Formality Is In Favor At The Charleston Summer Classic I

Sandy Gregory’s champion first year green hunter also carries her to an amateur-owner tricolor in South Carolina.

Receiving two tricolors at the Charleston Summer Classic I was just a “formality” for Sandy Gregory’s 8-year-old Westphalian gelding. The flashy chestnut has been making it clear all year that he’s one of a kind.

“I tried other horses, but it was really obvious that ‘Fred’ was going to be the best match,” said Gregory.

Formality earned his tricolors in the amateur-owner hunter, 36 and over, division with Gregory and in the first year greens with trainer Terry Brown during the show, held July 8-12 on Johns Island, S.C.

Brown found Formality for Gregory in May of 2008. They’d only just embarked on the search for a competitive amateur-owner prospect for Gregory when they met the 17-hand European import, the first horse they tried.

Knowing that she was taking a big risk, Gregory decided not to purchase him right away. She’d already scheduled a shopping trip to Kentucky and wanted to explore all of her options.

Fortunately, Fred was still on the market when she returned, and he moved to his new home, Brown’s Showcase Limited in Canton, Ga. Brown started showing the 7-year-old in the pre-green division, and Gregory jumped right into the adult amateurs.

“We kept him [in the lower divisions] for six months so that we could get used to him and work on some things before moving him up to the 3'6", but he was great from the get-go,” explained Gregory.

Formality stepped into his role as a 3'6" horse with ease, winning numerous championships in both divisions.

“He’s been super. I don’t know where to start! This has been such a special year,” said Gregory. “He’s a very straightforward horse,” added Brown. “He’s talented, he’s a good jumper, and he’s a good mover. He likes to do his 15 minutes and go out for a nice graze. He’s figured out how to be a good show horse, and we’re delighted with him.”

Currently, Fred is the second-ranked first year green horse in the U.S. Equestrian Federation national standings. He unexpectedly qualified for the Devon Horse Show (Pa.) this year, but Brown and Gregory hadn’t planned on going and found it too difficult to organize a last-minute trip. He’ll show at the East Coast fall indoor shows, and Devon is a definite goal for next year.

“It’s always been a dream of Sandy’s to go to indoors,” said Brown. “This will be her first trip and on such a nice horse.”

Although Gregory is a seasoned and experienced horsewoman, Formality is the first top-class hunter she’s owned. She grew up riding in several different disciplines in New Jersey.

“I was an A Pony Clubber, I foxhunted, and I rode with a local trainer until I was 18,” said Gregory. “I even galloped race horses as a summer job.”

She didn’t begin showing on the A-rated circuit until she became an amateur, when she began riding with Carol Thompson. Gregory took 10 years off from riding to attend medical school and begin her career as a radiation oncologist. She returned to riding as a means to cope with the stress of her job.

“I work with cancer patients every day, and the riding is a really good way to balance my lifestyle,” she said. “I love going to the horse shows and competing; I love the people, the lifestyle, being outdoors and traveling.”