Horse Show in the Sun (HITS): In Search of the Equestrian
by Elisabeth Straus

Residents and visitors to the Hudson Valley who are animal lovers and are seeking weekend activities might consider something a little different this month and take in the sights at the Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) show grounds in Saugerties. Beginning in May and continuing through September, HITS hosts a series of horse shows that offer enough variety and special events to please anyone. HITS boasts a state of the art equestrian facility including an amphitheater for Grand Prix classes, food concessions and equestrian retail shops.

For horse lovers, attending the Saugerties HITS shows as exhibitors or spectators is a no–brainer. The horses and riders are top notch and the prize money regularly draws Olympic veterans and hopefuls. But why should you go if you’re not a die–hard horse fan? Here are a few great reasons for members of the non–horsey set to become HITS spectators:

For history buffs: Horses and people go way back, beyond the cowboy and indian stage that was the Old West. The ancient tome On Horsemanship, written c. 350 BC by Xenophon, is one of the earliest surviving manuals on horsemanship in the Western world and Xenophon is still cited as a contemporary by many modern day horse trainers. Equestrian sports are rooted in history, going back to the ancient Greeks, who included chariot races in their games, and also have the distinction of being the only Olympic sports in which humans and animals are teammates.

For families: According to Thomas Struzzieri, President, Chief Executive Officer and owner of HITS, “The HITS venue is special place. It’s a great opportunity for families to walk around and watch the entire gamut from beginners to Olympic contenders. Typically we hold special events on weekends, like kids’ day where we offer free pony rides. There are no restrictions, so families can watch the horse show or go to the barns or the schooling rings.” Special family events planned for 2008 are listed below.
For Feminists: Equestrian sport and sailing are the only Olympic sports in which men and women compete against each other. Equestrian sport is also one of the few international sports in which men and women compete on an equal basis.

For the civic–minded: HITS is a benefactor of Family of Woodstock, a nonprofit organization serving Ulster County and the surrounding areas that is dedicated to fighting homelessness, feeding the hungry, ending domestic violence, promoting high quality child care, stopping the spread of AIDS, and educating teenagers about health and social issues. Since 1970, Family’s programs have provided a truly impressive array of social services, including shelters, emergency food pantries, court advocates, counseling, case management services and child care support. Family is partly supported by donations and partly by contracts for services with county, state and federal agencies. Volunteers coordinate parking and collect admissions, and Family keeps 100 percent of the proceeds of the gate from the seven shows.

Michael Berg, Managing Director of Family, explains the beginnings of the HITS/Family of Woodstock synergy by saying, “Tom and Jane Struzzieri were already supporters of Family when I learned that the IBM rec center he was bidding on fell through because of pollution. I called Tom to say that Family had 125 acres of land near where he lived in Saugerties that I thought was good for the project. At the time, he said it was too small, but nine months later, he called me, we walked the land, and shook on the deal at the end of the walk. That was in late 2003.” Berg credits the support from HITS and the Struzzieris with being a huge help to Family, and elaborates: “the income from the Horse Show goes directly to cover Family’s programmatic expenses. Specifically, the monies have been used to help the county–wide hotline and walk–in centers in New Paltz, Woodstock, and Ellenville, our homeless and domestic violence shelters, our adolescent service programs, and the Child Care Council.”

For Adrenaline Addicts: Show jumping is an extreme sport, and watching horse and rider teams race over huge obstacles can be very exciting. In the Grand Prix classes held every Sunday at HITS, jumpers race against the clock while jumping fences up to 5’ 3” high and 6 feet wide over challenging courses of about 16 fences. Riders are trying to “go clean and fast,” because the horse and rider team with the fewest penalties and the fastest time will win the class. A penalty is incurred by knocking down a rail, refusing a fence, or horse or rider falling. Contestants are also penalized for exceeding the maximum time allowed to jump the course.

For Aesthetes: Two major open dressage shows and a major children’s dressage festival utilize the HITS showgrounds. Dressage (French for “training”) is also referred to as “horse ballet” and is in fact performed to music in what is known as “freestyle” competition. Newcomers witnessing a Grand Prix horse perform “Piaffe,” a floating gait performed in place, for the first time will be astonished at the grace and power of these horses. At the HITS hunter/jumper shows, hunters negotiate a course of about eight fences and are judged on their manners, style and way of going. Fences are lower than in the jumper ring and are designed to simulate obstacles that might be encountered in the hunting field, and riders wear traditional garb inspired by foxhunting tradition. Smoothness and appearance are paramount in the hunter ring.

For Entrepreneurs: Struzzieri, an innovator in the horse show industry, began his business career in the 1970s as the owner of Rose View Stables in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he trained hunter and jumper riders and ran local horse shows. He founded HITS in 1982, producing the first HITS horse show circuit in Gainesville, Florida, and has since grown the company nationwide, with horse show venues in New York, California, Virginia, Arizona and Florida.

For Outdoornicks: It all happens on 200 acres in the Catskill Mountains, a beautiful outdoor setting by anyone’s standard. Ten permanent all–weather rings, two of them amphitheaters surrounded by verdant grass berms and native stone walls. The show goes on, rain or shine.