Whitefield Farm Home to World champion Friesian Horse

Horses and riders participating in the Friesian Events Association Trail Ride in Whitefield, Maine, Oct. 19. (Photo courtesy Jennifer Grady)

Rhoherrin, a Friesian horse, traveled from Acorn Hill Farm in Whitefield to the Friesian World Championship Horse Show in Lexington, Va. the first week of October.

“He won the first level dressage category, and the dressage hack category,” owner Jennifer Grady said.

Dressage is the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance. Dressage hack is a class where the manners and quality of the horse are judged, Grady said.

“Rhoherrin won the two titles this year, and two titles in 2011 as well,” Grady said.

Rhoherrin occasionally competes in dressage shows and Friesian shows in New England, though he is not just a competition horse.

“He does a bit of everything. My friend rode him in our recent Friesian Events Association Trail Ride fundraiser,” Grady said.

A 9-year-old Friesian, Rhoherrin was born and raised at the Acorn Hill Farm, a multi-faceted equestrian facility offering training and instruction in dressage, hunter, western, and natural horsemanship, Grady said.

“I have over 30 years of experience in training all types of horses and in multiple disciplines. I train horses and their riders to have a better understanding of the aids necessary to be effective partners,” Grady said.

Whitefield Farm Hosts Trail Ride

The Friesian Events Association is a group of Friesian horse owners and friends who organize and host various types of equestrian events to raise funds to help the horse community in times of need.

“We had 63 horses looping through our trails and dirt roads in Whitefield,” Jennifer Grady said.

Each horse had one rider at a time, but some younger riders switched with their parents. “There were at least 80 people here,” Grady said.

The trails and roads held many different obstacles, and the horses and riders were judged on how well they negotiated the obstacles, Grady said.

The riders were all from Maine, though some were from as far away as Bethel and Columbia Falls, Grady said.

Three of the six judges of the event were from out of state. “One was from Massachusetts, while two were from Connecticut,” Grady said.

“There was a $25 fee to participate, but the entirety of funds went for donations for horse people in time of need,” Grady said.

After the riders returned from the trails, awards were presented to the winners. The categories were adult, youth, over 50, novice, and vintage horse (over 20 years old).

“The two youth divisions were won by Lincoln county residents. Taryn Crummett, of Newcastle, was the high score rider for the under 12 years division; Crystal Miller, of Bristol, was the high score rider for the 12 to 18 years division,” Grady said.

The Friesian Events Association is planning on having three separate trail rides next year – one each in August, September, and October. “October’s will be the grand finale with awards and a big barbecue. We are looking forward to it,” Grady said.