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.
PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains FFA Ag Fair brought a crowd to the high school on Church Street Saturday, Oct. 11.
Kicking off the day was the annual tractor pull, attracting a dedicated crowd that sat in bleachers and folding chairs for hours watching Allison-Chalmers, International Harvesters and John Deeres compete to pull the heaviest weights.
A large collection of food was on offer from the Pine Plains FFA and each one of the classes in the Pine Plains Central School District. The football team was selling pickles.
Stissing Mountain High School Principal Christopher Boyd enjoyed a dip in the dunk tank to raise money for the Pine Plains teachers’ union-sponsored scholarship.
Stissing Mountain High School Principal Christopher Boyd got dunked several times during his half-hour shift in the dunk tank. Proceeds from the throws benefitted the Photo by Nathan Miller
MILLERTON — Ten candidates for office in the Nov. 4 election will answer questions from Dutchess County voters at a candidate forum on Friday, Oct. 24, at the Annex at the NorthEast-Millerton Library located at 28 Century Blvd.
The forum, which is sponsored by the library, will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Candidates for local and county offices will answer questions from residents in attendance or from residents who have submitted questions in advance.
“We’re excited to keep the tradition of the candidate forum going,” said Rhiannon Leo-Jameson, director of the library. “Some years we can’t always get candidates together.”
This year’s forum will include:
Rachele Grieco Cole, a democrat, and Chris Mayville, a republican, who both are running uncontested for the North East Town Council;
Casey McCabe, a democrat, also running uncontested for North East Justice.
Among Dutchess County races:
Tracy MacKenzie, who is endorsed by Republicans and Democrats,is running uncontested for Dutchess County Family Court Judge;
Kara Gerry, a democrat, and Ned McLoughlin, a republican, are in a contest for a Dutchess County Court judgeship currently held by McLoughlin.
Chris Drago, D-19, and Tonya Pulver, a republican, are competing to represent Dutchess County’s19th District seat currently held by Drago.
Democratic incumbent Dan Aymar-Blair and Will Truitt, the republican chair of the county legislature, are competing for the Dutchess County Comptroller position currently held by Aymar-Blair.
Leo-Jameson is encouraging questions for the candidates to be submitted in advance, which will not be revealed to candidates beforehand. Dutchess County residents may pose questions during the forum. To submit a question on the library’s website, go to the calendar at nemillertonlibrary.org and find the link in the Oct. 24calendar entries.
The format calls for opening statements from the candidates, followed by questions from residents, and candidates will be able to stay after the forum to answer questions personally.
The “Elusive Ki Shusui” koi were temporarily relocated into a tub before being returned to their home pond at Maxine Pietro’s annual koi harvest at Broccoli Hall Farm in Amenia on Friday, Oct. 10. Speaking of their yellowish beauty, Pietro is pictured pointing out that the fish are scaleless but for scales that grow along the “zipper” on each fish’s dorsal ridge. The koi in the photo are estimated to be 6 or 7 years old.
The North East Community Center's Early Learning Program uses the research-based Creative Curriculum, which features a flexible, play-based approach with lots of time outdoors.
MILLERTON — In its third year, the North East Community Center’s Early Learning Program has become a vibrant, nurturing space for children and an invaluable resource for families in Dutchess County, an area identified as a child care desert by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. There are openings in both the toddler and preschool rooms for children ages 18 months to five years.
The ELP follows what’s known as the Creative Curriculum, a research-based early childhood program that builds confidence, creativity and critical thinking through hands-on, project-based learning.
“Kids are natural explorers,” said Emily Redmond, Early Childhood Programs Director. “Oftentimes, they tell us what they need to learn, so we leave plenty of room to follow the child.”
Before joining NECC, Redmond spent 13 years at Washington Montessori School in Connecticut, working in both classroom and administrative roles.
She explained that the Creative Curriculum allows teachers to stay flexible and build on children’s natural curiosity. For instance, worms appearing on the playground after a rainstorm can spark endless questions, leading to unexpected learning opportunities in math, science and beyond.
Redmond noted that children in the ELP practice pre-writing skills, work with small manipulatives to build fine motor skills, immerse themselves in nature and hone social-emotional skills. All the while, NECC’s team of educators understand that play is central to early childhood development.
One thing that sets the ELP apart from other child care programs, Redmond said, is “the mythical Chef Lenny.” Lenny Sutton, NECC’s longtime food service coordinator, prepares multiple meals and snacks for the kids each day in the on-site commercial kitchen, often using locally sourced ingredients. Known for his colorful aprons and bubbly personality, he has even been spotted in the classroom playing a few songs on the guitar.
So beloved is Chef Lenny that some students incorporate his role into their own play at home, pretending to cook and serve just like him. “Not many child care programs have an on-site chef to prepare daily meals,” laughed Redmond.
The only thing more colorful or bubbly than Chef Lenny is the new classroom fish tank, a favorite feature that provides both a calming presence and learning opportunities. A lively mix of fish adds to the ambiance, including several types of goldfish, a student-favorite pictus catfish, one powder blue gourami, a halfmoon blue betta, two dalmatian mollies and more.
The ELP is fully licensed by New York State, allowing NECC to accept state subsidies and help families access financial assistance.
“We truly value all forms of diversity, including socioeconomic diversity, and as a hallmark of NECC’s mission we strive to eliminate barriers to accessing quality education,” said Redmond, noting that the organization’s Family Programs department can provide support throughout the application process, including bilingual assistance.
NECC’s Early Learning Program is a New York Office of Children and Family Services-licensed day care center located at 11 Park Street in Millerton. Contact emily@neccmillerton.org for more information.
