April-May 2024

An Accredited Land Consultant, Suzy achieved the title of Leading Sales Agent in 2013, 2015, 2016 & 2020, received recognition in Meybohm’s “Best of the Best” & President’s Club, top agent for customer service in 2021 and 2023, and earned the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 RLI APEX award for top producing land real estate agents.

LOT 5 WOOD’S END $275,000

UNDER CONTRACT

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

Have you ever dreamed of owning an equestrian property with access to miles of beautiful riding trails, right from your backyard? Now you can! Here is your last chance to secure a buildable lot bordering Hitchcock Woods. Located at the end of a cul-de-sac, Lot 4 is cleared and ready for your horses, home, and barn. The 2200-acre Hitchcock Woods with 70 miles of sandy riding trails is open to the public year round. Hack to the Aiken Hounds fixture twice a week during the season. Wood’s End Equestrian has no HOA, paved roads, streetlights and underground utilities. Conveniently located five minutes from restaurants, shops and grocery stores on Aiken’s Southside and a short drive to downtown Aiken and Augusta. Enjoy direct access to trails!

LOT 62 MEADOW CREEK

Wonderful lot in equestrian subdivision with an extensive trail system and across from an event training facility. Watch beautiful sunsets from this level lot with pines and some hardwoods. The property lines are clearly marked and it is easy to walk. Shared community trails and dirt roads for hacking. This lot is beautiful with a low $360 HOA annual fee.

This spectacular 12.76 A offering in gated Fox Hollow on the Lake consists of two lots. Private driveway leads to grass fields, barn, and a circular driveway to cottage, dock & 16x20 storage shed. A 1985 board & batten 2 BR/2 BA, w/ten foot ceilings, newer roof & HVAC, screened porch, insulated windows and is landscaped. All appliances convey.

Under Contract

Hidden Valley Farm at 1375 River Ridge at the Heart of Aiken‘s 302 Equestrian corridor

Located on a sand/clay road between Coleman Bridge & Wagener Rds, this inviting 28-acre equestrian estate is ready for you and your horses. Arriving at Hidden Valley Farm, you will be welcomed by a beautiful gated entry with natural fieldstone columns adorned with handsome lanterns. The residence is sited to enjoy sweeping views of the front field and pastures and just a short distance to the stable. You will appreciate the wide front porch & expansive back deck spaces as well as the many fine appointments, including 10 ft. ceilings, beautiful hardwood floors, generously proportioned rooms, lovely built-in cabinetry and quality millwork throughout the home. For your horses, there is a 6 stall center-aisle barn with a heated/cooled tack/laundry/bath & feed room; 2 large wash racks/pads; 4-stall barn/loafing shed and 6 paddocks. This farm is a great opportunity to enjoy the best of Aiken’s sporting & equestrian lifestyles!

3 Bedroom, 2 Full & 2 Half Bath Home | 3698 sf | Attached 3 Car Garage | 28+ Acres 6-Stall Center Aisle Barn | 2 Pastures & 4 paddocks | 4 -Stall Run-in Shed & the 20 X 80 Equipment Building with Workshop Offered for $1,850,000

The Highlands at Barrington Farms

Cissie Sullivan

Tracey Turner

Our Cover shows Will Coleman aboard Chin Tonic owned by Hyperion Stud, negotiating the famous Barton’s Pond Broke Bridge at the $100,00 Conceal Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field.

Photography by Pam Gleason

1128 COLLETON AVE. SE

Beautiful history and magnificent botanic specimens come together at this 1903 Foursquare residence on a rare 1.85 acre lot in historic Aiken. The gardens and grounds still display unique trees and flowering shrubs, including wild azaleas, camellias, and bigleaf magnolia. 1128 is an American Foursquare: a two-story house with a square floor plan that includes four rooms on the ground level and four rooms on the second story. The location in Aiken's Historic Overlay District is desirable. Quiet streets with wide landscaped medians add privacy on two sides of the property. These greenways feature magnificent ancient oaks. The Overlay District rules offer protection and cohesion to the neighborhood, but also allow for alterations and subdivisions to properties.

623 PARK AVENUE SE

''Washington Square'' is a beautiful 1920's residence on almost-an-acre of level landscaped grounds framed by a handsome brick wall. Delightful location, just a few blocks to the Farmers market, the Horse District, and the shops along Park Avenue. This home brings to life all of the joys of life in an historic home: high ceilings, wood floors, large rooms, handsome woodwork, and grand doorways. A wide covered porch wraps around two sides of the residence, offering true Southern charm as well as protection from the weather. ''Washington Square'' has a swimming pool, broad lawns, magnificent trees, and a paved circular driveway with formal 2-car covered parking

0 SHELL STONE TRAIL

Beautiful acreage in Aiken's premier equestrian community. Close to Aiken, but enjoying a pristine and quiet setting. Extraordinary scenic community riding trails. Some areas are partially cleared. Firm price of $16,500 per acre. Seller prefers to sell in lots of 20 acres or more. Buyer responsible for survey. Sections of this land will become part of Oakwood Plantation's wonderful network of community gallops and trails. Public water is available at the street. Sales subject to approval of final survey by both Buyer and Seller.Septic tanks are required (Buyer pays). Wells for irrigation water are optional at Buyer's expense

803-640-0123

phone: 803.640.0123

for estates, farms, homes & land.

aikenhomes@me.com

Aiken Horse

What a fantastic season we have had this winter in Aiken! We’ve been busy going to as many equestrian events as we can, and there has been something happening here almost every day. You’ll get a taste of all the action in this issue, starting with our cover story on the $100,000 Conceal Grand Prix Eventing Showcase. Once again, we had so many pictures of this spectacular event at the Aiken Horse Park we dedicated extra pages to it, including our feature article and the center spread of the first section.

For our second two photo features, we chose the harness races at McGhee’s Mile and the Aiken Trials races at the Aiken Training Track. We had a great time at the Trials this year – the card for serious racehorses may be smaller than it was a decade ago, but with the races for polo ponies, side saddle riders and leadline kids, it has become a great family-oriented day for the entire equestrian community.

In our first section you will also find News and Notes and a story about one of Aiken’s favorite racehorses, Palace Malice, who won the Belmont Stakes while competing for the Aiken-based Dogwood Stable in 2013. Palace Malice has had a successful stud career here in the United States and may be poised for even more acclaim in Japan, where he moved this winter to enter services for Darley’s Japanese operation. Horse racing in Japan is on the upswing, and Palace Malice is likely to be paired with some of the best broodmares in that country, giving him a good chance to continue his success into the future.

Section two has an article about Darrell and Melissa Vaughn, who are embarking on the second decade of running their own boarding and training business here in Aiken while also managing The Stable on the Woods. We also have a fascinating talk with the renowned course designer and Aiken resident, Michel Vaillancourt, who told us some of the things that go into making a showjumping course. Our article contains only a fragment of what we learned about course design, which is more complicated and multifaceted than it might first appear. We also have a report on the Southern Belle Classic Elite Horse Sale, which brought horses and people from around the country to Stable View, not just to buy and sell horses, but also to visit Aiken and enjoy our equestrian community. Finally, you will meet Carousel, the 29-year-old Andalusian/Welsh gelding who is our Secret Lives of Horses subject this time. We asked for submissions (horses must be over 20 and retired) and we had so many wonderful candidates, it was really hard to choose.

In Section 3, you will meet Ziggy, one of the fabulous Horses of Great Oak who serves as a therapy horse extraordinaire. We also visited with Michelle Derrick at her rescue and Christian ministry, Hope for Hooves in North Augusta and met some of the sanctuary horses there. And of course, we also have Ask the Judge with Amy McElroy, who answers questions about showing dressage – the subject this time has to do with getting a good score on a regular horse, rather than on one that was bred for the sport, so it should be interesting to those of us who have what other people might consider “average” horses. (We don’t think of them that way!)

We hope you enjoy this issue. It’s spring: time for horse shows, polo, green grass and warm weather. As ever, if you know something we should know, or you have an idea for an article, send us an email. We’ll answer it when we get back from the barn.

Set on over 12 acres in highly desirable Hopeland Farms, this exceptional equestrian property is only minutes from downtown Aiken and southside shopping. Three separate living spaces are perfect for multi-generational families, caretaker/groom's quarters, or possibly rental income. Hopeland Farms is the most closely located equestrian subdivision to historic Aiken’s vibrant downtown! Easy access to multiple equestrian venues — Bruce's Field, Highfields, Aiken Polo, New Bridge Polo, Wagener Polo, The Vista, Stablev iew, New Holland Arena and Hitchcock Woods. The main residence is a spacious farmhouse with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, full of custom details and built-ins including hickory engineered hardwood floors, NEW quartz countertops, custom cabinetry, great room with fireplace, and an entire back wall of windows. Above the attached 3-bay garage is an apartment with fully equipped kitchen, large m ain living space, oodles of storage, 2 bedrooms and bath. Back deck offers ATV swim spa with cover and 2 jetted seats, with stunning views of irrigated magnolias, hollies, camellias, gardenias and azaleas. Nearby is an adorable 1200 square foot guest cottage w ith wood laminate flooring, fully equipped kitchen with solid surface counters, 2 pantries, large main living space, 2 bedrooms and large full bath, and attached carport. For horses, the center aisle barn offers two 10x15 matted stalls, paneled tack room and wash stall with hot & cold water, paddocks, pastures, run-in shed, covered storage area, and natural grass riding arena. $1,450,000

Grand Prix Eventing 2024

Will Coleman Claims Top Spots

By Amber Heintzberger; Photography by Pam Gleason & Gary Knoll

Leading from start to finish, Will Coleman handily won the $100,000 Conceal Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park on March 1-2, 2024, riding Chin Tonic, owned by Hyperion Stud. The last to leave the cross country start box on Saturday, Coleman could relax and enjoy the ride, since he was in the enviable position of already holding the top position with his other horse, Off the Record, and was thus guaranteed the win. But “Chin”

Chin Tonic is a good jumper and starting to settle into his job over the bigger fences, and that he and the horse have developed a solid relationship. “I think we are very familiar with each other and every time we go somewhere, I feel like we’re a little bit more in command of what we’re doing.” They certainly were, completing the stadium course with no time or jumping faults to add to their dressage score of 26.5.

The Grand-Prix took place over two days: Friday, which was reserved

easily completed the course, clear and with just four time-penalties, to claim victory on a final score of 30.5

It was the first time competing at the showcase event for the 2012 Holsteiner gelding, and Coleman, a U.S. World Championship team silver medalist, said he was using the opportunity to season the horse for bigger things to come. Coleman said that he’s not aiming to move Chin up to the five-star this year, but felt that the Grand Prix would provide the same sort of electric atmosphere that one might find in the stadium at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, where he plans to run the four-star competition in April.

After finishing the dressage and showjumping phases he said, “I think [the atmosphere] is very beneficial and being able to work through that test, and continue to polish that up, is important for us.” He said that

for dressage and stadium, followed by Saturday’s cross-country finale. The weather forecast for Friday was not good, and when the day came it was miserable, with cold temperatures and heavy rain. Coleman was fortunate to ride his dressage test during a pause in the torrential downpour. He joked, “Boyd [Martin], he had to go take a bubble bath between his second and third [horses]; he was drenched!” Fortunately, the weather cleared for Saturday, making cross-country a competitorand spectator-friendly affair that attracted an enthusiastic crowd to Bruce’s Field

The 28-jump cross country course, designed by Captain Mark Phillips and built by ETB Equine Construction to resemble Aiken landmarks, is condensed into the area in and surrounding the arenas at Bruce’s Field. It is a fast-paced test of agility and quick reaction time from horse and

Will Coleman on first place Chin Tonic

rider. With the crowds lining the course and cheering loudly, it also provides an exuberant display of the bravery and athleticism required of eventing horses.

Coleman, who last competed at the showcase in 2019, enjoys the intense atmosphere that this kind of competition provides, noting that championship events are starting to have similar characteristics. “I really love the five-stars,” he said. “But [Grand-Prix eventing] this is going to be . . at least a taste of what the sport might be trending towards. So I was really pleased with both of my guys.”

The Olympic gold medalist and perennial favorite Phillip Dutton, entered the final day in second place aboard Possante on a score of 30.6. He had a good chance to maintain that position, or even capture the championship title, but suffered an unfortunate fall after his horse stumbled on landing at fence 10B, the infamous Barton’s Pond Broken Bridge. This featured a jump up onto a wooden platform, followed by a short one-stride or a bounce to a steep drop into the main arena. The imposing fence made for dramatic performances, with some horses launching themselves high into the air, while others were more cautious,

Coleman’s first ride on Saturday, the big-bodied but nimble 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding Off the Record (Arkansas VDL – Drumagoland Bay, by Ard Ohio), owned by the Off the Record Syndicate, showed his athleticism by jumping clear and fast around the cross country, finishing in 4:19, just one second over the demanding 4:18 time allowed. The pair finished the event on 33.2 points, which moved them up from fifth after stadium and put them in second place overall. (Only one horse and rider pair, Waylon Roberts on OKE Ruby R Storm, was able to make the time.)

taking the drop smoothly and without apparent difficulty. Dutton was not the only rider to suffer a fall on this fence: the same fate befell Sarah Kozumplik aboard Rubens D’ysieux. Horses and riders were unhurt.

The Olympic veteran Boyd Martin stood in third place after the first day of competition with Fedarman B, or “Bruno”, his partner in winning the 2022 GPE. With Dutton eliminated, he might have moved up into second place, but after picking up 10 seconds of time on the course, he had to settle for third with a final score of 35.3.

Bruno was owned, developed and campaigned by the Aiken rider

Will Coleman on second place Off the Record

Annie Goodwin before she was tragically killed in a cross-country training fall with the horse in 2021. Now owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate, the 2010 KWPN competes with Boyd in Annie’s memory. With their Aiken connections, Bruno holds a huge place in the heart of the Aiken horse community.

Boyd said, “It’s an unbelievable honor to be competing Bruno. To start with, I didn’t know how to feel with it . . . But now I feel like everyone’s cheering him on just because of his start with Annie.”

The pair have done well in their own right, winning the Tryon International 4 star-short and garnering top ten placings in the fivestars at both Luhmuhlen in Germany and Pau in France last year. These performances put them in prime contention for this year’s Olympic team heading to Paris.

“For me, Aiken is all about just getting the horses fit and building up their condition for the season,” said Boyd, who is based at Stable View during the winters. This is sort of the first proper event that I really sort of care about the result.” With several top horses in the pipeline and at the start of an Olympic year, Boyd said that he is keeping his focus on

the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, claimed fifth place riding Artist. They were also the recipients of the High Point Thoroughbred Award, sponsored by Rebecca T. Newell & William L. Griffin, as well as the Top Rookie award presented by Dutton Eventing.

Will Coleman’s accolades at the event also included being awarded the Richard Picken Show Jumping Style Award, given in honor of the late Richard Picken. The award recipient is selected by the FEI 4* course designer and Canadian Olympic silver medalist, Michel Vaillancourt, who also designed the stadium course for the event.

One of the most moving honors given out was the Annie Goodwin Sportsmanship Award. Voted on by his fellow competitors, the Irish rider Austin O’Connor, who had a dramatic fall in the main arena of the cross-country course, was the 2024 recipient. O’Connor traveled from Ireland to catch ride the Get Ready Syndicate’s Carlson 119, owned by Micheal Dell’Angelo, Reese Dell’Angelo, & Elizabeth Bales. Annie Goodwin’s father, Putter Goodwin, was there to present the trophy.

Isabelle Bosley was the inaugural recipient of the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant, which provides financial support for young

the big five-stars of the spring, Kentucky and Badminton. “Deep down I know that if I perform well at those events and stay sound and healthy, we have a good shot,” he said.

The Leading Lady Rider award, sponsored by Ruby Throated Hummingbird, went to Liz Halliday, who had three rides. She finished fourth overall with Cooley Nutcracker, seventh with Cooley Quicksilver and ninth with Miks Master C. Liz Halliday is a three-time winner of the Grand Prix Eventing in Aiken: she won with Miks Master C in 2023, with Deniro Z in 2020, and with Fernhill by Night in 2019. Monica Spencer, a New Zealand rider who is based in Ocala for

professional equestrians. “Izzy” was one of 27 applicants and was selected for her outstanding character, commitment to the sport, strong ties to the Aiken community, and willingness to help others in their own journey to the top of equestrian sport. Putter Goodwin also presented this award.

Team Green, benefitting the Aiken County Pony Club, won the 2024 Ride for Charity Teams Challenge. Team Green included Emily Hamel, Will Coleman, Austin O’Connor and Sharon White. Team Purple, including Boyd Martin, Monica Spencer and Matthew Grayling finished second and Team Orange placed third.

Above: Liz Halliday finished fourth, seventh & ninth with her three rides to pick up the Leading Lady Rider award. Right: Boyd Martin and Fedarman B in an amazing display of athleticism over the Barton's Pond Broken Bridge. Although it looks almost impossible, Boyd gathered his reins and his horse and headed straight to the skinny in the arena without missing a beat.

The Aiken Horse

$100,000 Conceal Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce's Field

Photography by Pam Gleason & Gary Knoll

News & Notes

What’s Happening

By Pam Gleason

Fire Downtown

On Saturday, March 16, while many of Aiken’s horse people were out enjoying the Aiken Trials at the Aiken Training Track,

an electrical fire broke out in the Crofts Building, a large brick structure on the corner of Hayne Avenue and Laurens Steet in downtown Aiken. The fire was quickly contained by crews from Aiken Public Safety, and the Crofts Building, built in 1884 and the second oldest structure in downtown Aiken, sustained little serious damage. However, several stores housed in the building filled with smoke, destroying much of the clothing, books, papers and other merchandise that were in them. The affected businesses included A Fox’s Tale, Epona, True Aiken, and Three Monkeys Fine Gifts.

All four stores are favorites of Aiken’s horse people. Three Monkeys was the least affected: a notice on their Facebook page

proclaimed them ready to reopen with a week. The other businesses were not so lucky. A Fox’s Tale, which sells antique books as well as jewelry, handbags and various home and garden items, lost some irreplaceable rare books and ephemera “intended for libraries, universities, and private collectors,” according to their website. Epona, owned and run by the horsewoman Gina Greer, is closed until further notice while Servpro, a professional fire and smoke damage restoration company, cleans the interior of the store. Although Gina says that much of her merchandise was lost, she has a remediation company working to restore other items to like-new condition. She says she plans to have a “fire sale” when she reopens. She is not sure when that will be.

“We’ve been told it might take as long as three months to be able to get back into the store,” she said. “It’s out of our hands right now.” Epona sells clothing, gifts, jewelry and home décor, much of it with an equestrian theme. The store has been open since 2014, and is always a good place to shop when looking for gifts for friends who love horses. . . . or just to give yourself a present. Gina plans to keep her customers updated on the progress of the restoration on her Facebook page.

True Aiken, owned by Sarah Dodge and Jason Hays, who are married and have a son, Ryder, opened in January. Sarah is an FEI dressage rider and Jason is a farrier. They moved to Aiken from Colorado in 2019 and have been working here in the horse industry ever since. Sarah conceived of her store because she felt that Aiken needed a place where people could shop for Aiken-themed souvenirs, reasoning that so many people who come to Aiken want to buy something to remind them of their visit. Aiken residents, too, like to show their affection and connection to the city with T-shirts and home décor.

Sarah and Jason worked hard to make the shop attractive and appealing, and they

stocked it with a variety of custom-made items and had many more on order. They had not been open two months when the shop filled with smoke.

“I really thought that I wanted something less risky than horses,” said Sarah of her decision to start a second business in addition to horse training. “But right out of the gate, that was not it.”

Sarah said it was heartbreaking to see all of that hard work go up in smoke, so to speak, and that the merchandise in the store was lost. However, she had many items being shipped to her specifically for a booth in the vendors’ row at the Aiken Steeplechase on March 23. Since those items were not in the store, they were undamaged and she was able to have her booth at the Steeplechase as she had planned.

“Steeplechase was great,” she said. “It was definitely the boost that I needed. I was feeling pretty down after the fire, and going to steeplechase and all the supportive people from Aiken, and also the response from people who didn’t know the store . . they came in, and they liked everything. We had

good sales and it was like a little spur that I needed to go ‘Okay, keep going.’”

The good news is that Sarah and Jason have signed a lease for a new space on Laurens Street. They will be moving into the storefront formerly occupied by Cyndi’s Sweet Shoppe, a candy store that closed last fall. Located next door to Downtown Dog, this will be a larger place that is likely to get more foot traffic and make the store even more successful.

“It was our end goal to have a bigger place anyway,” she said. “So we’ve just kind of fast forwarded to that end goal.”

True Aiken is slated to open sometime in May. The new store will be located at 146 Laurens Street SW.

USC Aiken Intercollegiate Polo

The University of South Carolina Aiken has a highly-rated Women’s Intercollegiate Polo team, and is headed to the national finals in Charlottesville, Virginia this April. The intercollegiate team falls under the umbrella of Aiken Youth Polo (AYP), which also includes interscholastic and middle school polo teams as well as a polo school.

The intercollegiate polo program at USC Aiken has been active on and off for over a decade, but has become much more

competitive and serious over the past few years. This is largely due to the influence of the AYP interscholastic program, which produced the national champion Girls’ team in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Now the players from those teams have moved on to college, several of them to USC Aiken where they can continue to play together and rise to the top of the standings.

Intercollegiate polo, played three-to-aside in an arena rather than four-to-a-side on a field, is a growing sport nationally with 34 teams vying to compete in the national finals. The growth of intercollegiate polo has necessitated splitting these teams into two groups; Division I and Division II, representing the first and the second tier of teams depending on their won-lost record over the season. Aiken’s women’s team (Summer Kneece, Brianna Jordan, Kaylin Bender and Shona Adams), has qualified as a Division I team this year and will meet perennial top contenders such as Texas A & M and the Universities of Virginia and Kentucky. USC Aiken has a relatively young program, and a young team as well, but they have the benefit of their interscholastic experience, not to mention the advantage of being surrounded by polo in Aiken, to give them a leg up against the older, larger and more established teams.

Tiger Kneece, who runs AYP with his wife Susie, says that the competition will be tough, but that Aiken’s team has a good chance this year, and will only get stronger over the next few years.

“We have a very good shot,” Tiger said. “We have a program that’s growing, and they have a chance to make a great run here. I’m not saying they’re going win every year, but they’re going to be one of your top teams.”

Intercollegiate polo includes men’s and women’s divisions. Although Aiken has plenty male polo players who are college-age

and could theoretically make up an equally competitive men’s intercollegiate team, most of these players decided to turn professional and play all winter on the grass in Florida rather than confining themselves to college libraries and polo arenas.

Brunch at Great Oak

Great Oak Equine Assisted programs will hold its third annual “Toast to Great Oak Spring Brunch on Sunday, April 21 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. According to a press release, “The day begins with cocktails and a generous charcuterie table while watching a liberty & trick demonstration by Laurie Wilson with her mule, Toby Jack and mustang, Salvar. After the demonstration, we will move into the Duchossois indoor riding arena for a delicious brunch buffet provided by some of Aiken’s premier chefs. A live auction with celebrity auctioneers Jeff Minton from Fasig-Tipton Thoroughbred Auctions and Cliff Drysdale from ESPN International Tennis will accompany the brunch.”

The event is an important fundraiser for Great Oak’s programs, which include therapeutic riding for individuals with cognitive, psychological or physical special needs. Great Oak also offers a summer camp for children, as well as “Silver Saddles” which is “a group of mature women who seek to increase their balance, coordination, flexibility and strength while in the saddle.” There are also programs to boost the self esteem and problem-solving skills of 8 to12 year-old girls, a team that competes in the Special Olympics, and various other programs and activities centered on horses. Great Oak is a 501c3 charitable organization and proceeds go to care for the horses and help provide scholarships to those who can benefit from Great Oak’s services but also have financial needs. Tickets for a table of 8 are $1000, or individual tickets are $135 each. Tickets can be purchased online at www.greatoakeap.org/brunch’24 or mail a check to Great Oak EAP, P.O. Box 1288, Aiken, SC 29801.

Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs is located at 1123 Edgefield Highway, Aiken, SC 29801. For more information please contact: Samantha Spitler: 803.257.7407 or email sam@samandjerry.com

Remembering Paul O’Connor

Paul Daniel O’Connor, Jr. passed away this January at his home in Reston, Virginia at the age of 87. Mr. O’Connor, who was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy, was an Air Force veteran, a lawyer, a businessman, and perhaps most of all a horseman. A lifelong lover of horses, he rode as an amateur in the hunter and jumper rings on both the East and the West Coasts. He was a dedicated supporter of the United States Equestrian Team and sponsored many Grand Prix riders, including Leslie Burr Howard, Will Simpson, Kristen Simpson and Jennifer Newell. Team O’Connor also included his daughter, Laura O’Connor, who first rose to fame in the horse show world when she won the AHSA Medal Finals in 1983. Later she went on to be the Leading Lady Rider at Spruce Meadows for three years in a row, among her other accomplishments. Laura is now an Aiken resident.

Mr. O’Connor owned many well-known horses, including his own hunters, Chairman of the Board and Say the Word, as well as

the supremely talented Grand Prix jumper Pressurized and the blazingly fast Normandy. Both these horses were campaigned by his daughter Laura, as well as by Leslie Burr Howard.

“My dad got such a thrill out of watching Leslie ride,” remembered Laura. “She was so fast! She won a speed class on Normandy at Spruce Meadows during the Masters by five seconds.”

Paul O’Connor, who spent time in Aiken during the last years of his life to be with his daughter, made many quiet contributions to

American showjumping, along with being a great supporter of his daughter’s career.

“As a junior rider my dad was my groom, truck driver, coach and all-around support system,” said Laura. “He taught me as a young girl that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to . . . believe in yourself and stay strong through all the ups and downs. Words I live by daily. The show world was lucky to have the drive and support of a great equestrian like Dad, as I was, as his grateful daughter. He will be missed.”

AIKEN OUTREACH

"All Means All"

MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE STUDENT AT A TIME

Our mission is to provide Aiken County high school students who cannot otherwise afford certain additional academic expenses – such as sports equipment, school trips, graduation, or prom expenses – with the necessary funding.

We see this as a simple moment between student and teacher, handled swiftly and discreetly, fostering inclusion and confidence.

You can donate now at aikenoutreach.com

Your contribution enriches the lives of our community's teens!

@aikenoutreach Connect with us

Paul O'Connor on Say The Word

Palace Malice in Japan

A New Chapter

By Mary Jane Howell

Palace Malice, who had Aiken residents dancing in the streets after his rousing victory in the 2013 Belmont Stakes, has been relocated to Japan. The 2010 stallion raced in the colors of Cot Campbell’s Aikenbased Dogwood Stable. He is now a new stallion for Darley, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s global stallion operation.

During his stellar racing career, Palace Malice earned $2,691,135 with seven wins, four seconds, and two thirds from 19 starts. Major stakes wins included the Belmont and Jim Dandy as a 3-year-old, and four stakes wins at 4, highlighted by his victory in the Metropolitan Mile. In September 2014, Dogwood sold 50 percent of Palace Malice to Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. Upon his retirement from racing at 5, the farm acquired full ownership.

United States. The great racehorse Sunday Silence, winner of the 1989 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic was named that year’s 3-year-old champion and Horse of the Year. With career earnings just shy of $5 million, Sunday Silence was purchased for $31 million by Japanese breeder Zenya Yoshida. His stallion career was centered exclusively in Japan and he was the leading sire in that country for 13 consecutive years, from 1995 until 2007.

The vast majority of stud farms in Japan are located on Hokkaido, the country’s northernmost island. The snow-capped Hidaka mountain range gives way to fertile plains, and it is here that Palace Malice now resides. Horses have been bred in this region since the mid-1800s, and in 1907, the Hidaka Stallion Farm in Urakawa was established to breed and raise horses for the Imperial Army. Later, after the defeat of Japan in World War II and the implementation of the Occupation and Reconstruction Policy (1945-52), fewer than a thousand Thoroughbreds were bred in Japan.

Palace Malice had immediate success at stud: A colt from his first crop named Structor won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita in 2019. With five crops of racing age, Palace Malice has sired 180 winners, with combined progeny earnings of more than $15.8 million (statistics through the end of 2023). His most recent successes have been in Japan, however with Shadai Race Horse’s Grade 1 winner Jantar Mantar and Normandy Thoroughbred Racing’s undefeated Grade 3 winner Noble Roger. Both of these colts are probable contenders in Japan’s upcoming 3-year-old Classics, a series of prestigious races similar to America’s Triple Crown.

Darley currently stands 14 stallions at its stud farm in Japan, which began operations in 2002. Sheikh Mohammed also has breeding operations in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, France, and Australia. Palace Malice’s stud fee for 2024 is 3.5 million yen (around $23,000), second only to Darley’s leading sire, Pyro, who stands for 4 million yen.

Japan has long been interested in acquiring stallions from the

With the growth of Japan’s economy and a population that has an abiding interest in Thoroughbred racing, the industry has found its footing, and places a strong emphasis on quality, not quantity. There were 7,582 registered foals in 2023, according to the Japanese Stud Book, with a reported 252 stallions on stud duty. By comparison, the Jockey Club in this country recorded (an estimate at this time) 17,200 foals born that same year, from breedings with 1,248 stallions.

Palace Malice was the last of a long line of superb racehorses for Dogwood Stable. When he came back to his Aiken “winter quarters” after his stellar 3-yearold campaign, it was a working vacation for the colt, and local fans lined the rail during his gallops, where he was always wearing his Belmont Stakes saddle towel and faithfully accompanied by his stable pony. Then, perhaps, there would be photo sessions and a chance to give the colt a peppermint in the afternoon under the watchful eyes of his Aiken trainers Brad Stauffer and Ron Stevens.

Brad Stauffer said in a 2013 interview with The Aiken Horse that life with Palace Malice was a little like having Elvis in the room – “Women of all ages hang over the fence and practically swoon.”

Jack Sadler is now the vice-president of operations for Eclipse Racing Partnerships, but during the Dogwood years he was not only the vicepresident of the stable but Mr. Campbell’s trusted right-hand man. He remembered Palace Malice’s Belmont win: “Cot had been throwing around the idea of retirement for a while and I thought to myself that winning the Belmont Stakes would be like the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae for him. And it happened!”

Palace Malice is now 14. With a glorious racing past and with the power and might of Darley behind him, his future as a stallion seems secure. He still has a multitude of fans in this country and it appears that his star is rising in Japan. But do they know about his love of peppermints?

SPRING POLO SCHEDULE

Club Championship 8 Goal

April 19 - May 5

Tommy Hitchcock Memorial 8 Goal May 6 - 26

Pete Bostwick Memorial 8 Goal May 29 - June 16

Louise Hitchcock Women’s 8-14 Goal May 27 - June 9

New Bridge Arena International

May 25

New Bridge Arena Invitational

June 8

Get Your Entries to Haley Bryan (803) 215-3577

Now Available Offered through New Bridge Realty

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

533 Paloma Lane: $300,000

Build your dream home on 2.16 acres for seasonal or annual use.

Prime location, ready-to-build lot on the edge of championship Field #1 with established grass and perimeter fencing. Conveniently located close to club amenities including the clubhouse, pool, and tennis court. Established community welcoming equestrians of all disciplines. Enjoy green spaces and country living in a secure, gated setting with the amenities of an equestrian country club. Just minutes from vibrant downtown Aiken shops and restaurants. Co-listed with Meybohm, Deidre Vaillancourt.

Pony Express: $300,000

Lovely 12 acre parcel in Pony Express with spring fed pond. Lots of mature trees and well established grass, ideal for grazing. Ample building sites for homes, barns, and utility buildings. High speed internet available through Carolina Connect. Pony Express is conveniently located close to several equestrian venues ranging from polo, hunter/jumper, eventing, dressage, or fox hunting. A short drive to downtown Aiken shopping and restaurants. This one won’t last long, act fast!

newbridgepolo.com @newbridgepolo

The

Full service boarding available yearround or seasonal. Open to the Aiken community (not just New Bridge residents). Professionally managed, with meticulous horse care. Ample turn out on grass. Regulation dressage ring with GGT footing and mirrors. Hedge-lined jump ring with GGT footing. Miles of bridle paths and a shaded exercise track. For a tour or availability call (803) 507-0886.

Reserved Tailgate Spaces for Friday & Sunday Polo

Secure your favorite tailgate spot with a great view of the action! A limited number of premium, reserved spaces are available for Friday and Sunday games during spring tournament season. Spaces are on either side of the New Bridge Clubhouse and will be marked with a nameplate. First come, first served. Sold by the season only. $1,000 per space. Email info@newbridgepolo.com with your request.

Stables at New Bridge

© Katie Roth

From the developer of Three Runs Plantation comes another wonderful equestrian neighborhood in Aiken, South Carolina. Bridle Creek meanders across 1,000 wooded acres, featuring ve-acre lots and larger. Amenities include a dressage arena, jump arena, X-Country Schooling area and an activity center with meeting, social and tness space. All this plus miles of scenic trails. Now selling in Phase Three. Inquire today by calling 1-888-297-8881 or email info@bridlecreekaiken.com

1,000 Acres

• Miles of groomed and marked trails

Activity/Fitness Center

• Jump arena

• Homesites from 5+ acres

HOMESITES INDIVIDUALLY PRICED

• Dressage arena with mirrors

• X-Country schooling area

• From the developer of Three Runs Plantation

• DEVELOPER FINANCING AVAILABLE

• BRIDLECREEKAIKEN.COM

Vaughn Equestrian

New Decade; New Beginning

By Pam Gleason

Darrell and Melissa Vaughn of Vaughn Equestrian have entered the second decade of their business with an expanded facility, a dedicated group of clients, and a feeling of enthusiasm. Darrell and Melissa operate a training and boarding stable on Banks Mill Road in Aiken. Melissa is an FEI dressage rider and the majority of their clients are dressage riders or eventers. The Vaughns also manage Mike Rubin’s The Stable on the Woods, a hunter/jumper-focused facility bordering the Hitchcock Woods. Vaughn Equestrian accommodates 25 horses, while The Stable on the Woods houses 40 during the winter high season, making the couple responsible for a combined total of 65 horses in the two places. Darrell, who rides and trains hunters, jumpers and event horses, also has an equine bodywork practice that takes him as far away as New Hampshire, Maine and Florida. In addition, Melissa campaigns her own and her clients’ horses on the show circuit in Aiken, Florida and beyond.

How do they accomplish all of this? Darrell laughs. “I’m a workhorse, and she’s organized.”

“We are definitely not the poster children for work/life balance,” adds Melissa. “We don’t have work/life. We have work/work.”

A strong work ethic, coupled with a deep and abiding love for horses and a commitment to doing things right, has gained the Vaughns a devoted following in Aiken. Hard work is also what has made the expansion of their farm possible. Both Darrell and Melissa are from equestrian backgrounds, but neither is the heir to a vast fortune. What they have today, they created mostly on their own, but always, they stress, with the help and support of other people. These people include those who work for them at both stables, as well as their devoted clients, and such people as Mike Rubin, who got them their start at The Stable on the Woods.

Today, Vaughn Equestrian occupies about 20 acres, conveniently located just four miles from downtown Aiken and adjacent to the

Hopeland Farms neighborhood. The original purchase, completed in 2014, was 12 acres, and included a house and two small stables. The Vaughns added a larger stable for their business shortly after moving in. In the fall of 2023, they annexed the property next door, which had been a private farm. Over the winter, they completely renovated that farm’s existing stable and divided the pastures to create additional space for private turnout.

Melissa said that she and Darrell had always dreamed about being able to expand in this way, but had never really imagined it being possible. Then one day Melissa was chatting with her neighbor over the fence, and the neighbor mentioned that they were getting ready to sell their farm. “When I told her we wanted to buy it, she looked as surprised as I probably did,” said Melissa. They immediately agreed to keep their discussion to themselves while Melissa worked out the logistics and the financing for such a major investment. For almost a year, they kept their plans secret, only revealing the purchase when it was a completed.

“I did my normal, oh gosh, what if this doesn’t work, which I’ve done every step of the way, and Darrell laughs at me,” said Melissa. “It was really a no-brainer though, just like it was with buying the original property. I get emails and texts every day from people looking for stalls. We’ve been here long enough to see the growth in Aiken, and that’s not going away. So this was an opportunity for us to expand that we couldn’t pass up.”

But their success has not been without struggle, and Melissa says that the last four years have been particularly difficult for several reasons. The first had to do with the house that came with their original purchase. They had lived in that house since 2014, and both of them had suffered from different, difficult-to-diagnose ailments. They finally understood the cause of their symptoms while renovating the house in 2020. They had already redone the kitchen, and when they were finally able to get to work on the rest of the house, the workmen discovered seven different kinds of dangerous mold.

“It was in the HVAC system, it was everywhere,” said Melissa. The house was so toxic, they were told that they shouldn’t even venture inside, much less live in it. They tried to get some money for remediation from their homeowner’s insurance, with no luck. Eventually, they decided to demolish it, with the plan to build a new home eventually. The fact that the new property had its own house (“A much nicer one than we could afford to build,” said Melissa) was another factor in its favor.

During the years between tearing down the old house and moving into the new one, Darrell and Melissa bounced around in rental and borrowed homes, along with their three dogs, all while continuing to run their two businesses. Melissa also had another important project; each winter she went to Florida to show on the prestigious dressage circuit, bringing 10 to 12 horses with her. She and Darrell also created their first syndicate to buy a world-class horse for her to show at the FEI levels.

“I typically don’t ask for help very well,” said Melissa. “So it was a big step to get a horse that was of that caliber.” Ten of the Vaughns’ clients got together to purchase Jalisco, a beautiful young Dutch Warmblood from Holland. But the adventure turned into a nightmare. “The first year in Wellington was great. But coming home I didn’t quite feel like there was something 100% correct with the horse,” said Melissa.

Although the Jalisco was ostensibly sound, and at first the veterinarians could not find anything wrong, after years of examinations by different experts, Darrell and Melissa finally hauled the horse seven hours to the renowned Rood and Riddle Equine hospital in Kentucky, where he was diagnosed with a compressed spinal cord. He had neurological symptoms and they were getting worse. Although the

Melissa aboard Jalisco in Wellington, Florida

Vaughns did everything they could to try to cure him, in the end this proved impossible and he was finally euthanized.

“He was a true international horse, and it was a bit devastating,” said Melissa. “So between that, and the mold, and not having a place to live, it’s not been the best four years.”

Darrell and Melissa agree that the expansion of their facility represents a giant reset for them. Not only do they have a house to live in and more space for boarders and training horses, they also have a new horse for Melissa, again owned by a syndicate, but this time a 5-year-old that did not represent such an immense investment. “He’s made it fun again,” Melissa said.

Darrell, meanwhile, has been traveling for his bodywork business, which is always in demand. He also has a number of clients and students at The Stable on the Woods, and he has been enjoying working with off-the-track Thoroughbreds that he shows for their owners in the Thoroughbred shows. “I do it because the owners have so much fun seeing their horses show, even if they don’t show themselves,” he said. “I get joy out of their horses really doing well and enjoying their job and then the owners being so happy about it.”

to continue to improve their facility, including adding a covered arena at some point.

Melissa plans to be back in the show ring with her own as well as her clients’ horses. They are both looking forward to new opportunities and they are grateful for the support of their clients and the entire equestrian community.

“We’re lucky to have a nice piece of property. We have an amazing location and great clients and nice horses,” said Melissa. “It still sometimes shocks me that we did all of this in the time that we did. But that’s what hard work does for you. We went through four years of chaos, but it worked out right. The universe had a bigger plan.”

Although Darrell likes to show, he says his own competitive aspirations are on the back burner.

“My focus honestly, has been getting Melissa to be happy and getting her the tools that she needs to do really well. She has the ability,” he said. “Once we get her situated, I’d like to get another horse to do the jumpers at some point, but that’s not a necessity.”

As they look forward to the next decade, Darrell and Melissa hope

“You know, neither Melissa nor I came from wealthy families, we are just hard-working horse people,” added Darrell. “And to start where we started with this being 12 acres, and building the barns, and the arenas, and now expanding the way we have, it really makes you feel fulfilled. We’ve created something, and it says something about ourselves, and everything we had to do to make it work.

“We like to come out here at night, when we do the night check – It’s a big barn and it takes a while – and just appreciate it,” he continued.

“It’s ours. It’s beautiful and it’s organized. It makes our lives so pleasant.”

Darrell’s bodywork employs a mixture of massage and Reiki

Secret Lives of Horses

Carousel: Been Everywhere, Done Everything

By Pam Gleason

Carousel is a nearly 29-year-old Andalusian/Welsh cross pony who has been everywhere and done everything. His owner, Erin Whitmore, purchased him when he was 3 and she was 11. Not only did they grow up together, they stayed together through thick and thin. Carousel has been a children’s pony, an eventer, a jumper, a show hunter, a foxhunter, a school pony and a trail horse. His newest job is leadline pony. Over the years, Erin has moved around the country, and Carousel has followed. Born in Tennessee, the horse has lived in Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts and California. Now he resides with Erin, her husband Shaun Williams, and their young daughter on their farm in Aiken. Erin says that Carousel has made his final move: he loves it here, and he is in his permanent home.

Born on June 20, 1995, Carousel was an accidental foal. His sire, Mariah’s Maravilloso, was a well-bred Andalusian stallion, a grandson of the multiple national champion Teodoro. The grey stallion was living at

a stable in Gallatin, Tennessee, and somehow managed to have a secret rendezvous with little Black Beauty, a 12.2 hand Welsh mare that also lived there. Planned or unplanned, the combination was a lucky one, and the resultant foal was attractive, athletic and appealing, with correct conformation and a friendly, inquisitive attitude. He was so handsome, he was almost kept as a pony stallion.

In the end, however, he was gelded and then sold. But the man who bought him was not a good match, and the place where he lived was not safe for a young horse. Not only did Carousel endure rough treatment, he also got tangled in a barbed wire fence, and he still carries the scars on his back legs today. No one knows exactly what happened – perhaps Carousel knew he was in the wrong place and wanted to get out? – but the pony was returned to his breeder. The buyer claimed he could not keep him because he was dangerous.

The breeder knew this wasn’t true, took him back, and put him up for sale again. This is where Erin comes into the story.

Erin, a self-described Army brat, traveled all over the place with her

military parents. By the time she was about 8, she was a certified horsecrazy kid, who begged her parents for riding lessons and dreamed of having her own horse. The family had lived in Germany and the United States and had moved multiple times. In 1998, when Erin was 11, her parents were going through a divorce and she was living with her mother in Tennessee. It was a difficult time. Erin’s grandparents had a 30-acre farm about six hours away in Indiana. Wanting to support their grandchild, they said they could help her see her horse-owning dream come true.

“For them at the time, I think it was a way to give my life stability as a young child who was going through so many moves, and my parents’ divorce and everything else,” said Erin.

“There was an ad in the paper for a 14.2 hand Andalusian/Welsh 3-year-old,” she continued. “So I lined it up and my mom took me to see him. I laugh at this today, because I think of all the Facebook horse ads that say ‘Do not respond if you’re under 18.’ And I was that kid. . . There was probably a lot of adult guidance in the background, though. I have no idea.”

At that time, Carousel was fat, barely green broke and he had already been labeled dangerous. He was not, on paper, an appropriate mount for an 11-year-old horse crazy kid. But none of that mattered. “I looked at him, and I was like, this is my horse,” said Erin. Her grandparents wrote a check for $1,500, and Carousel came home to their farm.

And it turned out that he was not just appropriate for her, he was ideal. He never bucked or bolted; in fact, in the beginning, he was as lazy as can be. But as he matured, he developed into an athlete. Erin did 4-H, took lessons in huntseat and eventing, and even competed in the jumper ring. Whatever she wanted to do, Carousel was game to do it.

Erin’s grandparents bought her the horse, but they made her sign a contract before she could own him outright. The contract stipulated that she had to work for two years to prove that she was truly committed. She had to keep up her grades and she had to do chores, farm work, and care for the horse herself. At the end of the two years, she had fulfilled her end of the bargain, and her grandparents signed Carousel over to her. Erin registered him with the Andalusian association under his official name “El Nino Malcriado” (the spoiled child). Then she and Carousel had the chance to compete in Andalusian breed shows as well.

Erin went to college at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, not far from her grandparents’ farm. There, she competed on the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association team, and she rode Carousel and another horse she bought, Jester, during the summers. When she graduated with a degree in political science, it was 2009 and the middle of a recession. Higher paying jobs were hard to come by, and so Erin went to work with underserved communities in Baltimore City, Maryland. Since she couldn’t afford to care for her horses on her small salary, Carousel and Jester stayed in Indiana, relaxed and happy on the farm.

About five years later, Erin went into government work and moved the Washington D.C. At about the same time, her grandparents downsized and sold their farm. At first, Erin sent Carousel to a friend of hers, who was a trainer, to use as a lesson horse while bringing Jester to the D.C. area. But Carousel was miserable without his farm and his best friend, and so Erin brought him to the D.C area too.

“I think a lot of people would have sold him along the way because he was so good,” said Erin. “At one time in high school I had four ‘name your price offers’ for him. And I said no every time because he always took care of me, and I had promised to take care of him. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices and it took a lot of dedication to keep him. It’s hard to start a career and afford horses in one of the most expensive metropolitan areas of the country.”

Erin’s job required her to move every two years, and so it was not long before she was posted to Los Angeles. She was married by this time, and she, her husband Shaun, Carousel and Jester went West. The lived in the Los Angeles area and boarded the horses in a stable overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Two years later, Erin and Shaun were posted to Boston, and so the whole family moved to Hamilton, on Boston’s North Shore. There, Erin had the chance to take Carousel out on the drag hunt at the Myopia Hunt Club, adding one more discipline to his resume. She also took him to Crane’s Beach to walk along the shores off the Atlantic.

Although Carousel had always been healthy, Andalusian horses are prone to laminitis. Carousel had been successfully battling metabolic issues for years, but they finally caught up to him in March 2022. While Erin was overseas, he had a serious episode of laminitis and almost died. He survived through aggressive veterinary care, assiduous nursing, and his own desire to live.

“We nursed him back to health, and he was feeling really great, but

he was not happy,” said Erin. The cool season grasses in the Northeast are high in sugar, and not safe for metabolic horses, so he had to live in small a dry lot rather than in pasture with Jester.

“He’s such a social horse that it was really hard for him . . if he was a human, he would be the guy that’s the life of the party,” said Erin.

Then, in the winter of 2023, Shaun decided to leave government work. Erin was already working remotely, so the family could move anywhere. The destination they chose was Aiken. They bought a farm and moved here in July 2023. Carousel was able to go out on pasture with Jester again since the southeastern grasses are so much lower in sugar.

“He has just had this complete turnaround in his quality of life, and it really shows. He’s doing so awesome, and he’s sound and happy and healthy.”

In fact, Carousel is doing so well he has embarked on a new career. Erin and Shaun’s daughter born in April 2023, rode him in the walk division of the leadline race at the Aiken Trials this March, exactly two years after he almost died of laminitis. The pair also made an appearence at the Aiken Horse Show in the Woods.

“I will tell you it brings tears to my eyes to talk about this because I owe him so much,” said Erin. “He taught me so much, and not just about riding. I have a lifetime of memories with him, and the fact that he is now teaching my daughter, there is no way to describe it. How many people get a quarter of a century or more with the same animal? It’s made all the more important because of his connection to my grandparents, who pretty much raised me. I think I owe a lot of my success to the stability that they gave me with Carousel. Unfortunately, I lost my grandfather in 2017, and I lost my grandmother very unexpectedly to cancer in 2021. So Carousel is a live, living thing that I had from them.

“I count every single day as a blessing,” she continued. “I think Carousel’s had an incredible life. I mean, he’s lived everywhere . . and I feel really privileged that the last stop in his journey on this earth is this beautiful farm in Aiken. He had his farm when I was a kid, and then he went through 14 different facilities and trailered across the country twice. And the fact that I could bring him home to this property, to know that he will be buried on this property one day . . . I just feel so immensely lucky that Aiken is the last stop I can give him.”

The Aiken Horse

Aiken Trials, 2024

Photography by Gary Knoll & Pam Gleason

Southern Belle Classic

Destination Sale at Stable View

Story and Photography

By Pam Gleason

The Southern Belle Classic Elite horse sale returned to Stable View in Aiken on Saturday, March 23, bringing 60 quality horses and a crowd of eager buyers ready to add new members to their stables. The horses came from the Southeast and the Southwest, the Midwest and the West, from as far away as New Mexico, Utah and South Dakota. Buyers were also from all corners of the country. They came by plane, car, truck, or recreational vehicle, and some of them turned their trips into real vacations.

of the state, so there were a lot of people that got to see our region. I definitely think that we’ve got a really special niche in the market.”

This was the second year of the Southern Belle Classic, and the second time it was held at Stable View on the same day as the Aiken Steeplechase. The conflicting date did not seem to affect attendance much, or at all. The parking lots were full, the bleachers facing the arena were packed and there was a good crowd standing around the auction ring, curious to watch or eager to bid. Stable View, a 1,000-acre facility with world class cross country courses, arenas, stables and miles of trails, is the perfect place to hold an event like this, lending the entire enterprise an elegant aura. An auction preview was held on Friday, with the actual bidding on Saturday. The sale itself

“They’ve been calling us a destination sale, and it was neat to watch that play out and for it be a meetup spot for families and friends,” said Meredith Mobley, who runs the sale along with Tiffany Fuller through their company, Belles in Boots productions. “We had people that rented RVs and traveled in from the New England area. We had a mother and daughter that met up. I think one was from Florida and one from Massachusetts. We had one of the girls that came last year with her mother-in-law meet up with a college friend and they were so excited to spend the weekend here. Some people came for a week and used Aiken as a home base to travel around to the beach or to see different parts

took place in Stable View’s spacious covered arena, which also featured an expanded area for vendors.

“That was one thing that stood out to me,” said Tiffany Fuller. “We had more vendors, and I think they were very successful. We had three food trucks and a coffee truck, and they all were raving about how busy they were on both Friday and Saturday. I thought that was a good improvement; that part has grown.”

The sale itself started off with a bit of a wild card. Lot #1, Misty,

Above: Misty the dwarf pony: Right: The high seller “Finley.” Both consigned by Buckeye Acre

consigned by Buckeye Acre Farm in Millersburg, Ohio. Misty is a 22-inch tall dwarf miniature pony. Fully grown at 3 years old, she weighs just 85 pounds, lives in the house and traveled to Aiken in the back seat of a truck, not in a horse trailer. This was not the kind of horse that is easy to evaluate or appraise.

“I think everyone knew she’s very much a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” said Meredith Mobley.

“She was a dwarf, but she was so well put together, just a perfect little horse. So she was very unique in that way, and none of us really knew what to expect in terms of how much she would go for.”

The auctioneer opened the bidding on the optimistic end of the scale, at $100,000. Although this did not provoke anyone to raise their hands, in the end there was a bit of a bidding battle, and Misty sold for $42,000. This was certainly an eye-opening sum, and it signaled that buyers were serious: when they wanted something, they were not afraid to open their wallets.

Although the sale included both phone and internet bidding, the majority of the horses went to buyers who were present at Stable View. The horses in the sale were all preselected and prequalified months in advance, and the catalog was available online. Prospective buyers were advised to call the consignors of horses they were interested in and to watch them go and try them out in the days before the actual sale. There were auction previews and “try-before-you-buy” events, so the

people raising their hands were often quite sure that the horses they were bidding on were the right ones for them. There were emotional moments, when bidders won the horses they had their hearts set on, and sometimes when they did not. The auctioneer, Steve Friskup from Muleshoe, Texas, kept up an amusing banter, and was quite expert at cajoling an extra $500 or $1000 out of bidders who had reached their limit on a horse, and yet did not want to be outbid.

The high seller was Lot #13, Smoken Willy Frost (“Finley”) a buckskin 2019 AQHA gelding that could perform dizzying spins like a reiner, but was also quiet enough for a 5-year-old girl to stand on his back. Like little Misty, he was consigned by Buckeye Acre Farm, but he fetched more than twice as much: after some rapid back and forth among bidders, the gavel fell on $90,000.

The reserve high seller, #19, Pepto Boonflash (“Magnum”), a 2018 bay roan AQHA gelding, was consigned by Castillo Performance horses from New Mexico and fetched $70,000. The overall average price was $34,488, with the top five average coming out to $72,200 and the top ten average $62,100. Very few horses did not leave Stable View with new owners: buyers were there to buy, and sellers to sell, even if all the horses did not go for as much as a new sports car. In any case, prices were robust, proving that, at least at the Southern Belle Classic, demand for a good horse remains strong.

All in all, the auction was another success. Although they do not yet have firm plans for the future, Tiffany Fuller and Meredith Mobley say they are looking forward to doing it all again next year. Stay tuned.

Nothing fazes DWN Colonel’s Blueman!

If you can dream it, we can build it. Clint Bertalan of CB Arenas ~ Professional Design And Installation Of Arenas And Footing

Place Polo II, Aiken, SC

Designing Courses

With Michel Vaillancourt

By Pam Gleason

Michel Vaillancourt, who this March created the showjumping course for the $100,000 Conceal Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park, is one of the most respected course designers in the world. Originally from Canada, Michel rode on his country’s Olympic team: In 1976 when he was 22, he won the individual silver medal in showjumping, making him the youngest person ever to win an Olympic medal in that sport. He also represented his country at the Pan Am Games in 1975 and 1979, winning team silver and bronze medals, as well as team gold at the alternate Olympics in Los Angeles in 1980. Additionally, he coached the Canadian Olympic team in 1994 and 1998. He was inducted into the Jump Canada Hall of Fame in 2009.

Vaillancourt’s course designing credits are too numerous to mention, but include creating the course and the jumps for the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto. Most recently he set the track for the CSI5* at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. A resident of Aiken, where he lives with his wife, the realtor Deirdre Stoker Vaillancourt, he regularly contributes his talents to the Aiken Horse Park. Every Tuesday throughout the winter months, he designs courses for the Tuesdays in the Park schooling opportunity, in which riders have the chance to give their horses experience negotiating courses on professional footing and in a show atmosphere, without the added stress (and expense) of an actual show. Because many of Aiken’s showjumping specialists are in Florida during this time, the majority of horses and riders are eventers.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for them,” said Michel. “They come and jump a real proper showjumping course, and have this opportunity to rehearse and practice . . . by the end of the winter, they have really improved.”

Course designers don’t always get as much recognition as they deserve in equestrian circles: they are often behind the scenes and all but invisible to the riders and spectators alike. But as showjumping (and its close cousin, stadium jumping in eventing) become more technical and precise, the role of the course designer is increasingly important and visible, especially at the upper levels. It is the course designer, after all, who creates the competition; the course designer who, through the arrangement of the different types of jumps and the way the track is laid out, presents the challenges that horses and riders must negotiate. This involves far more than simply placing various jumps in standard configurations. For the designer, the primary goal is to create a test for the competitors that rewards the most well-rounded horse-and-rider pairs, the ones with the most talent and best preparation.

“At the big events, we really need to sharpen our pencils,” said Vaillancourt, who tries to create a course that will result in 15-25 percent clear rounds for showjumpers, and about 30-40 percent clear rounds for eventers, depending on the level. Ideally, he says, the class will also result in about half of the riders having four faults (one rail) or fewer. “At the four star, five star, I’ve got to be tough because if I’m not, they’ll run all over me at the end of the day. . . The good riders, you can’t disrupt them, because no matter what the course, they’ll answer the question. You’ve got to take them out of their comfort zone, but it can never be ugly. We always try to think of the longevity of a horse. How do we keep a horse at this level as long as possible? . . . At the end of the day, you want to test the rider’s skills as well as the horse’s without putting any unnecessary stress on a horse. We’re always on that edge: a little too much changes everything.”

Showjumping today is an exceedingly precise sport that requires a horse to be quick, rideable, and extremely careful. Michel says that back when he first hit the top levels, the fences were immense and solid, and that they favored fast-galloping, bold horses. The horse on which he won his silver medal was a 7-year-old Thoroughbred.

“You never see a 7-year-old in the Olympics now,” he said. “In this day

and age, you’re lucky to see a 9-year-old compete at the Olympics. So horses peak a lot later than they used to. We start them slower and don’t push them as fast. And again, the courses were different. The modern courses are really tricky now: very delicate, very careful, and you need a horse with a lot of rideability.

“When I build a course, I like to try to find who has been properly trained, and I want the riders and the horses to showcase themselves,” he continued. “Okay, so show me your ability to ride a short distance, show me your ability to negotiate hard angles or bending lines. The difficulty should not be in one area but should be all over the course depending on what you are riding. If you’re riding a horse that has a really big stride, for instance, when the long distances are going to be easy, the short distances may not. If you’re riding a horse that has a short stride, well then, the opposite. You want to make the course really well balanced: as many combinations on the left lead as on the right lead, and as many spreads as there are verticals.”

Modern course design is done with the help of a number of tools, most especially with computer-aided design software: Michel uses a program created by the Olympic course designer Olaf Peterson. This program allows designers to create diagrams to the scale of the individual rings they are working in and to add whatever permanent elements need to be accommodated, such as trees or islands. Fences of various types can then be placed, again to scale, in various configurations and manipulated as needed. The computer also measures the length of the track, from beginning to end, which helps the designer to determine the optimum time, and is also necessary because different competitions have various requirements they must satisfy, both in the distance a horse must travel and in the number and types of fences the must negotiate

Although the computer provides measurements on paper, Michel says that he always walks every course with a measuring wheel as well. “It’s more precise that way. When you are in the ring, you have a better feel for where the jumps are. I’m very accurate with the computer, and the measurement is always about the same. But sometimes when I walk it, I kind of look at it and say, this course is way too long. You know, I need to shorten it a little.”

The primary goal of the course designer is to create an exacting test for horses and riders, but there are many other elements that come into play as well. Especially at the larger competitions, the course must be attractive. Fences must be set up so that television cameras and still photographers can get good shots. Interesting parts of the course must happen where those seated in the VIP areas can see them. If there are sponsored jumps, they must be prominent, and ideally used in the jumpoff. The jumps can’t be confusing to the judges, spectators and riders. Finally, the designer must consider logistics. There will often be many different courses that take place in the same ring, and it is best to try to design those courses so that it takes the least possible effort to rearrange the fences between classes. “We try to be kind to the staff and to the jump crew.”

Michel says that he has completely retired from riding, but that he still does some coaching. He says that course designing is his passion.

“It’s more than a job. It’s a contribution to the sport,” he said. “I feel that even at the lower level, it’s important to have a good course designer. It’s important for top designers do the smaller events, because everyone benefits. So that’s my contribution, and it has also allowed me to stay in this discipline at a high level. I rode at a very high level as a rider. I ran a barn and I was able to teach, and I love teaching. I was very instrumental in Canada to develop the coaching program that exists there. And now course designing has kept me at the high level, and I’ve done courses all over the world. It’s kept me in the game.”

The

Horses of Great Oak Ziggy: An Angel of Calm

By Pam Gleason

“If I could replicate Ziggy, and have 12 of him here, I would,” says Deborah McWhirter, who is the manager of equine services at Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs in Aiken. Ziggy is an attractive tobiano paint gelding, standing about 15 hands. Sweet and friendly, he projects an air of calm, and communicates a sense of safety and trust. He’s a horse that seem to assure everyone that he will take care of them. What’s more, he is very well trained, willing and able to give lessons at the walk, trot and canter. He has even started to jump with one of his riders.

“Ziggy understands his job. He understands his rider,” says Deborah. “He helps his riders out and gives them confidence. If they are a little off balance, he’ll stop and adjust them. He’s just an all-around perfect adult amateur type of horse that can do everything.”

Ziggy arrived at Great Oak about two years ago, donated by his owner, Nancy Field, who lives in Colorado. She says that she does not know much about his earliest days, but he was about 10 years old when she got him. At the time, she was looking for a horse for her 9-year-old daughter, Allie, and found his advertisement on Craig’s List. When Nancy came to try him at his boarding stable, she could tell that he was special.

After watching his owner ride, Nancy asked to try him herself. Oddly, the seller refused to allow Nancy to use her saddle (“I don’t let other people ride in my saddle!”), so Nancy jumped on him bareback. “There was something about him,” she says. “I was just like, I love you.” Of course, she bought him.

Ziggy was a children’s show hunter for a while, but when Allie outgrew her equestrian passion, Nancy took over the ride.

“I was already deeply, madly in love with him,” says Nancy, “So it was great.”

Nancy switched Ziggy to eventing and competed him successfully in Colorado for several years. “He was a natural, and I never worried about him and knew he would always take care of me. I knew whatever I asked him to do, I would be 100% safe all the time. I think we cleaned up at every event. On his dressage scored card, the judges would draw little smiley faces and write, ‘Cute pony!’”

Nancy’s career took her to Upstate New York and Ziggy came along. Then she had the opportunity to spend a few winter months in Aiken. She was in the middle of a move back to Colorado, and this would give her a brief respite from the cold weather and fulfill her desire to spend quality time with her beloved horse. She rented a cottage on a private farm where Ziggy could live, and she followed his commercial trailer on the long ride from New York to South Carolina.

Ziggy, always so adaptable, did not weather the trip well. At about 17, he was not old, but he did not have the same resiliency he had when he had moved from Colorado to New York. It took him several days in Aiken before he seemed like himself again.

And this is why, faced with trucking Ziggy all the way back to Colorado in the spring, Nancy made the difficult decision to find him a home in Aiken. It was not just the trip that worried her. Where Nancy lives in Colorado, horse keeping is difficult and expensive. She was concerned about the growing population of aggressive mountain lions in her area. What’s more, her job requires lots of travel. Ziggy deserved to be in a place where he would be loved, spoiled, safe and appreciated. “I had a heart-to-heart with myself about his future. And I asked, what would be the best thing for him?”

Nancy had heard of Great Oak, and when she visited the facility, met the staff and saw the other horses there, she knew it would be an ideal place for Ziggy. Not only would he be well-cared for, she knew that he had a real gift.

“It’s just his nature,” she says. “He could always tell if you had a rough day. Some horses if you come in with those emotions, they pick up on it and get elevated. But he would just bring it down, like a big warm hug. When I first got him, it was the first time that I actually did like a mental exhale; Riding him was just like unclenching your jaw mentally. Maybe a week after I brought him to the barn, someone asked me if he was a therapy horse. And I’m like, yes, kind of my therapy.”

And so when Nancy went back to Colorado, Ziggy stayed on at Great Oak, where he gives lessons five days a week, helping his riders navigate their own challenges and making life better for everyone. Nancy, who regularly sends him cases of his favorite treat (Nature’s Valley granola bars) says she misses him.

“It’s harder than I thought it would be,” she says, while acknowledging that Great Oak is Ziggy’s ideal home. “He’s like my high school boyfriend, where you think about him all the time and you daydream about him. I’ve never encountered an animal that is so giving and connected. Dogs are faithful, you know, but horses are not dogs. With horses, it’s a partnership. . . and they need respect and they need to be treated as equals and as partners: We’re both going over this jump, both have a lot to lose, so, are we in it? Together? And he has always been good about that.

“The most special thing about Ziggy is he’s so intuitive about knowing when to be extra giving. He just makes things calm. I have never experienced anything like that, that kind of connection with another animal, or a human either. It’s the most uncomplicated love affair you can have.”

Great Oak Equine Assisted programs is a 501c3 charitable institution. Sponsor a horse, donate or volunteer: www.greatoakeap.org; Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Greatoakeap

Ask the Judge Questions

about Dressage

With Amy McElroy

Dear Amy,

I am so excited about competing in dressage with my wonderful horse. My dream is to show him competitively at Training Level and maybe to qualify for the regional championship. I have the most perfect boy for me! I love his looks and temperament, but I know he is not the fanciest mover. Do you think this is possible? If so, you could share any tips you have to earn a good score on an average-moving horse?

Heart Horse Dreams

Dear Dreams,

I am happy to hear you are so interested in dressage. It is wonderful you have a horse you love so much and I do think your dream can come true. To be competitive, it takes more than just having an extravagant mover. There are many ways to complement your ride and enhance your scores. I am glad to give you tips and guidelines.

First, please make sure you are up-to-date on the current USEF rules for attire and equipment. One of these rules is that you must wear a properly fitted helmet with a secure chin strap. If you will be carrying a whip, make sure it is the correct length – there is not a minimum length but there is a maximum. If you choose to wear spurs, be certain the shank is pointed down. If you warm up with boots or leg bandages on your horse, be sure to remove them prior to your test, and make sure you have allotted enough time to do this so you are ready to enter the arena when scheduled. Although there is a ring steward, it is your responsibility to be on time! Of utmost importance is to wear your competition number. These rules apply to all levels. You don’t want to make simple mistakes and get eliminated before you make it through your test. Unfortunately, I have witnessed all these situations.

When it comes to riding at a show, it is advisable to know the “purpose” of your test so that you can meet all the requirements: this is printed on every test sheet. Let’s look at the purpose for Training Level. At this level, you want to demonstrate correct basics, by showing your horse’s suppleness both laterally and longitudinally, and that he moves freely forward in a clear rhythm with a steady tempo, while readily accepting contact with the bit. You should show correct geometry and lines of travel: round circles, precise center lines and transitions that occur exactly where the test prescribes. The good news is that all the trot work may be ridden rising or sitting, except as noted. Halts can be ridden through the walk. It is also advisable to read the directives for each of your test movements. These clearly state what your judge will be looking for. It is also helpful to be aware of all the coefficient movements, which are worth double points. Performing these well is a great way to boost your score.

To qualify for the regional championships at Training Level you will need to compete at a minimum of two different USDF shows, riding two classes at Training Level Test Three (be sure you have entered as “qualifying” – it has an extra fee.) Adult Amateurs must earn scores of at least 63 percent from two different judges.

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.

In Training Level Test Three there are thirteen scoring boxes. Of these, there are five boxes with a coefficient of two, meaning that double points apply. I would strive to be secure in these moves, including being sure of your geometry and accuracy: getting a good mark in these boxes is a great way to boost your final percentage, but having difficulty with these parts of the test will sink your score just as quickly.

The coefficient movements include the trot single loop in both directions, the medium and free walk, and the stretchy circle. Another opportunity to earn double points is the final collective marks for impulsion and submission.

In the trot loop your judge will be looking for the regularity and quality of the trot, the bend and balance, the shape and size of loop, the changes of bend, and the overall balance. Be certain to touch the centerline and to have clear changes of bend at the beginning of your loop and then again at the end of your loop. For example, if you’re tracking left and you are riding a loop from H X K you would begin with left bend as you leave the track at H, and then gradually change your bend to the right. You would maintain that right bend as you approach the centerline, and keep your horse on a nice curve to the right as you head back toward the track. Then you would gradually return to the left bend slightly before K. In other words, there are three different bends: what you start with (left), what you change to (right), and then back again to how you started (left).

In the medium walk, your judge is looking for willing, calm transitions, regularity and quality. This means you should have a clear four beat walk. The horse should remain in contact with the bit and walk energetically but relaxed with even, determined steps, ideally with the hind feet over-tracking the front feet. In the free walk your judge is also looking for regularity, quality, and over-track, but now you are allowing the horse to stretch the neck forward and downward. Freedom and relaxation are essential. Also keep in mind the transitions in and out of these gaits. The bigger the stride and stretch, the better.

The stretch circle is the only trot movement that must be done in the rising trot. Your judge is looking for your horse’s frame to stretch forward, downward and out over the back while remaining on a light contact. Your score will reflect your horse’s balance and the quality of the trot, including the bend and shape of the circle, as well as the willingness and calmness of the transitions. Ideally, you want the neck to stretch out and come a little lower than the chest.

To be competitive, make sure you have ridden your test successfully at home. Even if you choose to have a caller the day of your show, it is important to know the test. Maybe try a schooling show or a “ride a test” class to receive professional advice before your debut.

I hope this gives you some ideas for a successful ride. Remember to think forward, moving into a steady contact with clear bending where needed. Don’t forget to use your corners. Smile and have a great time sharing your harmonious ride with your heart horse.

Directory of Services

BOARDING/TURNOUT/TRAINING/SALES

Chime Ridge Stables. 803-508-3760

Katie Erpel Dressage offers training of young horses to FEI, boarding, sales, and lessons with USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist Katie Erpel at her quaint, boutique style facility conveniently located off of Charleston Highway on the Windsor/Williston line. Haul-in lessons are welcome to her newly renovated GGT arena or travel to your farm is available as well. www.katieerpeldressage.com (305) 778 5336

Sporting Days Farm. 3549 Charleston Hwy, Aiken, SC 29801. 5.5 miles from Aiken byoass. Offers year round, seasonal or short term board as well as dry stalls. 150 acres with trails and practice areas. USEF/USEA Horse Trials in the winter, schooling shows. Visit our website to see all we offer in 2023. www. sportingdaysfarm.com

The Stable On The Woods: Elite boarding & training facility and home to trainers Darrell and Melissa Vaughn. With access to Hitchcock Woods, our barn sits on 70 acres and boasts a full size dressage arena with mirrors, show jumping arena and high-quality grass pastures making this the ideal place for you and your horse. Training program to meet your needs, whether your discipline is Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers or Foxhunting. thestableonthewoods.com 603.785.0435

Vaughn Equestrian: offering training, sales, and boarding. Professionalism is the guiding principle of owners Darrell and Melissa Vaughn in shaping every component of Vaughn Equestrian. Dressage, Jumpers, Eventing & Young Horses. training and sales. vaughnequestrian.com (603) 785-0435

COMPANION ANIMALS

Trinity Farms Terriers: Irish Russell Terriers. Old World, Healthy 100 year old Bloodlines with proven calmer dispositions. Health & Dispositions guaranteed. Preservation breeders for 48 years. Donna Fitzpatrick 803-648-3137 easyjacks.com, trinityfarmskennel.com

CONSTRUCTION & GRADING & FARM SERVICES

G. L. Williams & Daughter. Serving the CSRA for over 54 years. Specializing in hauling, grading, clearing, property maintenance, and excavation. We provide everything from several types of fill dirt, top soil, compost, mortar sands, crushed asphalt/concrete, to screenings and a variety of rocks. Roll-off containers and manure removal available. (803) 663-3715. Certified DBE. WOSB. www.glwdtrucking.com

Southern Ridge Excavation. Drainage, grading, small clearing, pad prep, utility ditching, pond mowing. Third generation family operated; Licensed & insured. Call Alex Koegel. 803-522-5752. southernridgex@gmail.com.

FARRIER SERVICES

Alyte Touch Equine Massage: Revitalize your horse’s stride with farrier care and soothing equine massages. Enhance their performance with Alyte Touch. Accepting new clients! Schedule an appointment today: 607-223-9011 or on facebook.com/ alytetouch

HAY

Round and Square Bales. Oakwood Farms: 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803. $60 per bale round hay bales. $70 per bale round bales kept inside. Square bales at $7.00 per bale. Will deliver for a small fee. Please call 803-645-8960

LB Performance Hay. From Farm to Stable. Local and imported hay; large or small quantities. Hay delivery and unloading. Lou Berizzi: 803-640-5484.

Hoss Luva Hay. Exceptional quality local Coastal Bermuda Hay, Alfalfa mix and Canadian Timothy. Competitively priced. Will deliver state-wide. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Jim McClain: 803.247.4803

INSURANCE

Betsy Minton, Sterling Thompson Equine, 803-617-8353. Now writing homeowners insurance for private residences. No horses required but certainly welcomed. Access to top-notch underwriters offering customized, affordable coverage. Still delivering excellent competitive insurance options for your horses and farms. betsyminton@sterlingthompson.com. Sterling Thompson Equine: 800 942 4258

INSTRUCTION/LESSONS

Amy McElroy. USDF Gold Medalist and USEF S judge. Instruction and training at all levels. Visit amymcelroy.com or call 803.640-4207.

Aiken Horsemanship Academy. Your naturally inspired adult learning resource! Offering Clinics, Courses, Starting young horses, Evaluations, and Lessons. JulieRobins.com 803-2201768.

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

REAL ESTATE/ RENTALS

Aiken Luxury Rentals. Fully furnished cottages; walk to downtown. Perfect for temporary assignments, or housing while you build. Work-from-home ready; high speed internet. Antique finishes & modern convenience. info@aikenluxuryrentals.com. aikenluxuryrentals.com. 803-648-2804.

Aiken Vacation Rentals. Comfortable, clean furnished homes. Downtown, Pet Friendly, Fast WiFi. info@aikenvacationrentals. com Call/Text (803) 216-5414 Locally owned small business. AirBnB Superhost.

Carolina Real Estate Company. Fine homes, estates and horse properties in Aiken, South Carolina. Let us welcome you home to AIKEN, Home of Horses, History & Hospitality! carolinahorseproperties.com. (803) 648-8660

Sharer Dale, Keller Williams Realty Aiken Partners. “Where town meets country.” sharerdale@gmail.com. 803.522.3648

Suzy Haslup, Meybohm. “Your Aiken Horse Real Estate Specialist.” Buying or selling in the most celebrated equine community in the South. ww.aikenhorserealty.com; 803-215-0153

Sullivan-Turner Team, Meybohm. Specializing in marketing & selling Aiken’s horse country properties. southernhorsefarms. com.

803-215-4734.

Whisper Farm: Lodging for riders & horses. Every bedroom has stall & paddock! Close to foxhunting, eventing & polo in the 302 equestrian corridor east of Aiken. 410-924-1790. thewhisperfarm.com.

SADDLES/SADDLE FITTING

Melodie McGowan Saddle Fitting. Servicing all makes and models of English saddles. New and used saddles also available. 585-6135000; melodie@mysaddle.com.

BOARDING/TURNOUT/ TRAINING

Dry stalls and full care available at Sporting Days Farm 150 acres with practice areas. Great for green horses. 803-226-2024 text preferred.

Available self care. 12x12 and 12x24 stalls with turnout paddocks. Chime Ridge Stables 803.508.3760 South AikenFARM SERVICES

Southern Ridge Excavation. Drainage, grading, small clearing, pad prep, utility ditching, pond mowing. Third generation family operated; Licensed & insured. Call Alex Koegel. 803-522-5752. southernridgex@gmail.com.

G. L. Williams & Daughter.

Serving the CSRA for over 54 years. Specializing in hauling, grading, clearing, property maintenance, and excavation.

We provide everything from several types of fill dirt, top soil, compost, mortar sands, crushed asphalt/concrete, to screenings

10 yr old medium pony mare from out West.

Broke but hasn’t done much in a while and will need a refresher. Approx 13.2 hands. Pretty gold color, sound. 803-295-8687

and a variety of rocks. Roll-off containers and manure removal available. (803) 663-3715.

Certified DBE. WOSB. www. glwdtrucking.com

HAY

Hoss Luva Hay. Exceptional quality local Coastal Bermuda Hay, Alfalfa mix and Canadian Timothy. Competitively priced. Will deliver state-wide. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Jim McClain: 803.247.4803

LB Performance Hay. From Farm to Stable. Local and imported hay; large or small quantities. Hay delivery and unloading. Lou Berizzi: 803-640-5484.

Round and Square Bales. Oakwood Farms: 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803. $60 per bale round hay bales. $70 per bale round bales kept inside. Square bales at $7.00 per bale. Will deliver for a small fee. Please call 803-645-8960.

HELP WANTED

Horse and Farm Care at Sporting Days Farm. Close to Aiken on Hwy 78. Beautiful facility; horse accommodations negotiable. Please text: 803 226 2024

Various part time freelance jobs available at The Aiken Horse. Ad sales, writing, web work. Tell us what you can do! Email theaikenhorse@gmail.com.

HORSES & PETS

Competitive Third Level Dutch Warmblood for sale. 10 years old, amateur friendly, quiet in the show ring and on trails. Pushbutton ride. www.haffeydressage. com for video. Text: 607-7431309.

Trinity Farms Terriers: Irish Russell Terriers. Old World, Healthy 100 year old. Bloodlines w/ proven calmer dispositions. Health & dispositions guaranteed. Preservation breeders for 48 years. trinityfarmskennel.com; easyjacks. com. Donna Fitzpatrick 803-6483137.

10 yr old QH mare. 15 hands, Sound & easy, great on trails. Great beginner horse: no spook, easy to handle, ties , loads clips etc. 803-295-8687

RENTALS/HOME SHARES

Aiken Luxury Rentals. Fully furnished cottages; walk to downtown. Perfect for temporary assignments, Work-from-home ready; high speed internet. Antique finishes & modern convenience. 803-648-2804. info@aikenluxuryrentals.com. aikenluxuryrentals.com.

Aiken Vacation Rentals. Comfortable, clean furnished homes. Downtown, Pet Friendly, Fast WiFi. info@ aikenvacationrentals.com Call/ Text (803) 216-5414 Locally owned small business. AirBnB Superhost.

Whisper Farm: Lodging for riders and their horses. Every bedroom comes with a stall and paddock! Close to foxhunting, eventing & polo in the 302 Equestrian Corridor east of Aiken. 410-924-1790. thewhisperfarm. com.

Hope for Hooves

Equine Rescue & Ministry in North Augusta

By Pam Gleason

The horses at Hope for Hooves horse rescue in North Augusta, South Carolina all have different stories. There is Peanut, a 33-year-old dwarf Shetland pony who had a career in the circus before being abandoned to fend for himself on a 300-acre cow pasture. There is Ray, a mid-20s Tennessee Walking Horse cross who lost both his eyes to cancer, but loves people and affection. There is his pasture mate Jack, a Florida Cracker Horse in his late 20s that came to the rescue severely emaciated this spring, and is slowly regaining health and weight. There are many horses with difficult stories, as well as a few that have had good lives and found their soft landing at the farm. What they all have in common is hope: the hope for a good future for themselves, and the hope to provide peace, healing and a path forward to children and adults in need.

Although Hope for Hooves started out purely as a horse rescue in 2020, over the past four years it has evolved into being an equine ministry. It is a sanctuary for animals and it also provides equine assisted therapy for children who have been victims of trauma, abuse and neglect through what it calls “Equine Assisted Mentorship.” This is a 12-week-long, faith-based program in which a child is paired with an adult mentor for 90-minute, once-a-week sessions that include Bible study and prayer, as well as various crafts and activities. The most important part of the program is caring for, riding and interacting with the horses and other animals on the farm.

“The horses bring them peace and comfort,” explained Michelle Derrick, who is the rescue’s founder and CEO. “They teach them responsibility. They teach them how to be calm, like for the ones who maybe have anxiety or ADHD. . . And probably the biggest thing is trust. Some of these children have never been around a horse before and the horses are intimidating. They might be scared at first, but then once they begin to brush them, and then they sit on the saddle, and they ride and begin to enjoy it, all of a sudden, they don’t even realize it, but they have built a bond of trust with this animal.”

are also goats, a sheep, a cow, a flock of chickens and ducks, and assorted dogs and cats. A registered 501c3 charitable organization, Hope for Hooves has attracted volunteers to help care for the horses, as well as a dedicated board of directors. In the beginning, there were riding camps for children, frequent farm tours and things like pony parties for birthdays. But since the mentorship program started, most of those activities have faded into the background.

The mentorship program, which had an informal start, took off after Michelle discovered Crystal Peaks Ranch, a horse rescue and youth ministry in Bend, Oregon. Founded in 1995, this ranch offers rescue and rehabilitation for horses along with Christian faith-based mental and spiritual healing for children and families. In addition, the ranch holds annual six-day “Ignition” events in which individuals who want to form similar ministries can go to the ranch and learn how it is done. Michelle attended a session in Oregon last year and she says it changed her life.

“It was exactly what I have always imagined having,” she said. “You can take their program and you can tweak it and make it your own. It just gives you vision. And I came back home and I said okay, Lord, this is what I want. This is it. It felt so right.”

Michelle says that the mentorship program is immensely beneficial for the horses, for the children, and for the mentors themselves. The mentors are volunteers, and the children attend at no cost to them, but can be sponsored for $250, which goes to help care for the horses.

“The horses get all the love and attention,” said Michelle. “And not all of them have come from the best situations; some of them were very abused before they got here, and so they are learning to trust as well. And the mentors . . it was important to me that they have empathy. Sympathy is when you feel sorry for a child; empathy is when you have lived it yourself. God has brought people here that have experienced major trauma, and not only are the children being healed, but the mentors are being healed too.”

Michelle Derrick says that the creation of Hope for Hooves was divinely inspired, and her faith is what has guided her each step of the way. She and her husband moved to their 10-acre farm during the summer of 2020. Although she had always loved horses, and even had a small pony when she was very young, Michelle says that she had no horse or rescue experience to speak of; she didn’t even know how to put on a saddle.

“I had a girl here who was doing horseback riding lessons, so that’s kind of how we started,” she said. “We received our first call in August, from someone who said, hey, I have this little pony. He’s older, but he’s been a party pony his entire life . . . Would you like him? . . . And so we took him, and he’s still with us today. He’s 28 years old and he’s fabulous. And then we started taking in other horses in need: either their owners had died or they had injuries and we knew they would end up at the auction if we didn’t save them.”

Today, Hope for Hooves is home to about a dozen equines, including sanctuary horses, a handful of riding horses, and several donkeys. There

Michelle says she has plans to expand Hope for Hooves into a much larger facility, with a full-fledged riding arena and a chapel in order to be able to serve more children. For now though, she is 100% happy with what she has.

“I actually went through a lot of trauma in my childhood and never dealt with it,” she said. “I remember being in ninth grade and having to go sit in a room at school with a counselor and they were trying to force me to talk. In my head, I was like, I have nothing to say to you. There’s nothing you can do for me. I don’t want to talk about it. And I never did. . . . But occasionally I’d go out to a friend’s house who had horses, and I just remember getting on that horse, and the peace, and how everything seemed to float away. It was just me and the horse. Back then, I didn’t fully understand what it did for me. But now I know. I know how it feels.”

To learn more about Hope for Hooves, visit their website or follow them on Facebook: hopeforhooves.org; facebook.com/HopeforHoovesRescue

Ray, who is blind, “sees with his heart,” says Michelle Derrick

Harness Races at McGhee’s Mile Photography by Pam Gleason & Gary Knoll

Aiken Area Calendar of Events

April

4-7 Tryon Welcome 3. National/Level 3. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

5-7 Southern Pines CDE & CT & DT. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.585.0320, laurierose801@gmail. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

5-7 Stable View $60,000 FEI CCI-S 3/4/5* & USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

5-7 Camden Spring Classic. PSJ Shows. SCEP, Camden. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com

5-8 Georgia On My Mind Stock Show. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

6 SPCA Saddle up for Adoptions @ Aiken Saddlery. 1090 E. Pine Log Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

6-7 Schooling Show at Bouckaert Farm 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117. equestrian@BouckaertFarm.com; BouckaertFarm.com

6-7 NC Working Equitation. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

11-13 Georgia On My Mind Pro-Am. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

11-14 USEF/USHJA National “A” Rated Hunters & Level 3 Rated “Spring” Classic. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

11-14 Tryon Welcome 4. National/Level 3. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

11-27 Aiken Saddlery 6 Goal. Wagener Polo Club. Billy Raab: 561.719.3318, bkrpolo@aol.com, wagenerpolo.com

12-14 Palmetto & Carolina Paint Horse Clubs. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com

12-28 Henry Cato Memorial 4 Goal at APC. Aiken Polo Club, Mead Ave, Aiken. Hotline: 803-643-3611; Manager, Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3302, aikenpolo.org

13 Spring Classic. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 US Hwy 27E, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, show@poplarplacefarm.com, poplarplacefarm.com

13 Trip to Mason Spring Training Center sponsored by Aiken Thoroughbred Museum. 1700 Whiskey Rd, Aiken. 803.643.2121, halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov, cityofaikensc. recdesk.com

13-14 Grassroots & Dusty Boots. Mullet Hall, John’s Island. 843.762.9965, grassrootsdustyboots@gmail.com

13-14 Aiken Carriage Classic. Aiken Driving Club. Aikendrivingclub. com, 1060 Curb Chain Lane, Windsor. 603.533.8585, ttt@ farsidefarm.com

13-14 Cheryl & Co H/J at Bouckaert Farm 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117. equestrian@BouckaertFarm.com; BouckaertFarm.com

13-14 Longleaf Pine Horse Trials. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

13-14 FENCE Horse Trials. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

17 Hunter/Jumper Institute. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

17 Yappy Hour @ SPCA Albrecht Center. 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

18-21 Aiken Spring Classic. PSJ Shows. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com

19-20 Women’s Invitational 6-8 goal & Pro-Am 6-8 goal. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagner. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

19-21 T RHC Horse & Hound. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

19-21 USDF/USEF Tryon Spring Dressage. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

19-5 New Bridge Polo Club Championships. New Bridge Polo Club, 862 New Bridge Rd, Aiken. 888-4NB-POLO; Hotline: 803644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577. newbridgepolo.com

20 Woofstock Doggie Derby Days. FOTAS. Citizens Park, 1060 Banks Mill Rd, Aiken. 803.514.4313, woofstock@fotasaiken. org, fotasaiken.org

20-21 USEF/USDF “Spring Fever” Dressage. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

20-21 USEF/USDF Spring Dressage Series I & II. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 US Hwy 27E, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, show@ poplarplacefarm.com, poplarplacefarm.com

20-21 USEF/USDF Prime Time Dressage. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

20-21 NCPEA Breakout of the Carolinas. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com

25-28 Aiken Spring Classic. PSJ Shows. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com

26-27 Langdon Road 14-goal. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagner. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

26-28 Sedgefield at the Park NCHJA Spring “C” H/J show. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@ carolinahorsepark.com. Carolinahorsepark.com

26-28 National Youth Tournament Series. Aiken Polo Club. Aiken Polo Club, Mead Ave, Aiken. Hotline: 803-643-3611; Manager, Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3302, aikenpolo.org

27 Aiken Symphony. Horses and Harmony. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

27 Jungle Drive. Aiken Driving Club. Aikendrivingclub.com, 1060 Curb Chain Lane, Windsor. 603.533.8585, ttt@farsidefarm. com

27 Pups N’ Suds Dog Wash @ SPCA Albrecht Center. 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

27-28 USEF/USDF SCDCTA Springtime Dressage. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com

27-28 USEF/USDF Massey Ferguson Dressage at the Horse Park. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

28 Dressage & CT Schooling Show. Sporting Days Farm. Joannah Glass: 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm. com

28 Cookout at the Water Jump. Sporting Days Farm. Joannah Glass: 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm. com

28 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com

28-11 Wagener 4 Goal. Wagener Polo Club. Billy Raab: 561.719.3318, bkrpolo@aol.com, wagenerpolo.com

28-12 USPA Sportsmanship Cup 6 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. Aiken Polo Club, Mead Ave, Aiken. Hotline: 803-643-3611; Manager, Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3302, aikenpolo.org

May

1-5 Tryon Spring I. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

2-4 Dixie Cup Spring Classic Horse Show hosted by ASHAG. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

3-4 Langdon Road 14-goal, Super Cup & Sharer Dale Team. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagener. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

3-5 IHSA National Championships. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

3-5 Sedgefield at the Park eNCHJA Early Summer “C” H/J show. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark.com. Carolinahorsepark.com

3-5 Carolinas CHA Spring Show. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com

4 Saturday Night Lights. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

4 Derby Party. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagner. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

4 May Day Classic. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 US Hwy 27E, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, show@poplarplacefarm.com, poplarplacefarm.com

4 Dressage & CT Schooling Show. Sporting Days Farm. 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm.com

4-5 Pony Club Rally. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

4-5 USDF/USEF Tryon Spring Dressage 2. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

4-5 USEF/USEA Local Charities Horse Trials & USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Championships. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@ stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

5-12 Aiken Charity Horse Show I & II. Bruce’s Field, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.830.7077, tara@ aikenhorsepark.org, Aikenhorsepark.org

5-12 Aiken Spring Women’s 4-8 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. Aiken Polo Club, Mead Ave, Aiken. Hotline: 803-643-3611; Manager, Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3302, aikenpolo.org

6-26 Tommy Hitchcock Memorial 8 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, 862 New Bridge Rd, Aiken. 888-4NB-POLO; Hotline: 803644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577. newbridgepolo.com

8 Schooling Dressage Collection. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

8-12 Tryon International Three-Day Event. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

10-11 Langdon Road 14-goal. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagner. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

10-12 PSJ “C” Series Hunter Jumper Mother’s Day. PSJ Shows. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com

10-12 USEF/USDF Dressage in the Sandhills. Pinehurst Harness Track, 200 Beulah Hill Rd South, Pinehurst, NC. 910.315.5959, carolinadressage.com

The Aiken Horse

10-25 Polo Pony 4 Goal. Wagener Polo Club. Billy Raab: 561.719.3318, bkrpolo@aol.com, wagenerpolo.com

11 Saturday Night Lights. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

11 WHES May Schooling Day. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark.com. Carolinahorsepark.com

11 Open Horse Show. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

11 USDF/USEF Tryon Spring Dressage 2. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

11-12 USEF/USDF Southern I & II hosted by Greater Atlanta Dressage. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark. com

11-12 Palmetto Classic Spring Show. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com

11-12 WHES May Horse Trials, CT, D. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

12 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com

12 SPCA Purrs & Pours @ The Alley Downtown Taproom. 214 The Alley SW, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

12 Hunter Pace. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

12-26 USPA Constitution Cup 6 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. Aiken Polo Club, Mead Ave, Aiken. Hotline: 803-643-3611; Manager, Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3302, aikenpolo.org

15 Hunter/Jumper Institute. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

15 Yappy Hour @ SPCA Albrecht Center. 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

15 YEH/NEH/FEH Qualifier. The Vista Schooling & Event Center. 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. 803.262.5263, vistaschooling@gmail.com, schoolthevista.com

15-19 Tryon Spring 3. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.

Tryon.com

16-19 Triangle Farms Sandhills Spring Classic “A” Hunter Jumper Show. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark.com. Carolinahorsepark.com

17-18 Women’s Challenge 8-10 goal & 6-8 goal Pro-Am Challenge. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagner. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

17-19 G QHA Summer Kick Off. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

17-19 Camden Spring Classic II. Carolina Equine Park, 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark. com

18 Saturday Night Lights. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

18 Atlanta Youth Dressage Challenge. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

18 Foothills Riding Club Combined Training. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

18-19 USEF/USDF “Do Dah Day” Dressage. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

18-19 Eventing HT at Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117. equestrian@BouckaertFarm.com; BouckaertFarm.com

19-26 Aiken Spring Women’s 12-8 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. Aiken Polo Club, Mead Ave, Aiken. Hotline: 803-643-3611; Manager, Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3302, aikenpolo.org

22-26 Tryon Spring 4. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

24-25 Langdon Road 14-goal. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagner. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

24-26 SCQHA Palmetto Classic. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark. com

24-26 Sedgefield at the Park NCHJA Memorial Day Classic

“C” H/J show. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark.com. Carolinahorsepark.com

25 Saturday Night Lights. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

25 New Bridge Arena International. New Bridge Polo Club, 862 New Bridge Rd, Aiken. 888-4NB-POLO; Hotline: 803-6447706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577. newbridgepolo.com

25 Pups N’ Suds Dog Wash @ SPCA Albrecht Center. 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

25 Derby & Show Jumping. The Vista Schooling & Event Center. 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. 803.262.5263, vistaschooling@ gmail.com, schoolthevista.com

25-26 Horse Show Ventures: Southeastern Hunter/Jumper Series. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

26 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com

27-9 Louise Hitchcock Women’s 8-14 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, 862 New Bridge Rd, Aiken. 888-4NB-POLO; Hotline: 803644-7706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577. newbridgepolo.com

28-2 Tryon Spring 5. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

29-2 USEF/USHJA National “B” Rated Hunters & Level 3 Rated “Summer” Classic. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@ stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

29-16 Pete Bostwick Memorial 8 Goal. New Bridge Polo Club, 862 New Bridge Rd, Aiken. 888-4NB-POLO; Hotline: 803-6447706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577. newbridgepolo.com31-1 Langdon Road 14-goal & Super Cup. La Bourgogne Polo Club. 1150 Coleman Bridge Rd, Wagner. 305.790.5212, labourgognepoloclub@gmail.com, labourgognepolo.com

31-2 Peach Country Circuit HQHA Horse Show. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

31-2 Sleeping into Summer Region 4 Championship NWHA. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com

31-15 USPA Congressional Cup. Wagener Polo Club. Billy Raab: 561.719.3318, bkrpolo@aol.com, wagenerpolo.com

June

1 Saturday Night Lights. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

1 SPCA Saddle Up for Adoptions @ Aiken Saddlery. 1090 E Pine Log Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

1 WHES June Schooling Day. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

1-2 WHES June Horse Trials, CT, D. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

1-2 USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 US Hwy 27E, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, show@poplarplacefarm. com, poplarplacefarm.com

1-16 Aiken Polo Club 4 Goal. Aiken Polo Club. Aiken Polo Club, Mead Ave, Aiken. Hotline: 803-643-3611; Manager, Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3302, aikenpolo.org

3-7 Horse Camp. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

4-9 Tryon Spring 6/Tryon Riding & Hunt Club Charity Horse Show. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

5-9 USEF/USHJA National “B” Rated Hunters & Level 3 Rated “Summer Classic I”. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

7-9 PSJ Summer I. PSJ Shows. Mullet Hall, St. John’s Island. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com

8 Saturday Night Lights. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

8 Combined Test, Dressage & Show Jumping. The Vista Schooling & Event Center. 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. 803.262.5263, vistaschooling@gmail.com, schoolthevista.com

8 New Bridge Arena Invitational. New Bridge Polo Club, 862 New Bridge Rd, Aiken. 888-4NB-POLO; Hotline: 803-6447706; Haley Bryan: 803-215-3577. newbridgepolo.com

8-9 Working Equitation of NC. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

8-10 Southern Series Games hosted by Mounted Games Across America. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

8-9 USEF/USDF Summer Dressage Series I & II. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 US Hwy 27E, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, show@poplarplacefarm.com, poplarplacefarm.com

8-9 The Southeastern Hunter/Jumper Series hosted by Horse Show Ventures. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

9 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com

10-14 Horse Camp. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

11 Tuesday Night Schooling. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

12 Schooling Dressage Collection. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

12-23 Aiken Summer Classics I & II. Bruce’s Field, 931 Powderhouse Rd SE, Aiken. 803.830.7077, tara@aikenhorsepark.org, Aikenhorsepark.org

13-16 Harmon Classics Derby Mania. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

13-16 USDF/USEF Tryon Summer Dressage 1&2. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort.Tryon.com

14 Yappy Hour @ SPCA Albrecht Center. 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

14-15 Fence Rodeo. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

15-16 USEF/USDF “Summer Solstice” Dressage. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm. com, stableviewfarm.com

16 June Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm, 3828 Wagener Rd, Aiken. Lara Anderson: 803.215.6590, fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com

17-21 Horse Camp. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

19 Hunter Jumper Institute. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

21-23 USEF/USEA Summer Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

21-23 PSJ “C” Series Hunter Jumper Mother’s Day. PSJ Shows. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com

21-23 Tryon Summer 2. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

22 Summer Solstice Classic. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 US Hwy 27E, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, show@poplarplacefarm. com, poplarplacefarm.com

22-23 USEF/USDF Dressage at The Park. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

24-28 Horse Camp. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

24-30 NCHJA Annual Horse Show. Carolina Horse Park. 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford. 910.875.2074, info@carolinahorsepark. com. Carolinahorsepark.com

25 Tuesday Night Schooling. FENCE 3381 Hunting Country Rd, Tryon. 828.859.9021, fence.org

26-30 USEF/USHJA National “A” Rated Hunters & Level 3 Rated “Summer Classic II”. Stable View, LLC 117 Stable Drive, Aiken. 484.356.3173, info@stableviewfarm.com, stableviewfarm.com

26-30 Tryon Summer 3. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

27-30 Stars and Stripes Circuit GQHA. Georgia Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway NE, Conyers. 770.860.4190, Georgiahorsepark.com

28-30 Eventing HT Area III Championships at Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Rd, Fairburn, GA. 770.892.2117. equestrian@ BouckaertFarm.com; BouckaertFarm.com

28-30 SCDCTA Youth Clinic. Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, 803.486.4938, scequinepark. com

29 Saturday Night Lights. Tryon International Equestrian Center. 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. 828.863.1000. Resort. Tryon.com

29 SPCA Pups N’ Suds Dog Wash. 199 Willow Run Rd, Aiken. 803.648.6863, letlovelive.org

29 Dressage & CT Schooling Show. Sporting Days Farm. Joannah Glass: 610.613.2010, jhallglass@aol.com, sportingdaysfarm. com

The Aiken Horse

Business Cards

742 James Davison Heriot Road, Dalzell, SC 29040

Now Open

A PASTURE BOARDING

facility for retired horses and resting polo ponies. Onsite owners. Convenient access to I-20 and I-95.

All new fencing and refurbished grass

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

Flowing

magnificent gardens, 2-car garage with gardener's bath & apartment, grand pool house, 9 stall barn with new roof and room for apartment above. Adjacent to the barn are 3 paddocks, and a 3 car garage with a 2 bedroom apartment above. This property is truly a one of a