ISO: Advice from Eventers in NYC

[JRS1412]

Hi all,

I will be starting a job in Midtown in the fall and am looking for advice on balancing being an equestrian and horse owner with working a very demanding job in the city. Honestly, I got kind of freaked out about not having time to ride and would love to hear how other people manage it. I understand that I will likely need to either have or rent a car, and will likely only be able to make it to the barn twice a week, if that. Any other specific advice on getting around or where to live is appreciated (considering Hoboken rn).

Additionally would love some recommendations on eventing barns and trainers that are reasonably close (less than 90min one way). I have the Paynes in NJ at the top of my list right now but would love other names to consider. I am hoping to eventually bring my gelding but I want to make sure the barn is a good fit first so no rush to get him in anywhere. Hoping not to spend more than 3k/month all in.

Finally, I have experienced a lot of different riding cultures (Midwest, West, and West Coast) and am curious what the culture is like out east. I know it’s a broad question, but if anyone else came to it from somewhere else - what were some things that surprised you or stuck out as unique to the area?

Thanks so much!

[alyssaequestrian]

Not a NYC eventer, but check out Meg Kepferle! Not super close to NYC, but maybe an hour and half?

It’s just Holly Payne in NJ still. I think those might be the two closest. Most others are out in the Philadelphia area!

[FitToBeTied]

Booli Selmayr is in Millbrook which is about 1.5 hours north of the city.

I havn’t lived in NJ for a while but I believe there are still a number of stables out by Morristown NJ and down by Colts Neck.

I would think USEA might have some kind of listing of eventers by area.

[evtrmom]

Welcome to the right coast lol. Booli is wonderful, and if you can attend Millbrook HT the end of July that might give you some insight into folks close to that area and who they might train with. I’m one of the Unionville, PA folks so can’t speak to NYC specifically, but know that many trainers do winter south, Booli included.
The Horse Park of NJ has awesome footing and many events during the year. There’s a HT there this weekend if you are around.
Good luck!
Diana

[JRS1412]

Thank you, I’ll check her out!

[JRS1412]

Yeah, I think I found a list, and maybe I was looking in the wrong place, but it seemed a little out of date. I also think hearing from people first hand is super helpful, thank you!

[JRS1412]

Thanks so much for the leads!

[Tha_Ridge]

Not an eventer, but a long-time NYC equestrian and can definitely share thoughts on commute and other various aspects of city horse-keeping. I will say that Chelsea Nix of Penwick Sporthorses runs a very lovely program and has a lot of city riders. I think she’s in Newton. Also, Sarah Stinneford is another I’ve heard good things about!

[tbchick84]

There are good places for eventing up in Westchester/Putnam/Duchess County NY (depending on how far you want to go). If you drive, you can get from NYC to Millbrook in 90 minutes taking I-684 WITHOUT TRAFFIC. Note, that never happens…ever. There is, however, a good commuter train line that goes up that same route. Metro North Harlem line. Pretty much any stop along that line is going to put you within a few miles of a good facility. It terminates in Brewster North which is about a 20 minute drive up to Millbrook. If you end up living in Hoboken, it would complicate things a bit. You’d have to take one train/bus to Port Authority, shuttle over to Grand Central, where you’d pick up the Harlem line. If you plan to go to the barn from Midtown, it’s much easier since Grand Central is right there. I live way the hell up in CT and work in NYC. There aren’t many eventing barns in CT with easy access to CT, so upstate NY sounds like your best bet.