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"I remember going there, but that's about it! at's awful, isn't it?" he said. "You're on a horse in the middle of New York City in Central Park! Maybe we should for- get some horse shows, but not that." But those hazy recollections by riders are just fine by Halpern, whose objective was not to create a memo- rable or financial opportunity for the participants, but to expose equestrian sport to a wider audience—a goal that's as relevant today as it was back then. "I spent a large part of my childhood visiting New York City, so it was particularly thrilling to have an opportunity to exhibit a quality show horse right in that same milieu, with the skyscrapers in the background," she said. "Besides promoting the Garden in the media, the Mini-Show brought recognition of fine horseman- ship to the many cyclists, joggers and nannies with baby carriages frequenting the park that day. Quite a few chance spectators made their way to Madison Square Garden to watch." When e National Was e Garden Today the juxtaposition of horses and New York City is such an anachronistic marvel that it's easy to forget the integration of their histories. Long before subways rumbled beneath the streets and impatient car horns blasted, the clip-clopping of hooves provided the back- ground noise of the city, both as methods of transport and for pleasure riding. It is from this interdependent relationship that the National Horse Show was born in 1883, followed by the Association of American Horse Shows (later known as the American Horse Shows Association and now the U.S. Equestrian Federation) in 1918. Manhattan would play home to the former for more than a century, until 1989, and the latter for 81 years, until 1999. Long the most prestigious (and only) indoor show in the country, the National or "the Garden" (both inter- changeable shorthand for the event) was founded by a group of affluent New York sportsmen and would, within four short years, count 920 members in its directory. is list would birth the city's first Social Register. e Metropolitan Opera commenced that same year—1883—and every autumn the two events marked the kick-off of the opulent social season. "e National was a special show in part due to its rich history; most people have no idea of what the horse community was like in the city before the adv- Rodney Jenkins I had a horse called Arbitrage; he was like 5 or 6 years old. I was on the USET team that year [1973], and he was my third horse. None of the team guys wanted to go in the puissance, so Bert de Né- methy asked me to take him in for a couple rounds, so we partici- pated and didn't look bad. Woody Johnson of Johnson & Johnson owned that horse, and [he was there and] had people up in the box with him. I thought I'd go a couple rounds—up to 6' or something. At about 6'4", I said, "Maybe we should stop," as the horse was young, and I didn't want to ruin him. But Bert and the Johnsons really wanted me to continue. I said all right, as he felt good enough to do that. So I go again, and he jumps clean. Well, to make a long story short, this happened four or five times. We're at 7'6" now, and my heart is busting out of my chest every time I run him down there. [But I go again, and as] I turn the corner, this sucker starts grab- bing the bit! He'd never grabbed the bit in his life. I think, "This fool is going to try and jump it." I get him together and think, "There ain't nothing I can do but go with him!" I shut my eyes! I mean, I could not tell you from the time he took off to the time he landed what happened. All I know is that he jumped it. After that I went outside and sat down next to one of them old pillars where you warm up, and someone said, "Rodney, you got to go in for the presentation." I said, "Man, I can't even get off this ground!" I was so weak in the knees, I couldn't move. Anyway, that horse didn't turn out to be the greatest horse in the world in the grand prix, but he was fine. And he gave me my Garden story! Mary Mairs Chapot It was a special thing to show at the Garden because it was in the city, and there was always a party somewhere—either a horse show party or one elsewhere afterward. At the time we were expected to go to some of them to represent the team. That has long gone by the wayside. In reality, you only had a couple of horses at the horse show, so you'd get up early in the morning and exercise a little bit and then could sleep the whole day if you needed to! The after party was very, very nice, and in New York it got to be where you could go in your riding clothes, which was a lot better than going to the embassy parties in Washington [D.C., during the Washington International Horse Show], where you had to look the part! Robert Ridland The Garden was the Garden. It was our biggest show of the year and was what we always pointed for. The first grand prix I ever won was at the Garden, and I believe it was in 1971 on Almost Persuaded. Wherever you win your first grand prix is always a memorable one, but to win it at the Garden makes it twice as memorable. I rode on the team several years during the '70s, and "I RODE AT THE GARDEN" Reflections from some of the National Horse Show's most legendary participants. GJON MILI/THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES PHOTO C H R O N O F H O R S E . C O M FA L L 2 014 59

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