TAH Feb-March 2020

Volume 15 • Number 4 •

February-March 2020

Deirdre Stoker Vaillancourt, REALTOR®

803.640.4591

Aiken, South Carolina — Southern Charm and Equestrian Sport 525 LAURENS ST

MLS # 97065

215 BERRIE RD

MLS # 109084

LAKE FOREST LN LOTS

Lot 65 MLS # 109509 • Lot 66 MLS # 109508 • C. 1917 Restored Winter Colony Luxury Estate • $2,500,000 • 5.62 Private, Manicured Acres • 7323 sq ft • 5 BR 7.5 BA • Separate Staff Apartment • Indoor Swimming Pool • 2 Automatic Gated Entrances • Converted Carriage House

• 8.5 Acres Hitchcock Stables • 8 Large Paddocks • Adjoins the Woods • 27 12x12 Stall Barn • Original Family Stable Yard Dating from 1882 • 2 Carriage Sheds, Bunk House • $2,300,000

• Lot 65 - 12 acres - $180,000 • Lot 66 - 12.84 acres - $192,600 • Located in Aiken’s Premier Equestrian Community, Fox Hollow on the Lake • Community Riding Trails, Jump Arenas, X-Country Course, Dressage Arena and Lake Access

900 HORSE CREEK RD BEECH ISLAND, SC 29842 MLS # 110202

• Just Hope Farm • 46 Acres • 2500 sq ft 2 Barn Apt with 2BR 1BA each • Designated Arena • Separate Dressage Arena

• Center Aisle Barn with 11 Oversized Stalls • Wash, Feed, Utility, Tack Rm Stalls • Riders Lounge • $885,000

1064 GRAND PRIX DR BEECH ISLAND, SC 29842

• Distinguished Turn Key Farm • 20.46 Acres • 1731 sq ft

• 2 BR 2.5 BA • Gated Community • 4 Large Grass Paddocks

MLS # 103839

• 8 Stall Courtyard Barn, Feed/Tack Rm, Wash Stall • $690,000

www.AikenSCProperties.com 2

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SuzyHaslup_TAH_Sept2019.qxp_Layout 1 9/22/19 2:22 PM Page 1

KATYDID FARM

$1.1 MILLION

WOOD’S END WAY

$648,000

COKER SPRINGS

$719,900

REDUCED Accredited Land Consultant

Home to an international driving event, this farm is suitable for any equestrian discipline.

112 acres with 3/2 home, 2 center aisle barns (18 stalls), hay field, fenced pastures, 5 run-in sheds, trails & equipment buildings.

HAYFIELD SOUTH

$850,000

Well maintained Salley farm. 5 BR/3BA, 62 A, kennels, 8 stall barn w/wash stall & pine paneled tack room w/half bath, refrigerator & W/D. 2 BR/2BA mobile, equipment building, 220X140 ring, 6 fenced fields & 2 run-ins.

An Accredited Land Consultant, Suzy achieved the title of Leading Sales Agent in 2013, 2015 & 2016.

Her 2017 & 2018 achievements include Meybohm’s “Best of the Best” & President’s Club, as well as Ride into the Hitchcock Woods w/70 miles Flutterby Acre Farm is steps away from 2018 RLI APEX award for top land real of trails from your new 3 BR/3.5 BA custom Hitchcock Woods for producing you, your horses & estate agents. hardiplank home w/3 stall barn, wash stall, dogs! Renovated circa 1932 5 BR/3 BA tack room & fenced turnout on 3.51 A. cedarshake home on 1 acre w/paddocks & No HOA with city services. Available to rent.

4 stall barn. Heart pine floors & 3 fireplaces.

BUTTON DOWN FARM

$749,000

Hardiplank 3/2 home on 12.48 fully fenced acres in Bridle Creek w/2 car garage, 4 stall barn (wash stall, tack room, feed room and in/out stalls) & your own 200 X 80 synthetic footing ring. Community trails with new dressage & jump arena. HOA dues $1500/yr.

FOX HOLLOW LOTS

Fox Hollow, just under 800 acres, includes a trail over Johnson Lake, irrigated show rings, mirrored dressage ring, cross country course & fabulous trails. Build your dream farm on one of these available lots.

LOT 27 19.89A LOT 1B 7.71A $200,000 $77,100 LOT 46 8.9 A $50,000

Congratulations to Tim, Vickie, and Tate Shaw

on the purchase of Jumping Branch Farm.

www.AikenHorseRealty.com (803) 215-0153 • suzy.haslup@gmail.com February-March 2020

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WELCOME TO THE SOUTH

YOU’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF...

finehomesofaiken.com

THE BALCONY is the most prestigious equestrian estate in Aiken, a comfortable showplace in the heart of Aiken’s “Winter Colony.” Close to all equestrian venues, the 5.85-acre compound is a peaceful sanctuary within tall masonry walls. The elegant slateroofed residence shows refined craftsmanship in every detail. Stately formal rooms. 6 ensuite bedrooms w/ fireplaces. Kitchen, laundry, & utilities are all updated.

Exquisite gardens & lawns. 20-stall stable, 3-BR cottage, swimming pool, large paddocks. $2,450,000

SNIPES POND is a 4028 sf renovated historic plantation home on 46 acres of beautiful rolling farm land. The top-quality renovation by skilled craftsmen from Reynolds Co. offers modern amenities such as a granite kitchen island, French country sink, walkin closets, ceiling fans, & security system. multiple porches on both floors, and handsome wood floors.

The 46.31 acres are ideal for farming, horses, other recreation or quiet enjoyment. Additional acreage available. $769,900

HIGH COTTON FARM This equestrian estate has a 4 BR/4 BA residence and 4 or 5 stall barn with charming apartment, all on 12.47 acres. Located close to town, the farm has 5 fenced grass paddocks and an electric gate entrance. The home has: new roof, numerous upgrades, tankless water heater, and new interior colors. Gas heat, thermal-pane windows.

Extra-large master suite downstairs. $825,000

SHELBORNE FARM is a gracious 4 BR 4.5 BA custom residence on 50 acres with magnificent views.

Interior features are 5 fireplaces, granite counter tops, 2nd floor observation deck, wood floors, stunning 2-story great room, and a framed-in apartment over the garage. Six-stall barn with wash rack & feed room, dressage ring, 150x300 huinter-jumper ring. Boardfenced pastures. Three-car garage. $799,900

PENDING

SNIPES POND ROAD 16 wooded acres available for use as a residence, farm, hunting land or whatever your heart desires. Short trip to I-20, about 12 minutes to downtown Aiken, and close to Aiken’s equestrian schooling and event facilities. Beautifully forested in pines and oaks, the land is level and easy to clear for pasture. Adjacent to marvelous horse farm. No mobile homes. Motivated seller is asking $83,000

SOLD

SOLD

FOXCHASE Immaculate 2783 sq.ft. brick ranch home on beautiful 1.7-acre lot in Foxchase equestrian community. 3 BR & 2.5 BA, plus storage in 9 closets & 3 floored attic spaces. Updated w/thermopane windows, 2-year old gas pack for bedrooms, dual fuel generator, irrigation system w/well, recent master bath. Large kitchen w/Corian countertops. 5 parking bays plus workshop. $365,000

ROCKING HORSE: 19.5-acre horse farm with a Southern Living residence in Pacific Northwest styling.

Magnificent 2-story great room is the centerpiece of this brilliant open floor plan. Vintage interior doors.

Energy efficient home w/fiberglass exterior. Reclaimed heart pine floors & art deco tile. Master suite with walkin shower. Two barns w/5 stalls, tack room, wash area, & hay storage. Many more amenities. Property can be subdivided. Private equestrian community near Aiken w/riding trails, dressage ring, & jump field. $765,000

CANARY COTTAGE is a secluded, beautiful 3.38 acre horse property snuggled into the edge of Hitchcock Woods. Delightful floor plan: open sitting room, breakfast room, & gorgeously updated kitchen.

Formal dining room, wet bar, & den. Fireplaces in dining room, den, & sitting room. 3 bedrooms & 2.5 baths. Large basement apartment. 4-stall barn w/covered hay storage, tack room, utility room, & heated wash stall. Log cabin for barn help. $879,000

DIBBLE ROAD Stately 1-story contemporary in Highland Park on landscaped 1-acre lot. Great value for the size and condition. Circular driveway, superb chef’s kitchen, private patio, & granite fireplace surround in living room. Home music system. Extralarge master suite with double vanity and separate shower and tub. Absolutely brilliant floor plan. Subzero refrigerator, Miele convection oven, Thermador gas range w/grill insert, Samsung washer and dryer (gas), plus refrigerator and range in garage for garage apartment. $575,000

The finest farms in Aiken, South Carolina.

Call 803-640-0123 for estates, farms, homes & land.

KELLER WILLIAMS AIKEN PARTNERS

803 / 640 / 0123

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February-March 2020

Ride the Rail Sunday February 23 Spectators welcome.

Have you ever wanted to ride on the Aiken Training Track?

! s u n oi J Sunday, February 23, 2020 12 - 3pm

Ride alone or ride with friends, at the pace you choose.

Entry Fee: $40 per horse/rider combination (2 laps max).

Proceeds to benefit the Aiken Training Track.

Space is limited. Advanced registration requested.

Required of all riders - Proof of negative Coggins test within 12 months;

All riders must wear approved helmets and appropriate footwear; Riders must sign a waiver & juniors (under 14) must ride with an adult; No colts, stallions, or ridglings.

For full event description and rules visit www.aikentrainingtrack.com or email RideTheRailAiken@gmail.com for information or VM 508-265-3055.

Please support our sponsors!

photo ©AnneHoover.com ATT Ride The Rail Ad AH.indd 1

February-March 2020

1/26/20 10:55 PM

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Aiken

The

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication

P.O. Box 332 • Montmorenci, SC 29839-0332 • 803.643.9960 • TheAikenHorse.com • TheAikenHorse@gmail.com Time Dated Material • Periodicals • Volume 15 • Number 4

W

elcome to the February-March edition of The Aiken Horse, our first issue of the new year and the new decade. As usual for February, we have a big paper for you and we hope you enjoy it, whether you are one of our regular readers, or a seasonal visitor who is picking it up for the first time. We know there are many new people in town this winter, drawn to our expanding menu of equestrian activities and to the special atmosphere of Aiken. And our weather, of course! Although it is still likely we will have some cold and nasty days, the daffodils are already blooming, the trees downtown are starting to bud, and the horses are definitely shedding. February might be the heart of winter in some places. But here in Aiken it feels like spring.

We are looking forward to the coming months of intense equestrian activity, which are starting off with eventing competitions, horse shows, and of course the Aiken Triple Crown – three weekends of equestrian activity starting with racing (The Aiken Trials on March 14) followed by steeplechasing (The Aiken Steeplechase on March 21) and finishing up with polo (the Pacers & Polo match on March 28.) This year the Triple Crown weekends will be followed by the historic Aiken Horse Show in the Hitchcock Woods (April 3-5). They will be preceded by two additional spectator-friendly events the two weekends before.

On March 7, standardbred racing returns to McGhee’s Mile on Banks Mill Road. And the week before that, the second annual Grand Prix Eventing Showcase will be back at Bruce’s Field (February 28-29.) This makes six weekends of high profile equestrian activity before

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The Aiken Horse

the polo and premier horse show seasons start up in April.

We’re especially excited this year about Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park.

For those who missed it last year, this is an intense competition with $50,000 in cash prizes. The fences are set at the Advanced Level, and organizers have invited the top eventing riders in the world. These include our local world class riders, Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton, as well as Doug Payne who was on the goldmedal-winning U.S. team at the Pan American Games last year and just won the $100,000 eventing Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida. Members of other international teams will be there too, including the British rider William Fox-Pitt. The cross country course for the Grand Prix is constructed in a limited area in the park, making it easier for spectators to take in the action.

The fences themselves pay tribute to iconic Aiken landmarks and events – horses jump miniature versions of the Palmetto Golf Course Clubhouse and The Willcox hotel, cannons that represent the Civil War Battle of Aiken, and so on. This year, there will also be a Jumbotron set up for easy viewing, so no one needs to miss a thing.

Another feature of the Grand Prix eventing competition this year is that it will put a special emphasis on Thoroughbred horses. Eclipse Racing Partners is sponsoring a $5,000 prize for the highest placed Thoroughbred, and representatives from the Retired Racehorse Project, an organization based in Maryland, will be on hand and will conduct a master class in retraining horses that are retired from the track.

Thoroughbreds have always played an important role in Aiken, so we think this is especially fitting.

“I’m excited about it; I think everyone is,” said Tara Bostwick, who is the vice president of the Aiken Horse Park and one of the organizers. She says that there are some new fences this year, but that their design won’t be revealed until the event. We are looking forward to it.

We hope you enjoy this issue. As ever, if you have any questions or suggestions, you know of a story that we could be covering or if we can help you with anything, please drop us an email. We want to be your horse newspaper!

The Aiken Horse EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pam Gleason

ART DIRECTOR Gary Knoll

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jean Berko Gleason

LAYOUT & DESIGN Gary Knoll

PHOTOGRAPHERS Pam Gleason Gary Knoll

ADVERTISING

803.643.9960 editor@theaikenhorse.com

Going Out Of Town?

Don’t miss future issues of The Aiken Horse.

We will send you a one year subscription (6 issues) for $24.00. Send check or CC # & your mailing address: P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 Or sign up on the web at www.TheAikenHorse. com

Aiken

The

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication

All contents Copyright 2020 The Aiken Horse

Pam Gleason Editor & Publisher

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

February-March 2020

SECTION 10 20 28 31 33

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News and Notes Stableview Season Opener Booth Malone Jumping Branch Farm Aiken Tack Exchange

Our cover features Betty Ruckelshaus jumping at the Aiken Horse Show in the Woods. The 104th Aiken Horse Show will come to the Hitchcock Woods from April 3-5.

Photography by Freudy

SECTION

Amelia Lyon competes in the Grand Prix aboard Elfen String of Pearls. Dressage in the Park at Bruce’s Field

46 48 56 62 64 67

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Secret Lives: Crash Sandy Hills Farm Progressive Show Jumping Online Learning Bones Ask the Judge

Photography by Gary Knoll.

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Haley Barns on Golden Glock WS at the Aiken Winter Premier. Bruce’s Field.

Photography by Gary Knoll

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75 76 78 80 82 86 89 96 97 98

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Ranitidine Interview: Doug Payne Rider Fitness Pasture Protection Tales of Rescue Progressive Show Jumping Calendar Classifieds Directory of Services Index of Advertisers

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News & Notes

By Pam Gleason & Mary Jane Howell

Aiken Horse Show

The Aiken Horse Show returns to the historic horse show ring in the Hitchcock Woods from Friday, April 3 to Sunday, April 5. This will be the 104th renewal of the show, which was started in 1916 by members of Aiken’s Winter Colony.

Back on those days, Northern “tourists” would come South from just after Christmas through March. They would ride, hunt, shoot, and play golf, polo and court tennis through Aiken’s mild winters. When spring came around, they would pack everything up on a railroad car and take the train North again.

The horse show was a highly anticipated

Dorothy Davis Jackson jumping Mrs C.V. Whitney’s Lincoln. Aiken Horse Show, 1928.

rite of spring, a grand finale of sorts to the Aiken season and it was both popular and competitive, lasting for as long as three days, with classes often going until dark.

Today, the show in the woods marks the end of the foxhunting season, but it falls right in the middle of Aiken’s winter and spring horse show seasons. These days, horse showing is big in the city, with numerous rated shows from September to mid-June, and some especially high intensity weeks in April and May, when the Aiken Spring Classics and the Aiken Charity Horse Shows come to Highfields Event Center and Bruce’s Field respectively. The Aiken Horse Show in the Woods is not like these shows, in that it remains an old-fashioned hunter show, with many traditional classes that were once common. These include hunter pairs and hunt teams, a family class, leadline and walk-

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trot. There are divisions for qualified field hunters and for sidesaddle riders, classes for children, adults and “silver foxes.” The atmosphere is welcoming, which is a good thing because, for many participants, the Aiken Horse Show in the Woods is the only show they ride in all year. Although it is unrated and there are no points to be won, it remains a major attraction for riders who appreciate its traditional atmosphere and its beautiful setting in the middle of the forest.

Each day at the show has a slightly different character. Friday starts things off with the $750 Aiken Hounds Welcome Stakes at 9 a.m. This is followed by two hunter divisions, and the day culminates in the $1,000 Aiken Horse Show Handy Hunter Stakes.

Saturday is a day for children and families, with children’s walk-trot and walk-trotcanter divisions as well as junior hunter (for young riders) and future hunter divisions (for young horses.) The highlights of the day include leadline class (not to begin before 12:30) the family class and the costume class.

A therapeutic riding class completes the schedule.

Sunday is foxhunter day with divisions restricted to horse-and-rider combinations that have actually gone out hunting a specified number of times during the past season. This is also the day for the sidesaddle division, which brings an added air of nostalgia to the show. This division, which brought sidesaddle riding back to the show after a 40-year hiatus, attracts a dedicated contigent of sidesaddle riders, mostly members of Aiken Ladies Aside, Aiken’s own sidesaddle club. Riders compete both on the flat and over fences, wearing the traditional costumes of 19th and early 20th century ladies of society.

Each day of the show has a number of championships and high point awards, including an award for the high point Off the Track Thoroughbred on all three days, celebrating Aiken’s long Thoroughbred traditions. The show also features catered luncheons under the Hitchcock tent at one end of the ring, limited railside parking spaces, a silent auction and a festive atmosphere. It is a unique event, for spectators and for competitors, and if you are looking for the full Aiken experience, it is not to be missed. Organizers say that new exhibitors are always welcome, as are spectators and sponsors. This is also the most important fundraiser for the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, which owns and manages the Hitchcock Woods. The Woods is one of the largest urban forests in America and among Aiken’s most beloved attractions.

For more information: aikenhorseshow.org

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HeART of the Horse to Aiken

This April 23-26, the Aiken Center for the Arts on Laurens Street in downtown Aiken will be the host of a unique film festival and conference “celebrating the art of community and the equine spirit.”

The conference, HeART of the Horse, will feature films from the EQUUS INTERNATIONAL® Film Festival, a juried exhibition from the American Academy of Equine Art, along with guest speakers, panels and workshops covering a variety of topics.

Shelley Schmidt, a local photographer, will also be showing her acclaimed exhibit, Silent Witness, which features emotional images of armed forces veterans interacting with horses in a therapeutic setting at Aiken Equine Rescue. The event is a partnership between the Aiken Center for the Arts, EQUUS INTERNATIONAL® Film Festival and the Horse, Human and Nature-William Kriegel Foundation (Missoula, Montana.)

“We hope to bring diverse groups together focused on the horse-human relationship for discovery and awareness, to achieve

Lex Hames, a Montana cowboy and filmmaker.

new understanding of the significance of the horse-human relationship and bond we share in so many ways – from equine therapy to performance, showing to healing,” says Caroline Gwinn, who is the executive director of the Aiken Center for the Arts.

Janet Rose, the founder and director of the EQUUS INTERNATIONAL® Film Festival and director of the William Kriegel foundation, agrees.

“The horse is a powerful, life-changing force and this conference seeks to celebrate and engage – through films, exhibitions, dialogue,

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demonstrations, and workshops….giving us all a chance to learn from each other and be inspired.”

According to a press release, “HeART of the Horse will present a wide variety of award winning horse films for all ages and interests and filmmakers will be on hand to share insights and stories with audiences, along with dynamic speakers from throughout the horse world, and artists to present their works, helping to make this an unforgettable event you don’t want to miss.”

Highlights will include the film Riding with thisAbilities, a documentary by Matthew Handal, that follows a therapeutic riding program in New York City over a 10-year period. In conjunction with this film, the founder of the therapeutic riding program Gallop NYC, Alicia Kershaw, will give a talk, as will Sydney Collier, a 22-year-old Para-Olympian headed for the Olympic Games in Tokyo later in the year. Following this, Eva Finnan, who teaches at Great Oak Therapeutic Riding Center in Aiken and was named the PATH Region 3 Instructor of the Year, will join a panel discussion and demonstrate a therapeutic riding lesson.

Other films include the award-winning short, Cobra – Wild to World Champion, which chronicles the life of a wild mustang named Cobra, who was trained to be an upper level dressage horse and was named a USEF Horse of the Year. “Wild – Goliath and Red Lady,” a film about a pair of mustangs who were reunited after being put in separate BLM holding pens will also be on the schedule. Lex Hames, a “Montana cowboy” who is the former national director of film and video for Ducks Unlimited, will present a work-in-progress film, A Cowboy in China, based on his father’s real-life experiences in China during WWII. Finally, Desert Flight, a look at the bond between horses and humans from all walks of life, will have “a special Aiken premier” at HeART of the Horse.

So put it on your calendar and plan to be there! Learn more at www.equusinternational. org and www.aikencenterforthearts.org.

Aiken Trials

Horse racing takes center stage on Saturday, March 14, with the 78th running of the Aiken Trials. The event is held at the Aiken Training Track on Two Notch Road and first post will be at 1 p.m. There are six Thoroughbred races on the card, a mixture of 2-year-old races that are run at a quarter-mile, and longer races for older horses.

The Trials have long been used as an important educational step for young horses, a chance for them to experience real racing conditions before they ship out of town to tracks such as Keeneland and Belmont Park. Breaking from a starting gate, the

February-March 2020

sight of a crowd along the rail, the jostling of other horses, all are important factors in a Thoroughbred’s education.

As an added bonus, U.S. Pony Racing is back with five races, which will be run between each trial for Thoroughbreds. These races provide educational experiences and racing opportunities for junior and amateur jockeys. Last year there were ponies and riders from Virginia and Maryland, as well as Aiken and Camden.

On Friday, March 13, the day before the Trials, the track is holding its annual educational event, Breakfast at the Gallops.

Beginning at 8 a.m., racing enthusiasts have coffee and breakfast railside at the Aiken Training Track while watching horses being exercised. There will be several local trainers

weekend and says that there has been a good response to this year’s races.

“We have about 100 horses at the track this year and I think that there is a new spirit on our board, one of positivity. The days of the big stables may be gone, but we can certainly still be of importance. The Trials is a way to showcase our local horses, trainers and exercise riders,” he said.

Although a decision has not yet been reached about whether to allow horses from other training centers to enter, Bill said that any trainer is free to inquire. Land Rover of Columbia has come in as the race sponsor.

Planning to attend? Gates open at 10 a.m. at the Aiken Training Track, 538 Two Notch Road S.E. In addition to the Trials for Thoroughbreds and the pony races,

on hand to answer questions.

This year’s guest speaker is Charlsie Cantey, racing’s first female broadcaster and racing analyst. During her tenure, Charlsie worked for CBS, NBC, ABC and ESPN. She originated the horseback interview during broadcasts and brought an insider’s knowledge to her job – she was an exercise rider for Frank Whitely, Jr. and his son David for many years. During her marriage to the trainer Joe Cantey, she also exercised some of the country’s top stakes horses, including Cox’s Ridge, Majesty’s Prince and Temperence Hill, the winner of the Belmont Stakes and champion 3-year-old of 1980.

Bill Gutfarb, who is the president of the Aiken Training Track, is looking forward to Trials

there will be other activities and attractions, such as the kids’ paddock (a play area in the Training Track’s infield) a best hat contest and a best tailgate contest. Aiken Training Track and Aiken Trials merchandise as well as food and beverages will be available for purchase. General admission tickets and parking passes may be purchased online at aikentrainingtrack.com.

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Aiken Trained HOY: Concrete Rose

Trials weekend finishes up on Sunday, when the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum holds its annual induction ceremony for the Aiken

Trained Horse of the Year. This year’s honoree is Concrete Rose, a 4-year-old filly.

Concrete Rose was bred in Kentucky by

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Ron Patterson. A dark brown daughter of Twirling Candy and Solerina by Powerscourt (GB) she was purchased for $61,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Mid Atlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last May. She trained at the historic Aiken Training Track under the tutelage of Justin Wojczynski.

As a 2-year-old, she won the first race she competed in, a Maiden Special Weight, on August 20, 2018 at Saratoga in New York. In October, she won the JP Morgan Chase Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland (Kentucky) by an impressive three lengths. She suffered the only loss of her career three weeks later at Churchill Downs, where she was entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf.

Although she ran well and appeared to be a contender throughout most of the race, she faded in the final stretch run to finish eighth.

The Aiken Horse

In 2019, as a 3-year-old, she won all four of her races: the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes, the Grade 3 Florida Oaks Stakes, the Grade 3 Edgewood Stakes and the Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes. Her racing career was cut short in August after she as diagnosed with a hairline fracture in her right front leg. She ended the year with a lifetime total of six wins in seven starts and $1,218,650 in earnings. Concrete Rose is owned by Ashbrook Farm and conditioned

by Rusty Arnold.

Concrete Rose’s induction ceremony will be on Sunday, March 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.

Memorabilia from Concrete Rose’s racing season will be on display.

The Aiken Trained Horse of the Year award was created in 2002 to honor local Thoroughbreds who have had an excellent racing season by winning at least one Grade 1 race. The public is invited to attend the ceremony.

The Hall of Fame is located at 135 Dupree Place, Aiken, SC 29801 inside historic Hopelands Gardens. For more information call 803-642-7631 or 803-643-2121, e-mail halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov or visit the Hall of Fame website at www. aikenracinghalloffame.com.

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HOMES | HORSES | HISTORY | HOSPITALITY Entrusted to Sell Aiken’s Finest Horse Properties www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com | 803.648.8660

Three Runs Plantation . This custom-

Chime Bell Farm . Impeccably transformed farm encompasses 52

acres, with 20 board fenced pastures, gated entrance, 8-stall center aisle barn with luxurious lounge and custom details, broodmare barn, enclosed equipment shed with hayloft, renovated 4-stall barn, run-in sheds and round pen. Painted brick home, completely renovated in 2014 has been turned into 2 apartments. Surveillance system, monitored security and fire alarm systems. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $1, 495,000

built residence in Aiken’s most popular equestrian community offers over 4000 square feet of gracious living space featuring high ceilings, polished wood floors, formal living and dining rooms, family room with fireplace, fabulous kitchen with all appliances included, bonus room with separate stairway, owner suite with spa bath and 3 guest suites.

Board fenced 5-acre lot has direct access to over 30 miles of groomed riding trails. Amenities include clubhouse, pool, fitness center, jump rings, dressage arenas. Call Courtney Conger $535,000

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Polo Vista Stable Located on over 22 acres in the gated New Bridge Polo community, this center aisle barn in like hilltop home on 133 cleared acres in Aiken’s eastside horse country. The contemporary log resinew condition includes 18 large matted stalls, tack room/lounge dence encompasses over 3300 square feet with stone floors, cathedral ceiling and open floor plan. combo, wash stall, two bunk rooms, laundry room with washer dryer The main level includes great room with dining area, custom kitchen with granite counter tops and and full bath. The property borders Shaw’s Creek and overlooks one of stainless appliances, a spacious master bedroom with sitting area and bath ensuite and a guest the community’s beautifully maintained polo fields. There are 13 room and bath. A wooden spiral staircase accesses the two upstairs bedrooms and bath. The com- board fenced paddocks and pastures and an 1800 square foot, insulatmercial grade metal roof has a lifetime guarantee as does the log exterior with periodic sealing. ed equipment shed. Riding trails and dirt roads are available throughThere is a covered pole barn used for storing farm equipment and three large pastures fenced in out the community which also offers residents a clubhouse, swimming non-climb wire with boards on top. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $820,000 pool and tennis courts. Call Courtney Conger $650,000 Blackberry Farm . Enjoy panoramic views of the countryside from this

.

The Oasis Near Windsor horse farms & Gopher Tortoise Preserve, this spacious home offers over 4,000 square feet designed for family comfort and entertainment. Formal dining room, formal living room with fireplace, game room, family room and large kitchen with breakfast area, Corian counters and island. There are 4 bedrooms and 5.5 baths with the master suite and one other bedroom on the main level. All bedrooms have baths en suite. The landscaped lawn overlooks a 20 X 40 in ground pool with pool house, and there is a walking trail around the entire perimeter. Centered on over 16 wooded acres with gated entrance.

Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $449,000

Timshel Gardens .

Beautiful wooded, lightly rolling lot with easy access to Aiken, Edgefield and I-20. This 12+ acre lot backs up to Wolf Creek, providing a cool sanctuary during the hot summer months. Timshel Gardens is an equestrian subdivision about a mile from Stable View horse show and eventing facility. Riding rings and trails are underway. The 12.06 acre parcel is available for only $5,000 per acre. Call Courtney Conger

Horse Country . Old growth

trees and paved road access make this 19.97 acre parcel an ideal spot to build your dream farm! Gorgeous horse country acreage in Aiken’s east side equestrian corridor.

Restricted against commercial activity unless it is agricultural or equine related, the parcel does have a utility easement and benefits from timber classified agricultural tax exemption.

Call Jane Page Thompson $169,900

Solstice Meadows .

Cleared lots available ready for you to have horses at home! Direct access to trail system with miles of dedicated trails, including the 61 acre Freeman preserve, which has a wonderful pond. Ask about owner financing! Parcel D-2 is 7.81 acres offered at just $16,000 per acre.

Additional parcels available! Call Randy Wolcott

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Stratford Farm Five miles from downtown Aiken lies this 64 acre hilltop farm. Privacy abounds with large mature trees surrounding the entire property. Five large fenced pastures, 4 fenced paddocks, 6 stall shed row barn with hay storage/tractor shed, 6 stall center aisle barn and 2 acre pond are centered by the main residence with large entertaining areas, 2 bedroom suites downstairs and 3 bedrooms up. Attached 6-bay garage with apartment above. Entertain on large deck overlooking sparkling pool. Call Randy Wolcott $739,000

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Terrybrooke Farm Equestrian facility ready for your horses! Custom built home and 16 stall barn on 21 plus acres. Custom built 4 bedroom home with master suite down. Living room opens to the custom kitchen centered by a large island. Dining area overlooks the views of the covered patio and fields beyond. Barn features 16 stalls, 2 wash/grooming bays, 2 tack rooms, feed room, and 2-bay garage/workshop. Apartment for guests or groom. Fenced fields with waterers, 7 run-in sheds, arena with lights! Call Randy Wolcott $875,000

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Private Horse Farm Wonderful and private south side horse farm on over 15 acres including 2500+ sq ft home with rocking chair front porch overlooking pastures, and rear screen porch overlooking 5 stall barn with tack room and wash stall. Beautiful sunsets and lots of room to ride your horses, plant a garden or build a guest home.

Three bedrooms and 2.5 baths, large family room, formal dining room, office/4th bedroom, finished stairs to attic with roughed in plumbing for additional bathroom and bedrooms. Call Jack Roth $630,000

Three Runs Plantation . Beautiful new

construction home on a great 5.42 acre lot in Phase 7. Comfortable split floor plan with quality construction by Donnie Shaffer Homes.

Main floor has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, including spacious master suite, great room with gas fireplace, dining room, mud room, and chef's kitchen. Upstairs has bedroom/bonus room with full bath. Miles of groomed trails, schooling areas, jump rings, dressage arenas, pool, clubhouse and fitness center. Call Jack Roth $582,000

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The Paddocks Equestrian lots now available in popular south side horse country — build a home for you and your horses!

The 21 Section One lots range from 5.34 acres to 13.83 acres. Community amenities include arena and miles of perimeter riding trails. Wooded lots offered at $16,000 per acre; cleared lots offered at $18,000 per acre. Call Mike Hosang

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Bridle Creek New equestrian lots available in Phase III Bridle Creek! Lots range from 2.21 acres to 7.26 acres. Community amenities include miles of trails, gallop, stadium jumps, cross-country jump field, and dressage ring. Planned fitness center & green space. $19,500 per acre. Call Jack Roth

800.880.0108 | www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com | 803.648.8660 14

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Courtney Conger Randy Wolcott

Lee Hedlund

Mike Hosang

Jack Roth

Alex Tyrteos

Suzan McHugh

Thomas Bossard Brian Cavanaugh Jane Page Thompson Donnita Harmon Barb Gould Uskup Tom Murray

Melissa Major

803.645.3308 803.507.1142 803.221.6831 803.270.6358 803.341.8787 203.249.3071 803.292.8525

803.640.2845 803.624.6072 803.215.8232 803.508.1936 803.295.3199 626.644.3008 Broker In Charge

www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com | 803.648.8660

Three Runs Plantation . All brick custom home has

4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, open floor plan, gourmet kitchen with 5-burner gas cooktop, high ceilings, hardwood & tile floors throughout. Main floor master suite has spa bath with shower, soaking tub, heated floor. Office with built-in desk, family room with fireplace, sunroom, library, sauna room, bonus room over garage. Includes 40 x 40 barn/workshop, saltwater pool on 5.8 acres. Amenities at Aiken’s premiere equestrian community include elegant clubhouse, jump rings, dressage arena, fitness center, swimming pool & cabana, and miles of groomed trails for walking or riding. Call Jack Roth $849,900

Hunting Hills . Custom built home on 7.68 acres

with fenced pool and partially finished basement. Open floor plan with architectural details throughout, fireplace in great-room, eat-in kitchen with designer granite counters. Bonus room (4th bedroom) with bath over garage with ample storage & attic space. Tile and wood flooring, walk-in closets, spacious owner's suite and covered porches add to the value of this home. Finished basement with double doors, storage building and greenhouse. Secluded area rolling to natural spring creek with equine or hobby farm potential. Call Jane Page Thompson $539,900

Vale Estates . Custom built home on over 5.5 acres in eques- Equestrian Corridor . TWO houses on 24.8

trian neighborhood. Main residence has 4174 square feet, plus there is a pool house with an additional 800 square feet and a full bath. The main house features vaulted ceilings, arched doorways, granite countertops, columns, hardwood floors, screened porch, loft office, covered poolside porch, fenced dog yard, laundry, great room with fireplace. Property includes attached 3 car garage, plus detached 2 car garage with unfinished loft which easily converts to run-in shed for horses. Call Jane Page Thompson $649,900

Three Runs Plantation .

Exceptional equestrian lots on private cul-de-sac within Aiken’s most established equestrian community! Amenities include clubhouse, swimming pool & cabana, jump ring, 2 dressage arenas, schooling areas, fitness center, and miles of groomed trails for riding or walking. Three adjoining lots available at $23,900 per acre. Call Jack Roth

New Bridge Polo Club

Beautiful 8.71 acre lot in New Bridge Polo & Country Club, complete with fencing plus well & septic, across from one of the manicured polo fields. Amenities include world class polo fields, riding and recreation areas, tennis and swimming pool in gated polo community. Call Mike Hosang $95,000

acres in the heart of Aiken’s Thoroughbred Country! Charming cottage has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, cozy living room with fireplace, screened porch and single car garage. Includes log home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, screened porch, workshop/garage and potting shed. Mixed hardwoods and planted pines grow on the beautiful wooded acreage, and the 6-acre paddock has established Coastal Bermuda grass. May be purchased separately — call Jane Page Thompson for details! $725,000

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Light By Night Farm . Exceptional homes for both you and your horses at this 11.54 acre farm in Three Runs Plantation, Aiken’s premier equestrian community. Spacious & open 3-bedroom, 2-bath home features split bedroom floor plan, lovely screened porch off master. For horses, there is a NEW dressage arena with GGT footing & irrigation. Center aisle barn has 4 stalls, tack room, bath & shower, and separate laundry. Attached garage is ideal for adding stalls or storage for tractors, trailer, & equipment. Call Jack Roth $775,000

Red Top . Secluded estate in the middle of everything has stately rooms, but lives like a cozy retreat. Flexible room options allow for multi-purpose use of the square footage. Classic architectural elements inside and out add to the unique character of this historic Aiken home. The Guest Cottage has a strong rental history and expands the living options even more. From wainscoting and built-in cabinets, butler's pantry to fireplaces and wood floors throughout, this home has those "great bones" you hear about on HGTV. The ballroom can be your dining room or the best play area in town; the solarium can house plants, be an art studio or serve as an indoor bowling alley, you choose! With 7599 square feet, 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths in the main house and 1732 square feet and 3 beds, 2 baths in the cottage, Red Top is ready to welcome you home. Call Jane Page Thompson or Alex Tyrteos $1, 136,000

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Wire Road Cottage Well appointed Flowing Wells Two contiguous parcels single-story bungalow with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, featuring solid offered in established horse community! Gorgeous pasture surface counters in kitchen, vaulted ceiling and cozy fireplace in liv- land with magnificent views has 43.37 acres of Bermuda grass ing room, with tile & wood floors throughout. The 1.8 acre property plus a 6-acre pond is offered at $433,700. Wooded includes board fenced paddock with run shed plus storage space, 24.5-acre parcel has new storage building with office that and separate storage shed. Conveniently located for quick access to could be converted to barn with apartment, offered at entertainment, shopping and dining in downtown Aiken, many $166,930. Combine both parcels for a wonderful notable equestrian venues. Call Mike Hosang $229,000 equestrian business or sporting facility. Call Alex Tyrteos

Fox Den Farm . Just minutes from equestrian venues

in Hopeland Farms, this efficiently designed property offers darling 1 bed/1 bath huntbox with open floor plan set above wonderful 4-6 stall barn. Suitable for any discipline, Fox Den Farm is set on 5.51 acres with 6 fenced pastures (3 with shelter, all with hydrants). Additional climate controlled space could be 2nd apartment, tack room has half bath, sleeping loft and laundry hookups. Call Barb Gould Uskup $349,900

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

Call Jack Roth or Donnita Harmon $295,000

Horse Farm . Efficient 1.57 acre horse

property features 1568 square foot manufactured home with split floor plan, 2 stall barn, run-in shed, 3 paddocks fenced with no-climb wire, sand arena, storage building, separate workshop. Home has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, & kitchen overlooking barn & paddocks. Barn has 12x12 matted stalls, feed room and 12’ overhang. Jane Page Thompson $139,900

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Nearby Farm Comfortable home with 3 bedrooms and 3 full baths near Stable View and other equestrian venues. The 32 acre farm offers fenced paddocks with plenty of pasture for turn-out, and new multi-purpose building for workshop, garage, barn or storage. Excellent location convenient to Aiken and Augusta. Call Mike Hosang or Brian Cavanaugh $295,000

800.880.0108 | www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com | 803.648.8660 February-March 2020

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Aiken Horse 9.5X13T ID.indd 2

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The Aiken Horse

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February-March 2020

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Clear Creek Court

Cedar Hall Plantation

$1,595,000

$1,125,000

BARNWELL SC

BRIDLE CREEK

- 3 , 1 2 7 S Q F T / 4 B E D S / 3 F U L L B AT H S - 3 B E D / 2 B A . B A R N A PA RT M E N T - 9 - S TA L L C E N T E R- A I S L E B A R N - P R I VAT E & C O M M O N A R E A A R E NA - A C C E S S T O C LU B H O U S E

Creekridge Road

CREEKSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD $205,000 - 1 , 9 1 5 S Q. F T / 3 B E D / 2 B AT H

- S U N R O O M & WA L K - I N C L O S E T

Aiken Horse 9.5X13T ID.indd 1

February-March 2020

- 4 , 2 0 0 S Q F T. / 4 B E D S / 3 F U L L B AT H S - S I T UAT E D O N 1 7 7 LU S H A C R E S - HISTORIC MANTLES & MOLDINGS - S M O K E H O U S E & OY S T E R S HA C K - H U N T I N G , R E C R E AT I O N & T I M B E R T R A C T S

Alydar Lane S T E E P L E C HA S E $549,990

- 3 , 2 8 5 S Q. F T / 3 B E D / 3 . 5 B AT H - 3 S TA L L B A R N & P O O L

Paloma Lane

NEW BRIDGE POLO $419,900

- 2 , 2 1 0 S Q. F T / 3 B E D / 3 F U L L B AT H - L O C AT E D D I R E C T LY O N F I E L D 1

1/20/20 11:54 AM

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CREATE YOUR LEGACY - 142+ ACRE RANCH in EDGEFIELD

HISTORIC CROSSWAYS - CENTRAL to EQUESTRIAN VENUES

25 MooreS road | $3,100,000

450 eaSt boundary | $1,495,000

eXcePtional SHow barn on 22 acreS

EQUESTRIAN PARADISE on 14 acreS in BRIDLE CREEK

tHe Sanctuary - 12.7 ACRE eQueStrian oaSiS

2026 Mcdougal road | $1,095,000

1050 clear creek court | $1,595,000

185 gadwall lane | $997,000

10-Stall Morton Stable, PeriMeter Fencing, PaSture in tiFton 85 berMuda 3 cuStoM HoMeS, 1500 SF entertainMent area, gueSt aPartMent

11-Stall Stable, irrigated arena w/Martin collinS Footing, derby Field central 1 br/batH living QuarterS, Patio & eQuiPMent Storage

4.2 acreS, 2 MinuteS to aiken HorSe Park & HorSe diStrict beautiFully reStored 5 bedrooM HoMe, gunite Pool, b&b Potential

9 Stall Stable, arena w/ProFeSSional Footing, Fenced PaddockS deSigner built-in 2009, 4 br 3.5 batH. 3 br reSidence above barn.

HiStoric HoMe in HorSe diStrict locale

8.64 acreS, 8-Stall center-aiSle barn, great turnout, StePS to HorSe Park renovated HoMe & gueSt HouSe, 6 br & 4½ batHS, Saltwater gunite Pool

1354 audubon drive | $2,900,000

4-Stall Stable w/waSH rack, Fenced PaSture, trail acceSS PoSSible gorgeouS 3 br, 3 1/2 batH HoMe, FabulouS kitcHen, Saltwater Pool, garage

big tree FarM - eSt. PaStureS & Polo Field

HatcHaway HouSe & barn on 19 acreS

Private 48+ acre FarM witH 2 HoMeS & barn

490 big tree road | $777,000

1758 HatcHaway bridge road | now $479,000

1048 woodland | now $499,000

GORGEOUS TUDOR INSPIRED BARN & LIVING QUARTERS

FOXCHASE EQUESTRIAN on HITCHCOCK WOODS

PARADISE FARM - MULTI-DISCIPLINE TRAINING FACILITY

201 lewiS lane | now $659,000

12 cozier court | $450,000

4069 wagener road | $998,055

58+ acreS, 15-Stall center aiSle barn w/tack & Feed rooMS 2 br, 2 batH living QuarterS, SeParate oFFice, 3+ car garage/workSHoP

12-Stall barn w/tack rooM, 11+ acreS, trail acceSS 3 bedrooM, 2 batH living QuarterS witH incredible viewS

4-Stall barn, Fenced Paddock witH run-in, eStabliSHed PaSture HiStoric 4 br, 2 batH HoMe, Pond, 2-car detacHed garage

3-Stall barn w/tack rooM, trail acceSS, coMMunityarena 4 bedrooM, 3 1/2 batH HoMe, large deck, convenient locale

7-Stall, center-aiSle barn, Fenced PaSture, graSS juMP Field 3 br, 2 ba HoMe, Hobby building, Mobile w/incoMe Potential

two barnS, 18 StallS, 109 acreS, 3 all-weatHer arenaS 2-Story, 4 br HoMe; eaSy acceSS location cloSe to town

Horse Ready Land for Sale reddS brancH road - Four 5-acre ParcelS w/live oakS Starting at $90,000 / Parcel HatcHaway bridge road - 11 acreS in PaSture- $137,500 linler lane - 3 lotS cloSe to town - 4+-11 acreS Starting at $74,000 angela road - 12+ acreS Partially cleared - $79,000

lewiS lane ParcelS witH trail acceSS 3.5 acreS wPond viewS - $82,000 6+ acreS w/Pond on old dibble - $137,000 HigH Flat FarM - 11 acreS Fenced - $224,000 Fenced 12 acreS w/MajeStic oakS - $239,000

Cissie Sullivan

8 acreS in bridle creek eQueStrian - $150,000 176 Moore road - 11.5 acreS gorgeouS viewS, 3 Fenced PaStureS, 2+ Stall barn, HoMeSite ready - $145,000 tod’S Hill - 19 acreS w/Pond 6 cleared acreS, Partially Fenced - $248,000

Tracey Turner

803-998-0198 | SullivanTurnerTeam.com 19

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February-March 2020

Stable View 202

February-March 2020

20 Season Opener

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Photography by Gary Knoll

Spring Polo Season Begins on April 10!

Get your teams in now!

Now Available

Offered through New Bridge Realty

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

12-Stall Barn on 10.55 Acres Spring Classic 8 Goal April 22-May 10 Pete Bostwick Memorial 12 Goal April 29-May 17 USPA Regional President’s Cup 8 Goal May 13-31

Karna Farm: $550,000 Spectacular Views of New Bridge Fields 4 & 5 (marked in orange on map below) Rare opportunity to own a turnkey polo farm with ride in and out ability through private gate to Polo Field 4. Karna Farm is built on 10.55 acres and consists of a Heider-built, spacious, 12-stall enclosed barn with 16-foot aisleway. Indoor, heated wash rack as well as large exterior wash rack. Two bedroom, one bath attached apartment, temperature contolled tack room, feed room with roll up door provides easy access for deliveries. Detached and insultated steel storage building for equipment and hay. Brick barbecue patio or Argentine asado is the perfect place for gatherings. Entire parcel is high and dry for maximum usability.

Cleared and Fenced Lots on Fields 4 & 5 Horse Friendly Homesites Located on Fields 4 & 5 (marked in purple in map to left) Cleared and fenced lots perfectly suited for home, barn, and pasture. Start building your dream farm today.

Sizes range from 4.0 to 5.61 acres. Prices range from $128,000 to $174,000. Some lots can be combined with additional adjacent acreage. Lots are located in a quiet corner of New Bridge, yet still provide quick access to all amenities.

Bungalow on Field 1

Polo Bungalow: $250,000 Great Price

Just steps away from Field 1. 2 BR/2 BA Craftsman’s style 1,295 sq. ft. cottage with fine detailing outside and in. Large front porch, gracious room sizes, and massive 3 car garage.

11.3 Acres in Prime Location

Paloma Lane Farm: $199,000 Superb Location 11.3-acres is perimeter-fenced with a well and electricity. Conveniently located within walking distance of the clubhouse, pool and clay tennis court. Fields 1 & 3 and the exercise track are just a short hack away.

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Tommy Hitchcock Memorial 12 Goal May 20-June 7 Members Cup 8 Goal June 3-14

About New Bridge (visit newbridgepolo.com or call 1-888-4NB-POLO) New Bridge is an 860-acre gated equestrian community nestled among rolling pasture lands on New Bridge Road just 15 minutes from downtown Aiken. Born from the excitement, intensity and tradition of polo, New Bridge is the home of New Bridge Polo & Country Club and of !

Aiken Youth Polo, but also embraces equestrians of all disciplines as well as those who simply love the outdoors, with all sharing the essential joy of a life that celebrates horses, people and land - in a place that connects them.

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

A swimming pool with lounge area, a clay tennis court, and an Argentinian colonial-style Clubhouse with restaurant/bar (open spring and fall), balcony, porch, and outdoor spaces round out the perfect setting for everyone from families to empty nesters, casual riders to competitive athletes, and those simply seeking solace from a busy world. The New Bridge world is one where all can revel in the luxury of leisure, the excitement of sport, the abiding beauty of horse country, and the deep connections of a close-knit community. New Bridge: room to play; room to ride; room to live, all in a place you will want to call home.

February-March 2020

February-March 2020

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aikenhorseTomMqtr2-20_aikenhorseqtr 1/31/2020 9:20 PM Page 1

TOM MURRAY

626.644.3008

WELCOME TO AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA 23 Years of Real Estate Experience

Tom was named a Top 10 Realtor for 8 years in Pasadena, CA where he was also awarded the Historic Achievement Award for his renovations. He has successfully brokered hundreds of homes and has personally built 5 horse farms. With this background, Tom understands, first hand, the special needs of equestrian properties.

Tom is a resident of Aiken’s Three Runs Plantation where he is a gold medal dressage trainer and 5­star rider.

TOM MURRAY REALTOR®

626.644.3008 www.tommurray­realtor.com tommurraydressage@gmail.com

www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com

333 PARK AVENUE SW . AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA 29801

February-March 2020

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Barnware

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February-March 2020

114 LARKSPUR ROAD•WAGENER, SC 29164 MLS# 445900 - OFFERED AT $2,150,000

An exquisite equestrian estate in the rolling hills of Aiken County, SC! The estate is situated on 23 acres with the main house comprising 6100SF with 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and 2 half bathrooms. The property is encircled by 4-board fencing; 5 half acres irrigated paddocks each with its own water pump; an irrigated regulation dressage arena & a luxurious horse stable w/ 4 stalls & a 1600SF apartment. Extensive custom millwork & hardwood floors are throughout the house. The elegant entry hall with grand staircase and arched doorways give way to a welcoming family room w/ fireplace & French doors leading to a large screened porch. The gourmet kitchen is a delight with high end appliances, granite counter tops and a large eating area. Main floor master suite includes sitting & dressing areas; his & hers bathrooms & individual walk-in closets. A second guest room with full bath is also on the first floor. There are two additional private guestrooms on the second floor, each with a full bath & walk-in closet.

VENUS MORRIS GRIFFIN

706.306.6054

REAL ESTATE

FOLLOW ME ON

WWW.VENUSGRIFFIN.COM February-March 2020

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Booth Malone to teach painting workshop Renowned equine artist returns to Aiken Center for the Arts

By Nancy Johnson

B

ooth Malone may have started his art career later than he originally intended, but he’s definitely made up for lost time.

The current board president of the American Academy of Equine Arts, Booth has been the official artist for numerous steeplechase meets, as well as for the Breeder’s Cup and the Virginia Gold Cup. In addition to painting horses in every discipline, Booth’s commissions include dogs and people.

“I graduated college right into the 1974 recession,” he begins. “I had planned to pursue a career in graphic arts with an advertising firm, but those kinds of jobs are about the first to dry up in a recession.” Booth realized he would have to put his art on hold, so he took a corporate job with Coca Cola. “I enjoyed the company and the people so much that I wound up staying there for 10 years,” he recounts, “But sometimes I wondered if I’d ever get back to art.” Booth explains that in an unusual way, his job kept his dream alive. “I traveled a lot in my position with Coca Cola and wherever I was, if I had some spare time, I would stop and see whatever museum was around. I found some really wonderful museums that I had never heard of.”

Visiting a museum out West was where he first saw works by the old

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American West artists Frederic Remington and Charles Marion Russell and he was entranced. “I wasn’t a horseman then, and I’m not now,” he says. “But I admired their work and technique painting horses.”

Shortly after resigning from his position at Coca Cola, Booth “fell by luck, in with a bunch of horse people” near his home in Columbus, Georgia. His interest in painting horses had been piqued by what he had seen in the work of Remington and Russell. So Booth asked his friends, “So, who paints horses?” He laughs. “They responded, ‘Well, nobody does it good.’ That’s not a slap at my colleagues, but good horse artists are few and far between. A horse is an extremely nuanced creature and learning to paint that is the pursuit of a lifetime.”

Booth stresses that one must really know the anatomy of a horse in order to paint it well. “There are a lot of things you can get away with, say on a dog, because a lot of them are fluffy and they are just a big shape. Horses for the most part are not fluffy and every turn of the tendon or bone is noticeable to someone who lives and works around horses. Even if you don’t know the names of the bones and the muscles, you really do have to figure out how it all fits together; it’s an extraordinary creature.”

Although Booth claims he isn’t a horseman, his love and respect for the horse is obvious. “Think about the fact that there is no other creature that has had such an impact on mankind. For utility, a horse has been there for thousands of years. You literally cannot imagine a world had there not been horses in it; it would have changed everything.”

February-March 2020

The teacher in him comes out when he talks about another difficult task with painting a horse, “making it come alive.” He explains, “I am looking for the expression; what’s different between one horse’s eyes and another’s or one kid’s eyes and another’s. I am a detail person and I look very closely at everything I see, animate or inanimate. I’m very visual and I guess it comes down to that, but I don’t think it is unique to me or unattainable. I think the whole thing with artists is teaching or inspiring them to really, really look. I know some really fine artists that can’t paint a horse; they can paint pleine air, landscapes, beautiful portraits of people, but they don’t know how to look at a horse.”

An ongoing joint program with the American Academy of Equine Art and the Aiken Center for the Arts (ACA) will bring Booth to Aiken for a five-day equestrian painting workshop, February 24-28. Tracy Seconi, program director at the ACA, says the organization is thrilled to welcome Booth back, as his past workshops have been so well received by the Aiken horse community. “His workshop is just all encompassing,” she says. “Booth addresses all aspects of making a painting the best it can be, from composition to color theory, from brushes to mediums. He understands what gives a painting essence.”

“I’ve worked with the ACA for many years,” says Booth. “They have a beautiful facility on the second floor for workshops. I really enjoy working with them and the participants have been great.” He emphasizes that the workshop is open to anyone who has basic drawing skills. “We will have students at every level; kind of like a one-room

February-March 2020

schoolhouse. Everyone works on their own thing, and I’m there to steer them in a direction that I think will be helpful. I work really hard to connect with each student on the level at which they are.”

“Booth meets you at your skill level,” says Tracy Seconi, adding, “No matter what you come into this workshop with, you will leave with so much more. There’s a real energy in the room that you feel as you walk in; a certain fire that comes from being inspired by a great teacher and a room full of like-minded artists.”

Despite his busy schedule, Booth enjoys the opportunity to meet and teach aspiring artists through the American Academy of Equine Art workshops. These workshops also take him to the Great Plains, Virginia, and Lexington, Kentucky, where, like Aiken, people are passionate about horses.

To see more of Booth’s work, visit his website: boothmalone.com. In addition to the workshop with Booth, the Aiken Center for the Arts will host the American Academy of Equine Art spring show, March 24-May 1, with an opening reception on March 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“Some of the best horse artists in the country will be sending their work to Aiken,” says Booth. For more information on the upcoming AAEA show see: aaea.net/upcomingexhibitions-2.

To register for the February 24-28 Booth Malone workshop, stop in to the ACA or call 803-641-9094. The class runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday at a cost of $500. Class size is limited and spots up fill quickly.

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Jumping Branch Changes Hands Shaw Family Takes Possession

By Pam Gleason

O

n January 21, 2020, the Shaw family took possession of Jumping Branch Farm, one of Aiken’s most iconic and beloved eventing facilities. Jumping Branch, located east of Aiken in the heart of the equestrian corridor, was owned and run by Julie Zapapas for over a quarter of a century. It has typically held two horse trials per year and has been a popular place to school horses, as well as the location of Julie’s own training and teaching business. In addition, it has a dedicated flock of winter boarders (“snowbirds”) who come to spend the colder

months riding in the rolling fields or over the inviting cross country course.

Jumping Branch has been on the market for a number of years, and many people in the Aiken eventing community were worried that it might be sold to a buyer who did not want to keep it a commercial facility. Those fears have now been allayed: the Shaw family was attracted to Jumping Branch first because of the beauty of the farm and second because it already has a turn-key equestrian business. Vickie and Tim Shaw say that this fit well with their plans, since their son Tate, 25, is interested in running his own horse business, and JBF presents the ideal opportunity.

“It’s a successful ongoing operation,” says Vickie. “Julie has an impeccable reputation, and the business is already here.”

“Buying Jumping Branch is like stepping onto a moving train,” adds Tim. “We just have to keep running it.”

The Shaws came to Aiken from Maryland, where they have a horse farm. Vickie has Aiken family connections – her father was one of the original workers at the Savannah River Plant and when she was growing up, she had an aunt, uncle and cousins living here. Tim, a realtor who foxhunted in Maryland, came to Aiken eight or nine years ago for hunt week and liked the area. The family bought their first farm in Aiken in the fall of 2016 in order to have a place to stay during the winters.

When they decided to sell their Maryland property and move to Aiken year round, they wanted to find a new farm, since the house on their

February-March 2020

current property is not large enough to be their fulltime residence.

Friends encouraged them to look at Jumping Branch, and when they did, they were sold.

The Shaws say that the eventual plan is to make Jumping Branch Tate’s home, while Tim and Vickie move to a place in town. Tate has ridden since before he could walk, and has worked for steeplechase and racehorse trainers, but he has not run his own horse business before.

Jumping Branch is a major undertaking, and so his parents plan stay and help out as long as they are needed.

“I want to do some new things here,” says Tate, who says he was loves Jumping Branch because there are so many different places to ride. “Put in some more jumps, have some more shows. I’m asking people what they would like, and that’s what we’ll do.”

The Shaws will hold their first show, a jumping derby, on March 25, and expect to have another small show in the fall. Amber Lee, who ran the events at Stable View in Aiken for many years, will help with the first show, and she says she is “looking forward to working with the Shaw family and continuing the history of running fun schooling events at a great facility.”

As for Julie Zapapas, she and her fiancé John Budd are planning to move to Tennessee to be near his parents. Julie came to Aiken as a snowbird in 1991 to ride and train event horses. She fell in love with the city immediately, and the next year, she bought the Jumping Branch property, transformed it into an eventing farm, and started holding shows right away. For the past 28 years, Jumping Branch has been her life. All of that is about to change.

“I’m thrilled that the Shaws will be taking over Jumping Branch and continuing its legacy,” she says. “It was a great journey for me, and what more could I ask for?”

Will she miss the farm? Of course. But it was time for her to move on “This isn’t a new chapter for me,” she says. “It’s a whole new book.

How I feel about it is that it’s like when you read a good book, and you come to the end. You loved every minute of reading it, and you are sad that it’s over, and that you don’t have it to read any more. But you put it down, and you think about it, and in a few days, you can’t wait to start a new one.”

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Aiken Tack Exchange Expands More Space in a New Location

By Nancy Johnson

“This all started when I was a little kid; my obsession with tack,” says Arielle Ostrov, the owner of Aiken Tack Exchange, a consignment and new and used tack shop on Richland Avenue in Aiken. “Growing up in California, when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I would go to this big tack shop with my mom and I would spend like an hour looking at the bits.

Then, when I got a little older, I would study tack and equipment in catalogs and make my mom quiz me on things.”

diverse equestrian community and we love to serve them all.”

And while the local community can visit the store and see the huge saddle selection in person, every saddle is also listed on the store’s website, aikentackexchange.com, through which Arielle ships saddles worldwide.

“I put emphasis on a saddle fitting both horse and rider as they are equally important,” she says. All saddles sold in the store and online include a trial period to ensure fit for horse and rider. As a certified saddle fitter through North American Saddlery School, Arielle does onsite saddle fittings. She notes that she also works with numerous local saddle fitters.

Obsession leads to a business

Arielle, 30, says that Aiken Tack Exchange is an outlet for her obsession. Today, the store is a thriving business serving equestrians in Aiken and beyond. Within few years of its establishment, the store outgrew its original location and in October 2019 it moved to an 8,000-square-foot building at 812 Richland Avenue E, just down the road from its original location.

“The whole thing really evolved over time,” Arielle explains. As a teenager she began finding good deals on tack online, but they weren’t necessarily things she needed. Friends realized she had a talent, and they would ask her to find them specific items.

“I became a personal shopper and that led to being a personal seller as well. In my early 20s, I started selling saddles for friends on Ebay,” she says.

At that time, Arielle was living in South Carolina and was working full time in the horse business, training, teaching, foxhunting and eventing.

She moved to Pennsylvania briefly for a job, but returned to Aiken in 2011 and has been here ever since.

By May 2016, she was riding, training and teaching in Aiken full time. In addition, she had begun selling saddles and miscellaneous horse items. “I had maybe 30 to 40 saddles in my 1,200-square-foot apartment,” she recalls. “I’d meet people by appointment locally and sold online.”

Overrun by saddles

As the saddles were taking over her living space, Arielle and a partner came up with an idea. They rented an empty building on Richland Avenue for a tack sale. The first one didn’t go very well. Arielle admits they hadn’t done a good job of advertising it, but since they had rented the building for two more weeks, they held another sale and this time had a very good turnout.

“We then decided to rent the building while it was available and do a monthly tack sale,” she says.

“Then it turned into twice a month, and eventually just turned into a storefront. It really transitioned from tack sale to a storefront in a very short period of time.”

Before long, she had the small building and several storage buildings on the property full of saddles and other tack and equipment; Aiken Tack Exchange had found its niche. While she gladly accepts consignments of all types of tack and other equestrian-related items, saddles account for about 50% of her business. The store currently has over 200 saddles in stock with the ability to expand further, “We cater to all disciplines; dressage, jump, sidesaddle, polo, and Western. Aiken has a wonderfully

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“I like working with the other local saddle fitters –it’s a perfect example of why I love Aiken and chose to put my business here; everyone in the horse business works well together and we all benefit.”

As a complement to saddle sales, Aiken Tack Exchange offers leather repair, flocking and other work on saddles. Other services include

February-March 2020

blanket repair, washing and waterproofing, as well as tack restoration and cleaning. Arielle explanes that every saddle she sends out is fully inspected and serviced. Small repairs such as billet replacements, are taken care of and each saddle is meticulously cleaned and conditioned.

“We have a system for every saddle that comes in here. I have always been a bit OCD about my tack and I insist that our saddles look really good when we put them out on the floor.” They exclusively use an all-natural product called Tack Butter. She likes it so much that she recommends it to customers and hers is the only store in Aiken that sells it. “Tack Butter is extremely user friendly,” Arielle says. “It melts into the leather and makes it supple and grippy.”

you never know what you are going to find! We have many regulars that come in once a week; some even have a set day. Other people come in looking for something specific,” Arielle notes.

The new, larger store has allowed Arielle to take in more consignment items in different price ranges, as well as more overstocks and closeouts from vendors. “We even have bargain bins in the back room with items that run from $1 to $5,” she says. “We donate the proceeds from these sales to Equine Rescue of Aiken and Great Oak Therapeutic Riding Center. There are items in the bins that are perfectly useful, but do not fit into our consignment program; for example schooling saddle pads, polo wraps, etc. We really try to cater to every horseperson and every budget.”

Although the store’s original location had good visibility and plenty of parking, Arielle feels it “held us back because of display and work space.

Our new store has storefront space and work space and lots of parking, even for customers who come with horse trailers.”

Arielle believes customer service is very important and therefore, Aiken Tack Exchange is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., making it accessible to people who work during the week or only come to Aiken occasionally for lessons, shows or to ride in Hitchcock Woods.

Staff makes the store

An in-store treasure hunt

While many customers come in looking for a specific saddle or something else they have seen on the website, others just come to browse and see what is new in the store. “This store is a treasure hunt;

February-March 2020

“This is quite an upgrade,” Arielle says of the new location. “Without my staff, this expansion would have been impossible.” Arielle has ten employees: Bobbie Anderson, Carol Brown, Helen Dellacroce, Rachel Eigen, Lily Fearon, Patti Keating, Caroline Moak, Megan Pustarfi, Karen Storay, and Lela Wulf.

“We have a very diverse staff, yet we all have one common interest – horses,” she says. She adds that they are all very knowledgeable and are happy to help customers find things. Every staff member can assist with customer consignment intakes, which are accepted anytime during regular store hours or by appointment.

Arielle emphasizes that Aiken Tack Exchange is not in competition with the local retail tack stores. “We are grateful to the tack stores in Aiken for sending us customers, just like we send customers to them. It’s just another example of how the horse community works together here,” she says.

“We are so grateful to the equestrian community that continues to support this business that started out as a dream.

I expect this new store to be Aiken Tack Exchange’s permanent location and am looking at some positive additions.”

Arielle says she plans to incorporate a saddle trade-in program by the end of 2020. “There is a huge need for this. Many people don’t have the ability to borrow a saddle to ride in while their saddle is on consignment. So, they are basically without a saddle until their saddle sells. And other people just don’t want to wait for their consignment to sell and this would give them another option,” she explains.

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“Breakfast at the Gallops” to benefit the

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Come and enjoy breakfast at the Aiken Training Track, meet the trainers and watch Aiken’s future racing stars work out!

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The Aiken Horse

February-March 2020

STABLE VIEW EVENTS January

February

March April

May June July August

September October November

December

February-March 2020

8 11 18-19 25 31

1-2 8-9 17-18 19-23 25

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14-15 18-22 27-28

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13 16-17 30

Schooling Dressage Eventing Academy Schooling Hunter/Jumper Show

4-5 8-12 18 25

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Spring Hunter Pace

13-14 20-21 27

USEF/USDF “Summer Solstice” Dressage USEF/USEA “Summer Horse Trials Schooling Hunter/Jumper Show

8-9 12-13 15-16 29

Eventing Academy USEF/USDF “Too Hot To Trot” I Dressage USEF/USDF “Too Hot To Trot” II Dressage Schooling Hunter/Jumper Show

11-12 18-19 25

9 16-20 24-27

14 17-18 31

7 11 14-15 28

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February-March 2020

Secret Lives: Crash

Once thrown away, now irreplaceable

By Nancy Johnson, photography by Gary Knoll

A

plain bay standing 16.2, Crash Overdrive is the epitome of the classic-looking, refined Thoroughbred with a lovely long neck and well-defined topline. At 26, he certainly does not look his age. Not only does he resemble a much younger horse, he still performs like one.

Today, Crash is no longer the horse his owner, Lara Anderson, first saw over 20 years ago. Then, a rescue had contacted her and told her about a large group of horses in West Virginia that were in terrible condition. The owner had acquired most of them from Charles Town Racetrack, thinking he could make money with them. The horses were turned out together in fields littered with trash and broken down machinery. Someone finally convinced the owner to sell them for $300500 apiece.

“I had recently sold a lot of stock and needed a tax deduction,” Lara recalls. “So I went through Crossed Sabers Rescue in West Virginia and basically bought all of the horses; like 35 or 40 of them.”

While she didn’t take possession of them all (some went to Crossed Sabers and some to other rescues) Lara paid for all of them, ensuring the horses’ escape from the deplorable conditions in which they had been living.

Crash with his newest student, Maria Novotny

“I headed up there with three trailers and brought a whole lot of them back to South Carolina,” she says. “Some of them looked like skeletons, they were so thin, and we had to euthanize one mare on site as she had a broken leg that she was just dragging around.” In addition to all the horses scrounging for food in the fields, there were three stallions in stalls. Crash was one of them.

“They were literally up to their bellies in manure. We couldn’t take the stallions with all the others, so we had to leave them and make another trip,” Lara says. “We were hoping they’d survive until we returned.”

Fortunately, the stallions did survive. Lara took Crash, whose Jockey Club name is Bold Esteta, and a second stallion; another party took the third horse. As he was starting a new life, Lara found the horse his new name in an unusual way. “It was kind of two-fold. Shortly after I got him, when he was still a gangly young horse, he was running like crazy in a paddock. He wound up flipping himself over and splitting open a huge gash on his rear end. So I started calling him Crash,” she says. “Then I saw this movie, Hackers, with a character named Crash Override; so I decided that was it!”

After gelding the horse and taking about six months to get him healthy, Lara put Crash in work. Her trainer wasn’t very keen on him:

February-March 2020

he had a ewe neck and was quite high strung, and the trainer suggested she get rid of him. But Lara wouldn’t do it. “I just really liked him for some reason, but it took several years for him to settle down. He did have some really quirky habits at first, too. Sometimes you would be riding him and he’d just get frantic. The only thing you could do was run him into something to stop; then he’d suddenly be fine.” Although many others would probably have given up, Lara persevered, even though Crash sometimes reared and often cantered sideways into the jumps.

After about a year, Crash was progressing in an eventing career and was starting to get great dressage scores. But Lara felt something was just not quite right. Her vet took some x-rays and found he had a floating chip in one knee. “We had it removed and he’s never had any problems with it since,” she says.

Lara competed Crash through Novice and Training levels and then sold him to a friend, Joan Turner, who continued to take him up through the levels. “When Joan had him she called him Gumby like the flexible rubber children’s toy,” Lara laughs. “He had this really weird way of getting over a fence sometimes. One leg this way, one leg that, but he can get himself out of anything and never hit the fence!”

Joan competed him through Intermediate, but when he started shutting down, Lara bought him back to Full Gallop Farm, a professional eventing facility in Aiken that she owns “We worked through his issues and got him competing again. I think he had got to the point where he was running along at a high level and needed a little time away,” Lara says.

“Joan was moving on with another horse, so it was good timing. We got him going at a much lower level and then slowly brought him back up. I say he had a re-boot.”

It wasn’t long after his return to Full Gallop that Crash really found his calling.

“I had numerous kids coming up through the young riders compete him through their first Preliminary events,” Lara says. “At least half a dozen young riders really got their start on Crash. He was so great for them to learn on because he always got low dressage scores and was very competitive.”

In the past 10 years, Crash has become much more consistent. “He has just trucked so many people – kids and adults – around, but he’s competitive too,” Lara says. “He’s not just a plug that goes around. He can nail a mid-20s in dressage and he’s a monster cross country.”

About a year ago, a working student was planning to compete him, but she was injured right beforehand. As he was already entered, Lara decided to ride him herself. “I hadn’t ridden him in five years and only had a couple days to prep,” she explains. But she says they pulled a 21 dressage score and won their division.

As recently as last fall, Crash partnered with Dani Moore, 15, for her first Novice events. The pair won several times and also accrued Thoroughbred Incentive (TIP) points. Lara says she plans to keep Crash going “as long as he is healthy and can do a job, even if it’s a lower job in a few years. I think horses tend to decline quickly when they aren’t in work.”

Lara stresses that people should recognize that off-the-track (OTTB) horses can go on to have great second careers.

“A Thoroughbred will give you all they have,” she says. “There are a lot of useful horses that people pass over. Crash is the perfect example.

He was basically at death’s door and then went on to become one of the most valuable assets on my farm.

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Sandy Hills Farm An Artistic Legacy

By Mary Jane Howell, photography by Gary Knoll

S

andy Hills Farm in Aiken is a place that seems to be awaiting an artist to come along with easel, brushes and a palette with muted colors. The gently rolling hills, ponds teeming with wildlife, and horses in every direction could be subjects for so many paintings.

Although there is no artist in residence today, an artist was responsible for the farm coming into the hands of the original owner, the late Sandy Cassatt. Now owned by Lindsay (known as Bubba) Forrester, a Greenville native, Sandy Hills is named to honor Cassatt and to acknowledge the sand that is an ever-present geological feature in this part of the world.

Sandy Cassatt used to love to walk the hounds at his farm.

of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, A.J. Cassatt sent out multiple stakes winners. None were as famous as his homebred The Bard, who was the winner of the 1886 Preakness Stakes and finished second in the Belmont Stakes a few weeks later. The Bard was the top runner in the country as a 3-, 4- and 5-year-old, and when his racing career was over he returned to Chesterbrook to begin his stallion career.

A.J. Cassatt did not limit himself to racehorses. He also loved Hackney horses, importing several stallions from England in the 1880s and helping to start the American Hackney Society. He was a prominent member of the New York Coaching Club and frequently showed his four-in-hand at the Madison Square Garden Horse Show. In 1895, A.J., along with August Belmont Jr. and seven other like-minded individuals, started the National Steeplechase Association.

Chesterbrook was home to four packs of foxhounds, which were used by the nearby Radnor Hunt. Even with his keen interest in horses and hounds, A.J.’s lasting legacy will always be the Pennsylvania Railroad. Under his leadership, tunnels were built under the Hudson River, and rail lines extended to connect New York with Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 1906, he was in the midst

Close to 50 horses call Sandy Hills home during the winter season. Most are event horses brought down from New England to have a few months’ break from the snow, and the chance to compete and train in and around Aiken.

A few decades ago, the farm was home to Thoroughbreds who competed on the flat and in steeplechase races. These horses were owned and trained by a man who was living out his dream – Alexander Johnson Cassatt, known to all as Sandy.

Sandy was a few generations removed from his relative, the famed impressionist artist Mary Cassatt.

Although she was born into a wealthy Pennsylvania family, Mary spent most of her adult life in France. Her paintings found homes with major collectors and at art museums around the world.

Mary’s brother Alexander Johnson (A.J.) Cassatt was the seventh president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and a renowned horseman. From his 600acre Chesterbrook Stock Farm outside

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of building Pennsylvania Station when he died of a heart attack.

With such a legacy, it is little wonder that his descendant, Sandy Cassatt, yearned to put his own stamp on a piece of land. A native of Philadelphia, Sandy was a Marine Corps veteran who later became a Thoroughbred trainer.

In 1987, Sandy sold a Mary Cassatt portrait of A. J. that had been handed down from his father. The portrait was handled by a gallery in New York and went to the Seattle Art Museum. With the proceeds from this sale, Sandy came to Aiken to buy several hundred acres off Sizemore Road, alongside land owned by his sister, Cassandra (Sanna) Carey. The property was beautiful but rough. He worked at clearing land for a half-mile track, made use of the ponds as a swimming area for horses and a place to fish with his sons, and eventually put in the kennels that would be home to the Aiken Hounds hunt pack.

Sandy named his farm Gum Branch, either for the small tributary that ran through the property or for the sweetgum trees that were plentiful there.

“The farm was a dream come true for my father,” said his son Tony Cassatt. “I would say that his happiest years were on that farm. He trained so many good horses there and got to be a Dr. Doolittle character in a way.”

Sandy kept three longhorn steers in one of the top fields: their names were Remington, Russell and Rio. Tony bought his father a peacock as a birthday present one year, which had to be returned because Sandy said it was bad luck to have a peacock on a farm. Undaunted, Tony came back with a Polish chicken, whose funny feathers reminded his father of the boxing promoter Don King’s hairstyle. (The chicken stayed.)

In addition to training racehorses at Gum Branch, Sandy adored hunting, and was joint master of Aiken Hounds from 1989-1996. He also was a founding member of the revival of the Aiken Fall Steeplechase along with Ford Conger in 1992: it was originally called the Aiken Hounds Fall Meet.

John Hamilton worked as an exercise rider for Sandy for 11 years, starting in 1988. He also rode many of Sandy’s steeplechase horses up and down the East Coast.

“We would break the young horses on the farm and then bring them into town,” John recalled. “We had a 2-year-old named Who’s Dancing who beat Dogwood Stable’s Summer Squall in the Aiken Trials in 1989. That was one of Sandy’s proudest moments and he never let Cot Campbell [the president of Dogwood Stables] forget it!” (Summer Squall went on to become one of the top horses of his generation, winning the 1990 Preakness Stakes.)

Those who knew Sandy best said he was a great storyteller, a natural horseman, and a boss whose employees were fiercely loyal.

“Hands down he was the best man I ever knew,” said John. “He was a wonderful trainer, but more than that he was a great teacher. He was tough but he really enjoyed helping young horsemen.”

Sandy died in August 2000, but his legacy lives on in every corner of the farm. The property was first sold as a polo farm and then in 2002 it found its rightful heir when Lindsay Forrester came to town.

Lindsay, otherwise known as Bubba, was a high school teacher in Greenville, who had always found a way to be around horses – “just for the fun of it.” His wife at the time was involved with eventing, so the couple started to look around at serious horse towns, mainly Aiken and Tryon.

“Aiken always had a reputation for horses, so it was my top pick,” Lindsay recalled. “This farm was on the market and it was just perfect for us.”

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By then the ponds were becoming overgrown, the track was in disrepair, and there was an air of neglect about the property. Lindsay changed all of that. He started by creating a derby field with every style of jump imaginable. Then he added a dressage arena with mirrors down one side, re-made the dock for swimming horses, and eventually built a center-aisle barn on a hill at the back of the property. Trees were cleared and beautiful palms were discovered that had been overtaken by the gum trees.

Sandy Hills Farm has three barns on the property, each a fair distance from the other, which gives both the boarders and their horses some privacy.

Erin Risso, an event rider from Plymouth, Massachusetts, has been coming to Sandy Hills every winter for nine years. She uses the track for trot sets and conditioning gallops, and the miles of connecting dirt

Bubba Forrester at Sandy Hills

roads are perfect for hacks “I love the farm because there is so much variety and opportunity – I can school the upper level horses well and also get the youngsters out and about,” she said. “My whole group loves coming here year after year – Bubba is really like family after all this time.”

Another long-time winter visitor is Ruth Siegfried, who travels to Aiken from her home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Sandy Hills Farm has been my ‘home away from home’ for about 10 years now, and this year I’ll be there for almost four months. I keep coming back because it has truly become home to me, to my horses, and to my dogs,” Ruth explained.

“We have everything available to us – roomy and airy stalls, paddocks for turnout, a dressage arena with mirrors, a huge jumping arena, the sand track… I could go on and on. I also love the atmosphere – there are people who come back year after year and have become great friends, and the permanent residents are kind and welcoming hosts. The farm is quiet, with everyone doing their own thing – and with ponds where pairs of geese nest, and where ducks, herons, and other creatures are evident, with bird nests camouflaged along the edge of the track, and my personal favorite, the nature pond where turtles cover the floating logs for hours soaking up the sun.”

Tony Cassatt is proud of the way horsemen have once again flocked to his father’s farm.

“I am told that people say it is a horseman’s paradise. I know my father would have wanted that to be his legacy. It makes me very happy.”

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Dressage in the P

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Photography by Gary Knoll

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Learn Online

Internet Lessons for Everyone

By Pam Gleason

I

t’s true: you can find pretty much anything you want on the Internet. If you are a horseperson, you can shop for horses and tack, read articles, network with other horse people, look at pictures, find the results of long ago horse shows, even track down your old childhood riding buddies and get back in touch – whatever you are looking for, if it can be accessed on a screen, you can find it.

Increasingly, the Internet is becoming a valuable resource for equestrians who want to learn more about horsemanship and riding, too. Decades ago, horsemen used to turn to DVDs to find lessons and advice from experts across the country and the world. Now, the DVD is essentially gone, but the Internet is full of video lessons and courses, most of them free, that can provide a wide variety of learning opportunities.

You can learn different training methods, such as the way a natural horsemanship devotee might teach a horse to stand for mounting. You can learn horsemanship patterns – how much easier is it to understand a new dressage test by watching someone else do it, rather than having to decipher the whole thing from a piece of paper covered with charts and instructions? You can learn how top riders solve myriad performance problems in any discipline. If you are a student of horsemanship, the Internet is a veritable university.

great for people who maybe don’t have access to a trainer, but even for people who do, I think it’s a great complement.

“It’s a different way to learn dressage,” she continues. “When you’re riding and taking a lesson, it’s sometimes hard to absorb things. There can be so many distractions – maybe your horse is acting up or your trainer is yelling at you. But when you have a video, and you’re sitting on your couch, you can really focus, and you get to think about the theory

Amelia Newcomb’s instructional dressage videos have a worldwide following.

Martijn Stuurman videos while Brittany Dart, a working student, lunges Taormina, a 4-year-old Lipizzan filly.

One of the appealing things about learning from Internet videos is that they are generally quite short, perhaps 3 to 10 minutes long, which means that they don’t take too much of your time and that their lessons are generally a manageable size. If you go to audit a clinic with a top trainer, you are likely to be overwhelmed with information if the trainer covers a lot of subjects, or bored from watching everyone try the same thing if he or she doesn’t. A 10-minute video lesson, on the other hand, gives you just enough to remember and to practice the next time you get on a horse.

“I’m a visual learner, and I think a lot of other people are too,” says Amelia Newcomb, who is a dressage teacher and trainer in Simi Valley, California. Amelia’s YouTube channel, Amelia Newcomb Dressage, has over 18,000 subscribers (and growing) from all over the world.

She posts a new video every Wednesday, focusing on a specific topic in dressage, everything from fixing your position to how to ride the new Training Level Test 3.

“I think when people can see something, rather than just hearing about what it is supposed to be, that can be very useful,” she says. “It’s

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behind dressage, too. It’s a different way to ingrain it in your mind.

And then you can think about it, and take it to your next ride.”

Amelia says that she started creating videos after being inspired by her brother, Joseph, who has his own YouTube channel. Through trial and error, she discovered her niche, which is shorter educational videos, mostly concentrating on lower level skills.

“The most basic things are the most popular,” she says. “If I post a video on how to train the canter pirouette, it won’t get a lot of views.

But if I do a video on how to sit the trot, it will.”

Amelia has a full time teaching and training business and usually shoots and edits her videos on the weekend. She says that at first it was a little difficult to stay motivated to make them, but now that she has so many followers, she is hooked. “It’s really rewarding to hear stories where I am helping people who get a lot from the videos,” she says. “I like to know that I’m helping people with their dressage.”

Here in Aiken, Martijn Stuurman a Dutch FEI dressage trainer, has recently started an online video series called Just Horsemanship, which is posted on YouTube and linked to his webpage. This series follows the training of his Lipizzan dressage horses. He began over the summer by chronicling the progress of Taormina, a then 3-year-old purebred Lipizzan as she learned to lunge and took her first lessons under saddle.

Taormina is small, only 14.1, and Martijn is tall, and so he has his working students do the riding and much of the handling while he videos and gives pointers. He has a second horse, Divya, that he plans

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Brttany Dart puts Taormina through her paces. Taormina’s training is being chronicled online.

to start videoing as well in the near future, as well as other horses at different stages of training. He hopes that people will want to follow the progress of these horses and learn the training methods that he was taught back in the Netherlands.

“It will keep growing, I am sure,” he says of his series. “The primary reason I’m doing this is to share knowledge. I am hoping to also find some older people, older trainers, to see what they have to say about horsemanship, so that their knowledge doesn’t get lost.”

Martijn says that he has made videos quite a bit in the past, and he is thrilled that they have become so much easier to create. He shoots with his iPhone 11 mounted on a gimbal, which is a device that keeps the camera steady. This makes it possible for him to create a professional quality, shake-free image without a tripod, video camera, and other bulky expensive equipment. Then he edits his footage on his Mac mini using iMovie, and it is ready to go.

Martijn says that it takes about three hours to make a video and

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upload it to the website. He is planning to start posting new videos every week to attract followers and keep them engaged. Although doing this is a serious time commitment, it does have some other benefits for him.

“What really attracts me is for me personally. Making the videos makes you think more about what you are doing. That happens whenever you have to express yourself to a larger audience . . . I find that I have been thinking about riding in a different way, and for me it is very satisfying. I hope that the videos will be helpful to other people who are interested in training horses.”

To watch Amelia’s instructional videos, like and subscribe to her YouTube Channel: Amelia Newcomb dressage. Visit her website and Facebook page amelianewcombdressage.com To follow along with Martijn Stuurman’s horse training projects, visit conceiveharmony.com

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Secrets of the Bones

Hands-on Learning in the Bone Museum

Story By Pam Gleason, Photos by Pam Gleason & Pam Eckelbarger

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amela Eckelbarger and Diane Dzingle have an unusual obsession: bones, specifically the bones of horses. Both women are Aiken County residents who practice bodywork – Pam’s business is called Equus-Soma and Diane’s is Back in Balance – and they met while studying the Masterson Method, a form of equine bodywork. Both have clients in Aiken and are dedicated to helping horses perform at their

direction, and soon Edge joined Petey and his friends at Pam’s farm.

As the bone collection grew, space for it became tighter, and so Pam and her husband converted a three-bay garage on their farm into an equine osteology museum and education center. The EquusSoma Equine Osteology Learning Center now has about 25 horse skeletons, not all of them complete. Most of the skeletons are essentially collections of separate bones, but Diane is in the process of piecing Edge together as a complete, standing articulated skeleton, which will help demonstrate exactly how the system works and how a horse moves.

“We have a lot of bones,” says Pam with a laugh. “There are bones in the barn, bones in the tack room, bones in the wash stall . . . we need to expand.”

Pam and Diane say that the learning center has two primary goals.

The first is to learn and the second is to teach.

“For me, the priority is researching, learning and studying, and then passing that knowledge on through education,” says Pam As far as the educational component goes, Pam and Diane give guided tours by appointment to groups and individuals. They have also given talks and full day seminars, demonstrating various aspects of equine anatomy that the average horseperson does not understand very well.

The research component of the project involves examining the bones and the skeletal systems of individual horses for abnormalities, especially

Pam Eckelbarger and Diane Dzingle in the museum

best through various therapies.

Several years ago, Pam started down a new avenue of her equestrian education when she took a three-day course on equine dissection. After this she decided that she wanted to have her own horse skeleton so that she could better explain anatomical issues to her clients. Buying a horse skeleton was prohibitively expensive, so instead, she dug up the bones of Petey, her old event horse, who was buried on her farm in Maine. She brought the bones back to Aiken in plastic tubs and started to examine them more closely.

Studying Petey’s anatomy, she soon discovered the evidence in his bones of traumas and injuries that had gone unnoticed when he was alive. This led her to wonder about other horses. How many of them had secrets in their bones? It was not long before she ended up with another skeleton, and then another. She started showing her horse bones to other interested people – horse owners, equine therapists, saddle-fitters, pony-clubbers – and discovered that other people were almost as fascinated as she was. One of those people was Diane Dzingle.

Diane wanted to have her own skeleton, and soon got permission to dig up the bones of one of her client’s horses, a 28-year-old Quarter Horse named Edge. She unearthed and cleaned the skeleton under Pam’s

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the skeletons of horses that were known to have performance, behavior and physical problems when they were alive. Diane and Pam stress that neither is a veterinarian, and they are not able to diagnose any disease or syndrome. However, they can look at the bones and identify things that are not normal, some of which have already been associated with specific syndromes, and some of which have not. Although there are a handful of equine osteopaths around the world who make scientific studies of equine skeletons, this is a small group, and the bone collection in Aiken has the potential to make significant contributions to the field, especially since, in the majority of cases, Pam and Diane have full histories of the horses’ lives.

Interest in the Equus-Soma bone project really took off in 2019, after Pam agreed to examine the bones of Apollo, a Thoroughbred gelding owned by a friend of hers from Maine. Apollo, a beautiful and seemingly talented gelding, had exhibited erratic behavior during the few years that his owner had him, and, in his eighth year had become aggressive and dangerous. After efforts to find out what was wrong and implement a cure proved fruitless, his owner reluctantly euthanized him in 2018. He seemed to have bouts of terrible and intractable

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Apollo: a severe case of kissing spine. One bone has worn a hole in its neighbor.

pain and was a danger to himself and to the people around him. After he was euthanized, his body was sent to a company in Maine called Compassionate Composting. About a year later, when the composting was complete, Pam collected his bones and brought them back to Aiken.

Right away, she discovered an abnormality in his spinal column, something that he was born with. In addition to this congenital malformation, he also had other problems that may have been the result of compensating for the original abnormality and could well have caused him significant discomfort. One of his problems included kissing spines. Horses have long thin bones in their backs that stick up from each vertebra to provide additional protection to the spinal column.

Normally, these “spinous processes” are evenly spaced and do not touch.

Kissing spine is a syndrome in which the ends of the spinous processes touch or rub on one another. Apollo’s kissing spine was so severe, one of his vertebra actually wore a hole in its neighbor.

How much pain would that have caused?

“A whole lot!” says Pam. Apollo’s story was posted online and soon went viral, eliciting interest and responses from all over the world. Veterinarians and equine body workers were curious about Apollo’s bones, but so were people who also had horses with unexplained aggressive behavior or neurological symptoms. Many of these people had tried multiple different therapies and training techniques with their horses, none of which had worked.

For many people, Apollo’s story was the beginning of an awareness that “bad” behavior in horses might have causes that go deeper than training issues or injuries and may have nothing at all to do with the horse’s attitude. Some horses might be in pain because there is something fundamentally wrong with their skeletons.

In fact, Pam and Diane say that they have found malformations in many horse skeletons, some of which can be associated with known problems in the horse’s life, and some of which can’t. The serious spinal malformations they have encountered, however, have always been associated with specific behavioral or performance problems. And these spinal malformations, which are present at birth, are surprisingly common.

“We want people to be aware that when they have a horse that they feel is naughty, that pretty much every time there is an underlying reason,” says Diane. “Unfortunately, we can’t always get right to it or find out what it is, but we want people to realize that it isn’t necessarily that you have a bad trainer or a bad horse. There is a reason for it.”

“You can’t always find these things in an x-ray,” adds Pam. “So that means we have to listen to the horses a little closer. When they tell you that something is wrong, you have to believe them. And if you try different things and none of them work, the answer might be in the bones.”

Pam and Diane say that there may be another place that has

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collections of equine bones similar to Equus-Soma where horsemen are invited to come and learn, but they are not aware of one anywhere in the world. In addition to skeletons with abnormalities, the learning center also has normal skeletons, including a particularly instructive series showing the maturation of the skeleton. One thing that this series demonstrates is that 2- and 3-year old horses have bones that are nowhere close to mature, and that starting them under saddle at such a young age is probably a very bad idea, especially for high stress sports such as racing.

Being able to see, touch and hold the bones in the little museum is an education in itself – they are clean, odorless, and surprisingly beautiful. Both women are passionate about the project, eager to share what they have learned, and have an enthusiasm for their subject that is contagious.

“The big thing we want to do is just bring awareness, and if people want to be educated, we’re more than happy to have them come for a tour,” says Pam, explaining that private tours and seminars can be scheduled on the Equus-Soma website for a nominal fee.

“We’re always discovering something new,” adds Diane, who laughs along with Pam as they acknowledge that their deep interest in the equine skeleton is unusual. In addition to whole horses, they have also taken some donations of individual legs. To reduce these to just the bones, they compost them in manure, using the methods perfected by Compassionate Composting in Maine.

To the outsider, this all may seem a bit strange, and even macabre.

But they say they have found a small international group of people who share their passion: Pam is even on her way to England later in the year to attend a standing horse dissection, which provides a rare opportunity

to see how all the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, fascia and muscles work together.

Are more people getting interested in this kind of in depth study of anatomy?

“In our world, yes!” says Pam laughing again.

“But we know we are a little strange,” admits Diane. “We’ve talked about having a reality show.”

For more information or to schedule a tour, visit equus-soma.com

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Ask the Judge

Questions about Dressage With Amy McElroy

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

Dear Amy

I have recently moved up to compete in First Level dressage. I am confused about how to perform a proper leg yield. I’m not clear on what the judge wants to see, and I especially want to know how much bend my horse should have. My score sheets also tend to recommend that I work on my accuracy in this movement. I am not sure what that means.

Can you please explain?

Yielding Dear Yielding,

It is wonderful that you and your horse have moved up to First Level. A correctly ridden leg yield will not only help you in the First Level test, it can also be used as a beneficial schooling tool throughout the levels, so it is an important movement to master.

There are three tests at the First Level. Test Two and Test Three both ask for leg yielding at the trot with the option of rising or sitting. These are the only dressage tests where you will perform the leg yield. In schooling, however, the leg yield can also be practiced in the walk and in the canter. There are many benefits to doing leg yielding exercises.

They help develop your horse’s obedience, suppleness and freedom of shoulders. They activate the hind quarters, promote swinging of the back and can improve the connection to the bit. These exercises will help you and your horse develop a partnership and prepare you for lateral movements and collection.

Although leg yielding is a two-track movement, in which the horse moves both forward and sideways, according to the USEF Rulebook, it is not considered a lateral movement. According to DR 111.2b, “In leg yielding, the horse is almost straight, except for a slight flexion at the poll, away from the way he is moving, so that the rider is just able to see the eyebrow and nostril on the inside. The inside legs pass and cross in front of the outside legs.” For example, in a leg yield to the right, your horse would be looking slightly to the left (the inside) and the left front and hind legs (the inside legs) would cross over the right front and hind legs (the outside legs.)

Let’s look at the leg yield in the First Level tests Two and Three. In these tests, this movement is performed in both directions. Each time, it has a coefficient of two (it is worth double points.) It also factors into your collective marks, particularly in the submission and rider effectiveness score. The directives for performing a leg yield require a regular and quality trot with consistent tempo, alignment, balance and flow.

In Test Two, both leg yields start on the center line, from the letter L. L is the second imaginary letter on the center line between V and P. If you are leg yielding to the right, you will be going from L to M on the long side of the arena. If you are going to the left, you will be going from L to H on the long side of the arena.

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To do this movement accurately, you should be in the act of leg yielding when your body is at L. A common problem is that many people start preparing their leg yield at L, with the result that they are long past the letter when they begin the movement. Also, the leg yield should finish at the last letter (M or H.) There are no bonus points for getting to the track early. The leg yield should end when your body is at the last letter. Then you should ride straight before you go through your corner.

In a correct leg yield, the horse is looking slightly away from the direction he is going, but he is not truly bent the way he will be in lateral work such as the shoulder-in, half pass and so on. Try to keep his body aligned and parallel to the long side, maintaining control of the outside shoulder. Be certain the legs are crossing and try to keep the same angle of approach throughout the movement. Be sure your horse is moving in a lively forward gait and has a consistent contact with the bit.

Now let’s look at the leg yield in First Level Test Three. In this test, the leg yield has increased difficulty. This time, you start at the second letter on the long side (V when going to the right and S when going to the left.) Your leg yields are significantly steeper, meaning that your horse has to go more sideways than in the previous test. The leg yield to the right goes to the letter I (on the center line between S and R) and the leg yield left goes to the letter L (on the center line between V and P.) As far as accuracy is concerned, you should be in the act of leg yield when your body is at the letter: you need to prepare in advance and be ready to go. Then, it is extremely important for your horse to have all four legs clearly straight on the center line as your body hits the final marker when you end the leg yield. This is a difficult movement and it requires a lot of control to perform accurately. As ever, your horse needs to be forward thinking and you need to keep his body straight. Be careful to keep control of the shoulders and the bend, and keep the hind legs aligned and active.

I hope this answers your questions. Keep striving to improve your accuracy, and be careful not to over-bend your horse. Try to keep the same tempo before, during and after your leg yield: there should be no variation. When done correctly, besides being beneficial, leg yielding can be a lot of fun. Good luck!

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75 Ranitidine 76 Interview: Doug Payne 78 Rider Fitness 80 Pasture Protection 82 Tales of Rescue 86 Progressive Show Jumping 89 Calendar 96 Classifieds 97 Directory of Services 98 Index of Advertisers

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February-March 2020

Ranitidine Recall

What does it mean for horses?

By Dr. Joyce Harman

R

anitidine is a drug commonly used in the horse world for treating intestinal ulcers. In human medicine it is a widely used over-the-counter and prescription acid reducing pill, also known by the brand name Zantac. Recently, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued two voluntary ranitidine recalls to patients and health care professionals. The recall is because of the possible cancer-causing compound N-nitroso dimethylamine (NDMA) being found in ranitidine products. The FDA is still deciding exactly how risky this is, but the immediate effect of the recall is that the drug is rapidly becoming less available and may become more expensive.

As reported in USA Today, one way that NDMA is formed is through exposure to heat. In the winter, this is less of a problem, but during the summer, most people keep horses’ supplements and medications in unairconditioned feed rooms. In warm climates this may increase the risk of contamination.

products.

Herbal products usually contain a combination of herbs known to heal the gut wall and are often mixed with some nutritional ingredients. The quality of the formulas is best determined by the training and experience of the herbalists who formulate them. If you try a formula for a month or so and do not see results, research different companies and product types. If a formula has the endangered herb slippery elm, be sure the company sources it from ethically grown sources that do not contribute to the destruction of the herb in the wild. The marsh-mallow plant is an excellent substitute.

Nutritional supplements and ingredients are often aimed at buffering the acid in the stomach or the gut. These are fine for the short time but do prevent mineral absorption and should NOT be used long term. Minerals such as calcium, selenium and zinc and others, must pass through an acid stomach in order to be absorbed.

How does this affect horse owners?

There is no research that directly shows NDMA potentially causes cancer in horses. However, widely used drugs are rarely recalled in human medicine, so for this to happen means there is potential for a serious problem. Even if the compound turns out to be safer in horses, scarcity of the product directly affects horse owners with limited supply and likely increased costs. I am not sure that a cancer-causing compound would be safer in horses than in people, except they do live for fewer years than humans, and in general have cancer less frequently.

Alternatives for ulcer and hind gut health support

For our readers there are many alternatives to support gut health and, in most cases, these actually work better over a long period of time than drugs. Alternatives fall into several classes and offer many options, depending on what the horse needs and responds to.

Feeding a forage-based diet is healthier for a horse’s gut than a high grain diet, although some horses with a heavy workload or high metabolic rate (the hard keepers) do need more concentrates.

For some horses, alfalfa cubes or hay are soothing to the gut, but other horses are allergic or intolerant to it and will become more uncomfortable when fed alfalfa.

For those harder keepers, feeding a hemp protein instead of soy reduces inflammation because the high omega-3 fatty acids in hemp are anti-inflammatory, while the high omega-6 in soybeans is inflammatory. Feeding healthy fats for calories is often better for the gut than more carbohydrates in the form of grains which can ferment in the hind gut. Coconut meal or coconut oil, hemp oil and unrefined rice bran or oil are all good sources of healthy fats.

There are many probiotic, herbal and nutritional products available that support gut health. One way to decide if a product has quality ingredients is to check for the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) label. This tells you that the product has met a certain standard of quality. As more research is done on the equine microbiome (the good bugs in the gut) there is a better understanding about which probiotics can help maintain gut integrity and prevent ulcers.

Probiotic supplements should contain a variety of organisms without chemical fillers or sugars, especially if the horse is overweight.

Most products currently available contain organisms that support the natural flora of the gut, but do not colonize it. The organisms that actually live there are more soil-based and appear in only a few

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Dr. Joyce Harman graduated from Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and became a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. She is certified in veterinary acupuncture and veterinary chiropractic. She has completed advanced training in homeopathy and herbal medicine and in Chinese medicine. Dr. Harman has served as president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, chairman of the Alternative Medicine (Therapeutic Options) Committee for the American Association of Equine Practitioners and has been a member of the task force on alternative medicine for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Since 1990, Dr. Harman has owned Harman Equine Clinic, a holistic veterinary practice, in Washington, Virginia. Visit www.harmanyequine. com.

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The Interview Doug Payne

By Mary Jane Howell Doug Payne is a professional eventing rider who hails from an equestrian family. His mother, Marilyn Payne, is a well-known and respected eventing and dressage judge, as well as a clinician, trainer, competitor and breeder.

His sister Holly competes at the international level in eventing. Doug is married to fellow eventer Jessica Hampf and they have two children, Hudson and Abigail. They ride and train at their farm in Aiken, and are building another farm in North Carolina. Doug recently represented the United States on the team that won the gold medal in eventing at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

What books are on your nightstand?

Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to read, but I am an Audible addict. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz is what I am listening to now.

Coffee or tea in the morning?

Coffee.

What are some of the challenges of having your own business and a growing family?

Where to start? I’m very lucky to have such an incredibly supportive family and barn staff. We are in a constant battle between our family, competitive, and financial goals. Overall, we try to keep things as relaxed as possible for the benefit of the horses and people, and of course try to win. That always makes things easier.

Name your top five horses.

Running Order, Crown Talisman, Vandiver, Quintessence, and Starr Witness. I really don’t like being limited to just five! We have a great group of younger horses that will soon try to push one of these off the top tier. Without a doubt some of them will.

You have an engineering degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. When and why did horses take precedence over working in engineering?

I grew up with no intention of riding professionally. But, very long story short, I was accepted to the New Jersey State Police Academy with the intention of becoming a forensic engineer. The state went bankrupt, delaying my start date. With idle time I began to ride and have never looked back.

Tell us about your other athletic pursuits - alpine skiing and marathons among them.

I grew up playing nearly all high school sports. I was in two international tetrathlon teams for the United States Pony Club and went to the Junior Olympics for Modern Pentathlon.

As a rider, what fitness routine works best for you?

When we are in full swing I don’t have a whole lot of free time, but when I do I try and hop on my bike. Much better for my knees than running.

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Some of your favorite moments have to be from Lima, Peru. Obviously winning the Gold, but other memories that have stayed with you.

Without a doubt Peru leads the list at the moment, but I will never forget my first time at Rolex Kentucky on cross-country. After a while you become accustomed, but there is a wave of cheering that follows you around the course. I remember thinking about three-quarters of the way on a long gallop how surreal this experience is, and how lucky I was to be there! I was talking with friends the other day about how crazy it is that we get to travel around the world to amazing venues and to meet great people everywhere. I just try to remain thankful that I have the opportunity.

What is playing on your set list right now?

I am generally a country listener, but today I am rocking out to Pearl Jam on Pandora.

If you could have a role in any movie, which one would it be?

Maverick – Top Gun!

Challenges of building a farm in North Carolina, when you are competing all over the world.

Everyone tells you before embarking on a project like this that the building process will be very frustrating and will take longer than expected. They underestimated all of this! We are very lucky to have Carl Ragosta, of World Development Group, managing and building our project. Without the ability to rely on his input I’m not sure that we would ever be able to finish.

Do you have a favorite cross country course?

Difficult question! There are so many great venues, but probably the most artistic and beautiful that I have seen was at the world championships in Lyon, France.

Tell us a bit about the process of writing The Problem Horse Repair Manual.

I had written a few articles and was contacted by the publishing group Trafalgar asking if I would ever be interested in writing a book. I had the opportunity and figured I would jump right in. I always assumed at some point in my life I would, but this came sooner than expected. It was a bit of a shock and definitely a learning process. I think the longest paper I wrote in college would have been 10 pages and it was full of graphs and computations. This book was 65,000 words! Overall the process was time consuming but very rewarding. Trafalgar was excellent to work with and thankfully patient with editing.

If you could take five friends on a ride in Hitchcock Woods, who would they be?

I would have to take Elijah Craig, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Jose Cuervo because honestly that’s what it would take to get me on a trail ride on my day off.

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Achieving an Athletic Partnership Rider Fitness Revealed

By Anna Lewis, photography by Gary Knoll

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iding horses is an athletic endeavor, but can you really become fit just by riding? And if you want to fulfill your potential as a rider, is it enough just to ride regularly? Most experts would say no: No matter what discipline of riding you practice, you will be a better and more effective partner for your horse if you cross train in a different sport. Why? You need coordination skills to move with your horse and find balance in the saddle. You need stamina, strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. You can certainly improve all of these areas by riding, but if you want to excel and reach your full potential, you need a more comprehensive fitness routine out of the saddle.

Alexis Cwik, who is a professional dressage trainer and competitor based at her farm, Tenacious Acres, in Aiken, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina-Aiken in exercise and sports science. She says that starting a fitness program has made a world of difference for her.

“Before I got into a workout program, I was tired at the end of the day,” she says. “Riding a few horses would make my body physically tired. Now that I have established my workout program, I can go through my day more easily. It affects how I ride. Every horse now gets my full body. The horses at the end of my day are getting the same quality of ride as the horses at the beginning of my day.”

Cayden Hill is another horseman in Aiken who is a firm believer in cross training. Cayden, who is from Canada, spends his winters riding in Aiken. His equestrian background is in showjumping, and he has also represented his country in Modern Pentathlon. In college, he studied kinesiology and health sciences, and back in Canada he owns a gym and is certified as a fitness instructor. He is currently using his education and athletic experiences to develop a company that focuses on training and recovery for the equestrian athlete, expected to launch in the summer of 2020.

Cayden says that in order to create a rider fitness routine, you must first have an understanding of the different types of fitness training and how they work together. There are four main pillars of fitness: strength, cardiovascular endurance, balance, and flexibility or mobility. Strength training involves weights, resistance bands, or the individual’s own body weight. Cardiovascular endurance training consists of aerobic activities that increase the respiratory and heart rate – walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing. Balance training develops the small stabilizer muscles that provide support and improve proprioception (knowing where your body is in space). Flexibility and mobility typically are placed in one category, but have slightly different definitions. Flexibility refers to the ability of your muscles to stretch, whereas mobility refers to the ability to move the joints and tissues through their full range of motion.

“If you picture a triangle, I like to place mobility at the base, cardiovascular endurance or aerobic capacity in the middle, and strength at the top,” says Cayden. “You need one before you can add the next. Working on strength and endurance is only efficient if your body is properly aligned, hence the mobility. Endurance or aerobic capacity is more important to rider fitness than strength.” Cayden says that balance comes from a combination of the three parts of the triangle.

“Some exercises fall into strictly one category, while some overlap into more than one category,” says Alexis. “Yoga, for example, focuses on flexibility, mobility, and balance, but also touches on strength.”

Alexis says her personal fitness routine consists of working out six days a week with a strong focus on cardiovascular endurance and weight lifting, along with some yoga or Pilates. She prefers to break up her workouts into body sections and keep it varied from day to day and to prevent her entire body from becoming sore. She says her workouts aren’t just about physical strength but about mental strength.

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“Get yourself dedicated,” she says. “Your fitness should always remain ahead of your horse’s. If you fall behind your horse’s fitness, there’s a domino effect leading to a lack of harmony and effectiveness. The ideal athletic partnership is balanced.”

When thinking about which major muscle groups you need to condition for riding, Alexis and Cayden both say to remember that riding is truly a full body sport. Your arms, legs, and core all have to work together.

You need a muscular balance between the right and left sides of your body as well as the front and back of your body. The muscles on the front of your body are referred to as the “anterior chain,” while those on the back are called the “posterior chain.” The anterior and posterior chains need to be balanced and to work together.

“Posterior chain work is key,” says Cayden, noting that modern life off the horse tends to favor the anterior chain. “Riders use a lot of posterior chain, specifically mid-back to heel, and that area can become tight very quickly.

Keeping fluidity in that section of muscles is crucial to comfort both in and out of the saddle.”

Core strength is another major component of rider fitness. Alexis believes that you cannot be truly effective on a horse until you have a strong core. Some riders keep their core too tight and rigid, holding their breath, which prevents them from moving with their horses. Other riders do not have enough strength or don’t know how to access their core strength.

“The core is the most crucial part. It holds you together, keeps you centered and balanced in the saddle. 360 degrees of you has to be centered in order to effectively assist your horse. It is one of the most underused parts of the body. People underestimate its purpose and don’t know how to truly activate it,” says Alexis.

Cayden agrees. “Most people focus on abdominals when they think of core,” he says. “But another way to think of it is ‘from nipples to knees, 360 degrees.’ This includes a large portion of your midsection, as well as hips and flexors. That is a very large part of your body.”

Alignment is another crucial component of rider fitness. Alexis says it is important to train body awareness so you can feel how you are stacking yourself from head to toe. Good alignment isn’t just about creating a pleasing picture: it’s about protecting our bodies from unnecessary wear and tear. Alexis demonstrates a vision of correct alignment.

“You maintain a neutral pelvis position, sitting evenly on your seat bones, and allowing your hips to move freely. You can draw a line from your shoulder, hip, to heel. Shoulders are relaxed down and back, chest open, ribcage flat. This keeps you right in the horse’s center of gravity.

Being in true alignment allows your aids to be more effective. You aren’t behind the movements: you are with them. When you are not centered on your horse, you are not in the best position for communication.”

“The most important thing to remember is that our bodies are

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Alexis Cwik: Fit to ride directing one hundred percent of our weight through our horse and into the ground,” says Cayden. “How we are aligned in the saddle and the direction of that energy is the message the horse receives and must interpret. A balanced rider is correctly aligned through their center of gravity, and is aware of the placement of their body and how that relates directly to the message they are sending to their horse.”

So how do you design a rider fitness program? One way is to work with a personal trainer who understands the physical demands of riding horses. Both Alexis and Cayden agree that you should be careful of online programs when you are first starting out, and that, if you have any questions about your physical capabilities, you should consult a physician before starting any new fitness program.

To design your own program, consult Cayden’s pyramid illustration and start with mobility and flexibility. This means practicing exercises that take your muscles, tendons, and joints through their entire range of motion with controlled movement. Yoga would be a good example.

Then, once you have your body moving, increase activities that build up cardiovascular endurance. After creating freedom of movement in the body and aerobic capacity, focus on strengthening your muscles. Most riders need to concentrate most on strengthening the core and back muscles for stability and posture.

“Find ways to fine tune your muscle movement,” says Alexis, stressing the importance of body awareness. Subtle body control gives the illusion

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of ease. Great riders look effortless, but we know that isn’t the case.

“You are going to find what works for your body. Everyone is different. Mix and match to create a well-rounded exercise program. Be willing to change and give everything a chance.”

Alexis also cautions riders to tailor their programs to what their bodies are telling them. This is especially important for riders who have old injuries.

Cayden recommends, “Prioritize any activity that creates body awareness and makes you focus on what you are doing with your body.

Pilates, ballet, yoga, and tai chi are all excellent for that. I love CrossFit myself because I have a solid foundation, and I thrive on the competitive atmosphere, but make no mistake, riders do not need to lift weights.

Riding is not an explosive sport.

“At the end of the day, confidence and comfort will be what improves your body and riding the most,” says Cayden. “When you are confident in your body you make more consistent and relaxed decisions on your horse, and riding really is just making little decisions.”

Alexis and Cayden are happy to help you with your rider fitness goals.

For more information please contact via e-mail. Alexis Cwik, alexis@ tenaciousacres.com. Cayden Hill, hrspwrtraining@gmail.com

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Protecting Your Horses

By Amber Heintzberger

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s horse owners, it is our priority to protect our charges, but recent attacks on horses have shaken the horse community across the South. In Aiken, assaults by aggressive dogs have left ponies injured or dead. In Florida, horses have once again been butchered in their own pastures to supply the black market horse meat market there. In upstate South Carolina, numerous horse were found injured in their paddocks.

Although eventually the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division determined that feral hogs were behind these attacks, investigations into two mysterious horse shootings in Greenville County, SC remain open.

So how do we keep our horses safe? We can’t protect them from everything, but there are certain steps horse owners can take to make them safer.

Identify Your Horses

The founder of Stolen Horse International – NetPosse.com, Debi Metcalfe began helping people protect their horses and locate stolen

animals after her husband’s horse was stolen in 1997. Today Debi, who lives with her family on a farm in Shelby, NC and her 501(c)3 organization are at the forefront of preventing horse theft and abuse.

She offers lectures and seminars, and her organization provides resources for individuals whose horses have been stolen, attacked, and more.

Stolen Horse International offers microchipping, freeze branding, and farm security signs as well as a database, media relations and other services. All of their services are free – Metcalfe said she just wants to help other people avoid going through what she experienced.

The first thing she recommends is that horse owners microchip their horses, so that they can be easily identified. If you compete with the USEF, the USHJA or with certain breed organizations, your horse must be microchipped, but microchipping is not just for competition horses.

“Microchips can help prevent the vet from treating the wrong horse: you go in to get a Friesian and they all look alike. Breeders who microchip always know they have the right horse. We’ve had people find their [stolen] horse, but they weren’t able to get them back because they couldn’t prove ownership. Get the chip, and hope you don’t have to use it.”

Lip tattoos, most commonly found on Thoroughbred racehorses, are another means of ID. Metcalfe said she also likes a visible ID like a freeze brand. She added that a freeze mark, which is similar to a freeze

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brand, consists of a series of letters and numbers usually tattooed on the neck. It is traceable if it’s registered, almost like a barcode. These are often seen on rescued Mustangs.

Metcalfe said she and her husband learned how to do freeze brands and microchips so that they can teach other people. She said that most horses don’t mind the freeze branding process, and microchipping is similar to giving a vaccination, but with a bigger needle.

Monitor Your Property

Organize a neighborhood watch program to keep an eye on things like who is coming and going, especially trucks pulling a horse trailer. Guard dogs can also help protect your property and livestock.

For instance, on January 7 of this year, in Zephyrhills, Florida, Brena Kramer, a horse owner, said that her two Rottweilers chased off wouldbe attackers before they were able to get to her horses in their pasture.

Some owners in Florida have not been so lucky, with horses in Marion, Manatee, and Sumter Counties all found dead in the past couple of months, stolen and slaughtered for their meat.

Horse theft is not a new phenomenon, but Metcalf pointed out that the Internet has given people with ill intentions all sorts of tools.

“Pull up Google Earth and you can see the property, and maybe even count the horses in the pasture,” she said. “They are stalking you on social media. You’d be surprised what you can pull up on people. And that works both ways: before you do business with someone, get a background check on them. Don’t just do something off the Internet; get a thorough investigation. You just wouldn’t believe the things we’ve pulled up on people.”

Secure Your Property

Modern technology is also useful for securing your property. With today’s smart technology, it’s easy to turn a farm into a fortress: you can add security gates, game cameras with night vision, motion sensor lights, and so on, depending on your budget and desires.

Surveillance cameras are relatively affordable and widely available online or at outdoor supply stores and some can be linked to your smartphone. Alarm systems in your barn, including smart doorbell

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systems, can also protect property and be used for monitoring. Metcalfe said that one woman she spoke to had a recording of a man firing a gun on her property, captured with her Ring ™ doorbell.

When an attack occurs on personal property, it is an invasion not only of your privacy but of the sanctity of your home. In Windsor, SC last December, Grace Vance’s miniature horse Coco Puff was killed by aggressive dogs: they jumped the 4-foot fence into her horses’ pasture and might have attacked her, too, if she hadn’t retreated to the safety of her truck after they turned on her.

Vance told the Aiken Standard that she hopes to change local ordinances on animals roaming “at large”, which she feels are insufficient to prevent dogs from doing harm, since any animal committing a “first offense” is returned to its owner. She said that the current ordinance does not reflect the changing population density of the area, which is becoming more developed, putting more residents at risk of attack by unsecured, aggressive animals.

Feral hogs can damage property and injure livestock. Trapping hogs has long been considered one of the best methods for controlling them.

Lawrence Fabrication in Simpsonville has been producing hog traps for more than 20 years and sells them mostly through a feed and seed store in Ridgeland, SC. Their brochure states that the trap should be placed in an area where hogs are prevalent, and corn should be spread around the trap. As soon as the hogs are used to feeding in the area, the spring-loaded trap can be set. Hogs feed at night, so you should check the trap in the morning. They advise caution, since wild hogs are aggressive.

Need large animal rescue? Call 803-642-7620.

Lieutenant Daymon Spann of the City of Aiken Department of Public Safety. The Aiken Large Animal Rescue Team, is operated by the Department of Public Safety. “We are on call 24/7, serving Aiken and the surrounding areas for equine and other large animal emergencies,”

Have a Plan of Action Hog Traps

According to a recent article in the New York Times, feral hogs have long been a problem in the Southern United States, and they are now expanding into the Northern states and Canada. Feral hogs, also known as wild boar, are very aggressive: they can and will attack horses, as horse owners in Greenville and Spartanburg Counties discovered.

Renee Dearybury lives on a few acres just outside the Spartanburg, SC city limits, and keeps her horses at home. In early December, her reining horse and its companion pony were attacked by feral hogs in their paddock. Dearybury had never seen hogs before, but increased development of farmland in the state is pushing wild animals closer to residential areas.

She said the ordeal was traumatic for her and the horses. “The vet stayed here for about four hours; the little miniature horse got the worst of it. My husband was thinking about putting him down, he was so torn up. He’s recovering pretty well except for one cut where the tusk went through his mouth, all the way through from one side to the other, over his bottom teeth. My mare looked like she’d been in a thorn patch because she was so eaten up . The pig expert told me more than likely he went for the mare first and the little gelding tried to protect her and got the worst of it.”

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If the worst does happen, whether it is an attack or theft, Metcalfe encourages horse owners to have a plan of action. She said that when owners whose horses are missing contact Netposse, they can send alerts nationwide.

“Just posting to Facebook won’t do it. There are people who aren’t even on the Internet; take the alert, print our PDF flyer, and post it locally in feed stores, restaurants, everywhere there are people. Most of our recoveries are off of a flier. ” Anita Williamson, a Tryon, North Carolina horsewoman, is the executive director of Polk Equine Emergency Rescue. She urges anyone whose horse sustains unusual injuries to contact law enforcement, and leave the “crime scene” alone.

“If you see anything take a video, take photos, and don’t disturb any physical evidence like shell casings or broken fencing,” she said.

In your plan of action, Metcalfe suggests that you have phone numbers for animal control, the sheriff ’s office, and local people of influence on your list. “The people in your community, you know who they are: you know where people stop for coffee and who they talk to.

If there’s a horse auction nearby, make sure they’re on your list, and that they’ll post and print your information, too. Most of our cases have been solved thanks to people who are aware of what is happening in the community.”

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Tales of Rescue

The Laurens County Eight

Story & Photography by Pam Gleason

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aurens County, South Carolina: On Friday, January 24, 2020 Laurens County animal control sent a pair of officers to conduct a welfare check on a herd of horses. It was a cold, rainy day, and when officers arrived at the address they had been given, they found nine thin horses standing in an acre of muddy paddocks surrounded by barbed wire.

The horses did not look good, but it was late in the day, and Laurens County does not have any facilities for horses or the ability to transport them. Besides, the owners were not there, and the officers did not know what their story was. The neighbors who had reported the horses brought them some hay, and the officers left a tag on the gate, notifying the owners that animal control had been out, and would be back.

On Saturday, animal control returned to the property after getting another call. No one had been by to tend to the horses since the day before. And sometime in the intervening hours, one of the horses had died. He was a young dark bay Thoroughbred off the track who was little more than a skeleton, half sunk in the mud. His paddock mate, a gaunt palomino mare who was once a barrel racing horse, hovered nearby, trying to pick strands of hay out of the muck. The remaining seven horses stood in a larger adjoining paddock: two little ponies, a yearling palomino colt with a body score of 1, and four other horses

who had not eaten enough in a long time. The situation was dire.

Geoff Brown, who is the director of animal control for Laurens County, already had his hands full with two major dog cases, one of them a puppy mill bust just a week before. This case involved 142 severely neglected dogs along with more than 100 chickens and other animals; a second case included over 30 malnourished dogs kept on heavy chains. In conjunction with these cases, Brown had been working closely with representatives from the Humane Society of the United States, and so he naturally called Kelsey Gilmore Futeral, who is the

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director of the South Carolina chapter of the HSUS, to ask her advice.

She suggested that he call Aiken Equine Rescue, a highly regarded horse rescue and adoption facility on Aiken’s Southside. Aiken Equine Rescue is an HSUS shelter and rescue placement partner and has worked closely with the HSUS over the years. Kelsey knew that if the rescue had the ability to help, it would.

And so at about 2 p.m., Geoff Brown called Caroline Mulstay, the manager of the rescue, asking for help. Within three hours that help arrived: Caroline organized a trailer to go pick up the horses and drove up herself to assist. The horses at the scene were photographed and the conditions they lived in were documented. A veterinarian performed a necropsy on the horse that had died, and he was buried not far from where he lay down a final time. Then a section of the barbed wire was cut, and the horses were urged onto the trailer, where a bale of alfalfa was waiting for them. It did not take much to get them to walk on: they definitely wanted out.

The trip back to Equine Rescue took over two hours, and by this time night had fallen. It wasn’t until about 10:30 p.m. that the eight emaciated horses were installed in four separate paddocks with run-in sheds. They had fresh water, alfalfa hay, and clean place to lie down. Life for them was going to get better, even if help had come too late for the bay Thoroughbred.

Best Intentions: When Rescue Fails

Looking at the eight surviving horses, and contemplating the one that didn’t make it, most horse people ask why? Why would people have so many horses if they couldn’t or wouldn’t feed them? If they ran into trouble, why didn’t they ask for help before the situation got so bad?

Why did a beautiful young Thoroughbred have to die, his belly full of mud because there was nothing else to eat?

Although all of the details of this case have not been brought to light, some things are clear. To start with, this was not the first time that the

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Caroline Mulstay leads an emaciated palomino mare to the trailer. This mare’s paddock mate died of starvation less than 24 hours earlier owner of these horses had gotten in trouble. In the July 2019, animal control had been to her home where they removed two horses, two kittens and a rabbit that had been living in conditions described as deplorable. The horse owner and her partner were both arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty. Animal control officers were aware at the time that the owner also had other horses, but they did not know where they were. They guessed that they were being kept at a different location, but there was no telling where. After her July arrest, the horse owner was released on bond to await trial. She was ordered not to leave the state, and not to acquire any more animals.

This was why, when Geoff Brown discovered that the horses found in January belonged to this same woman, he was adamant that they needed to be seized that day. He was afraid that if they were left over night, she would return, take them, and hide them somewhere.

The other thing that becomes obvious is that, bad as this situation was, the owner of the horses never intended them any harm. Searches of social media reveal that in the past she saw herself as an animal advocate, and even an animal rescuer. Where did these horses come from? The majority appear to have been purchased out of kill pens, mostly in the Southwest. She seems to have spent time on the Facebook pages of various kill pens in Texas and Louisiana, and purchased, or “bailed” a number of horses, then paid to have them shipped to South Carolina.

Several of them were purchased in November 2019, just two months earlier. Sometimes she appears to have conducted online fundraisers to help cover the costs of the bail and the shipping. Sometimes she appears to have paid the costs herself.

And although the horses rescued in January were in poor condition, with body scores ranging from 1 to 3 out of 9 on the Henneke scale, they had not always been neglected. Images on social media show some of them fat and round. The starving palomino mare that shared a paddock with the Thoroughbred ran barrels, and a few years ago her coat was glossy and dappled. In pictures, the Thoroughbred appears slick and healthy just two months earlier – he seems to have arrived at the farm on September 28, a few months after retiring from the track and he looks happy and ready for a new career. Even the paddocks where the horses were housed did not always look the way they did in January. After months of being trampled and overgrazed by nine horses,

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they were covered in a foot of oozing mud and manure that emitted a lingering and nauseating odor. But Facebook images from the fall show those same paddocks green and full of grass, with bales of hay stacked outside the fence.

“It’s a scenario that we often see when we end up with neglect cases, and hoarding type behavior,” says Kelsey Gilmore Futeral. “There are people whose hearts may be bigger than their means. Particularly with horses, animals that require a higher level of care – the care is more expensive, they need more space— it’s something that can happen pretty easily. As any horse person knows, the cheapest part of the horse is the purchase price.”

Exactly what happened between mid-November and January? The care the nine horses was receiving clearly tapered off, or disappeared entirely. The owner of the horses has not been located – despite the conditions of her bond, it is rumored that she has left the state and is in Texas. Did she go away and leave the horses under the care of someone who couldn’t be bothered to feed them? Did she just leave, with no further thought for the animals? Perhaps something happened in her life; perhaps she got involved with something or someone that altered her mental state. Whatever the case, the horses that she loved and cherished, the ones she rejoiced in saving, ultimately paid the price, one of them with his life.

There will be serious consequences for this owner as well, when she is located. She is already out on bond for four felony counts of animal cruelty from her case in the summer. It is likely that she will be charged with nine more counts, for a total of 13. According to the law, each of these counts carries a potential prison sentence. However, whether one will ultimately be imposed or not depends largely on whether the local prosecutor decides to pursue incarceration. It is rare, at least in South Carolina, for this to happen in an animal cruelty case.

Preventing and Reporting Neglect

How can we keep things like this from happening again, and what should we do if we see a horse, or horses, that appear to be in danger?

“If you see something, say something,” says Geoff Brown. “In our county, we have 700 square miles and there are just four animal control officers.” He points out that other abuse and neglect cases, such as the recent puppy mill bust in the county, were discovered because a citizen

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who saw the dogs filed a report. Otherwise they might have stayed hidden. “You have to be our eyes. If you see something that doesn’t look right, call us. And then we can send an officer out to determine if there is something going on that is criminal, or if there is another explanation.”

In fact, Geoff says that in the majority of cases, when his officers are called for a welfare check, there is another explanation for why a horse does not look healthy – sometimes he is very old, or under veterinary care and in a hospice situation. Sometimes a horse is a recent rescue that is in the process of being rehabilitated. But that fact should not deter concerned citizens from making a call. “There is no penalty for calling in a welfare check when it turns out that nothing’s wrong. It’s the right

Aiken Equine Rescue

A week after their rescue, the Laurens County eight are doing well and seem to be settling into their new, comfortable surroundings. However, Caitlyn Brady, who is the assistant manager of the rescue, says that they are still in a dangerous phase. They are being fed multiple meals of high quality alfalfa throughout the day, and they need constant monitoring.

“We have to watch them, make sure that if they lie down they can get back up,” she says. “We have to keep a constant eye on their manure, to make sure that what we are feeding them is going through. We have to attend to their cuts and scrapes – one mare has a large wound on her leg that has proud flesh on it that is going to need more veterinary care.”

But the positive news is that, with the exception of the palomino yearling who appears to have had little handling, all of the horses are friendly and easy to handle, and all give the impression that they will be adoptable when they are healthy and sound. Although the horses are not yet legally the property of the rescue, Geoff Brown in Laurens County is filing an emergency custody motion, which he expects to have granted. After that, he will be able to legally transfer the horses over to Equine Rescue.

On another positive note, the horses’ pictures and stories have elicited a good response on social media, with many people donating money or time to help care for them. Additionally a number of parties are already interested in adopting them when they are ready. This is important: The sooner these horses can be adopted out, the more likely it is that the rescue will be have the capacity to help at a moment’s notice when the next emergency arises.

Starved, scared and unhandled, a yearling palomino leaps off the trailer at Aiken Equine Rescue while Gary Knoll hangs on. thing to do,” he says.

Caroline Mulstay agrees, saying that Aiken Equine Rescue itself has no power to take horses out of neglectful situations. That must be done by law enforcement. “If you call animal control they will come,” she says.

But she cautions that, when the officers get there, it must be clear that the way the animals is being kept is in violation of the law. “If you call because the horses are starving, it’s really hard because if you feed them hay before the officers get there, it will look like they are being fed, and so that might make it harder to get the horses out of that situation.”

Kelsey Gilmore Futeral also emphasizes the role of animal control, and points out that one of the first steps in providing adequate protections for the state’s horses is making sure that animal control officers are well educated. This is why the HSUS has been holding educational sessions for animal control officers who might not be familiar with horses. In addition to offering free ongoing training and advice year round, the HSUS has partnered with Aiken Equine Rescue each spring to give a course on horse care and handling.

“The course at Equine Rescue is really important because it gives the officers hands on experience, which a lot of them haven’t had,” says Kelsey. “They all have halters in their trucks, but maybe they don’t know how to put them on. When it comes to horse rescue, we’ll also offer off site support and give guidance to animal control on the next steps they can take. For instance, we might help them come up with the best language to put in their warrants so they are able to seize all the evidence. Then we offer logistical and financial support to animals that we have sent to our rescue and placement partners.

“So if you see something that doesn’t look right, call local law enforcement and make a report,” she emphasizes. “Doing something as small as that makes a difference. And then, be sure to support your local animal shelter or rescue, because they are the ones who often take the heavy hits when these cases come in.”

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Caroline Mulstay unloads a pony at the rescue. Things will get better.

“When these situations happen, when we have the room or can make the room, we step in and we help,” says Caroline Mulstay, who goes on to say that this is not always possible. The rescue, like any farm, has its limits, and if they take in more animals than they can physically handle, the quality of care they are able to provide will decrease. Aiken Equine Rescue, no less than a responsible private person who wants to help horses, knows that sometimes you have to say no.

Caroline says that she has been heartened by the outpouring of support for the Laurens County horses, and that the rescue happened smoothly because of a high level of trust and cooperation between AER, Laurens County Animal Control and HSUS. Aiken Equine Rescue volunteers who were ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice to bring the horses to safety were also invaluable.

Kelsey Gilmore Futeral of the HSUS agrees.

“I think this case was another great display of people, agencies and organizations in South Carolina working together, and really coming together to meet the needs of a community,” she says. “It’s been a really lovely example of different people and different groups coming together to get animals out of harm’s way.”

Visit Aiken Equine Rescue at aikenequinerescue.org for information about adopting, volunteering, donating or scheduling a tour. Also friend them on Facebook: facebook.com/AikenEquineRescue/

February-March 2020

February-March 2020

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Progressive Show Jumping

at Highfields Event Center

Photography by Gary Knoll

Aiken Area Calendar of Events

FEBRUARY Just for Fun Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 1 Sporting Days Farm February H.T. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com 1-2 Linda Zang Clinic. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken.

484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 2 XC Schooling. 10am-2:30 pm. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com,sportingdaysfarm.com 4 Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 4 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org 5 February Recognized Horse Trials USEA/USEF Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 5-11 Whiskey Road Hunt Week. Hon. Sec. Betsy Minton, 803.617.8353, elizabethminton@att.net, whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com 6 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm.org 6-9 Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series I. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring NC. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 7 Whiskey Road Hunt Ball. Details TBA. Hon. Sec. Betsy Minton, 803.617.8353, elizabethminton@att.net, whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com 7 XC Portion of Apple Days. 10am-2:30 pm. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com 7-9 Pine Top Horse Trials. Pine Top Farm, Thomson, GA. Janet Wilson, 706.449.2029, pinetopfarm.com 7-9 IEA Regional Finals. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com. Caroline Foto. 704-649-5799.

8 Historic Stables Experience. Register Thursday before tour. 8:45am. Rye Patch parking lot, 100 Berrie Road, Aiken.

803.643.2121, 803.642.7631, halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov, aikenracinghalloffame.com 1

February-March 2020

Aiken Driving Club Pleasure Show Clinic. 1494 Pine Acres Rd, Windsor, SC. Katy Rinehart. 641-751-1952. aikendrivingclub.com 8-9 USEF/USDF “I LOVE Dressage”. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 9-15 Belle Meade Hunt Week. Thomson, GA. Hon. Sec. Mrs. Angela Smith: 706.833.3104, ke4nnr@classicsouth.net. Hunt Office: 706.595.2525, bellemeadehounds.com.

10 Aiken Driving Club Pony Measurement Day. Katydid Barn, State Park Road, Windsor SC. Lisa Singer: chateaulog@gmail. com 11 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org 12 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 13 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm.org 13-16 Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series I. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 4066 Pea Ridge Rd, Mill Spring NC. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 14-16 Paradise Farm recognized HT Starter-Preliminary. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken.com 12 Schooling HT/Combined Tests/jump rounds. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.

215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 15 Small But Mighty CDE. Greenfields Farm, Windsor Trace, Windsor, SC. aikendrivingclub.com. Karen Marlin: 207-8414492.

15 Pipe Opener II CT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com 15-16 ​Dressage at Bruce’s Field USEF/USDF Level 3. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken.

803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org 17 WRFH Hunter Pace. Chime Bell Chase, Chime Bell Church Rd., Aiken. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com Betsy Minton: 803617-8353. elizabethminton@att.net 17-18 Eventing Academy Schooling Horse Trial. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com 18 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org 8

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Aiken Driving Club Education Night. Contact Debbie Bevan 608-693-6465. aikendrivingclub.com 19-23 “Stable View Winter Hunter/Jumper Classic”. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@ stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 20 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm.org 21-23 Pine Top Advanced Horse Trials. Pine Top Farm, Thomson, GA. Janet Wilson, 706.449.2029, pinetopfarm.com 22-23 Progressive Show Jumping Series HJ Show. Highfields Event Cntr, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 22-23 Not So Royal Horse Driving Trial. Contact Jennifer Matheson: 803-292-3064. aikendrivingclub.com 22-23 Camden Hunt Weekend. Camden, SC. Ms. Lea Schwartz Edwards, 803.669.1590, camdenhunt.com 23 Ride the Rail at the Aiken Training Track. Noon to 3 pm. ridetherailaiken@gmail.com. 508-265-3055. Download application at aikentrainingtrack.com 23 Combined Tests/jump rounds. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 23-24 Ride Better Clinic. Lellie Ward, Stono River Stables, Charleston, SC. 843.813.5506, paradisefarmaiken.com 25 Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 25 Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org 25 Marilyn Payne Clinic. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 26 February II Recognized HT USEA/USEF Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.

215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 27 Apple Tree Farm 2 Phase. Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870. appletreefarm.org 27-Mar.1 Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series. Highfields Event Cntr, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 28-29 ​$50,000 LiftMaster Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field USEF/USEA Eventing Showcase. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org 28-Mar. 1 Four Beats for Pleasure. South Carolina Equine Park.

443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com.

Shannon Gibbs. 919-255-0429. shgibbs@gmail.com 29-Mar.1 Sporting Days USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com 19

MARCH 1

1 3 3-5 4 5 5-8 5-11

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Sporting Days USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com Audubon Drive. Silver Bluff Audubon Center, Aiken. aikendrivingclub.com Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org Aiken Driving Club Nicke Palsson Clinic. Contact Lisa Singer: 610-960-8695. aikendrivingclub.com Live Oak CDE. 2215 SW 110th Ave #1424, Ocala, Fla. liveoakinternational.com.

Apple Tree Farm D & SJ . Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm.org Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series. Highfields Event Cntr, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Eric Smiley Clinic at MP Eventing. mpeventing@me.com mpeventing.com.

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6 6

7 7-8 10 10 11 10 13 13-15 13-15 14 14-15 14-15 15

15-19 16 16-17 17 17-19 18-22 19-21 20-22

Apple Days at Sporting Days Farm XC. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com NBHA Super Show. The Hippodrome Complex, 5540 Jefferson Davis Highway, North Augusta, SC . 6-8 SCQHA Show. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com. Billy Prather. 803699-1325. bpquarterhorse@bellsouth.net.

Bruce McGheee Memorial Harness Races. McGhees mile, Banks Mill Road, Aiken. 803-617-8511. mcgheesmile.com March Recognized Horse Trials USEA/USEF Horse Trials.

Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org Thoroughbred Racing 101: from birth to first race. Aiken Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, Hopeland Gardens, 135 DuPree Place,Aiken.aikenracinghalloffame.com Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com Thoroughbred Racing 101: thoughts on betting. Aiken Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, Hopeland Gardens, 135 DuPree Place, Aiken.aikenracinghalloffame.com Brreakfast at the Gallops. Aiken Training Track, 538 Two Notch Road, Aiken. aikentrainingtrack.com. Track office: 803648-4631. More info: 803-643-7631; 808-643-2121.

Pine Top Spring Horse Trials. Pine Top Farm, Thomson, GA. Janet Wilson, 706.449.2029, pinetopfarm.com Palmetto Paint Horse Club. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com. Ann Louise Miller. millawayranch@windstream.com Aiken Trials. Aiken Training Track, 538 Two Notch Road, Aiken. aikentrainingtrack.com. 803-648-4631 Progressive Show Jumping Series HJ Show. Highfields Event Cntr, 147 Warehouse Rd, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Southern Comfort Dressage. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com Aiken Trained Horse of the Year Induction Ceremony for Concrete Rose. Aiken Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, Hopeland Gardens, 135 DuPree Place off Whiskey Road,Aiken. aikenracinghalloffame.com Eric Smiley Clinic at MP Eventing. mpeventing@me.com mpeventing.com.

The Acorn Cup Benefitting Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs. Cedar Creek Golf Club. nicole@greatoakeap.org.

Lucinda Green Cross Country Master Class. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.

215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com Tuesdays In The Park: Stadium and Dressage Schooling Days.

The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org Palmetto Paint Horse Club. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com. Ann Louise Miller. millawayranch@windstream.com Stable View “B” Hunter/Jumper Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com Tryon Welcome I Nat. Hunter/Jumper. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring NC. 828863-1003. tryon.coth.com Windsor Trace CDE. Greenfields Farm. 1060 Curb Chain Lane, Windsor, SC. Ann Pringle. 910-691-7735. aikendrivingclub.com

February-March 2020

20-22 Harmon Classic. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com. Lewis Pack. harmonclassics@aol.com.

21 Aiken Spring Steeplechase. The Aiken Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. aikensteeplechase.org 21-22 Schooling Horse Trials, CT & Schooling Drssage. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken.com 22 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 22 Just for Fun Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 25 Jumping Branch Farm Schooling Hunter Derby. Jumping Branch Farm, Fox Young Road, Aiken. Tate Shaw: 240-9947232; Tateshaw.612@gmail.com. jbfarm.com.

25 “So you want to learn to drive” Aiken Driving Club Event. Gaston Livery Stable, Richland Avenue, Aiken. aikendrivingclub.com 24-26 SCQHA Show. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com. Billy Prather. 803699-1325. bpquarterhorse@bellsouth.net.

26 Apple Tree Farm D & SJ . Apple Tree Farm, 1530 Oak Ridge Club Road, Windsor, SC. 803.266.5870, appletreefarm.org 26-29 Tryon Welcome II Nat. Hunter/Jumper. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring NC. 828863-1003. tryon.coth.com 27 Apple Days at Sporting Days Farm XC. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com 27-28 Designer Builders Spring CCI-S 1-4 Star Horse Trials at Stable View. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken.

484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 27-29 Spring Fling Dressage. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC. scequinepark.com. Janet Hennessey, softwindsfarm@gmail.com 28 Pacers and Polo at Powder House Field. Third Leg of Aiken Triple Crown. aikenpolo.org. 803-643-3611.

28 Carolina Cup Steeplechase. Springdale Racecourse, Camden, SC carolina-cup.org.

28 Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@ yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 29 March Recognized Horse Trials USEA/USEF Horse Trials II. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken.

Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com

APRIL 2-5

3-5 3-5 3-5 4 4

Camden Spring Classic. Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Rick Cram. psjshows87@gmail.com.

Aiken Horse Show in the Woods, Hitchcock Woods, Aiken. aikenhorseshow.org. 803-642-0528 Tryon Welcome 3 Regional Hunter/Jumper. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring NC. 828-863-1003. tryon.coth.com The Fork at TIEC. CCI 2-4 star & BN -A Horse Trials.

Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring NC. 828-863-1003. tryon.coth.com Schooling Horse Trials, CT & Schooling Drssage. Paradise Farm, 4069 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lellie Ward, 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken.com Backstretch Experience at the Aiken Training Track. Meet at Rye Patch, 100 Berrie Road SW in Aiken. 803-643-7631 or 803-643-2121. aikentrainingtrack.com. halloffame@ cityofaiken.gov.

February-March 2020

USEF Spring Fever Dressage. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 5 Combined Tests/jump rounds. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 8-12 Tryon Welcome 4 Premier. Hunter/Jumper. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring NC. 828-863-1003. tryon.coth.com 8-12 Stable View “B” Hunter/Jumper Show. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 9-16 Aiken Polo Club Pro-Am. Aiken Polo Club Fields, Mead Avenue and Powder House Road. aikenpolo.org. 803-643-3611.

10-12 Progressive Show Jumping Series HJ Show. South Carolina Equine Park. 443 Cleveland School Rd, Camden SC .

803.649.3505, psjshows.com 15-19 Aiken Spring Classic I; Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken.

803.649.3505, psjshows.com 16-19 Tryon Spring Dressage. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring NC. 828-863-1003. tryon.coth.com 17-19 Camden Film Week featuring the EQUUS Film and Arts Fest. equusfilmfestivalcamden.com 18 Sporting Days USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com 18 Aiken Driving Club Education Night. Contact Debbie Bevan 608-693-6465. aikendrivingclub.com 18 Aiken Symphony Guild at Stable View. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 18-19 Aiken Carriage Classic. Aiken Training Track Field, Two Notch Road, Aiken. Katy Rinehart. 641-751-1952. gkm104heartofiowa.net.

19 Sporting Days XC Schooling. Sporting Days Farm, 3549 Charleston Highway, Aiken. Joannah Hall Glass: 803.648.0100 or 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com 22-26 Aiken Spring Classic II; Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken.

803.649.3505, psjshows.com 22-May 3 Jake Kneece Memorial Tournament. Aiken Polo Club Fields, Mead Avenue and Powder House Road. aikenpolo.org.

803-643-3611.

22-May 10 New Bridge Polo Club Spring Classic Tournament. New Bridge Polo Club, New Bridge Rd. Aiken. newbridgepolo.com.

23-26 HeArt of the Horse. Film and art exhibition. Aiken Center for the Arts, Laurens Street, Aiken. aikencenterforthearts.com 24-26 Aiken Polo Club National Youth Tournament Series Qualifier. Aiken Polo Club Fields, Mead Avenue and Powder House Road. aikenpolo.org. 803-643-3611.

24-May 5 Wagener Polo Club 4 goal. Wagener Polo Club. Billy Raab: 561-719-3318. wagenerpolo.com 25 Spring Hunter Pace. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com 25 Combined Tests/Jump rounds. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Road, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803. 215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com. fullgallopfarm.com 26 Progressive Show Jumping USEF Series. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows. com 29-May 3 Tryon Spring I Premier Hunter/Jumper. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring NC. 828-863-1003. tryon.coth.com 29-May 3 Aiken Charity Horse Show I USEF Premier. Horse Park @ “Bruce’s Field”, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.226.0121, aikenhorsepark.org 4-5

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Outfitting Southeastern Farriers for Over 30 years

GREAT SERVICE AND QUALITY FARRIER SUPPLIES ARE OUR PRIORITY

Aiken, SC

803.685.5101

Columbus, NC 828.894.0280

www.monettafarrier.com

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The Aiken Horse

February-March 2020

February-March 2020

The Aiken Horse

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MyMalvernBank.com

Absorbs up to 350% its weight – much more than other products Replace less bedding – on average add just ½ bag a week per stall Stall cleaning is faster and odor free, with less waste Easy to handle/stack 40 lb., recyclable paper bags Dust-free – ideal for horses with respiratory and skin allergies Excellent as fertilizer, no need to compost, plus adds nitrogen to soil 484-390-1453

Sole Distributors in Aiken area

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The Aiken Horse

aikenflaxbedding@gmail.com www.flaxfarm.ca

February-March 2020

February-March 2020

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Classifieds 12-year-old Crossbred mare.

15 hands. Not ambitious; no spook. Perfect job is goign on trail rides. Good alone or in company. Good with other horses. Sound, pretty and an easy keeper!

Hi! I’m a late teens Argentine ex-polo mare that would like to move on to make someone a nice trail horse. I am 15.3 hands and a good keeper. Good with other horses and very reasonably priced to the right home.

803-295-8687

803-295-8687

8 Year Old Canadian TB Cross Gelding.

Solid basics on the flat and schooling well over fences; transitioning to a new career as eventer or hunt horse.

Sound and sensible. Nice prospect for amateur or young rider.

803-295-8687 BOARDING/TURNOUT Chime Ridge Stables. Chime Ridge Stables. 1 stall with turnout, DIY or partial and 1 pasture spot for gelding available 803-508-3760 please leave message.

BOOKS AAUW Books-N-Things Sale, 100,000+ used books, music, audio books, attic treasures. Donations accepted Tuesdays & Saturdays, 9-5, from February 1 to March 3. Sale: March 6, 9 a.m - 6 p.m; March 7, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m; March 8: 12-4. 240 University Parkway, Aiken. Proceeds benefit local scholarships and literacy programs. For info: oldfriendsbook@hotmail.com.

Facebook: Aiken SC Book Sale.

CATERING Neigh Gourmet: Catering to Equestrians. Serving delicious meals in Aiken. Your personal chefs for intimate gatherings,and tailgate boxed lunches delivered to your show, event, clinic or meeting. Our decadent desserts will WOW your guests. Visit us online @ neighgourmet.com Call to place your lunch box order ( 24 hours notice please) Jody Boles 203.964.7707 or Eileen Wilkinson 203.321.9923

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HAY Round and Square Bales. Oakwood Farms: 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803. $60 per bale round hay bales. $70 per bale round bales kept inside. Square bales at $7.00 per bale. Will deliver for a small fee. Please call 706-830-2600 or 803-827-0864. email garymcelmurray@ glmconstruction.net HORSES/PETS & SERVICES Trinity Farms Terriers: Norfolk Terriers & Russell Terriers. Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions.

Generations of great temperaments.

Health/dispositions guaranteed.

Breeder of terriers for 40+ years. Donna Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. easyjacks. com & trinityfarmskennel.com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com.

LESSONS The Riding School: Private, semi private or group lessons Children a specialty.

Beginners on up; excellent lesson horses.

Unmounted programs available for children; birthday parties and camps.

Barn and stall rental also available.

Convenient Aiken location close to town. Chan Carman: 803-845-5102.

Chan@theridingschoolaiken.com;. theridingschoolaiken.com.

The Aiken Horse

Mill Race Farm, Aiken.

Warm weather luxury horse retirement, breaking, training, layups. 803-640-1818

RENTALS Cozy, cute carriage house for rent on Hitchcock Woods on iconic equestrian estate. 1BR/1BA. Sleeps 4. $125/night.

European style barn with soaring ceilings.

3 stalls available (self care) $20/night per horse. 5 min to downtown Aiken and close to all horse venues. Perfect for female solo travelers. Monthly discounts avail. www.StayAiken.com Horse boarding in Windsor, SC carriage driving community. Lovely, low country setting. 12x12 stalls connected to 2 acre fields and a short term paddock with shelter available. Jog’lin Board Farm Contact Lisa Whitcomb 414-477-9419

SHAVINGS Shaving Saver: Delivering you bulk shavings the economical & convenient way! Large, durable bags (950 lbs.) of pine shavings delivered to your stable.

Reusable, eco-friendly bags make storage neat and simple; bulk pricing makes your bedding affordable. Quality blended easy sift & large flake shavings that your horse will love! Call or text Claudia White 410-303-4617 or email scshavingsaver@ gmail.com

February-March 2020

Directory of Services BARNS,CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING G. L. Williams & Daughter. Serving the CSRA for over 52 years.

Specializing in hauling, grading, clearing, property maintenance, and excavation.We provide everything from several types of fill dirt, top soil,compost, mortar sands, crushed asphalt/concrete, to screenings and a variety of rocks.Free Estimates Available (803)663-3715 Certified DBE.WOSB. www.glwilliamstrucking.com

betsyminton@sterlingthompson.com. Sterling Thompson Equine: 800 942 4258 Hutson-Etherredge Company. Insuring Aiken farms since 1876. Your hometown independent insurance agency can customize your equine property coverage by choosing the best company to fit your needs.

We are a full service insurance agency. Call Sandi Vogus for a quote!

803-649-5141

BLANKET CLEANING & REPAIR Aiken Horse Blanket Couture. Please see our business card ad on page 81. Elisa: 803-640-3211; elisa@aikenhorseblanket.com BOARDING/TURNOUT/TRAINING/SALES Chime Ridge Stables. Stalls available, partial or self care. Fun, friendly, adult atmosphere. Convenient to town, South Aiken 803-508-3760. www.Sporting Days Farm.com. 3549 Charleston Hwy, Aiken, SC 29801 - 5.5 miles from Aiken By-Pass. Offers year round, seasonal or short term board as well as dry stalls. 150 acres with trails and practice areas. USEF/USEA Horse Trials in the winter, schooling shows. Visit our website to see all that it offers in 2020. sdaikenht@ aol.com - 610 613 2010 The Stable On The Woods: Elite boarding & training facility and home to trainers Darrell and Melissa Vaughn. With access to Hitchcock Woods, our barn sits on 70 acres and boasts a full size dressage arena with mirrors, show jumping arena and highquality grass pastures making this the ideal place for you and your horse. Training program to meet your needs, whether your discipline is Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers or Foxhunting. thestableonthewoods.com 603.785.0435 Vaughn Equestrian: offering training, sales, and boarding.

Professionalism is the guiding principle of owners Darrell and Melissa Vaughn in shaping every component of Vaughn Equestrian.

Dressage, Jumpers, Eventing & Young Horses. training and sales. vaughnequestrian.com (603)-785-0435

INSTRUCTION/LESSONS Amy McElroy. USDF Gold Medalist and USEF S judge. Instruction and training at all levels. Visit 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. 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. 803-640-6691 JodiHemryEventing@gmail.com JodiHemryEventing.com The Riding School: Private, semi private or group lessons. Children a specialty. Beginners on up; excellent lesson horses. Unmounted programs available for children; birthday parties and camps. Barn and stall rental also available. Convenient Aiken location close to town. Chan Carman: 803-845-5102. Chan@theridingschoolaiken. com; www.theridingschoolaiken.com.

COMPANION ANIMALS, CARE & SERVICES Trinity Farms Terriers: Norfolk Terriers & Russell Terriers. Quality family dogs with proven calmer dispositions. Generations of great temperaments. Health/dispositions guaranteed. Breeder of terriers for 40+ years. Donna Fitzpatrick. 803.648.3137. easyjacks.com & trinityfarmskennel.com & trinitynorfolkterriers.com.

EQUINE THERAPY/MASSAGE Mikaela Engert: Holistica PEMF Therapy & Equine Bodywork Certified Practitioner providing equine massage & PEMF Therapy in Aiken & the CSRA. PEMF helps to relieve pain and inflammation, improves performance, range of motion, speed and strength, while providing many other wellness benefits for you, your horse, your dog, or your other favorite four-legged friends! Call/Text: +1.603.748.4325; holisticaEQ@gmail.com; www.holisticaeq.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. aikensaddlery.com HAY Hoss Luva Hay! Exceptional quality Coastal Bermuda. Real fertilizer and lime to Clemson specs, not chicken litter. Never rained on.

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

803.247.4803.

INSURANCE Betsy Minton, Sterling Thompson Equine, 803-617-8353. Now writing homeowners insurance for private residences. No horses required but certainly welcomed. Access to top-notch unerwriters offering customized, affordable coverage. Still delivering excellent competitive insurance options for your horses and farms.

February-March 2020

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. Downtown fully furnished cottages, historic stables. Executive relocation; corporate housing. Short & long term. 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! carolinahorseproperties.com. (803) 648-8660 Horse boarding in Windsor, SC carriage driving community. Lovely, low country setting. 12x12 stalls connected to 2 acre fields and a short term paddock with shelter available. Jog’lin Board Farm Contact Lisa Whitcomb 414-477-9419 Sharer Dale, Meybohm. “Where town meets country.” sharerdale@ gmail.com. 803.522.3648.

Suzy Haslup, Meybohm. “Your Aiken Horse Real Estate Specialist.”

Buying or selling in the most celebrated equine community in the South. ww.aikenhorserealty.com; 803-215-0153 Tracey Kenworthy Turner, Meybohm. Specializing in marketing & selling Aiken’s horse country properties for 15+ years. southernhorsefarms.com. 803-215-4734.

SERVICES Neigh Gourmet: Catering to Equestrians. Serving delicious meals in Aiken. Your personal chefs for intimate gatherings,and tailgate boxed lunches delivered to your show, event, clinic or meeting.

Our decadent desserts will WOW your guests. Visit us online @ neighgourmet.com Call to place your lunch box order ( 24 hours notice please) Jody Boles 203.964.7707 or Eileen Wilkinson 203.321.9923 TACK & TACK CLEANING/REPAIR The Saddle Doctor. Saddlery and harness repair. 538 Two Notch Rd. HollyMacSpencer@aol.com. 803.642.5166.

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Advertiser Acorn Cup Golf Affordable In Home Vet Services Aiken County Farm Supply Aiken Fine Homes and Land Aiken Horse Park Foundation Aiken Horsemanship Academy Aiken Luxury Rentals Aiken Polo Club Aiken Saddlery, Inc. Aiken Trials Art and Soul of Aiken Auto Tech Back in Balance Banixx Banks Mill Feeds Barnware Be Fly Free Books N Things Breakfast at The Gallops Carol Gillis, DVM Carolina Company RE Carolina Company RE Carolina Company RE Murray Carolina Cup Steeplechase Carolina Horse Shows Hall Of Fame Clint Bertalan Farms LLC D & M Partners Designer Builders DFG Stables Epona Equine Divine Equine Rescue of Aiken Equus Film Festival, Camden Estrella Equine Fencing Solutions FITS Equestrian FOTAS Aiken G L Williams and Daughter Gary Knoll Photography Great Oak ATRC Greystone Properties Harmany Herbs Harmany Muzzle Harrison K-9 Security Service, LLC Healthy Balance

Index of Advertisers

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Advertiser

Page Section

HeArt of the Horse Hitchcock Woods Foundation Jack Roth Jill Diaz Polo Jumping Branch Farm Katydid Farm Keller Williams Stinson Keller Williams- Gutierrez L & N Equestrian Lightning Protection Systems Mark Lexton Marrinson Stables Meybohm RE (Sullivan/Turner) Meybohm RE Haslup Meybohm RE Vaillancourt Meybohm Realtors (Venus Morris Griffin) New Bridge Polo Club NibbleNet Oak Manor Saddlery Optimum Equine LLC Pait Show Horses Paradise Farm Patty Merli Saddles Performance Equine Vets Progressive Show Jumping, Inc ReMax Buckingham Retired Racehorse Project Ride The Rail Shane Doyle Shoo Fly Leggings South Carolina Equine Park Southern Equine Service SPCA Albrecht Center Sporting Days Farm Stable View, LLC Stable View, LLC Sterling Thompson Sweet PDZ (PDZ Co. LLC) The Kneaded Edge The Kneaded Edge The Tack Room The Willcox Three Runs Plantation Tod’s Hill/ReMax Wagener Milling

Advertising in The Aiken Horse

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

BUSINESS CARDS: $65 per issue or $280 PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for horses: $35; for the year (6 issues.)

Limit 30 words & one picture DISPLAY ADS are available in a range of PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for real estate, etc. sizes. For a detailed rate sheet and $45; Limit 60 words & one picture. publication schedule, visit our website: BOXED CLASSIFIEDS: add $5 to your total TheAikenHorse.com

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The Aiken Horse

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

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Advertise in the April-May issue!

Deadline March 15, 2020 Publication date: April 2020

Pay online: TheAikenHorse.com or call us: 803.643.9960

February-March 2020

Harrison K-9 security services, LLc

offering the finest internationally titled european German shepherds for your family’s protection.

Since 1975

Harrison K-9® Has been featured in tHe following publications: ABC’s Good Morning America • ABC’s Nightline • New York Times Newspaper Robb Report Magazine • Forbes Life Magazine • Fortune Magazine Cigar Aficionado Magazine • Billionaire 500 Magazine • Haute Living Magazine New York Resident Magazine • Millionaire Magazine • Desert Living Magazine S.W.A.T. Magazine • Soldier of Fortune Magazine Travel Channel • Playboy, November 2014 issue • Discovery Channel Entertainment Channel • Style Network • Fox News

February-March 2020

Harrison K-9® Security ServiceS, LLc

Aiken, South Carolina Questions? Talk to an expert 803-649-5936.

HarrisonK9.com • info@HarrisonK9.com Follow Us: Additional information available upon request.

if it’s not a Harrison K-9®, it’s just a dog.

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