The Aiken Horse August-September 2017 by Aiken Horse Productions

Volume 13 â&#x20AC;˘ Number 1

August-September 2017

Deirdre Stoker Vaillancourt

803.640.4591

THIS IS MY NEIGHBORHOOD Aiken, South Carolina — Southern Charm and Equestrian Sport 785 GRACE

• 10 Acres in Historic Horse District • Across from Aiken Training Track • 2 barns totaling 14 stalls - lots of turnout

MLS # 71716

• Main residence 3200 sq. ft. + guest cottage • Near Bruce’s Field • $3,100,000

147 STAG DRIVE

525 LAURENS ST. SW

• Historic Hitchcock Stables • 11.5 acres adjoins The Woods • 27 12X12 stall barn

• • • •

MLS # 97065

2 carriage houses 3BR 2 BA bunk house 8 large paddocks $2,952,500

OLD TORY TRAIL

• 25 acres on the ridge • Significant gentle rolling overlooking the 302 Valley terrain for gallops • Part of The Vista Training Center • Buyer to survey; property • Established coastal pasture may be subdivided once • Level area for barn & residence • $325,000

304 FOX TAIL COURT

503 CHIME BELL CHURCH ROAD

MLS # 99533

MLS # 93678

MLS # 90390

• 10.16 Acres with 11 stall center aisle barn • 5 paddocks and large sand ring • 2BR 2BA well appointed mobile home • Groom’s or guest studio cottage • Turnkey sale including furniture, appliances, etc. $179,000

• • • • •

MLS # 73833

MLS # 97501

Fully renovated cottage 1200 sq. ft. 2 BR 2 BA New windows 2017 Fully fenced back yard $136,000

• Ideal setting for equestrian barn & paddocks • 6327 sq. ft. main house, 4 bdrms, 3.5 baths • 1972 sq. ft. GUEST/POOL house

258 BECK ROAD

• • • • • •

9.49 acres in Hollow Creek Equestrian 4 matted 12x12 stalls 2 large x fenced paddocks 650 sq. ft. hunt box above barn $370,000

1064 GRAND PRIX DR.

1110 CARPENTER LANE

• • • • •

MLS # 99504

MLS # 92056

42 acres Total of 10 stalls Fenced jump field with excellent sand/grass footing 2 large fenced pastures with shade 1932 sq. ft. Cape Cod. 3BR w/ walk in closets, 2.5 BA Staircase to 1000 sq. ft. of space ready to finish

• • • •

• Salt water pool & hot tub • 20 acres • $1,995,000

• Easy proximity to Katydid farm , Sporting Days, Gopher Tortoise Preserve • 2BR 2 BA mobile home • Farm has excellent rental history • $495,500

20+ acres 4 paddocks 8 stall courtyard barn 3 BR 2.5 BA 1730 Sq. Ft. house $875,000

120 DUPREE PLACE

• • • • •

MLS # 97653

Historic 3.64 acre Red Top Estate Easy access to Hitchcock Woods Main house, Hope Cottage & Carriage House 6 stall barn & paddocks $2,295,000

www.AikenSCProperties.com WORLD CLASS SPORTING AND LUXURY PROPERTIES

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

BLUE SKIES

$499,000

KILLARA

$1.49 MILLION

TWIN LANES FARM

$785,000

NEW New mid-century modern Cypress sided 2 BR/2 BA home w/reclaimed oak floors, hand hewn oak beams, travertine fireplace, 14’ to 12’ ceilings, saltwater pool, 31 acres, 2 paddocks & run-in shed. Spectacular views & sunsets. Featured in Aiken Homes & Lifestyle magazine.

DANCING MEADOWS

$595,000

Gated Horse District 4 BR/3.5 BA home built in 1996 on 5.35 acres w/3 car garage, inground pool, 3 paddocks & 10 stall barn w/apartment, wash stall, tack/feed room and lounge. Recent updates include new roof & HVAC. Easy hack to Hitchcock Woods on the clay roads of Aiken.

Turnkey equestrian property in gated Fox Hollow w/hardiplank 4 BR/3.5BA two story home w/pine floors, 2 fireplaces & chef's kitchen. 3 stall barn w/wash stall & storage, 4 paddocks & in-ground pool. Amenities include cross country course, fabulous trails & irrigated show rings. HOA fees only $970.

AIKEN HORSE DISTRICT $1.9 MILLION

HORSE’N AROUND FARM $629,000

REDUCED Hopeland Farms turn key property with 9+ acres and a 3BR/2BA home featuring a fireplace, sunroom, and wood & tile floors. Property includes a 36 x 72 barn with 4 stalls and storage for carriages. Miles of groomed trails to hack or drive on.

SUMMERDAY FARM

$625,000

Opportunity to own one of the largest properties in Aiken’s Horse District, adjacent to the new Bruce’s Field. 3 parcels totaling 8.24 acres; including 2 barns (43 total stalls), bunkhouse, eurociser, breaking pen & 6 grass paddocks. Brick ranch w/4BR/2.5BA, newer roof, 2 car garage, hardwood floors, fireplace & cathedral ceiling.

RACELAND STABLE

$535,000

In 3 Runs Plantation this new Elite Construction 6 stall barn has owners apartment & extra living quarters for guests. Over 11 acres of fabulous pasture, run-in shed & 4 bay 40 x 36 garage w/rear overhang for trailer. 5 irrigated paddocks beautifully landscaped and gated! Miles of trails & amenities.

WILD OAKS

$1.37 MILLION

NEW Horse farm w/lovely 3 BR Cape Cod on over 53 acres in Ridge Spring area just 15 minutes from downtown Aiken. Home has 2 car garage, hardwood floors, screened porch & fabulous deck w/dock leading to a 4 acre spring fed pond. Miles of riding trails, fabulous pastures, 3 stall barn & equipment shed.

Aiken Horse District on the clay roads with access to the Aiken Training Track & a short hack to the polo fields & Hitchcock Woods. 20 stall barn w/tack room, feed room, office & barn apartment. Add’l. 1752 sq ft dormitory has 3 apartments. 6 stall Eurociser, paddocks, round pen & wash stall on almost an acre. Available to rent!

85,080

Lot 41 Fox Hollow

560,000

81 A. Coleman Bridge

Lewis Lane 62 A horse farm w/12 stall center aisle barn, 3 BR/2 BA apartment w/granite & hardwood floors, paneled tack room w/half bath & laundry. Gorgeous pasture dotted with live oaks & stick and ball/jumping field. Conveniently located close to downtown Aiken. Available for winter lease.

2500/Acre

Veterans Road

Fabulous land & lots available: Twin Silos Farms, Mt. Vintage, Fox Hollow, & Windsor

803-215-0153 • www.AikenHorseRealty.com August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

He sings, acts, cooks, paints, welds, serves our comunity and definitely sells homes. Buy and Sell your property with the South’s most interesting Realtor®!

WOOD’S END is Aiken’s new equestrian community on Hitchcock Woods. A 3 BR 3BA luxury residence with 3-stall barn and carport. Fireplace in great room. Granite counters, wood floors and beautiful finishes. Ride in the Hitchcock Woods everyday! $698,000

THE BALCONY

“The Balcony” is a prestigious equestrian estate in Aiken’s famed Historic District. The property was designed by Julian Peabody to be a comfortable and sophisticated showplace in the heart of Aiken’s “Winter Colony.” Located within three blocks of Whitney Polo Field, Winthrop Polo Field, Hitchcock Woods, Palmetto Golf Club, Green Boundary Club, and Aiken Steeplechase/Bruce’s Field. The landscaped 5.85-acre compound is a peaceful sanctuary within tall masonry walls and automatic gates. The elegant slate-roofed residence shows refined craftsmanship in every architectural detail, from stamped copper gutters to intricate wood mouldings. Two large master suites plus four more en suite bedrooms, all with fireplaces. The kitchen, laundry, pool, and utilities are completely updated. The manicured grounds include an 18-stall stable, a 3-bedroom cottage, a swimming pool with fountains, large paddocks, and ample parking for cars & carriages. Offered for $2,995,000. For details see www.FineHomesOfAiken.com

ADNAMA PLACE

4200 sq.ft. luxury residence on 18.8 acres in posh Chime Bell Chase equestrian community. Everything is absolutely first class: 3-stall barn, 3-car garage, 3-bay workshop, and salt pool with cabana. Community arenas and trails. A bit of heaven for the serious equestrian! $1,250,000

MAGNIFICENT RENOVATION of an 1895 masterpiece of architecture on 46 acres in the rolling equestrian countryside NE of Aiken. 4 BR, 3.5 BA, high ceilings, wood floors and all of the amenities you’d expect in a grand country estate. Fenced pastures. Additional acreage available. $925,000

SOLD UNCLE JOHN’S CABIN One of the great historic estates of downtown Aiken, this remarkable property is graced with exceptional architecture and floorpan. Lap swimming pool. Workshop. Formal gardens. Log cabin garden house. Sorry, but it’s already under contract… $1,600,000

BLACK RIVER FARM

130-acre horse farm with gorgeous 2900 sq.ft. contemporary residence, guest house, 11-stall barn, and large tractor barn or warehouse. Cleared and in mature grass with fencing. Exquisite horse farm bordering the hypnotic Salkahatchee River. Barnwell County. $800,000

The finest farms in Aiken, South Carolina. Call 803-640-0123 for estates, farms, homes & land. 142 Laurens Street, NW Aiken SC 29801

www.FineHomesOfAiken.com your best friend in real-estate

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

BETTY ALEXANDER

TRACEY TURNER CISSIE SULLIVAN NAN CAMPBELL

803•998•0198

www.SULLIVANTURNERTEAM.com

*Owner is a SC Licensed Agent

827 Dasher Circle —Three Runs Plantation

Flatrock Creek Farm - 54+ Acre Retreat

Two Magnolia Farm—Superb Location!

Three Springs Farm —10+Ac Lake Front

The Hobby Farm —20+ Private Farm Acres

Private Horse Farm on 41± Acres

Outdoorsman’s Paradise with Stocked Pond & Pasture 25 Min. To Aiken | 3 Bedrooms | 3 Baths | Outbuildings Make it Yours or a Corporate Retreat! | $750,000.

Paces Creek Stables —7+ Peaceful Acres

Lots & Land Bridle Creek Trail—Amenities | 8.9 Acres | $130,210. New Holland Rd —4+Ac Frontage Tracts $5,000/Acre Off Banks Mill Rd—5+ Acre Lots start $60,500. Fox Pond Rd—47+ Acres Wooded w/Creek | $266,000. Log Cabin Rd —5.25 Acres off Wire Rd $26,250. Off Township —98+ Acres of Vista Views! $275,465.

Meybohm 6

The Aiken Horse

Upper Pond Rd. —6.4Ac $40k, 23+Acres $118,900. Four Oaks Rd—22± Acre Tracts start at $73,100. Windsor Rd—Horse Country 15± Acres $75,000. Pine Acres—Horse Country 33± Acres $185,590. Pine Acres—Horse Country 13± Acres $73,700. 258 Pine Acres —Horse Country 13±Acres $62,415.

www.SullivanTurnerTeam.com

Fox Hollow —Amenities | 11.3 Acre Pasture $195k 10.8 Acres $185,000. MAY COMBINE TRACTS. Steeplechase Equestrian —3.8 Acre Lot $29,500. Edisto Lake—Waterfront—1.6 Acre Lot $59,900. Wexford Mill Waterfront—0.93 Acre Lot $64,500. Hollow Creek —Amenities | 9.6 Acres $124,500.

803 • 998 • 0198 August-September 2017

August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

SECTION

10 20 22 30

Gladiator Polo Gladiators at Play Real Estate Showcase Ask the Judge

Our cover shows Facundo Obregon on the ball, with his brother Mariano in hot pursuit at the Tryon International Equestrian Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural Gladiator Polo match this June. Read all about it on page 10. Photography by Gary Knoll.

44 48 52 56 58 60

Pony Finals Dressage in Aiken Full Gallop Emily Smith Kerry Torrey Stable View

Sydney Brooks competes over the cross country course at Full Gallop. Find more pictures in Section 2. Photography by Gary Knoll

SECTION 68 70 72 74 76 77 80 84 93

Secret Lives: Carakat Warmblood Keuring Donna Postma Skipper Perry Directory Classifieds Summer in Aiken Calendar Index

Katherine Gunter and members of the Aiken Hounds take the hounds for a schooling walk in the Hitchcock Woods. Photography by Gary Knoll.

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

August/September 2017

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 13 • Number 1

The equestrian world has been unusually active

in Aiken this summer. There are not necessarily more organized activities going on. The difference this year is that there seem to be more horse people in town. You see them out riding in the Historic District or hacking in the Hitchcock Woods. You see people wearing equestrian clothing in the grocery store –this usually only happens in February when the whole horse world (it seems) comes to Aiken for our shows and events. Most of all this summer, you see horse people going somewhere: there are a surprising number of horse trailers on the main roads these days, especially early in the morning. One reason for this extra activity is certainly that is has been a pretty nice summer. We have had some hot and humid days, of course, but it has not been nearly as hot as it usually is in the Aiken summer. As of the end of July, we haven’t even had any days with an air temperature above 100. It has been a good summer for growing grass, with lots of rain – though this has made baling hay somewhat problematic. It has been a good summer for riding, with many beautiful mornings, and even some that could be described as cool.

August-September 2017

Of course, this summer’s equestrian activity pales in comparison to what is coming. September will bring horse shows, polo tournaments, horse trials and more. We hear from our friends in the real estate world that the snowbirds are thinking ahead this year, and that inquiries about winter rental properties are up. We predict a very busy fall and winter season. Once again, we are happy to be able to bring you so many interesting stories this month. This issue brought us up to Tryon, North Carolina to watch and photograph a new version of polo: Gladiator Polo, created by Mark Bellissimo of Tryon Equestrian partners. Gladiator Polo is played in the arena with an all-pro, high goal team. Read more about it on page 10. We also got to meet some interesting horses and horse people: May B Tango (Gandalf) an adorable Welsh pony who will compete at the Pony Finals in Kentucky; Carakat, our Secret Lives subject, who is an event horse. We were introduced to Emily Smith, who is the trainer and manager at the Stables at New Bridge as well as to Kerry Torrey, an eventing professional who has recently moved to Aiken full time. Our biggest feature in this issue is the annual Real Estate Showcase. Interested in Aiken horse properties? You will want to read our article and browse the listings that go along with it. There are some beautiful high end places in our showcase – even if you are not in the market, they are nice to look at. We hope you enjoy this issue. As ever, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or if there is any story you think we should know about. We love hearing from our readers and we rely on you to let us know what is happening in Aiken’s horse world. We want to be your horse newspaper.

Pam Gleason Editor & Publisher

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

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All contents Copyright 2017 The Aiken Horse 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.

The Aiken Horse

Gladiators Spar in Tryon Polo with a Roman Twist

by Pam Gleason, photography by Gary Knoll ow do you make polo accessible to a mainstream audience? How do you catch the imagination of the general public and attract corporate sponsorship? What can put the sport on a firm footing and ensure its survival? Turn the players into gladiators, put them in the coliseum and let them fight it out. That, at any rate, is Mark Bellissimo’s answer to some of professional polo’s most pressing questions. Bellissimo is the managing partner of Wellington Equestrian Partners and of Tryon Equestrian Partners, which own the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Florida and the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in Mill Spring, N.C. An innovative promoter of equestrian sports, his previous successes have been centered on the hunter/jumper, dressage and eventing worlds. When WEP acquired the International Polo Club of

Bellissimo saw a number of reasons why traditional polo has not had much success in this country as a spectator sport. One problem is the size of the field: it can be difficult for spectators to follow the action, and a lot of it is too far away. Another problem is that the rules can be hard for novice spectators to understand. Yet another is that the mixed professional and amateur nature of today’s polo makes matches less exciting. This was, in fact, also the conclusion of a recent study commissioned by the United States Polo Association which identified ways to make the game more television-friendly. In the high goal professional polo world today, the typical situation is that teams are made up of three professional players and one playing sponsor who pays them – typically a middle-aged amateur player who is noticeably less proficient than his teammates. According to the USPA study, if polo wants to be seen as the fast, competitive and exciting sport that it is, the

Palm Beach in 2016, he turned his attention to polo, too. “Gladiator Polotm was the vision of Mark Bellissimo,” says Carly Weilminster, who is the marketing, advertising and media relations manager at TIEC. “He wanted to come up with a creative way to reinvigorate polo, and the gladiator concept was a good fit. We’re doing a similar thing with the equestrian side of the business. We feel that equestrian sports are where golf and tennis and NASCAR were before they started getting really popular. We feel they just need that little extra push to make them take off. Mark’s goal is to expand the equestrian sports and to make them accessible to a mainstream audience. ”

sponsors should have their names on the jerseys, but they shouldn’t be wearing one. Although there is nothing wrong with pro-am polo, it is not made for TV. Professional polo needs to be for professionals only. Bellissimo started pondering ways to revitalize polo in January 2017 and it was not long before he was putting his ideas into action. He started by hiring Gates Gridley, a member of Team USPA (the United States Polo Association’s training program) to manage and run the program, and then came up with some new concepts. The basic idea was to take arena polo, simplify the rules to make it faster and easier to follow, and invite the top players in the country to give it a try.

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

As something of a marketing and promotion wizard, Bellissimo knew that these changes would not be enough to push the game to the next level. There needed to be a hook, something that would set the new version of the game apart. A fan of Roman history, he hit on the concept of styling the players as gladiators and Gladiator Polotm was born (yes, the name is trademarked.) The first matches were held at the end of January in Wellington, and they attracted large crowds of spectators who came out to watch some of the best polo pros anywhere do battle in the arena. Over the winter, the league put on eight games, culminating in a hard-fought and exciting final. Gladiator Polotm solved a number of the problems that Bellissimo saw with traditional polo. In the arena, the action is always close at hand, so it is easier to follow. Simplified rules make the plays faster and less confusing – for instance, the teams never change goals, the way they do in both grass polo (after each time a goal is scored) and in arena polo (at halftime.) Instead of having the players’ salaries paid by playing sponsors, the teams vied for prize money, so that winning became very important. The losing team would get paid, but the winning team would get much more. And, with the help of some corporate sponsors, Bellissimo came up with significant incentives: the final game in Wellington this winter, for instance, awarded $250,000 between the two teams. “People who are involved in polo don’t always think highly of arena polo,” says Gates Gridley. “One of the key things we have done is get some of the best players in the world and the top horses in the world involved. They are playing for prize money, and the bottom line is that they want to win: they want to win the money and they want to win for the crowd. That way you get the purest form of polo, and it gets people interested in the sport. We aren’t interested in the Champagne and big hats aspect, the “Pretty Woman” aspect of polo. We’re interested in highlighting the athleticism of the horses and riders. We want people to know that it is an intense, adrenalin-fueled sport.” Following the success of Gladiator Polotm in Florida, it was decided to bring the game to the TIEC this summer. During the week of June 19, crews brought in solid 4’ by 8’ boards, which they placed around the perimeter of the George Morris Arena. Within a few days they had turned the show jumping venue into an arena (referred to as the coliseum.) The arena footing, created and installed by Equestrian Surfaces International, was watered and prepared with a special groomer to make the surface perfectly flat, smooth and resilient while still being gentle on the horses’ legs. And then they brought the Gladiators. In this case, the Gladiators were two teams of three professional players representing the cities of Charlotte (N.C.) and Greenville (S.C.) Although the players themselves wore fairly traditional polo gear, there were other people on hand dressed up like the famous ancient Roman gladiators Spartacus and Spiculus to generate atmosphere and excitement. These gladiator mascots included children (representatives of the local pony club) as well as adults who waved to the crowd, tossed them t-shirts and generally kept everyone’s energy at a high level. The game itself, played in front of a crowd of over 10,000, was a real show. The footing was fast and the arena was large enough that the ponies could really gallop, but small enough that the spectators were close to the action. Some of the horses wore tight-fitting colored hoods that made them look both old-fashioned (like horses ridden by knights in a medieval jousting tournament) and futuristic (like cyborg horses: half horse, half machine.) When the Gladiator-players came into the arena for each chukker, the announcer introduced them, telling a story about each one while the players swung their mallets and waved to the

August-September 2017

crowd. In between chukkers, a jumbotron showed interviews with the players, in which they discussed their nicknames, talked about strategy and challenged one another playfully. “They call me the Polo Kid,” said Santi Torres, who played for Charlotte, “Because I was the youngest professional player in polo. Well. I’m not a kid anymore.” It was polo, but there was a little taste of the WWF SmackDown, too. The teams, which were in the 16-20 goal range, were evenly matched throughout the six chukkers, although Charlotte took an early lead (Santi Torres, Facundo Obregon, Jared Zenni.) But Greenville (Mariano Obregon, Pelon Escapite, Carlucho Arellano) fought back to tie the score in the last chukker. With mere seconds left on the clock, Pelon Escapite backed the ball into the goal for the Greenville win. The

victors earned a check for $21,000, while the defeated team took home $12,000. Coca Cola was the presenting sponsor and at the trophy presentation, players celebrated with bottles of Coke rather than the more traditional Champagne. It addition to the professional game, the night also featured two chukkers of junior Gladiator Polotm , both to give young players an opportunity and to demonstrate to the spectators that polo is an accessible sport. The junior players were from Tiger Kneece’s Aikenbased Polo Adventures team. The kids, who have been getting a lot of opportunities to play, acquitted themselves well and, according to Susie Kneece, who is married to Tiger and helps with the program, “They had an amazing time.” Gladiator Polotm returns to TIEC on the evening of September 1, in conjunction with the American Eventing Championships which will also be held at the facility. Two new teams will take to the coliseum: Asheville (N.C.) and Spartanburg (S.C.). This will kick off a monthlong fall league billed as the Battle for the Carolinas between the four North and South Carolina teams: Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville and Spartanburg. There will be $120,000 in prize money up for grabs and finals will be September 30. Aiken-based players will continue to be well-represented in the Gladiator ranks. The new teams feature such Aiken favorites as Alan Martinez who tried out for a Gladiator spot over the winter in Florida. The management team at TIEC were thrilled with how the inaugural Gladiator Polotm match was received, both by players and by spectators. Following the match, Gates Gridley started the Polo School at Tryon Resort and already has many new students. Feedback from the players has been enthusiastic – they raved about the footing and the atmosphere and many say they can’t wait to get back to the arena. “I think the sky’s the limit for this sport,” says Gridley. “I think that this is the best chance that we’ve have had, ever, to get polo into the mainstream spotlight, to attract serious corporate sponsorship and to create a sustainable living for professional polo players.” Find out more about Gladiator Polotm at www.gladiatorpolo.com

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

FALL SERIES STARTS ST

FRIDAY, SEPT. 1 8PM PART OF OUR ERICAN E AM

USEA

NSHI P PIO M

G NTIN CHA VE

LABOR DAY WEEKEND CELEBRATION | Live Music | Gladiator Games | Kids Activities Argentine Asado ticket required (

)

FREE GENERAL ADMISSION | FREE PARKING

25 INTERNATIONAL BLVD., MILL SPRING, NC 28756 | WWW.TRYON.COM | WWW.GLADIATORPOLO.COM

August-September 2017

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Courtney Conger Randy Wolcott Lee Hedlund Mike Hosang 803.645.3308 803.507.1142 803.221.6831 803.270.6358 Jack Roth Alex Tyrteos Suzan McHugh Thomas Bossard 803.341.8787 203.249.3071 803.292.8525 803.640.2845

Frank Starcher 803.270.6623 Brian Cavanaugh 803.624.6072

803.648.8660 . www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com . 800.880.0108

Boatwright Plantation . Equestrian estate in historic Ridge Spring features grand main residence with 6 bedrooms and 4.5 baths, 22-stall barn, sparkling pool and outdoor kitchen on 31.64 acres. Original plantation home (circa 1835) was expanded in 2012 to 9,200 square feet. The block barn features 22 matted stalls with automatic waterers, tack room, vet room, laundry and hay loft. Includes large outdoor arena/track, brood mare barn with 4 stalls, dressage arena, fenced pastures, round pen. Call Courtney Conger $1,895,000

Greener Pastures Located in the Highway 302 east side Horse Corridor, this turn key equestrian property offers over 41 acres of board fenced pasture & woods. Custom brick residence with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths, 3-stall center aisle barn with hay storage and tack room, 8acre pasture with 4 feeding pens and run-in shed, 4 paddocks, 2 more run-in sheds, and 40x50 Hoover work shop. Miles of riding on groomed trails and adjoining dirt roads! Call Courtney Conger $642,000

The Gamekeeper’s Lodge Classic brick Georgian 5 bedroom residence, 3-bay garage with apartment above, sparkling in ground pool, gazebo with pool bath, 7-stall brick stable, and board-fenced paddocks on 4 acres. Borders Hitchcock Woods, over 2,100 acres with 65 miles of sandy trails. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $1,495,000

CEDAR

WAGENER

Several equestrian lots available, ranging from 6.14 to 11.97 acres of established coastal Bermuda grass with beautiful views. Equestrian amenities include community riding ring and trails. Call Courtney Conger ~ pricing starts at just $105,000

85.35 acres on Highway 302 is nearly level and planted in loblolly pines, with many mature shade trees. Laced with sand roads, lots of potential for subdivision, commercial use or equestrian pursuits. $2,500 per acre

Acreage

Meadows

Three Runs Plantation . Delightfully decorated cottage

in Three Runs Plantation offers over 3000 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, great room, formal dining room, kitchen with breakfast bay & island and screened porch overlooking established pastures and center-aisle barn on nearly 6 acres. Community amenities include riding rings, clubhouse, pool & cabana, and miles of groomed trails. Call Courtney Conger $725,000

Tinker Creek . Wonderful recreational and timber tract encompass-

Wit’s End Farm . Emerald green hay fields roll gently to

beautiful lake on over 140 acres of perimeter fenced woods & fields. Delightful 3,800 square foot residence includes great room with fireplace, state-of-the-art kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, master wing, media room. Includes storage sheds, run-in shed, separate garage/workshop and expansive equipment building plumbed for apartment. May be subdivided - call Courtney Conger for pricing

Polo Vista Cottage . Comfort and crafts-

es 349 acres with 2 excellent ponds. Improvements include large center-aisle barn (84' x 36') currently configured with 5 stalls, tack room, wash stall and hound kennels and storage. Also there is a manufactured home serving as a caretaker's or hunting cabin. This multipurpose property has some open areas as well as a good stand of mature timber. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $1,185,000

Call COURTNEY CONGER or RANDY WOLCOTT

Polo Vista Stables This beautifully constructed center aisle barn is in like new condition and 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. Amenities include riding trails, clubhouse and pool. May be purchased in conjunction with 4-bedroom residence across the polo field (see left). Call Courtney Conger $999,000

manship 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. Call Courtney Conger $499,000

NEW BRIDGE

Acreage

Pottery Mill Place Delightful residence on 12 wooded acres bordering a lovely lake. Home features 2100 square feet, wide rocking chair porches front & back and open floor plan. Formal living room with fireplace, dining room, kitchen with breakfast bay, master bedroom with bath en suite. Attached 2-car garage with unfinished bonus room above. Call Courtney Conger $380,000

River Oaks Farm . Custom iron gates welcome visitors to 120

acres on the Edisto River near North, SC. Beautifully maintained traditional home offers 4,560 square feet with oak and tile flooring, custom kitchen, 7 bedrooms including spacious main level master suite. Stocked pond, fenced pastures, lighted riding ring, 8-stall center aisle stable, several barns and groom’s cottage. Randy Wolcott or Courtney Conger $795,000

Beautiful 27.82 acre parcel close to town and equestrian venues. Perfect for horses, with cleared pasture space plus timber. Level to gently rolling land with lovely home sites may be subdivided.

$165,000

Call MIKE HOSANG

Bridle Creek . New Phase II now open at

Bridle Creek! Lots range from 5 acres to 11.77 acres. Community amenities include miles of trails, gallop, stadium jumps, cross-country jump field, and dressage ring. New community green space added at the entrance of Phase II. Call Frank Starcher or Jack Roth $16,000 per acre

Half Acre Farm COURTNEY CONGER . $215,000

Solstice Meadow . 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. Call Randy Wolcott and ask about owner financing! Tract 4 is 28.38 acres offered at just $449,000, and Tract 5 is 28.89 wooded acres at $375,000

Hidden Field . Unseen from the entrance, this 21 acre tract offers approximately 12 acres of cleared pasture with the remainder in woods. Riding trails available in equestrian community. Call Courtney Conger NOW JUST $3,900 per acre

The Aiken Horse

Country cottage in like-new condition offers open floor plan, living-dining room combo, three bedrooms and two full baths. The vinyl sided ranch with metal roof was built in 2015 and includes over 2300 square feet on a half acre lot located in the protected Timshel Gardens area near Trenton, but not a part of the subdivision, and has no HOA fees or restrictions.

803.645.3308

Freestone Farm Comfortable 3 bedroom brick ranch offers over 2600 square feet with formal living & dining rooms, country kitchen, 2 fireplaces and huge unfinished basement. Property includes 12 acres established pasture with several outbuildings ~ large metal storage building easily converts to barn. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $225,000

Oak Tree Farm Country contemporary with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths is nestled in a grove of beautiful old live oaks on over 48 acres of board fenced Bermuda pastures and woods. The sunlit great room and master bedroom both feature cathedral ceilings and window walls with sweeping views of extensive coastal fields. Inground pool with new liner. Center aisle barn has 3 stalls with room for more, tack/feed room, run-in space and hay storage. Call Courtney Conger $699,000

Live Oak Farm . Surrounded by horse trails, this 33 acre farm offers a 2 bedroom huntbox with high ceilings and concrete floors. Also under the new metal roof are a finished tack room, 4 large stalls, hay and equipment storage areas and large covered overhang for additional stalls or storage. Three paddocks with water and grass arena. Call Jack Roth $399,000

Windsor Pines . Fabulous horse property with

updated 4-bedroom home, in ground pool with new liner on 25 acres. Cross fenced with sheds, the farm includes 4-stall center aisle barn with tack room and wash stall, regulation dressage arena with GGT footing, sprinklers and mirrors. Call Suzan McHugh $499,000

Three Runs Beautiful property in Three Runs Plantation has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on main floor, with bedroom and full bath upstairs. All 5 acres are fenced and gated. Two car garage, includes all appliances including refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, washer/ dryer. Quality oak hardwood & ceramic tile. Call Jack Roth or Frank Starcher $549,000

August-September 2017

aikenhorseRIGHT8-17_aikenhorseRIGHT 7/28/2017 8:33 PM Page 1

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

Steeplechase Cottage . Beautiful 3-acre parcel in Aiken's Jumping Branch Farm . Aiken's premiere Eventing venue

offers the opportunity to continue operating an established farm and business or enjoy your own private farm with fantastic amenities in sought after location. Four bedroom log home, 51 stalls, 5/8 mile galloping track, cross country jumps, large turnout fields, pond and producing hay fields. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $2,190,000

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

HATCHAWAY

Bridge Farms

The Stables at Cowdray Park . Equestrian facility designed to accommodate multiple disciplines presently includes regulation size polo field with underground sprinkler system, 5/8 mile training track, covered arena and dressage arena both with underground sprinkler systems, jump field, groom's cottages, office club house, riding trails, hot walker and 3 barns totaling 150 stalls. Also available at Cowdray Park: luxury residence with guest cottage (below), and several large building lots. Call Mike Hosang or Jack Roth $1,500,000

This is a stunning lot in one of Aiken's most beautiful equestrian communities! Lot 5 is 14.4 acres, with open grassy hillside, select trees & pine grove. Walk to community Derby/Grand Prix jump field & Olympic-sized dressage arena.

Shellhouse Lake Farm .

Sportsman's retreat and more located less than 10 miles from downtown Aiken! Sparkling 11 acre lake centers approximately 77 acres mostly cleared and grassed with frontage on Shaw's Creek and Highway 302. Brick 2 bedroom, 1 bath country cabin has spacious kitchen/family room, fireplace and porch overlooking lake. Large outdoor grilling & barbeque area. Call Mike Hosang $948,000

Call JACK ROTH $15,000 per acre

Indigo Cottage . Amazing brand new custom home on an acre in New Bridge Polo & Country Club features 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, large kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, luxurious main level master suite, fireplace, finished bonus room with bath, with oak & tile flooring throughout. Entertain outdoors with wrap-around porches and deck overlooking polo field. Call Jack Roth $489,000

THREE RUNS

Plantation

Cowdray Park . Custom built 3 bedroom/3 bath

main residence has 2536 square feet of luxury living space with attached 2-bay garage. Separate 1062 square foot guest cottage has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, all on 8.5 acres in Cowdray Park equestrian center. Distinctive details include hardwood and travertine marble flooring, crown molding, coffered ceilings, quality fixtures, gourmet kitchen and gas fireplace. Call Jack Roth or Mike Hosang $625,000

Pony Up Farm . Turnkey horse farm includes 33.55

acres, and is suitable for multiple equestrian uses - polo, hunter, jumper/ western eventing. 10 minutes to Stableview Training Center. 3 BR, 2 BA custom residence featuring high ceilings and an approximately 396 square foot groom's apartment attached to barn. For horses, there are 16 stalls, plenty of grass pastures, run-ins, round pen, equipment shed, laundry, tack, feed rooms. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $599,000

Three Runs Plantation . Beautiful home on 5

fenced acres with salt water pool features open floor plan with high ceilings, wood floors and custom millwork. Included are keeping room & living room with fireplaces, gourmet kitchen with granite, 4 bedrooms, theater room/5th bedroom, 5 baths, covered porch with fireplace, pool, 3-bay garage, finished bonus. Jack Roth or Frank Starcher $815,000

Herndon Dairy Farm .

Move right in with room for the whole gang and your 6 horses too! Spacious 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home, 6stall BarnMaster barn with large hay/feed/tack room, competition size dressage arena with mirrors, 2-bay garage plus carport, all on over 5 acres with fenced, grassy pastures. Call Jack Roth $268,000

Beautiful 9.68 acre lot in Phase II of Three Runs has established Bermuda grass. Fenced and cross-fenced and ready for your house and barn. The lot borders riding trail and has access to more than 30 miles of groomed trails, jump rings, dressage arenas and cross country fences. Other amenities include club house, pool and fitness center.

Call COURTNEY CONGER

$222,640

Whispering Pines Horse farm has over 41 acres of open fields and woods including fenced arena, 25 acres of fenced pastures, 10-stall barn with full apartment, tack room and laundry. Custom home is over 4,000 square feet with 2 spacious master suites, gourmet chef’s kitchen, 4 bedrooms total, 4 full bathrooms, 2 family rooms (one on each floor), and oak & tile flooring throughout. Call Jack Roth $869,000

Snaffle Bit Farm Custom built 3 bedroom home in Three Runs Plantation equestrian community on over 5 acres, this Southern style timber frame home features exposed posts & beams, cathedral ceilings, heart pine floors, gourmet kitchen, double fireplace, screened porch, mud room and 2-car garage. NEW 2-stall barn and fencing for added value! Call Frank Starcher or Jack Roth $565,000

Cottage at New Bridge Polo . Amazing custom home on 4 acres in New Bridge Polo & Country Club features 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, expansive deck with wood fireplace/grill. Open floor plan. Great home for entertaining with the best view of the main polo field! Plenty of space for horses. Adjoining 6 acres available. Call Jack Roth $399,999

BLUFFWOOD

East

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.

Call RANDY WOLCOTT JUST $3,200 per acre!

Three Runs Plantation

FRANK STARCHER 803.270.6623 . JACK ROTH 803.341.8787

FINAL PHASE of building lots now available in Aiken’s premier equestrian community, with over 2,400 acres of rolling fields, woods and creeks! Amenities include clubhouse jump ring, dressage arena, pool & cabana, schooling ring, fitness center and over 30 miles of groomed trails.

Sanctuary Lodge . Serene, secluded,

and situated on 70 acres with stocked pond & dock, this home features 4 bedrooms (2 down, 2 up), spectacular 2story great room featuring soaring natural timbers, brick fireplace, large kitchen, separate laundry and spacious formal dining room. Screened back porch, covered front porch and upstairs balcony. Call Mike Hosang $375,000

Morning Glory Farm Custom ranch has an open floor plan featuring a gourmet kitchen, large Florida room, high ceilings and hardwood floors. Master suite is sumptuous with large tiled shower. Center aisle barn is approximately 36x36 with tack room and half bath. Machine shed provides storage and workshop space. Includes nearly 11 fenced and irrigated acres. Call Alex Tyrteos $549,000

NEW BRIDGE

KINGS

Polo Club

Ridge

Old Buckland Barn . Historic training facility in Aiken’s 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

Gated equestrian community in popular south side location with beautiful rolling views, riding ring and miles of trails for walking or riding. This lovely 5 acre level lot is mostly cleared and overlooks the ponds. Call LEE HEDLUND ~ now offered at just

$70,000

Annie’s Inn . Turnkey Bed & Breakfast built in the 1800s is meticulously maintained. A successful B&B for 38 years, this marvelous property includes 8185 elegant square feet main residence with 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths and 8 fireplaces. There are also 6 separate cottages with excellent rental history, an in ground pool and greenhouse. Contents convey! Call Suzan McHugh $1,500,000

$115,000

Frank Starcher 803.270.6623 Brian Cavanaugh 803.624.6072

800.880.0108 . www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com August-September 2017

Beautiful 8.71 acre lot in New Bridge Polo, complete with fencing plus well & septic, across from one of the manicured polo fields. Amenities include world class polo fields, riding areas, tennis and swimming pool in gated polo community. Call MIKE HOSANG ~ now offered at just

803.648.8660 The Aiken Horse

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

style [ˈstī(-ə)l] noun

1. A distinctive manner of expression. 2. A particular manner or technique by which something is done, created or performed.

THE DAYS OF ONE-TYPE-FITS-ALL HORSE FEEDS ARE OVER. Now there’s a feed for the stylish horse in your life Legends® CarbCare® Performance. Legends CarbCare Performance is a fixed ingredient formula specifically designed for mature horses in moderate to intense performance and show activities. This 10% high fat feed provides increased calories for horses considered hard keepers or those who require prolonged stamina and improved body condition during high performance conditions. Our Legends CarbCare Feeds are low carbohydrate formula feeds meeting the needs of horses who require a diet low in sugars and starches. Legends. Redefining what horse feed should be. For more information or to find a dealer near you, visit: www.southernstates.com/legends.

Legends Feeds are fortified with Kentucky Equine Research (KER) micronutrients to meet your horse’s individual needs. For feeding advice or to create a custom ration using Legends Horse Feeds, visit microsteed.com/legends. Visit legends.equinews.com to subscribe to The Weekly Feed, an award-winning newsletter powered by KER. The Weekly Feed contains the latest in equine nutrition and health news, as well as updates and special offers directly from Legends Horse Feeds. If you have questions or comments, please contact Feed Division Customer Service at sscfeedquestions@sscoop.com.

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Off Per Bag of Legends Horse Feeds or Supplements (Up to 2 Bags)

August-September 2017

COUPON VALID THROUGH 12/31/17 AT PARTICIPATING SOUTHERN STATES® AND AGWAY LOCATIONS ONLY Limit 1 coupon per customer during promotion period. Limit of 2 bags in any combination discounted with coupon. Discount applies to sale merchandise, but may not be combined with any manufacturer coupons, clearance pricing or other discounts. Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Coupon has no cash value. Cannot be applied to a previous purchase. Original coupon only — coupon may not be mechanically reproduced or altered. Coupon is subject to state and local taxes. Void where prohibited by law. Independent Dealers: send redeemed coupon and copy of sales receipt to: Corporate Marketing – ED, P.O. Box 26234, Richmond, VA 23260. 17503404. EV.

The Aiken Horse

Gladiator Polo at Tryon International Equestrian Center

Photography by Pam Gleason and Gary Knoll

The Aiken Horse 2017 The Balcony

The Balcony: a timeless historic seven bedroom six bath renovated equestrian estate. Fully walled & landscaped with two gated entrances. Large rooms, 10 foot ceilings, fluted woodwork, dental molding. French doors lead to several balconies and terraces. Large modern kitchen with a fully appointed butler’s pantry. Separate family dining quarters, beautiful formal dining room. The guest house has three bedrooms and one and half baths. Eighteen stall barn features a groom’s quarters with kitchenette and full bath, three tack rooms, hayloft, feed room & 6-door barn garage. Gunite swimming pool with fountains all on 5.82 acres. $2,995,000. Call David Stinson 803-640-0123

Aiken Equestrian Real Estate The Market, 2017 by Pam Gleason

ccording to the real estate experts, it is still a good time to buy horse property in Aiken. This is particularly true if you are looking to buy at or near the top end of the market, where there is a wide selection of exceptional properties, including everything from historic downtown estates to spectacular turnkey professional horse farms in the country. Not only are there unique properties available and in excellent repair, but prices are significantly lower than they would be in other areas of the country with similar equestrian atmospheres. If you are at the high end of the market, Aiken definitely has some relative bargains worth considering.

Consider Jumping Branch Farm, which includes a lovely log home on 115 acres of producing hay fields with paddocks, pastures, a 51-stall barn as well as a 5/8th mile track and a complete first-class competition-worthy cross country eventing course. It is listed for $2,190,000 (Carolina Company: Mike Hosang.) A pretty price for Aiken, certainly, but try to buy something similar in New York or Maryland? You will spend a lot more. Do you love history and architecture? Could you imagine yourself a part of Aiken’s winter colony of the 1920s and 1930s? Several of the most beautiful and gracious historic estates in downtown Aiken are

Trout Walk

Trout Walk Cottage at 1354 Audubon Drive is a stunning, singular property on 8.64 acres, nestled among three iconic Aiken equestrian venues, the Aiken Training Track, the Aiken Horse Park, home to the Aiken Steeplechase. Built in 1917, & completely renovated & expanded in 2012-2013, this historic home offers unparalleled charm, modern comforts, magnificent tree canopies & stunning views. The guesthouse has two separate 2 bedroom/full bath suites & porches overlooking the heated, saltwater gunite pool. For the horse & rider, the property has an 8-stall center-aisle barn with tack & feed rooms, laundry, three fenced paddocks in established grass as well as access to the sand/clay roads of Aiken’s Horse District. An enchanting setting for the ultimate Aiken life! $2,895,000. Sullivan Turner Team. at Meybohm Realtors, 803-998-0198

2017 AIKEN REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

Real Estate Showcase Jumping Branch Jumping Branch, one of Aiken’s premiere eventing venues, offers the opportunity to continue operating an established farm and business or enjoy your own private farm with fantastic amenities in a sought-after location. Four-bedroom log home, 51 stalls, 5/8 mile galloping track, cross country jumps, large turnout fields, pond and producing hay fields. $2,190,000. Call Mike Hosang: 803.270.6358 or Brian Cavanaugh: 803.624.6072.

Crossways

Crossways, circa 1815, is rich in history and distinctive in Southern charm and character. With 4.7 acres, this gated property is well-suited for those seeking privacy and easy access to the Aiken Horse Park, Highfields Show Grounds, Hitchcock Woods and Horse District. Completely renovated in 2007, the 5 bedroom home has been elegantly designed and modernized for today’s lifestyle. Crossways is a great venue for entertaining from intimate dinner parties and hunt breakfasts to Masters week cocktail parties. Stunning gunite pool, formal gardens, fountains and lawns. Guests and caretaker can be accommodated in the carriage house and a separate 1500 sf home: Versatile, beautiful & historic. $2,200,000. Sullivan Turner Team at Meybohm: 803-998-0198, or Tom Bossard, The Carolina R.E. Company: 803648-8660

Hitchcock Stables Hitchcock Stables on 11.5 acres bordering Aiken’s famous Hitchcock Woods. A unique opportunity to own the stable where the famous Hitchcock family kept their horses during the days of Aiken’s Winter Colony. 27-stall courtyard barn with covered perimeter aisleway; 3 bedroom, 2 bath bunkhouse, 2 carriage storage sheds and 8 paddocks. $2,952,500. Call Deirdre Vaillancourt: 803.640.4591

2017 AIKEN REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

245 Morris Road. Situated on 275 acres with a 16-acre pond under 20 minutes from downtown Aiken and the Hitchcock Woods, less than 10 minutes from I-20. The main house overlooks rolling fields and the countryside; the lake cottage has its own private drive. Over 3 miles of fencing, cleared trails and seasonal ponds. Wildlife abounds and there is no shortage of hills to keep your horse fit with ample flat areas for schooling. Whether you are in the outdoors for sport or for the tranquility this is your place! While driving down the private driveway, you will feel as if you are in a different world. $1,900,000. Pierce Buckingham: 803-508-6228

The Gamekeeper’s Lodge. Georgian residence on 4 acres bordering the adjoining Hitchcock Woods. Originally built in 1973, this classic brick home offers 6500 square feet on 3 fully finished floors with high ceilings, beautiful millwork and wood flooring throughout. Paneled office, den with fireplace, chef ’s kitchen, breakfast room, 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths. Formal living room with fireplace and dining room, sunroom overlooking the Woods and inground salt water pool with gazebo. The owner’s suite features a whimsical trompe l’oeil ceiling, fireplace with gas logs and two baths with walk in closets. The 3-car attached garage has an apartment with bedroom, sitting room, kitchenette and full bath. For horses, there is a handsome European style brick stable with 7 stalls, wash, feed and tack rooms and a half bath. $1,495,000. Call Courtney Conger: 803.645.3308 or Randy Wolcott: 803.507.1142

Goodwinds Plantation Good Winds Farm offers a bit of old-world New England charm with modern amenities. Set on 29+ private acres, the home boasts custom finishes including reclaimed wood, antique wide-plank heart pine floors, stacked stone gas fireplace, plantation shutters, kitchen w/ recycled & custom Wisconsin barnwood cabinets, high end stainless appliances & acid-washed granite counters. In/outdoor sound system. 4-season Cyprus sunroom overlooking saltwater pool. For the horses there are three 2+ acre paddocks, run-in sheds and a barn with matted stalls and more! Trail access to Johnson Lake and Boyd Pond Park. $1,100,000. Contact daleteam: 803.761.0678.

Jasmine Board your horses and come home to enjoy the best of Aiken downtown living found in the stunning gardens and home of exquisitely renovated Jasmine Cottage, nestled privately at 129 Colleton across from The Willcox. Hitchcock ceilings, 9 fireplaces, a handsome wood-paneled library, gorgeous living, dining rooms & kitchen with honed granite counters and high-end appliances. The master suite has a Europeanstyle, Waterworks bath and private porch overlooking the most beautiful garden in Aiken. Enjoy walking to town to your favorite cafe, an evening swim in the heated, saltwater gunite pool. Complete privacy w/perimeter walls & fencing. $1,395,000. Sullivan Turner Team at Meybohm Realtors, 803-998-0198

Adnama Place Adnama Place is a deluxe residential farm in Chime Bell Chase equestrian community. The 4200 sq.ft. residence is strictly first class, with wood and stone floors, high ceilings, high-power internet, security, serpentine counter tops in the kitchen and much more. There are three ensuite bedrooms, plus glamorous formal rooms. 3-bay portico barn, salt pool with cabana and kitchenette, 3-bay workshop, and 3-car garage. Almost 19 hilltop acres, with additional community facilities: dressage arena, jumping arena, and miles of trails. $1,250,000. David Stinson 803-640-1023

2017 AIKEN REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

Vespers Farm Low Country 3 bedroom, 3½ bath ’09 brick home with 3+ car garage, offering spectacular views on 24+ acres. 2015 4 stall barn, three pastures, two 4-stall run-in shed barns, hay barn & covered storage building, 302 Horse Country adjacent to Jumping Branch Farm. $1,490,000. Sullivan Turner Team at Meybohm Realtors, 803-998-0198

Stony Brook Stunning 50-acre equestrian estate, professionally designed and custom built in 2012. 3,000 square foot 3-bedroom 2-bath timber-frame home merges modern and rustic. The home also features an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area; pantry, laundry; custom stone fireplace; loft and detached garage. Professionally landscaped and irrigated, this private wooded haven is completely fenced. Large wraparound deck. For the horses: a courtyard style barn with 10 stalls, tack and grain rooms, and a studio apartment with a kitchen and full bath. In addition: a 1000-square foot 2-bed, 1-bath guest cottage; 8 paddocks covering 15 acres; a 4-acre riding field; and a 1.3 mile gallop track. $1,375,000. Contact daleteam at 803.761.0678.

Woods End Spectacular new residence adjacent to Hitchcock Woods on a quiet cul-de-sac. Three ensuite bedrooms with large closets. The single-story floor plan is open and bright, with wood floors, tile floors, and tall ceilings. The living room has beautiful views and a gas-log fireplace. Granite counter tops in the chef ’s kitchen. Two decks. Covered front porch. Irrigation system. Paved circular driveway and a large carport attached to the house. 3-stall barn with secure tack room, feed room and wash stall. Parking area for horse trailer. Four more lots available including adjacent lot. $685,000. David Stinson: 803-640-0123.

Twin Lanes Farm Built in 2007, this property is inside the gates of the popular Fox Hollow Equestrian development which is comprised of almost 800 acres in the southwest area of Aiken County. 2-story, 4054 square foot hardiplank home with pine floors, reclaimed pine cabinetry, chef ’s kitchen with Viking gas stove, granite countertops, two wood burning fireplaces and 10’ ceiling on main level. Lovely screened porch overlooks the inground pool with a view of your horses on 7.35 acres. For the horses: 4 paddocks, a 3-stall barn with wash stall, tack room and large storage area easily converted to run-in shed. Miles of trails, irrigated show rings and cross country course. $785,000. Call Suzy Haslup, Meybohm Realtors (803)215-0153 www.aikenhorserealty.com

Gamboa Place Contemporary equestrian facility on 45 acres. House has 3 BR/2BA on main level, 2BR/1BA and movie theater in walkout basement, featuring a granite wet bar and poolside BBQ island. European style 8-stall barn with space for fully operational vet clinic, boarding/training/foaling/lay-up (2 large foaling/recovery stalls) facility and additional space for 2nd apartment/living quarters. Pool. Paddocks. Privacy. Great location. Ride off property and hack to neighboring hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage facilities. Farm can be sold as 11.5 acres up to 148 cres. $1,350,000. Call David Stinson 803-640-0123

2017 AIKEN REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

Bridle Creek Farm

Bridle Creek Farm is a top-of-the-line professional equestrian facility. 9-stall center-aisle barn with wash rack, tack room, powder room, and storage. Elegant owner’s apartment above barn, with two ensuite bedrooms. Two bedroom guest apartment. Dressage arena, jumping arena, x-country course with excellent hazards, plus miles of trails in the Bridle Creek community. Three run-ins can easily be converted to stalls. Two wells and a generator. $1,600,000. David Stinson 803-640-0123

for sale. One of them is the Balcony, which is hidden behind a high wall on Whiskey Road. Once the home of the Knox family from Buffalo, New York, this historic “winter cottage” is currently on the market for just south of three million dollars. It is one of the most expensive properties in Aiken, but it is located on almost six acres in the heart of the historic horse district and it includes a renovated 23-room, sevenbedroom mansion with stunning architectural features as well as a 3-bedroom guest cottage, an 18-stall stable, and a pool. (Meybohm: David Stinson) There are other amazing high end properties in Aiken that are just waiting for the right buyer to come along: Trout Walk Cottage between the Aiken Training Track and the Aiken Horse Park (Meybohm, Tracey Turner Group); the Hitchcock Stables on the Hitchcock Woods (Meybohm, Deirdre Vaillancourt) – you can’t get much more historic

than that. One thing that people who follow the market might notice is that many of these million plus properties have been on the market for a long time – some of them for well over a year. There are several reasons for that. One is the nature of the equestrian market in Aiken itself. “It’s a sporadic market,” says David Stinson, a realtor with Meybohm. “The flow of equestrians into Aiken is always uneven. Friends follow their friends here; riders follow their trainers, so there is not necessarily a steady flow. Another thing that affects longevity on the market is that a lot of these properties may have been purchased in 2006 or 2007 when the prices were higher. The sellers are looking at what they have invested, and that value may not necessarily carry over into today’s market. I do see that, more and more, sellers are aware of this and have adjusted to the new price paradigm. Now, a few of the newer high end properties are priced well. We know that, because within a week or two

Three Runs Plantation

Three Runs Plantation: the perfect place for horses and the people who love them. This equestrian community encompasses 2400 acres and it is conveniently located just south of historic downtown. The final phase of development is now open with some of the finest lots still available. Homesites are from 5+ acres. Top of the line amenities: 30 miles of groomed and marked trails, competition-level jump arenas and mirrored dressage arenas, a X-Country schooling complex, clubhouse & outdoor pavilion, pool & cabana, activity center w/fitness. Spec homes are available or build to suit. Developer financing available. www.threerunsplantation.com. 888-297- 8881.

2017 AIKEN REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

Tods Hill

Whether your dream is a 20-stall show barn or a quiet, spacious retreat for your family, Tod’s Hill has the land and terrain you’re looking for. With lots for sale ranging from 6 to 22 acres – and waterfront property for sale too – you can carve out the space, scenery and privacy you desire. Would you like to raise your blinds to rolling pastures or hardwood forests? Sip your morning coffee watching horses graze, or the water ripple across a 46-acre lake? All are possibilities here. Although Tod’s Hill is an equestrian’s dream, walkers, thinkers and privacy seekers are equally drawn to the peaceful, private setting of this gated community close to Augusta, even closer to Aiken, and far from everything else. $9,000-$12,000 per acre. Karl McMillan: 843-693-6115.

of them being listed, serious buyers are coming in.” Deirdre Vaillancourt, also with Meybohm, agrees with David. “The days on the market are continuing to extend for the more highly priced properties,” she says, noting that only a scant handful of million plus equestrian properties have sold so far this year. “I believe that there is always one buyer for every property. If we are fortunate enough that that one buyer comes and throws the dart at Aiken and finds that property, price is not going to be an issue. That said, buyers should understand what value in Aiken represents versus value in other parts of the country where there is more price inflation. An Aiken property that costs a million dollars is probably going to be worth three or four times that much in Millbrook, New York. I think it is very important that buyers are advised by their realtors to value properties according to the Aiken market and not to some other market.” In the next price bracket down, between $500,000 and one million, there is also a good selection of equestrian homes and farms. David Stinson says he has seen a fair amount of activity in this range, with sales “moving along at a moderate but consistent rate.” He notes that, although prices have not gone up this year, they have also not dropped, indicating that most properties are probably pretty fairly priced – or at least the ones that have sold are. Once you start looking for horse properties under $500,000, things get a little more interesting. “$500,000 seems to be the breaking point for a lot of people,” says Deirdre. “Sales in this range are a little flat. One reason is that I think that some properties are still a little overpriced. Another is that we have used up our

inventory of the lower priced farms. I think it is about to turn, however, due to supply and demand. I am very optimistic.” “I think we are still in a buyers’ market,” says Barbara Lawrence, the owner and broker in charge at Aiken Fine Homes and Land. “There has been some more interest in recent months, and I have had people looking all over. One thing people have to understand, though, is that horse properties under $300,000 almost don’t exist any more.” One area of the market that is continuing to lag behind in sales is undeveloped land, and even land that has already been planted in grass and prepared for horses. According to the experts, some of the more attractive land that is suitable for horse farms is beginning to garner some interest, but sales are still sporadic and the average price per acre is significantly lower than it was ten years ago. “I never thought I would be in a position where land in Aiken lost value,” says Tom Biddle, who has been selling equestrian properties in Aiken for close to half a century. He adds that some of his clients, who bought at the height of Aiken’s 2006 land boom, are still sitting on properties they would like to sell, but that they can’t part with at today’s prices. A place where land is generally selling pretty well and with a respectable price tag is in the dedicated equestrian communities. Three Runs Plantation, which has been Aiken’s leader in equestrian property sales for over a decade, is finishing up its seventh and final phase of development. Three Runs, encompassing 2400 acres (including a large chunk that is in permanent conservation) is situated south of town and really caters to the equestrian lifestyle.

2017 AIKEN REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

Implement Road Gorgeous executive home with infinity edge pool and waterfall spa. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. 4+ acres ready for horses. Two fenced paddocks; Two stall barn with tack and feed rooms. Run-in shed. Community riding trails. In Hopeland Farms just minutes from historic downtown. $649,900. Call Barbara Lawrence, 803-439-0778.

Thistle Hill Thistle Hill at Quail Hollow Equestrian is an exquisite home that has been thoughtfully remodeled throughout. There are 9 rooms including five bedrooms and three baths on a 3.5 acre landscaped lot. Convenient Banks Mill Road location. $479,000. Priscilla Denehy 803:617:9706; cillajayne@aol.com

Lots start at 5 acres and go up from there, and a large proportion of existing homes are small horse farms. It’s a pretty place, but atmosphere and communal amenities are probably what really sell the lots. In addition to 30 miles of groomed and marked trails, the community also offers two jumping arenas with quality fences and professional footing, two dressage arenas with mirrors, and a cross country schooling complex. There is also a clubhouse and outdoor pavilion, a pool and cabana, and an activity center. With fees of just $1,500 per year, which covers the use and maintenance of all of these facilities, Three Runs is a bargain, even if the price per acre is higher than it is outside of an equestrian community. According to Laurie Garner of Garner Marketing, there are just 34 lots left, with 19 that will soon be available in phase 7b, the final phase of development. So far, property owners have come from 46 different states as well as seven foreign countries. (Antigua, St. Thomas, France, Germany, England, the Netherlands and South Africa) There are other equestrian communities selling lots in Aiken, including Tod’s Hill on the northeast side of town. Tod’s Hill occupies some beautiful rolling land with a stream and abundant wildlife, but

is just a few minutes from downtown, making it seem both private and remote, while it remains surprisingly convenient. Another equestrian development, Bridle Creek, is the winter training home of the Olympic event rider Phillip Dutton. This community was recently purchased by Wayne Raiford, the developer of Three Runs, and he will soon be dedicating his efforts to making it just as sought after. Interested in getting into that community with a turnkey farm that has everything for the eventer or dressage rider? Bridle Creek Farm, adjacent to Phillip Dutton’s Red Oak Farm, is an established property that is for sale now. It has a barn with an apartment, a mirrored dressage ring and a cross country schooling complex with jumps built by the renowned course designer Eric Bull. (Meybohm: David Stinson.) One other interesting development in Aiken’s equestrian real estate market is that demand for short term equestrian rental properties is quite strong. In fact, according to Barbara Lawrence, people who are planning on coming down for the winter season have started looking for somewhere to stay earlier than usual this year. “There is definitely a need for short term rentals and barn space,” she says. “Anyone who has a little home, especially with stabling, that they might consider renting should know that the rental market is quite strong.” One thing that all the realtors agree on is that if you want to make the best buying decision in Aiken, you would do well to work closely with a realtor who is familiar with the equestrian market here. Not only will realtors know of many desirable properties before they come on the market, a knowledgeable realtor will be able to help you avoid potential pitfalls. For example, there are some changes in the way some properties in the county are being taxed, and you should know about this and what it might mean for you before signing any contracts. Realtors also know the market and what property is worth, and a good one will help you make fair and reasonable offers on homes that you want to purchase. You don’t want to waste everyone’s time (and likely lose a property you like) by submitting a lowball offer on a home that is well worth its asking price. By the same token, even if you have found the horse farm of your dreams, you don’t want to pay too much for it – you never know what is going to happen and you might have to sell sooner than you think.

2017 AIKEN REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

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August-September 2017

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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 shows and events 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, What is the appropriate way to leave the dressage ring after my final salute? I’ve seen people exit in different ways. Some turn left; some turn right; some walk all the way up the judge (and even talk to him); and some just turn right around and leave. Are you still being judged after you salute? What is the right way to finish? -Dressage Fan

Dear Fan,

This is an interesting question. It is true that at any dressage show you will see competitors leaving the arena in a variety of ways. According to the USDF dressage test guidelines, the only mandatory requirement is to leave the arena at the free walk and exit at A, where you came in. Beyond that, let’s talk about the best protocol and go over some do’s and don’ts. First, be certain that your horse is immobile for at least three seconds during your final salute, and that the salute is obvious to your judge and your judge acknowledges it. Unless the judge’s booth does not permit it, the judge will stand when you first enter the arena for your test, and then sit after you make your entry salute to signal that your test may begin. As you approach the end of your test, when you come down the centerline for the final time, the judge will rise. After you make your final salute, the judge will respond by sitting back down. This signals that the test is completed. If the judge’s booth does not permit the judge to stand up, or there is some other reason he cannot do so (if he is sitting in a car, for example) he will either nod his head or wave to confirm that your test is officially concluded. You must leave the arena only through the opening where letter A is, unless it is stated otherwise – in rare cases, a modified arena might be used with an alternate entry and/or exit. Here is what you should do after you have saluted and the judge has responded. 1. Do: Leave the arena in only a free walk, unless another gait is asked for (this would be in a very rare case, where, for instance, a weather delay might have disrupted the day and you might be asked to trot out of the arena to accommodate the schedule.) A free walk is your horse’s natural walk. The horse’s head and neck should have complete freedom to stretch down, making his frame long and low, and he should have a relaxed, over-tracking stride. There could be a light rein contact, or the reins could be loose, but definitely keep two hands on the reins. 2. Do not: Get off your horse. If you want to dismount for some reason (you dropped your whip, or your number fell off, for instance) you should ask your judge for permission first. Sometimes the judge will permit you to dismount; other times the judge might ask someone to assist you. 3. Do: Pat and praise your horse for a job well done. This shows that you two have a good relationship and that you appreciate your horse’s efforts, whether they were exceptional or had some hiccups. If you are disappointed with your ride, however, it is unacceptable to punish your horse in any way. Don’t do it. 4. Do: Acknowledge your judge. Although you are permitted to simply turn around and leave, it is more polite to walk a few steps toward, or even all the way to the judge. Before you turn away from the

judge, you may smile and/or say “Thank you.” Try to smile even if you did not have your best ride: A smile is a sign of gratitude to the judge, whether you were pleased with your performance or not. However, small talk is not acceptable; unfortunately there is no time to discuss your ride, and it is not allowed. Then you should turn onto the track – you may turn either to the left or to the right, depending on your preference. 5. Do not: Talk to your friends. While leaving in the free walk, you should remain silent until you have exited the ring. Do not wave at the spectators, make loud comments about your ride or pull out your cell phone for a selfie. Save that for a time when all four of your horse’s feet are outside of the arena area. 6. Once your judge has acknowledged you, your test is officially over and nothing you do will affect your score. According to the USDF rulebook DR 118.h “Anything after the end of the test has no effect on the marks.” In conclusion, last impressions, even if they are not officially a part of your test, are still important. Remember to look up and stay relaxed and composed. Your goal is to present yourself in a competent and confident manner, from your initial entry to your final exit. As you pursue your journey in dressage, you will find that maintaining a professional demeanor in the ring will leave a lasting and positive impression on everyone.

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August-September 2017

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Inside 44 48 52 56 58 60

Pony Finals Dressage in Aiken Full Gallop Emily Smith Kerry Torrey Stable View

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August-September 2017

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August-September 2017

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On the Way to Pony Finals Local Pony is a Star by Ragan Morehouse

ay-B-Tango, a 6-year-old registered Welsh pony, is known around the barn as Gandalf because his flowing grey forelock looks like the beard of Gandalf the Wizard in the Lord of the Rings movies. At 12.2 hands, he is classified as “small” in the world of hunter show ponies, but his impact on the life of his owners, Amber Asbell-Jackson and her three daughters, has been anything but. In just six months since entering the show ring for the first time, Gandalf is the number one ranked small green hunter pony in the nation. May-B-Tango was bred and born at May Farms in Bruce, Mississippi by James May. He is by Rosmel’s Silver Spoon, a Section B Welsh stallion, and out of Misty’s Magic Melyngar, also a registered Welsh. The Mays have been breeding Welsh ponies for more than 30 years and are known for producing ponies with excellent dispositions. Wendy Arndt, the owner of International Equestrian Connections in Aiken, purchased several ponies, including May-B-Tango, from the Mays in 2012 when Tango was a yearling. “My husband and I breed ponies, both here and in Germany, and we have a great relationship with the Mays,” says Wendy. “We have gotten a bunch of ponies from them over the years.” After letting Tango grow up a bit, Wendy accustomed him to tack, worked with him in the round pen and had him backed. “Shelby Nisbet, a kid out of Salley who lives with us in the summer, was the first one on him. He was great. No problems. We even had our granddaughter, Layla Grace Mason, on him for a photo shoot,” reports Wendy. In 2015, Amber Asbell-Jackson, who was training with Wendy’s daughter Casey Mason, bought the young pony. “I was taking a lesson and Wendy said, ’Hey, Amber’s got three girls, let’s show her this pony.’ So she trotted him in hand and I was like, ’Wow! He’s really cute.’ At the time I was working as a nurse and not looking for another pony. A few weeks later Wendy texted me while I was at the hospital working the night shift. Her text said, ‘Half price sale if you buy him today.’ I was like, ‘How can I turn that down!’ So I bought him.” Soon after his purchase, Amber sent Tango to Jordan Pruiksma, a trainer and racehorse exercise rider based at the Aiken Training Track, for additional under-saddle training. “Jordan had him for a couple months and then we brought him back home. My daughter, Karma, who was 7 years old at the time, just rode him around the farm,” recalls Amber. Gandalf ’s next move was to Highfields Event Center in Aiken, the home base of Cathy Cram, an owner of Highfields and of PSJ Shows. Cathy is also a hunter/jumper trainer, and a mother of two very successful pony riders. “It was the right time of year to send him, to start showing him, so I took him to Cathy Cram for Liza [Cathy’s younger daughter] to ride specifically for his green year,” says Amber. Gandalf and Liza Cram’s first show was in January 2017, the Aiken Winter Classic at Highfields. “It was sleeting and freezing rain and he just went out there and was Gandalf. He just did his thing,” remembers Amber. Although most horses and ponies begin their show careers at local, unrated, shows, Amber and Cathy took Gandalf ’s unflappable nature into account and decided not to waste time or money. They took him to rated shows from the very beginning. According to Amber, his only non-rated show was the historic Aiken Horse Show in the Woods in April, where he was reserve champion Junior Future Hunter. Gandalf qualified for the USEF Pony Finals at the Kentucky Horse Park by earning the reserve championship the second week of the Aiken Winter Classic. Qualifying for Pony Finals requires winning a championship or reserve championship at an ‘A’ or ‘AA’ rated show. The Pony Finals this year is from August 8-13, and Gandalf will be there with Liza after showing at Blowing Rock in North Carolina. “He has been the same pony from start to finish,” says Amber. “He’s pretty much been champion or reserve every time out. He is very consistent. . . . in the top two every time. He shows in the pony derbies with the regular ponies; he shows in the regular pony classics – he always does well in those.

August-September 2017

And of course, he shows in the small greens – that’s what he qualified in. Most recently, we went to the NCHJA Annual show in Raleigh and he won grand pony hunter champion out of 42 ponies. He won the small green division and he placed sixth in the $5,000 pony derby, out of 22. For a green pony whose first show was in January, he is incredible.” But good-natured and talented as he is, his relationship with Liza has not always been smooth sailing. At 12, Liza is still learning the ins and outs of jumping and showing. She also had a growth spurt this year that gave her four extra inches in height to take into consideration. “Gandalf is extremely athletic and has a big jump. When she first started jumping Gandalf, her jumping style was not perfected and we had many “oops” moments,” says Liza’s mother Cathy. “Her growth spurt also made for a big difference in how she rode a small pony. We were schooling this spring in Camden and Liza jumped ahead and threw herself off the pony. She couldn’t figure out for the life of her what was going on. Her body and balance were changing so we needed to regroup. We took her stirrups off for a while and had her rebalance herself without them and that really did the trick.” Now that Liza and Gandalf have clicked, those “oops” moments are few and far between. “He is probably one of the simplest young horses I have ever dealt with. He loves his routine and he knows his job.” “I give Liza most of the credit for bringing this pony along,” says Amber. “She has done a fantastic job with him. Everything that he has done, he has done because of her. Sadly, she is outgrowing him so Pony Finals will probably be her last show with him. But that has been our goal. I didn’t want to get him made up for Pony Finals and then lease him out - I wanted Liza to ride him.” Leasing a pony is a popular option for many young riders. As child riders grow quickly both in height and in their riding ability, a pony’s suitability is time-limited. Therefore, many trainers and parents prefer to lease a proven show pony rather than go to the trouble and expense of buying one that will be outgrown quickly. But Amber says that Gandalf has a permanent home with her family. Her three daughters Karma (8) Adora (5) and Zava (2) love him and the feeling is mutual. Karma and Adora have already shown him a little in leadline and walk-trot. Karma even won a walk-trot championship on him. “He’s so kid-proof it is ridiculous,” says Swan Brooner, a groom who works for Cathy and Amber. “And he loves them, especially the younger they are. He is the gentlest little thing and all around-amazing. He loves to hug – he actually leans into it. He could be loved on all day and he would enjoy every minute of it. He’s my favorite – he gives so much and has such an amazing heart.” After Pony Finals, Amber says she would like to lease Gandalf to a smaller rider who can finish the year on him in the Small Greens and aim for the Horse of the Year title. “None of my girls are ready for a pony of his caliber yet,” she says. “He has a really smooth jump but has a lot of suspension at the trot and canter, so he’s a little more pony than what we need right now. . . I am going to be very careful who he goes with. I have a few people in mind. But he is so special, our plan for him is to keep him until he is very old. After all, I have three daughters to bring through.”

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August-September 2017

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August-September 2017

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Dressage Opportunities Expand Competitors Spoke: Organizers Listened by Diana Hunt, photography by Gary Knoll

ressage enthusiasts in Aiken are happy. Practically a dressage wasteland just a few years ago, Aiken is becoming a verdant garden of opportunity for dressage competitors. And the 2018 season is going to be even better with the new Aiken Dressage Challenge Series, a group of five United States Dressage Federation shows at Stable View and Bruce’s Field (the Aiken Horse Park) that will offer various incentives and high point awards. For many years, Aiken has had plenty of schooling opportunities, including offerings from Apple Tree South in Windsor and at the area’s main eventing venues: Full Gallop, Paradise and Sporting Days Farms. Recently, there has also been an abundance of clinics given by top dressage trainers from around the country and abroad. Recognized shows, which arrived in Aiken about a decade ago, have included three annual shows organized by Viewpoint Dressage at Highfields Event Center. The Aiken Horse Park had its inaugural USDF Recognized show last January for the 2017 competition season while Stable View had three USDF recognized one-day shows, one weekend show, plus seven “Under the Stars” schooling shows. Bruce’s Field also added Tuesdays in the Park, which were weekly dressage schooling shows during the winter and early spring. These became extremely popular, and dressage riders wanted more. Competitors spoke and organizers listened. Boyd and Silva Martin, who have their winter headquarters at Stable View, teamed up with Phillip Dutton to propose that the Aiken Horse Park and Stable View might cooperate in putting on more shows. Silva Martin is a highly respected Grand Prix rider, trainer and coach, while Boyd and Phillip are longtime members of the United States Olympic eventing team. All three were convinced that more dressage was something that Aiken needed and could support. Boyd Martin arranged a meeting between Barry Olliff, the owner of Stable View, Tara Bostwick and Mike Laver. Tara is the vice president of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation board of directors while Mike Laver is a member of the board. “Silva wanted a bigger dressage presence in Aiken so her client base could come here for at least part of the winter before she headed to Florida for the bigger shows,” explained Tara. “Boyd and Phillip and their clients have invested in Aiken, so it is in everyone’s best interests and Aiken’s best interest to provide quality events on good footing to keep the industry in Aiken – from an economic point of view, from a home town point of view, it is important to Aiken. Creating a series was a way of encouraging the dressage community to come to Aiken, to stay in Aiken, to be part of the community. “It speaks to our mission [at Bruce’s Field], which is to encourage the country lifestyle of Aiken and find ways for us to help promote that. We want to make ourselves accessible to different disciplines. So it really was a no brainer, so to speak!” she said with a laugh. “We added an additional show to our calendar. The second show really is two separate shows in one weekend, which gives riders an additional chance for qualifying scores. Stable View had their two dates [February and April] already set. That is where we started with this.” How did they decide to call the five winter and spring shows the Aiken Dressage Challenge Series? “We wanted to name this grouping of dressage events and, frankly, we were looking for a catchy name that incorporated what we were trying to do,” Tara said. “By having a ‘challenge’, we thought it would encourage people through incentives to do as many shows as possible.” Teresa Griner, who is the show secretary for the dressage shows at the Aiken Horse Park, was asked what she thought of the concept.

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“I thought it was a great idea,” she said. “I do all the shows for the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington [Fla.] I do the dressage shows at the Colorado Horse Park and Tryon [N.C.] plus a lot of other dressage shows. I think this will give people in Aiken something to work toward, hopefully get more people interested in coming to the shows, and get in more spectators.” As ambitious as the current series is, it may expand in the future. Kay Whitlock, the owner of Viewpoint Dressage, is in discussions with Stable View and the Aiken Horse Park about the possibility of joining forces to help encourage the sport even more. Marcy Hippey, who is the president of South Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association (SCDCTA) said that although she has not heard from anyone involved in the challenge series she sees this kind of collaboration as nothing but positive. “I think their efforts will help legitimize dressage in South Carolina and I wish them all the best,” she said. Will the expansion of dressage opportunities in Aiken detract from other established South Carolina shows? The SCDCTA, which is a USDF-affiliated dressage club, puts on an annual USDF/USEF Low Country Show on Johns Island near Charleston at the end of February. This has been the major fundraiser for the organization for the last 15 years. This show was not negatively affected by last year’s additional shows at Stable View and Bruce’s Field and Marcy does not anticipate any issues next season. “In fact, last year we had the most entries ever and had to turn people away,” she said. “We attract a different crowd than Aiken. We draw from Florida, Georgia and, of course, the Charleston area. And the weekend includes two separate shows, giving riders four chances to qualify for regionals in one weekend. We also give great prizes and awards.” The Aiken Challenge series starts in January with a show at Bruce’s Field, and ends in April with a show at Stable View. Meanwhile, Viewpoint Dressage offers recognized shows at Highfields in December, March and May. There are additional USDF recognized shows at Stable View in June, August and September. Aiken dressage enthusiasts who travel to the Charleston area can compete at a new recognized show on Johns Island in September, as well as the two traditional SCDCTA fundraisers in February. This makes a total of 11 recognized shows in Aiken itself, and three more on Johns Island, giving South Carolinians, and especially Aikenites, ample opportunity to earn qualifying scores at all levels for the Region 3 Championships without having to do much traveling. So is Aiken a viable dressage community? According to the United States Equestrian Federation marketing office, a viable dressage community requires a number of elements, including enough riders to support various levels of competition, the ability of competitions to be financially viable, and high quality competition venues that are easy to get to. “Factors such as quality of the footing, safety of the stalls, accessibility to local hotels and restaurants, and an overall fun and supportive atmosphere can all play a part,” according to the USEF. Based on these criteria, Aiken sounds as if it is well on its way to becoming an important dressage destination. “I would just say: ‘Stay tuned,” says Tara Bostwick. “We are really excited about being able to offer this.” Right: Kathy Lewis on Donneur at the Aiken Horse Park's inaugural USDF dresssage show in February

August-September 2017

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August-September 2017

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Schooling horse trial at Full Gallop

Photography by Gary Knoll

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Emily Smith and New Bridge A Multi-Disciplinary Approach by Pam Gleason

“I

like the way horses think,” says Emily Smith. “They are really interesting creatures: I like the way they learn and I think they are really smart. I always look at every horse as an individual, and I like bonding with that horse, and formulating a plan and a routine that works for him. I like figuring it all out.” Emily, 26, is a professional horsewoman who recently assumed the trainer and manager position at the Stables at New Bridge. Located inside the gated New Bridge Polo and Country Club about seven miles from downtown Aiken, the Stables offers boarding and training in a quiet atmosphere. The stable itself is spacious and meticulously maintained, with 24 stalls and a comfortable riders’ lounge. For the horse, there are oversized stalls and ample turnout. For the rider, there is a jumping and dressage ring with a full set of hunter and jumper fences and professional GGT footing. Those who want to get out of the ring can enjoy miles of trails, dirt roads and shaded gallops. Boarders become members of New Bridge Country Club, giving them access to the swimming pool, clubhouse and tennis courts. New Bridge itself is unique. Originally created for polo players, today it also caters to other horse people from various disciplines, including hunter/jumpers, foxhunters, event and dressage riders and competitive drivers. Emily, who was born in Americus, Georgia, came to Aiken with her family when she was a toddler. Her father, an engineer, worked at the Savannah River Site. Her mother, Lisa Smith, a professional horsewoman, ran a riding school and show stable at the historic Rye Patch Stables in downtown Aiken. Emily grew up on horses. The Hitchcock Woods was a short hack from Rye Patch and she joined her family hunting there with the Aiken Hounds, becoming a junior whip when she was 15. She also hunted with Whiskey Road Foxhounds, participated in the Pony Club and did some eventing. She had an active and successful junior show career, starting out on her mother’s horses and then moving on to be a working student with the well-known Aiken-based trainer Andrea King and Aaron Vale, a top Grand Prix showjumping rider. “That was an amazing opportunity,” she says. “I got to go on the road with them in the summer – it was before I could drive. I got to ride sales horses and go to big shows. We went to the Pony Finals every year; we went to Devon.” When she was in the early grades, Emily attended Aiken Preparatory School, but eventually transitioned to home schooling in order to accommodate her horse show schedule. She attended Aiken High School for one year, and graduated when she was 16. Then she went to England to visit her father who had taken a job abroad. “I went for the summer but didn’t come back for four years,” she says with a laugh. “I was lucky enough to stumble on a job working for an Irish showjumper, Billy Twomey.” Twomey is currently Ireland’s top ranked showjumping rider. “I rode for him and I got to compete in England and in Europe. I got to learn all about showjumpers and about running that kind of stable and I got to learn about breeding.” In the four years she was based in England, Emily competed in the Young Rider League in England, France and Germany. In the winters, the Twomey operation went to Spain for the Sunshine Tour and Emily rode there, too. It was a chance for her to become deeply familiar with the international showjumping world. But eventually, it was time to come back to the States. While she was abroad, Emily had furthered her education by studying for a business degree though Aiken Technical School’s online degree program. With two years of online work behind her, she enrolled in

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the College of Charleston and completed a degree in international business in two years. “I do think that having an international business degree is beneficial for the horse business,” she says. “International business is what the horse world is becoming. Since I have been back, I have imported horses from Europe, and it is important, when you are doing that, to understand at least something about currency and international finance. It may not seem like an international business degree would affect the horse world that much, but it really does.” During her time attending college in Charleston, Emily commuted to Aiken on the weekends to ride hunters and jumpers for Daniel and Cathy Geitner at DFG Stables. After she graduated, she took a job with them full time, staying on until she was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Then she switched gears, going to work for George and Gretchen Wintersteen, Aiken winter residents who live in Pennsylvania the rest of the year. The Wintersteens foxhunt, and they also own horses for Boyd Martin, the Olympic event rider. Going back to Pennsylvania with them during the summers brought Emily into contact with Boyd’s eventing program, another important experience. Emily brings all of her varied experiences to the Stables at New Bridge, and she says that her broad equestrian education has been very helpful in her new job. “This is an incredible place,” she says. “It’s like Aiken in that it is a multi-discipline stable. We don’t specialize in one thing; we embrace all different horse sports, and that is the idea behind the facility. I focus mostly on hunter/jumpers, but I also ride dressage horses, and with the background that I have I am able to help manage horses from all different disciplines.” Having these many different sports all together at New Bridge fosters a sense of community in the horse world and helps people and horses learn about other methods and practices that they may never have been exposed to. There is surprisingly little conflict among the disciplines, and the horses soon learn to accept sights and sounds that might otherwise have frightened them. “When I heard that there were carriages here, at first I was skeptical,” says Emily. Like many people who are not involved in carriage driving, she assumed that her competition horses would be afraid of the carriages. “Everyone told me it was a non-issue, and they were right. The horses here feel safe and happy. When they are in the turnout, they might see a carriage go by from a distance, and that might surprise them. But within a few days, they are accustomed to it, and by the time they have been here a week, nine times out of ten I can ride past a carriage without them even looking at it. It’s the same with the polo: it’s a non-issue. They become desensitized to it without it ever being stressful for them. “I inherited a great business here,” Emily continues. “I hope to continue to provide a good service for Aiken in a multi-disciplinary place. We have a really good foundation: our staff of knowledgeable horse people, our vets, clients, farriers, our chiropractor and our dentist. Individualized care is the most important thing. I believe the best way to run a multi-discipline facility is to work with each horse and owner to give them exactly what they want. I feel strongly that I want to give each horse the best care possible for that horse. That’s what we are striving for. There is no one size fits all. Everything can be tailored to each horse’s needs. I want to continue to improve the Stable with an integrated program to produce the happiest horse, both physically and mentally. That is the goal.” Left: Emily on Double Pegasus, owned by Mapledale Associates, LLC

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Coming Home to Aiken Kerry Torrey Eventing

by Pam Gleason, photography by Gary Knoll

fter almost two decades of coming to Aiken for the winter season, Kerry Torrey has moved her operation here full time. A Connecticut native, Kerry has had her own teaching and training business in the Northeast for many years, developing event horses, teaching, competing, and managing stables for people in the foxhunting and show hunting worlds. She started wintering in Aiken in the late 1990s, but never expected to relocate to the South permanently. But then, last year, her companion, Chris Milgrim, who is an airplane mechanic, was here in Aiken working for Mike Laver, an Aiken-based aviation professional with strong ties in Aiken’s horse world. “Chris called me and said he had found the perfect farm for us,” says

Kerry. “I never thought he would want to move down here. But he did. He came down last June and I came down in November and we have been here ever since.” They bought a farm in Windsor and are in the process of preparing it as a horse facility. Kerry says she started riding when she was 9 or 10. Her mother, a dance teacher at Hotchkiss, a private boarding school in Lakeville, Conn., had always wanted to have a horse, and when her teaching career provided her with some extra income, one of the first things she did was buy a large pony. “That started the bug for me,” says Kerry, who quickly took over the pony. Soon she was an enthusiastic member of the Lakeville Pony Club, which had a heavy eventing emphasis. Her riding instructors there, in particular Linda Bushnell and Susie Reich, made a deep impression on her and set her on the path to becoming a professional horseman. After she graduated from high school (she went to Hotchkiss) she became a working student for Denny Emerson, a renowned eventer, at his farm in Vermont. This introduced her to eventing at a higher level and inspired her to think about a career in the sport.

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Before she could pursue her eventing dreams full time, however, she had to go to college. Education is important in her family. Her father, like her mother, taught at Hotchkiss; he was the head of the English department. And so after her summer in Vermont, Kerry went on to Princeton where she pursued a degree in art history. “All I wanted to do was ride,” she says. Fortunately, she found a way to do that. She had a classmate who was also an eventer, and they both made a deal to keep their horses at a private farm where they were able to work in exchange for their board. Her friend was competing at a higher level than Kerry, and traveling with her to events in the MidAtlantic and Kentucky was an eye-opening experience. After her graduation from Princeton, Kerry took various positions with different horse people, eventually developing her own business and client base. Meanwhile, she continued competing and deepening her eventing education. She worked for the legendary event rider and coach Michael Page and studied dressage with Paul Belasik, a wellknown dressage clinician, coach and author. She went to England to work with Alison Oliver, who was, at the time, the coach of the Korean eventing team. Sally Cousins, one of the hardest working and most successful eventing riders in America coached her “forever” and now she is working quite a bit with Bonnie Mosser, a trainer based in Charlotte who comes down to Aiken on a regular basis. Over the years, she has competed successfully through the CCI threestar level and produced numerous upper level event horses. The current star of her show, Zumba, is a 12-year old Hanoverian gelding. Together, she and Zumba recently won the area 3 Intermediate Championships and at the end of August will be headed to Tryon for the American Eventing Championships. Zumba did not start his career as an event horse, but Kerry says that he is a natural and he loves it. “He was a jumper that did not like his life,” she says. “I rode him for his owners, and I got along with him better than anyone else, and they wanted me to have him.” Kerry was not in the market to buy a horse like him, but finally his owners insisted, selling her the horse for a nominal price. “He had competed as a jumper in Wellington [Fla.] so he already knew how to jump. That first year, we started competing him at Full Gallop [in Aiken] in Beginner/Novice, and within the year he was ready to go Prelim and shortly after he moved into Intermediate. He’s good in all three phases and he is a great competitor – he is actually easier at the horse shows sometimes than he is at home. He’s a real treat to have.” Zumba is not the first difficult horse that Kerry has been partnered with successfully. In fact, ever since she was in pony club, she has been able to get along with, and get the most out of, horses that other people were having some trouble with. “We learned to ride anything and everything in pony club. The woman who owned the place where the pony club was had about 40 horses, and if you worked you could ride, so we rode all day long and we rode everything. I was never given fancy horses. “For me, training and teaching is very individual,” she continues. “I work with each horse and rider depending on their strengths and their weaknesses. I think I do have an empathy for the difficult horses. I can figure out what makes them tick.” For Kerry, the greatest thing about eventing is doing it in partnership with a horse that has as much passion for the sport as she does. “Event horses have to be brave and independent, but workable. They have to love it. That is what is really inspiring to me about eventing: To ride a horse that is so into his job, to feel a horse become your partner and go do amazing things that they have no reason to do unless they love it. It makes me happy.”

August-September 2017

Breaking New Ground Stable View Goes Green by Pam Gleason

n Saturday, July 29, Stable View held an official groundbreaking ceremony for its new pavilion. Due to be completed in August 2018, the pavilion is designed to be the centerpiece of the property, which already includes stables, apartments, an oversized covered arena, several outdoor arenas with professional footing, a schooling cross country course and Aiken’s first Advanced level cross country course. The pavilion will seat 300 people on the main level with room for an additional 100 spectators on the upper decks. The third level will have an observation room for “commentary, photography and streaming.” Situated between the outdoor arena and the main cross country course, the new pavilion will be the ideal place to watch the action during a horse trial or a show. However, Barry and Cyndy Olliff, who own Stable View, hope that it will be much more than that. “Our intention is that this is not just an equestrian building but something that can be used for community events, weddings and corporate retreats,” Barry said at the groundbreaking. As part of an

effort to welcome the public to Stable View, he will also be sharing the progress of the construction with the public. “On our way through this journey, we have a time-delay camera that is going to take snapshots of the building,” he said. “I’m going to be producing a blog every couple of weeks that is going to go up on our website . . . the bottom line is that we really want this to be, to the extent we can, a community effort.” The pavilion will be unique in Aiken not just for its size and the quality of its construction, but because it is being built to be compliant with LEED Gold certification. According the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) website “LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient. They use less water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” “The whole point of LEED is to have a low environmental footprint,” explained Barry. “The theory is that you can put a building up that doesn’t actually have to create such a mess with the environment if you are of a mind to do so. It uses less water, significantly less electricity; the materials, to a significant extent, are locally produced and they have to be low impact in terms of the environment. What that means is that the roof is at a particular angle, the windows are of a particular type, the insulation is of a particular thickness. There is a whole raft of things you have to go through to get this certification . . . it’s quite stressful.” LEED got its start in 1994, and has become one of the top green building certification programs in the world. Although in theory any building can be constructed to pass LEED certification, in practice, most projects that go through the process are large, corporate-owned office structures, schools or government buildings. Certification has stringent requirements and few private citizens (at least in this area) are prepared to go through it. Beyond ensuring the safety of the horses, equestrian properties are not necessarily known for their concern for the environment, so Stable View’s extra effort in this direction breaks

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ground in a number of ways. “If you go on the LEED website you will see that just about every one of the Gold certified buildings is government sponsored in some way,” said Barry after the groundbreaking ceremony was over. “Everything has subsidies, or is done that way because the government says it has to be. Ours is different.” Todd Gaul, the owner of Designer Builders, is constructing the pavilion. Todd has been involved with Stable View for many years, even before the Olliffs bought the property and started turning it into an equestrian park half a dozen years ago. Stable View was once part of the Sage Valley country club, and Todd’s company came in to build the original stables. Over the past few years, he has built houses, apartments and various equestrian structures there, so that today, when he comes to Stable View, he is surrounded by his own creations. “I’m never going to be a company that builds 500 houses in a year,” he said. “That’s not what inspires me.” Well known in Aiken’s horse world, Todd’s company has built homes for many of the area’s most prominent horse people. Creating the Stable View pavilion to LEED Gold certification is a challenge—the number of requirements and specifications is daunting, but he said that the process is interesting to him. “It does give me some new ideas. I’m always thinking out of the box, and this gives me more things to think about.”

Shane Doyle Farms is another part of the Stable View team. Shane Doyle has created the drainage and site preparation work for many parts of Stable View including the cross country courses and the new pavilion. Drainage is immensely important in Aiken, where the famous sandy soil is prone to erosion, and occasional downpours can create all sorts of problems. Shane Doyle’s ability to design and implement efficient drainage is especially important at Stable View because of the hilly nature of the property, which tends to make erosion issues worse. Why expend the extra time and effort to pursue LEED certification for the new pavilion? Barry Olliff said that they won’t get any tax breaks or government subsidies. The rewards and the benefits are of a different sort. “I think people think it is good,” he said. “I think that the millennials are more interested in it than my generation is – I work with a lot of millennials, so I might have an early insight into this for my age. “I have always felt that you should leave the world a better place,” he continued. “So what you do to leave the world a better place is you do things, and as you get older you tend to get more picky about what you do. . . It’s a matter of saying, are you going to do something the ordinary way, or are you going to do it really correctly. I think it’s the way to go. . . I think Aiken needs something like this.” Learn more and follow the progress of the Stable View pavilion on the website: www.stableviewfarm.com

August-September 2017

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August-September 2017

Oktoberfest Horse Trials September 29 - October 1, 2017

Over $65,000 in Prize Money Awarded to Beginner Novice - Advanced Entries Open August 15th Spectators are encouraged & Entrance is free of charge XC Course Walk with Boyd Martin - $10 donation to the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons VIP Tent Vendors Concessions Alcohol Tastings Competitors Party Tailgate Competition Aiken Horse Power Car Show

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Gather i ng P l aceâ&#x20AC;? Aiken, South Carolina

For More Details: 117 Stable Drive, Aiken SC 29801 484.356.3173 info@stableviewfarm.com www.StableViewFarm.com August-September 2017

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Inside 68 70 72 74 76 77 80 84 93

Secret Lives: Carakat Belgian Warmblood Keuring Donna Postma Skipper Perry Directory Classifieds Summer in Aiken Calendar Index

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August-September 2017

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Secret Lives of Horses Carakat: Eventing Champion

by Ragan Morehouse, photography by Gary knoll

ucked into a corner stall at The Stable on the Woods in Aiken, Carakat looks small and delicate compared to the warmbloods and draft crosses that occupy neighboring boxes. At 15.1 hands, the sleek dark bay thoroughbred (barn name Taz) is small for a racehorse, and even smaller for an upper level event horse. But she has been both of those things in her 24 years, as well as a mother of two foals, an extraordinary schoolmaster for young riders, and a senior horse that doesn’t know the meaning of the word “retire.” Carakat was born in 1993 at Michael R. DiTomasso’s Better Days Farm in New York. A granddaughter of the great thoroughbred sire Danzig, she was bred for the racetrack and ran four times as a 3-yearold in the fall of 1996, breaking her maiden in a $5,000 maiden claimer at Penn National just after Christmas. Then, in early 1997, her trainer, Robert Manchio, decided to retire her from racing when a small chip was discovered in her knee. “We got the mare from Bobby [Robert Manchio] when my daughter Tara was only 13 years old,” says Kim Ziegler, a professional horsewoman and event rider based in Pennsylvania who spends her winters in Aiken. “The mare was always sound on the chip,” she adds. “It dissolved and never caused any problems.” Taz became Tara’s training project and eventing prospect and it was an exceptional match. Under the guidance of her mother (along with the legendary Olympic veterans Phillip Dutton and Jimmy Wofford) Tara soon took the mare up the eventing levels, In 2001, the pair competed in the Young Rider Championships at the one-star level at Temple Farms in Wadsworth, Illinois. Two years later, they did the twostar at Bromont in Quebec, Canada. Their crowning achievement was competing in Advanced at the Plantation Field Horse Trials in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in 2003. The next year, Tara bred Taz to Castle Rock Farm’s thoroughbred stallion, Harry the Hat. Northern Hat, who became one of Tara’s next eventing projects, was the result of that union. After her stint as a mom, Taz was leased out to upcoming young riders. In four years, she qualified for the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships four times with three different junior riders. “The horse is a really solid citizen and a great teacher,” says Kim Ziegler. “She is a careful go-getter and really takes care of her riders. She’s an amazing little horse.” The last junior rider to lease Taz was Amanda Silver. “Amanda was the Area 1 Preliminary Champion on Taz,” says Nancy Marks, who is Amanda’s mother and Carakat’s current owner. “We bought Taz in 2009 – I guess we just couldn’t let her go – and Amanda rode her at the Young Riders Championships that next year.” In the fall of 2010, Amanda began riding Buckingham Palace, Tara Ziegler’s four-star horse and a veteran of Rolex. “Amanda leased Bucky so she could move up to the two star/ Intermediate level,” says Nancy. “Taz was not up to that level anymore.” The good news for Nancy was that this meant that Carakat became her mount. “When I started on Taz, I couldn’t really ride her because she is quite willful, to say the least,” explains Nancy. “The first couple of times I rode her, she literally ran away with me and my daughter sat there and laughed. I couldn’t stop her. We just went around and around the arena.” Before long, however, Nancy and Carakat were a better team. In 2012, they started competing together. “I found out at my first event with her that you can’t go in the inbox. My daughter neglected to tell me that,” Nancy says with a smile. “We literally destroyed the inbox. Tara said she has always been this way. You have to wait outside the box and then go through.” Working out the kinks in their relationship at each event, Nancy and Taz competed at Novice level, moving up to Training in the fall

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of 2012. “She hates dressage but she loves to jump. I think she has had one, maybe two now, errors on cross country in her entire career. She will jump anything, anyway, anyhow. She is going,” says Nancy. “The question is whether you go with her or not.” Nancy also shared Taz with a few young riders who had the talent but lacked the resources to compete. In the 2012-2013 eventing season, Taz competed in three Beginner Novice, six Novice, three Training, and two Preliminary events with four different riders. “She knows who is riding her,” Nancy says. “You can put a beginner on her and she will go as quietly as can be. But then you put somebody who is more advanced and she rides totally differently.” In 2013, Nancy bought another horse, Show Me Sky. “Taz and I had competed successfully at Novice and had kind of done everything there is to do. I was sort of done competing her. We had done a couple of Training level events but it was pushing it for her...and me,” Nancy confesses. On August 1st, 2013 at Millbrook Horse Trials in New York, Nancy and Taz competed in what Nancy thought would be their last event. After all, Taz was 20 years old. She was still in excellent condition and did not look or act her age, so the next spring Nancy decided to breed her. “Our choice of stud was somewhat random,” says Nancy. “We needed to get something fast because we were going up north and Taz was 21 at the time so we needed live sperm. I wanted something that was a good mover and a warmblood . . . I didn’t do a lot of research.” The eventual choice was Navarone, a 16.2 hand Dutch Warmblood stallion. Navarone is the only approved son of Jus de Pommes, the winner of the individual and team gold showjumping medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Fizz, Taz’s baby, was born in Aiken in 2014. “I never planned to totally retire Taz; just reduce her level of work,” says Nancy. “She loves to jump and stays sound, so after Fizz was weaned, I would take her out to Stable View and do the schooling jumper shows. We went to the fox hunter trials and some hunter paces. A friend borrowed her to ride at The Vista to learn to go cross country, and to compete in Tadpole at Jumping Branch. My husband even rode her for a while until we got him a horse.” In the summer of 2016, Nancy’s horse Show Me Sky was sidelined with an injury. Taz, 23, was still sound and fit, so Nancy started competing her seriously again. “I said ‘What the heck, we might as well target Nationals.’” Over the spring and summer of 2017, Nancy and Taz completed three events to qualify for the Regional Championships at Chattahoochee Hills Eventing in Georgia. There, Taz let Nancy know exactly how much she loves eventing. “When we were on our way to cross country, she was galloping to the start box. She just loved it. The first three fences are always hers and I just hold on. I don’t like to pull her up because she doesn’t jump as well so I usually just let her go. I rate her on the corners. The problem was, she didn’t slow down until we hit fence ten, which was the water. When we were halfway around the course, we literally had to trot the rest of the way because we were two minutes under the minimum time allowed. It’s pretty cool that at 24, she’s just going. I wouldn’t be competing her if she wasn’t having fun. She is just the best. She is just awesome.” Nancy and Taz finished in the top five at Regionals and are now qualified for the American Eventing Championships (AECs) which will be held August 30th through September 3rd at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C. Although this will probably be Taz’s last year eventing, Nancy is thinking of trying something new with her horse, specifically obstacle challenges. “Nothing bothers her. You can shoot a cannon under her and it doesn’t faze her. The obstacle stuff should be fun.” Sounds like a good plan for the little mare who just keeps on going.

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Belgian Warmblood Keuring At Red Top Farm

by Lauren Allen, photography by Gary Knoll

he Belgian Warmblood Keuring Tour came to Aiken on July 26, at DiAnn Langer’s Red Top Farm to examine and approve 21 foals, mares and stallion prospects. The word “keur” is a Dutch term for inspection and certification. At a breed registry “keuring,” horses are inspected for registration and/or breeding approval. In order to maintain the standards of the breed, each warmblood registry carefully tracks pedigrees and judges each individual to ensure that registered and breeding horses meet a stringent conformation and performance standard. To qualify for the Belgian Warmblood registry, all foals must be sired by “Belgisch Warmbloed Paard” (BWP) approved stallions and they must be out of dams recognized by the main or auxiliary studbook. Foals are presented at their dam’s side where they are evaluated and scored: a score of 75 or above merits a First Premium, and a 70 or above earns Premium status. Of all of the warmblood registries, the BWP has the distinction of being one of the most successful in international high performance despite being one of the smallest major studbooks. DiAnn Langer is currently serving as United States Equestrian Show Jumping Young Rider Chef d’Equipe andTechnical Advisor. She points out that quality breeding and young horse development is more important for ambitious riders today than ever before. Gone are the days of simply buying up good horses for good prices in Europe, she

says. There are so few quality young horses in the pipeline now that the prices for talented prospects have become astronomical. “There are so many emerging countries and so few top horses” says Langer. Competitors who have an eye on the future need to plan ahead if they want a talented equine partner. “Unless they’re doing young horses, they’re not going to be able to buy one.” At the July keuring, several young 3- and 4-year-old jumping prospects bred by Langer for Equine Trading Co. of Tarzana, California, were submitted for preliminary approval as breeding stallions. Colts presented as stallion prospects were inspected and scored, first for conformation, then walking and trotting on a hard surface (for soundness), walking and trotting on a triangle pattern (for movement and expression) and then going through a free-jumping chute for jumping talent. In the free jumping chute there were three

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vertical jumps set at 6-7 meters apart. After each horse went through for practice and was comfortable with the exercise, the last jump in the line was expanded to an oxer and then progressively raised to test the young horse’s scope and courage. One colt, sired by the stunning Olympic jumper stallion Emerald and out of a Seattle Slew bred Thoroughbred mare, was particularly

impressive over fences. Forward and light, he seemed to enjoy jumping and never questioned the challenge before him, which earned him an impressive free-jumping score of 85. When asked about her program, Langer indicated she is breeding for modern requirements. “Grand Prix courses have gotten so fast and the jumps are so lightweight that the sensitivity of the thoroughbred is an important addition to the power of the warmblood.” Langer said that she places a lot of emphasis on the mare, looking carefully at the dam to counterbalance any of the stallion’s faults. All of Langer’s colts passed their inspections and were awarded approval by Judge Boudewijn Shepers. They will be licensed to breed provisionally until they are started in their training and can undertake their performance requirements. BWP jumper stallions between the ages of 3 and 6 years old must complete four clear rounds in “A” rated shows during the two years of their provisional status (a total of eight clear rounds) at an age-appropriate fence height starting at one meter (3’3”). Meanwhile, given today’s market, it may be time to rethink the old adage that young riders don’t mix well with young horses. Young riders with dreams of competing in the big leagues may need to think about acquiring their future champions while they’re still young, too. To learn more about BWP breeding standards and procedures, visit www. belgianwarmblood.com.

August-September 2017

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Visions of Horses Donna Postma, Artist by Susanna King

onna Postma is not the typical equestrian artist. Her abstract paintings focus on capturing the movement of horses rather than D photorealistic representations. From a distance, her paintings look

almost like clouds moving across the canvas. But up close, details begin to appear: a hoof, a stirrup, a mane blowing in the wind. Her unique style of painting has struck a chord with Aiken’s art and equestrian communities following successful shows this year at the Aiken Center for the Arts and the Woodside Design Center. Postma, who grew up on a farm in Michigan, began painting equestrian scenes about four years ago, when her friend Randy Stamm invited her to create a painting to hang on the wall of his downtown Aiken restaurant, Prime Steakhouse. She had joked that he needed something to hang on the blank walls of the ladies’ room, and he said she should paint something. Although she previously had painted for herself, she had never had an exhibition. When she expressed doubts about creating art for public display, he told her, “Anybody that does

anything from their heart, I’m going to love.” Postma says that gave her the freedom and confidence to begin her work. Her first painting for Randy was based on a photograph of Aiken junior polo players, and it turned out so well that she decided to continue with the same theme. She created three abstract images of horses and riders and Stamm hung the paintings in his restaurant, where they still are today. One painting of a polo match hanging in the hallway generated a particular amount of interest. “That painting has been the catalyst that made everything else happen,” says Postma. “People seem to love it.” One person who noticed the painting was the photographer Christina Thieme, who had recently moved to Aiken from New York. She invited

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Postma to include her pictures in an upcoming show at Woodside Plantation. Postma chose six works from her own home to display, then painted six new pieces. Her paintings sold out very quickly. The subject matter for her art was a natural choice. Postma says that some of her best childhood memories are riding bareback through hayfields on her horse Dusty. When her work as a construction engineer brought her to Aiken two decades ago, the town was a natural fit. “I absolutely love it,” she says. “It gives me everything I want: the horses, fine art, fine dining.” She says she had her own horse here for several years, but now enjoys just watching equestrian events. Since moving to Aiken, Postma has frequently attended the Sunday polo matches. She recalls bringing her daughter along in a stroller to the field years ago, “It was my Zen thing on Sunday afternoons.” She loves being around horses and living near Aiken’s horse district. For the past nine years, she has volunteered as the barn manager for the Aiken Spring Steeplechase. “I get to hang with the horses and the trainers and grooms all day. It doesn’t get better than that,” she says. Donna says she finds inspiration for her art in photographs from around Aiken, choosing images with a lot of detail and movement. “I look at The Aiken Horse when it comes out,” she says. “I go through the whole thing and I keep little cut-outs.” In addition to polo matches, she’s also done paintings of the steeplechase, of herds of mustangs running and one of a local groom, Fiona Eagle, with a string of polo ponies. She enjoys using pictures of people she knows, even if the people aren’t recognizable in the final artwork. She feels that it makes her art more personal. While not a formally trained artist, Postma says she has always had a good eye for detail and a love of minimalist design. She has an affinity for expressionist and mid-century art, particularly the works of Jackson Pollock and Theodore Waddell. Her unique painting style was born out of a DIY project: she wanted a contemporary abstract painting for her home and decided to create one herself, mimicking the free-flowing style of Ann LeMay, an Aiken artist. At first, unsatisfied with the result, she painted over her picture with white, thinking she would start over. But she found that she liked the way the white paint looked over her original work, just the texture of the painting by itself. Over the years, Postma has continued to develop her style, using unconventional tools such as a chef ’s knife, an antique fork, and flour sacks to get just the right texture and color. She describes her style as “some impressionism, expressionism, and a little bit experimental.” Most of her early pictures are “white on white,” though lately she’s begun adding color washes. She typically starts each painting with a white base, studying the details in a photograph and recreating them in white paint with a palette knife. Subtle strokes of color on top of the white base create an almost iridescent appearance. “I never know how it’s going to turn out,” Postma says of her artwork. “What I get is a surprise.”

August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

Over the Back Line and Out of Play Remembering Skipper Perry by Pam Gleason

kipper Perry was a larger than life character in Aiken. Born and raised in the city, he played many roles in his life, which included a career in state and local politics as well as a deep and committed involvement in myriad charitable organizations. But for Aiken’s horse people, Skipper, who died on June 18 at the age of 77, will always be remembered as the announcer at Aiken Polo Club. On April 28, less two months before his death, Skipper sat down at the Alan Lyle Corey Pavilion on Whitney Field to talk about his polo memories. “I had a good time. I really had a good time,” he said. “Polo is a fascinating game, and I just loved it.” Skipper and his brother William grew up in Aiken. When they were children, their father used to bring them to polo matches every Sunday on Whitney and Powder House fields. Skipper remembers going there in the 1940s and 1950s to watch the high goal players. He knew polo was a thrilling game, but he also knew it was a dangerous one. He was in attendance on an April day in 1952, when Hazard Leonard, a daring 28-year-old player from Long Island, was killed in a crash during the first chukker of a round robin on Powder House Field. The Perry family lived near the club on Marion Street, and, although they were not horse people themselves, they were connected to Aiken’s equestrian set. In fact, Skipper’s father came to this country from Scotland to be a butler for Mrs. Fitch Gilbert, mother of the legendary 8-goal player, Pete Bostwick. Skipper’s father worked at Mrs. Gilbert’s “winter cottage” Red Top, across from Hopeland Gardens, until World War II. “In Scotland, being a butler was an honored profession. Over here, a butler was a servant, and he didn’t like that,” Skipper said. So Mr. Perry left Mrs. Gilbert’s employ and started his own business, a gas station called Perry’s Esso, on the corner of routes 1 and 78. “It was the biggest gas station in South Carolina. This was before interstate 95 was built, and before 301 was built. To get south, you had to come through Aiken and go by his gas station. If you were going west, you had to take 78 and go by his gas station. So we lived pretty good pumping gas.” After high school, Skipper left Aiken to join the Navy. When he returned from service, he entered college at University of South Carolina Aiken. This was when he heard about an opportunity to help with the Sunday games at Aiken Polo Club. “A guy I went to school with was doing the time-keeping. He was moving to Columbia, so he asked me if I wanted to do it and I said sure. Johnny Hosang was the announcer then, and he was a real character.” Johnny, a professional horseman and former polo player, had been announcing since 1946. As the 1960s drew to a close, he retired. Skipper, now established as the regular timekeeper, thought he could do the job. “They paid you $10 to do the time-keeping and $15 to do the announcing then,” he said. “Back then, $15 meant you could take your wife out to dinner.” Before announcing his first game, Skipper asked advice from Johnny. He also got out his reel-to-reel tape recorder and started practicing at his kitchen table. “I’d make the games up in my mind and announce them, trying to get a rhythm. Johnny told me that I had to understand that there was a lag time between what you said and what people would hear, and that you had to take your time, or people wouldn’t understand you.” Skipper said he started out trying to distinguish the players by writing down their numbers and referring to his notes, but that method didn’t work well. What worked better was to study the players and get to recognize they way each one rode. Then it was easy to call the plays correctly.

August-September 2017

“That worked real good until the Oxley twins came to town from Oklahoma,” he said with a laugh. “They were mirror images of one another. That’s the only ones that ever threw me off. I never could figure them out.” During the 1970s, polo was highly competitive in Aiken. The club held national 16-goal championships and the polo families that lived in the city during the season played at a high level. Other players used to come regularly from Columbia, Camden and Charleston. There were intense, family-based rivalries. “When the Coreys and the Bostwicks and the Knoxes got out on the field, there weren’t enough referees in the world,” said Skipper. “They were competitive, but they were clean. They wanted to win and they fought for everything.” Of all the players that he saw on Aiken’s fields, two stood out in Skipper’s mind. One was the 10-goaler Juan Carlos Harriot (“The most nervous I have ever been was when he was playing.”) The other was Lewis Smith, a 9-goaler who worked for the Knox family, and is often considered the first true professional polo player in America. “He had the most magnificent style. He always wore a long sleeved white shirt and he made everything look effortless. He could set the ball down right in front of Mr. Knox and Mr. Knox would knock it in.” Skipper said that another important thing that he learned from Johnny Hosang was never to point it out if someone made a mistake on the field. “You never wanted to sound like you were making fun of them, even by accident. If they missed the goal, I would never say they missed. I would just say ‘Just wide of the goal! Over the backline and out of play.’ Well, one of the players passed away, and that’s what he had put on his tombstone over in Augusta: Over the backline and out of play. “I like polo because it’s a daring game,” he continued. “I used to exaggerate a little bit – I’d say they were going 60 miles per hour, things like that. But you watched it for the thrill of the chase. It’s fast and it’s a daredevil sport – you could get snuffed out at any minute. I just loved it. A lot of people think it is glamorous, but I didn’t see that part. I saw the speed, the excitement. I did like to embellish. I have a motto: never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” Although Skipper was the Aiken Polo Club announcer for a quarter of a century, he did not own any horses, nor was he a horseman himself. “My brother became a racehorse trainer, and I announced polo for 25 years, and we have been two oddities in this business because neither one of us ever learned to ride a horse,” he said. “Maybe I rode once at a dude ranch, but I don’t think my brother ever got on a horse. We used to come to polo all the time when we were kids, but we never did pay. We’d always find a way to get in. Coming to polo and playing in the Hitchcock Woods were the most fun I had growing up.” Admiring Aiken Polo’s new pavilion, he thought back to the simple tower from which he used to call the games, and the even more rudimentary set-up on Powder House Field (“the back of a pickup truck.”) Then he scanned the commemorative bricks that were recently installed in the floor of the pavilion, looking for the one that he had commissioned. It took him a while to find it. “I wonder,” he said. “It said something a little odd. Maybe they didn’t do it.” But then he spotted it in the front row. It bears his signature phrase from his announcing days, “Over the backline and out of play.” He shook his head, laughing to himself at all the memories this brought back. “I’ll be,” he said. “There it is. There it is.”

The Aiken Horse

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 803335-3527, 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

Aiken Horse Blanket. Servicing equestrians with high quality horse blanket repair, wash and waterproof. or your convenience, drop off locations are; Aiken Saddlery, 1044 E. Pine Log Rd, Aiken, 29803 or the 302 General Store, 4746 Wagener Rd. Wagener, 29164. www.aikenhorseblanket.com; on fb Aiken Horse Blanket Group. Contact Elisa @803-640-3211.

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 Sarah Kuhn Equestrian. Beautiful training facility just 3 miles outside downtown Aiken. Huge grass paddocks, mixed fiber dressage arena, 2 jump arenas, gallop track and trails. Huge 12x12 stalls. Lessons and training available for eventing, dressage and jumping. Exceptional care provided. www.sarahkuhnequestrian.com. (617) 999-2150 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 Wolf Head Springs: Full/Partial board with 12x12 matted stalls. Field/paddock turnout. 300 x 200 riding area with show jumps. Look for us on Facebook! Mobile home-next to stable; 3 BR, Furnished, W/D, Heat/AC. Ready October 1st. 410610-5085; 803-649-1493.

COMPANION ANIMALS, CARE & SERVICES Horses & Hounds Aiken, Pet & Horse-Sitting. Reasonable Rates, Bonded & Insured, Vet Assistant. 803-643-9972/803-443-8303. horsesandhoundsaiken@ gmail.com; www.horsesandhoundsaiken.com. Palmetto Dog Club. Training classes, puppy socialization, obedience, rally & agility. 803-262-9686. www.palmettodogclub.org. 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 state-wide. Fully enclosed truck. Satisfaction guaranteed. Jim McClain. 803.247.4803.

HOME & FARM SERVICES

A & A Septic Service. Pump septic system, build and repair leach lines and septic systems. Serving Aiken, Edgefield and Lexington counties. 803.507.1024 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. Craps Small Engine Repair: We service small engine equipment including blade and chain sharpening. We also pickup and deliver for a small fee. We Sell Grasshopper, Ariens and Echo equipment. www.crapssmallengine.com. 3212 Wagener Rd, Aiken South Carolina 29801, 803- 648-9155

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

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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! 803-649-5141

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. Jodi Hemry Eventing. Three-Star Eventer offering professional training, sales, boarding, instruction, horse shows, located in the heart of Aiken, SC. 803-6406691 JodiHemryEventing@gmail.com www.JodiHemryEventing.com

PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN SERVICES

Fraulein-Design is committed to providing equestrian professionals and all industry professionals with marketing designs in a perfect balance of professionalism and visual aesthetics. Each project is designed to fit the needs of the client & to solve the visual communication problem effectively and efficiently from conceptualization to publication. Lynsey Ekema. 858-208-6027. Lynsey. Steinberg.Ekema@gmail.com. www.fraulein-design.com 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 Black Sheep Farm. Unfurnished 3 Bed/ 2 bath cottages for long term rental and small furnished loft apartment, small guest house for short term 2 night to seasonal rental, charming pastoral setting yet proximate to downtown Aiken, and Hitchcock Woods. Horses and pets welcome.904-234-9596 Magnolia Shadows Equestrian Retreat: Where European hospitality meets Southern charm. Offering horse boarding and bed & breakfast with the traveling horseman in mind. Charming 1895 plantation house, guest cottage, barn apartment, RV sites, matted stalls, 7 paddocks with run-in sheds, arena & riding trails for long- and short-term stays. 20 minutes from historic downtown Aiken in Ridge Spring. Dog boarding also available. www.magnoliashadows.com / 803522-1226 / info@magnoliashadows.com. 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 803-2154734.

TACK & TACK REPAIR

Finally Found it Equestrian has some of the horse world’s favorite brands & products. Specialized attention. Place orders from your phone! Specializing in JPC and Equine Couture products. Also stocking gently loved items. I will buy used tack ,bits ,bridles etc. No consignment items. Tack shack at 3914 Wagener Rd. Aiken, S.C. Appointments preferred or by chance. www.finallyfounditequestrian.com. 803-640-2339 for monthly specials. The Saddle Doctor. Saddlery and harness repair. 538 Two Notch Rd. HollyMacSpencer@aol.com. 803.642.5166.

THERAPY Therapy Laser Treatments performed with 30 watt cold laser. Treats injuries on soft tissue or bone. Treatment times are quick and painless. Speeds recovery of injuries by as much as 50 percent. Also perform laser alignments of the spine on equines along with TMJ and poll. www.therapylasercare.com, therapylasercare@ gmail.com. 803-341-7822.

YOGA/FITNESS

Aiken Yoga. At Aiken Yoga we are passionate about sharing the benefits that regular Yoga practice has on one’s wellbeing, energy level and state of mind. In addition to Yoga classes, including Yoga for Equestrians, we offer Pilates, Barre and Teacher Certification. Sarah Acord, RN, 116B Pendleton St. Aiken. 803-5248833, sarah@aikenyoga.com; check www.aikenyoga.com for schedule.

August-September 2017

Classifieds High Wheeled Amish Cart

Land For Sale

Lightly used black 2-wheeled carriage. Fits horse 15-17 hands. Comfortable, quiet and steady. $1,800 410-812-4037

10 ac off 78 in Aiken. Fenced, in grass and horse shelter. Karenphillis@yahoo.com 803 646-8606

Magnolia Shadows Equestrian Retreat Where European hospitality meets Southern charm. Offering Horse Boarding and Bed & Breakfast Services with the traveling horseman in mind. Charming 1895 plantation house, guest cottage, barn apartment, RV sites, matted stalls, 7 paddocks with run-in sheds, arena and riding trails for long- and short-term stays. 20 minutes from historic downtown Aiken in Ridge Spring. Dog boarding also available on the premises. www.magnoliashadows.com / 803-522-1226 / info@magnoliashadows.com.

BOARDING/TURNOUT Training, Lessons, Boarding: Beautiful facility just 3 miles from downtown Aiken. Eventing, Dressage, Show Jumping. sarahkuhnequestrian.com or (617) 999-2150 Chime Ridge Stables. Stalls available, full, partial or self care. Fun, friendly, adult atmosphere. Convenient to town, South Aiken 803-508-3760. BUILDING/REPAIRS 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. HAY Round and Square Bales. Oakwood Farms – 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803 - $60 / bale– round hay bales and $7.00 / Bale – square hay bales – Will deliver for a small fee – Please

call 706-830-2600 or 803-8270864. email garymcelmurray@ glmconstruction.net HELP WANTED Horse Farm looking for a handyman. Must have some experience in all things farm; able to make minor repairs to sprinkler systems, assist in putting in fence lines and repairing existing runin shelters, checking grease/oil levels in equipment, have some experience with airless sprayers and rough carpentry, etc. 2 to 3 days per week to start. Hours and days are flexible. Johnston. 803 522-1170 PETS&SERVICES Horses & Hounds Aiken, Pet & Horse-Sitting. Reasonable Rates, Bonded & Insured, Vet Assistant. 803-643-9972/803-443-8303. horsesandhoundsaiken@gmail. com; www.horsesandhoundsaiken. com. Black Russian Terrier puppies available now. Call Karen. 803646-8606; karenphillis@yahoo. com

Pasture Board

Short or long term pasture board in 302 area close to eventing & polo. 5 acre field with wooded area & water. New fence. 40 acres private trails to ride or drive with some small natural fences. Several other riding & schooling areas. Self or full care; owners on premises. Other options available on the farm; run-in sheds being built. Quiet & private.

803-643-9960

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. Palmetto Dog Club. Training, obedience, rally, agility. 803-262-9686. www.palmettodogclub.org. REAL ESTATE & RENTALS For Sale: Brick house, single garage, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath , living room, kitchen, laundry connections. Garage door opener, HVAC, dishwasher & well pump all new in last four years. 2.2981 acres horses allowed. Off Vaucluse Road & Gregg Avenue. $108,000. marchant.bonnie@gmail.com 864-287-0544. Luxury barn and apartment for rent. 4 stalls, 2 wash stalls, tack & feed rooms, feed room, 1600 sq ft

Advertising in The Aiken Horse Classified ads are $20 for the first 30 words & 40 cents for every word thereafter. Photo Classifieds for horses: $35; (limit 30 words & one picture) Photo Classifieds for real estate, etc. $45; (limit 60 words & one picture) We can accommodate some special requests.

August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse, P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 Email: Editor@theAikenHorse.com We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover. and American Express. Pay online: www.TheAikenHorse.com or Call us: 803.643.9960

Display Ads available in a range of sizes. For detailed rate sheet :

www.TheAikenHorse.com Advertise in the October/November issue! Advertising deadline: September 22, 2017 Publication date: October 6, 2017

furnished & equipped apartment. Five ½ acres irrigated paddocks & irrigated full-sized arena w/ observation hut. 302 corridor near Full Gallop, Paradise Farm & 13 miles from Hitchcock Woods. Apt.: $1200/mo Stalls: $400/mo. Pets considered. Pat: 484-8881135. SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 83 . Property for Sale. Save yourself on commission costs. Cute affordable property in Hatchaway Bridge Farms development. 4.62 acres fenced, cleared, planted with Bermudagrass. Great for seasonal or year round equestrian. $12,000 per acre. 608-513-8115. For Rent: 10 acres, 10 stalls. 2-bedroom, 2-bath. Close-in to town. $2,000 per month. 803-4745194 TACK & TACK REPAIR Tack and harness cleaning and conditioning. Will come to your farm. Reasonable rates, $15 per hour. Call Bernadette: 910-6393115.

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

s ’ t e P r u Yo ! t e V r e h Ot

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Call 803-653-0009 today for our special upgrade package!

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

I-20 Exit 101 Aug 19-20 Aug 25-27 Sept 1-3 Sept 8-10 Sept 15-17 Oct 13-15 Oct 20-22 Oct 27-29 Nov 3-5 Nov 10-12 Dec 1-3 Dec 9-10

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scequinepark.com/calendar for more information

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

scequinepark.com Camden SC I-20 Exit 101 August-September 2017

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center sprea

Summer in Aiken: Walking the Aiken Hounds, Polo practice, Driving at The Vista.

Photography by Gary Knoll and Pam Gleason

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

Flies love Stinky Stalls Sweet PDZ eliminates odors in stinky stalls! ®

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Treat ammonia reeking wet spots and odor pulsating poop piles with Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Refresher and watch the Stomoxys calcitrans fly, fly away. Your equine friends aspire to live in an odor-free and mostly fly-free stall. Buy a bag and let Sweet PDZ make it a reality. • #1

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August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

Aiken Area Calendar of Events

AUGUST 1

1-6

2 4-5 4-5 5

5 5-6 5-6 5-6 6 6 9

Equine Pasture Management Workshop. Three Runs Plantation, 125 Three Runs Plantation Dr, Aiken, SC. Cece Bulkley, ceceb@email.com, www.threerunsplantation.com The 94th Annual Blowing Rock Charity HJ Show. L. M. Tate Horse Show Grounds, Broyhill Equestrian Preserve, Blowing Rock, NC. www.blowingrockhorses.com/blowing-rock-charityhorse-show Jumper Night. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com Ed Brown’s 49th Annual IPRA Championship Rodeo. Blacksburg, SC. www.ipra-rodeo.com Katydid Obstacle Clinic. $60. Katydid Farm, 359 State Park Rd Windsor, SC. www.Katydid Farm.com Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Test, 3-Phase, CrossCountry Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com Schooling Show. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www.chatthillseventing. com PSJ Back to School Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.billpickettrodeo.com GDCTA Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www.willspark.com/ equestrian-calendar Katydid Cones Clinic. $25. Katydid Farm, 359 State Park Rd Windsor, SC. www.Katydid Farm.com Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www.fullgallopfarm. com USEF/USDF “Too Hot To Trot” Dressage. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com

9-13 10-27 12 12 12 12 12 12-13 12-13 12-13 13 18-20 19

The Aiken Horse

Tryon August I – USEF AA/Level 6 Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com HJ Show. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www.chatthillseventing.com Camden Equine Circuit Local HJ Show. Pine Tree Stables, Camden, SC. www.camdenequinecircuit.com Running Start Derby Cross. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www. carolinahorsepark.com Rolling Hills Saddle Club Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar Georgia State Championship Extreme Cowboy Race. Chicopee Wood Agricultural Center, 1855 Calvary Church Road, Gainesville, GA. www.southernobstaclechallenges.com Saturday Night Lights – $25,000 Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com Ride Better Clinic with Lellie Ward. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com H. J. Fox Summer Classics I & II. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.HJFoxClassics.com Tryon Summer Dressage V presented by Adequan®. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com Atlanta Youth Dressage Challenge. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com Tryon August II – USEF B/Level 3 Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Test, 3-Phase, CrossCountry Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com GQHA Novice Show Series. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www. gqha.com

August-September 2017

Carolina Schooling Clinic. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 19 Saturday Night Lights – $25,000 Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 19-20 Full Gallop USEA/USEF Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www. fullgallopfarm.com 19-20 R1 - Stepping Stone III PSJ HJ Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail. com, www.psjshows.com 19-20 The Jump Ahead Benefit Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 19-20 Clayton Frederiks Clinic. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com 19-20 NC Palomino Roy Saunders Memorial Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. www. scequinepark.com 20 The Good Horseman Foundation Summer Schooling Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.goodhorseman.org 21 Eclipse Observation. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com 25, 27 Upper South Carolina State Fair. Greenville, SC. www.iprarodeo.com 25-26 Annual Sandy Oaks IPRA Pro Rodeo Round-Up. Edgefield, SC. www.ipra-rodeo.com 25-26 Carl Black Classic. Jim Miller Park, Marietta, GA. www.iprarodeo.com 25-27 Tryon August III – USEF B/Level 3 Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 25-27 Palmetto Paint Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. Anne Louise Miller, millawayranch@windstream.net, www.scequinepark.com 26 Saturday Night Lights – $25,000 Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 26-27 PSJ Series HJ Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 26-27 Southern Classic Appaloosa Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgia-appaloosa.com 26-27 Brownwood Farms Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 27 Full Gallop CT Show. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www.fullgallopfarm. com 30-Sept 3 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena®. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www. tryon.coth.com 30-Sept 3 Elite Show Jumping Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar

2 2-3 6 7-10 8-9 8-9 8-10 9 9 9 9-10 9-10 9-10 9-10 10 12-15 13 13-23 13-24 14-17 14-17 15-17 16

SEPTEMBER 1

1-3 1-3 2

Gladiator Polo. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com Harmon Classics Labor Day Spectatcular Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence. org George Morris Clinic. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. www.scequinepark.com Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Test, 3-Phase, CrossCountry Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com

August-September 2017

16 17 17 16-17

Just for Fun Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com GDCTA Labor Day Classic I & II . The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com Jumper Night. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com Aiken Fall Festival I. Bruce’s Field at the Aiken Horse Park, 931 Powderhouse Road SE, Aiken, SC. www.aikenhorsepark.org 26th Annual Westminister Pro Rodeo. Westminster, SC.www. ipra-rodeo.com Katydid Obstacle Clinic. $60. Katydid Farm, 359 State Park Rd Windsor, SC. www.Katydid Farm.com Pumpkin Patch Dressage. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. www.scequinepark.com Camden Equine Circuit Local HJ Show. Tally Ho Farm, Camden, SC. www.camdenequinecircuit.com Olde Milton Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www.willspark.com/ equestrian-calendar Arion SportHorses American Hanoverian Society Inspection. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com USEF/USDF Dressage Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com NC AQHA Quarter Horse Ride. Broyhill Equestrian Preserve, Blowing Rock, NC. www.brchs.org Atlanta Youth Dressage Challenge, IEA/Western. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com Newton County Saddle Club Open Horse Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com Katydid Cones Clinic. $25. Katydid Farm, 359 State Park Rd Windsor, SC. www.Katydid Farm.com Dressage Instructors Seminar. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com Schooling Dressage Show. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com Holley Tractor 4 Goal. Wagener Polo Club. www.wagenerpolo. com. Hotline: 803-566-8610. Bill Raab: 561-719-3318 USPA Northrup Knox Cup 12 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken, SC. www.newbridgepolo.com. Hotline: 803-644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577 Aiken Fall Festival II. Bruce’s Field at the Aiken Horse Park, 931 Powderhouse Road SE, Aiken, SC. www.aikenhorsepark. org FEI CDI-W, CPEDI 3*, and National Show presented by Adequan®. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www. tryon.coth.com Camden Fall Classic. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. www.scequinepark.com Aiken County Pony Club Mounted/Unmounted Meeting with Valerie Swygert. The Vista, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken, SC. aikencounty.ponyclub.org WHES Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www.fullgallopfarm. com WHES Horse Trials. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com Ride Better Clinic with Lellie Ward. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com

The Aiken Horse

16-17 USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 16-17 Horse Show Ventures Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 16-17 GHF/Massey Ferguson Fall Dressage Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 16-17 H. J. Fox Autumn Classics I & II. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 19-Oct 1 Alan Corey Cup 4 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. www.aikenpolo. org. Hotline: 803-643-3611. Bill Raab: 561-719-3318 19-Oct 7 USPA Master Cup 6 Goal. Wagener Polo Club. www. wagenerpolo.com. Hotline: 803-566-8610. Bill Raab: 561-7193318 20-23 Southeastern Charity Horse Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 21-24 Showjumping Show. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www. chatthillseventing.com 21-24 Tryon Fall I – USEF B/Level 3 Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 21-Oct 8 Copa de Plata 8 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken, SC. www.newbridgepolo.com. Hotline: 803-644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577 22-23 Christine Traurig Dressage Clinic. Bruce’s Field at the Aiken Horse Park, 931 Powderhouse Road SE, Aiken, SC. www. aikenhorsepark.org 22-23 W & W Productions Pro Rodeo. 1313 Green Pond Road, Fountain Inn, SC. www.ipra-rodeo.com 22-23 PSJ Mullet Hall Fall Classic. Mullet Hall Equestrian Center , Johns Island, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www. psjshows.com 23 FENCE Open Horse Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 23 Saturday Night Lights – $25,000 Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 23-24 Cheryl & Co. Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 23-24 Timberland HDT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com 23-24 Extreme Cowboy Race SE Regional Championships (Triple Points). Green River Farm, Gaffney, SC. www. southernobstaclechallenges.com 24 Full Gallop CT Show. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www.fullgallopfarm. com 25 Obstacle Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com 27 CHP Young Event Horse Competition. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www. carolinahorsepark.com 27-Oct 1 Tryon Fall II – USEF AA/Level 6 Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 28-Oct 15 USPA Governors Cup 6 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. www. aikenpolo.org. Hotline: 803-643-3611. Bill Raab: 561-7193318 29-30 Outlaw’s Championship Rodeo. Antioch Community Center, 1591 Bishopville Highway, Camden, SC. www.ipra-rodeo.com

29-30 60th Annual Southern Championship Charity Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 29-Oct 1 USEA Oktoberfest Horse Trials. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com 29-Oct 15 USPA Copper Cup 12 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken, SC. www.newbridgepolo.com. Hotline: 803-644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577 30 Aiken County Pony Club Course Walk with Boyd Martin. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. aikencounty. ponyclub.org 30 Just for Fun Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 30 Hunter Pace. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www.chatthillseventing.com 23 Saturday Night Lights – $40,000 Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 30 CCC Driving Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 30-Oct 1 Newton County Saddle Club Open Horse Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 30-Oct 1Cheryl & Co Fall Festival Horse Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com

OCTOBER 4

4-8 5-6 5-8 5-22 6-8 6-29 7

7 7 7 7 7 7-8 7-8 7-8

The Aiken Horse

Jumper Night. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com Tryon Fall III – USEF AA/CSI 2* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 5th Annual Saddle Creek Rodeo. Hat & Spur Ranch 250 Peacock Road, Waynesboro, GA. www.ipra-rodeo.com Fjord and Friend Fesr II.. Broyhill Equestrian Preserve, Blowing Rock, NC. www.brchs.org USPA Officers Cup 6 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. www.aikenpolo. org. Hotline: 803-643-3611. Bill Raab: 561-719-3318 PSJ HJ Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org USPA Players Cup 4 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. www.aikenpolo. org. Hotline: 803-643-3611. Bill Raab: 561-719-3318 Barn Party and Tour to Benefit Great Oak Therapeutic Riding Center. 1-5pm. Clubhouse, Three Runs Plantation Drive, Aiken, SC. info@greatoakatrc.org, www.greatoakatrc. networkforgood.com Michael Vallaincourt Clinic. The Vista, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken, SC. aikencounty.ponyclub.org Southeast Schooling Show Championships. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www.chatthillseventing.com Rolling Hills Saddle Club Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar CHP Derby Cross. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com Saturday Night Lights – $86,000 Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com PSJ Oktoberfest. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com Horse Show Ventures - The Southeastern Hunter/Jumper Series. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com USPA Middle School Tournament. Aiken Polo Club. www. aikenpolo.org. Hotline: 803-643-3611. Bill Raab: 561-7193318

August-September 2017

10-28 USPA Constitution Cup 6 Goal. Wagener Polo Club. www. wagenerpolo.com. Hotline: 803-566-8610. Bill Raab: 561-7193318 11 Schooling Dressage Show. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com 11 Drive in the Hitchcock Woods. Aiken Driving Club. www. aikendrivingclub.com. Pixie Baxter. 803-295-6785. 11-15 Tryon Fall IV – USEF AA/CSI 3* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 11-29 USPA Presidents Cup 8 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken, SC. www.newbridgepolo.com. Hotline: 803-644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577 12-14 Aiken Women’s Challenge. Aiken Polo Club. www.aikenpolo. org. Hotline: 803-643-3611. Bill Raab: 561-719-3318 13-14 Carl Black Classic. Jim Miller Park, Marietta, GA. www.iprarodeo.com 13-15 Robbie Ready Memorial Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. www.scequinepark. com 14 Joint Meet: WRFH and Shakerag Hounds. Party that evening. Fixture TBA. www.whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com 14 Dressage, Show Jumping, Combined Test, 3-Phase, CrossCountry Schooling Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 14 WHES Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com 14 Saturday Night Lights –$130,000 CSI 3* Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 14-15 PSJ Aiken Fall Classic. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 14-15 USEF/USEA Recognized Horse Trials. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com 14-15 Put Your Breast Hoof Forward Trail Ride, A Charity Breast Cancer Ride. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www. georgiahorsepark.com 14-15 Elite Show Jumping Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 14-15 GDCTA Atlanta National Fall Dressage Show. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 14-15 Hunter-Jumper Show. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www. chatthillseventing.com 15 MFHA Foxhunter Qualifier. Stable View Farm, 117 Stable Drive, Aiken, SC. www.stableviewfarm.com 15 WHES Horse Trials. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www.carolinahorsepark.com 18-22 Tryon Fall V – USEF AA/CSI 5* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 18-Nov 5 USPA Bronze Trophy 12 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, Aiken, SC. www.newbridgepolo.com. Hotline: 803-644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577 20-22 Four Beats for Pleasure Show. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. www.scequinepark.com 21 Aiken County Pony Club Games Day at The Vista. The Vista, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken, SC. aikencounty.ponyclub.org 21 Saturday Night Lights – $380,000 CSI 5* Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com

August-September 2017

21-22 R1 - Stepping Stone IV PSJ HJ Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail. com, www.psjshows.com 21-22 TRHC Horse Trials. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 21-22 Brownwood Farms Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 21-22 H. J. Fox Halloween Classics I & II. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 22 Western Carolina Fair Bulls & Broncs. 1566 Columbia Highway North, Aiken, SC. www.ipra-rodeo.org 24-Nov 5 Aiken Fall Cup 2 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. www.aikenpolo. org. Hotline: 803-643-3611. Bill Raab: 561-719-3318 25-29 Tryon Fall VI – USEF AA/CSI 3* Horse Show. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 27-29 SCQHA Spooktacular. South Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden, SC. www.scequinepark.com 27-29 Lendon Gray’s Dressage4Kids & Atlanta Youth Festival. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 28 Aiken Fall Steeplechase. Aiken Horse Park, Aiken, SC. www. aikensteeplechase.com 28 Aiken Hunter Trials and Dog Show. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, www.paradisefarmaiken.com 28 Running Start Derby Cross Championship. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www. carolinahorsepark.com 28 Saturday Night Lights – $130,000 CSI 3* Grand Prix. TIEC, 4066 Pea Ridge Road, Mill Spring, NC. www.tryon.coth.com 28-29 2017 Conyers Peach State Autumn Grand Prix. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www.georgiahorsepark.com 28-29 Athens Area Hunter/Jumper Association Fall Classic and 2017 Medal Finals. The Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy NE, Conyers, GA. www. georgiahorsepark.com 29 Just for Fun Show. Highfields, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken, SC. 803.649.3505, psjshows@gmail.com, www.psjshows.com 29 Full Gallop CT and Open Show. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken, SC. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590, www. fullgallopfarm.com 29 Camden Equine Circuit Local HJ Show. Pine Tree Stables, Camden, SC. www.camdenequinecircuit.com 28-29 BRHJA Classic Horse Show. FENCE, 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon, NC. 828.859.9021, www.fence.org 28-29 USEF/USDF Dressage Show. Poplar Place Farms, 8191 US Hwy 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.582.3742 x209, donna@ poplarplacefarm.com, www.poplarplacefarm.com 28-29 Brownwood Farms Horse Show. Wills Park Equestrian Center, 11925 Wills Rd, Alpharetta, GA. 770.338.0143, www. willspark.com/equestrian-calendar 28-29 USEF/USEA Recognized Horse Trials. Chattahoochee Hills Eventing, 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. www.chatthillseventing.com 28-29 NCDCTA Dressage Championships. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, www. carolinahorsepark.com

The Aiken Horse

Business Cards

TheDalyGrind_TAH.qxp_Layout 1 4/14/17 1:34 PM Page 1

Skills: entity Visual Id g Brandin Design Cohesion e r Servic Custome creative services • graphic design • web design

www.karenadaly.com 803/215.1082 • karendaly70@gmail.com

KarenDalyRealtor_TAH.qxp_Layout 1 4/14/17 1:17 PM Page 1

• residential

• equestrian • land

KAREN DALY REALTOR®

The Aiken Horse

803/649-8103 • kdaly@meybohm.com

August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

Monetta Farrier Specialties

Now with Two Great Locations

SAME GREAT SERVICE AND BROAD RANGE OF QUALITY FARRIER SUPPLIES

Aiken, SC WE HAVED! 803.685.5101 E V O M

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Serving Aiken year round

EAST COAST EQUINE DENTISTRY Lou Heffner

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803.649.9343 home 610.960.2405 for immediate response

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

Mortality FarM liability Care/Custody/Control shawna dietriCh

800-942-4258

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betsy Minton

803-617-8353

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August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

Index of Advertisers Advertiser

Page Section

Advertiser

Page Section

Aiken County Farm Supply

Equus Events

Progressive Show Jumping, Inc

Aiken Fine Homes and Land

Estancia La Victoria

ReMax -S.Dale

Aiken Horsemanship Academy

Estrella Equine

ReMax -S.Dale

Aiken Luxury Rentals

Fencing Solutions

Retired Racehorse Project

Aiken Pet Fitness & Rehabilitation

FOTAS Aiken

Scribble Horse

Aiken Saddlery, Inc.

Gary Knoll Photography

Shane Doyle

Aiken Tack Exchange

Great Oak ATRC

Shelter Pet

Attwood Equestrian Surfaces

Happily Ever After Dressage

South Carolina Equine Park

Auto Tech

HarborChase of Aiken

Southern Equine Service

Barnware

Ina Ginsberg

Southern States

Be Fly Free

Just Hope Farm

SPCA Albrecht Center

Bridlewood Farm

Keller Williams Augusta

SPCA Vet

Camden Equine Rehabilitation

Larlee Construction

Stable View Farm, LLC

Carolina Real Estate Company

Lightning Protection Systems

Sweet PDZ (PDZ Co. LLC)

Carolina Real Estate Company

Marrinson Stables

The Patchwork Ranch

Christina Power Photography

Matrix Corporate Park

The Tack Room

Clint Bertalan Farms LLC

Memory Ride

Three Runs Plantation

Deceased Pet Care, inc.

Meybohm RE Haslup

Todâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hill/ReMax

Dennis Freeland

Meybohm RE Vaillancourt

Trinity Custom Homes

Designer Builders

Meybohm Realtors (Turner)

Triple Crown Feeds

DFG Stables

Meybohm Realtors Stinson

Tryon Resort

Downtown Dog

New Bridge Polo Club

Twiffy Lane Farm

Epona

Oak Manor Saddlery

Warneke Cleaners

Equine Divine

Paradise Farm

Windsor Court

Equine Rescue of Aiken

Pat Blewett

August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

August-September 2017

Forecast for October 9, 2017

ItÕ s going to be raining golf balls

FOTASÕ 4th Annual Helicopter Ball Drop & Playing Fore the Pets Golf Tournament

Your Chance to Win $1000.00 on the Ball Drop Rafﬂe Pre-numbered golf balls will be dropped from 300 feet over a designated hole at Woodside Plantation Country Club in Aiken, SC in conjunction with FOTASÕ Playing Fore the Pets golf tournament. Donate $10.00 to FOTAS for a ball drop ticket. The corresponding numbered ball that lands 1st in the hole or closest to the hole wins $1,000.00

To purchase your golf ball raffle tickets contact FOTAS at golf@fotasaiken.org

Proceeds benefit the

Aiken County Animal Shelter Visit www.FOTASAiken.org for golf tournament entry information August-September 2017

The Aiken Horse

A SECLUDED GATED COMMUNITY IN SERENE HORSE COUNTRY. Undulating hills. Wooded acres. Rolling coastal Bermuda grass pastures. The landscape of Tod’s Hill is an equestrian’s dream. Yet walkers, thinkers and privacy seekers are equally drawn to the peaceful setting of this gated community close to Augusta, even closer to Aiken, and far from everything else.

ESTATE HOMESITES FROM 6 TO 22 ACRES. MARKETED BY THE RE/MAX COLLECTION TATTERSALL GROUP KARL MCMILLAN 843-693-6115 TODSHILL.COM Fine Homes & Luxury Properties

Fine Homes & Luxury Properties