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54 FA L L 2 014 U N TAC K E D T he uninitiated clustered four and five deep along wooden sawhorses lining the makeshift show ring. ey stood on tiptoes, children on shoulders, to catch a glimpse of the illustrious riders and famous horses soaring over jumps. e skyline of Manhattan stood in crisp contrast to Central Park's Sheep Meadow, where the last brightly colored autumn leaves clung to the trees. Bill Steinkraus, the five-time Olympian and the 1968 individual gold medalist in show jumping, had been recruited to provide commentary. He stood smiling, microphone in hand, with "e Voice of the National," renowned announcer and trainer Victor Hugo-Vidal. en-captain of the U.S. Equestrian Team Frank Chapot piloted the dappled gray Good News Joe around the course as his wife, Mary, and their young daughters, Laura and Wendy, laughed and watched. Nearby Rod- ney Jenkins warmed up Shazzar, the mount he borrowed from Mary for the occasion, while 19-year-old Buddy Brown, the youngest member of the U.S. Equestrian Team, awaited his turn atop the famous Sandsablaze. Ted Cushny, the last National Horse Show president (after his tenure the show would be run by the show commit- tee chairman), wandered about, delighted by the large crowd. Held for two years (1973 and 1974), the Central Park Mini-Show was the inspiration of public relations maverick Barbara Stone Halpern to promote the vener- able, then-90-year-old National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden. Moving from the dark, cavernous Garden and into the vivid outdoors, the public demonstration highlighted some of the most accomplished riders in the world and marked, surprisingly, the first ever horse show of its kind held in Central Park. It was repeated one time in 1981 on the Great Lawn (also as a preview for the NHS), but in the three decades since, Central Park never again wel- comed the top horsemen in the country, nor has it ever hosted a standalone, high performance event. Until now. COVER STORY

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