It came down to the wire: would Anna Buffini get the final North American slot in the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals, or was it possible that Sarah Tubman could earn the trip to April’s competition in Omaha?
Although there were nine others riding to music under the “Friday Night Lights” at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the drama for those in the know involved the two formidable competitors who are also friends.
Sarah, second to go on First Apple before a packed house, earned an impressive 77.450 percent despite her disadvantageous spot in the starting order.
In Thursday’s Grand Prix that acted as a qualifier for the freestyle, her chestnut stallion said no in his first piaffe. In the freestyle, he was a different horse, completely cooperative. Sarah had no major holes in her scores, but her freestyle, to the music of Boston (More than a Feeling), was a little on the conservative side, with a degree of difficulty/calculated risks going from 8.3. to 8.9
Anna’s ride to the theme from “Top Gun Maverick” lost marks on FRH Davinia La Douce’s right pirouette, which oddly was marked from a 4 to an 8 (judges see different things depending on their position around the arena, but that was quite a spread). Her degree of difficulty for the test, however, topped out at an impressive 9.5.
“It was definitely a tricky ride.” said Anna.
In the past, that hadn’t turned out well, This time, however, “I think our partnership and the work we put together the last couple of years has really come together, so even if it is a little tricky, we can still come out with a solid test and perform well.”
After all, as Anna pointed out about her 16-year-old Hanoverian by Don Frederico, “she’s a chestnut mare. They all come out a little bit different, every single show.”
But she thinks the biggest benefit of this show is that it is a test that will have prepared her for Omaha.
“It’s such a good experience to ride under that kind of pressure when you have to deliver,” observed Anna’s trainer, Guenter Seidel, who coincidentally was Sarah’s trainer when she lived on the West Coast.
While it was close, the 28-year-old Californian’s total of 78.280 percent prevailed over Sarah’s mark, which in turn was just 0.40 ahead of third place Morgan Barbançon Bolero. That rider, representing France, had previously qualified for Omaha.
Morgan called her ride to French music the best test.
“He was really with me, I had a great ride.”
One of the judges, Clive Halsall of Great Britain, noted that no competitor was mistake-free.
At the same time, he praised them, noting, “These riders all came with the intention to do the very best they could. You could see the pressure was on and they all wanted to win this class.”
While he said judges “want to see good freestyles with risks,” there is always a risk/reward balance, as harmony needs to exist with a degree of difficulty. He noted, the riders “really went for it and tried.”
Korea’s Dong Seon Kim had a nice performance on his new horse, Galleria’s Bohemian, formerly ridden in the Olympics by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, who was on hand to help. Bohemian’s new rider was very credible to soaring music from the show “Les Miserables,” but it stopped before he did as he got a little behind at the end of the test. He was sixth on 73.565 percent.
Sarah has no hard feelings toward her rival of the evening. In fact, the two had an impromptu hug when they met up after the competition.
“She’s an amazing human, rider and person,” said Sarah, who has known Anna a long time. Sarah originally was from California and now lives in Wellington, Fla., home of the AGDF.
For her part, Anna called Sarah’s ride “incredible. It could have been either of us. She deserves to go as much as I do, and I really wish she could go.”
Sarah is moving on and long has her eye on another goal–a spot on next year’s three-member team for the Paris Olympics.
Three North Americans will be riding in Omaha: Steffen Peters, a former Cup winner who qualified in California with Suppenkasper; Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, N.J., who made the cut on Serenade MF and Anna, who had 57 points. Sarah, with 54 points, is the first reserve.
Adrienne Lyle, who was expected to qualify with the veteran Salvino, lost her shot for Omaha when the stallion popped a splint last month and she could not compete.
Anna’s father, Brian, knew that “whoever is going to represent the U.S. you’ve got to put up a good number. We were delighted Sarah did so well, and then okay, if you’re going to go, you better earn it. And she did.”
Anna’s music was remarkable. After she saw the Top Gun movie with her family, she recalled, “We were sitting at the end with tears in our eyes and I was like, `This has to be my freestyle.’ We just loved it.”
She rode it for her grandfather, James Robinson, who was an Air Force master sergeant, before he passed away last July.
How do you know when someone has suffered a concussion in connection with their involvement with horses? That often is a tough question.
British Equestrian has released unified concussion guidelines for the equestrian industry. The six-page guidance document is geared to help participants not only recognize when a concussion has occurred, but also to know what actions to take in the immediate aftermath and during recovery.
The guidelines have been produced in response to the action plan published by the government of the United Kingdom in December 2021 to address concussion in sport to help reduce risks and potential long-term effects associated with head injuries.
The launch is the first initiative in a campaign that will run throughout 2023 to raise awareness of traumatic brain injury (concussion) and its severity, and education on how to spot the signs and general management. Further resources will be available in the coming months via a planned hub on the British Equestrian website and through the federation’s member bodies.
Sports across the United Kingdom pledged unified support of the plan and, as part of British Equestrian’s commitment to the welfare of participants at all levels, the federation has produced equestrian-specific advice, developed by its World Class Programme Human Sports Science and Medicine team.
Chief Executive Jim Eyre commented; “Concussion in sport has hit the headlines in recent times and we’re increasingly aware of the devastating, lasting impact it can have. As highlighted in the Government action plan, all who regulate and work in sport have a collective duty to come together to safeguard the health of our participants. As such, I’m delighted we’ve produced this guidance, which is as relevant to those in elite equestrian sport as it those interacting with horses for the first time.”
Aimed at participants at all levels of equestrian sport, including riders, vaulters and drivers; parents, coaches, officials, grooms, medical personnel and event organisers, the guidance document provides information to manage concussion. It is geared to help from the time of injury through to a safe return to equestrian sport. This includes the stages of recovery following concussion and a standardized ‘return to riding’ program, both of which should be carried out in conjunction with advice from a qualified medical practitioner or healthcare provider. Links to further help and resources are also listed.
“Our member bodies have been really engaged in this work and are committed to the responsible management of concussions,” continued Jim. “Anyone in the equestrian industry is welcome to download the guidance from our website and adopt it as their own, so we all take a responsibility for our participants and their long-term wellbeing.“
Talk about closing the barn door after the horse is gone…
In the wake of a horse abuse scandal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the International Modern Pentathlon Union is working toward a “successful” show jumping phase at next year’s Olympics in Paris before riding is replaced in that sport for the 2028 Games.
Union members promised, after setting up “a riding review panel,” that they have a “full commitment” to making sure horse selection, course design and athlete performances are done properly as riding makes its last appearance in the sport in 2024. Why wasn’t this done years ago? There were always some not-so-pretty pictures from the riding portion of pentathlon over the years.
But the sport had its profile raised in a negative way that made headlines around the world when a German coach at the Tokyo Olympics punched a horse that had refused a jump with a rider who was leading the competition to that point. The publicity reflected negatively on all horse sports, with many critics not understanding the difference between pentathlon and the Olympic disciplines of show jumping, eventing and dressage, where riders are highly skilled and have spent years (rather than minutes) with their horses.
The bad publicity is a big concern, as “social license” to operate takes on more importance while horse sport deals with the necessity of public approval for what it does.
Pentathlon riding camps geared to sharpening participants’ skills will be staged prior to the Paris Games. That is where the equestrian discipline will be held for the final time before being dropped in favor of having participants negotiate an obstacle course on foot in future compeittions.
Qualification for the Games will be closely monitored to insure capability of those who compete in the riding phase during the Olympics. In Paris, the pentathlon has been revised to run in 90 minutes with riding and its other components: shooting, running, swimming and fencing.
Although many athletes objected, the Union’s Congress in 2021 approved a proposal to remove riding. The Union’s leaders were criticized for lack of transparency.
While modern pentathlon has been a part of the Games since1912, it is not yet on the schedule of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, despite plans to drop riding from the format.
More attention always should have been paid to the riding aspect, where participants had to deal with the luck of the draw in the horses they rode in the segment. The fences also were too high for athletes who were not specialists in riding.
In her quest to qualify for next month’s FEI World Cup Dressage Finals, Anna Buffini came east from California with FRH Davinia La Douce to compete in the final qualifier at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla.
The effort paid off today in the Grand Prix for Freestyle, which she won with a mark of 72.500 percent, as four of five judges gave her an 8 for the collective marks (general impression). Her mare, a 16-year-old Hanoverian by Don Frederico, looked bright and happy throughout her performance.
“It’s always hard to come over here and then acclimate them to a different coast. The first show, especially, to have a solid ride. She just nailed it,” said Anna.
But the real test comes in the freestyle Friday night, because that is the class that counts toward the World Cup (the Grand Prix is simply a required stop along the way.)
Speaking about the freestyle and the tight contest to qualify for the World Cup, she said, “It’s very difficult. It’s up and down. You don’t know if you’re in, you don’t know if you’re out We have to do our absolute best tomorrow (Friday) to make it. The freestyle is my favorite, that’s no secret, and the freestyle is her favorite. If we can go out there and do what we’ve done the last three shows in California, it could be very competitive.”
Anna trains with Guenter Seidel, who has been a longtime team member. “I wouldn’t be here without him. Everything you see in there is because of him,” Anna maintained.
The picture for the finals changed when Adrienne Lyle was unable to compete Salvino here after he popped a splint. She is the top-ranked U.S. rider, at number 10 in the world. Steffen Peters, like Adrienne a member of the 2021 Olympic silver medal team, qualified in California with Suppenkasper. Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, N.J., has qualified and did not need to compete this week.
That left Anna’s big competition as Sarah Tubman with First Apple. But the Dutchbred son of Vivaldi balked in his first piaffe, throwing his head in the air and failing to execute. Scores for that movement ranged from zero to 1. He wound up eighth of 12 starters with a score of 66.413. First Apple will have a lot of ground to make up in the freestyle, but his test has been designed specifically for him, as opposed to the standardized Grand Prix in which he competed on Thursday.
There was a 13th starter, but unluckily Julio Mendoza Loor of Ecuador, who had the score to win the class, was eliminated after a spur drew blood on Jewel’s Goldstrike.
Second place went to Canada’s Chris von Martels with Eclips (70.174), while Dong Seon Kim of South Korea on Galleria’s Bohemian (68.435) was third in the combination’s first FEI appearance. A mistake at the end of the two-tempis was costly, marked with 3s and 4s, but piaffe and passage brought some 8s to the table.
Bohemian was previously ridden by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on the Danish Olympic team and to a victory in the freestyle at Aachen last year. Cathrine was on hand to offer support for the horse’s new rider, who is reported to have paid millions (how many millions is hard to nail down) for the 13-year-old Westfalian by Bordeaux.
The busiest rider of the day was Morgan Barbançon of France (who formerly rode for Spain), fourth and fifth on Bolero (68.326) and Deodoro (68.218). She is already qualified for the World Cup finals.
Earlier, Morgan won the Mission Control 3-star Grand Prix qualifier for the Grand Prix Special with Habana Libre A, a Dutchbred by ZZ Top. Her score was 71.630 percent.
There’s no question as to who is her favorite mount.
“He is the best horse I’ve ever ridden and has all the makings of a top horse; every time in the ring he gets better
I often find that the people involved in putting on an equestrian competition may be as interesting as those participating in it.
Such is the case with Bernardo Costa Cabral, the 45-year-old course designer from Portugal who will head the team laying out the jumper courses at April’s Longines FEI World Cup finals in Omaha.
His resume includes some of the most prestigious shows in the world, from Royal Windsor and the London International in Britain to the National in this country, as well as shows in the Middle East and Europe.
When I met him at the Royal Winter Fair seven years ago, however, the designer wasn’t quite as well-known as he is now. So I was interested in the beginnings of his career. How many designers get involved with that aspect of the sport from a young age?
But he did, and in a unique way. I’ll let him tell you about it. Click on this video to learn his story.
The finals April 4-8 are in Omaha for the second time since their debut in the midwestern city in 2017. It’s a shame that it took six years for the World Cup to return to the U.S., but as you may remember, the 2020 finals in Las Vegas had to be cancelled because of Covid. Happily, now things are back on track and in another three years, they are set for Fort Worth, Texas, under the auspices of the Split Rock series.
But why wait that long? It isn’t often that there is an opportunity to see the best competitors in show jumping as well as dressage and vaulting in the U.S. It would be nice to go to the Paris Olympics to see them in 2024, but that will be one expensive trip, and not within the means of so many people.
Omaha, however, is a town of reasonable prices, so take advantage of the chance to be there and watch the legends, such as Germany’s dressage star Isabell Werth and the USA’s super show jumping McLain Ward (both won in 2017.)
The Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team came through again to win the championship at the CHI Al Shaqab CPEDI3* in Qatar this weekend. The para riders were the only American team at last year’s world championships in Herning, Denmark, to come away with medals.
Guided by Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline, the team of Beatrice de Lavalette and Sixth Sense, Fiona Howard and Jagger and Kate Shoemaker and Quiana delivered several personal-best scores.
“It was actually phenomenal, not only to have high scores but also they were consistent throughout the three days. They increased their scores each day, which was amazing,” Michel said.
“I’m happy with the horses’ performance as well. They are becoming more consistent. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not surprised because the training has been going very well.”
Kate and Quiana started things off with a personal best of 76.250 percent in the Grade IV FEI Para Grand Prix A Test. Fiona and Beatrice went one-two in the Grade II FEI Para Grand Prix A Test, with Fiona on Jagger scoring a personal-best 72.931 percent. Despite an error, Beatrice and Sixth Sense were second on a score of 71.379 percent. The U.S. team was in the lead after the first day of competition.
Another day secured team gold with a score of 446.852 percent, while the Netherlands took silver (432.389 percent) and Belgium claimed bronze (415.486 percent). Kate had a decisive win in the Grade IV Grand Prix B Test with a personal-best score of 77.793 perecent. Beatrice and Sixth Sense earned top honors in the Grade II FEI Para Grand Prix B Test with 74.555 percent, while Fiona and Jagger were second with a personal best of 73.944 percent.
The U.S. combinations finished their time at CHI Al Shaqab with Saturday’s freestyle tests. Kate and Quiana earned yet another personal best of 81.850 percent in their Grade IV FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle. Beatrice and Sixth Sense had the top ride in the Grade IV FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle with a score of 77.722 percent, and Fiona and Jagger were close behind in second place on a personal best of 77.433 percent.
Michel noted the high scores throughout the competition came from an educated group of judges.
“The ground jury was a very advanced ground jury. We had two 5* judges, who were both Tokyo (2021 Olympics) and Herning judges, so they have a good insight and know their stuff,” he said. “Good scores that we get from those judges are very meaningful.”
Last year’s inaugural Dressage at Devon Masterclass with Sabine Schut-Kery will have an encore this fall with the world’s number two-ranked rider, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark.
The session on Thursday evening Sept. 28 will include an assortment of riders with horses at various stages of training. Early bird pricing is available now, along with tickets for the rest o the show. Click this link to buy.
Want to get close to the action at April’s FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha? Or maybe you’d like to see what goes on behind the scenes?
You can have an opportunity to do either, and more, by volunteering for the April 4-8 competition.Other benefits include receiving commemorative event wear.
Remember how well the 2017 finals went? They involved jumping and dressage. This spring, vaulting–basically gymnastics on horseback–is being added to the mix. More fun!
HITS, the horse show series with competitions from coast to coast, has a new leader in Peter Englehart.
The company’s president and chief executive officer will be at the helm as HITS “redefines its commitment to creating an exemplary customer experience at all six of its world-class venues.”
In the past, he has worked with ESPN, ABC Sports, Sesame Street, MotorTrend & Hot Rod magazines and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, among other enterprises. He joined HITS in March 2022 as part of the team recruited by the shows’ new owner, Traub Capital Partners.
“Peter has a proven track record of creating winning teams and businesses,” said Brian Crosby, co-managing partner of Traub Capital Partners.
“Understanding the enthusiast consumer is a characteristic in which he is well-versed, and this trait will aid the growth of HITS in the equestrian marketplace.”
The new president has already helped launch such initiatives as the Young Jumper Program and developing more dressage events, as well as expanding into California’s historic Del Mar Horse Park, which will open in July after a two-year hiatus.
“Leading HITS is a wonderful opportunity to take a legacy brand to a new level of growth,” said Englehart. “We are blessed with wonderful locations, dates and an experienced management team to help move the company forward in the future.”
The HITS Ocala Winter Circuit at Post Time Farm will continue through March 26 and be followed by five more circuits throughout the spring, summer and fall in New York, California, Illinois, Vermont and Virginia.
HITS, established by Tom Struzzieri, is the largest producer of hunter/jumper horse shows in the U.S., operating six venues with 60 Weeks of sanctioned Hunter/Jumper competitions and six Weeks of dressage events.
The Canadian team gave the best possible welcome gift to its new chef d’equipe, Ian Millar, as it handily won the $150,000 CSIO 4-star Nations Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival Saturday night.
Ian, formerly known as Captain Canada for his leading role as a rider, had been on the job only a month when he faced his first team competition in Wellington, Florida. Could his squad win the title for a seventh time at the Wellington International venue?
Tiffany Foster, who produced the victory with teammates Mario Deslauriers, Beth Underhill and Erynn Ballard, said the team had been hoping for a long time that Ian would take the chef’s job.
“I think tonight’s win has a lot to do with him,” she said, breathless with excitement, after embracing Ian and her teammates.
“We wanted this for him and we’re glad we could give it to him.”
A beaming Ian was understandably proud of his team’s achievement.
“For almost 50 years, I was one of the riders. I always appreciated the chefs and how much they cared and how much they supported us. Tonight, I feel part of this winning team and it’s a great feeling! I’m so proud to be the chef of our Canadian team. I always said that if I ever did it, I would only do it for Canada. I’ve been offered the position by other countries, but I always said I would only do it for Canada, if ever. And here we are.”
The venue is packed for Nations Cup night, with the Tiki Hut restaurant converted to the “Irish Embassy” for the occasion, and various nationalities waving their flags and wearing gear that proclaims the country for which they were rooting.
This competition isn’t one that qualifies teams for the Cup finals in Barcelona, Spain, which offers a way to clinch an Olympic berth. But even so, it has value and bragging rights for a special achievement.
The Canadian win was clinched with three clear trips in the second round from Erynn, Tiffany and Mario, who was also fault-free in the first round with the 11-year-old Belgian warmblood Emerson, who had never jumped in a Nations Cup before.
After the first round, Belgium led on 4 faults, while Canada was tied on 8 with Brazil and Ireland. The U.S. barely made the cut to come back in the second round. Its 20 faults put it last in the standings going into the segment, after Venezuela, Chile and Argentina, the lowest-placing of the 11 teams that started the competition, did not make the final eight that jumped the same course again.
Things changed radically in the second round, as leader Belgium was a drop-out after Jos Verlooy fell when Nixon Van ‘T Meulenhof refused the ninth fence, a Liverpool, and the rider took a hard fall. Things continued to go south as Zoe Conter was eliminated, and that was the end for that country.
Canada’s three clears meant anchor rider Beth didn’t have to ride in the second round as it clinched the victory with just eight penalties.
The U.S. squad had three riders who were relatively inexperienced in this kind of setting. Mavis Spencer, Natalie Dean and Mimi Gochman were joined by Adrienne Sternlicht, a member of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games gold medal team, aboard a young horse, Faquitol-S. Natalie was the team star with a clear on a 4-fault trip on Acota M.The USA moved up from eighth in the first round to finishing fifth overall with 32 penalties, but U.S. fans may not have understood what happened to their country’s effort.
Coach Robert Ridland explained, “The plan from the very beginning this year was the 5-star nations cups that are qualifiers for Barcelona have to take priority. This nations cup has always been a great proving ground for the next generation. The road gets bumpy.
“And it was a little bumpy tonight,” he conceded.
“We were pretty darn close. Obviously, there were a couple of rounds we would have liked to have forgotten about. You have to go in knowing we’re going against some teams that are sending their best. We’re the only country that has so many riders that we can take our young talent and put it in a nations cup.
“Our competitors can’t do that, they have to send who they have, and they all have their veterans. In some ways, you might say it’s a little bit of an unfair fight, and you always want to win and get on the podium. But we have to stay the course of why we did this. Otherwise, you don’t give your young talent that’s going to be your next generation, both riders and horses, the experience when it really counts under pressure.”
TheU.S. team was selected from the rankings, and discretion also played a role in naming the squad.
Brazil edged Ireland for second place with a faster time, as both squads had a total of 16 faults. Mexico was fourth with 17, Australia sixth with 32 and Britain was seventh with 42.
