Print
The Connecticut driver improves his record to three-for-three at a Gladstone that has changed over the past 25 years.
The Gladstone Driving Event, once the most prestigious competition of its kind in the United States, marked its 25th anniversary Sept. 20-23 with a no-frills show and a printed program that harkened back to its glory days.
Featuring memorable documentary photos by Ronni Nienstedt and recollections from the people involved in what had been a prestigious, one-of-a-kind competition for this country, the program summoned nostalgia for Gladstone’s history. Under the guidance and sponsorship of former U.S. Equestrian Team Chairman Finn Caspersen, Gladstone would bring over top foreign drivers, such as Tjeerd Velstra and Laszlo Juhasz, immediately raising the standard of what had been a rather low-key sport in the United States.
Spectators would swarm the grounds of Hamilton Farm, the home of the USET in Gladstone, N.J., for the marathon and cones segments. Pine Meadow, a spacious area designed for such events, had its most splendid moments in 1993, when it was the scene of the highly successful World Pairs Championships attended by Prince Phillip of Great Britain, a champion and pioneer of combined driving.
A turning point for Gladstone was the cancellation of the planned World Singles Championships in 2000 at Pine Meadow, because of a West Nile virus outbreak and the resulting concern about a long quarantine for horses going back to Europe. Things were never the same again.
The death of Gladstone Equestrian Association Competition Committee Chair-man George Hoffman in 2001 was another blow. After Caspersen moved on from the horse world a few years later, Gladstone
found itself struggling to raise the funds and volunteers necessary for continuing the competition.
A small but dedicated group continues working hard to ensure that the show does go on. The marathon hazards and officials are still top-notch, but the fancy touches and spectators, for the most part, are gone. Gladstone has become a competitors’ show, though it attracted only 45 entries this year.
Richard Nicoll, Gladstone’s course designer who has been tapped as the director of the driving competition for the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games, noted part of the problem is that there are many more combined driving events—all vying for entries—than there used to be.
Only one four-in-hand driver, Jimmy Fairclough, appeared at Gladstone, where he went to qualify some horses for the 2008 World Championships. A new show at the Kentucky Horse Park, the Lexington Combined Driving Classic, was set for early October, while the Fair Hill International (Md.), a month after Gladstone, was scheduled to hold the rest of the national championships.
Bethesda After Dark Shines
Scott Monroe, an arborist from Connecti-cut who will be shooting for his third national FEI single horse title at Fair Hill, got some of the kinks out of his program at Gladstone.
He finished third and last in dressage after going off course with Bethesda After Dark, his black Morgan better known as Shadow.
“I turned the corner, and the screen in my head went blank,” said Monroe. “Once I make any mistake, I don’t allow myself to do it again.”
