Augusta, NJ - Steeped in tradition, the A-rated Sussex County Farm and Horse Show is preparing to celebrate its 75th year. Located in Augusta, NJ, the horse show runs simultaneously with the New Jersey State Fair held from August 5-14, 2011. What makes this horse show especially unique is it feature classes for many different disciplines and breeds, including Quarter Horses, Team Horse Pulling, Four and Six Horse Draft, Miniature Horses, and USEF-recognized Shetland Ponies, English and Western Pleasure, Side-Saddle, Welsh Ponies, Driving, Hunter/Jumper, and AQHA Western classes.

“There is so much wonderful history within this horse show,” said Lucille Pagano, the Sussex County Horse Show committee president. “Our committee and crew work extremely hard to preserve every tradition and to improve the horse show for the exhibitors and horses every year.”

Three of the more popular classes are the $10,000 Lou Dobbs Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur Owner Classic, the $10,000 Rost Memorial Jumper Stake, and the $50,000 Sussex County Horse Show Grand Prix, which takes place on the last Saturday of the show. The Grand Prix attracts many different levels of riders from amateurs to Olympic veterans. There’s also a $5,000 Sussex County Hunter Derby and a $2,500 Child/Adult Hunter Classic. All three levels of the High Performance Working Hunter classes are being offered as well as Green, Green Conformation, Juniors, Amateurs, and Ponies. The AQHA Quarter Horse classes run the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and the rest of the hunter/jumper classes are held the rest of the week.

The permanent barns can hold over 200 horses and tents are provided for the rest. There are four different rings used throughout the week. Every morning breakfast is offered under the Horse Show Pavilion and is sponsored by riders, trainers, or local barns. Exhibitions and fun extras are held every afternoon, providing exhibitors and spectators plenty of entertainment.

“There’s nothing quite like a horse show in Sussex County,” Pagano said. “It’s beautiful here and right in the heart of horse country.”

The Sussex County Horse Show has been running since 1936 and has been one of the most popular shows in northern New Jersey. In 1938, it was larger than any other outdoor show on the East coast, surpassed only by the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden. It has been combined with the fair since 1940 and this was when it expanded from a one-day horse show to multiple days. The American Horse Show Association (AHSA) recognized the horse show in 1950 and it was rated the top horse show for attendance and exhibitor interest. In 1960, the horse show was attracting the best horse talent in the country and had 1500 entries. By 1965, the entries were more than 2,400 and spectator interest exceeded 65,000 people. Nowadays, the horse show receives over 600 entries with many horses showing in multiple classes. These result in the numbers quoted for previous years.