With the grand backdrop of the former training grounds of the U.S. Equestrian Team, competitors from across the region gathered to enjoy nine days of hunter/jumper competition at Monmouth at the Team, August 12-20. The show was held at Hamilton Farm, headquarters of the USET Foundation, in Gladstone, NJ.
On Thursday, August 16, the hallowed grounds hosted the show’s feature event, the $10,000 Bobcat Derby, sponsored by The Nature Conservancy. The local community came together with friends, family and spectators donning bobcat-ear headbands. Riders in the class received an extra point if they wore their bobcat ears in the class. Even a horse or two was seen with cat ears.
“This event gives us an opportunity right in our community to raise awareness of endangered bobcats in New Jersey and the importance of contiguous land for wildlife’” said Barbara Brummer, New Jersey State director of The Nature Conservancy.
The class combined the 2’ and 2’6’ in a section with a separate 3’ section, open to professionals, amateurs and juniors. The top twelve came back in each section for the handy round.
Finding their inner feline, Heartbreakker, owned by Megan Storms and ridden by Libby Shea Dayton, topped the 2’/2’6” section and Micah 7:7, owned by Leigh Creamer and ridden by B.J. Ehrhardt, took the top prize of the 3’ section.
Junior rider Gigi Moynihan (14, Oldwick, NJ) and Golden Dream, owned by Christy Johnson, earned the second-place prize with a total of 170. Michael Meyers had a third-place finish with Unwritten, owned by Emily Sukert. He had the high score of the day with 88 in the first round.
Amateur Tempe Salatiello (Lebanon, NJ) and Salham’s Biddle Bug, a half-Welsh homebred pony owned by Mary Beth Hamorski, were second with 86 and 83 points and a total score of 169.
From 28 entries in the $10,000 Mini-Prix, 12 progressed to the jump off. First to go was amateur rider Sima Morgello and Orientales, owned by Double S Farms, who would be the only horse-and-rider combination to go double clear. Penny Brennan (Loxahatchee, FL) and her own Vertigo Delorme, the second-place finisher, attempted the turn, jumped clean but incurred time faults. Douglas King and Zeno, owned by Royal Crown Stables LLC, clinched third and Devin Ryan and his own Florida were fourth.
The $5,000 Marshall & Sterling NAL/WIHS Children’s/Adult Classic, sponsored by EquiJet, was the featured class on Saturday, August 18. Jessie Lampe (Phoenixville, PA) and her own Rehbein grabbed the win in the competitive class, stopping the timers at 31.918 seconds. Second-place went to Kaitlyn Hess, an amateur from Rio Grande, NJ, and Belladonna.
The $1,500 Bit O’ Straw Classic, sponsored by Signature Spurs, combined the best from the Low Adult and the Pre-Children’s Hunter divisions in a two-round event. Rachel Phillips (16 from Montclair, NJ) and Prince of Tydes earned the top spot. The pair were reserve champions of the Pre-Children’s earlier in the day. Emma Sameth, 13, earned the red ribbon in the class with Contiki, owned by Windham Hill Farm. The pair also won the Top Trip of the Day, sponsored by Stal de Eyckenhoeve.
Tuesday’s featured class was the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by Eastern Hay. Out of a field of 48 horse-and-rider combinations, Morgan Ward and Cypress rose to the top to lead the victory gallop.
Skip Bailey’s derby course included four high options and possibilities for inside turns and creative navigation. In the handy round, the high-score riders at the end of the group seemed to challenge each other. with each trip. Ward earned a first-round score of 94 and an 87.5 in the handy to seal the top prize with a total of 181.5 points.
Ward is a young professional from Milford, NJ who works out of Willow Brook Farm.
Michael Desiderio, Chester, NJ, won the second-place prize with Zero Tolerance, a gray Dutch Warmblood owned by Dru Cederberg
Sisters Sophia and Mia Chimenti (Far Hills, NJ) each won a medal class, Sophia and Bel of the Ball in the Marshall & Sterling Children’s Large Pony Medal and Mia won the Taylor Harris Medal with Chocolat 15 owned by Doris Leventhal. The win in the Taylor Harris Medal and top finishes in the Sore No More Medal and the NJPHA Mini Medal, clinched the reserve championship of the 3’ Equitation division for Sophia Chimenti. The championship was awarded to her friend Dylan Bentley, who had top-three finishes in all of the 3’ equitation classes. Bentley’s partner, her own Focto, is an 8-year-old KWPN gelding.
Cara McFadden (Long Valley, NJ) had a great, if rainy, opening day at Monmouth at the Team. The 15-year old and Enrique, owned by Craig Phillips, won the NJPHA Mini Medal.
Earlier in the day 14-year-old Naomi Dachis (Franklin Lakes, NJ), and her own Instant Gratification, an imported German pony, earned the championship of the Large Children’s Pony Hunters. In the 3’6” equitation, Lauren Lindner nabbed the ASPCA Maclay top spot aboard Goofy Van Overis, owned by Jenny Booth.
On August 20, the final day of competition, Angela Jager (15, Kinnelon, NJ) piloted Cassini’s Home Run to the championship of the Children’s Hunter division. The pair won the under-saddle class and earned two second-place prizes and a third over fences. Jager’s barn mate, Mia Chimenti was reserve champion of the division with Chocolat 15.
Champion in the Small/Medium Children’s Hunter Pony division was 9-year-old Tarin Kiely from Redbank, NJ, with Copper Penny, a medium pony owned by Geddaway Farm.