FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
SIDELINESMAY 2014 59
jumping phase, there will be
a VIP reception honoring the
donors to Fleming Farm and
the team going to France.
Boxes and tailgate spaces
will be available for dressage
and show jumping. The cross-
country will run on Sunday
morning with the awards
ceremony at the end of the
competition.”
Great Meadow has been
a superb facility since its
creation more than 30 years
ago: hosting the Gold Cup
steeplechase races, springand
fall, sanctioned by theNational
SteeplechaseAssociation,with
a full calendar that includes
polo, charity benefit grass
polo matches, show jumping,
wine
festivals,
rocketry
competitions,
cross-country
foot races, the very popular
July Fourth celebration, the
Great Meadow Polo School
and organized trail rides led by
the Great Meadow Foundation
president, a congenial and
entertaining host.
In fact, after Great Meadow
had acquired Fleming Farm,
Rob rode on horseback
through its acres and said,
“The woods in the back of the
farm are beautiful – lots of
hardwood trees — a shaded,
nice, open sylvan setting. It’s
going to be a great facility.
Everyone has been extremely
generous and we’re grateful
to our major donors. Now
the fund-raising begins to
finance the construction of this
world-class eventing facility.
When the work is complete,
we’ll put all the land into
a conservation easement,
protecting and perpetuating
theproperty for equestrianand
sporting purposes for future
generations.”
For more information, visit
GreatMeadow.org.
About the writer: Lauren R. Giannini
is an award-winning writer, specializing
in stories about the equestrian world.
Crazy about horses all her life, she
craves more stable time, especially in
the saddle. Right now, she rides her
beloved MacBook, a genuine work-
pony, and reads voraciously to escape
the everydayworld. Her plans for 2014:
do more teaching and thereby share
her love of books, reading, writing and
telling stories. Big goal: to become a
published author in the not-too-distant
future.
