On the Road with Equus Now! The 2015 New Albany Classic

The latest stop for the Equus Now!  mobile rig was at the New Albany Classic.  This is a show like no other! Every year, we are so thrilled and honored to be the ONLY mobile unit at this event, which raises so much for the Columbus Center for Family Safety and Healing. We enjoyed seeing our regular customers and welcomed so many new ones who not only came to shop, but also came to learn more about this sport that we love so much. And it was also a wonderful feeling to be able to donate one hundred percent of our proceeds to the Center for Family Safety and Healing. So, a big thank you goes out to everyone who made a purchase – you all made a difference!

This year, the Classic started out for us on Saturday with a fabulous reception at the store welcoming Meg Banks, a famous blogger who was here to cover the Classic. Meg came right off the plane from Florida to Equus Now!, and from 4 – 5:30, our guests all had a chance to meet Meg and have their picture taken with her or get an autograph. Bucky, the New Albany Classic mascot was there for photo opportunities, AND local New Albany Classic 2015 riders Ali Wolff and Andre Mershad showed up and were available for photos and to talk about their success stories. 2014 local New Albany Classic rider Gabriella Mershad also came to join in on the festivities. The store was packed and there was a line to meet Meg, who was so gracious to everyone. There was food and drink, and lots of pictures taken! We gave out goodie bags with lots of great stuff in them to the first 100 customers and they went fast. There were 20 New Albany Classic general admission tickets given away. The biggest give away of all was 2 VIP passes to the Classic. At the end of the night we did the drawing and the lucky winner was Fin Mueller! Fin and his family were new customers to the store, so what an exciting opportunity for them! Congratulations Fin! What a great way to end the party! It was certainly a lovely event and a great opportunity to meet Meg Banks.  Even Gracie got a picture with Meg!

Be sure to follow Meg for the latest updates on the A circuit on  Instagram (MEG_AT), Facebook (followmegat), and Twitter (@meg_at_). Plus,  check out her blog!

But wait….. There’s more!!

After a wonderful pre show reception with Meg Banks as our guest of honor, the mood was set to continue on with the main event the New Albany Classic. The mobile rig, chock full of stuffed ponies, puppies, and of course, Breyers, was moved to the Classic the Friday before the event and set up in the perfect spot. How cool is it to be right next to Jurassic Park and the High Walk!

On the morning of the Classic, we quickly went to work organizing everything to get ready for the crowds. The awning was pulled out and quickly began to resemble a carnival with all of the stuffed animals clipped to it.

We also had Breyers galore, which filled up three tables outside and several shelves inside. The weather was perfect, with a slight chill in the air, but we were prepared with new Fall sportswear from Ariat and Noble Outfitters.

But this day wasn’t about new sportswear, it was about families. There were enough happy faces around to last a lifetime! And that’s why the New Albany Classic is not just another horse show – it’s a family event, from which 100% of all proceeds are donated to the Center For Family Safety and Healing. From the concert, to the rides, to the food trucks, and of course, to the horses, there was something for everyone to enjoy.  There were kids with their faces painted like their favorite animal or super hero. There were zip line rides, petting zoos, incredible food trucks, and some of the most talented horses and riders in the world. It was a great day indeed!

The 125,000 Invitational Grand Prix was like no other. Close to thirty horse and rider teams competed for the Authentic Cup, named in honor of Abigail Wexner’s brilliant jumper, who had been retired at the New Albany Classic just a few years ago. The course, as always, was strategically designed and set on a well manicured grass field in a stadium like setting.  The seats were filled with eager spectators for the main event. Two of Central Ohio’s own competed this year, Ali Wolff and Andre Mershad, both from New Albany. Ali, in her third Classic, and her horse Casall were fresh off of an exciting second place finish in the Welcome Classic at the Gold Cup. Andre and his horse Man and Black, in his first Classic, made history by being the youngest rider ever to compete in the Invitational.  David Beisel of Goshen, Ohio, who is well known in the Columbus area, also competed on Harlow Investment Enterprises LLC’s  Call Me Hannes. All riders rode very well, but in the end, it was between Beezie Madden and Breitling LS and Irishman Conor Swail and his horse Simba De La Roque who finished with in seconds of each other.  Swail bested Madden’s time over the eight jump course by a thrilling one second to win the Authentic Cup for the Irish for the second year in a row. Congratulations Conor Swail and Simba De La Roque on winning the 18th annual New Albany Classic!

The day ended with a mad rush for the last stuffed ponies and Breyer horses that we had left. As we packed up, we all talked about what a great day we had had. We were honored to be a part of this wonderful day for a wonderful cause. Special thanks go out to the Equus Now! New Albany Classic Team who volunteered their time- Julia Bowen, Kitty Amorose, Arielle Smith, Brian Wolfe, Jamie Barkhau,(who also volunteered her truck), and Rosemary Staeck. You all rock! Thanks also go out to Lisa Hinson and the team at Hinson Limited Public Relations for making the weekend run so smoothly. We don’t know how you do it! And to Abigail Wexner, whose vision and compassion for others that has turned into this spectacular event, we thank you.

The Equus Now! Mobile rig made its next stop at Equivents at Far and Away Farm, September 25-27. Gracie was working at Equivents. She wasn’t at the New Albany Classic because she was up way past her bedtime the night before! (A Princess always needs her beauty sleep!) Stay tuned for more blog posts! Until then, get out, get on, and go horse show!!

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Check out our FACEBOOK page for more photos from the Pre Show Party and the New Albany Classic!

On the Road with Equus Now! Delaware Labor Day Classic – (9/4/15 – 9/5/15)

The latest stop for the  Equus Now! Mobile rig was the Showtime Series at Delaware Labor Day Classic. The rig was loaded up with new Fall merchandise from Joules, Asmar Equestrian, Ariat, and Noble Outfitters.  Even though it was one of the hottest weekends of the year, it was all very popular.  We started the show on Friday with Hunter Breeding. It was wonderful to see all the future champions as they went through each class.  We had a visitor from Tennessee come all the way to Central Ohio to show case his beautiful horse.  Brandon L. Gibson and Aqua Point went back home with the honors of Best Young Horse! Congratulations Brandon!  We hope we see you again soon!

As the day went on, the hot sunny weather suddenly became stormy, typical for Central Ohio.  The show had ended for the day, but, the rain started just in time for schooling.  Gracie and I were stuck in the rig for about 45 minutes and I heard that there were some who started schooling at 8:00!  Now that is dedication!

By Saturday, the rain had stopped, but the humidity was up.  Everyone had great attitudes as they went about the show.  The judge had very kindly waived hunt coats for the rest of the day.  Through out the day we saw lots of winners and had lots of fun.  The rig became a play ground for lots and lots of kids, which was so much fun!  We had a pool, which was intended for Gracie and her friends to play in, but I think it was more wishful thinking on my part. Try as I may, I will never get Gracie to like the water!  Instead, it became a kiddy pool, and at one point I was even seen taking a partial dip!  We had lots of fun with bubbles, with Jackson and June leading the bubble parade!   We also gave away four tickets to the New Albany Classic which were generously donated by Hinson Public Relations.  They were won by Jordan Koenig.  Congratulations to Jordan!

There was an awesome Silent Auction, from which all proceeds went to the Stephanie Spielman Cancer Fund for breast cancer research.  Thank you to all of those who donated so many great items.  Your generosity helped to raise more funds for research to find a cure for breast cancer.  On Saturday, Nira Pullien, from OSU brought the Mobile Mammography Unit to the show and gave educational guided tours of the state of the art facility.  If you didn’t get a chance to see it, make sure you do. It’s amazing.

We saw some milestones reached at this show.  Marilyn Ransom, who has been showing lightly this summer, was Reserve Champion in Intermediate Adult Hunter Division aboard Street Magic.  Great job Marilyn!  Lisby Roberson has been working hard with her horse Skippin’ Chruch and it has paid off as she was Champion in the Low Thoroughbred Hunters.  Way to go Lisby!  Jenna Rieder has also been putting in some serious mileage over the summer which has paid off! She was Champion in the Intermediate Adult Equitation Division!   Yay Jenna!!!!  June Hunkins and Blackie showed that they are rising stars in the show ring by winning the Lead Line class.  We’ll be keeping an eye on June as she makes her way up the ranks!  Mica Rose Frank did very well as she moved from a pony to a horse.  We wish her well with her new team mate, Alligator Rose!

The main event of the show was the Ride For The Ribbon Classic.  One hundred percent of the entry fees went to the Stephanie Spielman Cancer Fund, in honor of Stephanie Spielman, who lost her battle with breast cancer. Before the Classic, we were treated to a tasty Italian dinner thanks to Carl and Judy and The Warehouse Italian Dinners.  If anyone wants the recipe for the meatballs, be sure to see Carl.  They were very good!  There were thirty eight entries in total and the competition was fierce.  Lisa Schaffner and Social Register rode in their first ever hunter derby and got great scores.  Great job Lisa, you should be proud of yourself!  Riders competed at three different height levels. They were scored on their first round, and if the score was high enough, they were invited back to do a handy round. The highest combination of the two scores for the entire class was the winner. This year’s winner of the Ride For The Ribbon Classic was Sarah Santisi and her lovely horse Jackson. Great job Sarah!  Following closely behind Sarah was Charlotte Clark and Rio’s Jubilee.  Well done Charlotte! At the end of the evening, once again, we were treated to the “Neigh, Neigh Dance”, by Jaxon Arthurs and Katie Rankin.  This is becoming a wonderful tradition at Showtime, indeed!   Thank you to all who participated in the Classic.  You are all champions riding for a great cause!

Thank you Carl, Judy, Chris, Maureen and the entire Showtime staff for putting on yet another successful show.  Thanks also go out to Stealaway Inc. and Angela Moore for sponsoring the lovely breakfast on Sunday, always a nice treat at Showtime.

And last but never least, thank all of you who attended this show.  You are the reason we love this sport and what we do.  You are all champions!

The next stop for the Equus Now! Mobile rig was the New Albany Classic.  Stay tuned very soon for the Blog Post! Until then, get out, get on, and go horseshow!

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SPOTLIGHT TRAINER- Maureen Fagan

How old were you when you first became involved with horses?

When i was five years old my parents bought a farm in Dublin to retire their standardbred race horse. My first experience was at the race track, Scioto Downs to be exact.

What discipline do you find the most interesting besides your own specialty?

I have always had an interest in reining horses.  I always thought it was cool.

What is your favorite place to travel to?

My favorite place to vacation is Tennessee.  I vacation to Florida every October with my four sisters and my mother. I don’t get to go enough but I love traveling to Italy and Ireland.

What jobs have you held besides training horses?

I was an animal trainer at the Columbus Zoo for 12 years. I spent most of my time with gorillas and bonobos.

Favorite Local Restaurant:  Bravo

Favorite Movie:  Legends of the Fall

What are you Reading Right now?

I am reading currently: Switch-How To Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath and The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon and The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel

Favorite REALITY TV show?

I don’t watch any reality shows but I just finished watching The Affair series, The Missing series, 2 seasons of Orange Is The New Black and Downton Abbey 5th season. I routinely watch Ray Donavan and Masters Of Sex.

If you were trapped on a deserted island with 1 person (excluding family) – Who would it be?

Probably Cheri Bregel!

Thoughts about Equus Now!

“I love shopping at Equus Now! because I always feel like the red carpet is rolled out for me every time I visit. Kitty and Jen always take fantastic care of me along with everyone else that works there”

Maureen Fagan is the owner & Trainer at Limerick Lane Farm in Hilliard Ohio. Limerick Lane, situated on 20 scenic acres, is a beautiful state of the art Hunter/Jumper Facility which houses 30 horses.  She has been showing and training hunters in the Ohio area for most of her life. Her Students have gone on to win many Year End Awards in the Tri State and Ohio Hunter Jumper Associations as well as the Kentucky Hunter Jumper Association.