Double clears from Ilan Ferder (Ezarka del Belhame) and Daniel Bluman (Malina) boosted Israel to victory in the 3-star Nations Cup at the Traverse City, Mich., horse show on Thursday. It was Israel’s first Cup win in America.
Israel finished with a total of 4 penalties, to 16 for the Amasé U.S team with newer faces at this level, which had a bit of a rough start but wound up with three clears in the second round. Ireland was third on 24, saved by a double clear from U.S.-based Shane Sweetnam on Pegina VD Bisschop.
The winning Israeli team: Stella Wasserman, Ilan Ferder, Daniel Bluman, Steven Bluman. (Natalie Suto Photography)
The Israeli team was assembled at the last minute.
“When you group the Israeli riders together,” recounted Daniel, the anchor rider, “we’re going to fight with everything we’ve got.
“We ride for our flag, we ride for our country, we know how to ride together and give it our all. Ilan wasn’t even going to show this week. Last Saturday, I told him we lost a rider, we’re going with three, and we needed him to ride.
Daniel Bluman and Malina. (Natalie Suto Photography)
“He showed up and put in a double clear round. That just shows you the energy put forth for this team.”
“It’s always a pleasure to ride for my country,” Ilan said.
“It feels great to win,” added the horse dealer, noting about his double-clear, “there’s nothing better than that.”
The squad also included Daniel’s brother, Steven (Concare PS) and Stella Wasserman, who went from representing the U.S. on its Young Riders team a while back, to riding for Israel this year.
Her father is Casey Wasserman, chairman of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic organizing committee.
For her first Nations Cup, Stella, 21, was aboard Myla, formerly ridden by world number one Kent Farrington. She was fault-free in the first round and had a rail in the second.
Stella Wasserman and Myla. (Natalie Suto Photography)
“It’s an honor to ride with riders like these sitting next to me,” said Stella, who is mentored by U.S. Olympic medalist McLain Ward.
“It’s not like I’m going into the ring as one person with one horse, I have so many people standing behind me. Feeling that makes me want to put my best foot forward every time, and it’s just an honor.”
Israel’s chef d’equipe, Hans Horn, said of his squad’s performance, “It feels great and it was great the way they did it,”
“Five clear rounds and all rounds were good. I’m proud of the riders, especially Stella, who jumped for the first time for the team. I’m really happy. If you keep fighting for your teammates, you can make a difference.”
For the U.S. effort, chef d’equipe Anne Kursinski said, “I am so proud of our team and their phenomenal horses today.
“In the first round, they each had a slight error, which we discussed in between rounds, and before round two, I told all of them to go fight for it. It was so exciting to watch them make an impressive comeback, really demonstrating a “fight for it” mentality and jumping three clear rounds to finish second.”
Traverse City was the second Nations Cup in the U.S. this year. The first, a 4-star in Wellington during March, was won by a U.S. squad featuring Olympic medalists McLain and Karl Cook.
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