24
SIDELINESMAGAZINE | September 2026
t all started with one question: Why
shouldn’t a horse show be as beautiful as the
public parks found throughout the country?
That question led Jessica Jones to found
Equestrian Gardens in 2024. “Plants are
fundamental to nearly every part of our lives:
food, shelter and medicine,” Jessica said. “For
me, they also inspire art, calm me down and give
me an outlet for all of my horse-girl energy.”
As both founder and lead designer, Jessica
took the lead to reintegrate green space into
showground development and explore how
gardens and calm spaces impact both horse and
rider. “Horse shows house hundreds of horses—
with competitors, their friends and families,
who spend oodles of time in one place. When
our work began, HITS was reinventing itself
and rethinking the exhibitor experience,” Jessica
said. “The company was willing to imagine what
ADVERTORIAL
might happen if plants were treated not simply
as decoration, but as an essential part of the
showgrounds’ infrastructure, identity and future.”
HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New
York, is the pilot location for the Equestrian
Gardens botanical program, which is also in its
second year at HITS Ocala in Florida—and
Vermont, Chicago, Virginia and Del Mar are on
the horizon. “We are proud to have supported
Equestrian Gardens from its inception,
especially as we have seen how meaningful these
environments are to our exhibitors,” said Joe
Norick, HITS Chief Customer Officer. “Now,
we really try to design with nature first. Building
on the success that we have seen with Jessica
and Equestrian Gardens allows us to continue
creating a show experience that feels organic
to our shows—beautiful, sustainable, and
supportive of both horses and riders.”
CREATING AN EXPERIENCE
Across the showgrounds, plants now form a
series of outdoor rooms: welcoming entrances,
shaded seating areas, viewing gardens,
hospitality destinations, photo moments and
quieter places between the rings and barns. “In
these environments, plants become architecture
and landscape becomes hospitality,” Jessica said.
“Beauty, however, is only one measure of the
program’s value.”
Thoughtfully positioned trees, shrubs,
grasses and planters can help direct traffic
and make a large property easier to navigate.
Planted buffers can create separation among
pedestrians, golf carts and service areas.
Vegetation can reduce airborne dust, soften
noise, provide shade and make gathering spaces
more comfortable.
EQUESTRIAN
GARDENS
Transforming Showgrounds Into Botanical Gardens