October 7, 2009 – January 3, 2010

Hold your horses! The Morris Museum has mounted a major new exhibition, HORSEPLAY: A History of Equestrian Sports in New Jersey. 

HORSEPLAY explores New Jersey’s rich history of equestrian sports, and the continuing contribution of New Jersey artists in capturing the excitement of equestrian sporting life.

The 93rd Running of the Breeders’ Cup Grand National Steeplechase, Far Hills, New Jersey, 1995, Oil, Roy Miller Courtesy of the Far Hills Race Meeting Association, Inc.

Horseplay includes more than 150 works of fine and decorative art, including paintings, prints, photographs, historical documents, sculpture, gaming trophies, fine china, costumes, and riding accessories that convey the deep love of equestrian sports.  The works of art in the exhibition are on loan from New Jersey private and public collections.  The U.S. Equestrian Federation, Freehold Raceway, Monmouth Park, Far Hills Race Meeting Association, Essex Fox Hounds and Spring Valley Fox Hounds are all participating lenders in the event.

The exhibition and related programming are designed to have broad appeal to family and adult audiences, including equine enthusiasts, history lovers and art aficionados.  In addition to paintings and sculpture, there are many works of decorative art and accessories ranging from costumes to sporting equipment, such as jockey silks, saddles, crops and polo mallets. Also on exhibition are limited edition Breyer horses which have been hand painted by New Jersey artists.

Horseplay is the first exhibition, in an area museum, dedicated to horses and the equestrian sporting life. The horse and equestrian sports have been a subject of interest in New Jersey for centuries and continue to be a focal point for many residents, ranging from riders to raceway visitors, horse farm owners and Olympic athletes (the U.S. Equestrian Team is headquartered in Gladstone).

Reflecting the horse’s importance, New Jersey’s founders included an image of a horse in the State Seal, and New Jersey has honored the horse by designating it the State Animal. The history of northern New Jersey’s development is deeply intertwined with equestrian sports, as the families who built area mansions developed their estates to accommodate their interest in polo, foxhunting and thoroughbred horseracing. In the 21st century, New Jersey equestrians play an important role in the preservation of the state’s precious open space.

About the Exhibition

Horseplay examines the history of equestrian sporting art as found in European and American paintings, prints, sculpture and artifacts. The military and social history of New Jersey is portrayed through many of the works in Horseplay. English paintings from the 18th century reflect the history of equestrian sports, which came to New Jersey with the British soldiers. On view are works by Henry Alken, Sr., J.F. Herrings, Sr., Michael Lyne and George Wright. Actual New Jersey horses and equestrians are captured in the work of more contemporary artists that are in the exhibition, including striking portraits by artists such as Franklin B. Voss, Richard Stone Reeves and S. Allyn Schaefer.  Also represented in the exhibition are New Jersey equestrian artists including Sheila Barnes, Susan Donnell Budd, Barbara Howard, Joseph Sundwall and Martin Zlotkin, who are carrying on the tradition today and recording the many equine events held throughout our state.

The exhibition displays mannequins outfitted in a variety of riding attire, such as a dressage outfit, formal and informal dress for foxhunting, a side saddle with habit, and several jockey’s silk uniform. A full size sleigh and carriage complete with original sleigh bells and harness will be on view. The sleigh and carriage were owned by Marcellus Hartley Dodge, and date back to the early 1900’s. 

The Morris Museum’s elegant Dodge Room (originally the dining room in the museum’s historic Twin Oaks mansion) is set as a hunt tea, a traditional event held after a fox hunt. Beautiful examples of silver, china and serving pieces used for hunt teas are exhibited.

Elaborate, finely crafted trophies are also on display. These have been awarded for equestrian events such as the Far Hills Races, the Essex Hunt, and the Spring Valley Hunt, among others. Recording the lineage of some of New Jersey’s most prominent families, these trophies offer a fascinating history lesson.