United States Eventing Association

Stone Gate Farm Horse Trials, located in Hanoverton, Ohio, announced they would cancel their fall horse trials, which were scheduled for Sept. 23-24. Jackie Smith, who organizes the event with her husband Dave Smith, released the following statement:

"To competitors, coaches, volunteers, and all lovers of the sport of eventing,

Dave and I have been developing Stone Gate Farm for close to 40 years, and we so enjoy sharing our farm with all of you. We take great pleasure in providing the opportunity for riders to hone their skills and develop their partnership with their horses in a family friendly and affordable environment. However, we decided that due to the amount of time and work, not to mention the stress and frustration of getting the volunteers needed to run a quality competition, we need to scale back. It is time to take a little off our plate so we have more time to do the things we would like to do and be able to enjoy our farm in a more relaxed manner.

We have decided that the fall recognized horse trials was the one to cancel as in recent years it has struggled for entries and now, we’re struggling even more for volunteers not to mention the recognized events are more challenging and more expensive to run. We are making this decision now so competitors will be able to adjust their plans and so I don’t change my mind. We will be moving the Jumper Show and the Hunter Pace to this date, September 23-24. The Jumper Derby, which includes a cross-country portion will be making a return to the Jumper Show.

We are still planning on holding the two scheduled Mini Trials; however, the July Mini Trials is in question. As of today, we are still in desperate need of volunteers for the June 18 Mini Trials. The July Mini Trials is supposed to open on June 13, but I will not open entries if we don’t have enough volunteers for the June Mini Trials by that date. Additionally, I will only open entries for the July Mini Trials after I have received a minimum of 20 volunteers signed up or we just won’t run.

I understand that everyone has busy lives, and most of you don’t live close but if you don’t want to see any more competitions cancelled you need to volunteer or recruit people to volunteer. I truly appreciate every person who volunteers, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately, we just don’t have enough people to run the competitions. That’s topic for another conversation. But for now, please sign up to volunteer for either or both Mini Trials via VIP (Volunteer Incentive Program).

The future of events at Stone Gate Farm is in your hands."