The Garden State Combined Driving Event (GSCDE) and the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association (ESDCTA) will present the seventh annual Pleasure Ride/Drive and Fall Barbecue to benefit the Horse Park of New Jersey’s maintenance and construction of cross country jumps and hazards. The event will be held Nov. 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Horse Park of New Jersey (Route 524) and the adjacent Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in Upper Freehold Township, rain or shine.
Spectators are welcome to attend at no charge.
Riders (in pairs) and drivers are invited to participate in the “Cross Country Pleasure Pace.” There will be a separate course for riders and drivers. Riders will choose a short course (six to eight miles) or a long course (10 miles). The drivers’ course will be approximately eight miles.
An ideal pleasure time will be set for each course, and the entrants coming closest to the ideal time will win. Riders will choose Family, Junior, or Open division; drivers will choose Horse, Pony, Single or Double division. The exact course distance will be given out upon arrival on show day at the secretary’s office. Fields, wooded trails, hills and dirt roads comprise the course for both riders and drivers. For riders there may be two water crossings.
Starting times for the driver course will be 9 a.m., with the last driver to start at noon. Awards will be presented at 1:30 p.m. The rider long course will start at 8:30 a.m., with the last team leaving at 11 am and the awards at 2:30 p.m.; the rider short course will start at 10:30 a.m., with the last horse to start at 2 p.m. and awards at 4:30 p.m.
An obstacle course will be set up for riders and drivers in the main ring in front of the grandstand. Riders may enter the timed course before or after their “Cross Country Pace.” Riders (competing in pairs) will be joined by each holding a 4-foot piece of surveyor tape. If the tape breaks while on course, elimination occurs. All obstacles are to driven/ridden in either direction. Best time, after penalties incurred, will be added to the elapsed time to determine the winner. Divisions will include drivers and riders.
In addition, an R.S.V.P. barbecue, open to the public, will be served from noon to 2:30 p.m. Music, Vendors (arts, crafts and antiques) will be set up under the pavilion in front of the main ring during dinner to add to the festivities. Reservations are required for the barbecue.
There is no admission charge or parking fees for spectators. For information on fees for riders, drivers, and the barbecue, call the Horse Park of New Jersey, (609) 259-0170 or fax (609) 259-0174; or e-mail [email protected]