by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 14, 2022
After being in jail for nearly three years and charged with crimes that could have kept him behind bars for decades, Michael Barisone today was cleared of two charges by reason of insanity and ruled not guilty on three others after being tried for attempted murder.
It might seem like the end of a long, difficult journey, but it’s not quite over yet.
Michael still faces a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital in Trenton, although the day may come soon when he can get on a horse again. But first, he will return to court for another hearing on May 17.
Read the story at this link and see the photos below.
A relieved Michael Barisone after the verdict. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We did it,” says defense attorney Ed Bilinkas and attorney Chris Deininger, who worked with him on the Barisone case. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Morris County Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn and Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Alex Bennett are grim-faced leaving the courtroom after doing their best for the prosecution but failing to win over the jury. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lara Osborne, Michael Barisone’s romantic interest, who said of the verdict, “I’m so relieved, and now he can start healing. That’s the most important thing.” (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
After the verdict is announced, Michael Barisone gets hands-on attention from attorneys Ed Bilinkas and Chris Deininger. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 13, 2022
More than four months after the U.S. Equestrian Federation decided not to renew the contract of eventing performance director Erik Duvander, the organization named Bobby Costello as the interim chef d’equipe and team manager for the discipline.
He will serve through the end of September, coordinating the team’s appearance at the world championships in Italy and handling preparations leading up to them.
Bobby competed as an individual in the 2000 Olympics, where he finished eighth. While continuing to teach, he has been active in governance and served as head of the USEF’s Active Athletes and Eventing High Performance committees.
Olympic multi-medalist Phillip Dutton and Bobby applied as a pair to split the technical advisor/chef d’equipe job in 2011. This time around, Phillip had been concerned about the lack of action on a replacement for Erik, and is pleased with the choice of Bobby.
So is Jennie Brannigan, another rider who competes internationally.
“Obviously, as the head selector he’s done a great job,” she said.
USEF never gave a reason why Duvander was dropped. He is still privately training many of the people he worked with on the team since he started the USEF job in the autumn of 2017. The top riders all have their own trainers.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 10, 2022
Arno Gego
Respected show jumping course designer, teacher and mentor, Arno Gego passed away at the age of 84.
The German master designed courses all over the world, but Aachen was his mainstay, where he laid out the routes for the 1986 show jumping world championships.
The Aachen CSIO paid tribute to him by saying, “He was a horseman through and through.”
An advanced show jumper himself, he devised challenges for horse and rider that made them better. Founder of the Aachen School of Course Design, he handed his knowledge and perspective along to others.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 10, 2022
Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs took the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping championship in Leipzig, Germany, today, with a two-horse approach. He rode Chaplin in the opening competition on Thursday, then switched to The Sinner for Saturday’s jump-off format. He was back on Chaplin, a Dutch warmblood stallion, this afternoon for the final.
Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands finished second on Monaco, while Jens Fredricson of Sweden came third with Markan Cosmoplit. Jens is the younger brother of Swedish superstar Peter Fredricson, who was on his country’s Olympic gold medal team last year.
The highest-placed American was McLain Ward on Contagious, winner of the second leg. One fence down in today’s first round, a two fences down in the second round with a time penalty put him seventh overall.
“It’s really disappointing of course. I thought Contagious jumped great and unfortunately, he stumbled or lost his footing in the combination and fell through B and after that when you’re focused on winning, not much else matters,” said McLain.
“It’s a sport of variables and he took a funny step and jumped too low, which isn’t a normal mistake for him, but you know that’s a part of the sport and it’s unfortunate when it happens in that moment.”
“Both of my horses are fantastic,” said Martin, who stands third in the overall global rankings this month.
Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Show Jumping Final winner Martin Fuchs takes his victory gallop on Chaplin in Leipzig, Germany (FEI photo)
“Chaplin is such an unbelievable fighter. I’m just so happy to have a horse like that.”
He added, “I must say, I thought I would be second again, with Harrie and McLain coming after me. I’m very delighted with this win,”
He followed in the hoofprints left by Tinka’s Boy and his uncle, Marcus Fuchs, the 2001 winner. Tinkas Boy died earlier this year at age 33.
Hunter Holloway was the next-best from the USA on Pepita con Spita, finishing 16th.
The dressage title not unexpectedly belongs to Olympic champion Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl of Germany with Dalera BB, scoring 90.836. It didn’t quite match her score from the Tokyo Games, but who would quibble with any mark over 90 percent?
Jessica is pregnant (will her baby’s name be inscribed on the trophy as well?) and she will not be able to ride for her country in the world championships this summer as a result.
In second place, Catherine DuFour on Vamos Amigos was quite a bit further back, with 86.164 percent. That’s not a score to be sneezed at either, however, especially since it was a personal best for the Danish rider.
The world’s most decorated dressage rider, Isabell Werth of Germany, finished on the podium in third with Weiheigold OLD. She had been shooting for her fourth Cup title, but a mark of 85.921 kept her from that ambition. Her mare was retired in a ceremony immediately after the competition.
The highest-placed U.S. dressage rider was Ashley Holzer, in her first championship representing the country since she became a citizen. She formerly rode for Canada. Her score of 75.532 on Havanna 145 put her ninth.
The other American contender, Anna Buffini, wound up 12th of 17 starters in her international championship debut. Her total on FRH Davinia La Douce was 74.011 percent,
This was the first Cup final since 2019. Both 2020 in Las Vegas and 2021 in Gothenburg, Sweden, were cancelled due to Covid.
In 2023, the Cup comes back to the U.S. for the first time since 2017 and it’s in the same city, Omaha, Neb. It will include jumping, dressage and in a new twist for an American final, the championship in vaulting as well.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 31, 2022
HITS has received a majority investment from Traub Capital Partners, and will continue to operate as HITS Shows with its team in place led by CEO Tom Struzzieri, who will also maintain a significant stake in the business.
“We are proud to partner with HITS, a clear leader in the equestrian event world,” said Brian Crosby, Managing Partner of Traub Capital Partners.
“HITS’ legacy and expertise align with TCP’s philosophy and approach, and we believe we are uniquely positioned to actively support them in their strategic growth plans.”
“TCP is the ideal partner for HITS as they have a history of backing companies in the sport enthusiast industry as well as expertise in the aspirational and lifestyle categories,” said HITS CEO Tom Struzzieri.
“Our new partners will provide us with strategic capital investments and will ensure that our exhibitors and their horses are supported to the highest degree.”
The investment by TCP will allow HITS, with its 40-year history, to make improvements to all five venues with the goal of not only investing in the facilities and infrastructure, but also in elevating the level of service and hospitality.
HITS operates five venues; 46 weeks of sanctioned Hunter/Jumper competitions; six weeks of Dressage events; and 65,000 horses expected to compete in 2022. Based in Saugerties, N.Y., HITS is a national company producing horse shows in Ocala; Culpeper, Va.; Wayne, Ill, East Dorset, anVt and Saugerties.
Traub Capital Partners is a New York-based strategic private equity firm specializing in building value in consumer companies using its unique combination of investment, strategic and operational expertise as well as a culture led, engaged approach. The fund targets investments in companies with revenue between $50 and $250 million.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 31, 2022
Eric Lamaze, the Canadian Olympic show jumping gold medalist has retired from competition due to his health issues, but will continue to serve as technical advisor and chef d’equipe for his country’s show jumping team.
Eric, who has been battling brain cancer since 2017, last competed at the CSIO5* Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ tournament in Calgary, where he anchored the Canadian team to victory in the $600,000 Bank of Montreal Nations’ Cup in September.
Eric Lamaze after winning gold in the 2008 Olympics.(Photo © 2008 by Nancy Jaffer)
He then took a step back from competition to focus on his health, not knowing his last competitive appearance would be on home soil at his favorite venue, where he is the all-time leading money winner with career earnings exceeding $6.7 million.
“It’s with great sadness that I am making this decision,” said Lamaze, 53, who is based in Wellington, Fla., and Brussels, Belgium.
“There’s a part of me that feels really upset that I’ve been battling cancer with the hope of riding again and I’m crushed that that won’t be the case. I’ve always said that I will retire under my own terms when the time is right. The situation with my health has forced me to make the decision earlier than I had envisioned, but the silver lining is that I still have the will to win and can contribute to the Canadian team and the sport I love through my new role as chef d’equipe,” he said.
“Now I have to turn my focus to giving my knowledge back to my fellow riders,” continued Lamaze. “I’ve always loved teaching and preparing horses and riders for major championships. I will give these riders every opportunity I ever had myself and I have great ideas for the future. I want every Canadian rider to know that their dreams are my dreams, too. When they win, I win.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 5, 2022
Stanny Van Paesschen, who represented Belgium at the Olympics and managed medal-winning showjumping teams internationally, will take on the technical expert role for British Equestrian and British Showjumping.
Several new roles have been developed following a full program review and feedback from stakeholders to enhance the support team headed by Performance Manager Di Lampard to take showjumping through to Paris in 2024 and beyond.
In his new role,, Stanny will provide support for the Performance Manager around selection and preparation, as well as helping riders work toward key performances. The Nations Cup Chef d’Equipe, whose primary responsibility will be for teams contesting the European Equestrian Federation Nations Cup series with Di Lampard overseeing the FEI Nations Cup teams, has been named as Tony Newbery, an Olympic rider who has worked with Britain’s prolific youth championship teams.
Performance Director Richard Waygood explained; “The spectacular individual gold medal winning performance of Ben Maher riding Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Explosion W captivated many at Tokyo last year and kept Britain amongst the world’s leading showjumping nations.
“However, our showjumping teams haven’t featured on the top of the podium in recent championships, and we want to redress this. Within the World Class Program, we took time to reflect on the Tokyo cycle, considering input from a wide range of stakeholders. These new appointments reflect our philosophy of continuous improvement, always seeking to evolve.
“We have a great deal of talent in our showjumping ranks and are committed to developing a support network and structure which nurtures and develops those combinations. Di Lampard has done a sterling job managing a complex showjumping program and calendar, and now with the support of Stanny as Technical Expert and Tony’s role as Nations Cup Chef d’Equipe, she can lead the teams much more effectively.
“For our showjumping team, this year is about securing Olympic qualification at the World Championships in August, earning a place at the FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcelona and keeping our place in Europe Division 1 of the FEI Nations Cup. I firmly believe that this new structure, with these key appointments in place, gives us a real chance of achieving those aims to put us on a positive pathway to Paris.”
Stanny is based near Brussels at Hof ten Bos, which he’s called home with his wife Béatrice for over 20 years and where they run a successful training and breeding establishment. His son, Constant, is the fifth generation of the Van Paesschen dynasty to ride at the top level as a regular rider in the Global Champions League. Stanny’s CV as a rider is remarkable, having ridden at the top level from 1975 before retiring in 2005, having amassed 300 international victories and represented Belgium in three Olympics, including a bronze medal in Montreal.
His attention then turned to training and he has had medal success with teams at Olympic Games, World and European Championships, Asian Games and South American Games. He helped the Belgian senior squad to eight championship medals, before then supporting the Saudi Arabian teams, including a historic team bronze at London 2012. More recently, he’s worked with the riders from Mexico to claim two team gold medals and a number Nations Cup victories.
Stanny’s initial focus will be around building relationships with the riders and team support staff, while being introduced to their owners and grooms. May will be his first opportunity to be at competitions, and he’ll attend Windsor CSI5* and be on duty in Rome CSIO5*.
As a rider, Tony Newbery was competing in the elite ranks from the age of 19, going on to be a member of many victorious Nations Cup teams and earning a place on the Olympic squad for Montreal in 1976.
He was also non-travellng reserve for Los Angeles in 1984. Through the mid-1980s, Tony’s focus turned to training and he has made a name as an internationally renowned coach and manager. Time in the Middle East and Asia saw him help a number of riders develop to compete on the world stage, before focusing closer to home in his current role of Chef d’Equipe for the British Showjumping Junior and Young Rider squads, which he’ll continue with alongside this new role, as well as coaching the riders on the World Class Programme Showjumping Performance Pathway.
Tony’s role focuses mainly on the European Equestrian Federation Nations Cup series (previously the FEI Europe Division 2) while Performance Manager Di Lampard will continue to have oversight of the teams in the FEI Nations Cup series. The EEF Series is an ideal opportunity for combinations to gain the experience needed to bridge the gap from the youth ranks into senior competition at three- and four-star level, then to five-star and championship teams. He’ll oversee the teams at Lisbon in May, then on to Madrid.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 13, 2022
The jury finished its third day of deliberations this afternoon in the attempted murder trial of dressage trainer Michael Barisone.
The panel of 10 men and two women in Morristown, N.J., spent the morning listening to an audio track that replayed the testimony from Dr. Steven Simring, the psychiatrist who testified for the defense. He concluded Barisone not only suffered from delusional disorder but also was dealing with persistent depressive disorder.
A conflict with Lauren Kanarek, who was also Barisone’s student, and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, had escalated to the point where Barisone became “increasingly desperate.” He viewed himself in a situation where he felt physically threatened by Kanarek and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, according to the psychiatrist, and he saw no way out.
When Barisone grabbed a gun from his safe and drove from his stable to the farmhouse on his Long Valley, N.J., property to confront Kanarek on Aug. 7, 2019, she was shot twice. He says he does not remember the encounter, which put her in a hospital Intensive Care Unit for 19 days.
The jury appears to be weighing a verdict of insanity in the case, judging by the fact that they chose to hear the psychiatrist’s testimony again. Deliberations will resume this morning in the Morris County Courthouse.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 11, 2022
The prosecution and defense summed up today in the Michael Barisone attempted murder case.
Click here to read the story.
Michael Barisone in court today. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The defense is trying to convince the jury that Brisone was insane, pushed over the edge by his tenants Lauren Kanarek and Robert Goodwin.
Barisone says he doesn’t remember anything abut the shooting that left Kanarek with two holes in her chest.
The prosecution outlined to the jury of 10 men and two women the criteria for finding a defendant insane, as each side touted the findings of its own expert witnesses in the psychological realm.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 8, 2022
Self-defense cannot be asserted in the Michael Barisone attempted murder trial, Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor ruled today.
The judge made that decision as he met this morning with defense and prosecution lawyers at the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown, N.J., to discuss the charge to the jury that will be given on Monday, when the panel goes into deliberations following summations from the attorneys. The charge involves instructions to jurors about the applicable law and what they may or may not consider as they deliberate the fate of the dressage trainer.
Michael Barisone spectating at the 2008 U.S. national dressage championships in California. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Barisone is charged with shooting his student, Lauren Kanarek, twice in the chest and with possession of a gun for unlawful purposes. Psychologists testified that Barisone, who did not appear on the witness stand during the nine days of testimony in the trial, told them he does not remember the incident.
Barisone had been at odds with Kanarek and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, and was moving to get them evicted from his Hawthorne Hill farm in the Long Valley section of Washington Township,N.J.
His attorney, Edward Bilinkas, had put forward a strategy that combined insanity and self-defense. But Taylor didn’t think there was sufficient evidence in the record for self-defense.
Bilinkas had mentioned several times that Barisone received a beating, which he contends could have happened before the shooting, but wasn’t allowed to ask Kanarek about that when she was on the witness stand.
The judge asked what the evidence was that the beating occurred prior to the shooting and that Barisone utilized a gun during or afterwards to protect himself. Bilinkas said the only evidence of the timeline of the shooting comes from Kanarek and Goodwin.
He noted that previous threats from Kanarek and Goodwin, as well as Goodwin making a gesture with his finger like a gun the day before the shooting, underlined intimidating statements the victim made regarding Barisone on social media.
The judge stated that even if the jury doesn’t believe everything Kanarek or Goodwin said about the incident, the panel “would be engaging in this court’s view in sheer speculation to determine the beating happened before the gun was withdrawn and that Mr. Barisone withdrew the gun as a result of the beating and used it in self-defense.”
Judge Stephen Taylor delivered his thoughts to attorneys on Friday in Morristown. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
He added, “Without the testimony of Mr. Barisone about the incident, there’s simply no evidence in the record and it’s not sufficient for the jury to make that (self-defense) determination simply from the cross-examination by Mr. Bilinkas.”
In other discussions, the judge said he will tell jurors the way they should consider several key comments attributed to Barisone after the incident and quoted by police officers and an emergency medical technician.
The statements, mentioned several times in the trial, were “Is this real? I have to wake up” and a paraphrase of “They destroyed my life over the last six months. I had a good life, they took it all away” and that he was sorry. If they determine the statements weren’t made, they must be disregarded; if they find the statements credible, they need to give them the appropriate weight, the judge said.
A verdict of insanity would cover all four counts against Barisone, including possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes. Morris County Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn said if the jury simply found Barisone not guilty, it would then consider a lesser included offense of attempted aggravated assault.
Bilinkas said he didn’t think a lesser included offense is appropriate.
But in the judge’s view, even if the jury does not believe Barisone was legally insane at the time of the commission of the offense, that does not mean they can’t consider his mental state in determining whether he acted purposefully or knowingly in committing the crime.
If the jury finds the threshold for legal insanity is not met, it could decide Barisone did have diminished capacity because of the stressors, as well as the circumstances of his depressive state, according to the judge.
Diminished capacity “may prevent him from purposely or knowingly or having a conscious object to commit the murder of Lauren Kanarek and Robert Goodwin (who was not wounded), such that they would consider a lesser charge of recklessly trying to cause serious bodily injury,” commented the judge.
Bilinkas said he didn’t think a lesser included offense is appropriate and doesn’t want the jury to consider it.
“The only thing I’m asking for is the attempted murder charge,” he said.
The judge noted the jury could reject insanity, but still find that the defendant, because of mental health issues, could not form the conscious object to kill someone. That would be the diminished capacity.
“It would reduce the crime. It’s not justification, it doesn’t remove all legal responsibility like insanity does, but it reduces the charge from a higher level, which has a specific state of mind…the intent to kill,” said Taylor. . “Diminished capacity reduces the crime to a lesser crime.”
