MILLBROOK — Following a long and storied history of buying and selling horses, formidable horseman David Hopper has recently relocated to Winley Farm, finding that downscaling his specialized business and transferring aspects of his responsibilities to his longtime assistant, Katie Lynch, has been the correct move.
His former business location along Leedsville Road in Amenia, Longreen Farm, served the enterprise well since he moved the business there in 1970 from Lakeville, having grown the Amenia property over several years to offer 30 stalls and an indoor arena that was added in 1974.
The Leedsville Road farm has been recently purchased by Hope Rising Farm and is providing an expanded space for its growing therapeutic equestrian program.
During an interview on Thursday, Oct. 5, Hopper and Lynch described history, philosophy, and the business of buying and selling champion horses to a worldwide equestrian community.
Beginning with the historical aspects, Hopper said that through the early 1980s, close to 100 Thoroughbreds were being sold each year at Longreen Farm. His business partner at Longreen Farm, the late Ira Shulman, was finding horses at racetracks in Arizona and the American Southwest and sending them back east to Hopper.
In 1983 Hopper started going to Europe to buy horses, first to Denmark, and then to Holland. He said that he continues to source most of his horses in Holland through contacts he made in those early years.
In 1993, Hopper and Shulman had split the business and Hopper began to broker horses under the business name of David Hopper Inc. Through the early 2000s, Hopper was selling about 50-60 Warmblood horses every year. Horses he has sold have competed at the Olympics, World Championships, and the Pan American Games in all three major disciplines with good results.
“It was always to learn from David,” Lynch recalled, noting that she first joined the business in 2016, fully committed to the mentored experience. She has been managing the business for the past six years, always learning and supporting day-to-day operations.
Lynch’s day-to-day work is to train the horses for competition, amateur or professional. She described their sale horses as the types best suited to the show jumping, hunter, equitation, or eventing dressage equestrian competitions.
“I’ve worked for a lot of good horsemen over the years, but David has a particular kind of genius for what we do,” Lynch said. “He can help a horse learn how to think,” an essential trait in competition.
That gentle temperament and ability to learn are keys to selecting horses, both Hopper and Lynch explained about the acquisition process. Additionally, each horse under consideration is thoroughly radiographed and clinically evaluated by veterinarians before purchase.
“The basics are hard; they are what you need to practice the most,” Lynch said of the patient process of training a horse to compete.
“I care about the horses’ well-being, day to day,” Hopper said, also important to solid training.
“I still enjoy training horses as much as I did when I was a teenager. I’ve been buying and selling horses since I was 16 and living in Lakeville, Connecticut. I’m turning 80 next month,” Hopper said.
Hopper said that he used to have a large operation, selling 60 to 100 horses each year. Now his horses number six or seven being trained at any one time, and he sells about 20 to 30 horses annually. He spoke about diminishing returns when there are too many horses to be tended to.
Hopper said, “It’s important to maximize the profit.” “We are looking to stay small and have a good crew.” The business presently has three staff members.
He will often buy horses as foals and have them shipped to the U.S. when they are grown, Hopper said. When they are young, they are more affordable, although untrained. It can cost as much as $8,000 to transport a horse by air to the U.S., he noted.
AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.
Ready for her first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School, Liliana Cawley, 7, would soon join her second grade class, but first she posed for a photo to mark the occasion.Photo by Leila Hawken
AMENIA — While the courage and perseverance of Revolutionary era patriots is well understood and celebrated, the stories of the fate of British loyalists in New York are not as clear.
Seen as the initial event in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Amenia Historical Society will present a talk titled, “The Plight of a Loyalist in Revolutionary New York,” examining the journal of Cadwallader Colden, Jr., spanning the period of 1777-1779. The speaker will be noted author, genealogist and historian Jay Campbell.
The talk is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Smithfield Presbyterian Church in Amenia. The handicapped-accessible church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road. Refreshments will be served.
Colden was the son of a New York Lieutenant Governor. He was a surveyor, farmer and mercantilist, serving as a judge in Ulster County. His fortunes changed dramatically with the dawn of the Revolutionary War when he remained loyal to the British Crown. His arrest came in 1776, just before the start of his journal.
Campbell is a historian specializing in Hudson Valley history, and the regional stories of Revolutionary era families.
Erin Rollins of Millbrook in the Fashion Feed booth, open year round, at the Millbrook Antiques Mall. All proceeds from Fashion Feeds go to the Food of Life Pantry. As an interior designer by trade, Rollins designed this booth to evoke a high-end department store to align with the designer brands she carries.
MILLERTON — The Townscape 50/50 raffle drawing has collected a pot of more than $7,000.
That raffle drawing will take place this Saturday at 2 p.m. in Veteran’s Park. The moment is not just about picking a winner, but also about reflecting on how far Townscape has come since its humble beginnings in 1998, when founder Catherine Fenn — alongside Renee Vollen and Jan Gilmor — first set out to beautify her beloved village.
Fenn’s connection to Millerton runs deep. “I moved here from the Bronx when I was eight years old and fell in love with the place, even as a child,” she recalled, remembering camping trips at Rudd Pond and enjoying the quiet pace of life.
At 15, her family relocated to southern Connecticut. “My dad didn’t think there was much here for us, so we moved. I left kicking and screaming, literally, and I said, ‘Someday I’m coming back.’”
Years later, after marrying, divorcing, and raising children, Fenn kept that promise. She returned to Millerton and married a childhood friend who was very involved in the fire department. After his passing, Fenn threw herself into her own way of giving back.
“I care about this village deeply. Townscape is my way of helping Millerton be the best it can be,” she said.
What began as an informal effort to gather volunteers and plant flowers eventually blossomed into something larger. “We started with flowers up and down Main Street — barrels of them everywhere. Then it grew into benches, tables, trees and even events. It was such a fun world, a really wonderful organization with so many people involved.”
Fenn’s service to the community extends beyond beautification. She spent roughly two decades on the Planning Board, served as Town Supervisor and worked with the county housing authority. Still, her passion for flowers, trees and landscapes has left the most visible mark on Millerton — shaping not only how the village looks, but how it feels.
In 2006, Townscape became a nonprofit organization. But beautification, Fenn admits, isn’t always the easiest cause to fund. “We’re just putting flowers out — and I shouldn’t say ‘just,’ because to me it’s really important. The trees, the benches, all of it matters. But it’s not high on most people’s list when they think about charitable donations. Still, people have been wonderfully generous over the years.”
This Saturday’s raffle drawing is one way neighbors can show their support. The winner does not have to be present to claim the prize, but those who stop by can enjoy cookies, lemonade and artwork by local creators on display in the park.
MILLBROOK — Local crows should prepare to become highly spooked as planners of Millbrook Community Day, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20, have announced that a Scarecrow Contest will be part of the festivities.
Residents are invited to get creative and devise their own renditions of a scarecrow from traditional to whatever imagination might come up with.
Judging criteria will include creativity, including originality, new ideas, or perhaps whether the scarecrow tells a story. Design criteria include the creator’s technique, materials — recycled materials are emphatically a plus — and durability.
Rules include that scarecrows be free-standing, able to stand on their own or with minimal support. No scarecrow can be store-bought. Entries must be able to fit within a 6 x 6 foot space once assembled. A stand is available upon request. Scarecrows must be non-political, family friendly, and in a good-natured spirit.
Entrants are responsible for set-up, scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m. on Sept. 20, location to be assigned the week before. Judging will begin at 1 p.m. Winners will be announced at 2 p.m.
For more information and to register to participate, email mba@millbrooknewyork.com or go to www.millbrooknewyork.com/community-day-2025
