Untacked

c h r o n o f h o r s e . c o m ja n ua r y/ f e b r ua r y 2 015 57 see these in harm's way. Brady also had quite a collection of car- riages, which he would often drive proudly along a path around the edge of his giant ring, which in those days was a grass oval. But Brady's death from pneumonia in 1927 ended a glorious period at hamilton farm. e animals were sold, along with a portion of the land, and his widow remar- ried. e stable was closed down. en in 1942, during world war ii, the facility was reopened as the hamilton farm defense emergency hospital, a haven for merchant marine seamen whose vessels had been torpedoed or who had been ship- wrecked. e walls and ceiling of orange-glazed tile set Catalan-style in interlocking lay- ers were easy to sterilize, a large fireplace was blocked in order to provide an operat- ing room, and trophy cabinets were emptied to make room for hospital gowns and other supplies. e hayloft was considered for addi- tional bed space, if needed. Another portion of the building was used for canning vegeta- bles, some of which wound up in an officers' prison camp in germany, while other food was sent to struggling great Britain. in 1943, the hospital received two visitors of note: the duke and duchess of windsor, friends of Brady's widow (who became mrs. suydam Cutting). But after housing some 5,000 patients, the hospital was closed in 1947. during the 1950s, the building was used by a construction company. A new life happily, the stable and its grounds would embark on a new and more appropriate identity in 1961 as the permanent training center for the uset, which had incorpo- rated in 1950. e uset filled the gap left by the Army teams after the cavalry became mechanized, but it was inspired by how things were done when the military fielded the squads. maj. gen. Jonathan Burton, a show jumper and eventer who rode for both the Army and (From left): Former USET Chairman bill Steinkraus in the headquarters lounge with Frank Chapot, George Morris and Jane Clark. nanCy jaffer PHoTo Historian Barry omson called the building "the most lavish structure of its kind in this country," and that assessment likely applied to the rest of the world as well at the time.

• Cover