United States Eventing Association

Far Hills, N.J.—June 1—The Essex Horse Trials returned to Moorland Farm with a new format this year and was met with big smiles and positive reviews. Olympic judge, competitor, and trainer Marilyn Payne, based in Califon, New Jersey, stepped in as the event organizer in January. She opted to run Essex as a one-day competition, focusing on the lower levels from Starter through Preliminary, and the change proved to be a resounding success. In the Open Preliminary division, Nicholas Hansen and Mr. Max, an 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Marsha Nahra, climbed the leaderboard to take the win with just a bit of time added on cross-country.

Jenna Levesque took top honors in the Preliminary Rider division aboard her own Born Ready, a 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. The pair also earned the Thoroughbred Incentive Program (TIP) award. “This is my first time here, and it’s a great event!” she shared.

A familiar face at Essex, Ryan Wood rode The Optimist to win the Open Training division, also placing third on Cooley Versace. Both horses are owned by his wife, Lillian Heard Wood. “The courses were nice—enough to do without being too much—so it was a good day,” Ryan said.

Second place in the Open Training went to Holly Payne Caravella, Payne's daughter, riding Quality Time, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Laura Fazio. Caravella appreciated the new one-day format and said of her mother, “she’s so calm—you would never know yesterday that she had a big event to organize today.” The day’s smallest division delivered the biggest smiles: the inaugural Starter division hosted nearly 30 riders. Olivia Hicok and Huckleberry won Starter A, while Karli Pinkowsky and Juneaux took top honors in Starter B.

“I’ve always dreamed of riding at Essex,” said Pinkowsky. “I’ve been a spectator for the past seven years, and it was never accessible to me as a lower-level competitor. When they announced the Starter division, I was thrilled! Juneaux is a great partner, and it was important to me to show my son that it’s never too late to chase your dreams.”

Two special awards were presented during the event:

• The Jean and Elliott Haller Perpetual Trophy for Horsemanship was awarded to Adelaide Reis, in recognition of outstanding horsemanship and the bond between horse and rider.

• The Golden Nugget Memorial Trophy, donated by Clarissa Wilmerding, was presented for the second year in a row to Olivia Hicok and Huckleberry. This award honors the lowest-scoring Pony Club rider aged 18 or under and celebrates commitment to sportsmanship and the future of eventing.

At the end of the day all you can ask for is a good, safe show said Payne “It was way better than I thought. It was so exciting to see the riders come out and have a fabulous time. The tailgating was packed, and there were hundreds of spectators. It was a total success thanks to the incredible team of committee members and volunteers.”

For final results in all divisions, please visit https://evententries.com. Additional information on the Essex Horse Trials is available at https://www.essexhorsetrials.net. Proceeds of the event benefit the Greater Newark LifeCamp which brings 300 inner city youth to summer day camp in the country in Somerset County for six weeks for an enriching educational experience. For more information on the Greater Newark Life Camp please visit https://greaternewarklifecamp.org.