Every time the Olympics come around, it’s fun to immerse oneself in learning about the different sports. Information about each sport’s history, notable personalities, and all the details that turn a casual viewer into a fan. For many equestrian Olympians, the road to the rings goes right through New Jersey. The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is headquartered in Gladstone, New Jersey, and is a historic spot for equestrian athletes and fans alike. The facility hosts events year-round, and the public is welcome to visit. Read on for more about this hidden New Jersey gem with a rich history.
Equestrian Sports
An unforgettable moment during the Summer 2021 Olympics was rapper Snoop Dogg and comedian Kevin Hart watching the dressage event and observing that it looked like the horse was ‘crip-walking’, a dance move popular with West Coast rappers. That was many viewers’ first exposure to dressage, one of three Olympic disciplines for equestrians. Dressage is the execution of precise movements by the horse via barely perceptible signals from the rider; Eventing is described as a triathlon because it is composed of dressage, cross country, and show jumping; and Show Jumping is a skills and speed competition.
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In addition to the three Olympic disciplines, US teams compete internationally in combined driving, endurance, vaulting, reining, and para-equestrian competitions. US Equestrian is the supervising body of these teams, and the US Equestrian Team Foundation (USETF) is the fundraising arm of the organization. Equestrian sports are the only sports in which men and women compete in all events. There is also no age limit for equestrians: Lara Kraut, age 58, won a silver medal in showjumping at the recent Paris Olympics.
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The USETF makes its home in Gladstone, New Jersey, at the historic Hamilton Farm. Hamilton Farm was built in 1911 and has been a waypoint for many equestrians rising through the ranks on their way to Olympic or other international competitions. The facility hosts selection events and horse shows that make up the year-round circuit of activities that build up to Olympic and other international competitions. The administrative offices of the foundation are also located here. The US Olympic Equestrian team has dozens of team and individual medals. Paralympic Dressage was added in the 1996 Olympics and the Paralympic team has several medals as well.
For many in the equestrian community, Gladstone, as the property is known, is as much a part of the sport’s history as it is an elite training facility. It’s internationally known for its role in equestrian history and rider training, and many view the facility as a piece of living history. The walls of the stables are bedecked in hundreds of colorful stall plaques won by horses and riders over decades of competition. Even more history can be found in the second-floor trophy room, which is a cross between a museum exhibit and a family album about the history of equestrian sports in the US.
About Hamilton Farm
James Cox Brady, a New York financier, purchased 190 acres of farmland in Gladstone, New Jersey in 1911. Work on the property began immediately, with laborers building a farm, a hunting lodge, a barn, and several outbuildings. Over the years, James would go on to acquire a total of 5,000 acres over three counties.
Peapack carpenter James Huyler was James Cox Brady’s’ right-hand man when it came to managing the livestock at Hamilton Farm. The two took pride in raising animals that were the epitome of each breed’s standard, including chickens, hogs, cows, and dogs. A special railway car was built to transport the animals to shows nationwide, and town records report a parade-like atmosphere when the animals were brought from Hamilton Farm to the local train station.
The horse stables were the focus of James’ true passion. He hired architect William Wiessenberger Jr. to design the facility. William had worked on several railroad stations and early skyscrapers in addition to many Edison Company buildings and facilities. Work on the stables began in 1916 and was completed in 1917. The building exists today nearly identically as it was in the farm’s heyday. It is a steel-framed building covered with stucco and fireproof bricks. There are 52 stalls over two levels, connected by a covered ramp for human and equine guests.
The center hall of the stable creates a grand entryway, with farm offices to the right and horse stalls and storage rooms to the left. The tiled, arched ceilings of the building are evocative of Grand Central Station and Ellis Island Immigration Station: the style, called the Guastavino tile system, was popular at the time. A second-floor trophy room was built with an open observatory into the main entryway, topped off with a leaded, stained-glass skylight.
By the early 1920s, Hamilton Farm was operating at its peak. Hundreds of acres of productive farmland were generating crops, the animals were healthy and award-winning, and the stables housed a variety of horses for the family and their guests. The main house, which is now the home of the Hamilton Farm Golf Club, was completed. James Cox Brady died in 1927. Helen Brady, James Cox Brady’s widow, remarried in 1932, to Suydam Cutting.
Helen Brady Cutting remained at Hamilton Farm and as the world headed into conflict, saw how the farm could support the US war effort. She converted a portion of the stable into a canning production facility. Local women used produce grown on Hamilton Farm to can and preserve to ship to England. In 1942 she volunteered space at the Farm for use as a medical facility by the United States Health Service and Office of Civilian Defense. The Farm became known as Hamilton Farm Base Hospital No. 1 and could accommodate up to 250 patients. It had an operating room and a full suite of doctors and nurses on staff. The facility was later converted to a rest and rehabilitation facility for injured merchant mariners and was renamed Gladstone Merchant Marine Rest Center. Recuperating soldiers had free run of estate, including the swimming pool, tennis courts, and other amenities. In 1943, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor visited the facility. In 1947, the facility closed, having served 5,000 injured servicemen. Gladstone was ready for its next chapter.
Horses at Hamilton Farm
James Cox Brady was an enthusiastic equestrian and active in the Essex Fox Hounds, a fox-hunting organization. His passion for riding and the equestrian lifestyle drew him to the area in the first place. Horses have always had a central role at Hamilton Farm. His son, James Cox Brady, was an avid horseman and was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame for his contributions to horse racing and the equestrian community.
During the early days of equestrian sports at the Olympics, the team was essentially the Army Cavalry. After WWII, horses were phased out of the military and the horses and the competition activities were managed by the American Horse Shows Association from 1945 to 1950. In 1950, the US Equestrian Team was formed to get equestrian sports to the Olympics and other international competitions through support, funding, training, and more.
^ The 1924 US Army Cavalry prepares for the Olympics. Photo Credit: Library of Congress.
In 1961, the US Equestrian Team leased the Hamilton Farm stables and surrounding acreage, and Hamilton Farm became the team’s headquarters. Horses and riders lived year-round at the facility. In 1978, 500 acres of the parcel were sold to Beneficial Management. In 1988, the company donated the stables and some surrounding acreage to the US Equestrian Team. Today, the Gladstone property sits amongst 200 acres.
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Now, Gladstone hosts equestrian events year-round, all open to the public. This includes US Team selection trials, national championships, Pony Club events, and more. The facility is also the home of the US Equestrian Team Foundation. The facility is available for tours and special events, and everything from Girl and Boy Scout troops to corporate events to weddings have been hosted at Gladstone.
The stables have been added to the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. Visitors are welcome to come to Gladstone for an event or just to look around. The architecture and landscape alone are enough to give guests a glimpse of James Cox Brady’s initial vision for the space. Equestrian enthusiasts will get a taste of history by looking at the names of horses and riders who have passed through the facility. Several stalls are named in honor of legendary figures in the equestrian community, and it doesn’t take much imagination to conjure up images of the farm filled with horses, riders, and bustling energy.