by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 30, 2026
In the wake of news that U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO Bill Moroney will retire at the end of the year after a decade in the post, the organization stated Tuesday that it is “committed to a thorough and deliberate search” for his successor.
A search committee of directors across a range of breeds and disciplines has been designated to reflect the perspectives of the federation’s community is reflected. The committee is in discussion with several nationally recognized executive search firms and will select a professional partner to support the search. The process will include feedback from a diverse cross-section of membership including amateur athletes, trainers and affiliate leadership, among others, to help define the priorities and qualities that matter most in the next leader.
When the search partner is selected, the firm will establish a process for interested individuals to submit a letter of interest for the search team’s review. USEF will share those details in a follow-up communication. When the committee completes its work, it will bring its recommendation to the Board of Directors, which will make the final decision.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 30, 2026
The new FEI Horse Condition Task Force met Monday to discuss horse welfare issues, particularly the subject of blood on competition horses, for which rules differ according to discipline.
“There was broad consensus across the stakeholders that Horse Welfare sits at the center of the rules under discussion and that, while complex in some circumstances, current existing rules regarding serious cases of abuse are strong,” noted a statement from the FEI.
Participants included a broad range of representatives from across the international equestrian community, among them the FEI Board, technical committees, regional groups, the veterinary and athletes’ committees and national federations, among others. They are seeking a more harmonized approach to horse condition protocols, regulations and sanctions across all FEI disciplines.
FEI President Ingmar de Vos said he was encouraged “by the constructive approach in the lead-up to this meeting and confident that we are on the right path towards developing a sustainable, harmonized framework that serves both our horses and our sport.
“By working together in this way, we demonstrate that the FEI is capable of addressing complex issues through dialogue and consensus. That unity will further strengthen our sport and reinforce its place within the Olympic Movement.”
Let’s see what they come up with next…
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 29, 2026
The Premier Jumping League, set to debut in April 2027, has sold its first team for $50 million to race car driver Jason McCarthy and McCarthy Jumping League LLC.
UPDATE: At the same time, the PJL has received FEI Series Approval that formally sanctions the rules and regulations of the series, including competition formats, team formation structure, rider selection process, prize money distribution and other operational mechanics.
There will be $1 million in prize money available to riders on each 5-star weekend.
Neil Moffitt, CEO of the PJL said the league “is not seeking to reinvent jumping, nor to disrupt the existing ecosystem. Our objective is to present the sport in a way that protects its integrity, respects its heritage and creates great opportunities for everyone involved.
“This is about positioning jumping alongside other elite sports – not as a niche pursuit, but as a premier international sporting product capable of attracting major audiences, sponsors, broadcasters, commercial partners.”
Jason McCarthy; his wife, Newsha, and their daughter, Natalia, are all involved with horses. Still in the junior ranks, Natasha aspires to compete at the highest level of the sport. The family owns horse farms in Watermill, N.Y., and Wellington, Fla.
According to a league statement, Jason’s investment “represents an unprecedented valuation for a team in a newly established sports competition and underscores the confidence that sophisticated investors are placing in the PJL.”
McCarthy brings extensive investment and trading experience to the League, having held leadership ositions across the financial sector throughout his career. A graduate of MIT, McCarthy is the founder and managing principal of a proprietary trading firm active across a diverse range of domestic and international markets.
Race driver and investor Jason McCarthy
The PJL is working with the FEI as the it progresses through the series approval process. The PJL, with its global 16-team competition, is backed by McCourt Global and its executive chairman, Frank McCourt, who was a co-founder of the Global Champions Tour, an innovator in non-national team jumping.
The PJL “brings together the world’s top riders and horses to compete for the biggest prize pot in the discipline’s history,” $300 million guaranteed prize money across the first three years. It will be staged in 14 venues in North America, Europe and the Middle East. The League is designed to open the sport to new audiences while respecting its heritage.
The PJL, according to its statement, is committed to “the highest standards of horse and rider welfare.”
It combines “extraordinary athletic performance with premium entertainment, strengthened by the league’s partnership with Box to Box Films (the production company behind F1’s ‘Drive to Survive’), and supported by a free-to-view broadcasting model.
“Cutting-edge technology, radical transparency, and innovative team formats enhance the drama, intensity, and rivalry that define elite sport – unlocking the full potential of jumping, demanded by today’s global sports and entertainment marketplace, without compromising its core values.”
PJL’s objective is “to build a modern, commercially sustainable platform that elevates the sport, supports its athletes, and secures its future on the global stage. Jumping is primed for innovation. Historically, the sport has proved hard to follow, and growth has been hindered by repetitive formats and a lack of education for new audiences.”
Frank McCourt
The league bills itself as “a modern, fan-focused model that combines elite athletic performance with innovative formats, enhanced transparency, and best-in-class, free-to-view broadcasting.”
Commenting on his investment, Jason said: “Like Frank McCourt, our family’s journey into this sport began with my wife, Newsha, whose lifelong love of horses first introduced us to the equestrian world. Through her passion, we became fans of jumping and developed a deep appreciation for the extraordinary partnership between horse and rider.
“We believe strongly in the PJL’s vision – a league committed to the highest ethical standards,meritocracy, and elite competition, underpinned by a sustainable commercial model that attracts the world’s best riders and delivers fan experiences on par with the greatest global sporting competitions.
“We see enormous potential for the sport to grow its global audience while remaining true to the values that make it so special. We are confident the PJL will help realise that potential and drive meaningful growth for the sport we have come to love.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 26, 2026
It’s no surprise to see Laura Kraut and McLain Ward named Friday to the Icon Global squad for August’s world championships at Aachen. The veteran competitors both are, after all, Olympic team gold and silver medalists. Laura, 60, will be up on Bisquetta and McLain, 50, is set to ride one of his newer mounts, High Star Hero.
Laura Kraut and Bisquetta.
At the same time, it’s refreshing to learn that some different and younger faces will be filling out the squad.
Marilyn Little, 45, a former show jumper who became an eventer and then a show jumper again, was named with La Contessa, a speedy mare who has made a mark in Nations Cup and the Longines League of Nations competition.
Marilyn Little and Contessa
Lillie Keenan, 29, representing the under-30 set, also has a quick mount, appropriately named Fasther. And Katie Dinan, 32, third in the FEI World Cup Finals during the spring, will be riding the reliable Out of the Blue SCF.
Katie Dinan and out of the Blue SCF
The U.S. did not medal in show jumping at the last world championships four years ago in Denmark, so the goal obviously is to correct that oversight.
McLain Ward and High Star Hero.
Missing from the squad is world number one Kent Farrington, who was shortlisted for the team. He always does what he thinks will suit his horses, as evidenced by the way he won April’s World Cup. He used Toulayna in the first leg, then the marvelous Greya in the next two segments, making sure not to overdo with the sensitive mare.
He explained on social media, “After giving a great deal of thought to this season and what I believe is the best long-term management for my horses, I have decided to withdraw from consideration for the World Equestrian Games. (it’s actually the World Championships not the WEG).
“Greya has already contested a championship on home soil this year, and we were fortunate enough to come away with the victory,” the rider wrote.
He has another promising horse in Descartes SR, but noted that while that Mexican-bred mount “has delivered some outstanding performances this season, I believe he is still developing and that a championship of this magnitude comes a bit too soon in his career.”
As usual, Kent is astute in planning and looking toward the future.
“With the Olympics on home soil in Los Angeles in 2028, I believe the right decision is to prioritize that goal and continue developing both horses with their long-term future in mind. This approach gives them the best opportunity for sustained success while allowing each horse to progress at the right pace,” he said.
Germany has announced its team, and there are a few surprises. As expected, European Champion Richard Vogel and United Touch S are part of the squad, along with Richie’s partner, Sophie Hinners (Iron Dames Singclair), Andre Thieme (DSP Chakaria) and World Cup Finals runner-up Daniel Deusser (Otello de Guldenboom).
The first reserve is Marcus Ehning with Coolio, while Olympic individual gold medalist Christian Kukuk and Checker have been relegated to second reserve.
Meanwhile, Brazil has a powerful squad lined up for the championships, and hired as its coach Franke Sloothaak. Franke hasn’t competed internationally since 2017, but the native of the Netherlands was on two Olympic gold medal teams when he rode for Germany.
So add Brazil to the list of nations with medal potential for the championships. Riding for that country will be a former world champion, Rodrigo Pessoa (Major Tom/Prins van’t Eigenio), Marion Modelo Zanotelli with McLain Ward’s 2024 Olympic silver medal ride, Ilex, or Dorette Old; Lucinia Diniz (Vergio du Deser); Yuri Mansur (QH Alfons San Antonio) and Stephan de Freitas Barcha (Dinozo Imperio Egipcio or Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio).
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 25, 2026
Dr. Jack Lowe, a much-admired veterinarian who served the horse industry and Cornell University in a variety of important ways for decades, died Wednesday at age 91 after complications from a fall.
“He was one of the few people I know who loved his job every single day; the horses, all the animals and the people and lifelong friends. He absolutely loved life,” said his daughter, Stacy Lowe-Jonas, who characterized him as “a big teddy bear. He was still smiling the last day I saw him.”
She pointed out that Dr. Lowe’s death came while the Lake Placid, N.Y., horse show was going on. It was one of his favorite shows, Stacy noted, and he served as veterinarian there, as well as at the Sussex County show in New Jersey, where he handled that role for more than half a century.
A graduate of the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 1959, he received the Daniel Elmer Salmon Award for Distinguished Alumni Service, which honors veterinary graduates who have distinguished themselves in service to the profession, their communities or to the college.
“Jack has spent his entire professional career at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine enthusiastically contributing to the teaching, research and service missions of the college for many generations of veterinarians and horse owners,” Dr. Susan Fubini, an associate dean, said at the time her received the honor.
Dr. Lowe first studied at Rutgers University for his bachelor’s in dairy science before coming to Cornell, where he earned an M.S. in veterinary pathology after obtaining his veterinary degree. He went on to complete an internship and residency in surgery at Cornell before becoming an assistant professor in 1963. He developed many milestone techniques still in use today.
“Jack has published landmark discoveries, and he was the go-to surgeon for many owners of horses and farm animals,” noted Fubini.
Dr. Lowe was a member of numerous veterinary associations, and for most, he also dedicated time as either an executive board member or president. Among these groups were the American Horse Shows Association, a predecessor of the U.S. Equestrian Federation. He served on the AHSA’s drug control committee for more than 40 years, during nine of which he was the chairman. In this role, he helped develop many of the drug control policies for the horse show industry.
He also originated and continues to work on the USEF’s Health Research Fund. His pioneering efforts earned him many honors, including the Horseperson of the Year Award from the New York State Horse Council. His many roles also included serving as director of the Cornell Equine Park for 13 years.
Jaclyn Brennan, Dr. Lowe’s granddaughter, remembered him this way on social media, “My grandfather was many things to many people. A father, a friend, a husband, an uncle, a world-renowned veterinarian, a horseman, a mentor, a colleague, and everything in between. Jack, Dr. Lowe, Doc… but to me, he was Papa Doc.
“Outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman, taxi, cheerleader, road tripper, babysitter, gardener, meat smoker extraordinaire, (terrible but enthusiastic) dancer, lover of western movies, Johnny Cash, and obscure music he would discover on thrift store tapes. Because of him, I have my name. Because of him, I have horses. Because of him, I have humor, logic, and the minor trauma of him giving me `the talk’ using completely medical equine terms in the front seat of his Lincoln on the way to Washington D.C.”
Stacy stressed how important being a grandfather was to Dr. Lowe.
“My kids were his world. He never missed a baseball game, a football game, a downhill ski race or a horse show. He was there for them.”
Dr. Lowe has asked that his body be donated to the Syracuse University School of Medicine, so it can help with the education of medical students.
UPDATE: A celebration of his life will be held July 25 from 4:30-8 p.m. at the Dryden VFW, 2272 Dryden Road (Route 13), Dryden, N.Y.
Sharing of memories and stories will take place from 4:30-6 p.m., with dancing to live music from the Tarps until 8 p.m. RSVP to CelebrateJack725@gmail.com or text 607-227-2538.
In lieu of flowers, Dr. Lowe’s family requests that gifts be made in his memory to the Jack Lowe Equine Health Fund. Contributions may also be sent via check (payable to Cornell University) to: The Jack Lowe Equine Health Fund, Cornell University, Box 37334, Boone, IA 50037-0334.
Dr. Lowe is survived by his wife, Joyce; his daughter and her husband, Hugh Jonas; Stacy’s brother, William Lowe and his partner (Melissa); granddaughter Jaclyn and her new husband, Dylan Brennan and grandsons Sterling Trevor Calale and Richard J. Calale III.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 22, 2026
Aside from a well-earned second place finish in the Longines League of Nations (click here to read that story), it wasn’t the best of weekends overseas for U.S. equestrian competition efforts.
Boyd Martin did manage to come in third at the Luhmuehlen, Germany, 5-star horse trials with Shanroe Cooley. (Click here for results).
Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley.
He moved up from eleventh place in dressage. Great Britain’s Caroline Harris won with D.Day, a son of show jumping stallion Billy Mexico. The winner hasn’t had a rail down in the stadium jumping phase of any event for three years.
Caroline Harris and D. Day (Hannah Cole Photography)
Only 16 horses finished the event, which had just 20 starters and raised the question again about the future of 5-star eventing. Ypu’ll remember that entries also were thin at the Maryland 5-Star, the USA’s second competition at that level, which will not be held this year. For some insight into the 5-Star situation, read this analysis by competitor Sam Watson of EquiRatings.
In show jumping, the Rotterdam grand prix went to Britain’s Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher with Point Break. The best-placed U.S. rider was Katie Dinan and Out of the Blue SCF with a double clear in seventh place. There was an 11-horse tie-breaker, with Marilyn Little and the normally quick La Contessa missing out of the jump-off with one time fault in the first round to finish twelfth. Click here for results.
At the same time as Rotterdam, the Global Champions Tour held its Grand Prix of Paris fixture. Taking his victory gallop past the Eiffel Tower was Austria’s Max Kuhner on EIC Up Too Jacco Blue. The honor of the U.S. was represented by Lillie Keenan on Fasther, fifth in the six-horse jump-off with a rail down. Click here for results
At home, of course, it was a different story. Last month’s Devon grand prix winner, Charlotte Jacobs, scored another victory, winning the $116,500 Molon 3-star Grand Prix at Traverse City, Mich., with Rincoola Milsean.
The Irish Sport Horse resumed his winning streak after time out for injury, beating Charlotte’s mentor, world number one Kent Farrington. Charlotte was timed in the jump-off at 36.75 seconds. Kent and Nikki Angel crossed the finish line in 36.98.
Winning at Traverse City is nothing new for Charlotte and her mount. In 2024, they swept the FEI division there. Click here for results.
In Ocala, native son Aaron Vale and Helios du Moulin topped a field of 36 entries from 13 countries in the $150,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Center. They had the advantage of being last to go in a four-horse jump-off and made the most of it.
Discussing his engaging fan-favorite mount, Aaron said, “We bought him in late summer of 2024, so it’s been about two seasons now. We jumped a couple of shows with him that year as a seven-year-old, and last year, he moved into the grand prix ranks. He’s a competitive little horse.
“He is so, so fun to watch. Apparently, everybody loves him. We love him because he wins a lot for us, and he tries so hard.”
Click here for results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 19, 2026
Just 0.07 seconds made the difference between first and second place in the Dutch leg of the Longines League of Nations Friday, as Great Britain’s Harry Charles carried victory for his team with a 31.18-second trip on LT Holst Freda. That put him narrowly ahead of a 31.25-second effort by the USA’s Marilyn Little on the speedy La Contessa in a three-way jump-off.
At the end of two rounds, three teams were equal on 8 penalties, necessitating the tie-breaker. Switzerland’s Jason Smith, who did not ride in the first round because his three teammates were clear and he could not improve the Swiss score, appeared in the second round and had a rail over the course laid out by designers led by Bart Vonck. Despite the knockdown by Jason and Picobello van’t Roosakker, the number 254 ranked rider in the world, was selected by chef d’equipe Peter van der Waaij to be the flag-carrier for the finale. His horse, after all, was relatively fresh, having jumped only one round. His time of 31.64 for a clear trip proved just off the mark, putting his squad third.
Harry only has had Freda for six weeks, and this was the mare’s first major competition with him. Even so, he led off strongly on the 12-year-old New Zealand Warmblood. Like Marilyn, he was triple-clear under pressure.
“To walk into an atmosphere like that is so impressive. I’m very proud of her and so lucky to have her,” Harry said of his “incredible” mare.
“She finds everything so easy.”
As quick as she always is, Icon Global U.S. team anchor rider Marilyn just couldn’t catch Harry. But she has been a valuable member of the team each time she rides for the U.S., and could well be looking at a slot on the American squad for August’s world championships at Aachen.
She was double clear in the first two rounds, as was teammate Karl Cook with Caracole de la Roque. Karl was first to go in the competition because the U.S. was ranked last in the overall LLN standings, and countries go in reverse order of rank. Since he couldn’t see anyone go before he started, Karl had no idea of how tight the time allowed would be. But U.S. Coach Robert Ridland knew Karl and his mare could be clear and speedy, as they were.
Katie Dinan finished 8/0 with Out of the Blue SCF for the U.S., while Callie Schott had 8 penalties with Garant and did not appear in the second round.
The U.S. was sixth after the first round and Britain seventh, but that all “changed in a hurry” as Coach Robert put it, after the second round, when first-round leader Netherlands sank to fifth.
“It almost looked like we weren’t going to make the second round at one point,” Robert recalled.
“We really needed Marilyn’s clear in the first round and all of sudden, we’re in the second round, and that’s when that format gets great. It’s so dynamic without a drop score in the second round (where only three of four team members can compete). You can really move up the standings if you’re good and somebody ahead of you can plummet if they have a bad round.”
He also pointed out that for spectators, the second round is easy to watch, because there is no math to do in regard to a discard score.
“We started the day at the absolute bottom of the standings, and kept climbing up the ladder. It was kind of fun,” mused Robert.
The runner-up spot in Rotterdam was meaningful for the U.S. in terms of the LLN series, because it boosted the country from last place to seventh overall of the 10 teams that contest the series. In the previous LLN outing in Ocala during March, the U.S. did not even qualify for the second round, when it fielded a completely different team.
The U.S. team in Rotterdam: Coach Robert Ridland, Callie Schott, Marilyn Little, Katie Dinan, Karl Cook.
The top countries qualify for October’s LLN final in Barcelona, and there is only one more preliminary match for accumulating points, St. Tropez in September.
Harry rode with Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher, also on a new horse (Catelly). Ben was a member of the 2012 gold medal London Olympic team with Peter Charles, the father of Harry, and Harry’s sister and teammate, Sienna Charles. Harry bred Sienna’s mount, Chawton.
The fourth member of the British team in Rotterdam, Jessica Mendoza, had 8 penalties in the first round with Summerhouse and did not advance, as only three riders from each squad are allowed to compete in the second round.
The runner-up spot in Rotterdam was meaningful for the U.S. in terms of the LLN series, because it boosted the country from last place to seventh overall of the 10 teams that contest the series. In the previous LLN outing in Ocala during March, the U.S. did not even qualify for the second round, when it fielded a completely different group of horses and riders.
The top countries qualify for October’s LLN final in Barcelona, and there is only one more preliminary match to go, in St. Tropez in September, where points can be accumulated.
Click here for class results. Click here for team standings overall.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 16, 2026
Ronnie Beard, who trained some of the USA’s greatest hunters and show jumpers, died Tuesday.
Jet Run, Southside and Springdale were among the many horses with which Ronnie was associated over his decades in the industry. The riders he worked with included Katie Monahan, Bernie Traurig, Buddy Brown, Robert Ridland and Melanie Smith, among others.
Ronnie “knew how to do all the right things,” said Robert, who rode Southside in the 1976 Olympics.
At the Caine family’s lavish Winter Place Stables in Maryland during the 1970s, Ronnie assembled a group of horses and riders who became legends. That talent was so impressive it could have made up two Olympic Nations Cup teams, reminisced Robert, now the U.S. show jumping coach.
Ronnie trained both the first and second place winners in the 1981 Volvo World Cup Finals, Michael Matz with Jet Run and Donald Cheska on Southside. He started with both those horses from the age of four.
“Ronnie was a great ambassador for our sport. He was a wonderful horseman, a guiding light for Winter Place Farm in their heyday. An all-around good guy,” said Jimmy Lee, chairman of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, into which Ronnie was inducted last year.
Jimmy recalled that at the beginning of his career, Ronnie was in the Reston, Va., area and rode locally. But he always had an eye for a fine animal.
“He knew nice horses,” said Jimmy, who hired Ronnie to work at his Belcort Farm in Virginia.
“He drove the van, he took care of the horses; we all did everything, and he did too. There wasn’t anything Ronnie couldn’t do.”
Although Ronnie was a skilled rider, he felt his future belonged more to training than time in the saddle. When he won the hunter championship at the Keswick, Va., show with Gozzi, he decided to end his riding career on that high note and turned to bringing along horses and riders. Jimmy arranged for Ronnie to get the trainer’s job at Winter Place.
While that facility was known for its decor, Ronnie always emphasized, “it was a lot more than chandeliers,” referring to the massive, glittering light fixtures in the indoor ring, for which the stable became famous.
Ronnie Beard with Robert Ridland and Kathy Kusner.
“He set the gold standard for hunters and jumpers there,” Robert observed.
“He was the heart and soul of Winter Place.”
Melanie came to Winter Place when the Caines bought her mount, Mississippi Mud.
Although she would go on to win team gold at the 1984 Olympics with Calypso, Melanie recalled that in the early 1970s, “I was kind of a nobody then. Ronnie really gave me a wonderful opportunity.”
He sent some lovely horses her way, including Jet Run, a budding superstar she took from Preliminary/Intermediate to Grand Prix.
“The Winter Place era was such a magical time,” she recalled. “Ronnie had a tremendous eye for a good horse. Horses are the best teachers, and he allowed me to do what I felt was right. We stayed friends through the years after that.”
Sue Ashe often judged shows with Ronnie, who had been suffering heart issues. As she talked about her friend, she mentioned his great sense of humor. Sue recounted the time that he and U.S. Olympic show jumper Kathy Kusner went to the National Horse Show ball in Manhattan. Ronnie was in a tuxedo; Kathy wore a dress he made for her out of the curtains that had been hanging her hotel room, a la Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.
“He was a great horseman and a wonderful, wonderful person,” Sue said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 15, 2026
On the same day that Bill Moroney made a surprise announcement that he will retire as U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO after 10 years in the job, three people were nominated as candidates to succeed Ingmar DeVos in the FEI (international equestrian federation) presidency.
That paves the way for a whole new dynamic in how horse sport is led both nationally and internationally before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Moroney, 66, a founder of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, a USEF affiliate, explained in what he termed a “personal note” to the membership, “Horses have been my whole life. I spent over 30 years as a professional trainer and along the way, became involved in governance.”
He cited his start in leadership as co-chair of the Pony Committee for USA Equestrian (a USEF predecessor) before becoming the first president of USHJA and serving on USEF’s board and more than 17 of its committees. He called becoming USEF CEO in 2016 “the equestrian honor of my life.”
By offering his announcement now, the board has time to run a search for his replacement. He also pointed out that with USEF President Tom O’Mara’s term running through the Los Angeles Olympic cycle, it is best for the CEO and president not to change in the same time frame.
“Making this transition now keeps our leadership steady,” he said, adding, “I will be here and fully engaged in leading USEF through the end of the year, and we will continue to provide our programs, services, and competitions.”
While the top level of horse sports is doing well, at other levels, many have been priced out not only by the cost of horses that can be competitive, but also concerns that keeping a horse, running a barn and competing are out of reach for more and more people.
Last October, a petition calling for a vote of No Confidence in USEF leadership was filed with Change.org. It has 2,073 signatures.
It mentions a disconnect between leadership and members, stating, “USEF exists to serve its members, advance equestrian sport in the United States, and uphold integrity, fairness, and transparency. Sadly, the current leadership has failed in these duties. Under their direction, the organization has eroded member trust, alienated the equestrian community, and fallen short of the standards expected of a National Governing Body.”
The document added, “The time has come for USEF to return to its founding principle—that it exists to serve the members and the sport, not the other way around. Member participation must be central to all major decisions affecting governance, leadership, and the future of equestrian sport in America.”
The petition sought the replacement not only of Moroney, but also of Olympic eventing gold medalist David O’Connor, who serves as chief of sport; veterinarian Stephen Schumacher, director of drugs and medication, and Vicki Lowell, chief marketing and content officer.
Meanwhile, nominees for the FEI top job include Honorary Vice President Mark Samuel of Canada, chair of Regional Group IV (North America) and FEI Vice President from 2017 to 2024. Sabrina Ibáñez, of El Salvador, who would be the first person from a Latin American country to serve in the role if elected, joined the FEI in 1991 and served as FEI Director of Governance and Executive Affairs from 2011 until her appointment as FEI Secretary General in December 2014.
The other nominee is Chinese Taipei’s Jack Huang, who would be the first Asian president of the FEI if elected. He has served as chair of FEI Regional Group VIII (Asia and Oceania) since 2016 and has been FEI Vice President since 2019.
The new FEI president will be elected by the organization’s General Assembly on Dec. 5 in Jiangyin, China.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 14, 2026
We already ran a short obituary last month for Jean Lindgren, but she was someone who deserved much more. Her son, Baylis Greene, did just that, writing one for the East Hampton Star, where he works. This is worth reading, whether you knew Jean, or just wished you had.
“In the 1970s, Jean Lindgren would proudly point out that she was the first woman carpenter on the South Fork. She had the shoulders and biceps to match, too.
This was after a stint teaching nursery school at the Hampton Day School in Bridgehampton, where she met Anthony Hitchcock, a science teacher with whom she would go on to work an array of odd jobs, at a time here when it was far easier to get by that way. This involved building greenhouses, in an elaborate process of gluing and clamping to bend wood supports, done in a barn behind their rented farmhouse in Bridgehampton, catering, notably the wedding of the sportswriter Mike Lupica, with attendees ranging from Don Imus, the radio host, to Donald Trump, and writing a series of guide books to country inns and historic hotels.
The job that wound up truly lasting, however, came about when Ms. Lindgren and Mr. Hitchcock took over the logistics for a small local horse show at the Topping Horse Farm in Sagaponack. As this area became more popular, more of a destination, more characterized by celebrity, so did the show, which in 1977 came to be known as the Hampton Classic, first at Dune Alpin Farm in East Hampton and then on 65 acres in Bridgehampton. The two ran it as a benefit for Southampton Hospital until 2005.
Ms. Lindgren, who lived in Sagaponack, died of heart disease on May 27 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. She was 85.
The Hampton Classic may have been fancy, but the co-executive directors, who were not riders themselves, made certain to allow for the equestrians and fans from the area, introducing Local Day and accommodating Bridgehampton families like the McCoys and the Brennans with tables in the Grand Prix tent.
In many ways the face of the show, working with participants and registrants, the aggrieved and the entitled, Ms. Lindgren was invariably cheerful and charming, with a sense of humor that could defuse any misunderstanding.
Born on March 4, 1941, in Tenafly, N.J., the eldest of four children of Robert Lindgren, a commercial illustrator, and the former Ruth Jaster, she grew up across the New York border in Suffern, where the family had a horse rescued on its way to becoming mink food and an old jalopy she learned to drive before she was a teenager.
She attended Mary Washington College in Virginia but left before graduating, and later married Peter Greene, whom she knew from Suffern High School. They had two children. The marriage ended in divorce, but not before they moved to Sag Harbor in 1969.
In the mid-1970s, in Bridgehampton with Mr. Hitchcock, whom she would marry in the 1990s, the two were known for their volunteer work, particularly with the local historical society and the Black community of the Turnpike, at one point installing a small steeple atop the Baptist church, which led to a story they liked to tell of the difficulty of compound angles.
In later years, after the Hampton Classic, Ms. Lindgren continued to work as a secretary on the horse show circuit, from Westchester County to Ocala, Fla., to Indio, Calif., and she and Mr. Hitchcock began to vacation here and abroad, to France every spring, to Maine at the end of every summer.
Painting was one of her pastimes, and her children and grandchildren always looked forward to the cartoons she would draw for their birthday cards. She enjoyed mystery novels, watching “Jeopardy!” and “Antiques Roadshow,” shopping trips with her granddaughters, and baking, especially Christmas cookies.
Mr. Hitchcock survives her, as does a stepdaughter, Abigail Hitchcock of Brooklyn; two sons, Ryder Greene of Portland, Ore., and Baylis Greene of Noyac; a daughter-in-law, Julie Greene, and three grandchildren, Penelope, Griffin, and Bennett Greene. She also leaves a sister, Patricia Lindgren of Cold Spring, N.Y.
A celebration of her life is scheduled for Aug. 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Long Beach in Noyac, N.Y.
