JULY 2, 2020 update

The 2020 millbrook horse trials is CANCELLED
​FOR JULY 30-AUGUST 2

To competitors and supporters of the Millbrook Horse Trials:   
 
The Board of Directors unanimously decided today that it cannot proceed with this year’s competition.  While several weeks ago we took hope from improving conditions in our area and a broadly positive spirit in the country, recent events have led us to the conclusion that the interests of the communities we support will not be best served by holding the event this year.  All of our efforts to this point have been directed toward hosting a safe and successful competition, but the recent increase in the spread of the coronavirus, related new regulatory restrictions, and the impact this has had on support within our communities has convinced us that we should not proceed.  

​This is a great disappointment to us individually and as organizers of the event, as we know it will be too many who have been looking forward to Millbrook, with its full slate of competitive divisions, especially this year.  We are determined, however, that the support and energy that was to have gone into this year’s event will be turned to making MHT 2021 even better, as we proceed with our plans to begin making substantial upgrades in the coming years. 
 
We are thankful especially to all who have so generously contributed to our effort this year.  While we have incurred expenses in preparation for this year’s event, we have decided to refund all paid competitor entries in full (minus credit card fees), to refund or make applicable to MHT 2021 all sponsorship payments, and to refund contributions.  Should you wish to do so, we will gratefully accept any amounts contributed as fully tax deductible donations for this year’s expenses. 
 
With our thanks for your support and in anticipation of 2021, 
The Millbrook Horse Trials Board of Directors 

PRESS 2020

Recent ARticles

NORTHERN DUTCHESS NEWS - FEBRUARY 12-18, 2020     DOWNLOAD PDF OF ARTICLE
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Millbrook Horse Trials donates $2,500 to the Pine Plains Community Food Locker

Committed to supporting our local communities: Millbrook Horse Trials donates $2,500 to the Pine Plains Community Food Locker

Millbrook, NY (Jan 24th, 2020) The Millbrook Horse Trials, a non-profit organization, which runs one of the largest equestrian competitions on the east coast, are delighted to once again donate $2,500.00 to the Pine Plains Community Food Locker. (PPCFL). Founded in 1951 and operating out of the basement of the United Methodist Church on East Church Street, PPCFL depends on volunteer energy and local community support and donations.

The PPCFL is a critical community initiative, which once a month supplies over 35 families in the Pine Plains school district with groceries. These families rely on community initiatives such as the PPCFL to have access to food, and other basic necessities, that are otherwise not available to them. 

Ted Mallozzi, the Treasurer of the PPCFL, expressed the importance of local community involvement and generosity in donating to the PPCFL. Beyond monthly groceries, donations from The Millbrook Horse Trials, The Northeast Community Center, and a few key individuals in the community allow the PPCFL ‘to provide local residents in need with more than just the bare minimum. 

“In addition to our yearly budget, these key donations help build the safety net we require to ensure that we can help beyond basic monthly groceries, and provide necessities such as medication, clothing, heat and other utilities, to those most in need’ Mallozzi states. ‘We rely heavily on the donations of the local Pine Plains and Stanford Residents each year to fund our annual budget, but it is the donations from organizations such as the Millbrook Horse Trials that allow us to extend assistance beyond the bare minimum, to the most needy in the community.’ 

The PPCFL also provides additional support to the families and individuals using their services, by helping them access resources such as Dutchess County Social Services and the Community Action Agency. The Methodist Church in Pine Plains, NY permits them to run their program out of their building rent free. Food is purchased from the Regional Food Bank and locally from Peck’s Market.  Eggs, milk, some holiday turkeys, and fresh vegetables in season are donated locally from places like the Pine Plains Community Garden, Northeast Community Center, Fat Apple Farm and Black Sheep Farm when available.  The PPCLF is a true community effort.  

Since 2014, the Horse Trials have donated at least $2,500.00 each year to the PPCFL. The donations have been made possible with proceeds from the Millbrook Horse Trials (MHT), the four-day equestrian event, held every August, attracting approximately 500 horses, top-level competitors from around the nation, and thousands of spectators.

“We are pleased to be able to give back to the community in which we live and which has been consistently unwavering in its support of the Millbrook Horse Trials,” said MHT Organizer Louise Meryman, who co-founded the event 20 years ago.

“Although the Millbrook Horse Trials is a nationally recognized event of the highest caliber, our roots have always been local and the success of the Horse Trials is in large part due to the mutual support that exists between the community and the Horse Trials.”  

Food and shelter are “the most basic of human necessities, and we want to help ensure that no one in our community is hungry or going without heat in the winter months,” Meryman continued,  “and we are glad to be able to be part of the PPCFL’s efforts.”

The Millbrook Horse Trials have grown significantly since the first event was held in 2001. The event now features activities for equestrians and non-equestrians alike, including tours of the Millbrook School Zoo through a partnership with the school, on whose property most of the event is held. The Millbrook Horse Trials is an important event on the competition calendars of top riders looking to get their horses fit and ready for International and Team Competitions that take place during the fall. The competition is one of only a handful of events in the country offering all six levels of competition and is a favorite to many local and north-east based junior and amateur riders who compete at the lower levels. For them, it is an event not to be missed. 

The Millbrook Horse Trials site is on Bangall-Amenia Road in Millbrook, NY. This year’s event will take place from July 30-August 2nd, 2020. For more information regarding Millbrook Horse Trials, please visit www.millbrookhorsetrials.com. 

For more information regarding the Pine Plains Community Food Locker, please call Pat Nannetti, at (518) 398-7692. Donations may be mailed to: The Pine Plains Community Food Locker, 2852 Church Street, Pine Plains, NY 12567. 

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