The Aiken Horse, Feb-March 2021

Volume 16 • Number 4 •

February-March 2021

Deirdre Stoker Vaillancourt, REALTOR®

803.640.4591

Aiken, South Carolina — Southern Charm and Equestrian Sport

215 BERRIE ROAD HENLEY HOUSE SOUTH — MLS #11489

Timeless Elegance in the Heart of Aiken’s Historic District. Circa 1917 Fully Restored Winter Colony luxury estate on 5.62 private, manicured acres. Property is adjacent to The Palmetto Golf Club. Residents may ride their horses directly into the Hitchcock Woods without crossing any busy roads. This iconic 7200 sq ft residence has 5 BDRMS and 7.5 BTHS and separate staff apartment. Formal living room and dining rooms look out over expansive rear patio for gracious outdoor entertaining with views of landscaped grounds. Gourmet Kitchen has room for a breakfast table in sunny bow window; butler’s pantry makes entertaining easy. Paneled library has access to the atrium that houses the indoor swimming pool.

Converted Carriage House has an elegant 2 BDRM 1 BTH guest apartment over 2 car garage and a 1 BDRM 1 BTH Groom’s apartment. The turnkey stable has large stalls, feed room, tack room, wash stall and ample storage for hay and bedding .5 large grass paddocks and flat grass fenced jump/dressage arena. The property is fully perimeter fenced for dogs and horses. It is gated with 2 automatic, gated entrances for house and barn.

Escape to one of Aiken’s most captivating, storied Winter Colony estates and experience our charmed lifestyle TODAY!

www.AikenSCProperties.com 2

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February-March 2021

SuzyHaslup_TAH_Sept2019.qxp_Layout 1 4/5/20 5:46 PM Page 1

JOHNSTON FARM $899,000 Accredited Land Consultant An Accredited Land Consultant, Suzy achieved the title of Leading Sales Agent in 2013, 2015 & 2016.

Her 2018 & 2019 achievements include Meybohm’s “Best of the Best” & President’s Club, as well as 2018 & 2019 RLI APEX award for top producing land real estate agents.

Rare opportunity to own a professional equestrian property with lush coastal turnout fields twenty minutes from Aiken. Custom 4 BR/3.5 bath light filled home with heart pine floors, cathedral ceiling, updated kitchen, fireplace, new workout room, and views of your horses grazing. This 87A property includes a pond, 14-stall training barn with storage and grooming/wash stalls, paddocks, run-ins, derby jump field, 190 x 100 sand arena, round pen, free jumping chute, large turnout fields & mobile home. 2 additional 4-stall barns. More acreage is available.

KATYDID FARM

$1.1 MILLION

KINGS RIDGE

$670,000

COKER SPRINGS

$629,000

REDUCED

SOLD

WOOD’S END LOTS 0

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Priced at $275,000 and $320,000, these lots provide an exceptional opportunity to own a farm Parcel Map bordering the 2200-acre Hitchcock Woods offering 70 miles of riding trails open to the public year round. Lots are cleared and ready for home and barn, paved cul-de-sac, underground utilities with city services and no HOA. Possible owner financing and lots may be combined. Direct access to trails of the Woods.

WO OD S

Wonderful old Aiken cottage with hardwood floors, two fireplaces, 9’ ceilings, formal living & dining room, newer HVAC & roof, Hitchcock ceilings, huge walk-in closet off master & fabulous family room with fireplace & bar perfect for entertaining. Walk on nearby clay roads in the Horse District & watch polo & horses train at the Aiken Training Track. Great curb appeal with fenced yard for the dogs.

08 9

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$399,000

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Prime location Flutterby Acre Farm is steps away from Hitchcock Woods for you, your horses & dogs!

Renovated circa 1932 5 BR/3 BA cedar shake home on 1 acre w/paddocks & 4 stall barn. Tobacco barn heart pine floors downstairs with 9’ & 10’ ceilings, deep baseboards, fireplaces, upstairs with huge bonus/studio with built ins & 3 additional bedrooms.

Screened porch & kitchen lead to large stamped concrete patio w/waterfall feature.

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$299,000

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SOUTH BOUNDARY

Situated on the water in gated King’s Ridge, this 3 BR/2BA brick French Country home boasts a Stephen Fuller floor plan featured in Southern Living. Has vaulted ceilings, hardwood and porcelain floors, fireplace, attached 2+ car garage, patio, and screened porch overlooking the lake. The 7-acre property has spectacular views, 4-board fencing, wonderful plantings, and room for horses!

089 07 04 010

Former home to international driving competitions, this farm is suitable for any equestrian. Property has over 108 A w/hay fields, pastures, 2 center aisle barns (18 stalls), 5 run-in sheds, equipment shed & hay barn. Stickbuilt home w/3 BR/2 BA, hardwood floors & fireplace.

Additional contiguous 105 A with trails available.

Sellers will consider subdividing.

Aiken County IT / GeoServices

Copyright (C) Aiken County Government Aiken County makes no warranty, representation or guaranty as to the content, sequence, accuracy or timeliness of the database information provided herein. Users of this data are hereby notified that public information sources should be consulted for verification of the information contained on these maps. Aiken County assumes no liability for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the information provided regardless of how caused, OR, for any decision made or action taken or not taken by any person in reliance upon any information or data furnished herein.

Spectacular 10 acre horse property with upscale owners apartment, 4 stall center aisle barn, board fenced pasture and run-in shed. The 2800 sq. ft. custom owners apartment under construction has 2 master suites with large walk-in closets, 3 baths, kitchen with granite & lovely porch with views of the pasture. Easy drive to downtown Aiken. More acreage is available.

www.AikenHorseRealty.com (803) 215-0153 • suzy.haslup@gmail.com February-March 2021

The Aiken Horse

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WELCOME TO THE SOUTH YOU’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF...

finehomesofaiken.com

OAKWOOD PLANTATION: 4 attractive parcels in Aiken’s delightful new equestrian neighborhood. Gorgeous scenic terrain with miles & miles of riding trails for residents only.

Oakwood Plantation is 8 miles from town, convenient to all venues in Aiken. Four lots are currently available, ranging in price from $50,325 to $100,980. More lots are on the way! HOA with architectural review. $300 per year once the development is complete. MontmorenciCouchton water. Call for information or to schedule a tour: 803-640-0123.

MULBERRY HILL FARM is an equestrian estate with an Italian-style villa high on Folly Hill. Gorgeous views of the pond, swimming pool, & fenced pastures on 16 acres that create this spectacular equestrian retreat. This captivating property has 5 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, magnificent formal rooms, a chef’s kitchen, generous storage, an elevator, and a serene sunroom. The spacious kitchen is well-equipped with a faucet at the cooktop, two wall ovens, granite countertops, & a large prep island w/sink. The kitchen space includes a generous pantry area & a wine closet. The kitchen is open to the relaxing den which has gorgeous views, custom library shelves & a gas-log fireplace. The fantasy continues w/a 4-stall stable w/tack room, art studio, guest apartment, & 3rdstory viewing tower. Community riding trails, dressage arena, & jump field. Mulberry Hill Farm is close to all Aiken equestrian venues: perfect for the casual rider or serious competitor. 4 recent HVAC units. 3-car garage. $1,595,000

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CANARY COTTAGE is a beautiful secluded 3.38-acre horse property on the edge of Hitchcock Woods. Elegant residence surrounded by broad lawns & magnificent specimen trees. Gorgeously updated kitchen - stone counters, extensive cabinetry & kitchen desk - is open to the breakfast room & the sitting room. Formal dining room. Large den. Fireplaces in dining room, den, & sitting room. Wet bar. 3 BR & 2.5 BA on ground floor, including a very large master suite with office and sliding glass doors to the deck. A large walk-out basement has a recreation room, a 4-room apartment w/private exterior entrance, a small sleep-over room, & utility & storage rooms. 4-stall barn with covered hay storage, tack room, utility rooms, & heated wash stall. Two paddocks. 1-BR log cabin for barn staff. Fenced dog run. Garden shed. Only three minutes to Whiskey Road & Fresh Market. $799,000

The Aiken Horse

KELLER WILLIAMS AIKEN PARTNERS

803 / 640 / 0123

ROCKING HORSE FARM: 19.5-acre horse farm has a wonderful residence w/2-story great room. Reclaimed heart pine floors and art deco tile. Energy efficient windows & tankless water heater. Master suite with large walk-in closet & 4x8 walk-in shower. Pampered canine suite. Screen porch overlooks paddocks & two barns w/5 stalls, fans, rubber mats, in aisle, tack room, wash area, & hay storage. The property can be subdivided. Hatchaway Bridge Farms, a private equestrian community has riding trails, dressage ring, & derby field. $749,000

The finest farms in Aiken, South Carolina.

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

February-March 2021

142+ ACRE RANCH in EDGEFIELD, SC

CALICO COTTAGE - 4.2 AC on HITCHCOCK WOODS

25 MooreS road | $3.1 Million

504 berrie road | $1.7 Million

1.89 PRIVATE AC. ON LAKE CARROL

CLOSE to DOWNTOWN AIKEN – 24+ AC. HORSE FARM

BIG TREE FARM - a FARM For ANY DISCIPLINE

118 FloWing Well road | $545,000 under contract

331 vintage vale road | $434,000

490 big tree road | $759,900

HISTORIC HOME & STABLE in HORSE DISTRICT

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

1354 audubon | $2.695 Million

Stunning lake vieWS WitH your oWn dock & neigHborHood trailS. PriStine 5 br, 4 batH HoMe W/2-car & great outdoor living SPace!

HISTORIC HOME on 4½ ACRES in HORSE DISTRICT vieWS acroSS bruce’S Field, gueSt HouSe, FitneSS rooM, 3-bay garage 5+ br, 7½ batHS, elevator, coMPletely renovated, iMPeccably Maintained

928 tWo notcH road Se | $3.1M

LANE’S END in HOPELAND FARMS

5+ ac ParcelS - idyllic Setting For Hobby FarM or Private retreat

5.8 acreS on iMPleMent road | $168,200 7.6 acreS on iMPleMent road | $220,400 under contract

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

6 Stall barn, WorkSHoP & 3-bay Pole barn 2 bedrooM reSidence attacHed to tHe barn & rv Hook uP

30+ AC. W/POND SITES, CREEKS & TIMBER FOREST

eMbrace HiStory & liFe on tHe WoodS! Zoned For HorSeS. WilliS irvin deSign, 7 bedrooMS, 5.5 batHS, gunite Pool & gardenS.

58+ acreS, 15-Stall barn, ligHted arena, Polo or JuMP Field, PaSture 2 br, 2 batH living QuarterS, SeParate oFFice, 3+ car garage/WorkSHoP

AMBIANCE w/GREEN SPACE = SUPERB LIVING

enJoy Fig, Pecan & olive treeS, MuScadine & ScuPPernong vineyard & blueberrieS. 3 br, 2 ba FarM HouSe W/carPortS & MiSc. out buildingS

living W/FP, uPStairS cHarM: 2 br, 2 ba, Full oPen kitcHen/living rooM W/FP

133+ ACRES WitH 2 PONDS in EDGEFIELD, SC

PLEASANT ACRES | 41.5AC 9.5 MILES FROM TOWN

MooreS road in edgeField | $995,000

64 Flag lane | $950,000

3578 Wagener road | $445,000

irrigated Hay FieldS in eStabliSHed tiFton 85 berMuda PeriMeter Fencing, level acreage ideal For Stick & ball or JuMP Field

Main level SoPHiSticated living: 2 br, 2½ ba W/outStanding kitcHen/

203 arbor terrace | $1,195,000 under contract

8+ Stall barn, 6 PriStine PaddockS W/SHelterS, Hay building, riding ring Private 3,858 SF cuStoM HoMe W/in-laW Suite, 4 br 3½ batHS, 2-car

Land for Sale barrington FarMS - ParcelS WitH trail acceSS 5+ to 24+ acreS - $57,000 - $157,000 tod’S Hill - 19 acreS - Pond & Partially Fenced - $235,000 aviation lotS at WexFord landing 5+ acreS Start at $44,000 on runWay

Cissie Sullivan

leWiS lane aSSociation ParcelS WitH trail acceSS neW layout – neW PriceS! HiStoric oakS, PondS, Fenced PaSture!

tWo WaterFront lotS eacH 5+ acreS lake ForeSt drive | Fox HolloW on tHe lake $90,540 & $91,080 lot 8 StorM brancH rd – lovely Pond 19.86 acreS - $198,500

11+ acre tractS available

Tracey Turner

803-998-0198 | SullivanTurnerTeam.com February-March 2021

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February-March 2021

SECTION 10 12 16 24

News & Notes Far Field Pottery Dressage in the Park Hitchcock Woods

1

Our February-March cover shows Julio Mendoza Loor aboard Jewels Goldstrike, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Eliane Cordia-Van Reesema Dressage in the Park at Bruce’s Field, January.

Photography by Gary Knoll

SECTION

2

SECTION

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37 39 40 42 46 50 54

Eventing Calendar Laura O’Connor TB Retirement Foundation Ask the Judge Stable View Crossing The Line Secret Lives: Sunny

Section Two features Olivia Dillon riding Novelty Act, her 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding.

Preliminary division, Aiken Opener, Stable View.

Photography by Pam Gleason.

`

Section Three shows Emma Ledin riding her own Wrozbita at the Aiken Winter Classic, Highfields Event Center.

Photography by Gary Knoll.

February-March 2021

64 66 69 70 72 75 82

Tales of Rescue Donkeys Directory Classifieds Aiken Winter Classic Calendar Index of Advertisers

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February-March 2021

Aiken

The

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication

P.O. Box 332 • Montmorenci, SC 29839-0332 • 803.643.9960 • TheAikenHorse.com • TheAikenHorse@gmail.com Time Dated Material • Periodicals • Volume 16 • Number 4

L

ast March, when the COVID-19 shutdowns first started, I don’t think any of us expected that we would still be so affected by the pandemic almost a year later. And yet, here we are. As horse people, we are lucky, especially if we happen to be horse people in Aiken. Equestrian sports are naturally socially-distanced, and are considered a low risk activity. Because of this, the equestrian world has changed less than many other segments of our society. Although horse sports have been curtailed in some parts of the country, here in Aiken, people are riding, training, teaching and taking lessons.

There are horse shows, events and driving competitions, and in the spring there will be polo.

All of this activity has made the horse world especially attractive, and Aiken, the quintessential horse town, has become even more alluring. People who considered relocating here before the world turned upside down are ready to make the change; people who are already here are eager to invest in the things that make them happy.

Because of this, those with the means to do so are buying in Aiken. Realtors and professional horsemen are busier than ever, and horse property in Aiken is once again an extremely hot commodity.

Everything is not ideal, of course. Many people in and out of the horse world are struggling, and various restrictions have greatly altered our spring calendar.

Although we still have horse shows and events that are recognized by the United States Equestrian Federation, participants must wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines, and no spectators are allowed. Aiken City ordinances and South Carolina state rules regarding large gatherings have forced the cancellation of some of Aiken’s

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most iconic horse happenings. This year, there will be no Aiken Trials, no Aiken Steeplechase, and no Aiken Horse Show in the Woods. Grand Prix Eventing at the Aiken Horse Park will still go on as planned, but there will be no spectators allowed, making it a crowd-pleasing competition with no crowd to please. Aiken is a social town as much as it is an equestrian destination, and the social side of things is definitely suffering.

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the end of the pandemic is in sight, and we can look forward to things getting back to relative normality within a few months. But there is a long time between now and then, and no one knows exactly what is going to happen. This leaves everyone a bit on edge: will things get worse before they get better? Will we have enough strength and health and, most of all, money to make it to the other side?

One thing we do know, however, is that spring is coming. Already, horses are starting to shed their winter coats, and whenever we have a few warm days, the grass wakes up just a little more. Pale fields are tinged slightly green, and our horses scour the pastures for tender shoots. The winter light is stronger, and every day we gain a minute or two of daylight. These next few months, our early spring, are some of the most beautiful of our calendar, and among the most horse friendly. With or without our iconic social happenings, Aiken is a great place to be.

Enjoy this issue, and, as ever, if you have an idea for a story, or there is something happening in the horse world that we should know about, drop us an email to let us know. It’s a little harder these days keep a finger on the pulse of Aiken’s horse world, so we are counting on you to help keep us informed. We want to be your horse newspaper.

The Aiken Horse EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pam Gleason

ART DIRECTOR Gary Knoll

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jean Berko Gleason

LAYOUT & DESIGN Gary Knoll

PHOTOGRAPHERS Pam Gleason Gary Knoll

ADVERTISING

803.643.9960 theaikenhorse@gmail.com

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We will send you a one year subscription (6 issues) for $24.00, or $36 for First Class. Send check or CC # & your mailing address: P.O. Box 332, Montmorenci, SC 29839 Or sign up on the web at TheAikenHorse.com

All contents Copyright 2021 The Aiken Horse

Pam Gleason Editor & Publisher

Aiken

The

Horse

Aiken’s Horse Publication

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

February-March 2021

February-March 2021

The Aiken Horse

9

News and Notes

By Pam Gleason

Spring Schedule

I

n most years, the month of March is dedicated to equestrian activities that draw large crowds of enthusiastic spectators.

This year, however, COVID-19 has ruled out crowds, and as a result, many of Aiken’s most beloved spring events have been canceled. There will be no Aiken Trials, normally a day of racing for young horses that have been conditioned at the Aiken Training Track all winter. The Aiken Steeplechase will not happen: no horses flying over fences; no railside parking, no infield full of interesting vendors; no unofficial betting.

Pacers and Polo, traditionally the start of the polo season, probably won’t happen either, meaning that the whole Aiken Triple Crown will have to wait until next year.

Some other events are not canceled, but they won’t be the same, either. For instance, Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field is still on the schedule, and it is still expected to bring in some of the top eventing horses and riders in the country to vie for $50,000 in purse money.

But spectators will not be permitted to watch them.

For people who live to spectate, the spring season will definitely be a disappointment. But for horses and riders, a lot will be the same.

Aiken will still have horse shows. True, the Aiken Horse Show in the Woods has been canceled, but the Aiken Spring Classic will return to Highfields and the Aiken Charity Horse show will be held at Bruce’s Field.

Eventing competitions will still go on, as will dressage, polo, driving and more. But, like Grand Prix Eventing, these happenings will mostly be closed to spectators. (Polo is a notable exception.)

This leaves two ways to get close to the action. The first way is to volunteer. Eventing competitions are always looking for jump judges on the cross country course, score runners, or people to help set fences in the stadium.

Dressage shows are in constant need of scribes

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and other helpers. Driving shows and events rely on volunteers, too. Never volunteered before? Now is a good time to try it out.

The second way is to enter the competition.

Don’t have a horse, or don’t have the right horse? Maybe it is time to go shopping. Read on.

OTTB App

Looking for an off the track Thoroughbred?

There’s an app for that.

The Retired Racehorse Project and the organization OTTB United have jointly announced the release of OTTB United, a mobile app that unites sellers, buyers, and shippers of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses. The app is designed to make the entire process of buying and selling an OTTB as easy as possible. Buyers can download the app and browse available horses. There are all kinds of useful filters geared specifically to the OTTB market. Looking for a 5-year-old sired by Great Notion? You can search for one. Rather have a 4-year old whose damsire is Scat Daddy? No problem. Plug in your favorite height, color

The Aiken Horse

and price range, and you might be able to find exactly what you are looking for. Then, if you make a deal, you can even arrange to ship your new friend home right on the app. Sellers can list horses for just the cost of their monthly premium subscription, which will set them back $4.99 per month.

The premium subscription does more than just make it easy to put Thoroughbreds in new homes. The app is also designed to give back to the Thoroughbred placement community: a portion of the premium subscription fee is donated to the Retired Racehorse Project.

The RRP “takes a market-based approach to Thoroughbred aftercare to drive demand for exracehorses,” and among other things, runs the annual Thoroughbred Makeover Competition, with finals at the Kentucky Horse Park each fall.

Subscribers can also select from an approved list of aftercare organizations and for-profit resellers to receive an additional contribution.

“We are so fortunate to partner with the Retired Racehorse Project,” says OTTB United founder Amy Rubin in a press release.

Continued on page 23

February-March 2021

February-March 2021

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Far Field Pottery

Reflecting Love of Horses and Nature

By Nancy Johnson

A

t some point, almost everyone has pondered how taking a different path might have changed their life. After a long, successful legal career, Charlotte Venner decided to venture down one of those other paths.

“I took a pottery class in high school and really loved it,” she recalls.

She not only liked working with clay but was talented enough that when she went to college at UCLA in the early 1970s it was with the intention of pursuing a career in art. But Charlotte soon questioned what she would do with an art degree; could she make a decent living at it?

She decided on a totally different career path, the law. While living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Charlotte’s stressful job consumed about 60 hours a week working in the financial district, giving her little time to ride her horse. “I always knew I wanted to get away from that lifestyle at some point, so I decided when I retired, I would get back to art,” she says.

Six years ago, Charlotte and her husband, Dan, moved to Aiken where that thought in the back of her mind became a reality. The couple bought 25 acres on which they built their dream retirement home and barn.

“I just love having the horses at home where I can look out and see them happily grazing,” Charlotte says with a sigh. After settling in their new home, a friend who knew of Charlotte’s interest in pottery convinced her to come along to a one-day class at the Aiken Center for the Arts. “I immediately realized I still really enjoyed pottery and decided to give it a go,” she says. She explains that gardening, especially propagating her own plants, is another of her passions. “I love working in dirt and it’s pretty similar to working with clay, really,” she says with a laugh.

Charlotte wasted no time in turning what was intended to be an apartment in her barn into a fully equipped pottery studio, and Far Field Pottery was born. “It’s such a great space to work in,” she says.

“It’s especially wonderful in the summer. I ride or garden early in the morning and then I can spend the rest of the day working in an airconditioned studio.”

Not surprisingly, much of Charlotte’s work focuses on the things that matter most to her – horses and the world around her. “There is so much beauty surrounding us here in Aiken,” she says. “Every time I ride, I see the beautiful trails and streams and dogwoods, and on and on.”

She spends countless hours observing horses. “My horse, Remington, is my muse. I am constantly fascinated by how he moves, even out in the pasture. I always try to capture the movement of these magnificent

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animals. There is something very special about the way light plays on an animal, especially horses with their gleaming coats. When they move it captures their musculature. I also strive to capture the amazing bond between a horse and rider. A lot of my pieces have a horse and rider together in motion.”

Her husband occasionally offers some advice on a piece from his perspective as an equine veterinarian. “Having Dan around is nice because he knows the horse’s anatomy so well. He can suggest minor changes, something like shortening a pastern slightly or defining a particular muscle.”

Charlotte explains that creating pottery is “my way of getting away from the technology-centered world where everything is mass produced and the same. I aim to get back to a more essential, grounded way of life. You can go to a store and buy a set of dinner plates that are all the same, but I prefer the differences and imperfections of the plates made by hand.”

There are numerous steps to creating a finished piece of pottery. Most of Charlotte’s pieces start with a slab of clay that has been rolled on a slab roller, about 3/8” thick. From there she forms it into a bowl, platter, or whatever. Then the piece is bisque fired and then glazed and fired again in her large kiln. “I love to cook and entertain, so many of my pieces are made for that purpose, like appetizer trays, big serving

February-March 2021

bowls, or centerpieces that you would have on a dining table.”

It can be frustrating to work hours and hours on a piece only to have it warp or crack in the kiln. “You do suffer failures and we have lots of them around our yard to prove it. We refer to them as squirrel bowls, and set them out to capture water for the squirrels!” Charlotte says, laughing.

Textures are a distinguishing feature of Charlotte’s works. Her favorite technique employs natural objects like leaves as templates. She explains another method, “I will sketch an image, for example three horses running in the paddock, next I reverse carve it on a printmaking block, and then press the block into the clay to create the image.” She goes on to explain the importance of planning for images and textures in a piece of pottery.

“You are working for a combination of the clay texture and how the glaze ‘breaks’ over the piece. The glaze flows over the higher points, giving it a different color and texture.

When you design a piece, you are striving to achieve this effect.”

Many of the colors Charlotte chooses for glazes reflect what she sees around her. “I see such beautiful greens and blues on the trails and I also like to incorporate the colors from sunsets and trees in bloom. I never cease to be amazed by the colors I see here.”

Another glazing technique that Charlotte sometimes employs is known as sgraffito, which comes from the Latin word for scratch.

She outlines the process. “You make the piece and then when it is leather dry, you paint three coats of a shiny, black underglaze

February-March 2021

which gives you a black palate. Then you scratch through the black underglaze to reveal the white clay below. It allows you to capture the bare essence of a subject. We see the world in color, but rendering a beautiful horse, for example, in monochrome, makes one pause and look more closely. However, if you scratch in the wrong place, you are done!”

Charlotte occasionally does commissioned pieces, but mostly creates “pieces that celebrate what I see around me and what I feel we should value.” In previous years, she hosted local sales once each year that would designate a local charity to which a portion of her profits would

be donated. They were always big events with lots of people, but she did not feel it was safe to host such a large gathering this past year. Instead, during the recent holiday season, she offered private appointments at her studio where people could come to see and buy pieces. Also, just a few months ago, she put up a site on Etsy that is doing very well. “It’s nice to see my pieces are going to be enjoyed in places like California, New York, Connecticut, and Michigan.”

“There are so many disciplines of equestrian sports in Aiken that I can always find inspiration,” says Charlotte. “I really expect to do this well into my old age. Having worked for many years at a very academic level, I am fortunate to now just play in the garden, ride my horse, and do pottery.”

See more on the Far Field Pottery website, www.farfieldpottery.com or contact Charlotte at farfieldpottery@gmail.com

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center sp

pread

Dressage in the Park, Bruce’s Field

Photography by Gary Knoll

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February-March 2021

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News, from page 10 “The organization’s mission is at the center of everything we want to achieve, and helping off-the-track Thoroughbreds is our numberone goal. The Retired Racehorse Project has strengthened the Thoroughbred community, and it’s our hope that the OTTB United app will unite that community on one platform.”

One important reason for creating the app is that various social networking sites such as Facebook have started putting restrictions on using their platforms to buy and sell animals, including horses. In the past, quite a lot of OTTBs and other horses changed hands through various Facebook pages. These days, those wishing to market their horses on Facebook have had to resort to such subterfuges as writing the pricing information in code, or declaring that the animal is not for sale, but providing a link to a webpage with his price and details. Facebook pages that were created to sell horses have sometimes been shut down by the network, and now many have bold disclaimers in their names, such as “no horse sales,” when everyone knows this is not true.

“We understand and respect the reasons for social media sites to place animal sales posts under increased scrutiny and it has surely gone a long way to prevent unwanted animals from ending up in the wrong hands,” says Jen Roytz who is the executive director of the RRP. “It has also, however, compromised the efforts of many upstanding and responsible Thoroughbred

placement organizations who depend on the platforms to market their available horses to reputable homes. Through our partnership with OTTB United, we are able to offer a potential solution. The RRP works to increase the market for Thoroughbreds after racing in the equestrian world and we are always seeking out new ways to make that process easier and more successful.”

OTTB United is available on Google Play and the App Store

Sammie, owned by Pete Bostwick, who won such prestigious races as the Middleburg Mellon Chase, and Oedipus, who was owned

by Phipps and trained by Bostwick. Under Smiley, Oedipus won the 1950 Aqueduct Spring Maiden Steeplechase, the 1950 Delaware Spring Maiden Steeplechase, the 1950 Shillelah Steeplechase and the Corinthian Handicap Steeplechase. He was named the 1950, 1951 and 1952 American Champion Steeplechase Horse, and earned a place in the Aiken Racing Hall of Fame.

James Smiley Exhibition

The exhibit, which is being put on in celebration of Black History Month, is located in the first floor gallery of the museum during regular museum hours. Admission is free. All those in attendance will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing. The exhibit will be on display through February 28, 2021.

The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Hopelands Gardens at 135 Dupree Place (off Whiskey Road) and is open Tuesday–Friday from 2-5 pm, Saturday from 10 am – 5 pm and Sunday from 2 – 5 pm. For more information, call 803642-7631, e-mail halloffame@cityofaikensc. gov or visit the Hall of Fame website at www. aikenracinghalloffame.com.

The Aiken Thoroughbred Hall of Fame and Museum is holding an exhibit about the steeplechase rider James Smiley. Smiley was an Aiken resident who rode successfully for such owners as Mrs. Lillian Bostwick Phipps and Pete Bostwick.

Born in 1918, Smiley reached the height of his career in the 1940s and 1950s during which time he was one of a small number of Black people to ride professionally in the races.

Several decades earlier, Black jockeys were fairly common, but by the time Smiley was making a name for himself, there were many fewer Black people in the profession. In some places he was not welcome: for instance in 1944, he was barred from riding in the Camden Steeplechase meet because of his race.

Born in Aiken, Smiley was the third of nine children. He dropped out of school when he was in the sixth grade after the death of his father, going to work to help support his mother and his younger siblings. His older brother Wesley had started a career riding in the races, and at 17, James followed in his footsteps.

Top horses that Smiley rode included Little

Racehorse Coloring Book

The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, along with the local artist Stephanie M. Dunatov, have published a coloring book featuring Dogwood Stable racehorses. The coloring book features some of Dogwood’s favorite equine heroes, such as Palace Malice, winner of the Belmont Stakes, Summer Squall, who won the Preakness, the Continued on page 26

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Aiken’s Heart

The Hitchcock Woods

By Pam Gleason

“These woods have been a great source of pleasure to my wife and myself,” wrote Thomas Hitchcock in a 1939 letter to the Hitchcock Foundation. “It is my hope that they will continue to be of pleasure and use to my friends and neighbors in Aiken, and to the public generally.”

Thomas Hitchcock was 78 when he wrote this letter, and he was referring to the Hitchcock Woods, then simply known as the Woods.

He and his family had established a foundation in order to preserve and protect 1,120 acres of forest where they had hunted, trained steeplechase horses, driven carriages and generally enjoyed themselves ever since Thomas and Louise Hitchcock were married in 1891. Their winter playground originally extended for thousands of additional acres, but the land that they donated to the foundation included just the property that they owned. As the mainstays of Aiken’s early 20th century Winter Colony, the Hitchcocks were conservation-minded, forward thinking, and most of all, generous. They didn’t simply enjoy their woods: they wanted to share them.

That same spirit of generosity still animates the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, as the organization is now called. Over the years, the foundation added to the original bequest through purchases and donations so that now Aiken’s iconic Woods covers about 2,100 acres of pine forest. It has 70 acres of trails that can be enjoyed on foot or on horseback, and it is a natural sanctuary teeming with native plants and animals, some of which are threatened or endangered. The foundation manages the forest according to a scientific plan designed to preserve and restore the longleaf pine habitat that once dominated the Southeast but has been largely destroyed, mainly by timber harvesting and development. Although the property continues to be privately owned by the foundation, it is open for the public to enjoy on or off a horse, all year round and for no fee.

During the winter season the Hitchcock Woods is the home of the Aiken Hounds, the city’s historic drag hunt (also started by Thomas and Louise Hitchcock.) Every spring and fall it becomes a social focal point when it holds the annual Aiken Horse Show in the Woods and the traditional Blessing of the Hounds at Memorial Gate. Those two happenings are the only times some people in Aiken visit the Woods, although many others walk or ride in them every day. Whether taking an annual outing or a daily hack, visitors to the Woods are universal in their praise of its beauty and tranquility, and every description of the City of Aiken lists the Hitchcock Woods as one of its best and most unique features.

Last spring, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions

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forced the cancellation of the Aiken Horse Show, which has been an annual event at the iconic horse show ring in the forest since 1916.

Although everyone had hoped that the situation would have improved enough to be able to have the show in the fall, this did not happen, and the show could not be held. The annual Blessing of the Hounds, normally on Thanksgiving Day, was also cancelled, although the hunt itself has been going out regularly.

The 2021 Aiken Horse Show had been scheduled for Easter weekend, April 2-4 this year. However, this winter, the Board of Trustees of the HWF reluctantly decided to cancel it once again. This was a big disappointment to many exhibitors. The Aiken Horse Show is an old fashioned affair with a historic feel and a family atmosphere. The class list is a throwback to earlier times, with hunt teams and hunter pairs, a family class, a sidesaddle division, costume class and leadline, among other things. It is not recognized by any association: there are no points to chase and it will not qualify you for any year end awards. But for many Aikenites, it is an annual tradition, and there are even regular participants who come to the show from other states. It is also the main fundraiser for the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, and normally features a tent with an elegant catered lunch as well as a silent auction filled with desirable items.

The horse show ring, which is about a mile into the Woods, is normally strictly off limits to horses and riders except during the show to protect the delicate footing and to ensure that no one gets an unfair advantage. Although the show will not go on in its usual way this year, the trustees and staff of the HWF are hoping to be able to share the historic ring in a less formal manner by organizing one or more schooling days this spring. They might even be able to hold a small, low key and socially-distanced schooling show to keep the horse show tradition alive.

“We’d like to give people the opportunity to get into the ring,” says Mary Katherine Phillip, who is the director of communication and development at the Hitchcock Woods Foundation. “We’re really excited about being able to provide that opportunity for people.” Exact plans are still tentative, but the idea is to do this around the same time as the original date for the horse show, or possibly the weekend before, which was the date for the Aiken Steeplechase, also canceled this year.

Whether the show ring outing ends up being an actual show or just a schooling day, the plan is to charge participants a small fee to help make up for the loss of the horse show as a fundraiser. Another idea is to hold a silent auction, which is always one of the biggest draws of the horse

February-March 2021

show tent. This year, however, it will be an online auction, which might attract even more eyes and bidders than the traditional live auction at the show.

“We’ll have some great items,” says Mary Katherine. “We have some wonderful donors and sponsors who provide ‘old Aiken’ kinds of things.

So stay tuned!” Mary Katherine says that information about the auction will be posted on the HWF website and Facebook page, and that if anyone has items they would like to donate to help benefit the Woods, they should call the office.

In the meanwhile, Mary Katherine emphasizes that the Hitchcock Woods are still open to trail riders, hikers and nature lovers. “We’ve been able to remain open this entire time during COVID, and the Woods has just been a great place of tranquility and a nice retreat, a place for people to get out and get some fresh air. It’s a real respite from the whole COVID situation.”

Bennett Tucker, who is the Woods superintendent, says that the fact that the HWF has no facilities – no bathrooms, no campgrounds, no picnic tables – makes it a very safe place for recreation. At the beginning of the pandemic, the HWF did publish some social distancing guidelines, but they do not have any strict rules. “The social distancing is so easy, and everyone has been very respectful. During the earlier period of the pandemic, when everybody was ‘flattening the curve’ it was one of the few places that was open, and we definitely had more people in the Woods than usual.”

“You have to remember that it’s 70 miles of trails and 2,100 acres,” adds Mary Katherine. “You can go out and not see a soul, which is great.”

Visitors to the Woods should be aware of a few main things. One thing is that, unless you know the trails very well, it is quite easy to get lost and end up taking a much longer ride than you had planned. There is a new and improved map that you can pick up at one of the entrances, or download off the website. (It is under The Woods – Points of Interest.) Better yet, download Maplets or AllTrails on your smartphone and load the Hitchcock Woods map onto it. The GPS mapping is quite accurate, and can be a lifesaver if it is getting dark and you want to go home.

Another thing to remember is that the Aiken Hounds conducts its drag hunt through the Woods two days a week during the season, fall through spring. Hunt days are usually Tuesday and Saturday. Although you can still go in the Woods when the hunt is on, you should be aware that the horses and hounds are there, and give them a wide berth – or at the very least, the right of way. For the safety of all concerned, you may not walk any dogs in the Woods when the hunt is on.

Finally, the restoration and preservation of the longleaf pine ecosystem relies on controlled burns, which mimic the action of naturally-occurring forest fires. When Bennett Tucker and his crew are conducting a burn, a notice is posted at the Woods entrance. Since they only burn only a small area at a time, the fire is easy to avoid as long as you know where it is – it is not a problem, but it is something to be aware of. The HWF conducts two types of controlled burns: dormant season and growing season burns. Dormant season burns, in winter, are mainly used to reduce the litter on the forest floor, while growing season burns in the spring and early summer are more restorative.

“Growing season burns are actually the most natural, because that’s when lightning would naturally strike, and those burns are the most beneficial,” says Bennett. “It’s pretty magical to see the response of the native grasses and wildflowers after a burn. We’re seeing plants and wildflowers popping back that we haven’t seen in decades.”

For instance, milkweed has made a return to the Woods recently, bringing with it threatened monarch butterflies. Bennett and his crew are also in the midst of a project to plant more native species for pollinators, including coreopsis, lemon mint and blue vervain.

These plants will help provide nourishment for bees and other insects, encouraging more plant and animal life in the area. The efforts have paid off, and in recent years, wild turkeys have made a return to the

February-March 2021

Red Cockaded Woodpeckers can be found throughout the Hitchcock Woods.

Woods, as have quail.

One of the most exciting projects carried out by the HWF is the successful reintroduction of the endangered Red Cockaded Woodpecker. RCWs (as they are called) were once abundant in the Woods, but they disappeared in the 1970s, at a time when the RCW population plummeted to fewer than 10,000 individuals. RCWs thrive in the longleaf ecosystem, excavating nests in tall living pine trees and foraging on the forest floor. After many years of careful burning, clearing and stewardship, the Hitchcock Woods finally had the perfect habitat for the birds in the early 2010s. In consultation with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, HWF trustees engaged the biologist Mark Pavlovsky to implement an RCW reintroduction plan, which involved translocating pairs of birds from the Francis Marion State Forest near Charleston each fall. The first five pairs of RCWs arrived in October 2016. Today, there is an established breeding colony, with over 40 birds and counting.

Talking to the staff and trustees of the HWF, it is immediately clear that everyone involved is devoted to seeing the Woods thrive. No one talks about the Woods without a certain passion. Some of this passion has to do with the transcendent beauty of the forest itself. Some has to do with nostalgia – many people involved with the HWF grew up in Aiken and have fond memories of riding in the forest or playing there. Some has to do with a reverence for history, a respect for the Hitchcocks and other members of the Aiken Winter Colony who left such a special bequest to Aiken and to future generations.

Occasionally, people who grew up in Aiken will joke about the Woods being haunted by the ghost of Louise Hitchcock, riding her horse down the trails. Perhaps this is not totally a joke since visitors often remark on the spiritual nature of the place. One thing is clear: if the ghost of Mrs. Hitchcock is out galloping in the Woods, she is not a forbidding ghost, defending her property from intruders. Quite the opposite: she, like her husband, likes to share, and she loves company.

Visit www.hitchcockwoods.org

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News, from 23 stakes-winner Aikenite and the Breeder’s Cup winner Storm Song.

According to a press release from the museum, Stephanie M. Dunatov’s artwork celebrates the role of the horse in our history, our imagination and our world. Dunatov has been featured in Horses in Art and Art Calendar magazines. Her work can be found in private collections all over the world.

“I am endlessly fascinated by horse stories. It has been an honor and a privilege to work on the Dogwood Stable Coloring Book and help bring the stories of some of the amazing racehorses to a new generation of horse racing enthusiasts.”

Photographers from Aiken, Kentucky, New York, Massachusetts and Georgia donated the use of their photos to create the design of each page in the book. Dogwood Stable, Adena Springs and the Tony Leonard Collection also provided photos from their archives.

The coloring book can be picked up at the following locations for a $10 donation to the Hall of Fame; Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame, the H. Odell Weeks Center, Folly in Downtown Aiken, and the City of Aiken Visitor Center & Train Museum. One hundred percent of the donation will go to maintain current exhibits and to develop future displays.

For more information, contact 803-642-7631, 803-643-2121 or halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov.

Vaccinations and Horses

Did you know that the new COVID-19 vaccinations have a connection to horses? In fact, vaccines created for horses were the forerunners of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines being used on people today.

The traditional way to make vaccines is to use the virus itself, usually in an inactive or weakened form, to stimulate the immune system so that when it encounters the actual live virus it recognizes it and is ready to fight it off. Creating vaccines using traditional methods can take a long time, because in order to make each vaccine you actually have to grow the target virus in some kind of medium – viruses for some vaccines are grown in huge vats, while others, such as the influenza virus, are grown in chicken eggs.

The first two COVID-19 vaccinations, made by Pfizer and Moderna, however, are gene-based vaccines. This means that they are created from small amounts of genetic material from the virus, which are injected into the patient. The patient’s immune system reacts to the genetic material to produce immunity. Genetic vaccines are a relatively new technology, and they are faster to create, and have been shown to be more effective, in many cases, than traditional vaccines.

The West Nile Virus vaccine, created for horses and approved in 2005, was the very first genetic vaccine ever produced. The WNV vaccine was a DNA vaccine. Somewhat later, another DNA vaccine was created for veterinary use, the melanoma vaccine for dogs.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines are the next generation of genetic vaccine, made from RNA. Although the technology is not exactly the same, the DNA-based horse vaccine was an important first step in creating a genetic vaccine, and, more important, it showed that genetic vaccines can be safe and effective.

What else do horses have to do with COVID vaccination? Another thing is that various horse parks are being used as regional vaccination sites. One such place is the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, which opened its AllTech arena to medical personnel and members of the community this winter. The vaccinations are being administered by Kroger Health, and about 3,000 people per day are expected to get their vaccines at the site.

Another horse park where you can get a shot is the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina. Health care workers have been administering the vaccine to people in their cars in the indoor arena on specific vaccination days ever since mid-December. In North Carolina, anyone over 65 is eligible for the vaccine and so far demand had greatly outstripped supply. Officials plan to continue to use the TIECC as a vaccine center until horse show season ramps up there, at which time they will move the operation to a nearby baseball field.

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Now Available

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Rare Opportunity to Own One of the Largest Barns in New Bridge Centrally Located Property in Close Proximity to Amenities Paloma Farm: $695,000 This is a rare opportunity to own one of the largest barns in New Bridge Polo Club.

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Premium Location Provides Easy Access to Amenities Most Desirable Area of New Bridge Serenity Farm: $225,000

Serenity Farm is 6.85 acres located in the most desirable area of New Bridge Polo & Country Club. The parcel is perimeter fenced with well and electric. Shade trees abound, the entire parcel is high, dry and usable. The northern property line runs parallel to the exercise track. The Clubhouse, clay tennis court and pool are only a stroll away. This lot provides an easy hack for the polo ponies to the practice field.

Perimeter Fenced Lot Ready for Horses High and Dry Prime Property 1266 New Bridge Road: $227,100

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About New Bridge

(visit newbridgepolo.com or call 1-888-4NB-POLO) New Bridge is an 860-acre gated equestrian community nestled among rolling pasture lands on New Bridge Road just 15 minutes from downtown Aiken, South Carolina. Born from the excitement, intensity and tradition of polo, New Bridge is the home of New Bridge Polo & Country Club and of Aiken Youth Polo. It embraces equestrians of all disciplines as well as those who simply love the outdoors.

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

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

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Call Katie at (803) 341-8800

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neighborhoods can be unicorns, too

Of all the great things about Three Runs Plantation, it’s the 30 miles of trails that residents love best.

This neighborhood of custom-built homes, barns and equestrian amenities is at the heart of horse

BRIDLE CREEK

country in picturesque Aiken, South Carolina.

Save your place today. To find out more, click on ThreeRunsPlantation.com.

EQUESTRIAN COMMUNIT Y

From the developer of Three Runs Plantation comes another wonderful equestrian neighborhood in Aiken, South Carolina. Bridle Creek meanders across 600 wooded acres, featuring five-acre lots and larger. Amenities include a dressage arena, jump arena, X-Country Schooling area and an activity center with meeting, social and fitness space. All this plus miles of scenic trails. Phase One is already sold out, with more to come. Inquire today by calling 1-888-297-8881 or email info@bridlecreekaiken.com 600 Acres • Miles of groomed and marked trails • Jump arena • Dressage arena with mirrors • X-Country schooling area Activity/Fitness Center • Homesites from 5+ acres • From the developer of Three Runs Plantation HOMESITES INDIVIDUALLY PRICED • DEVELOPER FINANCING AVAILABLE • BRIDLECREEKAIKEN.COM Marketed by The Carolina Real Estate Company, Aiken, SC. Plans and prices subject to change without notice. This does not constitute an offer in any state where prohibited by law. No time requirement to begin construction.

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Inside

Eventing Calendar Laura O’Connor TB Retirement Foundation Ask the Judge Stable View Crossing The Line Secret Lives: Sunny

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February-March 2021

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February-March 2021

Eventing Winter-Spring Calendar, 2021

B

elow, you will find eventing dates and details for the Winter-Spring 2021 season. Contact information for each venue follows this list. The calendar is a little different this year, mostly in that spectators are not allowed at the vast majority of events and happenings, and masks are required pretty much everywhere. Nonetheless, the sport goes on – nothing can stop eventing!

We have pulled these dates from our full calendar which you will find in section 3, in order to provide a handy guide to the winter eventing season. Of course there are many more competitions and happenings as well. Check out the complete calendar for more shows and happenings.

Fix a Test with Alison Head. Looking Glass Farm.

27-28 Eventing Academy. Stable View

FEBRUARY

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2

MARCH

2

4 6 6 7 9 9 9 10 11-12 12-14 13 16 16 17 18 19-21 20 23 23 23 24 25-26

Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park.

Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise Apple Tree 2-Phase. Apple Tree Farm.

USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days.

Eventing and Dressage Schooling Show. Chattahoochee Hills.

XC School. Sporting Days Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise Farm.

Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop.

USEF Recognized Horse Trials. Full Gallop.

Apple Days. Apple Tree Farm.

Pine Top Intermediate HT Radway Show. Radway Eventing.

Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Apple Tree 2-Phase. Apple Tree Farm.

USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Paradise Pipe Opener II CT. Carolina Horse Park.

Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise.

Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop USEF Recognized Horse Trials. Full Gallop Apple Tree 3-Phase. The Vista

Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise.

3 Recognized Horse Trial. Full Gallop 4 Apple Tree 2-Phase. Apple Tree Farm.

5-6 $50,000 LiftMaster GPE USEF/USEA Eventing Showcase. Aiken Horse Park .

6-7 USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days 6-7 Chat Hills Horse Trials. Chattahoochee Hills 6-7 Southern Pines Horse Trials. Carolina Horse Park.

8 XC Schooling Day. Sporting Days 9 Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park 9 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise 11-12 Apple Tree Apple Days 13 Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop 14 Recognized Horse Trials. Full Gallop 16 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise 18 Apple Tree 2-Phase. Apple Tree Farm.

18-21 Carolina International CCI and HT. Carolina Horse Park.

20 Obstacle & Derby Play Day. Looking Glass 21 Schooling Horse Trials, Dressage & CT at Paradise.

21 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop 23 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling at Paradise 2 2

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Aiken Horse Park (Bruce’s Field) 931 Powderhouse Road.

Aiken, SC 29801 803-226-0121 info@aikenhorsepark.org, www.aikenhorsepark.org

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Paradise Farm 4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken, SC, 29805 Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com,

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February-March 2021

Looking Glass Farm 289 Daytona Road Wagener, South Carolina 29164 Kelly Sigler: 803-522-4395 Kelly1@kellysigler.com; www.kellysigler.com Pine Top Farm 1432 Augusta Hwy. Thomson, GA 30824 Janet Wilson: 706-449-2029 pinetopeventing@gmail.com; www.pinetopfarm.com.

Sporting Days Farm 3549 E. Charleston Hwy. Aiken, SC, 29801 803-648-0100 jhallglass@aol.com, www.sportingdaysfarm.com Stable View 117 Stable Dr. Aiken, SC, 29801 484.356.3173 info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com The Vista 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken, SC 803-262-5263 vistaschooling@gmail.com; schoolthevista.com

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Laura O’Connor Equestrian Ventures Lifetime of Experience, Love of Horses

By Pam Gleason

Florida, too.” They looked at some properties, and very quickly found one that they wanted to buy on the Southside. In November they closed on their new home and moved in. By December, Laura was judging her first show at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park.

“There’s a feeling that I belong here,” Laura says, echoing the words of many horsemen when they discover Aiken. “It’s a warm, horsey atmosphere, and I feel like you can live here all year round and enjoy the outdoors.”

Laura’s business, Laura O’Connor Equestrian Ventures, includes judging, teaching, training and conducting clinics. In the past she has run training and show stables, but now she hopes to focus on traveling to various facilities to teach, and looks forward to sharing her experience and expertise with Aiken’s riders no matter what their level or their riding goals. An all-around horsewoman, Laura says that her approach to teaching is very calm and low key, and that she enjoys working with everyone, from timid amateurs to professional competitors who might need help diagnosing and solving a training problem.

“I can’t step away from anybody who wants to learn,” she says. “To see a horse and rider gain confidence together is a fantastic feeling.”

Laura inherited her love of horses from her father’s side of the family. Her grandmother, who lived in New Jersey, was a horsewoman, and when her father Paul was small, he had a pony that he used to ride to school. (“This was when New Jersey really was the Garden State.”) Laura started to ride when she was about 5, tagging along with a friend who was taking lessons at a local stable in Bergen County, NJ. Her friend eventually stopped riding, but Laura was addicted for life. Before long she started showing. She remembers her first showring experience quite vividly.

“I drew the horse Groucho. I was in the walk trot class, winter time in the indoor ring. They had cracked the door on the side to let some light in. Well, the sun had warmed up the snow which proceeded to slide off the roof just as Groucho and I were passing the sliding door. Groucho took off. I was hanging from the stirrup as he galloped around and around the ring.

I eventually dropped to the ground. My mother tells me she almost fainted.”

But Laura was undeterred and insisted on riding in Laura winning the Chrysler Derby at Spruce Meadows aboard Oskar the next class. Her mother couldn’t bear to watch and went home, but her father stayed to see her win her very first blue ribbon. “I still have the cute little trophy,” she says. hen Laura O’Connor and her husband Andy Biancur came Laura continued to ride and show, and her father, a successful to Aiken last fall, they knew they had found the right place to businessman, decided to join her. At first, he bought a Quarter Horse live. Laura is a professional horsewoman with an impressive resume gelding named Sundowner that the two of them shared. Sundowner was who teaches, trains and judges in the hunter/jumper disciplines. She a versatile horse, carrying Paul, a 6’2” former Navy football player, as was looking for an equestrian area to set up shop. Andy is a retired well as 85-pound Laura, and behaving well with each. Before long, Paul businessman, who wanted to live somewhere that was not just about bought a second horse and began to compete in the amateur owners horses. They drove over from Georgia on their way north from Florida, classes. Laura and Paul would travel to horse shows together, grooming and immediately felt at home. for one another. “It was magical,” says Laura. “I look back now and am “All the street signs have horse heads on them,” says Laura. “And I so grateful for those times, all that time I got to spend with my dad. Just thought it was really a neat town. I did some research on it, and I’ll have the best!” to say, everyone has been so friendly and kind and helpful. There are so Paul had recognized Laura’s talent when she was very small, and soon many horse shows here where I can judge, and it’s close to Tryon and

W

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they started traveling to Weston, Connecticut on the weekends so that she could work with the Hall of Fame trainer Ronnie Mutch. When she was just 12, she qualified for, and competed in, the AHSA (now USEF) Medal Finals in Harrisburg, an overwhelming experience for such a young rider. Then, in her final year as a junior, she came back to Harrisburg and won the competition, capping her junior career with equitation’s highest honor. The horse she rode, Glen Owen, was recently inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame as the winningest equitation horse of all time.

Meanwhile, the family had moved to Connecticut and gotten deeper and deeper into the horse show world. Paul showed himself, and also bought top show jumping horses for riders who would represent the United States in international competition – horses such as Pressurized, a Thoroughbred that Leslie Burr Howard showed at the highest levels.

Laura was showered with job opportunities after her AHSA Medal win and turned pro at 18, riding horses, training, teaching lessons, and learning from Leslie Burr Howard at the Fairfield Hunt Club.

Soon thereafter, Paul moved to California for a job opportunity, continuing to ride, show and buy horses to be ridden by members of the United States Equestrian Team. Eventually, Laura came out to join him.

She had taken a year off from training, and so regained her amateur status, which she took advantage of for many years competing with great success on the West Coast and at Spruce Meadows in Canada.

The O’Connors had a ranch, and a stable full of jumpers that were campaigned by members of “Team O’Connor,” which included Leslie Burr Howard, Will and Kristen Simpson and Jennifer Newell. Laura’s best horse was a Holsteiner named Oskar, a tall chestnut stallion with a huge heart. One year at Spruce Meadows, she and Oskar won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Saturday and then the Chrysler Derby on Sunday. This was an amazing feat, considering both the caliber of the competition and the fact that the Chrysler Derby is a grueling, onekilometer track with 20 jumping efforts. Laura was leading lady rider at Spruce Meadows for three years in a row. “I had some wonderful horses,” she says. “I was very lucky.”

Eventually, Laura turned pro again, running training and show stables

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in the San Francisco area, as well as in Wellington, Florida, and at the Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien, Connecticut. She added judging to her repertoire more recently, earning her “R” at the beginning of 2020, right before COVID hit. Just before the pandemic, she was hired by the head of Hunter-Jumper Equitation Holland to fly to Europe and teach a week of clinics there, and then judge their hunter shows. “Hunters are a new experience for them,” she says. “It was such a great time and they were wonderful people.”

Growing devoted to the equestrian life, Laura feels very in tune with horses. Her teaching and training philosophy is based on understanding them, communicating with them effectively, giving them confidence and allowing them to do their jobs.

“I think horses are a part of my make-up. They are in every part of my being. If I am not around them, it’s so obvious there is something missing in my life,” she says. “Deep down, horses are the kindest animals.

They’re so giving and so kind and so forgiving. Their nature is so good.

You need to have happy horses. I think this is overlooked sometimes.

When I had my big horses, they gave and gave and gave because they always knew they did a good job, and they were rewarded with a good ride. When I teach and when I train, I try to set up a happy experience and think of ways to make the ride smoother. I try to help people be thinking riders.”

Laura says that she always strives to give her students confidence, and to help them overcome any issues that might be holding them back, especially anxiety and fear of falling or of making a mistake. “There are some easy, simple things that riders sometimes need to be reminded of, and then it is amazing how horses will jump better and with more confidence. Sometimes things just need to be simplified and ironed out . . . I think a good coach can see something greater in yourself, and challenges you to bring it out.”

Laura O’Connor is available for teaching, training and judging opportunities in Aiken and the surrounding area. Visit her website locequestrianventures.com or contact her by phone (561-252-4992) or by email (locequestrian@gmail.com.)

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Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Second Chances

By Mary Jane Howell

T

here is a small herd of retired racehorses who are living out their days in the shadow of the Wateree Correctional Facility in Rembert, South Carolina. It may seem like an odd location, but it is actually a mutually beneficial situation for both the Thoroughbreds and for the inmates at Wateree. South Carolina is one of seven states with a program called “Second Chances,” which is a joint operation between

released.

An old dairy farm on land owned by the prison was turned into a stable, fences were rebuilt and one year later a gelding named Promised Road (a veteran of 64 races and winner of nine) stepped off the van and became the first horse in a program that today has offered sanctuary to more than 5,000 horses.

each state’s correctional department and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. These horses are a part of that program.

This scene is replicated in New York, Maryland, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, and California. The horses live near the prisoners for a reason – they are both part of a unique program that began in New York in 1983.

This is how it started: Monique Koehler was an advertising executive in Manhattan who also was a racing aficionado. After reading a story about a retired horse program that was having to close its doors for lack of money, she promptly pulled together a fundraiser at Belmont Park and raised $50,000 – the seed money for what would become the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. Howard Nolan, who was a New York state senator at the time, helped convince the New York Department of Corrections that a program at the Wallkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York would be a win-win for former racehorses in need of a forever home and for the prisoners, who could learn to take care of the horses and therefore have a new skill set when they were

The TRF’s mission statement has stayed the same in all the ensuing decades: “To save Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter.” Their original blueprint with Wallkill has worked as well: in exchange for land use and labor, the TRF would design, staff and maintain a vocational training program in equine care and management for inmates.

Not all TRF Thoroughbreds take part in these unique “Second Chances” programs – there are also 11 sanctuary and foster farms throughout the United States.

The TRF does rescue Thoroughbreds from kill pens, but they also take horses who are fortunate enough to have owners who will fully fund them as they live out their remaining years at one of the organization’s facilities.

One such woman is Aiken resident Dr. Kerry Hammond, who is the owner of an off the track Thoroughbred named Babamoon.

“My guy raced 16 times and I got him when he was seven. He can

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be tricky – it’s taken me seven and half years to figure him out,” Kerry explained. “I have it planned that if something were to happen to me that he will go and live at one of the TRF farms for his remaining years.

I would hate for him to just be passed along and end up who knows where.”

It was during her estate planning that Kerry discovered the TRF and was so impressed with the organization that she became a volunteer, and now she tries to spread the word about both the program at Wateree

with the Wateree program. “They saw the value of such a program, and because the TRF covers all the costs of maintaining the herd, they had no overhead as far as feed, farrier and vet services, etc.”

There are 100 acres available to the TRF at Wateree, and 90 of it is pasture, making it one of the largest tracts of land supporting a TRF herd.

“Some of these horses will never leave Wateree, while others are pasture sound and would make good companion animals. In the past

and the TRF in general.

“Aftercare for Thoroughbreds is a hard sell, but it is something we must think about and do,” she said. “There is a big rescue population in this country and not every horse is sound enough for a second career.

The TRF Second Chances program gives horses a home and people a chance. We all know that there is a special connection to be had with horses. Prisoners can connect with horses, learn patience and trust and acquire skills that can supply them (many times) with a job upon their release. It is a big win for both sides.”

The TRF’s program at Wateree officially began in the spring of 2004, but the seeds of interest were planted three years earlier when John Carmichael, who was the prison’s warden at the time, read an article in the New York Times about the success of the Second Chances program at Wallkill in New York. He gathered a small but mighty group of individuals from Camden – trainers Kip Elser and Donna Freyer, attorney and philanthropist John Rainey, and attorney William Cox – to see if such a program could work in South Carolina.

“The Department of Corrections was very supportive from the very beginning,” explained William. Cox, who maintains a close relationship

some horses went on to be fox hunters or trail horses, but now the organization really focuses on taking horses that are not rideable for one reason or another,” Mr. Cox said.

Kim Weir is the director of major gifts and planned giving at the TRF, working out of the organization’s headquarters in Saratoga Springs, New York.

“I am so proud of this organization – the oldest and largest of the Thoroughbred rescues – and we are continuing to grow. We make a promise to each horse who comes into our herd that they will be safe and cared for until the end of their days. We do have an adoption process for people looking for a companion animal, but it is quite rigorous and we keep in touch with the new owners. If anything happens, we will always take the horse back,” she said. “Adopting horses out of the herd is not our goal, but we are happy when it happens because it opens up room in the herd for us to rescue one more.”

There will be an exhibit highlighting the history of the TRF and the impact of the Second Chances program from March 16 through April 4 at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum.

For more information, visit trfinc.org.

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Ask the Judge

Questions about Dressage With Amy McElroy

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

Dear Amy

I recently started competing at the Prix St-Georges level at dressage shows and I am now riding with a double bridle. In the entry of my test I come down the centerline, and halt and salute with a nod of my head. In the final centerline, I halt and salute with a nod of my head and drop my right arm to the side. At my last show I was surprised to see I received an error for my entry salute, even though the judge did not ring the bell to signal it. I have been saluting this way ever since I started using the double bridle because I don’t want to lose my hand’s proper position on the pair of reins at the outset of the test. I have never gotten an error for this before.

I also didn’t realize that at this level an error would take two whole points off my final percentage. Is this correct? Also, I noticed that the final collective mark, which used to be for Rider Position, is now called General Impression. I seemed to have scored a bit lower than I have in the past on this final mark. Is the judge looking for something different now?

Salute Dear Salute

It is very exciting to be competing at the FEI level as well to be riding in a double bridle. It is useful to know that a double bridle is allowed (but not required) once you are competing at Third level and above.

According to the USEF 2021 rule book DR 3.10.2, for Third and Fourth level a snaffle or double bridle are permitted in the warm up and in competitions. According to DR 121.3.10.3 for all FEI tests ridden at a national level, a snaffle bridle or double bridle are permitted in the warm up and competitions. So you could have started using the double bridle in previous levels, but it is perfectly acceptable to wait until you reach Prix St-Georges, or to stay in the snaffle.

Let’s start with your salute. According to the USEF 2021 rulebook DR 122.2, 3. “At the salute riders take the reins in one hand. All riders let one arm drop loosely along his/her body and then incline his/her head in a slight bow.” The 2021 USEF rulebook states in DR122 5.f; “At the salute if the rider does not take the reins in one hand he must be penalized as an error of course.” Dr122 5.c.1 states. “In FEI tests every error of course must be penalized whether the bell is sounded or not.”

So you can see that your judge was absolutely correct to give you an error for saluting by simply nodding your head, and was not required to ring the bell. If you have been saluting this way habitually and you have not received an error in the past, you were just lucky!

When you are riding with a double bridle, it can be a bit tricky to salute and coordinate the four reins in one hand and then immediately take them up again and move off, but it is mandatory. Never fear, it will become easier with practice. And as you can see it is quite costly if you don’t do it. This is because there is a difference in the way error points are deducted at the FEI levels versus the way they are counted in tests Fourth level and below. If you have an error in a test at Fourth level and

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below you would see a two-point deduction off your gross score prior to calculating your percentage. In the FEI Levels, however, if you make one error you incur two points off your final percentage score. For instance if you were performing Fourth Level test 1, and your gross score was 253.5, your final percentage would be 65%. (There are 390 maximum points in this test.) If you had an error, two points would come off that gross score, leaving you with 251.5, and your final percentage would be 64.5%. In practice, therefore, that two-point error would only cost you half a point off your final score.

Now let’s look at Prix St-Georges. If you have an error at this level, the two points are deducted off your final percentage, so that if you would have gotten 65%, now you will get a 63%. So you can see an error is much more costly at these levels. If you have a second error at the national levels, you will have another four points taken off your gross score. At the FEI level, however, a second error would entail elimination.

Now let’s talk about the final collective mark. As before, FEI tests continue to have one final collective mark, but it has changed slightly for the 2021 competition year. The name was changed from “Rider’s Position and Seat; Correctness and Effect of the Aids” to “General Impression.” The new mark has the following directive: “Harmonious Presentation (harmonious presentation of the rider/horse combination; rider’s position and seat, discreet and effective influence of the aids).”

This final collective mark is a representation of your ride and should be similar to you final score. For example if your final percentage was a 62%, you would likely see a 6.0 to 6.5 for your General Impression mark. Your riding position is still taken into consideration, but it is just a part of your score. This collective mark, as before, has a coefficient of two.

I hope this helps to clarify how to perform a correct salute and avoid a costly error, as well as how tests are scored at the FEI level. It is always a good idea to practice your halt and salute at home, especially if you are new to handling the four reins of a double bridle. With a little work, picking up those reins should become second nature to you, and nothing to worry about at all. Keep striving for correct equitation while influencing your horse in a harmonious way.

Wishing you much success at the FEI levels!

February-March 2021

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February-March 2021

Crossing the Line

Kareem Rosser’s New Book

By Pam Gleason, Photo By Elizabeth Hedley Kareem Rosser’s new book, Crossing the Line, tells the story of how he and his brothers were introduced to polo and how the sport changed their lives. The Rosser siblings, four boys and a girl, grew up in a single parent household in a tough neighborhood in Philadelphia, referred to as The Bottom. There, they were exposed to drugs, violence and crushing poverty. Their lives were transformed by the Work to Ride program, a Philadelphia nonprofit that gives children from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to care for horses, to ride and to play polo. Kareem, along with his brother Daymar and another Work To Ride student, Brandon Rease, formed an interscholastic polo team that, in 2011, became the first all Black team to win the United States Polo Association Interscholastic championship.

Kareem’s polo career continued when he went to college at Colorado State University, where he piloted his team to that school’s first intercollegiate championship in 16 years. Named Interscholastic Player of the Year in 2011, Kareem was also the Intercollegiate Player of the Year in 2015. After graduation, he went on to a stint as a member of Team USPA, the USPA’s training program for promising players, before returning to Philadelphia with a job as an analyst at a financial firm.

Today, his career takes precedence over polo, but he still has time to play occasionally, and he serves on the Board of Directors of Work to Ride, where he is currently leading a capital campaign to build an indoor ring and create an endowment.

Although polo was the vehicle that helped Kareem and other WTR students escape a dead-end, inner city life, he says that the book is not just about polo.

“It’s about life, and struggles and overcoming whatever obstacles people are dealing with,” he said in a phone interview. “I wanted to take the opportunity to tell my full story as well as the story of Work to Ride.

The program has been covered in a number of media outlets, but they’ve only been able to cover so much. I thought it was important to talk about Lezlie Hiner, the founder, and the sacrifice that she made, which ultimately saved my life, and others’ lives as well. I wanted to talk about what it took for us to get to where we are today. I wanted to highlight that, and inspire a generation of people.”

As described in the book, Lezlie Hiner started Work to Ride in 1994.

She got the idea after she began taking a Black child from the inner city on trail rides with her through Philly’s Fairmount Park. Realizing that Philadelphia was full of “traumatized and underserved children,” and that horses could provide an antidote to some of their troubles, she convinced the city to lease her Fairmount Park’s Chamounix stables.

Then she gathered donations of tack, horses and enough cash to feed and care for them, and started the program with a set of simple rules.

Children could come to the stable after school and on weekends. They would learn to care for horses, and in return, they would have riding lessons. Polo was added to the program as a way to keep the kids, especially the boys, interested and involved. In order to participate in the program, children have to commit to coming to the stable at least

February-March 2021

two days a week for a year, and they have to maintain passing grades at school.

Kareem has been a media ambassador for Work To Ride ever since he first appeared on Bryant Gumbel’s Real Sports when he was about 9 years old. The story of the WTR interscholastic championship had been featured in print and on television, and Rosser himself is a passionate and telegenic protagonist of the rewarding, underdog story of Philadelphia’s inner city kids beating the children of privilege at polo, one of the most exclusive sports in the world. Although Crossing the Line does tell this part of the story, it also includes many elements that have been left out or glossed over before, especially the very real struggle that Kareem and his family faced living at The Bottom, with its dangerous streets and its culture of drugs and violence.

The book includes the harder moments, and the more difficult truths. Kareem’s two older brothers, David and Bee, joined WTR before he did, but neither stuck with the program, even though Bee was supremely talented, becoming a top-ranked interscholastic All Star in 2005. Both older brothers returned to the streets, where David was murdered in March 2020, just as Kareem was finishing his manuscript.

Back in 2003, when Kareem was a young teenager, his best friend in the program, Mecca Harris, 14, was murdered along with her family in a drug related crime.

Other elements that have often been left out of the story include how much Kareem’s team lost before they started winning, and how hard they had to work to learn the game and turn their team into a powerhouse. This included more than just game skills: in order to get along in polo, the WTR team needed to accept the restrictions imposed by the rules of the game – not swearing at the umpires, for instance.

When Kareem and his teammates were welcomed into toney homes and polo clubs on Long Island and in Texas, they realized that what they didn’t know about this new culture was more than which fork to use for the dessert course. For Kareem, and then for his brother Daymar, escaping The Bottom required an intensive education, some of it obtained at Valley Forge Military Academy. None of it was easy, and yet Kareem did not give up.

“I happened to have had horses as a way to get past some of the things that I was dealing with in my life,” he said. “I hope for those people who are on the brink of giving up, or who are on their last straw, I hope they can read this book and see that other people are going through similar situations.”

One other thing that becomes clear is how much Kareem’s success depended on people who believed in him, invested in him, and gave him a chance. Lezlie Hiner, of course, stands out. “Without her, there would be no national champions, no ability to travel around, and to participate in the sport. I’d like to recognize her contribution not only to polo but to Philadelphia,” said Kareem. And Lezlie was not the only one to help.

Throughout the story, many people in the polo community and beyond reached out to Kareem, offering him an education, jobs and recognition for his accomplishments. Like the game itself, Kareem’s success has been something of a team sport.

“The one thing that stands out about polo is the opportunities that are presented and the doors that are opened,” he said. “I think about myself, for example. I was able to get a full ride to Valley Forge Military Academy because of polo. I was able to travel the world and participate in tournaments in Africa and Asia because of polo.

“I hope the book inspires all people regardless of race, age, color or economic status. I hope it inspires kids that look like us, that come from similar backgrounds. I hope it motivates people who are fortunate enough to be in the position to open the doors to people who don’t have the means to participate in the sport. Polo is very unique: there is team building, camaraderie, and of course the horses. Horses are powerful creatures. Being able to bond with a different species, having that emotional connection. It gives you a sense of purpose.”

Crossing the Line is published by St. Martins Publishing group. One half of the author’s proceeds will be donated to Work To Ride.

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Secret Lives – Sunny

A personality to match his name

By Nancy Johnson, Photography by Pam Gleason

S

ome horses have intriguing names. Gable’s Secret Sun, a 27-year-old registered Morgan, is a perfect example. When his current owner JC FitzGerald traveled to Blue Gable Farm in Wisconsin to try the horse, she inquired about the origin of the name.

“His breeder, Mary Ellen Gray, explained that Gable came from the sire’s name as well as her farm name,” JC begins. “Now the next part – Secret — is where it gets interesting. Mary Ellen was not planning to breed any foals that year, so she had separated all the mares from her stallion, keeping him in a paddock all by himself. Then, she noticed that one mare was getting a bit round, yet her ribs were showing. Concerned, she had the vet out, only to learn that the mare was in foal!” Knowing there was not a time that the stallion could have gotten in with the mares, it was determined that Sunny was literally conceived through a gate connecting the paddocks. JC notes that the final component of his name, Sun, was added because there was an eclipse of the sun on his first birthday.

JC met “Sunny” just before he turned 5. She knew the horse was green and only had a couple months of dressage training, but liked that his breeder was a firm believer in letting youngsters spend their first few years turned out in a herd. “They learn their hierarchy and social skills from the other horses,” she says. “The young horses were not backed until after their third birthday and then they did a lot of ground work with them.”

“I was a bit rusty and new to dressage,” JC continues, explaining that time spent at work and with her new husband had kept her from having her own horse for a while. “I had always had Morgans growing up and I wanted to get another Morgan. Then, when I saw a video of him, I was just enamored,” she recalls. At the time, she was living in Ohio, and she and her trainer drove out to see him. Her trainer, who was not a Morgan fan, rode him briefly, looked at JC and said, “He’s just so green.”

JC rode him and agreed he was very green. “But for some reason when I got off, I asked if I could lead him back to his stall,” she says, adding, “When I went to do so, he literally was right on me; he would have followed me anywhere without a lead rope; it was like an instant connection.” When she returned home and her husband, Bill, asked how it went, she answered firmly, “He’s green and is going to need a lot of training, but I just have to have him!”

In May 1999, Sunny made the trek to JC and Bill’s farm outside of Cleveland, which they christened Secret Sun Farm. JC did much of the horse’s early training on her own, then eventually worked with two wonderful trainers. She took her time and the bond between them continued to grow. “Sunny has strong Morgan characteristics,” JC says.

“He is athletic and very versatile. Morgans latch on to an owner – much like a dog – and they want to please you. I love Morgans not only because of their beauty, but for their brains and temperament.”

She says, “This horse is truly the love of my life,” and recounts a terrifying situation with Sunny. “I came home from being in the hospital for eight days with a blood clot; and of course, I immediately went out to see Sunny. He literally hobbled up to me, obviously foundered.” JC was devastated: she had left explicit directions for the woman caring for him that he was to be on extremely limited turnout, since the spring grass was so rich. She later found out that Sunny had been turned out for days with free access to as much grass as he wanted. The result was that the horse had foundered with nine degrees of rotation in both front coffin bones.

Knowing her vet was a good hour away, JC immediately got buckets of ice water in which to soak her horse’s feet. Fortunately, with JCs quick reaction and her vet’s expertise, Sunny, who was 10 at the time, recovered so well that he went to a show less than three months later.

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For several years JC competed Sunny in dressage. Although the pair collected a wall full of ribbons, including a fifth-place finish in USEF Region 3 Horse of the Year awards for Morgan Dressage, Training Level, JC felt Sunny really was not happy in the discipline. “His lateral work was phenomenal, and he never said ‘no,’ but it just wasn’t his thing.”

In 2010, JC bought another young Morgan, EMR Starcatcher (Catcher), who loves dressage, opening the door for Sunny to move into a job he liked better. “I still continued to ride Sunny in my own arena and occasionally on the trails at nearby Lorain County Metro Park, which suited him just fine,” JC says.

For JC, life with Sunny has been about a lot more than just riding.

“There’s just something really special about him and I’m not the only one who feels it,” she says. “Years ago, I was at my dentist’s office in Ohio and the receptionist shyly approached me and said, ‘I have something to tell you.’ She proceeded to tell me she was going through chemo and radiation for ovarian cancer.” JC was unsure where the woman was headed, but then the receptionist told her that it was a photo of Sunny that helped her get through the treatments. JC had sent a Christmas card featuring Sunny galloping through the snow to the office and the receptionist was very taken with it.

“I asked my boss if I could have it,” she told JC. “And I carried it to every treatment because in that picture I see happiness, freedom, and love of life.” JC was so touched by her story that she invited the woman, who had never been around horses, to visit her farm and meet Sunny.

In 2015, at age 21, Sunny moved to Aiken with JC and Bill. He has adjusted well to the warmer climate in Aiken, though his thick coat requires frequent clipping. He went on a couple of trail rides here, but now is pretty much retired. JC says he loves being out in the pasture with Catcher, but still makes sure the younger horse knows who is in charge. “Sunny has been the boss since the first day they met,” she says with a laugh.

Sunny has always been easy to handle and live with, which JC credits to his being imprinted at birth. She describes the very special relationship Sunny had with Cooper, a black Lab/Akita rescue that she and Bill sadly lost three years ago. “He and Cooper were best buddies. They would just nuzzle each other for half an hour or so,” she reminisces. Although Sunny likes Rudy, their new black Lab/Pit Bull rescue, it is just not quite the connection he had with Cooper.

When it was too cold and snowy to ride in Ohio, JC taught Sunny some tricks. “He still gives me a kiss, without my asking, every morning and evening,” she says with a grin. When she asks, “Do you love me?”

Sunny vigorously shakes his head up and down. His repertoire also includes bowing. Of course, for Sunny, treats are an important part of his performances.

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50,000 SQUARE FEET OF FUN FOR SALE. Why do so many equestrians worship Aiken, South Carolina? Its temperate climate, footing that never freezes, and year-round equestrian activities top the list. Now comes the opportunity to acquire your own piece of training paradise within the oasis of Aiken. Fully covered, lit, and irrigated, the 50,000 square foot arena at Tod’s Hill allows for all-weather, around-the-clock jumping, polo, dressage and more – just minutes from downtown Aiken – and even closer to home should you choose. The arena at Tod’s Hill is offered with an option of 15 to 50 residential acres within the gated equestrian community of Tod’s Hill.

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Tales of Rescue

Tricks of Laurens County

By Pam Gleason

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t’s a cold January day at Aiken Equine Rescue, and Tricks looks like he is the king of alfalfa. A Quarter Horse with a palomino coat the color of harvest wheat, he’s a big animal, not tall, but stout, sturdy and solid. He lives in a spacious pasture at AER along with four Thoroughbred pasture-mates. On this day, the other horses are strolling about, looking for something interesting to do. Tricks, however, is all business, eating a giant bale of hay. You can hardly blame him.

Although he shows no sign of it today, Trix was starved when he came to the rescue exactly one year ago. He was one of eight horses that AER transported from Laurens County to save their lives in an animal cruelty case. Of those eight horses, he is the only one that is still at the rescue, and he will stay there until he is adopted, or forever if need be.

“If we rescue them, and all they do for the rest of their life is sit in a field and be fat and happy, that’s fantastic,” says Caroline Mulstay, who is the manager of the rescue. “For them to come out on the other side of that kind of situation and just be healthy and happy and trusting, that’s the goal. Anything on top of that – being someone’s riding horse, or being competitive or being a trail horse for someone – that’s just icing on the cake.”

The Laurens County Eight were pulled out of a muddy paddock after being abandoned by their owner, who was already out on bond for a different animal cruelty case in the summer. It is unclear exactly how the horses ended up in the condition in which they were found. They were living in a pair of enclosures surrounded by barbed wire, and, while they may have been cared for in the summer and into the fall, sometime around Thanksgiving, whoever had been feeding them seemed to have stopped. By the time passersby alerted animal control, the situation was dire. Although the Laurens County animal control officer responded immediately and volunteers from AER brought a trailer within a day, it was too late for one horse, who died before help arrived. The Laurens County Eight should have been Nine.

Once the horses arrived at the rescue they were put on a strict refeeding program which consisted mostly of gradually increasing amounts of alfalfa in order to acclimate their bodies to eating again.

Bringing back a starving horse is delicate process, with many potential complications, especially colic. AER has a great deal of experience doing this, and has safely rehabilitated dozens of skeletal horses. But there are some that are too far gone. Sadly, this was the case for three

of the Laurens County Eight. “We tried everything to save them,” says Caroline. “But unfortunately they succumbed to their situation. It’s hard – just because horses have been taken out of a bad situation, it doesn’t mean that they are safe.”

The story of the remaining horses is considerably brighter. The horses were an eclectic mix, including quarter horses, paints and ponies. An appealing paint named Picasso was tense and reactive when he arrived.

After he was brought back to a healthy weight, he spent some time with Nicola Bolt, a horse trainer who helps out at the rescue, and then was adopted into a trail riding home. There were two ponies that were in much better shape than the horses. Both of them were adopted quite quickly as companions. One, a cute chestnut with an attractive blaze and white stockings, went to a professional eventing rider, whose daughter started training the pony for eventing. And then there is Lakota, a small black and white paint, who had been untrusting and skittish when she arrived at AER. “Lakota’s story is my favorite of that group,” says Caroline, explaining that not knowing anything at all about a horse’s background makes placing this kind of rescue horse especially challenging. When she arrived, Lakota, like most of the Eight, was wary and untrusting, with a feral air about her. Had she had any training? There was no way to know.

“She was adopted by a young rider here in Aiken,” says Caroline.

“She and her mom knew what they were getting into, and they knew that it could have been a long and difficult project. But Lakota is doing phenomenal. She’s just a rock star who’s game for anything. She goes barrel racing and she ponies racehorses. The girl is absolutely in love with her. To know that these ponies were able to go to horse crazy young riders who absolutely dote over them, just makes it so much better.”

“Horses are resilient,” Caroline continues. “They shouldn’t trust people, especially these horses. For them to trust us at all, to go through all that and then to come back and be family horses, kids’ horses, to be competitive and do jobs – that’s pretty incredible. Everything that they have been through says they shouldn’t be able to do that and yet they do. Humans can learn a lot from them.”

And what about Tricks? Like Picasso, he has taken a while to relax and trust people. At some point he may go for training with Nicola to make him more adoptable. He is a sweet horse with a kind expression and soulful eyes. He has no obvious injuries or unsoundness and he has certainly gotten over being starved. There is no reason that he would not make a faithful companion or trail horse if the right home came along.

Until then, he says he will be perfectly happy eating hay.

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iken Equine Rescue needs our help! AER is a private rescue that runs entirely on donations. Due to the pandemic, donations are down 60% from last year. In order to care for horses with extra nutritional needs, AER buys top quality hay and feed, and this is expensive.Vet costs and farrier costs are also high.

This drop in donations has required the rescue to limit the number of horses they can accept this year. The farm normally has a herd of 60 or more.

This year, the number of horses has fallen into the 30s.

How to Help: Any donations are welcome, but the most useful way to help is to donate a certain amount each month so that the rescue knows it can count on those funds coming in. It does not have to be a lot of money. “If 1,000 people just donated $10 per month, that would be $120,000, and that would be incredible,” says Caroline Mulstay.

Visit the Equine Rescue of Aiken Facebook page or web page to find out more. Aikenequinerescue.org

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Ears to You

Donkeys Abound in Aiken

By Nancy Johnson

D

riving around the Aiken area, one undoubtedly sees lots of horses – horses at big equestrian facilities, horses in backyards and horses out competing. But if you look closer, you will occasionally see horses accompanied in their paddocks by one or more of their equine “cousins” – donkeys.

Clearly there is an appeal to them – their enormous ears, lumpy bodies, and the comical bray that some emit quite frequently. The question is why people keep donkeys. Most horses have a purpose – to be ridden or driven, but what do people do with donkeys?

Kim Walker, who lives on a farm in Johnston, has had donkeys for over 20 years. It all started when she got a small mule at an auction. “I decided she should have a buddy, so I got a mini donkey from a friend who bred them in Barnwell,” she reminisces. “That one mini donkey quickly led to five donkeys!” she says with a laugh. One of her original five donkeys, that she got in 1999, was a jenny (female) with a twomonth-old foal. Both still live on her farm in Johnston.

She explains the donkey allure. “I just fell in love with donkeys. They are very loving animals and the hardest working and most abused animals on the planet.” She says that working donkeys in third world countries live an average of only seven years because they are worked so hard. Conversely, donkeys that receive proper care can easily live into their 40s.

Devoted to Donkey Rescue

Kim’s farm became a satellite center for Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, the largest donkey rescue in the world. “In 2012 I visited their main facility, which was in California at the time; I fell in love with all the donkeys and wound up adopting one, a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) donkey from Death Valley. He would eat the apple that I brought from my hotel every day and he’d hang over the fence and I swear he was saying, ‘Please, take me home with you!’ so I did.” Over the years, Kim took numerous shipments of donkeys from Peaceful Valley and rehomed them in the Aiken area. While she is currently not taking in additional donkeys, she does have a couple of adoptable ones at her farm, and is happy to help people find a donkey through other Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue satellite farms.

Although she became a donkey lover in a different manner, Nancy Goldmark is clearly hooked as well. When Nancy and her husband were making plans to move to Aiken from New York, she had one horse that was boarded at a large show stable. “I started to look for ideas in terms of a companion for my horse,” she begins. “I did some research and then connected with a donkey rescue in Michigan. I decided that donkeys would be a good option. I had already come to realize what special animals they are and how different they are from horses, which has of course gotten much clearer since having them!”

Through her research and conversations with the rescue, Nancy learned that “donkeys prefer to be with at least some of their own kind, so I worked with the rescue to adopt two mini jennies.” As the donkeys were being prepared to ship to Nancy in New York, a vet did health certificates and discovered that both were considerably older than originally thought, but she took them anyway. The two jennies spent six months in New York where they quickly bonded and got to know Nancy’s horse, Savannah. She specifically did not turn them all out

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together, because she didn’t want her mare to get too attached. Then, all three shipped to the Goldmark’s new farm in Aiken.

As their sole caretaker on her own farm, Nancy learned a lot about donkeys very quickly. “Anyone who considers having donkeys must know that they can’t be on grass the way a horse can,” she emphasizes.

“Donkeys are not grazers, they are browsers and were not meant to be on grass; they are desert animals. There are two kinds of donkeys – those who have had laminitis and those who will have laminitis,” she warns. “It’s not quite as bad with [larger] standards and mammoths, but the minis can live on air.”

Smarter Than the Average Equine

Both Kim and Nancy believe donkeys to be quite intelligent. “Donkeys are often misunderstood and have really gotten a bad rap,” Kim says.

“They are not stubborn; they are just cautious and like to check out every situation.” She adds, “They don’t have the flight response like horses and for that reason they are really good to drive.”

Nancy notes, “They stand their ground and don’t have a flight instinct like a horse. You don’t see donkeys do the stupid things that horses do; like run into a wire fence or get cast, because their IQ is so much higher.

They are thinkers – they look at something and say ‘Hmm, that doesn’t look right, it wasn’t there yesterday,’ or ‘This doesn’t smell right, and so on.’ People interpret this as stubbornness, but really they are just being smart.”

Nancy says that because donkeys are smart and innately suspicious one must outthink them. “You have one shot with a donkey. For example, if you attempt to give it medication and you don’t get it done the first time, you better think of another way because you are not getting a second chance to do what you just tried.”

Kim seeks to dispel another donkey misconception, donkeys as protectors.

“I cringe when people want to get a donkey to be a guard animal. Usually, the donkey winds up being neglected, with overgrown hooves, no shelter, and is lonely without an equine companion,” she says. “Plus, there have been several instances in Aiken of mini donkeys being brutally attacked by dogs. On the other hand, jacks (uncastrated males) can be too aggressive and sometimes kill livestock babies that they are supposed to protect.”

Donkeys Can be Addictive

Like Kim, Nancy has acquired additional donkeys beyond what she originally planned. Her two jennies were well settled in their Aiken home when Nancy heard of a gelded jack, sometimes referred to as a john, that was looking for a new home. Nancy describes Mac as “not nearly feral, like the jennies were, and an easier adjustment because he had been around people.” The young, standard size donkey fit right into her little herd. She had no intention of adding more to the happy trio, but recently a situation came about, and she opened her heart and farm to a fourth donkey. A Board of Directors member of Aiken Equine Rescue (AER), Nancy learned of a little donkey that had just arrived at the rescue and inquired as to his background. She was told that when his owner passed away, the donkey and his bonded friend were split up.

Banjo, as he is now known, went to someone with a bunch of goats.

“He was very sad at his new home in a pen with goats that beat him up and basically terrorized him,” Nancy says. He was sent to AER in hopes

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that a more appropriate home could be found for him. “As soon as I saw him, I knew he needed to be with other donkeys,” Nancy explains. She decided to try him in her group, unsure if they would accept him. “He had to go through an initiation,” Nancy says. “The others distinctly told him, ‘You can’t come in here,’ or ‘This is where I eat, you go over there.’

Happily, she reports that in just a few months’ time, the group, whose ages are now 37, 18, and 8, have agreed to let 3-year-old Banjo be one of the gang.

Donkeys as Companions and Competitors

Like many around Aiken, Nancy’s donkeys are solely intended to be companions to her horses, of which she now has two. Kim currently has eight donkeys, which mostly just hang out. However, she is a firm believer that donkeys are suitable for several “jobs”. She has broken many donkeys to ride and drive and, in years past, even taken donkeys to various competitions like the Donkey and Mule Show in Shelbyville, Tennessee and the South Carolina State Fair. “They love to coon jump,” she says with a smile, then describes the event. “Because donkeys have different muscles than a horse, they can jump from a standstill. In coon jumping, you walk the donkey or mule up to a jump and from the other side, you encourage him to jump over. They keep raising the jump until only one clears it, determining the winner.”

Donkey Love

I’ve had many horses in my lifetime and truly loved (almost) every one of them. However, my heart has been completely stolen by my one and only donkey.

In 2005 I knew my wonderful 30-year-old Welsh pony was failing. He was the absolute best babysitter for a young horse that I was showing and had become a treasured member of the family. I was trying to prepare my 11-yearold son for the fact that the pony’s days were numbered and suggested that maybe we could get a miniature donkey when Smokey went to pony heaven. He brightened at the prospect and said, “Maybe we could just go look at some now?”

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If you are considering getting a donkey, Nancy has one strong piece of advice. “Please don’t ever buy a donkey from a breeder. There are thousands, of all sizes and ages, that need to be rescued.”

Caroline Mulstay, manager of Aiken Equine Rescue (AER) says, “We are all big donkey lovers and advocates here at the rescue,” adding, “We usually bring them in if we have the opportunity because they are easy to adopt out.”

In 2020 they adopted out about 20 donkeys – an exceptionally large number, because many of them were taken in as one large group.

Caroline emphasizes that AER’s adoption fees for donkeys are very reasonable and, of course, the donkeys are up to date on all medical needs.

“We get some donkeys that are very friendly and others that are quite feral,” she says. “But even with the feral ones, if you take it at their pace and don’t force them, they progress faster than you would think. They have so much character, but just keep in mind, they are not forgiving,” she concludes with a laugh.

For more information on adopting donkeys, contact AER through the website, www.aikenequinerescue.org or 803-643-1850 or contact Kim at donkeytrek.walker@gmail.com.

The author with her donkey, Pablo and neighbor Rhett Foolishly, I agreed and a week later 4-monthold Pablo came home with us. The old pony rallied and wound up being with us for another three years. The baby donkey had never had a halter on and was literally weaned the day we brought him home. But unlike many donkeys, he had never had anything bad happen to him and quickly came to trust us. We immediately started brushing him, leading him, and picking up his feet. Before long we treated him just like everybody else in the barn – even vacuuming him.

By the time we lost the old pony, the donkey had learned a lot from him. Pabby took over as chief babysitter, but after a while, I felt he needed

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something more to do. I contacted a friend who did some driving and she helped me get him started. Soon I would drive him all around our property while all the horses screamed to him from the barn. He didn’t pay any attention to them though, as he felt quite important doing his job. It’s been a case of “the blind leading the blind,” but now in Aiken we have worked our way up to being comfortable driving around together on the trails and roads in our neighborhood.

I often tell people that if I had any idea how endearing donkeys are, I would have had one (or more), 20 years earlier.

February-March 2021

Directory of Services BARNS,CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING 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 BLANKET CLEANING & REPAIR Aiken Horse Blanket Couture. Please see our business card ad on page 81. Elisa: 803-640-3211; elisa@aikenhorseblanket.com BOARDING/TURNOUT/TRAINING/SALES Chime Ridge Stables. Stalls available, partial or self care. Fun, friendly, adult atmosphere. Convenient to town, South Aiken 803-5083760.

Heart Horse Stables has roomy individual pasture boarding with 12 x 12 run-in shelters. Owners on site. Just over the Aiken line in Windsor. Arena, round pen, trails. $350/mo 704-288-7385 Horse boarding in Windsor, SC carriage driving community. Lovely, low country setting. 12x12 stalls connected to 2 acre fields and a short term paddock with shelter available. Jog’lin Board Farm Contact Lisa Whitcomb 414-477-9419 www.Sporting Days Farm.com. 3549 Charleston Hwy, Aiken, SC 29801 - 5.5 miles from Aiken By-Pass. Offers year round, seasonal or short term board as well as dry stalls. 150 acres with trails and practice areas. USEF/USEA Horse Trials in the winter, schooling shows. Visit our website to see all that it offers in 2020. sdaikenht@ aol.com - 610 613 2010 The Stable On The Woods: Elite boarding & training facility and home to trainers Darrell and Melissa Vaughn. With access to Hitchcock Woods, our barn sits on 70 acres and boasts a full size dressage arena with mirrors, show jumping arena and highquality grass pastures making this the ideal place for you and your horse. Training program to meet your needs, whether your discipline is Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers or Foxhunting. thestableonthewoods.com 603.785.0435 Vaughn Equestrian: offering training, sales, and boarding.

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

Dressage, Jumpers, Eventing & Young Horses. training and sales. vaughnequestrian.com (603)-785-0435 COMPANION ANIMALS, CARE & SERVICES Trinity Farms Terriers: Irish Russell Terriers & Norfolk 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 DENTISTRY MidAtlantic Equine Dentistry :Mike Cissell DVM, MS, DACVS-LA: Excellence in equien oral health. midaltanticequinedentistry.com; maed.aiken@gmail.com. (928) 458-4529.

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

Aiken Saddlery & Supply. Full service tack & feed store. 1044 E. Pine Log Rd., Aiken. 803.649.6583. aikensaddlery.com

February-March 2021

HAY Hoss Luva Hay! Exceptional quality Coastal Bermuda. Real fertilizer and lime to Clemson specs, not chicken litter. Never rained on.

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

803.247.4803.

INSURANCE Betsy Minton, Sterling Thompson Equine, 803-617-8353. Now writing homeowners insurance for private residences. No horses required but certainly welcomed. Access to top-notch 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 Hutson-Etherredge Company. Insuring Aiken farms since 1876.

Your hometown independent insurance agency can customize your equine property coverage by choosing the best company to fit your needs. We are a full service insurance agency. Call Sandi Vogus for a quote! 803-649-5141 INSTRUCTION/LESSONS Amy McElroy. USDF Gold Medalist and USEF S judge. Instruction and training at all levels. Visit amymcelroy.com or call 803.6404207.

Aiken Horsemanship Academy. Your naturally inspired adult learning resource! Offering Clinics, Courses, Starting Young Horses, Evaluations, and Lessons. JulieRobins.com 803-220-1768.

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

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, Meybohm. “Where town meets country.” sharerdale@ gmail.com. 803.522.3648.

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

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

TACK & TACK CLEANING/REPAIR The Saddle Doctor. Saddlery and harness repair. 544 Two Notch Rd. HollyMacSpencer@aol.com. 803.642.5166.

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Classifieds Very nice retired polo pony mare. 12 years old; 16 hands.

Nice on trails; no spook. Has an old ionjury but sound and noce enough to pursue low levels of a different career. $2,500. Call for more details.

803-295-8687.

BOARDING/TURNOUT/ TRAINING Chime Ridge Stables. Pasture Board available for 2 mature geldings. Two acres, 4 board fence, with run in and tack/feed room.

803-508-3760.

Heart Horse Stables has roomy individual pasture boarding with 12 x 12 run-in shelters. Owners on site. Just over the Aiken line in Windsor. Arena, round pen, trails. $350/mo 704-288-7385 www.Sporting Days Farm.com.

3549 Charleston Hwy, Aiken, SC 29801 - 5.5 miles from Aiken ByPass. Offers year round, seasonal or short term boarding as well as dry stalls. 150 acres with trails and practice areas. USEF/USEA Horse Trials in the winter, schooling shows. Visit our website to see all that it offers in 2020. sdaikenht@ aol.com 610 613 2010 Horse boarding in Windsor, SC carriage driving community.

Lovely, low country setting. 12x12 stalls connected to 2 acre fields and a short term paddock with shelter available. Jog’lin Board Farm Contact Lisa Whitcomb 414-4779419 HAY Hoss Luva Hay. Exceptional quality local Coastal Bermuda Hay and Alfalfa mix from out of

state. Competitively priced. Will deliver state-wide. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Jim McClain: 803.247.4803 Round and Square Bales.

Oakwood Farms: 3593 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken SC 29803. $60 per bale round hay bales. $70 per bale round bales kept inside.

Square bales at $7.00 per bale.

Will deliver for a small fee. Please call 706-830-2600 or 803-8270864. email garymcelmurray@ glmconstruction.net HELP WANTED Looking for an energetic, tech savvy Client Services Representative to work full or part time. Pay rate is $12-16/ hr. The job is fast paced and requires mucho attention to detail. You’ll be taking client payments, record keeping, booking appointments and handling all aspects of client services.There is a LOT of computer, mobile apps, and tech stuff required to accomplish the job. This job can be fun and rewarding to the right person.Send resume to office@ performanceequinevets.com HORSES/PETS & SERVICES Trinity Farms Terriers: Irish Russell Terriers & Norfolk 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 RENTALS Cozy, cute carriage house for rent on Hitchcock Woods on iconic equestrian estate. 1BR/1BA. Sleeps 4. $125/night. European style barn with soaring ceilings.

3 stalls available (self care) $20/night per horse. 5 min to downtown Aiken and close to all horse venues. Perfect for female solo travelers. Monthly discounts avail. www.StayAiken.com Four Stall Stable (3 stall minimum) is available 5.5 miles from downtown Aiken $275.00 per head 2 large paddocks, storage area for trunks and hay etc. Grass

practice area with jumps and dressage arena and trails. Over 150 acres. Text 803-226-2024 TACK & APPAREL Aiken Horse Blanket Couture.

Creative coolers; your colors.

Creative equine-ware. Tack covers/carry bags Saddle pad enhancements. Blanket wash/ waterproof . Blanket repair.

AikenHorseBlanket.com. Elisa Denaburg. 803-640-3211 The Saddle Doctor. Saddlery and harness repair. 544 Two Notch Rd. at the Aiken Training Track.

HollyMacSpencer@aol.com.

803.642.5166.

New Schooling Facility in Wagener, SC!

Come visit and school on our new cross country/stadium jump area, our obstacle course, Working Equitation Course and Small Dressage Ring. New Jumping Grid each week. $35 for all! Make your appointment by emailing: ks@kellysigler.com

Advertising in The Aiken Horse

CLASSIFIED ADS are $25 for the first 30 DIRECTORY LISTING ADS: $25 per issue words & 40 cents for every word or $90 for the year (6 issues.) thereafter. Add $5 for blind classified. BUSINESS CARDS: $65 per issue or $280 PHOTO CLASSIFIEDS for horses: $35; for the year (6 issues.)

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

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The Aiken Horse

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

Pay online: TheAikenHorse.com or call us: 803.643.9960

Advertise in the April-May issue!

Deadline March 19, 2021 Publication date April 2, 2021

February-March 2021

February-March 2021

The Aiken Horse

71

Aiken Winter Classic, Highfields Event Center

Photography by Gary Knoll

Aiken Area Calendar of Events

FEBRUARY

Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org 2 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com 3 Schooling Jumper Show. Stable View, LLC .3-9 Whiskey Road Foxhounds Hunt Week. Aiken, SC. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com 4 Apple Tree 2-Phase. Apple Tree Farm South. 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor. Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@aol.com, appletreefarm.com 4-7 WBRL World Barrel Racing Finals. Georgia National Fairgrounds, 401 Larry Walker Pkwy, Perry, GA. gqha.com 5-7 Winter Encore. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org 6 USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm. 3549 E. Charleston Hwy. Aiken. 803-649-0100 jhallglass@aol.com, www.sportingdaysfarm.com 6 Eventing and Dressage Schooling Show.Chattahootchie Hills.

Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@chatthillseventing.com, Chatthillseventing.com 6 Highfields Just for Fun Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 6 CEC HJ Show. Springdale at Pine Tree Stables, 1265 Sanders Creek Road, Camden, SC. Candi Cocks: 803.243.4417, springdale47@gmail.com, camdenequinecircuit.com 7 XC School. Sporting Days Farm. 3549 E. Charleston Hwy. Aiken. 803-649-0100 jhallglass@aol.com, www. sportingdaysfarm.com 7-13 Belle Meade Hunt Week. Thomson, GA. Angela Smith, Hon. Sec.: 706.595.2525, bellemeadehounds.com 8-14 Live Free Southern Classic Draft Horse Show. Georgia National Fairgrounds, 401 Larry Walker Pkwy, Perry, GA. gqha.

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February-March 2021

9 9 10 11-12 12-14 12-14 13 13 13 13-14 13-14 15 16

Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com USEF Recognized Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm.

3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Apple Days. Apple Tree Farm South. 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor. Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@ aol.com, appletreefarm.com USEF National HJ Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Pine Top Intermediate HT. Pine Top Farm. 1432 Augusta Hwy. Thomson, GA. Janet Wilson: 706-449-2029 pinetopeventing@gmail.com; www.pinetopfarm.com.

Valentine’s Day Classic Horse Show. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, poplarplacefarm. com Radway Show. Radway Eventing. 4627 Whiskey Road, Aiken.

Kim Davies: 803.998.6059 radwayeventing@yahoo.com, radwayeventing.com Cows with Kelly. Looking Glass Farm. 289 Daytona Road Wagener. Kelly Sigler: 803-522-4395 Kelly1@kellysigler.com; www.kellysigler.com USEF/USDF “I Love Dressage.” Stable View. 117 Stable Dr. Aiken. 484.356.3173. info@stableview.com, www. stableviewfarm.com Windsor Winter HDT 2. Katydid Farm, Windsor, SC. aikendrivingclub.com Whiskey Road Foxhounds Hunter Pace. Aiken, SC. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org

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16 17 18 19-20 19-21 19-21 20 20 20-21 23 23 23 24 25-26 25-28

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Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Apple Tree 2-Phase. Apple Tree Farm South. 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor. Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@aol.com, appletreefarm.com Sorting. BSC Arena, 3976 Highway 24 South, Waynesboro, GA. Cliff Chancey, 706.840.3971. Rsnc.us USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Paradise Farm. 4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail. com, paradisefarmaiken.com USEF National HJ Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Windsor Trace Continuous Drive. Windsor, SC. aikendrivingclub.com Pipe Opener II CT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com Dressage at Bruce’s Field. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road, Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com USEF Recognized Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm.

3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Apple Tree 3-Phase. The Vista Schooling and Event Center, 859 Old Tory Trail, Aiken. 603.345.0382, apltrefarm@aol.com, appletreefarm.homestead.com Chat Hills Hunter/Jumper Show.Chattahootchie Hills.

Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@chatthillseventing.com, Chatthillseventing.com CEC HJ Show. Country Springs Farm, Camden, SC. Dawn Cooper: 803.466.7134, countrysprings01@gmail.com, camdenequinecircuit.com Working Equitation & Fix a Test Dressage with Alison Head.

Looking Glass Farm. 289 Daytona Road Wagener. Kelly Sigler: 803-522-4395 Kelly1@kellysigler.com; www.kellysigler.com Eventing Academy. Stable View. 117 Stable Dr. Aiken.

484.356.3173. info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com GHF/Massey Ferguson Dressage Show. Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com PSJ HJ Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Audubon Drive. Silver Bluff Audubon Center, 4542 Silver Bluff Rd, Jackson, SC. aikendrivingclub.com

MARCH 2 2 3 3

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Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Recognized Horse Trial. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Schooling Jumper Show. Stable View. 117 Stable Dr. Aiken.

484.356.3173. info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com

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4 5-6 5-7 5-7 5-16 6 6-7 6-7

6-7 6-7 8 9 9 11-12 12-14 12-14 13 13 13 13-14 14 16 18 18-21

Apple Tree 2-Phase. Apple Tree Farm South. 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor. Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@aol.com, appletreefarm.com $50,000 LiftMaster GPE USEF/USEA Eventing Showcase.

Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-2260121. info@aikenhorsepark.org.aikenhorsepark.org Highfields USEF Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com SCHJA Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com Aiken Charity Horse Show I & II USEF Premier. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org.aikenhorsepark.org CEC HJ Show. Long Creek, 2000 Longtown Road East, Blythewood, SC. KatelynBlackwell: 803.786.8400, camdenequinecircuit.com USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm. 3549 E. Charleston Hwy. Aiken. 803-649-0100 jhallglass@aol.com, www.sportingdaysfarm.com Chat Hills Horse Trials.Chattahootchie Hills. Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@chatthillseventing.com, Chatthillseventing.com Horse Show Ventures HJ Show. Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Southern Pines Horse Trials. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com XC Schooling Day. Sporting Days Farm. 3549 E. Charleston Hwy. Aiken. 803-649-0100 jhallglass@aol.com, www. sportingdaysfarm.com Tuesdays in the Park. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road.Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Apple Tree Apple Days. Apple Tree Farm South. 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor. Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@aol.com, appletreefarm.com Highfields USEF Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com PPHC Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Shamrock Classic Horse Show. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, poplarplacefarm. com Cows with Kelly. Looking Glass Farm. 289 Daytona Road Wagener. Kelly Sigler: 803-522-4395 Kelly1@kellysigler.com; www.kellysigler.com Newton County Saddle Club Open Horse Show. Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Recognized Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Apple Tree 2-Phase. Ple Tree Farm South. 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor. Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@ aol.com, appletreefarm.com HJ Show.Chattahootchie Hills. Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@ chatthillseventing.com, Chatthillseventing.com

February-March 2021

18-21 Carolina International CCI and HT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com 19-22 Camp Kelly for Two-Leggeds. Looking Glass Farm. 289 Daytona Road Wagener. Kelly Sigler: 803-522-4395 Kelly1@ kellysigler.com; www.kellysigler.com 19-20 Sorting. BSC Arena, 3976 Highway 24 South, Waynesboro, GA. Cliff Chancey, 706.840.3971. Rsnc.us 19-21 Four Beats for Pleasure Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com 20 Windsor Trace CT. Windsor Trace, Windsor, SC. Aikendrivingclub.com 20-21 USEF/USDF “Southern Comfort” Dressage. Stable View, LLC. 117 Stable Dr. Aiken. 484.356.3173. info@stableview. com, www.stableviewfarm.com 20-21 Cheryl & Co. HJ Horse Show. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, poplarplacefarm. com 21 Schooling Horse Trials, Dressage & CT Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com 21 Whiskey Road Foxhounds Closing Meet. Aiken, SC. whiskeyroadfoxhounds.com 21 Schooling Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com 22-23 Dressage in the Spring. Aiken Horse Park 931 Powderhouse Road. Aiken,803-226-0121. info@aikenhorsepark.org. aikenhorsepark.org 23 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com 25-26 Stable View Spring FEI CCI-S 4* Horse Trials. Stable View.

117 Stable Dr. Aiken. 484.356.3173. info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com 25-26 Apple Tree Apple Days. Ple Tree Farm South. 1530 Oak Ridge Rd. Windsor. Alison Eastman-Lawler, 603-345-0382 apltrefarm@aol.com, appletreefarm.com 25-28 Tryon Welcome I. Tryon International Equestrian Center, 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. tryon.coth.com 26-28 Harmon Classic Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com 27 Eventing and Dressage Schooling Show.Chattahootchie Hills.

Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@chatthillseventing.com, Chatthillseventing.com 27 Radway Show. Radway Eventing. 4627 Whiskey Road, Aiken.

Kim Davies: 803.998.6059 radwayeventing@yahoo.com, radwayeventing.com 27 Dressage Test of Choice. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo. com, www.fullgallopfarm.com 27-28 Sedgefield at The Park Early Spring “C” H/J Show. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com 27-28 Horse Trials. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, poplarplacefarm.com 28 Horse Trials. Full Gallop Farm. 3828 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lara Anderson, 803.215.6590. fullgallopfarm@yahoo.com, www. fullgallopfarm.com 30 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com

APRIL 1-4

Tryon Welcome II. Tryon International Equestrian Center, 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. tryon.coth.com

February-March 2021

2-4 2-5 3 3-4 4 6

8-11 8-11 9-11 10 10 10 10-11 10-11 11 13 13-25 14-18 14-18 16-17 16-18 17 17-18 17-18

SCDCTA Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com Georgia on My Mind Stock Show. Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Spring Hunter Pace. Stable View. 117 Stable Dr. Aiken.

484.356.3173. info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com Springtime Dressage Show. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com Schooling Horse Trials, Dressage & CT Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com 8-11 Tryon Welcome III. Tryon International Equestrian Center, 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. tryon.coth.com Georgia on My Mind Pro-AM. Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Southern Pines CDE & CT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com Eventing.Chattahootchie Hills. Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@ chatthillseventing.com, Chatthillseventing.com Highfields Just for Fun Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com Toopler Branch CEC HJ Show. Toopler Branch, 1035 Lee Lane, Lugoff, SC. Rebecca Hudson: 803.699.2282, Tooplerbranch@hotmail.com Cows with Kelly. Looking Glass Farm. 289 Daytona Road Wagener. Kelly Sigler: 803-522-4395 Kelly1@kellysigler.com; www.kellysigler.com USEF/USDF “Spring Fever” Dressage. Stable View, LLC .

117 Stable Dr. Aiken. 484.356.3173. info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com Cheryl & Co. HJ Horse Show. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, poplarplacefarm. com Southeastern Regional Championship Series Show. Georgia International Horse Park, 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA. 770.860.4190, georgiahorsepark.com Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com Jake Kneece Memorial 4 Goal. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3301. Hotline: 803.643.3611. aikenpoloclub. org HJ Spring Classic. Stable View, LLC. 117 Stable Dr. Aiken.

484.356.3173. info@stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com Tryon Welcome IV. Tryon International Equestrian Center, 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring, NC. tryon.coth.com Sorting. BSC Arena, 3976 Highway 24 South, Waynesboro, GA. Cliff Chancey, 706.840.3971. Rsnc.us PPHC Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com Radway Show. Radway Eventing. 4627 Whiskey Road, Aiken.

Kim Davies: 803.998.6059 radwayeventing@yahoo.com, radwayeventing.com USEF/USEA Horse Trials. Sporting Days Farm. 3549 E. Charleston Hwy. Aiken. 803-649-0100 jhallglass@aol.com, www.sportingdaysfarm.com Dressage Spring Series I and II. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, poplarplacefarm. com

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17-18 HJ Show.Chattahootchie Hills. Bouckaert Farm. 9445 Browns Lake Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA. 770.892.2117, info@ chatthillseventing.com, Chatthillseventing.com 17-18 Longleaf Pine HT. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com 21-25 Highfields USEF Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 21-May 2 Wagener Polo Club, Wagener 4-Goal. Wagenerpolo.com or find on Facebook. Bill Raab: 561-719-3318.

23-25 SCQHA Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com 23-25 National Youth Tournament Series. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken. Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3301. Hotline: 803.643.3611.

Aikenpoloclub.org 20 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com 24 USEF/USEA Stable View “Spring” Horse Trials. Stable View, LLC . 117 Stable Dr. Aiken. 484.356.3173. info@ stableview.com, www.stableviewfarm.com 24 Spring Classic Show. Poplar Place Farm, 8191 Highway 27, Hamilton, GA. 706.681.8748, poplarplacefarm.com

24-25 Primetime Dressage Show. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com 24-May 9 USPA Sportsmanship 6 Goal. Aiken Polo Club, Aiken.

Tiger Kneece: 803.646.3301. Hotline: 803.643.3611.

Aikenpoloclub.org 27 Dressage, Jumping & XC Schooling Paradise Farm.

4069 Wagener Rd. Aiken. Lellie Ward: 803.640.4918, paradisefarmaiken@gmail.com, paradisefarmaiken.com 28-May 2 Highfields USEF Show. Highfields Event Center, 147 Warehouse Road, Aiken. 803.649.3505, psjshows.com 28-May 16 USPA Regional President’s Cup. New Bridge Polo Club.

New Bridge Road, Aiken. newbridgepolo.com.

30 Sedgefield at The Park Early Spring “C” H/J Show. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford, NC. 910.875.2074, carolinahorsepark.com 30-May 2 PPHC Horse Show. South Carolina Equine Park (SCEP), 443 Cleveland School Road, Camden, SC. 803.486.4938, scequinepark.com 30-May 3 Camp Kelly for Two-Leggeds. Looking Glass Farm. 289 Daytona Road Wagener. Kelly Sigler: 803-522-4395 Kelly1@ kellysigler.com; www.kellysigler.com

Business Cards

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The Aiken Horse

February-March 2021

OutďŹ tting Southeastern Farriers for Over 30 years

GREAT SERVICE AND QUALITY FARRIER SUPPLIES ARE OUR PRIORITY

Aiken, SC

803.685.5101

Columbus, NC 828.894.0280

www.monettafarrier.com

February-March 2021

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Index of Advertisers Aiken County Farm Supply Aiken Fine Homes and Land Aiken Horse Park Foundation Aiken Horsemanship Academy Aiken Polo Club Aiken Saddlery, Inc. American Glory Style American National Insurance Auto Tech Banixx Banks Mill Feeds Barnware Be Fly Free Bridle Creek Carolina Company RE Carolina Company RE CHAPS D & M Partners DFG Stables DM Properties Epona Equine Divine Equine Rescue of Aiken Estrella Equine FITS Equestrian FOTAS Aiken G L Williams and Daughter Gary Knoll Photography Greystone Properties Highfields Jack Groover Jill Diaz Polo Keller Williams Stinson

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The Aiken Horse

Lightning Protection Systems LOC Equestrian Mark Lexton Marrinson Stables Meybohm RE (Sullivan/Turner) Meybohm RE Haslup Meybohm RE Vaillancourt Meybohm RE Vaillancourt New Bridge Polo Club NibbleNet Oak Manor Saddlery Pait Show Horses Paradise Farm Patty Merli Saddles Performance Equine Vets Progressive Show Jumping, Inc Redman International Horse Transport Retired Racehorse Project Shane Doyle Sharer Dale South Carolina Equine Park Southern Equine Service SPCA Albrecht Center Sporting Days Farm Stable View, LLC Subscribe The Kneaded Edge The Kneaded Edge The Tack Room The Willcox Tod’s Hill/ReMax Tryon Equine Law

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56 49 27 57 5 3 2 28 30 57 53 22 53 57 9 20 10 48 84 34 29 52 44 56 35 63 23 56 56 21 60 45

February-March 2021

February-March 2021

The Aiken Horse

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