Foshay Farms Eventing – A Brief History

I guess most of this is due to my grandmother’s passionate love of horses… This whole thing can trace its roots to Helen Campbell and her livery horse, Silver, the 1930’s, Fredericton, my tolerant grandfather (Chet), and good fortune.

My mother, Janet, and her sister, Andrea handily proved that the horse fanaticism is genetic. They showed for many years in the Maritimes, championing great horses named Trooper and Johnny Go Lightly.

Open Gaits Stables was a gift to Helen from Chet, built at the foot of Smythe Street in Fredericton in 1959. It would remain the spiritual base of our horse endeavours until 1989. The Fredericton Pony Club in O’Dell Park, just a short hack away, provided the structure in the early days. The Pony Club was a force in those days. For more than ten years I learned the many facets of horsemanship from Dr. Judith Hagerman.

In 1983, I first ventured south – to the Grays’ Puckerbrush Farm in Dixmont Maine. That was where I first learned of eventing. That was the year that I first rode with Tad Coffin, the American Olympian who would become a major influence in my life.

In 1986, under the direction of Ms. Barbara Kemp, we built the first course and ran the first event at Foshay. This would eventually continue the tradition which had been the Fredericton Horse Show.

In 1987 I spent my first summer with the Laframboises’ at Ferme de la Montagne in Luskville, Quebec. Theirs was a family endeavour – mother (Marianne) and seven daughters. Second eldest, Lorraine, would prove to be “my coach” – a title she still sports to this day.

In 1988, father Bob showed that he had been paying close attention all those years, and chaired the National Pony Club Rally at Foshay.

In early 1989, we took the show on the road, and this grew to be Foshay Farms Eventing. The principal horses were Gordonstoun, Carcroft Tiger and Risky Business. In 1990, we met Jules Nyssen while training in Southern Pines, North Carolina; he would become a major and lasting influence and friend. With tremendous support and guidance, we proudly joined the 1992 Canadian Olympic Team in Barcelona, Spain. Risky Business and I finished 22^nd of 85 starters.

In 1993, I returned to the University of New Brunswick. I did excuse myself for one semester in 1996 to take a shot at the Atlanta Olympics, but it was not to be. Risky Business retired that year, first to Virginia, and then to California with Devon Sachey.

I started medical school in 1996, and had little to do with horses for several years. Finally, in late winter of 1999, I could take it no more. While in Toronto on elective at the Hospital for Sick Children, I escaped to see a clinic by Mark Todd at the York Equestrian Centre.

In 2000, we sought out the interested parties, and Maritime Eventing was launched in an effort to coordinate the eventing energies in the East. We have worked over the past seven years to build a program that could support the ambitions of riders in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Maine.

In the next twelve months, our operation will be moving back to the farm at Foshay in Lower Jemseg, New Brunswick. We will expand our current base of operations to provide a facility for the training of international level horses and riders, for the development of young riders from the Maritime provinces, as well as for competitions to host events at the CCI*/** star levels.

Should you have further questions regarding Foshay Farms Eventing, I would ask that you please contact myself, my wife Suzanne, or our manager Julie Ansems .

- Dr. Robert Stevenson