Beard has been coming to Saugerties for the HITS shows since they were first held here a decade ago, and said he’s seen a lot of changes in Saugerties in the last ten years. “Since we’ve been coming here, Saugerties has certainly grown. We’ve been able to find very nice housing and it makes a good readymade base for us. It’s quite nice here. We know the area pretty well by now, and we’ve gotten very at home here.”
Beard said the location is ideal for summer horse shows. “It gets hot in Saugerties like everywhere else, but being somewhat near the mountains, it doesn’t get as hot as other places. And horses, like people, do better in moderate temperatures. They’re more comfortable.”
Beard trains both horses and riders. “I have riders that I train along with their horses, and then with my business partner, Michael Dorman, we have horses that he rides in the larger classes, in the Grand Prix.” He’s drawn to the shows at HITS, he said, because of all that they offer. “They have very nice rings, good footing, nice stabling and they offer all the classes that we need.”
A place for family, too
Ann Dotoli and her husband Aster Pieters last operated their horse sales and training business Tibri Horses from Charlotte, Vt., but at present are based in Saugerties for their fourth season here. They showed at HITS Ocala in Florida for the winter and came up north after that. Dotoli trains horses and rides, and the couple sell horses imported from Europe into Newburgh, where that accessibility to Saugerties is convenient, she said.
“We like the HITS shows a lot, because the horses can get a lot of different experiences,” she said. “There’s a practice ring set up just like the show ring, so they can get a lot of mileage before they’re actually showing. A lot of experiences at many different levels of classes are offered, so for us, with the horses needing to get up to speed quickly, it’s great because there’s always an appropriate class or division for the horses to show in.”
She and her husband have two small children, so between parenthood and long days at the shows they don’t usually get a chance to get out much to enjoy the area during the season, she said. This year they got here earlier than they usually do, however, and have had more of a chance to go to the restaurants and see the countryside. “It’s been nice being here before the shows start this year, because we’ve seen a bit more of the town than we normally do. We got to see some of the parks along the river, and the playgrounds are great for us, for our needs. It’s very pretty here.”
If you go
The Hits-on-the-Hudson show grounds are located at 454 Washington Ave. Extension, about a mile outside the village of Saugerties. The grounds are open to spectators Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during show weeks: May 22-June 9, July 17-Aug. 4, Aug. 28-Sept.8.
Admission is free every day except Sunday, when adults are charged $5, with all proceeds going directly to Family of Woodstock. Parking is free: look for spectator parking at gates D or E. (The other gates service horses and riders only.)
The show grounds are expansive; rentable golf carts are available to get around easily. There are 10 different competition rings on site with bleacher-style spectator seating available or visitors can sit on grassy berms to watch the events. No prior knowledge of horse competition is necessary to enjoy the shows. Refreshments are available from a number of venues from snack bars to the main HITS Restaurant Pavilion that serves breakfast and lunch, the new Diamond Mills Cafe that offers pastries made at the hotel in the village along with sandwiches and ice cream and the HITS Bar and Grill that serves pizza and beer in an air-conditioned lounge.
The website has a full listing of daily events, which basically are divided into hunting competitions, where the horse and rider are judged on grace and style; jumping competitions, based on speed and agility; and dressage, in which horse and rider move together in a graceful choreography of predetermined movements.
Special days include Kids’ Day on Sunday, June 9, when a day of family fun will include the crowd-pleasing Horseless Horse Show, arts and crafts, clowns, face painting and free pony rides. Festivities start at noon that day. The season will close out September 6–8 with the big money Hunter Prix Finals and the grand finale $1 million Grand Prix on Sunday, September 8. For more information, call (845) 246-8833 (or 246-5515 during horse shows) or visit www.HitsShows.com.
