New York’s Edition Farm is eco-friendly horse-lover’s paradise

How many times have we taken drives in the country, as Chuck Berry would say, “with no particular place to go,” and spotted a small farm with horses? I bet if that farm had a young foal with his or her mother in the paddock, you just had to stop. There is something about young animals that simply draw attention from people.

Recently my wife Linda and I were the guests of Edition Farm in Hyde Park, N.Y., for its annual fall open house and presentation of its equine family. Our gracious host for the day was farm owner and two-time New York State Breeder of the Year Vivien Malloy.

To describe Mrs. Malloy, I would have to use a multitude of adjectives, and I would still come up short of being accurate, so I’ll cut to the chase, the lady is professional and classy.

If someone else purchased the 150 acres in 1986 that is now Edition Farm, they might have built a couple of golf courses that would have been lauded for their breathtaking views and beauty, but what Vivien has done with the property could not have been matched.

First of all, it is the most environmentally-friendly farm I have ever seen. The barns have solar panels, soybean oil-based insulation, rubber brick flooring made from recycled tires and the bedding for the horses comes from recycled cardboard cartons which is dust-free, more
absorbent and better for the fields that it is spread on. It decomposes twice as fast as shavings or straw.

All of the barns are equipped with a fly system that works on a timer. To keep it safe for
staff and animals, Edition Farm uses a chrysanthemum base for this system. For the record, I spotted zero flies in the barns.

After registration and hors d’oeuvres (hot pumpkin soup was served out of a pumpkin along with cheese and crackers, fruit and cocktails), it was time to view this year’s crop of weanlings (foals
that have been separated from their dams, mothers).

From the podium, Vivien introduced the potential future stars of thoroughbred racing, one-by-one. She gave a brief history of each, including one that weighed in at 150 lbs. at birth; another was revieved by a vet at birth, while the mother did not live to see her baby.

These weanlings are being prepared for sale as yearlings. The sires of these babies read like a who’s who of racing: Flashy Bull, More Than Ready, Stormy Atlantic, Giant’s Causeway, Eskendereya, City Zip, Touch Gold and Elusive Quality are the proud fathers of these beauties.

Mrs. Malloy also trotted out her mares, some with big bellies (did I mention that a foal can weigh 150 lbs.?), including Awesome Bull, Impulse Shopper and Talkin’ Indian.

After the presentation, the guests were invited to a wonderful luncheon, which featured a performance by the “Grandmas and the Grandpas,” who brought the house down.

Foals born at Edition Farm had much success at various tracks in the country last year, winning 43 races from Sept. 18, 2011, through Sept. 4, 2012. One of her upcoming stars, Owen Rico (named after Viviens’s grandson), broke his maiden at Saratoga on August 26th when Julian Leparoux booted him home in a five-and-a-half furlong sprint with a purse of $60,000.

Regardless of how many wins Edition Farm has had , Vivien added, “It is extra special to have success at Saratoga.”

Edition Farm and Mrs. Malloy are very dedicated to finding other careers for race horses when their days on the track are over and take as much pride in that mission as they do in winning races. She also is a strong supporter of a backstretch education program, where grooms and
stable workers learn skills from vets and trainers as well as the English language if deficient.

To Farm Manager Fred Winters, the multi-talented Annette Orlando and the entire staff at Edition Farm, we thank you for professionally maintaining and preserving that little piece of paradise in Hyde Park and inviting us in to share and enjoy it for a day.

Glancing trough the Edition Farm 2013 calendar, there are over 100 color photos of horses trainers and family members. The extended Malloy family is always a part of celebrations and festivities. Vivien is very proud of her children and grandchildren, and they are always involved with the open house and barn activities.

Breeding horses is her love and passion; family is her life.

So to Mark, Kenneth, Rich, Vivi, Jeryl, Bruno, Minkie, Shane, Maggie, Owen and Julia, we thank you for a wonderful day and your generous hospitality. May you have continued success in the future and we hope to see Luca, the German Shepherd, and fluffy Jaylo, make a return
appearance in the 2014 calendar.

Senior golf wrap-up

Another successful Berkshire County Senior Golf Series finished up with a four-man scramble at GEAA on Oct. 17. Results were not available at press time.

Greenock Country Club of Lee hosted the singles event on Oct 10. The weather was harsh and so were the scores.

Dick Piretti of Cranwell was medalist, with very respectable 78 under the conditions. The net department was dominated by the boys from North Adams Country Club, who made the trip from north county. Retired postman Ron Bernardi topped the list with fellow club members Jack Rivard, Tom Downey and Ken Hogden visiting the cashier’s window.

Series organizer Dick Rivers was pleased with the support and increased turnout for the past seven weeks.

“Money raised this year will benefit junior golf in Berkshire County,” he said. “These guys still enjoy competitive golf, and being able to give something back to preserve the future of our game makes it special.”

Posted by Dick Syriac on October 18, 2012. Filed under Berkshire Sports Guy,Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry