August 2021 Issue

The News East Coast Horse Owners Need To Know OUR TH YEAR 993 - PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 280 LANC., PA 17604 Vol. 28 No. 7 August 2021 By Amy Worden The Quentin Riding Club, the storied and deeply-loved show grounds in Lebanon Coun- ty, PA may soon have a new life - one that includes horses. Local developer Louis Hurst, who purchased the 44-acre site for $2.1 million in 2019, told East Coast Equestrian he plans to develop a little more than half the site, while reserving almost 18 acres to build a therapeutic horse center for veterans. “My wife and I have the heart and vision to do something for veterans,” said Hurst. “It takes a part of history and lets it stay there while meeting a real need out there. Something good will come of it.” Shortly after purchasing the property, Hurst and his wife, Sharon, saw a TV program that profiled a female veteran who said her life was saved by equine therapy. That inspired Hurst. “I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to do something like that?” Hurst said he has had dis- cussions with Dave Anderson of Building Bridges Foundation, an equine-assisted therapy program for veterans in Lancaster County, who encouraged him to form a nonprofit to address a growing need for veterans suffering from mental and physical trauma. The club property is only a few miles from Pennsylvania’s largest Vet- erans Administration center. Hurst said he will formally present his proposal to the West Cornwall Township Board of Supervisors at its Aug. 9 meet- ing with the goal of opening the veterans’ facility by 2023. Hurst said he will need a zoning vari- ance approved to develop the five commercial lots at the intersection of Rt. 72 and Main St. because the property is zoned residential. He also is planning a 120-unit apart- ment complex for seniors. The Quentin Riding ClubWill Be Developed, But Some Equestrian UseWill Remain The Quentin Riding Club, formed in 1935, was for decades the premier outdoor horse show venue in central Pennsylvania. Between May and Labor Day weekend, the show grounds were always busy, said Ed Krause, whose father, Bob, was president of the club for many years. The club hosted A-rated hunter/jumper, Saddlebred, Mor- gan, Arab and other breed shows, drawing competitors from as far as New England and the Midwest, along with Wednesday night fun shows that appealed to locals. The historic buildings on the property, including a bank barn and the large clubhouse, which is more than 100 years old, along with a covered grandstand and a number of mature trees gave the property character and made the atmosphere inviting even in the hottest months. Krause, 64, said he spent a good part of his youth at Quentin showing hunters and later Sad- dlebreds. Later in life, Krause said, “even when I was horseless, I was still a member and I’d still go to the shows.” Three generations of the Sweigart family showed their Hackney ponies and Saddlebreds at Quentin for more than six decades, beginning with Clarence Sweigart in the mid-1950s. “It meant a lot to us as a fam- ily,” said Marlene Sweigart, who with her husband Galen showed at Quentin for many years and whose daughter Brook now runs Sweigart Stables in Denver, Lancaster County. “We’d take the camper and stay overnight.” She said the loss of the show venue has left the area without a local show grounds. The Quentin Riding Club held its last show in 2018. The 18 buildings on the property, includ- ing the historic clubhouse and bank barn along with eight other barns, fell into disrepair. Hurst has permits to demolish all the structures and has already dismantled the indoor arena, which will be reused by Little Springs Farm, a therapeutic riding program in Lancaster County. The historic bank barn will be taken down and reassembled elsewhere by an Amish company. Hurst said he will preserve three small outbuildings: two red frame buildings, including one where restrooms were located, and the stone structure known as the blacksmith shop. Hurst said he is planning to demolish the other structures, including the clubhouse, because they were “too far gone” to re- store and that he will build a new barn for his therapy program. For now, horse trainer Judah Bauman is leasing part of the facility for his business, Diamond B Horsemanship, which starts young racehorses and trains horses in Western and other disciplines. Hurst hopes Bauman will stay on as he transitions the property as part of his equine facility. Krause said the decline of the Quentin Riding Club has been difficult to watch, but he doesn’t begrudge Hurst his ability to de- velop the property and thinks the veterans’ facility is a good idea. “We have to be realists; that’s progress,” he said. “It’s unfortu- nate that it couldn’t be preserved and maintained, but just financial- ly they couldn’t do it.” Sweigart too said she thinks the veteran equine facility is “a good thing” since “17 acres will stay in the horse world.” But both said they will miss the old Quentin of days gone by when the show rings were full, the grandstand was packed with cheering crowds and the atmo- sphere was electric. “Quentin was the prize of the show world,” said Krause. “So many world champions showed here that today people don’t even know about.” An auction last November selling architectural elements from the buildings, and even stones from the old stone wall that lined the walk to the rings, raised $20,000 for the local fire company. Krause said he went to the property auction but did not at- tend the 2020 auction. “I couldn’t stand to go,” he said. “It was too heartbreaking.” See additional photos of the Quentin Riding Club as it looked in July 2021 at east coastequestrian. net. Developer Louis Hurst enters the stone blacksmith shop at the former Quentin Riding Club, one of only three small buildings that will remain standing when the property is developed. Hurst plans to develop the road frontage, build an apartment complex for seniors and build a new barn for a veterans’ therapeutic equine program. The club house will be demolished. Photo credit: Amy Worden Inside... Fall Fix Up feature... pgs. 10-16 Horse prices, participation soar during pandemic … pg. 19 Rescued mini hinny is both male and female … pg. 27 …and much more!