special bench made so Pockets could reach the top of the horses’ backs when he was currying them. When he was in his teens, Pockets started working for John H. Clark, a polo player as well as a Thoroughbred owner and trainer. When Clark moved some of his horses from Camden to Aiken, Pockets went with him. Each spring Clark shipped his stable to Kentucky for Keeneland’s race meet and from there to a variety of tracks.

Pockets saw a lot of racetracks and worked for some of the biggest names in the business. He earned a reputation as the go-to rider when someone had a tough horse. Riding wasn’t all he could do: he was a superb all-around athlete. Pockets boxed at “fight nights” at Delaware Park, a small track outside of Wilmington, Delaware, winning 13 matches in a row. He was also a runner, and just for fun he used to run around Suffolk Downs in East Boston. Once, a group of trainers had a bet about whether he could run the mile in four minutes. He did, clocking in at 3:57 on the deep, sandy track.

When he was 40, Pockets retired from the track and returned to Aiken full-time with Carol, the Aiken girl he had married in 1963.

Wanting to stay connected to the racetrack life, he and Carol started The Track Kitchen a short block away from the Aiken Training Track.

December-January 2018-2019

A few years later, knowing that the grooms and exercise riders had very little time to wait for breakfast, Pockets refurbished an old delivery van with a cooktop and some other necessary items. Now he could take breakfast to them.

Doug Tribert, a retired Thoroughbred trainer who calls Aiken home, knew Pockets for more than 40 years and feels the loss of the man as much as anyone.

“I first met Pockets in 1976 because I was told he was the guy at Belmont Park that could fix cars,” recalled Tribert. “I was working for Mike Freeman [a Hall of Fame trainer] and Pockets was with Billy Hirsch at the time. Sure enough, I took my old Volkswagen to the barn and there was Pockets, working on a couple of old cars under the tree.

He gave me the biggest smile and said he’d do his best – and he did.

“Pockets had an incredible eye – he knew his horses and he knew class when he saw it. He had a filly that he absolutely loved, a graded stakes winner named Pressing Date,” continued Tribert. “Of all the good horses he worked around, she was his favorite.”

Horses would always be a part of the fabric of Pocket’s life, but he had other interests as well. He ran a nightclub for several years on the outskirts of Aiken called the Brothers Four Lounge and he took part in the Thursday night drag races in Jackson. He was a man of many talents and interests; never boastful, but always fascinating.

And then there’s the nickname. It had nothing to do with a game of pool, but rather the fact that there were two men named James working for the trainer MacKenzie Miller. A few years ago, Pockets was asked to explain the moniker. His story went like this: “There were two Jameses in the barn, and one day Mr. Miller said to the foreman, ‘I need James for a minute.’ Well, since there were two of us, the foreman asked Mr. Miller which James he needed. Mr. Miller said, ‘Well, I want the James who keeps his hands in his pockets.’ The name just stuck after that!”

There is no doubt that the Carter family will miss their patriarch.

For the rest of us, it will take some getting used to not seeing the lanky Pockets, coming through the back door of the Kitchen with the milewide smile, greeting every customer like they were all old friends.

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53

We have pulled the eventing dates from our calendar to give eventing riders a guide to the 2018-2019 winter eventing season. We are including horse trials, combined tests and other opportunities that attract a large number of eventing enthusiasts. Of course, there are also many more equestrian activities going on in Aiken this winter that eventers might be interested in: foxhunts, hunter trails, straight dressage shows, hunter jumper shows and so on. Be sure to check out our full calendar in Section 3 to get the most out of the Aiken winter season.

Winter Eventing 2018-2019

DECEMBER 1 2 9 9 15

USEA/USEF Horse Trial at Sporting Days Eventing Academy Schooling at Stable View December Schooling Horse Trials, Full Gallop Farm Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials, Stable View Holiday Combined Test and Dressage Show at The Vista

JANUARY

2 Wednesday Jumpers at Stable View 8 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling, AHP 10 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase.

12 USEA/USEF “Aiken Opener” Horse Trials, Stable View 15 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling, AHP 19 Paradise Farm Combined Test and Dressage Show.

19 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase.

20 Open Schooling Day at Paradise Farm 22 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling, AHP 24 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase.

26 Winter Schooling Day, Carolina Horse Park 26-27 USEA/USEF Horse Trials at Full Gallop.

29 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling, AHP 30 USEA/USEF Winter Horse Trials at Stable View 31 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase

FEBRUARY

6 Winter Schooling Day at Carolina Horse Park.

7-8 Apple Tree Farm 3 Phase.

8-10 USEA/USEF Intermediate Horse Trials at Pine Top Farm.

12 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling, AHP 14 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase.

15-17 USEF/USEA Horse Trials at Paradise Farm.

16 GDCTA Schooling Show at Poplar Place Farm 19 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling, AHP 21 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase.

22-24 USEA/USEF Advanced Horse Trials at Pine Top Farm, 23 Jumping Branch Farm Horse Trials 23 Eventing Academy Schooling Day at Stable View 24 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials at Stable View 26 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling, AHP 27 USEA/USEF Horse Trials at Full Gallop 28 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase.

MARCH

1-2 Grand Prix Eventing at AHP (invitational) 2-3 USEF/USEA Horse Trials at Sporting Days 5 Combined Test & Dressage Show at Paradise Farm 6 Wednesday Jumpers at Stable View 8 USEF/USEA Horse Trials at Full Gallop 9 Southern Pines Horse Trials I at Carolina Horse Park 15 Pine Top Spring Horse Trials 19 USEF/USEA Spring Horse Trials at Stable View 20 Carolina International CIC*** Carolina Equine Park 28-29 Apple Days 3-phase at Sporting Days 31 Full Gallop Farm April Horse Trials

3 5 6 6 6

USEA/USEF Horse Trial at Sporting Days Farm Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium & Dressage Schooling; AHP USEA/USEF Horse Trials at Full Gallop Farm, Wednesday Jumpers at Stable View Pipe Opener II CT at Carolina Horse Park

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December-January 2018-2019

Eventing Venues

Aiken Horse Park (AHP) 931 Powderhouse Road.

Aiken, SC 29801 803-226-0121 info@aikenhorsepark.org, www.aikenhorsepark.org Apple Tree Farm South 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor, SC 29856 Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@aol.com, www.appletreefarm.com Carolina Horse Park 2814 Montrose Rd. Raeford, NC 28376 910.875.2074 secretary@carolinahorsepark.com, www.carolinahorsepark.com Full Gallop Farm 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken, SC 29805 Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590 fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Jumping Branch Farm 179 Fox Pond Rd. Aiken, SC 29801 Julie Zapapas, 803.6451098 zapapasj@bellsouth.net, www.jbfarm.com Paradise Farm 4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken, SC, 29805 Lellie Ward, Owner: 803-640-4918, Cindy Swartz, Secretary 803.507.4577 paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com Pine Top Farm 1432 Augusta Hwy. Thomson, GA 30824 Janet Wilson: 706-449-2029 pinetopeventing@gmail.com; www.pinetopfarm.com.

Poplar Place Farm 8191 US 27 Hamilton, GA 31811 706-681-8748 www.poplarplacefarm.com Sporting Days Farm 3549 E. Charleston Hwy. Aiken, SC, 29801 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010 sdaiken@aol.com, www.sportingdaysfarm.com Stable View 117 Stable Dr. Aiken, SC, 29801 484.356.3173 info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com USC Aiken Eventing Facebook: USC Aiken Eventing The Vista 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken, SC 803-262-5263 vistaschooling@gmail.com www.schoolthevista.com

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Eventing in Aiken, 2018-2019 What Will Winter Bring?

By Amber Heintzberger

E

venting riders and fans have lots to look forward to this season in Aiken, with an abundance of recognized events, unrecognized events, combined tests, schooling opportunities and the inaugural Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field in March. If they were so inclined, eventing riders could probably find an activity or event to take part in every single day.

How is the winter season shaping up in Aiken? Event organizers have many strategies to attract horse people to the area during the colder months, even though some say that more riders have been going to Florida in recent years.

Lara Anderson of Full Gallop Farm says that they will offer their usual lineup of recognized and unrecognized events as well as a Clemson Eventing Team clinic and a Lucinda Greene clinic in the spring. They’ll also add a Young Event Horse competition later in the spring.

Lara noted that Aiken has been losing people every year to Ocala, Florida, where there is also an active winter season for eventing riders.

“It used to be that Aiken was cheaper, but now it’s not; hay, grain, everything is more expensive here than it used to be. If there was a huge variance in what they’d pay they might stay here, but because the weather is better in Florida it’s hard to pull them back. I’ve done extensive research; I even sent out a survey and asked people to message me just to get an idea what was going on, and the weather is the biggest component. There are a million things going on in Aiken. If you want to do something every single day you can, but you can basically say the same for Ocala. That’s what we’re battling, but everyone’s trying to do the best we can. People might still drive up here from Ocala if there’s prize money, and they might stay for a week and then go back down, whereas they used to stay for three months.”

Joannah Hall Glass, who owns and operates Sporting Days Farm, agrees with Lara. Sporting Days has been around a long time – it offered the very first recognized horse trials in the Aiken area in the late 1990s.

“I know our numbers were fine in 2018,” said Joannah. “We are head to head for the best averages of entries, but there’s a decline in Aiken because people are going to Ocala for warmer weather. Expenses are up and entries are in general down. So you lose a few, but in the meantime we can still put food on the table.”

In addition to their four annual recognized horse trials, Sporting Days will host “Apple Days”, a series of 2- and 3-phase competitions in cooperation with Alison Eastman Lawler’s Apple Tree Farm in Windsor.

“We are good friends, and we’re doing this cooperatively,” said Joannah. “On Thursday she’ll have a combined test at her farm, and on Friday we’ll do a shortened cross country at my place.”

Sporting Days holds an annual March Horse Trials, which often has the largest entry of any horse trials in the Aiken area. This year, the invitational $50,000 Grand Prix Eventing Showcase will be at Bruce’s Field on March 1-2, the same weekend as Sporting Days’ big event.

Regarding the conflicting dates, Joannah said that she only wished that the event could be held on a different day sothat she could go and watch it. “I think Bruce’s Field is a lovely place for a showcase," she said. " I would love to go watch – I’ve been to big events all over the world because I love to watch the best of the best. I hope it’s successful.

Meanwhile, Sporting Days will just do what it does, the best it can.”

Improvements

It is worth noting that a number of facilities have made improvements for the new year. Joannah Hall Glass said that the heavy rains this year damaged the drainage in the Sporting Days arenas, so they have done restorative work there. She has also hired someone full-time

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to help around the farm, mowing, repairing the footing and doing regular maintenance on everything. At Full Gallop, the course designer John Williams has added a new bank complex and ditches, made modifications to the sunken road, and is considering adding another small water complex. Stable View is adding an exciting new cross country schooling field geared to upper level riders, with the goal of keeping more of them in Aiken.

Though Lellie Ward announced last year that she would be selling her Paradise Farm, until it sells, she is carrying on full steam ahead and is committed to running the usual lineup of recognized events through

the end of 2019. If she still has the farm in 2020, she said she plans to run more unrecognized competitions then. Paradise traditionally offers three recognized horse trials, Beginner Novice through Preliminary, each year. “There are so many events in Aiken now,” said Ward. “I still get the entries at my February event because the ‘snow birds’ are still here, but in May and October I only had about 60 entries.”

Ward said that she would be changing her cross country courses and adding some new fences this year, so if you want to ensure that Paradise Farm remains a local resource for competition and schooling, be sure to add it to your competition calendar. While they offer several organized cross country schooling days, the course is also open for schooling by reservation, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., professionals welcome.

There are other eventing happenings on the horizon too. For instance, USEF uses Aiken as the site of their annual winter training sessions for High Performance riders. As of this writing, the training schedule has not yet been announced, but in all likelihood sessions will take place in Aiken once again. And although Ocala may have a warmer climate, Aiken’s welcoming and active equestrian community, vibrant downtown and busy competition schedule will offer riders of every level plenty of reasons to stick around this winter. There are opportunities for horses and riders of every level and ambition. It’s winter in Aiken. Bring on the eventing season.

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Silent Witness

Exhibit Illuminates Horse-Human Bond

By Pam Gleason

hen Julie Robins first started working with former racehorses and U.S. veterans in the Saratoga Warhorse program at Equine Rescue of Aiken, she knew she was seeing something extraordinary. Saratoga Warhorse, which also has chapters in Saratoga, N.Y. and Baltimore, Md., is a three-day-long program that offers veterans the chance to interact with horses in an experience that can initiate profound changes in their lives. Julie, the founder of Aiken Horsemanship Academy, a natural horsemanship practitioner and a therapeutic riding instructor, always knew that being with horses could

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offering her services as a photographer.

“They said, no we don’t really do that,” says Shelly. So when Julie called and invited her to come, she did not hesitate. From the second Saratoga Warhorse session in Aiken four years ago, Shelly has been there to document it. She took hundreds of pictures of each veteran as they went through the process, and her images became an important part of their experience. In addition to coming away with the memory of what happened between them and the horse, the veterans also take home approximately 50 images of their interactions.

help people. She did not fully realize, however, that a simple 10-minute session with a horse in a round pen could be utterly transformative.

Not only was there something very significant happening inside the participants’ private worlds, what was happening was visible and dramatic.

“After the very first session, I knew that it needed to be photographed,” says Julie. “And so I called Shelly Schmidt.”

Shelly Marshall Schmidt, another Aiken resident, is a photographer whose subjects are frequently horses, and whose images are known for their emotional resonance. Aside from being friends, Julie and Shelly have worked together helping the nonprofit Women Beyond Cancer, which offers retreats for women affected by cancer at a horse farm in Aiken. Shelly had heard about Saratoga Warhorse several years before it opened its Aiken chapter, and had approached the organization,

The Saratoga Warhorse sessions are not open to the public and the organization is always very careful to protect the privacy of the participants, some of whom have PTSD and serious emotional issues; others just feel disconnected from their civilian lives or need some help integrating themselves back into society. Occasionally, however, Marti Healy, a local writer, has come to the sessions and written about what she has seen. Marti, who has a popular column in The Aiken Standard newspaper, was affected by the spiritual nature of the connection that she saw between the veterans and the horses, and her columns about watching them often strike a lyrical note.

This fall, Shelly and Marti worked together to create Silent Witness, an exhibit that was mounted at the Aiken Center for the Arts on Laurens Street through the month of November. The exhibit was centered on Shelly’s photographs, which were accompanied by word

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panels highlighting excerpts of Marti’s work. Although the Saratoga Warhorse program is well known in Aiken, this exhibit was the first real glimpse that most people had of what happens inside the program, and for many people, it was something of a revelation.

What does happen in Saratoga Warhorse? According to Julie, it is deceptively simple. The program itself is three days long, with one full day spent at Equine Rescue, which specializes in rescuing and rehoming off the track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs). The heart of the experience is a 10-minute session in the round pen in which each veteran is paired with a different horse. With coaching from Julie, the veteran learns to move the horse around the pen, to “draw” him and “drive” him, and finally

release.”

The photographs Shelley selected for the exhibit often come from that moment of release, or during the time immediately afterward. The prints are large, rendering their subjects at life size. There are tears, people hugging horses, people hugging people, horses looking calm, relaxed and satisfied. Coupled with Marti’s word panels, the effect of these images was highly emotional and elicited an overwhelming response in the community.

“I didn’t expect to sell any of the photographs, but I did, even before the show opened,” says Shelly, noting that some of them are now hanging in office spaces, while others have gone into private homes.

Marti Healy, Shelly Marshall Schmidt and Julie Robins to make a connection with him. It can be a powerful experience for the “Almost everyone who bought a picture also bought a word panel to go horse as well as for the human, since OTTBs often benefit from learning with it. It wasn’t necessarily the panel that was near the picture in the new ways to communicate and connect with the people around them. gallery, but it was a panel and a photograph that told a story to them, “I tell them, you are not here for therapy,” says Julie, “You are here to that had a personal connection with them.” help me with this horse, to help him make a connection, and you will “The response has been so incredible we have been approached by probably feel a benefit and a connection as well. The horse needs a job different people at galleries out of state, to possibly do the exhibit there,” to do; the veteran needs a job to do, and they come to the round pen says Marti. There is also the possibility of recreating the exhibit as a and do the job together.” After the sessions are over, all the veterans book. gather together to talk about the experience and what they were feeling All three women agree that witnessing the Saratoga Warhorse in the pen. program has been almost mystical for them. Shelly’s photographs and Although the round pen sessions are brief, they can have deep and Marti’s words afford the public a small glimpse of what is, in essence, a lasting effects. Something about the connection that the veterans make highly personal and private experience, and emphasize the strength and with the horse starts a shift inside them that sets them on a different importance of the horse and human bond. path. Julie, Shelly and Marti agree that, beyond a simple connection, “I think the biggest thing I have learned from the program is to look the horse and the participant seem to share a new positive energy. The for compassion and soul in people and in horses,” says Julie. “Sometimes experience is so powerful, it inspired Julie to write a talk about it which you might look at a pain-in-the-neck off the track Thoroughbred, she recently gave at TedX Augusta. and not remember to look for his soul. It’s the same with people. You “They all have a change,” says Shelly. “You can see it. In my learn to see the soul in horses and in people where you might not have photographs, when they are first entering the pen with the horse, they recognized it before. There is so much compassion in the heart of a are so separated. Neither wants to go in. But by the end there is this horse.” kind of melding. It’s very emotional, and you can see the emotion.

“I love photographing horses,” says Shelly. “You can read them; they Usually it happens when the horse approaches for the first time. There wear their souls on the outside.” is a moment when you see this change and you can sense this immense

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Great Beginning for Young Horses Young Horse Show Series Finals

By Lauren Allen, Photography by SAS Equine Photography

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very young horse on its way to becoming a show horse has to learn an immense amount about performance and training. But he also has to learn about travelling, coping with the stresses of new environments, and having encounters with other unfamiliar horses.

Taking young horses to shows offers them a chance to get a jump on these experiences, but it can be difficult and expensive to find classes for them. The Young Horse Series, in its tenth year of existence, was created to give youngsters (from 1 to 5) exposure to the show ring without breaking the bank. The series consists of a number of qualifying

should be able to bring the costs down.”

Tola envisions developing regional circuits such as a Northeast and Midwest circuit to complement the Southeast. “We are developing a Texas series in 2019 and possibly a West Coast one. It will come in time—there should be hundreds of shows a year, all over the United States.”

The Young Horse Series is important, according to Jean-Yves Tola, “for a million reasons: getting young horses off of the farm, getting a professional opinion of each horse’s attributes, with meaningful and age

Laura Douglas at the Young Horse Finals shows scattered from Texas to Kentucky, including Missouri, Florida, and Virginia. It culminates in the finals, held this year at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C. on November 10 and 11.

Jean-Yves Tola is one of the founders and organizers of the series. Tola, born in France, is a former rock star in his native country. He is also a horse breeder and the current director of the studbook Selle FrancaisNorth America. Tola says the series works very hard to keep costs down for exhibitors.

“We are lucky to have very generous sponsors, (such as Spy Coast Farm, Tequestrian Farms, Pagebrook Farms, Footing First and Ocean Harvest, to name a few) and we work hard and do not overpay anyone.

We never run a show at a loss more than once. The shows are cheaper than most but still much too expensive. Once we get more numbers, we

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appropriate classes, getting an opportunity to market young horses, and meeting other professional trainers, riders, and breeders.”

All horses and ponies who are being prepared to compete in jumpers, dressage, eventing or hunters are invited to attend, even 6- and 7-yearold horses are allowed to participate in schooling classes, although they are aged out for the competition. All qualifying horses must be registered and microchipped with a breed registry in order to establish proof of age: USEF registration alone is not considered adequate.

The series has a variety of age-graded classes. For yearlings, there are in-hand and liberty classes. For 2-4 year olds, there are in-hand and jump chute classes. Four and 5-year-olds compete under saddle and over fences.

Danielle Farr-Veasy, the owner of VZ Sport Horses in Aberdeen, N.C. was in attendance at the finals for her second year. A breeder of Dutch

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Warmbloods and Oldenburg horses, she has won top year-end awards from USDF and USEF for dressage and breeding, and discovered the YHS last year when her horses were in Ocala for the the Royal Dutch Sport Horse, North American (KWPN-NA) inspection.

“We had driven the nine-plus hours to Ocala for the inspection so it was a no-brainer to stay another day to compete in the YHS horse show in the same facility. All three of our young horses qualified for the finals in Tryon which was nice for us since Tryon is only a few hours away from us,” she said.

“And of course, Tryon has become a main venue for many top competitions—which is another reason to get your young horses to this facility…Last year the show was completely hosted outside. This year the show was split—the under saddle and show jumping classes were outside and all the in-hand and jump chute classes were run inside.

With it pouring rain on Friday, I was beyond happy we had the young horses under one roof, stabling and ring. The facility is still under construction, but in the future hopefully they will be able to host the whole show in the indoor venue.”

Farr-Veasy has shown her young horses at Dressage at Devon for years, and has sometimes brought along hunter babies to give them experience. She is thrilled to have another option for young show horses, especially one that pays out cash to the top three young horses in each division.

Another aspect of the YHS show that she notes is that “this is a venue for all disciplines—dressage, eventers, hunters, and jumpers. Not only do they offer a class that judges conformation, movement and overall impression, they also offer a jump chute class which is a first for horse shows in this country. Plus the handler fees were included in the entry fee!”

One distinguishing feature of in-hand classes at the Young Horse Series is that, unlike standard breeding and conformation classes, the horses are allowed to trot and canter at liberty so the judges can evaluate

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the way they move without being hindered or helped by their human handlers. Another major difference is that all horses in the in-hand and jump chute classes are surrendered by their trainer or owner to the handlers provided by the horse show once they enter the arena. This gives trainers a rare opportunity to become spectators for the duration of the horse’s time in the competition arena.

Four and 5-year-old horses compete in flat classes for sport under saddle, where they are ridden by their own trainer and evaluated at the walk, trot and canter for overall impression and rideability. There are also jumping classes (.85-1.0 meters for 4 year olds and 1.0-1.20 meters for 5 year olds) and select dressage tests, including a dressage “test of choice” class. Judges hope to see relaxed, balanced, athletic horses working in soft, age-appropriate frames with impulsion and confidence.

The judges at the YHS shows are of international caliber. This year’s judges were Jos Sevriens and Christian Schacht. Jos Sevriens (NL) has experience in all three FEI disciplines through Grand Prix and is a notable USEF breeding judge. Christian Schacht (GER) is a veterinarian and also an international judge who has been the breeding director for the International Sporthorse Registry and Oldenburg Registry-North America. He has published several books in German and in English, including one on conformation. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of the Young Horse Series, beside the education acquired for the horses, is the opportunity for each owner to listen to the informative live commentary by the judges as they evaluate each horse’s movement, conformation, scope, presence and other characteristics. Owners also are allowed to take home the judges’ scorecards.

The 2019 finals will once again take place at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, and Jean-Yves Tola indicates that there may potentially be another finals scheduled for the Texas series. For more information and to view the 2019 schedule as it is developed, see the Young Horse Series website at www.younghorseshow.com

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USCA EQUESTRIAN An Expanding Presence

by Diana Hunt

iven the long equestrian history of this area, it should come as no surprise that the Aiken campus of the University of South Carolina has intercollegiate equestrian programs. What is a surprise is how recent their implementation has been.

The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) began sanctioning hunt seat equitation competitions in 1967 and introduced Western horsemanship and reining classes in 1979. These programs arrived at USC Aiken in 2011. That year, USC Aiken also started an eventing team, three years before the establishment of official United States Eventing Association intercollegiate programs. Intercollegiate polo, under the auspices of the United States Polo Association (USPA) and Aiken Youth Polo, has been ongoing since the fall of this year, managed and operated by Aiken residents Tiger and Susie Kneece.

Dressage is just getting started at the university with more than 10 students expressing interest in the new club.

The different disciplines have different requirements, depending on the governing body. IHSA, founded to allow students of all backgrounds to compete without the financial cost of owning and caring for a horse, is the most established and largest intercollegiate equestrian organization. It boasts nearly 400 participating colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada and counts over 9,000 riders.

The IHSA format splits riders into divisions based on experience.

Teams travel within their region (USC Aiken is in Zone 5, Region 3) to compete at host schools, which provide the horses for competition.

Some teams are registered with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and receive funding from their school’s athletic departments; other teams are classified as club sports and get no funding. USC Aiken falls into the second category. Coaches are not paid by the school and advisors take on the bookkeeping aspects as part of their other staff responsibilities.

Michelle Hodge acts as the advisor to the hunt seat, western and eventing teams, in addition to her duties as a fiscal analyst for the university.

“We are a small school [approximately 3370 students]. Until this year we could only send one team to a competition where schools like Clemson and Georgia will send two and three teams to a competition,” she explained. “However, the girls hold their own. They practice hard, they ride well and we are growing. In hunt seat, a couple of the girls made high point team at Clemson last October. That was a big deal.

They are all riding at the same level, so it is harder to get the points when the majority of your team is riding in the same class. We’re small but we’re mighty.”

This year, there are only two students on the Western team. They train at Mount Vintage Stables with Jeff Temple, who volunteers as coach.

They have not shown much this year, since most of the competitions are in Florida.

“Equestrian is not like football or basketball. In club sports none of the kids get time off from classes, plus they have to pay their own way,” Hodge continued. But there has been support from the local equestrian community – for instance, Aiken Saddlery is a sponsor.

The eventing association has taken a different approach to its intercollegiate program. The USEA offers educational and training opportunities for competitors. But students must provide their own horses and pay all expenses including stabling, entry fees and travel costs. When possible, Hodge says the university can help out with some expenses from a small fund.

Currently, there are 27 colleges or universities with USEA intercollegiate programs. The students at USC Aiken compete in the same region as national powerhouses such as the University of Georgia, Clemson and the University of Kentucky. Nevertheless, USCA finished third nationally last year.

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“We do a lot of activities as a team – team building, schooling together,” explained Brooke Webb, the team president and a senior. “We do not have a coach, nor do we have one barn we work out of. With so many excellent coaches in the area we leave each member to pick their own coach. For instance, one person trains with Doug Payne [an upper level eventer], another trains with advanced level riders, another with Grand Prix show jumpers and dressage riders. The Vista allows us to school at their facility and to hold clinics there.”

While Aiken has been a hotbed of polo for over a century, intercollegiate and interscholastic polo has only recently gained a real foothold here. Aiken Youth Polo now offers a full slate of tournament and practice games in a new arena at New Bridge Polo and Country Club. There are programs for middle school, high school and college players. This year’s men’s USC Aiken intercollegiate team is very competitive and there are plans to start a women’s team next year.

Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) polo has a long history in the USPA: Princeton won the first intercollegiate championship back in 1922. In 2018, there are 44 colleges and universities involved in the sport. I/I polo is played under the USPA arena rules with some modifications. For instance, games are played using a “split string,” which means that each horse plays one chukker for each team. This is intended to create a fair opportunity for both teams while reducing the expense of transporting horses for games.

What took Aiken so long to have an intercollegiate polo program?

The current program is actually the third attempt to establish a polo team at the university over the past decade, but it is the first to have its own dedicated arena and the first to have a full team of experienced players with their own horses. The arena, recently completed at New Bridge Polo and Country Club, was built as part of a partnership with Aiken Youth Polo. Crestview Genetics and Aiken Polo Club are other supporters of the Aiken Youth Polo.

USC Aiken played University of Kentucky twice at Kentucky this year. The USC Aiken team (all Freshmen) played against a seasoned UK team of seniors. While they did not win, Tiger Kneece, who is their coach, said they did well.

“I was very pleased with our performance,” he said. “We are so excited by what we have accomplished and where the program is headed. Every program has had to start somewhere.”

Home games are planned against UK as well as Virginia Tech in January.

Dressage is the newest equestrian team sport at the USC Aiken: it is being created under the umbrella of the Intercollegiate Dressage Association. The IDA, which provides some support for new teams through regional leadership and assistance grants, began in 1995 as an informal competition among a small group of schools in the northeast.

The rapid international growth of dressage has inspired more schools to create their own programs and today the IDA includes riders from 75 colleges in the US and Canada Riders may compete as a collegiate team or as individuals, riding tests from the USDF Introductory Level through First Level. IDA follows the IHSA format: the host school provides horses, which are randomly drawn. Competitors get a 15-minute warmup before showing “We put out the word that we were looking for coach and facility,” said Marissa Collins, who is the university advisor to the team. “We have gotten a good response. We are going through that information now and will select someone soon. . . . we hope to be up and running by the spring semester.”

What is the overall goal of having these university equestrian programs?

“It is a chance to give these kids an opportunity to continue their passion,” said Michelle Hodge. And, as the IHSA creed states, any college student should have the opportunity to participate in equestrian competition regardless of financial status, gender or riding level. The IHSA emphasizes learning and sportsmanship and fosters teamwork as well as giving them a chance to find careers in the horse industry.”

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It’s a New Era in Aiken Riding School Caters to All

By Nancy Johnson

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t first, most horses would be afraid of T. rex or even Bambi. But if you give them time to look at what scares them, they’ll be okay,” explains Karen Jones, a riding instructor, trainer, and the owner of New Era Farm on Wire Road in Aiken. She glances at her 7-yearold student, Isaac, and sees him smiling at her suggestion of coming across a Tyrannosaurus rex. He is clearly enjoying his very first time on horseback aboard Chase the Moon, an adorable pinto pony.

“Did you notice the way I talk to Chase?” she asks Isaac as she leads him around the expansive covered arena. “Horse people think it’s funny if you don’t talk to your horse. You learn to chit-chat with your horse.

Of course, you tell him important things like ‘Whoa’ or ‘Walk-on,’ but sometimes you just reassure him with ‘good boy’ or something like that.”

Issac’s grandmother, Sheri Scarborough, beams as she watches him riding, and praises Karen’s teaching style. “She really gets on their level by talking about things they are familiar with and like.” Sheri and her husband Vic live very close to New Era Farm and had been watching the progress of its construction over the past year. Right after the stable officially opened in November, Sheri inquired about setting up an introductory riding lesson for their grandchildren, Erin and Isaac, who would be visiting along with her son and daughter-in-law Thanksgiving week.

“I have a dream of the kids sending [Erin and Isaac] to us for a month in the summer and they could really get into riding, but this is a start,” she says. Sheri adds that despite living in Aiken and interacting with so many horse people in their Downtown Dog store on Laurens Street, neither she nor Vic ride. “Just watching Karen with the kids today has really made me want to come and take lessons too.”

Karen chose to lead Isaac for his first lesson rather than putting the pony on a lunge line primarily because she is a stickler for safety. “We can’t guarantee your safety. But it’s about mitigating risk,” she explains.

Every student, no matter their age, wears hard soled shoes, an approved riding helmet and a safety vest, which they can borrow from Karen’s collection of all sizes. While on the lead rope, Karen assists Isaac in cuing for several halts and then returning to the walk. Then, with the pony standing square, Karen has him do some basic balancing exercises with his arms. To conclude his mounted lesson, Karen has him stand in his stirrups with his arms stretched out at his sides. Isaac looks completely calm and relaxed: one would never have guessed it was his first time on a pony. Is it his natural athletic prowess, Karen’s teaching skills, or the pony’s quiet manner? Probably a combination of all three.

Aiken may be a new location, but Karen is far from new to the horse world or to teaching riding. As the owner of New Era Farm in Calvert County, Maryland for over 30 years, she has taught hundreds

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of riders of all ages and levels and has earned national recognition for her teaching program and safe operations, including the prestigious Horsewoman of Distinction award from the North American Horsemen’s Association. Her mission is to teach riders of all ages how to ride and enjoy working with horses whether they have their own or not.

And while Karen has taught many advanced and competitive riders, she focuses more on beginners, recreational riders and what she calls “reriders,” those who have returned to riding after a long hiatus.

“Often someone who truly loves horses and riding has to give it up for some reason – expense, a career, kids, whatever. But they had a passion and want to come back to it. I love working with these people,” she says.

Situated on 43 acres on Wire Road, New Era in Aiken has the perfect combination of level ground for arenas and paddocks and slightly rolling hills for hacking and beautiful views. The focal point is the stateof-the-art 90 by 160-foot structural steel covered arena. Karen and her husband David Foster planned for this facility for years and didn’t cut any corners. The arena features extra skylights, LED lights, a huge fan, and an irrigation system.

“We knew what we wanted,” Karen says, “And the builder, who has built over 400 arenas, was fantastic to work with.” Although the arena’s main purpose is for Karen’s students to have a safe and comfortable place to ride regardless of the weather, it was also designed to be rented by outside individuals or groups for various activities. Its size and the ample parking area make it ideal for a clinic or horse show, and rental fees are very reasonable.

Karen and David first saw the property almost 10 years ago when they were considering a move from southern Maryland in order to be closer to their aging parents. “It was pretty feral,” Karen says, “And there were wild polo ponies running all over the place! But we just loved it.” Before they could make any kind of offer on the farm, it mysteriously went off the market, however. “We continued to look at properties in Aiken, off and on, but never found anything that matched the Wire Road property,” Karen says. “And finally, almost six years later, in August of 2015, it popped back up again. We bought it the next day.”

As soon as they closed on the property, they immediately began clearing and replanting. Next, they had four large paddocks constructed, each with a 24 by 12-foot run-in shed and a Hayhut, which is a polyethylene all-weather hay feeder. (After traveling two hours to buy these, Karen has now become a local dealer for them.) The covered arena took the most time for plans, approvals and construction. It was just finished this fall. “It was a leap of faith,” Karen admits. “We were writing giant checks and we weren’t here. They didn’t let us down.

Fencing, run-ins and the arena were all done on time and on budget.”

New Era’s string of schoolmasters, all of which made the trip from the original New Era Farm, consists of eight horses and two ponies of various breeds including Quarter Horse, Arabian, Haflinger, Standardbred, and Morgan. “Whatever breed they are, they just have to be good boys at this job,” Karen says. “They all have some age on them, but have never been overused; I’m very careful about not scheduling any of them for too many days in a row. That’s why I’ve had several of them for more than 20 years!”

Shortly after their well-attended open house on November 4, New Era officially opened. Karen is pleased to report that bookings are going well and she is putting together a number of group lessons specific to age and ability. “We are a little different for Aiken because we’re not horse show oriented,” she says. “We take horses seriously, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously. If you are not having fun, then why do it?”

To learn more about New Era Farm, visit www.newerafarm.com or call 803-262-5434.

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Chukkers of Hope at New Bridge Polo Club

Photography by Pam Gleason

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Aiken Area Calendar of Events DECEMBER

Nov. 29-Dec. 2 Equus Events Holiday Premiere. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org 1 USEA/USEF Horse Trial. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken, SC. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, www. sportingdaysfarm.com 1 Just for Fun Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows.com 1 Stable View Hunter Pace and Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, www.stableviewfarm.com 1 GDCTA Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Us Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, www. poplarplacefarm.com 1 Trotting ‘Round the Tree Horse Show. T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena, 1101 West Queen Street, Pendleton, SC. Keels Kirby: 843.598.0535, www.clemson.edu/extension/ garrison 1 Chat Hills Hunter Pace. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing - Hosted at the Bouckaert Farm, 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@ chatthillseventing.com, www.Chatthillseventing.com 1 NBHA Show. Rice Arena, 408 Bakerville Road, Easley, SC. Tammy Rice: 864.320.3227, tammyrice2@aol.com. www.nbha. com 1-2 United States Mounted Games Association - Georgia Competition . Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, www.georgiahorsepark.com 1-2 Equus Events (H,J). Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. JP Godard: 803.643.5698. www. willspark.com 5 HJ Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, www.stableviewfarm. com

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Equus Events (H,J). Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. JP Godard: 803.643.5698. www. willspark.com Aiken Hound Trials at Belle Meade Hunt. For details, contact Hon. Sec. Mrs. Angela Smith: 706.833.3104, ke4nnr@classicsouth.net. Hunt Office: 706.595.2525, www. bellemeadehounds.com.

SCHJA Finale. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, www. scequinepark.com GQHA Classic. Georgia National Fairgrounds, 401 Larry Walker Pkwy, Perry, GA. Kathy Avolt: 765.714.4324, www. gqha.com Stable View Eventing Academy Schooling Day. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@ stableviewfarm.com, www.stableviewfarm.com Backstretch Experience: Behind the Scenes at the Aiken Training Track. 8:45-11:15am. Rye Patch parking lot, 100 Berrie Road, Aiken, SC. 803.642.7631, halloffame@ cityofaikensc.gov, www.aikenracinghalloffame.com Joe Fargis Clinic. The Vista Schooling and Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken, SC. 803.262.5263, schoolthevista.com December Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. www.fullgallopfarm.com Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@ stableviewfarm.com, www.stableviewfarm.com Fun Show! Barrels, poles, fun. Almost Heaven Stables, 220 Golf Course Road, Warrenville, SC. Valeria Beard: 803.663.3001 or 803.646.1021, almostheavenstables@msn. com, almostheavenstables.com Windridge Farm Winter Hunter Pace & Trail Ride. Details TBA. wchpace.org Stable View Schooling Dressage Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, www.stableviewfarm.com

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12-16 Equus Events (H,J). Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. JP Godard: 803.643.5698. www.willspark. com 14-15 Ranch Sorting Event. BSC Arena, 3976 Highway 24 S, Waynesboro, GA. Johnny Lovett: 706.551.2190 or Cliff Chancey: 706.840.3971. www.rsnc.us Hoofbeats and Christmas Parade. 2pm at Trinity on Laurens Street, Aiken. Trish Leslie: 706.951.2349 15 Holiday Combined Test and Dressage Show. The Vista Schooling and Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken, SC. 803.262.5263, schoolthevista.com 28-30 Tobacco Road Futurity Winter Circuit Cutting. Grassy Pond Arena, 1524 Boiling Springs Highway, Gaffney, SC. Judy K Boozer: 864.876.6272 29 CEC HJ Show. Voxton Farm, 226 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. Linda Klein: 803.425.4795. www. camdenequinecircuit.com 15

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Stable View HJ Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, www. stableviewfarm.com Aiken Challenge. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows.com Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org Stable View Schooling Dressage Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, www.stableviewfarm.com Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases Aiken Challenge II. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows.com Area 18 Pre Futurity Weekend. Hippodrome Arena, N Augusta, SC. Judy K Boozer: 864.976.6272. www.cuttingnews.com Historic Stables Experience. Register Thursday before tour.

8:45am. Rye Patch parking lot, 100 Berrie Road, Aiken.

803.643.2121, 803.642.7631, halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov, www.aikenracinghalloffame.com Poole Pleasure Drive & CT. Poole Training Center,1032 Sharon Church Rd, Swansea, SC. www.aikendrivingclub.com Pipe Opener I CT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com USEA “Aiken Opener” Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, www.stableviewfarm.com Championship Bull Riding at the James Brown Arena, 610 7th Street, Augusta GA. www.augustafuturity.com (706) 823-3417.

2019 Augusta Futurity. James Brown Arena, 610 7th Street, Augusta GA. www.augustafuturity.com (706) 823-3417.

Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org Winter Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com Belle Meade Hunt Performance Trials. Various fixtures. Hon. Sec. Mrs. Angela Smith: 706.833.3104, ke4nnr@classicsouth. net. Hunt Office: 706.595.2525, www.bellemeadehounds.com.

Low Country Hunt Hunt Weekend. Hon. Sec. Carol Malovich Lobdell, 203.940.2257, 38newberry@gmail.com. www. thelowcountryhunt.com Equus Events Winter Premier. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s

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Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www. aikenhorsepark.org 19 SC Upstate Equine Council Hunter Pace. Fant’s Grove, Butch Kennedy Trailhead, Pendleton, SC. Kathy: 864.275.9842 (call day before or morning of ride ONLY), wchpace.org 19 Windsor Driving Derby #1. Katydid Farm, Windsor, SC. www. aikendrivingclub.com 19 Paradise Farm Combined Test and Dressage Show.

Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Road, Aiken, SC. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www. paradisefarmaiken.com 19 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases 19 Augusta Futurity Horse Sale, 9 am. James Brown Arena, 610 7th Street, Augusta GA. www.augustafuturity.com (706) 823-3417.

19 Augusta Futurity Finals. James Brown Arena, 610 7th Street, Augusta GA. www.augustafuturity.com (706) 823-3417.

19-20 PSJ Series Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows.com 20 Open Schooling Day Cross Country and Show Jumping.

Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Road, Aiken, SC. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www. paradisefarmaiken.com 22 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org 23 Dog Ears: Read to a shelter pet. Aiken County Animal Shelter, 333 Wire Road, Aiken, SC. 803.642.1537, shelter@ aikencountysc.gov, www.fotasaiken.org/dog-ears/ 24 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases 25-26 2018 Ranch Sorting GA State Finals. BSC Arena, Waynesboro, GA. Johnny Lovett: 706.551.2190 or Cliff Chancey: 706.840.3971, www.rsnc.us 26 CEC HJ Show. Toopler Branch, 1035 Lee Lane, Lugoff, SC. Rebecca Hudson: 803.699.2282. www.camdenequinecircuit.com 26 Winter Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com 26-27 Dressage In the Park. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www. aikenhorsepark.org 26-27 USEA/USEF Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. www.fullgallopfarm.com 26-27 Ride Better Clinic. Stono River Stables, Charleston, SC. Laura Quarles: 843 813 5506, www.paradisefarmaiken.com 29 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org 29-Jan. 2 Lakeview Plantation New Year’s Eve Trail Ride. Lakeview Plantation, 875 Cedar Knoll Road, Fairfax, SC. 855.280.7121, info@cedarknoll.com, www.lakeviewplantation.com 30 USEA Winter Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, www.stableviewfarm.com 31 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases

FEBRUARY 1-3

Equus Events Winter Encore. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.

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PSJ Just For Fun Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows. com Small but Mighty HDT. Courage to Lead Farm, 1060 Curb Chain La. Windsor,SC. www.aikendrivingclub.com USEA/USEF Horse Trial. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken, SC. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, www. sportingdaysfarm.com FENCE Hunter Pace. Foothills Equestrian Nature Center, 3381 Hunting Country Road, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, horseshow@fence.org, wchpace.org Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org USEA/USEF Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. www.fullgallopfarm.com Stable View HJ Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, www. stableviewfarm.com Pipe Opener II CT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com Winter Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com Whiskey Road Foxhounds Hunt Week. Various fixtures. Hon. Sec. Betsy Minton, 803.617.8353, elizabethminton@att.net, www.whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com Cupid Classic. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows.com Apple Tree Farm 3 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases Whiskey Road Hunt Ball. Details TBA. Hon. Sec. Betsy Minton, 803.617.8353, elizabethminton@att.net, www. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com USEA/USEF Intermediate Horse Trials. Pine Top Farm, 1432 Augusta Highway, Thomson, GA. pinetopeventing@gmail. com, www.pinetopfarm.com Lakeview Plantation Valentine’s Trail Ride. Lakeview Plantation, 875 Cedar Knoll Road, Fairfax, SC. 855.280.7121, info@cedarknoll.com, www.lakeviewplantation.com Backstretch Experience: Behind the Scenes at the Aiken Training Track. 8:45-11:15am. Rye Patch parking lot, 100 Berrie Road, Aiken, SC. 803.642.7631, halloffame@ cityofaikensc.gov, www.aikenracinghalloffame.com CEC HJ Show. Pine Tree Stables, 1265 Sanders Creek Road, Camden, SC. Candi Cocks: 803.243.4417, springdale47@ gmail.com. www.camdenequinecircuit.com Stable View USEF/USDF “I Love Dressage” Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@ stableviewfarm.com, www.stableviewfarm.com Windsor NSR HDT. Katydid Farm, Windsor, SC. www. aikendrivingclub.com Foothills Riding Club Hunter Pace & Trail Ride. Details TBA. wchpace.org Belle Meade Hunt Hunt Week. Various locations. Hon. Sec. Mrs. Angela Smith: 706.833.3104, ke4nnr@classicsouth.net.

Hunt Office: 706.595.2525, www.bellemeadehounds.com.

Saxonburg Hunt Festival. Various fixtures. Hon. Hunt Sec. Ms. Donna Wine, 412.741.5597, djwine@comcast.net Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org

December-January 2018-2019

Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases 14-17 Carolina Classic. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows.com 15-17 USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Road, Aiken, SC. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com 16 GDCTA Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Us Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, www. poplarplacefarm.com 16 Windsor Driving Derby #2. Katydid Farm, Windsor, SC. www.aikendrivingclub.com 16-17 Dressage at Bruce’s Field I and II. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org 17 Belle Meade Hunt Ball. Location TBA. Hon. Sec. Mrs. Angela Smith: 706.833.3104, ke4nnr@classicsouth.net. Hunt Office: 706.595.2525, www.bellemeadehounds.com.

19 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org 20-22 Koos DE Ronde Clinic. Courage to Lead Farm, 1060 Curb Chain La. Windsor,SC. www.aikendrivingclub.com 21 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases 22-24 USEA/USEF Advanced Horse Trials. Pine Top Farm, 1432 Augusta Highway, Thomson, GA. pinetopeventing@gmail. com, www.pinetopfarm.com 23 Jumping Branch Farm Horse Trials. Jumping Branch Farm, 179 Fox Pond Road, Aiken. Julie Zappapas: 803.645.1098, ZapapasJ@bellsouth.net, jbfarm.com 23 Eventing Academy Schooling Day. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, www.stableviewfarm.com 23 Aiken Hounds Hunt Ball. Location TBA. Aiken, SC. Hon. Sec. Dr. Linda C. Hickey: 803.270.7392, lchickey63@ gmail.com. Hotline: 803.643.3724, www.facebook.com/ aikenhounds.

23-24 Ride Better Clinic. Stono River Stables, Charleston, SC. Laura Quarles: 843 813 5506, www.paradisefarmaiken.com 23-24 PSJ Series Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows.com 24 Cannon Equine Hunter Pace & Trail Ride. Details TBA. wchpace.org 24 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. 484.356.3173, info@ stableviewfarm.com, www.stableviewfarm.com 26 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken, SC. 803.226.0121, www.aikenhorsepark.org 27 USEA/USEF Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. www.fullgallopfarm.com 27 Dog Ears: Read to a shelter pet. Aiken County Animal Shelter, 333 Wire Road, Aiken, SC. 803.642.1537, shelter@ aikencountysc.gov, www.fotasaiken.org/dog-ears/ 28 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm. homestead.com/Aiken-2-Phases 28-Mar.3 March Madness. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, www.psjshows. com 14

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Directory of Services BARNS,CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING Cooper Home and Stable. For Equestrians by Equestrians. A unique design and build general contractor specializing in equestrian construction and farm development, architecturally designed custom homes, historic renovations, remodeling and additions. Contact J. D. Cooper, cell 502-417-2307, office 803-335-3527, www.cooperhs.com.

Joshua Jackson Builders. Building custom homes, barns, and estates in and around the Aiken area. Acreage available for sale. www.

JoshuaJacksonBuilders.com 803-642-2790 Larlee Construction, LLC. Fine Equestrian Facilities. 1096 Toolebeck Road, Aiken SC 29803. 803.642.9096. www.larleeconstruction.com.

BLANKET CLEANING & REPAIR Introducing Aiken Horse Blanket Couture! Welcome one, welcome all! Finally, you can have your favorite equine creation designed and made just for you and your horse. Fine material, fine sewing, fine products. For your consultation and initial fitting, contact Elisa at 803-640-3211. On the other side of things; washing, waterproofing and repairing blankets, sheets and fly sheets still exists. Same cell number as above. Email: elisa@aikenhorseblanket.com BOARDING/TURNOUT/TRAINING/SALES Chime Ridge Stables. Stalls available, full, partial or self care. Fun, friendly, adult atmosphere. Convenient to town, South Aiken 803-508-3760.

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 high-quality 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. www.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. www. vaughnequestrian.com (603)-785-0435 CATERING The Neigh Gourmet: Serving delicious meals in Aiken, SC. From intimate gatherings to boxed lunches for events. Signature cocktails & decadent desserts. Please visit us @ neighgourmet.com. Judy Boles: 203-964-7707; Eileen Wilkinson: 203-321-9923 COMPANION ANIMALS, CARE & SERVICES Trinity Farms Terriers: Norfolk Terriers & Russell Terriers. Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions. Generations of great temperaments. Health/dispositions guaranteed. Breeder of terriers for 30+ years. Donna Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. www.easyjacks.com & www.trinityfarmskennel.com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com.

FEED, SUPPLEMENTS & SUPPLIES Aiken County Farm Supply. 1933 Park Ave., Aiken. 803.649.2987.

Aiken Saddlery & Supply. Full service tack & feed store. 1044 E. Pine Log Rd., Aiken. 803.649.6583. www.aikensaddlery.com HAY Hoss Luva Hay! Exceptional quality Coastal Bermuda. Real fertilizer and lime to Clemson specs, not chicken litter. Never rained on.

Square and round bales. Competitively priced. Can deliver statewide. Fully enclosed truck. Satisfaction guaranteed. Jim McClain.

803.247.4803.

HOME & FARM SERVICES Be Fly Free. Automatic fly systems for barns and sheds. No unpleasant odor, no synthetic insecticides, no petroleum distillates. Call Carlos: 803-645-0361. www.beflyfree.com; carlos@beflyfree.com.

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INSURANCE Betsy Minton, Dietrich Insurance Company, 803. 617. 8353. Providing competitive comprehensive insurance for horses and farms. Excellent professional and personal service always delivered with a smile. www. betsyminton.com. 800 942 4258 Hutson-Etherredge Company. Insuring Aiken farms since 1876. Your hometown independent insurance agency can customize your equine property coverage by choosing the best company to fit your needs. We are a full service insurance agency. Call Sandi Vogus for a quote! 803649-5141 INSTRUCTION/LESSONS Amy McElroy. USDF Gold Medalist and USEF S judge. Instruction and training at all levels. Visit www.amymcelroy.com or call 803.640-4207.

Aiken Horsemanship Academy. Your naturally inspired adult learning resource! Offering Clinics, Courses, Starting Young Horses, Evaluations, and Lessons. www.JulieRobins.com 803-641-4715.

B & E Stables. Elite Training and Sales Facility for all levels of horse and rider. Visit www.classicaldressagetraining.com or call Elaine: 803-2571949.

Jodi Hemry Eventing. Three-Star Eventer offering professional training, sales, boarding, instruction, horse shows, located in the heart of Aiken, SC. 803-640-6691 JodiHemryEventing@gmail.com www.

JodiHemryEventing.com PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN SERVICES Gary Knoll Photography.com. Commercial, portrait, weddings, advertising. Pet portraits. Complete wide-format video service.

803.643.9960 410.812.4037. www.garyknollphotography.com REAL ESTATE/ RENTALS Aiken Fine Homes and Land. Specializing in selling or renting homes, farms, land & barns for short or long term leases. 28 years experience in helping people find the property of their dreams, even if it takes building it! Call Barbara Lawrence, 803-439-0778 for honest & realistic answers to your real estate questions.

Aiken Luxury Rentals. Distinctive accommodations for horse & rider in beautiful Aiken, SC. Downtown fully furnished cottages, historic stables. Executive relocation; corporate housing. Short & long term. www. aikenluxuryrentals.com; info@aikenluxuryrentals.com.

803.648.2804.

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! www. carolinahorseproperties.com. (803) 648-8660 Sharer Dale, RE/MAX, Tattersall Group. “Where town meets country.” sharerdale@gmail.com. www.sharerdale.remax-carolina.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 Tracey Kenworthy Turner, Meybohm. Specializing in marketing & selling Aiken’s horse country properties for 15+ years. www. southernhorsefarms.com. 803-215-4734.

TACK & TACK CLEANING/REPAIR The Saddle Doctor. Saddlery and harness repair. 538 Two Notch Rd. HollyMacSpencer@aol.com. 803.642.5166.

YOGA/FITNESS Aiken Yoga: At Aiken Yoga we are passionate about sharing the benefits that regular yoga practice has on one’s physical and mental well-being.

We offer Yoga classes, Yoga for Equestrians, Pilates, Barre, Cycle and Functional Fitness -- helping people to keep fit for daily living.

Sarah Accord, RN, 116B Pendleton St. SW Aiken. 803-524-8833 or sarah@aikenyoga.com; for schedule go to www.aikenyoga.com.

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December-January 2018-2019

Classifieds Stalls Available at Small Private Farm. Located 5 minutes from Full

Registered QH Mare 15 hands; 16 years old. Excellent trail horse. Perfect for beginners, husbands, guests, etc! Ridden by children and adults. No spook, stands like a rock when mounting. Super easy alone or in company. Goes through anything. $1,500.

Call or text 803-295-8687.

Gallop, 8 miles from Hitchcock Woods and downtown Aiken. Large pastures with 3-board no climb fencing and runins. 12x12 matted stalls with ceiling fans, tack room with fridge. Sand riding ring, access to miles of trails, outdoor wash rack. Trailer and RV space. Facebook @ StayABitFarm, StayABitFarm@gmail.com or 240-350-7124.

1890â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Auto Surrey

Amish refurbished Padded Patent leather fenders and dash, convertible top and rubberized wheels. Paint and seat refurbished by antique auto restorer.

Single and double shafts included.

Mill Race Farm, Aiken, SC. Warm weather luxury horse retirement, breaking, training, layups. 803-640-1818

$8,995.00

803-599-6605 BOARDING/TURNOUT Chime Ridge Stables. Come join us! Fun group of mature riders at Chime Ridge Stables. Space available full, partial or DIY. 803508-3760; please leave message.

Pasture board or dry stalls at Hilltop Farm of Aiken. Beautiful property in 302 corridor, close to town. Under new ownership. anguslady2@hotmail.com or 770468-5760.

BUILDING/REPAIRS/ PAINT Building & Repair: Carpentry, Doors, Windows, Decks, Cabinets, Trim, Stairs, Railings, Gates, Wood Siding, Floors, Framing, Repairs. Licensed, bonded, insured. Contact Paul Dyches. paul.t.dyches@gmail.com.

803-645-6645.

CATERING The Neigh Gourmet: Serving delicious meals in Aiken, SC. From intimate gatherings to boxed lunches for events. Signature cocktails & decadent desserts.

Please visit us @ neighgourmet.

com. Judy Boles: 203-964-7707; Eileen Wilkinson: 203-321-9923 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 706-830-2600 or 803-8270864. email garymcelmurray@ glmconstruction.net Hoss Luva Hay! Exceptional quality Coastal Bermuda. Real fertilizer and lime to Clemson specs, not chicken litter. Never rained on. Square and round bales. Competitively priced. Can deliver state-wide. Fully enclosed truck. Satisfaction guaranteed. Jim McClain. 803.247.4803.

PETS&SERVICES Trinity Farms Terriers: Norfolk Terriers & Russell Terriers.

Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions. Generations of great temperaments. Health/ dispositions guaranteed. Breeder of terriers for 30+ years. Donna

Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. www.easyjacks.com & www. trinityfarmskennel.com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com.

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS Aiken Luxury Rentals. Distinctive accommodations for horse & rider in beautiful Aiken, SC. Downtown fully furnished cottages, historic stables. Executive relocation; corporate housing. Short & long term. www. aikenluxuryrentals. com; info@aikenluxuryrentals. com. 803.648.2804.

Aiken Fine Homes and Land.

Specializing in selling or renting homes, farms, land & barns for short or long term leases. 28 years experience in helping people find the property of their dreams, even if it takes building it! Call Barbara Lawrence, 803-439-0778 for honest & realistic answers to your real estate questions.

For Rent: 10 acres; 10 stalls.

2-bedroom, 2-bath Close in to town. 803-474-5194.

For Rent: Nice mobile home in quiet setting on horse farm

in 302 area. Pet friendly, new appliances being installed, furnished. Short term rental only: by the week, weekend or month.

Available starting in January. 803643-9960.

SHAVINGS Shaving Saver: Delivering you bulk shavings the economical & convenient way! Large, durable bags (950 lbs.) of pine shavings delivered to your stable. Reusable, eco-friendly bags make storage neat and simple; bulk pricing makes your bedding affordable.

Quality blended easy sift & large flake shavings that your horse will love! Call or text Claudia White 410-303-4617 or email scshavingsaver@gmail.com TRAILERS 2008 Brenderup Royal HB trailer for sale $7,500. Clean, in excellent condition in Charleston. 5 new (2017) tires, inc. spareRubber mats, ramp, rear loading, 2 venting windows, 2 doors, 2 stalls; Head divider and hitch lock included.

Phone Meta 843 766-2545 or 6709957 no texts, please

Advertising in The Aiken Horse

CLASSIFIED ADS are $25 for the first 30 DIRECTORY LISTING ADS: $25 per issue words & 40 cents for every word or $90 for the year (6 issues.) thereafter.

BUSINESS CARDS: $60 per issue or $240 PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for horses: $35; 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 $45; Limit 60 words & one picture. publication schedule, visit our website: BOXED CLASSIFIEDS: add $5 to your total www.TheAikenHorse.com

December-January 2018-2019

MAILING ADDRESS: The Aiken Horse, P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 EMAIL: theAikenHorse@gmail.com We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.

Advertise in the February-March issue! Deadline: January 18, 2019 Publication date: February 1, 2019

Pay online: www.TheAikenHorse.com or call us: 803.643.9960

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Business Cards

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The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

Monetta Farrier Specialties

TWO GREAT LOCATIONS

GREAT SERVICE AND BROAD RANGE OF QUALITY FARRIER SUPPLIES

Aiken, SC

803.685.5101

Columbus, NC

828.894.0280

www.monettafarrier.com

MalvernFederal.com Serving Aiken year round

EAST COAST EQUINE DENTISTRY Lou Heffner

4XDOLW\ ZRUN DW DQ 4XDOLW\ ZRUN DW DQ DIIRUGDEOH SULFH

20+ years experience

803.649.9343 home 610.960.2405 for immediate response

December-January 2018-2019

The Aiken Horse

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MORTALITY FARM LIABILITY CARE/CUSTODY/CONTROL SHAWNA DIETRICH

800-942-4258

Louisville, KY

â&#x20AC;¢

Aiken, SC

BETSY MINTON

803-617-8353

www.dietrich-insurance.com

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The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

December-January 2018-2019

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Index of Advertisers Advertiser

86

Page Section

Advertiser

Page Section

Advertiser

Page Section

Adams Horse and Pet Supplies

20

1

Estrella Equine

47

2

RE/Max (Houck)

16

1

Aiken County Farm Supply

38

2

Fencing Solutions

8

1

Red Horse Stable

45

2

Aiken Farrier Services

44

2

FITS Equestrian

21

1

ReMax -S.Dale

17

1

Aiken Fine Homes and Land

21

1

FOTAS Aiken

58

2

Sanctuary Lakes

31

1

Aiken Horsemanship Academy

9

1

Gary Knoll Photography

76

3

Seminole Feeds

47

2

Aiken Ice Cream

45

2

Hilltop Farm of Aiken

39

2

Shadow Trailer World Inc. 59

2

Aiken Luxury Rentals

20

1

Jensen Communities

57

2

Shane Doyle

51

2

Aiken Pet Fitness

6

1

Keller Williams- Gutierrez

57

2

South Aiken PT

9

1

Aiken Polo Club

62

3

Larlee Construction

5

1

SCEP

50

2

Aiken Saddlery, Inc.

35

1

Lightning Protection

8

1

Southern Equine Service

27

1

Aiken Tack Exchange

28

1

Marrinson Stables

47

2

Southern States

33

1

Attwood Equestrian

88

3

Meybohm RE Haslup

2

1

SPCA Albrecht Center

87

3

Auto Tech

12

1

Meybohm RE Vaillancourt

3

1

Sporting Days

55

2

Back in Balance

23

1

Meybohm RE Vaillancourt

32

1

SQHA

28

1

Banks Mill Feeds

34

1

Meybohm Realtors (Turner) 13

1

Stable View Farm, LLC

52

2

Barnware

50

2

Meybohm Realtors Stinson

4

1

Sweet PDZ (PDZ Co. LLC)

50

2

C Square Farm

45

2

Neigh Gourmet

9

1

The Kneaded Edge

44

2

Carolina Real Estate

14-15 1

New Bridge Polo Club

40

2

The Tack Room

33

1

DFG Stables

6

1

New Era Farm

57

2

The Vista

6

1

Downtown Dog

24

1

Oak Manor Saddlery

9

1

The Willcox

52

2

Earthmuffin Spa

20

1

Palmetto Feed Exchange

44

2

Three Runs Plantation

36

1

Epona

31

1

Palmetto Propane

31

1

Todâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hill/ReMax

60

3

Equine Divine

24

1

Paradise Farm

55

2

Warneke Cleaners

28

1

Equine Rescue of Aiken

73

3

Patty Merli Saddles

52

2

Wellness Deserved

45

2

Estancia La Victoria

63

3

Progressive Show Jumping,

46

2

Windsor Court

28

1

The Aiken Horse

December-January 2018-2019

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