by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 15, 2022
The U.S.. has depth in show jumping; don’t doubt it. The just-announced short list for this summer’s world championships in Denmark shows that two consequential teams could be named to ride with the Stars and Stripes on their saddlepads.
Five riders will be selected after observation events in Europe, including Aachen, with four to compete (unlike the Olympics, where there were three on a team.
Olympic veterans named include Tokyo Games silver medalists, McLain Ward (Contagious, Kasper van het Hellehof); Laura Kraut (Baloutinue and Confu) and Jessica Springsteen (Don Juan van de Donkhoeve and RMF Zecilie,), as well as Kent Farrington, (Gazelle, Orafina, and Landon) who rode in Japan as an individual.
Kent Farrington and Gazelle. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Then there’s Brian Moggre (Balou du Reventon and Vivre le Reve), a star of the under-25 set; Spencer Smith (Quibelle), another young standout; Lillie Keenan (Agana Van Het Gerendal Z and Argan de Beliard), 2018 World Equestrian Games gold medal team member Adrienne Sternlicht (Benny’s Legacy and Cristalline); Bliss Heers (Antidote de Mars), who made the podium at the February $500,000 grand prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival) and Chloe Reid (Souper Shuttle.)
The U.S. squad was eliminated at the Nations’ Cup qualifier in Mexico earlier this year, which means the U.S. won’t qualify for the finals in that competition this autumn in Barcelona. That means the world championships will take on even more importance than usual.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 30, 2022
Imagine being one of only three riders in a field of 43 at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 5-star to make the optimum time over today’s multi-faceted cross-country course put together by designing genius Derek di Grazia.
Together with no jumping faults, that has boosted you from sixth place after dressage to second place going into the final phase tomorrow. Your horse is in the best shape ever, you’re riding great and all things being equal, you could be the first American to win the 5-star event since 2008.
Except all things are not equal.
What stands in your way is three-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Jung of Germany. And that’s why Boyd Martin isn’t counting on leading the victory gallop tomorrow at the Kentucky Horse Park with the valiant Trakehner, Tsetserleg.
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg make a splash in the water at the Head of the Lake. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Michael will go into the show jumping with his marvelous dressage mark of 20.1 penalties. Like Michael, Boyd added no penalties today, but his dressage score was 29.3. With four penalties for a knockdown in show jumping, that gives Michael an edge of two rails, and he has a little leeway for time, though he likely won’t need it.
So Boyd accepts that the odds favor Michael and the celebrated Hanoverian, fischerChipmunk FRH.
“He’s by far the best horse in the field and probably the world’s greatest event rider,” Boyd acknowledged of his equine and human rivals.
“It’s a privilege standing next to him but he’s just in a different league.”
With that in mind, here’s how Boyd looks at it.
“To me, you’re against yourself in this contest; the best dressage you can do, clear cross-country and clear show jumping.”
After that, it’s up to fate.
Derek’s course was one major question after another, requiring not only technical skill and accuracy, but also endurance. There was plenty to see for the They needed all the help they could get.
The route took its toll. There were 32 finishers, and we likely won’t see all of them return for tomorrow’s competition finale. Seven horses were eliminated and four retired. Some of the horses looked understandably tired near the end of the route.
Chip, of course, was not one of them. He had the fastest round of the day, completing in 10 minutes, 53 seconds, while the optimum time was 11:04.
Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH put on a show for the fans who flocked to see them. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
It was his first 5-star, but that’s deceptive if you’re evaluating his experience, since he competed in the Olympics last year, though you may not know they aren’t held at the 5-star level.
So this could have been considered a challenge for Chip, if he hadn’t simply aced it.
“It was tricky everywhere, tough questions everywhere,” said Michael.
“I’m just very proud of my horse. A great horse, a lot of talent, super quality. He’s so powerful, he’s so fast running on the flat. Great jumping everywhere, with his brain always with me. It was a great feeling just to enjoy the 11 minutes.”
In third place is the event’s youngest rider, 24-year-old Yasmin Ingham, with the French-bred Banzai du Loir. Yasmin is right behind Boyd with 30.9 penalties, adding 2.8 time penalties to her dressage score of 28.1. It is Yasmin’s first appearance at the Kentucky Horse Park, and she really wasn’t expecting to be where she was at the end of today.
British visitor Yamin Ingham and Banzai du Loir stand third after cross-country. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s his first time at this level and he was just brilliant at the combinations.”
After the coffin, which was challenging by being early on the course, “he just powered on and he’s just an incredible horse to ride. He really does have all of what it takes to be a top event horse. It’s a dream come true to come here.”
The other rider who made the time was, not surprisingly, Phillip Dutton, the American who last won Kentucky 14 years ago.
He went from a tie for 31st place after dressage to seventh with 38.8 penalties on Sea of Clouds.
Phillip Dutton and Sea of Clouds. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Doug Payne, Boyd and Phllip’s Tokyo Olympics teammate, nearly made the time, finishing with 1.2 penalties added on his score with Quantum Leap, bringing him up from 25th to a tie for fifth.
That was the best thing that happened to Doug today. The morning didn’t start well for the man who led the 4-Star Short competition after dressage when he had a fall at the troublesome Park Question triple obstacle, and took Starr Witness’ bridle with him in the process. She just nibbled grass until he got up and took custody of her.
A good number of horses weren’t ready for the Derek’s test.
Nine were eliminated and four retired. Dan Kreitl moved up from 11th to first with the Westphalian Carmango. He was the only one of the 30 riders who finished the course that did not accumulate time penalties.
Dan, who works in real estate, lived a nightmare with his wife, Alyssa, as she battled cancer last year and their infant daughter, Magnolia, struggled to survive. As a result, he had to rely on trainer Sharon White to keep his horse conditioned, since it was difficult for him to go from his Indiana home to Ocala to train. But though the situation wasn’t ideal, he rode as much as possible and today was the rainbow. Magnolia is doing well, though his wife is still undergoing chemo.
Liz Halliday-Sharp stands second, just 0.7 penalties back of Dan with a score of 29.7 on Cooley Quicksilver. Phillip is third with Quasi Cool (37.4), noting he benefited from riding an obstacle similar to the Park Question on a Derek-designed course at Fair Hill, Md., this month, although it had two strides between its elements, as opposed to the one-stride that stumped so many riders today.
Liz Halliday-Sharp, Dan Kreitl and Phillip Dutton, the top riders in the 4-star division greet Eleanor Suttle of Arkansas, a cancer survivor who idolizes eventers. The event organizers gave her a pinney of her own. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The rain that was predicted stayed away, but a damper was put on the day when two horses were injured.Ashlynn Meuchel’s lovely gray, Emporium, fell at a brush jump in the Head of the Lake, and briefly was thrashing around in the water until veterinary help sprang into action. He was sedated and put on a trailer to the Hagyard veterinary practice up the road from the horse park.
Also being evaluated tonight at Hagyard is Fleeceworks Royal, Tamie Smith’s ride, who led on the first day of 5-star dressage. She had an injury to her left front, and Tamie pulled her up at fence 11C, the third element of EEI’s Challenge Accepted obstacle.
For complete results, click here for the 4-star and here for the 5-star.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 29, 2022
It was what we’ve all been waiting for at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, the excelsior of dressage tests performed by Olympic multi-gold medalist Michael Jung of Germany and fischerChipmunk FRH.
Needless to say, no one in today’s crowd of 12,753 at the Kentucky Horse Park was disappointed.
Michael Jung and fisherChipmunk FRH in action. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Chip and Michi were getting numbers from the judges that would have stood them in good stead had they been competing in high-level straight dressage. We’re talking 79.87 percent
Translated into penalties, which is the way eventing is scored, they earned 20.1 for a test that demonstrated how it should be done, from the four-square initial halt to the precisely controlled gaits, hitting all the marks and a stretchy circle that was the essence of what stretchy circles are about.
The lowest score I could find for Chip while researching the 14-year-old Hanoverian’s history was a mind-boggling 18.8 at the Radolfzel 3-star Short in Germany during April 2021, but this is the first 5-star for the son of Contendro I, so we’ll salute him.
I guess I don’t have to say that Michi is standing in first place as we await tomorrow’s cross-country, and who knows what that result will be after that. But in the meantime, we all enjoyed the moment, and no one did that more than Michi.
As he left the arena, he raised both arms wide and high, as if embracing the entire Rolex Stadium, then took off his helmet and beamed at the crowd who sent the love back his way.
Assessing his mount’s performance, Michi said, “I have a real superstar. He’s very nice to ride today, it was just a joy to ride him He was really powerful but also on the other side, really relaxed, so it was a very good balance.”
Michi won Kentucky three times in a row, in 2015, 2016 and 2017 with fisherRocana, now retired and a mother. Then from 2018 on, it was Oliver Townend’s turn to dominate and win three in a row for Great Britain. Michi was second in 2018 and hadn’t been back until this week.
But now The Great One has returned, and he’s loving it.
“I’m very happy to be back here in Kentucky. It’s a beautiful place,” he said.
“I really enjoy it and I think also my horses enjoy it. It’s a horse country. Everything is well-prepared for the horses.”
The top American in the 5-star is Buck Davidson, standing third with Carlevo (27.4) who was in fine form. Buck commented on his horse’s condition, explaining that he had been training race horses during the winter and looked to replicate their feed and conditioning with his event horse. The effort worked, as he felt the reliable Carlevo had more energy that put octane into their test.
Buck Davidson and Carlevo.( Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
During the 1960s, they talked about the “British Invasion,” meaning the rock stars, including the Beatles and Rolling Stones, who came here and made their mark. That phrase popped into my mind today when I looked at the leaderboard and saw that three of the top five placings belonged to women from England.
They included second place Sarah Bullimore with Corouet, who was as ebullient about her 25.7-penalty test as Michi was about his. She also did the arms flung wide thing as she rejoiced.
The lovely Yasmin Ingham, the youngest rider in the 5-star at age 24, was fourth on Banzai du Loir on 28.1 and Pippa Funnell stands fifth on Maybach (29).
This is Sarah’s second trip to Kentucky, and I asked her for impressions of the event and the facility.
Sarah Bullimore and Corouet. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I’m absolutely privileged to be back here,” she said, citing the hospitality and the fun of it as reasons that she’s glad she came.
“We don’t always get the opportunity to come here and I’m not getting younger so I grabbed this chance with both hands and I’m thrilled to be here. The park is fabulous, the track and everything, and everyone just bends over backwards to help you.”
Sarah’s horse is the first foal from Lilly Corinne, with whom she went to the European Championships in 2015. Corouet’s sire is Balou Du Rouet. The product of the union has “a mighty big attitude in a small package.”
Sarah Bullimore celebrates her dressage test in the same style as Michael Jung. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Yasmin and Banzai won the Blenheim 4-Star Long last year, a stepping stone to this 5-star and a great dressage test.
“I’m so proud of how he went down there and kept himself composed. It was just like me and him and the ring and it didn’t feel like anyone was there watching. There was a lot of pressure and a lot of atmosphere and he dealt with it,” Yasmin commented.
She came to Kentucky instead of next week’s British 5-star at Badminton because the track here suits Banzai more.
“It’s very open and galloping and some really big wide fences,” she said.
“I’m so lucky he’s a brilliant jumper. He really covers the ground and he’s got so much blood and he’ll run for hours. Maybe Badminton next year,” she mused.
Pippa made her mark her in 2003 when she became the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam after taking Kentucky and following up with wins at Badminton and Burghley. (Michi is the only other person who has done it.)
She returned for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, but this is the first time since then that she has competed in Lexington.
When I asked what brought her back, she explained with a smile that she might not have many more chances.
“I haven’t got time on my side,” smiled the 53-year-old rider.
“It’s great to be back. I haven’t gotten so many horses now but I was just in a lucky position that I had enough to bring some here and to have some at Badminton,” she said. The cost of flying is also a factor in bringing the horses across the Atlantic, of course.
I loved seeing Irish rider Joseph Murphy on Calmaro reach over and shake hands with the Pony Club kids who moved the barrier at the arena’s entrance. Nice guy to give them recognition. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
In the 4-Star Short division, Doug Payne took the lead with Starr Witness (23.1 penalties). The Dutchbred mare has spent the past few months brushing up on her dressage.
Doug’s goal is to be competitive in all the disciplines that make up eventing. He has a U.S. Dressage Federation silver medal, but isn’t content with that.
“I want a gold and a Grand Prix horse and she will absolutely do it. Competing across disciplines is always my ultimate goal, to be able to show up in any sport and be competitive, and she can make it happen.”
But he has to keep her busy.
“She’s the type of horse that if you don’t challenge her, she will look elsewhere for something to do,” he observed.
Canadian Colleen Loach is second with the 18.2-hand Hanoverian Vermont on 24.5, while Thursday’s leader, Tamie Smith, has dropped to third with Cooley Quicksilver (25.7).
For results in the 5-star, click here . And to follow who did what in the 4-star this is the link.
Check back to this website tomorrow evening to find out how the cross-country went. The weather forecasts brought better news today than the rain predictions that we’ve heard all week, and it looks like we’ll get a break for the big day.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 28, 2022
American-bred horses dominated the top placings in the 5-star dressage, as competition at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event got under way.
As if that weren’t enough good news, their riders had brought these mounts along up through the ranks, making for a special connection between human and horse that can’t be duplicated, no matter how much someone spends for a horse they didn’t make.
The stands weren’t full, but they were far from empty, with 6,982 spectators, a good number for a Thursday in the Rolex arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. The crowd was knowledgeable; for instance, when Phillip Dutton’s mount Sea of Clouds kicked up during a lead change, the spectators went “Ooh” in unison.
Californian Tamie Smith led the way with the lithe gray, Fleeceworks Royal, marked at 32.9 penalties by judges who the riders characterized as tough but fair. Her ride has gained polish from association with German dressage trainer Johann Hinnemann, whom she calls a friend as well as a mentor.
Tamie Smith acknowledges the cheers of the crowd for her performance on Fleeceworks Royal. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Tamie has ridden the 13-year-old mare since the Holsteiner by Riverman was three years old.
“Every time I’m going out of the start box at Advanced, I’m like, ‘But you’re three,’ she confessed with a chuckle.
“It’s special to be sitting on one you’ve produced from scratch, and you think of all the times and the many people she’s bucked off.”
Tamie called the mare “a cross-country machine” and “a great jumper,” talents that will come in handy as the weekend rolls along.
Colleen Rutledge, a Kentucky veteran, has clocked many miles on her thoroughbred/Clydesdale cross, Covert Rights, graded at 33.8 penalties even with a few errors, like a problem halting from the walk and blowing the second flying change. But never mind.
Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights were airborne during their dressage test. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It feels amazing, to be sitting up here on my homebred out of my first advanced mare. He’s a blast to ride every day no matter what,” the Maryland resident said.
The big bay “puts a smile on my face every day,” she added.
Doug Payne, standing third, was marked at 34.9 penalties on Vandiver, an 18-year-old Trakehner by Windfall. Quinn, as the gelding is known, was his Olympic mount last year.
The North Carolina resident doesn’t see a bogey fence on the course, but noted that the way the route is set, “I think you’re going to see a lot of different solutions to the same problem.”
He noted that Vandiver’s breeder and part-owner Debi Crowley is on hand, which is special.
Doug Payne and Vandiver. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“it’s a crazy experience to be able to share their dream, so we’re trying to savor it,” he said.
I love the American thoroughbred, the breed that once dominated eventing, back in the days of the long format when endurance played a key role.
So it was gratifying to see several of them performing today, and Let it Be Lee, a son of Bernstein, even was able to finish in fourth place on a very respectable 35.1 penalties.
Like the top three, he is U.S. bred.The svelte bay is ridden by Elisa Wallace of Florida, who has been a star at the Mustang Makeover, something the skills she learned through eventing probably helped her master. That competition has demonstrated the ability of these horses that have gotten short shrift from the federal government as they are taken from their land and too often put in feedlots, or meet an even worse fate.
Elisa Wallace and Let It Be Lee. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
I was looking forward to watching the test of Great Britain’s Pippa Funnell. She was the first to take the Rolex Grand Slam (Kentucky and the British events, Badminton and Burghley) in 2003, and we’ve missed seeing her at the horse park.
The Olympic and European Championships multi-medalist has returned, riding Majas Hope, and I was impressed at the determined no-nonsense beginning of her test, looking up and seeing her running score was 70 percent. (We view the scores in dressage terms before they are converted to penalties for the final score.)
Then she had problems in the halt and reinback and never regained the horse’s initial sterling composure. Now she’s standing sixth with 35.6 penalties. Even so, it’s nice to have someone of her stature competing at this event.
Pippa Funnell and Majas Hope. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
In the 4-Star Short, a division that debuted at the horse park last year, Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp was first and second with two horses who are polar opposites in appearance.
Her Cooley Quicksilver, a personable gray, was on top with 25.7 penalties, while the coal black Cooley Moonshine was second with 26.9.
Third went to Helen Alliston on Ebay (28.7). She’s the wife of James Alliston, 15th in the 5-star on Paper Jam, a Hanoverian Helen owns. This chestnut, I should mention, has very nice extensions and though he needs work elsewhere in his test, he looks like he has real potential for James.
Tomorrow the remainder of the horses in the 4- and 5-star divisions take their turn in the arena.In the 5-star, where Pippa has another shot with Maybach. Germany’s Michael Jung, the only other person to win the Rolex Grand Slam, will be aboard fischerChipmunk FRH during the afternoon. It will be the horse’s first 5-star, despite having completed the Olympics and medaling at the European Championships.
Then we will see what Saturday brings (despite expected rain) over Derek di Grazia’s completely redesigned courses.
Usually, the media gets a tour from a hay wagon (pulled, regrettably, but a tractor rather than draft horses) but this year it wasn’t on the schedule. So Derek, the Tokyo Olympics designer who Colleen called a “little bit of a Machiavellian genius” came to us with a power-point presentation to discuss the 5-star fences.
Derek di Grazia and his power point presentation. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Derek said he begins his designing process three weeks after the event is finished and all the movable parts of the fences are taken away. He wants a fresh canvas on which to compose his masterpiece, and this way, he can get a better look at the terrain and do his planning from there.
That innovative approach is evident in this year’s course. But when I asked him how many of the fences are new, as opposed to ones we’ve seen before, he didn’t know.
“I never really counted,” he explained, after conceding, “There are a lot of new fences.” And with this track, he said, “I’m going to places I’ve never been before and lines that I’ve never taken before in the park.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 28, 2022
Things are back to normal at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, with people lining up several hours before the 5-star horse inspection yesterday to be sure that they got the best view of the stars from the U.S. and five foreign countries, while eagerly anticipating the start of today’s dressage test.
The event wasn’t held in 2020 because of Covid and last year, there were no spectators, just cardboard photos filling the seats. Covid again. But the masks are off for the most part, the gates are open, and enthusiasm is high at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.
Tokyo Olympic cross-country course designer Derek Di Grazia has built two separate routes for the 4-star Short (which debuted last year) and the 5-star. How will the 5-star riders deal with EEI’s Challenge Accepted triple, the Pete’s Hollow Triple two obstacles later on their route and as always, the Head of the Lake which appears in a different configuration every year. There’s quite a talented roster of 45 starters to deal with the questions.
True, the winner of the last three editions of the Kentucky 5-star, Great Britain’s Oliver Townend, is a no-show, concentrating on next weekend’s Badminton 5-star in his country. But there are still plenty of big names on hand, including another three-time Kentucky winner, Germany’s Michael Jung with his Olympic mount fischerChipmunk FRH.
FischerChipmunk FRH and Michael Jung. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The 2021 U.S. Olympic team of Boyd Martin (Tsetserleg), Phillip Dutton (Sea of Clouds) and Doug Payne (Vandiver and Quantum Leap), is on hand along with such familiar faces as Aachen winner Will Coleman (Dondante and Corouet) as well as Buck Davidson (Carlevo and Sorocaima) and from California, Tamie Smith (Fleeceworks Royal).
The horse inspection can be one of the most unnerving moments for the riders. If their horses don’t pass, their Kentucky mission is over.
Two horses were held yesterday, Booli Selmayr’s Millfield Lancando and Alexandra MacLeod’s Newmarket Jack. Both were sent to the holding area before they were represented. Both passed and their riders’ wave of relief was visible and understandable.
Passed! Alexandra MacLeod is relieved after the ground jury okayed Newmarket Jack. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Doug Payne, the highest-finishing member of the Tokyo Olympic team (he was 16th) had an uneasy moment when Quantum Leap was asked to trot again by the ground jury here, but the horse passed on the second try and Doug was set for a busy competition. He’s got two horses in both the 4-star and 5-star and one in the separate grand prix show jumping competition for a whopping total of five mounts.
Doug Payne and Vandiver, one of his two 5-star horses. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
How does he handle five horses at an event of this magnitude?
“The busier you are the easier it is, because it gives you have less time to consider what potentially could happen. You just have to get on and go,” he explained.
It’s practically a vacation for him here, considering that at The Fork, he was riding nine horses.
Everything is in focus for him as he looks toward hopes of competing in the world championships this summer in Italy, and he knows important eyes will be on him.
“This is the pinnacle of competition in our sport. We’re lucky to have two five stars in our country,” said Doug, who has also ridden in the Maryland 5-star, which debuted last autumn.
Looking ahead to cross-country day this Saturday (sadly, rain is predicted), Doug observed, “Derek has done an incredible job.
“He’s changed up the track quite a bit. It’s going to require quick-reacting riding to navigate the course well. The terrain and the placement is put in a way in which it’s not going to be 100 percent predictable what’s going to happen. It should make it super exciting, but I think it’s super fair for the horses.”
Dubarry of Ireland as always gave boots to the male and female riders deemed best dressed in the trot-up. Will Coleman (Dondante and Corouet) took the men’s prize with a traditional country look topped by a wool flat cap.
Will Coleman very much looked like the country gentleman with Dondante. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Meghan O’Donoghue followed the same formula that won her the women’s prize last year with Fairfax and Favor boots from her sponsor, Hound and Hare (last year, she borrowed boots from Liz Halliday-Sharp), and a standout jacket featuring a shawl collar and patch pockets in a checkered pattern from Everard’s. It’s a favorite store of hers in Washington DC’s Georgetown section.
The award was mission accomplished for Meghan and Palm Crescent.
“I went back for a repeat and it worked out,” said Meghan. “I enjoy having a chance to dress up. I think as horse people, we don’t get out and about very often, so it’s fun to have a reason to dress yourself in a nice outfit and show off your horse and hopefully make a good first impression,” she noted.
Best-dressed woman Meghan O’Donohue with Palm Crescent. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Follow the 5-star action from Kentucky through the weekend right here. Come back to this website every night to find out what’s going on at the iconic event.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 1, 2022
Emporium, who had a hard fall Saturday at the Head of the Lake during the 5-star Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, is back home in his field.
His owner, Ashlynn Meuchel, posted on social media that “Theo usually has a way of letting me know when he’s ready to go back to work, whatever he wants is what we will do. Thank you to everyone who helped get him home!
“By now. a lot of people have heard, but his left front shoe was found in the brush ground line of the corner which is likely why he hung the leg and fell. Somehow when he scrambled to get up his right front shoe got caught in his throat latch, essentially hobbling him. The fast acting veterinary team was able to prevent him from hurting himself and he was fully examined and observed for a few days by the wonderful team at Hagyard.“
Also injured was Tamie Smith’s ride, Fleeceworks Royal, who underwent surgical stabilization of the left front pastern at Hagyard.
This was the last photo of Emporium on the cross-country course at Land Rovert Kentucky before he fell at the Head of the Lake. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 21, 2022
You know the ASPCA Maclay, the U.S Equestrian Federation Medal and the USEF Talent Search–they are the equitation finals that get the most publicity.
But what about the American National Riding Commission Championships, which wrapped up last Saturday at the Centenary University Equestrian Center in Long Valley, N.J.? It has a written test component worth 5 percent of an exhibitor’s score, which is unique for a championship. Its three additional phases include a segment presented on a derby field over natural obstacles (30 percent), a “program ride”/flat phase with two jumps (35 percent) and a medal round in a ring (30 percent).
Based on the American forward riding system, the ANRC tournament offers an all-around test that goes deeper than the way a rider looks on a horse and meets the fences. Its roots are in the teaching of Capt. Vladimir Littauer, a Russian emigre, cavalry school veteran and author. U.S. Olympic show jumping gold medalists Bill Steinkraus and Joe Fargis are among the prominent riders who have been influenced by Littauer. The list also includes Bernie Traurig, winner of both the AHSA Medal (as it was called before the current century) and ASPCA Maclay.
He was a mentor of Paul Cronin, the former director of riding at Sweet Briar College in Virginia, who carried on his work and theories, writing what is in effect an update of Littauer’s 1951 classic, “Common Sense Horsemanship.” His consequential 2004 volume is “Schooling and Riding the Sporthorse: A Modern American Hunter Jumper System.”
Centenary had a big victory in the meet, as its national collegiate team won for the first time since 2016. Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which had won every ANRC national championship since then, took second place with one of the of the two teams it fielded at the national level during the championship. Centenary’s novice collegiate team finished second overall in its division.
“I appreciate this competition because it has the four different phases. I feel it encompasses not only good riding but also good horsemanship,” said Kelly Munz, chair of Centenary’s department of equine studies.
The judges, Scott Hofstetter and Lynn Caristo Forgione, are nationally recognized and top class. Courses were designed by Tim Cleary, a Centenary faculty member.
Unlike the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association competition, where catch-riding is part of the test, ANRC competitors can ride their own horses, or horses they have ridden over a period of time.
Each of Centenary’s three national team members spent about a month with the horses they rode in the competitions, being involved in their care as well as riding them.
In contrast to what happens with IHSA, “It’s much more of a partnership,” said Tara Clausen, who has coached the ANRC team with Michael Dowling for 20 years, is a director at large for ANRC and also served as meet director for the show.
“It goes right back to what we’re teaching in the classroom,” said Tara, noting the fact that both Centenary’s national and novice teams won the written phase “is pretty special to us. It shows the payoff of the academic side of our program. As we progress through the week through the other phases, it demonstrates our basis in developing effective riders.”
Those selected for the ANRC team are what she and Michael believe are “our top riders at this level. This competition exemplifies the true training and riding partnership that someone who might be stepping out as professional might be very well-skilled in.”
The written test involved questions on health and first aid, in addition to theory about forward riding from ANRC, such as use of the aids. Forward riding has a lot of basics in stabilization of the horse, or balance, according to Tara, who also coaches Centenary’s hunter/jumper team.
“It’s a progression, very much about having the horses be relaxed and stabilized and happy in their jobs. It focuses more on the quality of the horse’s way of going and their level of relaxation, versus just getting to the ribbons.”
Michael said it involves having a lighter seat going to the jumps, riding a balanced horse in self-carriage, cantering horses up and downhill.
“In the equitation world, where do you get a chance to ride outside of a ring?” he asked, noting there are only a couple of major shows where that happens.
“For college kids who may not get to that level, it’s so unique and special.”
Sophomore Benjamin Hoban, 20, of Webster, N.Y., who rode on the winning national squad with Haylie Kerstetter and Morgan Munz, Kelly Munz’ daughter, called ANRC “a super-cool experience. The derby phase is awesome, super fun.”
Benjamin Hoban on Qirius. (Photo by Gianna Terranova Photography)
The horse to which he was assigned, Qirius, became his focus as he clipped, bathed and groomed him to get him looking sharp for the competition. A junior hunter rider who had competed at the National Horse Show in that division, and also has ridden in junior equitation, he noted ANRC was a completely different type of experience.
“I like the aspect that you’re selected to represent your school. It makes the riding, which traditionally is an individual sport, a team sport. It was a great feeling to bring it home to the school. It was a fun group of people to do it with.”
Haylie rode and took care of Houdini, a Hanoverian who is her favorite in the Centenary string.
“The horses were completely our responsibility, grooming and conditioning them. It was really nice to spend all that time with him getting him ready for the competition, physically and mentally,” said Haylie, who comes from Coatesville, Pa.
Haylie Kerstetter on Houdini. (Photo by Giana Terranova Photography)
The 21-year-old co-captain of Centenary’s hunter/jumper team will graduate in May and already is applying for jobs as an assistant trainer. She thinks being part of the team will help her with that and branching into marketing as well.
“It looks really good (on a resume) because people understand it’s not just a riding competition. It shows you’re a little more well-rounded than just getting on and jumping one course and winning one class,” said Haylie. She didn’t do the big eq prior to college, when she rode on the local circuit had a mixed breed horse “the kind of horse you could do anything with.”
Haylie noted how special it is that all the horses have been donated to Centenary.
“It’s really awesome that people trust us with these horses. They’re such amazing quality and they go to the show and look amazing next to these horses leased from a show barn. We’re really grateful.”
Morgan rode Assured, who was donated via top hunter rider Amanda Steege. In preparation for the competition, “there definitely was a lot of extra time in the saddle,” she noted.
Morgan Munz on Assured. (Photo by Giana Terranova Photography)
There also was a lot of extra time focusing on preparing for the written segment.
“We definitely had to study the week before and the week of,” she said.
She was impressed about the championships when she realized how many riders she knows once were a part of it.
“Researching it when I was preparing for the competition, you look online at all these people I see in the real world, and I’m like,`Oh they did ANRC.’
“I liked the emphasis on the people who created forward riding and going back to the roots of all of that, and why ANRC was founded,” said Morgan.
“It has a specific goal of encouraging forward riding and soft riding, being a partner with your horse.”
The 20-year-old junior someday would like her own business involved with training and sales horses.
Coach Michael is a fan of the derby phase, noting “it’s a little old school. Our kids don’t really have an opportunity as junior riders to ride on uneven terrain; they don’t understand the concept of cantering up the hill or balancing down the hill or jumping off a bank. I always feel excited when I see the kids go out there and have a great time. I think that’s really an ultimate test. The intent is that they’ve prepared these horses to be balanced.
“There’s a purpose to the sequence of these phases, hoping that on the final day we’ve prepared them well for the medal (phase). It’s fun for our college kids because it’s not the same old catch riding. I love it as a trainer, the program ride is really conducive to setting them up for good stuff. The more you teach the philosophy and the system, the more it makes sense. It puts everything in an order.”
The Centenary winning national team of Benjamin Hoban, Morgan Munz and Haylie Kerstetter with coaches Michael Dowling and Tara Clausen. (Photo by Giana Terranova Photography)
The competition was “a real even playing field,” Michael pointed out, because the home team did not have the advantage of being able to school on the derby field after snow and rain had made it too wet to ride on until the weekend of the competition.
Kelly noted the national victory is “very exciting for us or any school that has an equine studies program when our students do well both on the riding and written phase, because we’re trying to produce professionals who are well-rounded. So it’s an acknowledgement of the good work that we’re all doing as schools.”
Centenary, which won the zone and regional competitions for IHSA, now gears up for that organization’s finals May 5-8 in Harrisburg, Pa.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 19, 2022
If you want a deeper understanding of the Michael Barisone attempted murder case, there are two movies you should see.
One is Pacific Heights (1990), starring Michael Keaton as a tenant in an escalating dispute with his landlords that ended in violence. The other is the 1959 courtroom classic, “Anatomy of a Murder,” with Jimmy Stewart in the lead role as the lawyer for an accused murderer who said he did not remember the shooting and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Both these films will ring a bell after watching the Barisone trial on the livestream.
The three-week trial in Morristown, N.J., offered as much drama as either of the movies because it was happening in real life. Thousands of people followed it closely, and many were not shy about voicing their opinions in a continuing dialogue on Facebook.
Michael Barisone in court. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The result is that if you asked at random who is the USA’s best-known dressage rider, it wouldn’t be a member of the Tokyo Olympics silver medal team, or Laura Graves, the only American ever to top the world rankings in the discipline. Today there is only one answer: Michael Barisone.
He was charged with attempted murder in the Aug. 7, 2019 shooting of Lauren Kanarek, his boarder, tenant and student at Hawthorne Hill in Long Valley, N.J. Barisone was trying to evict Kanarek and her boyfriend, Rob Goodwin, after his relationship with the couple soured amidst thousands of posts on social media, having his conversations recorded and fearing for his life.
Despite the jury last Thursday finding him not guilty by reason of insanity with respect to the shooting of Kanarek, and an outright not guilty decision on the prosecution’s claim that he attempted to shoot Goodwin, Barisone still isn’t out of the woods.
He has yet to be transferred from the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown, N.J., to the Ann Klein Forensic Center in Trenton, where he will undergo evaluation to determine whether he is a danger to himself or the community, needs treatment or if he can be released under certain conditions. A hearing on the findings is set for May 17, though if his transfer is delayed, that could be pushed back.
Meanwhile, his expenses are mounting. His farm in Loxahatchee, Fla., continues to operate, but without him there to teach, it isn’t running at its full potential. His legal fees are not at an end, because he is being sued by Kanarek.
To help out, his partner Lara Osborne has started a Go Fund Me page at gofundme.com/f/help-michael-barisone-rebuild-his-life. It went active this morning. She said so many people had come to her wanting to help Barisone that she decided to institute the page. The goal at the moment is to raise $300,000. While others have helped out to this point, she is footing many bills herself.
Lara Osborne. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lara, the owner of a tack shop business whose daughter, Jordan, was a working student for the trainer, explains her involvement with him this way:
“I stepped up to help a friend in need when others ran away. Over time, that friendship grew into much more. I am proud to say Michael Barisone is my best friend and my life partner.
“The past month has been sheer hell; I have watched the person that I love be torn apart, all of his mental health issues thrust out in the public for all to see, and all of his deeply private and personal fears exposed,” she stated on Facebook.
“But he survived, and the truth is starting to come out. Last Thursday, he was vindicated and now he can start the healing process and hopefully come home soon.Thank you too everyone that has been so supportive of Michael. He needs you all now more than ever.”
Michael Barisone, the alternate on the 2008 Olympic team of Debbie McDonald, Courtney King-Dye and Steffen Peters. (Photo © 2008 by Nancy Jaffer)
Those who wish to write to Barisone can do so via defense attorney Ed Bilinkas. Letters should be addressed this way: M. Barisone C/O Bilinkas Edward J., 415 State Route 10,STE #1, Randolph, N.J. 07869
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 15, 2022
Two-time Olympic eventing individual gold medalist Sir Mark Todd can go back to training racehorses after a ruling yesterday by the British Horseracing Authority that he should be suspended for four months, with two months deferred.
An interim suspension in February came after an outcry over a video showing him hitting a horse with a tree branch to convince it to go into a water obstacle during a clinic for eventers. He had been charged with conduct prejudicial to the reputation of racing in February, after the video emerged on social media.
Although the horseman issued an apology, his license was suspended in February pending an initial hearing on Mar. 24, which was adjourned due to legal issues. Panel chairman Brian Barker heard the case privately yesterday and explained “The appropriate sentence is one of four months suspension, with two months of that deferred for two months.
“That means that the eight weeks that he has already served is sufficient and that Sir Mark is able to operate under his license immediately and that further, providing that there are no transgressions” until June 14, that deferment will disappear.”
Judge Brian Barker, chair of the independent panel, said that the BHA and Sir Mark’s legal team reached a “common ground” for his punishment.
After analyzing the footage of the incident, Barker said that both parties agreed that the horse showed no “sign of fear or distress at any time” and that the well-being of the horse did not appear to have been “compromised”.
Barker noted Sir Mark was “calm in his attempt to encourage the horse to drop into the water, having first satisfied himself that the horse was capable of doing so”, while adding that the use of a “light branch” instead of a BHA-approved whip was not appropriate.
“Those who are more likely to be in the public eye must expect a greater level of scrutiny by the public,” Barker said.
Although the whip can be used in British racing for the purpose of correction, there are limits on the amount of times it can be used.
After the hearing, the BHA stated, “As Sir Mark has himself recognized in public statements since the video emerged and in accepting that he was in breach of Rule (J)19, his behavior on this occasion fell short of the standard expected of all licensed individuals and ran contrary to the values of care and respect for the horse that underpin British racing.”
Sir Mark, who was knighted in 2013 for his service to equestrian sport, became dependent on racing for his livelihood after retiring from eventing for the second time in 2019.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 16, 2022
The gutsy mare On Cue, who took Boyd Martin to the first U.S. 5-star eventing win since 2008 with a win in the Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill last year, has been withdrawn from the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star.
“Cue pulled up a little sore in training and we’ve decided that it would be better to save her for another day,” Boyd explained.
Boyd Martin celebrates after his dressage test with On Cue at the Maryland 5-star last October. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“This is a heartbreaking call, as I really felt that she had a big chance of being very competitive this year.
As always, I’m grateful for Chris, Tommie, and TJ (Turner) for their support through the highs and lows with this magnificent mare.”
Fans will still get to see Boyd in action, as he will be riding Tsetserleg at the event.
