Millbrook Horse Trials draw competitors, spectators, excitement

MILLBROOK —  “We’ve had nothing but compliments,” said Louise Meryman, co-founder of the Millbrook Horse Trials (MHT), of the success of the event that ran Thursday, July 27, through Sunday, July 30. The event is important to Millbrook not just for the prestige and the visitors it brings, but, added Meryman: “We hire local workers. Our volunteers and sponsors are all locals, and we couldn’t do it without them.”

The trials didn’t take place in 2020 because of COVID-19. They were back in 2021 for their 20th anniversary, but went dark again in 2022 because of a property dispute.

Although the most important aspects are the trials, the horses and the riders, there were many other events this time around, including the Two-by-Two Petting Zoo, and on Saturday, there was a crafts tent for the youngsters. The Fair-Trade Vendors are always a hit, with a wide variety of leather and horse-related items among them, and on Saturday, there was a pop-up vendor event with about 15 local vendors including Antony Todd, Orangerie, and Creel and Gow.

Food choices and events included a tailgating on Saturday, and there was Simply Gourmet, Cider Brothers Roadhouse, the Fizzy Filly, Pizza Vitale and Poke Motin. For early arrivals, a barbecue chicken dinner could be purchased on Thursday night. On Friday night, Purina and Triple Crown sponsored a Welcome Party, so there were social events as well as riding and shopping.

However, the more than 350 horses, approximately 250 riders, and around several thousand spectators are there for the competitions, the cross country, the dressage, and the stadium jumps.

The competitions that are judged are Dressage, which is the ability of a horse’s athletic training, natural ability and willingness to perform, responding to the riders’ minimal aids. The rider should seem to be effort-free while the horse does its performance per request.

The Cross Country is an obstacle course where horses must gallop through the countryside over fences, walls and hedges, through grass and trees and water. The Waterview is one of the most popular features of MHT.

Stadium jumping features a horse and its rider negotiating a course around a ring beset with obstacles at different heights and different numbers of jumps per event. The object is for the horse to make the jump without knocking any of the bars down.

Although most of the riders are from the United States, there were some from Ireland, the United Kingdom and Canada, as well. The Americans were from Florida, the Carolinas, Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania other areas of New York, and several other states.

There are so many events and so many riders that all of the winners can’t be named. Sharon White of Last Frontier Farm in Summit Point, West Virginia, and her Holsteiner gelding Claus 65, 11 years old, took the Advanced Win. Will Faudree of Southern Pines, North Carolina, took second place with Mama’s Magic Way, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding, and third place with Pfun, a 16-year-old Irish gelding, both horses owned by Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Stables.

Ariel Grald of Vass, North Carolina, won the Intermediate A Division riding Forrest Gump. Allsion Springer of Aiken, South Carolina, won the Intermediate B win on No Way Moon.

Some of the sponsors for MHT include YellowFrame Farm, Goldman Sachs Gives, Danbury Porsche and Audi, Taylor Harris Insurance, HW Guernsey at Compass, Bank of Millbrook, Purina, Triple Crown, Millbrook Equine Veterinary Services and Millerton Agway. MHT is also sponsored by families, farms and individual patrons. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

In between events, riders and horses explore the field at Coole Park Farm, 1031 Bangall-Amenia Road, where the 2023 Millbrook Horse Trials were held Thursday, July 27 through Sunday, July 30. Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe

The Waterview jump, part of the Millbrook Horse Trials’ Cross Country event on Friday, July 28, at Coole Park Farm, Amenia. Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe

In between events, riders and horses explore the field at Coole Park Farm, 1031 Bangall-Amenia Road, where the 2023 Millbrook Horse Trials were held Thursday, July 27 through Sunday, July 30. Photo by Judith O’Hara Balfe