Joe Fargis had many words of wisdom for those participating in a sold-out clinic he gave at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J., this week. You need to listen when an Olympic double gold medalist tells you something.
“Better to get it right than to hurry through it,” he told groups of participants riding during segments at fence-height levels from 2 feet to 3-3. The clinic, and a show today, were organized by the Metropolitan Equestrian Team.
Clinic participants start off with an exercise involving poles on the ground. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Joe’s other advice included:
- “Don’t ride faster than you can think.”
- “Be as exact as you can be with your flat work.”
- “Don’t let your transitions look like you just put on the brakes.”
- “We all do too much when we’re riding; less is more.”
- “Always do some flatwork after the last jump.”
- “Stay square in the tack. Be committed to straightness in everything you do.”
Those are just some of the comments that reflect his background of classical training and doing what’s right for the horse. Much of the need to take time and lay a foundation often has been ignored or forgotten as riders negotiate a crowded competition calendar that offers points toward awards, qualifications and big money. That often makes it all too difficult to skip a show and stay home to train.
In addition to Joe’s team and individual gold medals with the thoroughbred Touch of Class in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he also won team silver on Mill Pearl in Seoul at the 1988 Games.
But it took a long time and plenty of work on the basics for Joe to get to that point. He first came to the USET headquarters at age 21 in 1969. During the time he was working with USET show jumping Coach Bertalan de Nemethy, he slept in one of the no-frills rooms that now serve as offices on the top floor of the historic stable. Bert, who was in the Hungarian cavalry, exercised strict discipline and expected those he was training to adhere to the highest standards.
Joe is a living legacy of that tradition. And though the world is very different today than it was more than half a century ago, the principles of horsemanship remain, and those in the clinic appreciated getting them first-hand.
“Such an amazing experience to ride with an Olympian,” said Rachel VanDemark of South Brunswick, N.J., She adopted her 5-year-old, Disco, from New Vocations, a thoroughbred rehoming agency, which meant Joe’s background had particular appeal for her.
“I know Joe’s top Olympic horse was a thoroughbred, so to ride with someone who knows the breed so well was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she said.
Metropolitan Equestrian Team’s Jane DaCosta and Joe Fargis with a painting of his 1984 Olympic mount, Touch of Class. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Her big takeaway from the clinic was “Asking for my (lead) changes earlier instead of waiting until we got to the wall (at the end of the ring).The term Joe was using was `Don’t bounce off the wall.’”
Rachel said she got “some good tips I will take home and definitely do my homework.”
Shelly Jermyn of New Hope, Pa., watched her 15-year-old daughter, Bella, ride her thoroughbred, Myko, in the mid-level segment of the clinic. She called it, “A great opportunity to have a training clinic with a famous Olympian and get off property; new faces, new horses and experiences.”
Another New Hope resident, young professional Lucy Nyland-Elliott of InGate Farm, was riding an eye-catching gray, Cristal Hill. She had set up a grid at her farm similar to the gymnastic that Joe arranged.
“At home, he wanted to rush a little bit, so it was nice to have it implemented today in the exercise because it helped me learn how to take a step back and slow it down. It’s a refreshing experience, she commented.
Joe offers a pointer to Lucy Nyland-Elliott as Bella Jermyn looks on. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Joe is doing clinics almost every weekend this fall. He said the Metropolitan organization called him “out of the clear blue sky.” Despite having to move the clinic to the indoor ring because of rain, which meant Joe often had to shout his messages to the riders, he said “I’ve enjoyed coming here.”
He keeps the gymnastic exercises “as low and as simple as I can,” which helps riders avoid trouble, and enables him to give them equal time, instead of having to work more with one who’s having a problem.
“It was a wonderful exercise. I loved how he built on it, focusing on the straightness and the softness,’ said Melissa Rafano, who took the “perfect practice” mantra to heart.
A pastry chef from Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Lebanon, N.J., Melissa rode in the section with the highest jumps and confessed to being “a little nervous coming in”, but said of Joe, “he was super-approachable. What a nice man.”
Olivia Sousa, a 15-year-old who came from Cornwall, N.Y., with her horse Mooney, called the clinic “really cool. I was very excited. It was very helpful to find my rhythm and think `straight.’ ”
What was amazing was hearing Joe call each of the riders by name; they were all new to him, but it was special that he could identify them. You can see he really puts his heart into the clinics. Joe also does many of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Emerging Athlete Program clinics around the country.
“I just love the attitude of the people I teach at the lower levels. They’re not entitled. They love riding and horses. It’s fun,” he observed.
Joe continues to ride at home in Virginia. Although he hasn’t shown for six months, he might compete again.
“I’m not going to rule it out,” said Joe, who is the president of the Upperville, Va., horse show, adding with a smile, “I never make a plan.”
The Metropolitan Equestrian Team was established in 2010 by the energetic Jane DaCosta, who explained the organization that focuses on athletes in grades three through 12 is part of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Community Outreach program, which offers grants.
“The idea is to be a part of the large picture of what opportunity can be brought through equestrian sports for people who may or may not have been able to have access to it before,” said Jane.
Metropolitan is also an affiliate of the USHJA which provides grants and opportunities including the Outreach competitions.
Because of her organization’s involvement with USEF and USHJA, “we came to the decision that this is the home of the U.S. Equestrian Team for the Olympics and felt it would be in best suit to have a two-time Olympian who is a part of this historical facility to provide an opportunity for an educational session on our sport,” Jane explained.
Those attending got a post-clinic tour of the stable from the USET Foundation’s Maureen Pethick. Proceeds of the clinic and show will go toward Metropolitan’s scholarship fund.
“We provide horseback riding and educational opportunities for children regardless of their socio-economic status,” Jane commented. To date, the organization has gotten $1.7 million in college scholarships.
Jane noted, “If you believe in hard work and education, you can be a part of this team. Our vision is to change the conversation from `if’ I’m going to college to `where’ I’m going to college.” Vocational opportunities also are part of the picture.
Although Metropolitan is based in Manhattan’s Times Square, it has satellite locations all over the country. Horses owned by the group are scattered at different barns, including in New Jersey, with Genna Centolanza at Brookside Show Stables in Ringoes.
“This equestrian team provides so much for these kids. I think it’s a good, good thing,” said Joe.
