Good Tidings We Bring
Horse Country
Living the Equestrian Lifestyle
You might have heard that Lexington, Ky., considers itself the horse capital of the world. And that San Juan Capistrano, Calif., lays claim to the title of equestrian capital of the west coast. Residents of Wellington, located in Palm Beach County, Fla., boast of the 57 miles of trails and premier equestrian competition facilities in their area.
Barrington Hills stands shoulder to shoulder with this august group of equestrian communities. The residents and their village thoughtfully strengthen their true, viable equestrian community with a deep understanding of the importance of maintaining the rural character that makes it possible. Everyone benefits, including the surrounding communities. Despite being a relatively small town, Barrington Hills’ contributions to horses and the people who love them, and to preserving a unique way of life, are countless.
Here we explore some of the foremost strengths of why our equestrian village ranks with the best of such towns across the United States, and why Barrington Hills might well be called “the horse capital of the Midwest.”
The Trails
Palm Beach has nothing on the Barrington Hills! With an estimated 150 miles of contiguous trails located in the Spring Creek Forest Preserve and private properties combined, Barrington Hills is a hospitable environment for horses and their humans. The minimum five-acre lot size is essential to providing the space necessary for horses and people to live comfortably together, but it also allows space for trails around and between properties. Without the interlocking network of private and public bridle paths that connect the entire community, Barrington Hills would not be the equestrian paradise that it is, and has been for more than 50 years of happy trail riding.
The Riding Club of barrington hills: guardian of the trails
The trails would not exist without their steadfast guardian, the Riding Club of Barrington Hills (RCBH). Founded in 1937 as a primarily social organization to promote the idea of neighbors riding to meet neighbors, the RCBH has been led by prominent Barrington Hills residents over the years who have a strong commitment to preserving the rural and equestrian lifestyle, especially the private trails. Trails on private land may only be used by riders who join the RCBH and wear the signature saddle tag that assures the property owner that the rider is someone with a legitimate connection to the community who has agreed to follow all trail rules and to respect the landowner’s privacy.
A rider need not live in Barrington Hills to join the RCBH and gain access to the trails; membership is also open to anyone who boards a horse in Barrington Hills or who is a member of the Fox River Valley Hunt or Fox River Valley Pony Club. Currently, 285 families who live in Barrington Hills or otherwise qualify for membership belong to the Club. Trail maintenance is paid for with RCBH annual dues and trail donations made by members and friends.
The Equestrian Commission
To help preserve the trails and the equestrian way of life for generations to come, past RCBH President Peter Wessel (who passed away in September, 2009) and several club members developed the idea of an addition to the Barrington Hills government, an Equestrian Commission, which exists in only a handful of towns in the United States. The commission, chaired by former RCBH Board member Dan Lundmark, was implemented in 2005 and is tasked with reviewing subdivision plans and recommending deeded trail easements where appropriate, as well as researching and advising the village trustees, president, and residents regarding any equestrian issues that may arise. In just five years, the commission has proven to be an important forum for addressing a range of issues that impact horse owners and village residents.
Large Farms and open space
What would Barrington Hills look like without Hill ’N Dale on Lake-Cook Road owned by Richard Duchossois, (pictured here) or any of the iconic thoroughbred farm on Lake-Cook Road owned by Richard Duchossois, or any of the other big, beautiful horse properties that are located in or on the periphery of the Hills? For many, it’s the sight of mares and foals cavorting on rolling pastures that gives the area much of its Lexington-like character and charm. From the LeCompte family’s Oakwood Farm on Bateman Road, which is host to the Kalaway Landowner’s Cup polo matches, to Tudor Oaks, the lovely Haflinger breeding farm, to Horizon Farms with its visionary conservation easement, driving or riding by these large horse properties adds immeasurably to the pleasure of living in the Barrington area. Add to that 6,000 acres of open space in the Spring Creek section of the Cook County Forest Preserve, and you have an equestrian mecca to compete with any in the country.
The Riding Center
Lexington is undeniably gorgeous, but does it offer its residents a park district with stables available for use during the day, state of the art riding arenas, portable jumps, and an indoor riding facility that allows you to keep training your horse throughout the cruel-weather months? The Barrington-Countryside Park District offers all this and more, including direct access to the Forest Preserve trails, horse shows and clinics presented by local groups, and nature-focused events like “Ignite the Night” that draw the entire community out to enjoy the countryside. This unique resource is enjoyed by residents ranging from the casual rider to a Pony Club student to top national competitors.
Clubs and Mallets
In addition to the Riding Club, local equestrians have joined the Fox River Valley Pony Club and the Fox River Valley Hunt in Barrington Hills over many decades. These two long-running organizations and the RCBH together purchased and donated to the Park District the property that is now the Riding Center. The Pony Club holds lessons and a camp, draws hundreds of local volunteers to run the popular Mini-Event and the nationally-recognized Horse Trials, and provides many hours of volunteer labor for conservation work in the Forest Preserve. The Hunt, founded in the 1930s, meets on private land in Barrington Hills, as well as in the Galena, Illinois area. It provides an opportunity for riders to get out and gallop, learn how hounds work, and enjoy a unique traditional sport. Led by experienced Irish Huntsman Tony Leahy, Hunt members enjoy both formal and informal meets, and a variety of social and educational opportunities.
Traditions New and Old
Although polo has been played in Barrington Hills for more 50 years, the Barrington Hills Polo Club was officially organized in 2004. The club was originally founded in 1988 as the Lakewood Acres Polo Club. In 1990, the club began to operate a polo school that is unique in the Midwest as it accepts anyone who wants to learn to play polo, even those who are beginner riders. In 2006, the Kalaway Landowners Cup polo match was founded with the intention of thanking local landowners for allowing access to the trails on their properties. The event is named for the late Ben Kalaway, a lifelong rider. This event has quickly become the signature community event of Barrington Hills, and would not be possible without the generosity of the LeCompte family of Oakwood Farm and the strong community support for this exciting day of sport in the country.
the Small Town with Big-Time Riders
Barrington Hills’ population may be under 5,000, but that doesn’t stop the village from regularly producing a disproportionately large number of the nation’s leading riders. In addition to accomplished eventers like Allison Springer, dressage rider Adrienne Pot represents some of the best of the area’s equestrian tradition: hard-working riders who make their own luck and then pass on what they’ve learned to the next generation. Adrienne competes at the Grand Prix level with her Oldenburg gelding R-tistik, who was once dubbed by Adrienne’s mentor, six-time Olympian Robert Dover, “the smartest horse I ever met.”
Pot has been champion at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington and the Palm Beach Derby, and has also earned the United States Dressage Federation Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals. She also is a senior dressage judge and has coached many local riders, including Springer and Katlyn McMorris.
One-time Barrington High School student and award-winning rider Taylor McMurtry also lives in Barrington Hills. She has gone from training with the Kappler Farm (featuring Olympian Chris Kappler) to competing successfully against top adult riders in the nation’s most challenging Grand Prix jumper competitions. McMurtry and her Dutch warmblood “Just an Illusion” have racked up an impressive string of Grand Prix placings during the past two years, including winning the $25,000 Junior Amateur-Owner Jumper class at the Evergreen Invitational and competing this year in the American Invitational (pictured), often called the “Superbowl of Show Jumping.” At the Invitational, McMurtry rode against Olympic gold medalists and international champions, and was the youngest rider ever invited to compete. In her “spare” time, McMurtry also plays polo in the Barrington Hills Polo Club with her father Bob McMurtry.
Helping Hands deliver a measurable difference
The nationally-acclaimed Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society (HARPS) was founded by Donna Ewing of Barrington Hills in 1971. The HARPS farm has been located in Barrington Hills since 2002, and is leased for $1 a year to the nonprofit organization by an anonymous benefactor. Ewing says HARPS has saved hundreds of horses and other hooved animals, and that she dreams of acquiring a 500 -1,000 acre farm so that more abused, neglected and unwanted animals can be saved. To learn more about the work of HARPS, visit www.harpsonline.org.
In 2006, two prominent Barrington Hills residents founded Walk On Farm located on Cuba Road in Barrington. Walk On’s mission is to provide therapeutic horseback riding (hippotherapy) services to people with disabilities. Numerous Barrington Hills equestrians serve on the advisory board of Walk On, which has about 40 participants. “Walk On” is the command the rider uses to tell the horse to move forward, and it epitomizes the goals of the program as its students advance in skills and confidence. To learn more about Walk On Farm, visit www.walkonfarm.com.
Our Cowboys in uniform
It’s 10 p.m. Do your police officers know where their halters are? Barrington Hills has dedicated horse lovers and offers nearly everything you could want in a horse community. But what if one of these 1,000-pound animals jumps out of its pasture and decides to go for a stroll on Lake-Cook Road? Enter our men and women in blue, the Barrington Hills Police Department. Having been asked over the years to assist with horse emergencies ranging from a simple misdemeanor “escape” to a horse taking a felonious uninvited swim in a neighbor’s pool, the Police Department realized about 10 years ago that its officers needed more than just good intentions – they needed training. HARPS instructs the officers once a year in how to catch, halter, and lead a horse to safety. And the officers manage to nab the equine escapees while also preventing and solving crimes committed by those who travel on two feet, not four.
A Spirited Community
In addition the tangible benefits of living in Barrington Hills, many residents say the best aspect of all is the community spirit in the village. This spirit is perhaps best evidenced in the story of resident Jeryl Olson’s horse “Grendel”: one chilly October day several years ago, Grendel broke out of its pasture while Olson, a lawyer, was at work in Chicago. Her friend and fellow RCBH member and Pony Club parent, Tracy Beam, happened to be stopping by Olson’s house and noticed that something was amiss. Beam quickly found Olson’s horse—but not anywhere you’d want to find a horse. Grendel had wandered over to a neighbor’s yard, stepped on their pool cover, and fallen into the pool, which was still filled. Panicky and slipping on the floor of the pool in its metal shoes, Grendel could not scramble out, and his head kept going under water as he tried. Beam called for help, and then jumped into the very cold water to calm the horse and hold his head up out of the water.
The Barrington Hills Police and Fire Departments arrived to help, along with a staff member from HARPS and several friends and neighbors. Chuck Prettyman of Barrington Hills appeared and realized that if Grendel’s steel shoes could be removed, he might be able to climb out of the pool. As Tracy held the agitated horse, Prettyman dove into the cold water and began to pry the horse’s shoes off, while underwater himself.
Despite Prettyman’s extraordinary efforts, Grendel still couldn’t get out of the pool. He’d now been in the very cold water for three or more hours. A ramp was quickly built and slid into the pool, but when the Grendel tried to climb out onto the ramp, it broke under the weight of a 1,000-pound-plus animal. Then a local veterinarian, Dr. Dale Stapleton, arrived, as did Sharon Wilson, the manager of Horizon Farm. Dr. Stapleton was able to sedate the agitated horse as Sharon pointed out that the only possible way to get the horse out – without a crane and a sling – was to lift him out with a front-end loader. (After this incident, HARPS acquired such a sling.) Grendel was wrapped in blankets and, nearly unconscious, was maneuvered onto the front-end loader and lifted out of the pool.
Although he suffered pneumonia, Grendel not only survived, but went on to compete successfully in eventing with Olsons daughter Elsa, who will be a freshman at Hotchkiss this fall. Grendel remains a happy resident of Barrington Hills—albeit one who is now enclosed in a stronger fence.
So if Barrington Hills represents the best of Midwestern equestrian communities, and there’s strong evidence that it does, it is because of the people. Perhaps there are a few other towns in the United States that have miles of gorgeous bridle paths, numerous equestrian activities, and highly talented riders. But how many have neighbors who will dive underwater to remove your horse’s shoes and do anything else necessary to save its life?
For its generous spirit of community, and for all it gives to the horses and the people who love them, Barrington Hills is our Horse Capital of the Midwest.