A reunion on a special day at the USET Foundation Stables in Gladstone

By Nancy Jaffer
Nov. 25, 2018

Joining the ranks of such legends as eventing stalwart Giltedge, Olympic double-gold medal show jumper Touch of Class and dressage star Brentina on the pages of history is a tall order for any horse. But joining their ranks in the historic stable at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation (uset.org) is easier to do—for those who can afford to make it happen.

Naming a stall at the barn in Gladstone after a favorite horse runs $100,000 for the top floor of the building and $50,000 for the lower floor, but the tax-deductible charitable contribution goes for more than just a bronze plaque.  While paying tribute to a horse, the donation–payable over a multi-year period–is put toward the foundation’s mission. That involves funding competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of the country’s elite and developing horses and athletes for international competition, in partnership with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

The stall-naming program has been going for a while, but the foundation wanted to highlight it as part of the organization’s current fundraising campaign.

“It’s a wonderful way for people to honor and celebrate special horses in their lives and be a part of the team at the same time,” explained Bonnie Jenkins, the foundation’s executive director. Any horse can be honored by a donor who feels they are deserving of recognition, even if they simply were a great friend and had never won a ribbon. There is no requirement for them ever to have been ridden on the team or stabled in Gladstone.

But to kick off the program’s revival, the stellar former grand prix show jumper Madison visited the stall named in her honor this month, trailering down from her retirement home in Connecticut with her owners, the Weeks family. It set the stage for a fond reunion with her former rider, Kent Farrington, who has been ranked the number one show jumper in the world.

Bill Weeks feels a connection with the stable from which the U.S. fielded so many medal-winning teams. He recalled bringing his daughters, Whitney and Alexa, there for the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East.

“I love the building and history,” said Bill, who is vice president of the foundation’s trustees.

He noticed in the past when he walked around the stable that horses had been honored with stall plaques, and the concept clicked with him.

“I thought it was fitting to do for Madison and Kent and to support the USET Foundation at the same time. The first time I came here, I was kind of in awe of the facility. The young riders who compete here in the Talent Search get their first exposure to the facility and I think it stays with them,” Bill observed.

Madison, now 22, has an interesting back story.

“She was not bought as a grand prix horse. She was bought to do the junior jumpers,” Bill noted.

But when Kent’s grand prix horse went lame while he was at a show in Raleigh, N.C. he turned to then- seven-year-old Madison, who went on to win both grands prix at the show. He was, he conceded, “a little surprised,” but that started her career in the big time.

“Every day she showed us she could do more all the way up until competing at the highest level representing the U.S. It’s amazing how high she went with Kent,” Bill said.

“No matter what, she always tried,” Kent commented after getting into the stall at the foundation with Madison, who obviously remembered him. The two even got close for a selfie.

While Madison was funny about her mouth when Kent started with her, often throwing her head up at an awkward angle, he found a way to bring her to her full potential.

“A lot of it was slow work, and taking the time to train and practice,” he said.

She was, he explained, “a trier, a real fighter in the ring. Horses can overcome a lot of other faults just because they have heart.”

In 2005, he and Madison took the grand prix at the Devon Horse Show and then topped the President’s Cup at the Washington International, where Kent also was leading jumper rider during his first time in the professional ranks there. He ended 2005 by winning the American Grand Prix Association Trainer of the Year title, as Madison won the AGA Horse of the Year honors.

 

Madison competed for the U.S. at the 2006 FEI World Cup Finals in Kuala Lumpur, but she wasn’t herself after the long trip there. So Kent dropped out after the first leg, opting instead for an extra day’s rest and then the non-Cup grand prix, which she won in typical style.

Since her retirement at age 16, Madison had two fillies via embryo transplant. Both are now four and jumping little courses; Elsa is by Elvis ter Putte and Nadia is by Nabob de Reve. Madison, who had been living in Belgium, returned to the U.S. this autumn.

“We felt very fortunate she was able to retire safely and happily,” said Alexa, who is married to Brazilian Olympic individual gold medalist, world champion and three-time World Cup titleist Rodrigo Pessoa, now coach of the Irish show jumping team. He rode Madison at the end of her career.

Madison, handling retirement as easily as she handled competition, “is a great herd animal,” said Alexa.

“She absolutely loves being out in the field with all of her buddies. Some show jumpers don’t retire well. She’s retired really well.”

As far as naming a stall for her, Alexa said, “She definitely deserves the recognition, because she was such a special horse for both Kent and I. We each won grands prix on her,” she pointed out, noting it’s unusual for a horse to do well with both an amateur and a professional.

Kent flew up from Florida for the day to see Madison get her stall plaque. He’s incredibly busy, as always, and about to take off for Europe, but was happy to take the time to pay tribute to her.

“She was the first horse I rode on the U.S. team, (my) first horse to win a 5-star grand prix and it was sort of a catalyst for my career,” he explained after greeting the mare fondly.

“Whenever anyone asks about my most significant grand prix win, I always say it was winning my first 5-star grand prix with her. It was the only five-star in America then and it was on the grass. She was a horse I brought up from when she was young and had gone all the steps with her to get to that level. At every level, she was always competitive and a winner with multiple riders. That says a lot about the horse. Every time we asked her to do something bigger, she always answered.

He pointed out, “I started with my own business when I was 21, it was a lot to take on at such a young age. I had an amazing horse who could win and really put me on the map. Her intelligence was probably her strongest attribute. When you taught her something, she retained it. She knew the job, she figured out the sport, like a lot of the great horses. She was always super reliable.”

Kent rode at the foundation headquarters a couple of times in his youth, once in the Talent Search, once in a George Morris clinic, and has visited on several occasions since.

“It’s an amazing place. I’m still really impressed when I walk in here now. There’s a lot of history here and it’s a beautiful stable,” he said, before looking at the historic photos archived in the stable’s upstairs trophy room.

Kent is generally all business. To do what he’s done, you have to stay focused. But he is not one to forget a good turn, and he got a bit sentimental as he talked about Madison and her owners.

“The horse and the Weeks family were really an amazing start to my career. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am today; certainly not as fast. They took a big chance on me when I was really young to give me that kind of opportunity.

“I’m very proud about what it evolved into and very grateful for all the support and the relationship that we still have today. They were always very generous, that was always their approach,” he said, when asked about their decision to donate for a stall on the stable’s top floor.

“That’s also why they were so supportive of me,” Kent mused. “They saw that I worked hard and they wanted to give me a chance.”