What is the outlook for Dressage at Devon?

There is concern about the future of Dressage at Devon, though you might not have thought so after seeing the crowd that packed the grandstands for Grand Prix night last Saturday

The U.S. Equestrian Federation Heritage Show is always popular with spectators from the area along Philadelphia’s Main Line, but in recent years, Dressage at Devon has sought help with financial issues.

“As a non-profit, we operate on a very strict budget. Given several hardships the show has weathered in the past decade, we are now in a position (where) we must ask you and our community for help,” stated a 2019 appeal for assistance from DAD.

Then came Covid. It made the situation even more difficult because the show, which started in 1975, couldn’t run in 2020.

This year, entries in some divisions were light due to a variety of circumstances, including the postponed 2020 Olympics and Aachen’s move from June/July to September, with the German show ending just nine days before Dressage at Devon began.

I asked D at D President/CEO Lori Kaminski whether there is any danger the show won’t continue.

“I don’t know, to be totally honest,” she replied, then quickly added, “I hope this show continues well into the future. It’s a well-loved show, especially to spectators and our breeders for the breed show.”

She pointed out it takes $750,000 annually to administer and run the show, which offers 1-star and 3-star international classes, as well as national competition and a breeding division, but she also offered a hopeful sign. For the first time, DAD had a title sponsor, the ShowPlus benefits program designed to reimburse equestrians for out-of-pocket costs that may not be covered by insurance.

Lori also was enthusiastic about the new “Shoppin’ in the USA” initiative for breeders to sell horses in a showcase after the breed show competition ended. It’s a way for people to see a number of horses in one place, as opposed to driving long distances to look at just one, and then going elsewhere to scout another. Lori also noted, “If you say your horse won the filly class (at DAD), that filly is going to command a little more money than one that either wasn’t shown or was shown at some little breed show.”

Canadians, usually a key contingent at DAD, won the featured Grand Prix Freestyle three years in a row through 2019. But this year, only two Canadians competed at the Grand Prix level, both in the Grand Prix Special, rather than the Freestyle that is a qualifier for the FEI World Cup final.

The Aachen date change “had us worried and it kind of proved itself true,” commented Lori. The Canadian team moved on to Aachen after the Olympics, and none of those riders appeared at Devon.

The Covid regulation situation that affected border crossings between the U.S. and Canada also probably played a role. That certainly was the case for Tanya Strasser-Shostak, who found herself dealing with her mother’s two horses as well as her own mount when her mom, Evi Strasser, couldn’t get across the border because of Covid red tape. (Click here for a link to her story).

Grand Prix Special winner Diane Creech of Ontario noted Covid made things more complicated and expensive for Canadians traveling to Pennsylvania, because of testing requirements and dealing with the timing of those test results.

Meanwhile, the strength of the Wellington, Fla., circuit and shows in Tryon, N.C., both presented by the same management, have meant a change in the dressage show calendar. Some people from the Northeast have moved south permanently; others leave earlier in the year than they used to, and may be preparing for an October getaway just when it’s time for Devon.

While DAD’s Small Tour classes filled very well, others–such as the juniors and Young Riders, had few entries. The Special attracted only four starters and the Freestyle had just six horses dancing to the music.

But for many of the spectators, 10 horses made for a full evening, when coupled with shopping and a vaulting exhibition.

Although the big names who once competed in the DAD freestyle, when the likes of a Lars Petersen (Succes), George Williams (Rocher) and Adrienne Lyle (Wizard), were no longer on the start list, the crowd came anyway.

Dr. Mary Stapleton, who has been meeting with 10 of her friends at the show “for at least 20 years,” called DAD “a seed of continuity amidst constant change. I’m not even aware of the big names anymore the way I used to be. It keeps me from having any preconceived notions. I’m enjoying the movement of the horses and I think you recognize excellence. This is poetry in motion.”

But U.S. Dressage Federation President Lisa Gorretta thinks it’s important for elite riders to participate.

She believes that at DAD “growth in the CDI (international classes), support from the high performance riders, is what has sustained it and been the shoring-up. The thing that makes Devon, Devon, and fills those stands are the international riders.

“When you have the World Cup in the U.S., you have to support it. When you have Dressage at Devon, to me, if you’re in this sport, you have a certain level of responsibility.”

It’s a complicated issue; U.S. Technical Advisor Debbie McDonald sees it a little differently.

“I understand where Lisa is coming from,” she said.

At the same time, Debbie pointed out, “Lisa has to understand with our top riders, they can only do so many shows in a year.”

With the postponed Olympics in the mix, “This was a very busy, hard year on our top horses. The timing of this show and where it is located makes it very difficult. I do not think riders have a responsibility to shows, only to their horses and what is right for them.”

From Lisa’s perspective, “Devon represents everything in the history of dressage in this country. It is one of our few really significant Heritage Competitions; other divisions (disciplines) have a lot of them. If you look at the photos of old Devon, the people who have been the movers and shakers in developing dressage in the U.S. all came through Devon. Even if they were from the West Coast, they still at some point competed at Devon.”

She added, “Everyone I have talked to without exception has said how important this competition is for the sporthorse breeders, for the CDI riders and exposure to international dressage in this part of the country. I would really hate to see not having Devon happen.”

Maryland-based Michael Bragdell, who won the Freestyle last weekend with Qredit Hilltop, loves the response of the crowd, part of the reason why DAD is special to him.

“There’s so much history here, and under the lights, there’s no other place like it. It’s always a treat.”

International judge Linda Zang agrees, saying,.“I think it’s important to keep Devon. It’s the only CDI in this area.”

She thinks the absence of high-performance riders for the freestyle “has a lot to do with the strength of the Florida circuit. A lot of top trainers have gone south, that slowly takes away the base of making our riders.  Everything’s there now.”

Even so, she emphasized, “There has got to be a way to keep this show going. It stands for the Northeast,” calling it part of the “inspiration cycle.”

She would like to see more sponsors, and have them increase prize money to help defray riders’ expenses “and give it (DAD) importance.”

But in any case, the importance of the show to its regular competitors can’t be overestimated.

Exhibitor Lauren Chumley, who brought nine horses to compete in both the breed and performance classes, called DAD “a destination. This is just the place to be; to show here and do well in this atmosphere, with the crowds and the vendors. Devon’s got a magic to it. It’s been around for so long and so many great horses have gone under those lights.”