by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 19, 2022
In a visit that could be important to the future of equestrian sport in the Olympics, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was among the 22,000 spectators who attended the FEI Eventing World Championships on cross-country day at Pratoni del Vivaro. Italy, over the weekend.
There is always a question of whether equestrian competition and in particular, eventing, will be dropped from the Games as new events such as surfing and break dancing are added.
The IOC president was accompanied by FEI officials and 2000 Olympic gold medalist David O’Connor, now chair of the FEI Eventing Committee.
“These are amazing facilities to see and it is a pleasure to experience a real Olympic legacy and sustainability success story,” the IOC president said.
“I’m very impressed by the many measures the FEI has taken to safeguard the well-being and the health of the horses, and I am pleased with everything the International Federation is doing to ensure the future of the sport.”
Pratoni hosted the cross-country phase of at the 1960 Rome Games, and also did the same at the 1998 World Equestrian Games.
Although equestrian sports are on the schedule for the 2024 Paris Games and 2028 in Los Angeles, 2032 in Brisbane does not have a firm agenda as yet. Eventing is popular in Australia, but the country has not qualified yet for Paris, since it finished tenth, out of the crucial top seven, in Pratoni.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 17, 2022
The deck was reshuffled today by a demanding cross-country course at the FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro Italy, with team standings doing a switcheroo that put the U.S. in second place from third, elevated Germany to the lead, and dropped Britain from first to third place.
What didn’t change was the very top of the individual standings, as Germany’s Michael (Michi) Jung kept his personal best score of 18.8 penalties from dressage with a double-clear aboard fisherChipmunk FRH, as he headed toward what could well be his second world championships title.
“An amazing horse,” Michi enthused after his ride.
“FischerChipmunk is just a machine in the cross-country.”
Michel Jung and Chipmunk.
He did contend, however, “The course is not so nice to ride. The ground is not that perfect and it’s a tricky course….you have to work a lot. This is a horse for big gallops,” which are not found on this route. He had one iffy fence, where the horse took off close to the obstacle and got his head a bit sideways, but that was just a blip in a perfect trip that finished nine seconds under the optimum time.
Willberry Wonder Pony got quite a ride on Michael Jung’s back, crossing the finish line with him. The stuffed pony is the symbol of a charity in memory of teen eventer Hannah Francis, who died of cancer. Read more at https://www.willberrywonderpony.org/.
Germany is on 76.1 penalties, with the U.S. not so far behind on 77.4, while Britain has 80.9 and New Zealand 88.3. Those are the players for the medals, barring unforeseen disasters in Sunday’s show jumping segment, since fifth-place Switzerland is burdened with 109.4 penalties.
During the last seven world eventing championships, the eventual winner was a team that was either first or second after dressage.
In addition to the world titles, what counts here is qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the top seven teams making the cut.
Britain had some tense moments as officials deliberated for a long time on whether to give team member Tom McEwen 15 penalties for the way he and Toledo de Kerser handled fence 7B, the second element of a skinny brush double below a steep slide. In the end, they deleted those penalties, which kept the team in podium territory.
Earlier in the day, however, there was a huge disappointment for the Brits when Badminton winner Laura Collett, who had been standing second following dressage, experienced a run-out with London 52, who fussed with his head much of the way around .It was the skinny combo below the slide that caused the problem again.
A big leap down the drop made it tough to shorten up for the three strides between the skinnies. The horse just couldn’t get his legs over the second brush, leaving him no option but to leap out to the side. Laura is now forty eighth on 58.1 penalties.
“I’m absolutely gutted for the team. He just ran out of room,” Laura explained about the mishap.
“He was great around the rest”.
Misfortune on course visted Kevin McNAb of Australia, riding Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam. A rein broke in the middle of a combination and he had to spend time fixing it, winding up with 20 penalties for the stop and 24.8 time penalties, going over the optimum time because of the delay.
“They jumped one of the classiest rounds of the day. Very unlucky to have a broken rein in between a combination. I don’t know how he managed to tie the rein in a knot and finish, but he did,” said a statement from the Australian team.
“He was up on time until the tack malfunction and then on time the rest of the round, so without the rein breaking in the middle he is very confident they would have finished inside time.
Don Quidam jumped like a star today and proved just how special a horse he is.”
Said Kevin “Don was very fresh and effortless to ride today. He was really enjoying the course. I’m really disappointed for what happened, but we are both fine and that’s the most important thing.”
Laura Collett and London 52.
The USA, benefiting from the counsel of cross-country consultant Ian Stark (a former British team member and designer of the cross-country at the new Maryland 5-star) offered his wisdom about the twists and turns of the up-and-downhill terrain based on volcanic sand.
The route designed by Guiseppe della Chiesa had 30 fences, 44 jumping efforts and an optimum time of 9 minutes, 50 seconds. It was at 4-star level (dressage and show jumping are 5-star level) because at a championships, some of the countries aren’t as experienced as the sport’s leaders. So it’s necessary to make sure those riders will be safe while providing a challenge for the others. That meant the highest fence was 1.2 meters, or 1.3 meters for a brush jump, and the widest obstacles measured 2 meters.
Several riders in addition to Michi commented that for horses with a long stride who need big jumps to be at their best, the course was not optimum.
As Tom noted, “The course rode well, but I thought the distances were quite short compared to what we’re used to. Obviously, I’m on a rangy horse with a great jump, so it slightly hinders me in my pace because sometimes I make up quite a bit of time actually being able to keep quite smooth in these big strides.”
At the same time, he added, “The ground is phenomenal and the way they’ve presented the course is great, so I’ve really enjoyed it.”
The USA’s Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. (Photo courtesy of Pratoni.)
Both America’s Tamie Smith, a podium possibility standing third on Mai Baum (24 penalties) and Boyd Martin, the U.S. anchor rider, sixth on his familiar partner Tsetserleg (26.2) were among the 11 riders in the field of 88 who were double-clear.
That distinction also belonged to Ariel Grald, who made the biggest leap of any competitor, going from fiftieth on Leamore Master Plan in dressage (67.53) to seventeenth. She is riding as an individual for the U.S.
Tami said of her mount, “He and I have such a great partnership now. This is a hard course, especially for our horses, because the jumps aren’t that big, but the course was super technical and twisty, but he’s such a good jumper and he was right there and just on it.
“I have an unbelievable, magical unicorn and he’s the horse of a lifetime. He’s made a lot of dreams come true. I know his heart is as big as mine, so we’ll give everything we have until the end.”
Boyd was spot-on the optimum time. That lifted him above New Zealand’s Tim Price individually, breaking the tie of 26.2 penalties each incurred in dressage, since Tim was one second under.
While Boyd smiled and commented that he’d like to say he planned the timing perfectly, actually, he admitted. “I was just going as fast as he goes. I thought I was right on the time. It was a relief.”
That was especially true since, “This track doesn’t suit him. He’s so suited to the 5-stars, the Kentuckys that are just long gallops.”
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
The stopping and starting necessary at Pratoni isn’t his preferred approach.
“ I have to give the horse credit, he tries and tries and tries. It’s his best attribute.”
He has ridden Tsetserleg at the Olympics, the Pan American Games and the 2018 World Equestrian Games.
“To keep a horse at this level for this long is a testament to his toughness and soundness and bravery,” said Boyd of his partner
He admitted that when the diminutive son of the Olympic veteran Trakehne, Windfall, came to his farm, “I thought he was a fluffy little pony. It goes to show how much I know. A horse that tries counts for so much.”
Boyd allowed himself a sigh of relief, even though the final phase will be “a massive day.”
But so far, so good. As he noted, “In the past it’s been a bit of everything, but today it seemed to come together.”
American pathfinder Will Coleman, eleventh with Off the Record, had just 0.8 time penalties to bring his total to 27.2 penalties.
He noted his horse is “kind of a bulldog out there. He was really strong and it was almost like he was telling me, `Let me at it, Dad.’”
Will added, “He’s not the fastest horse, to be frank; he’s a very efficient horse. He loses a bit of step as he tires.”
But they got around in an impressive clocking and Will noted, “I’m super happy with how he ran. He did his absolute best.”
Lauren Nicholson, eighteenth on Vermiculus, had just 5.6 time penalties for a total of 32.7.
“This is like our ninth 5-star. I know him really well, he knows me really well. I knew all the questions were there for him. He doesn’t have a huge gallop. It was more chasing the time than the actual fences.”
She was “Toeing the line of being gutsy and trying not to do anything stupid that’s going to affect the team.”
She told Ian Stark, “I don’t want pep talks…just give me facts, give me an order.”
“He said, `Ride the plan we talked about it and hammer at it’ and I did.”
Ariel noted cross-country is her horse’s best phase.
“I tend to play it a little bit safe with him,” she said, but not this time.
“He started off a little keen, he rattled a couple of jumps. I had to trust in his carefulness.”
The terrain and the corners were a challenge for a strong horse like her Irish sport horse by Master Imp, but she noted he stayed right with her.
“This is my first horse at Advanced and 4- and 5-star. Being here in the world championships was a bit of an incentive for me to take a risk. My dressage isn’t the strongest, but I’m going to finish on it,” she said, referring to her score in the first phase of the event.
Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello observed, “Today absolutely met my expectations and I think everyone leading up to this day has just had a really good feeling about where we were heading.
“We haven’t had a day like this in a really long time for the U.S. It’s really gratifying and I’m happy for everyone here, ;he riders, the grooms, the owners, the staff and everyone at home.
“But having said that, we’ve already stopped celebrating. We’re 100 percent focused on the job tomorrow and aren’t thinking about anything other than finishing this competition and doing what we came here to do.”
Click here for the individual standings. Click on this link for the team standings.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 10, 2022
My favorite photo of the Queen is this one, where she is galloping like the wind, her scarf slipped back on her head, looking into the distance with an awareness of the moment while leaving her cares behind. She is perfectly in control of her horse, while at the same time letting him gallop on.
Away from the palace, her duties and the weight of being constantly observed, she found respite and joy in her horses. She loved them all, from those who raced in her colors to the four-in-hand pulling the carriage for her husband, Prince Philip. Her Majesty was a true horsewoman, both in and out of the saddle, with a thorough knowledge of bloodlines.
Through her family, she was connected to a variety of disciplines. Her father, King George VI, was quite a rider who enjoyed fox hunting. Prince Philip wrote the rules for combined driving and competed in that discipline.
Her son, Charles (now the King) dabbled in racing and played polo. His sister, Princess Anne, evented, becoming European Champion and went on to follow her father as president of the FEI.
The Queen’s granddaughter and Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, also became European Champion and then World Champion as well, at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
The Queen rode all her life, whether side-saddle in uniform, at the Trooping of the Colour aboard Burmese, the favorite black mare given to her by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or astride on casual trail rides, like those she shared with President Ronald Reagan.
The Queen and the President had a love of horses in common.
She continued hacking out until quite recently, enjoying the stout native ponies that were a bit closer to the ground than the more statuesque mounts that had been her choice in her younger days.
I hope she is with her horses again now, mounting up after patting her corgis and greeting Prince Phillip, before going for a blissful gallop into eternity.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 16, 2022
The U.S. kept its third place standing at the FEI Eventing World Championshps as the dressage phase wrapped up today, with a highlight for America in Tamie Smith’s 24-penalty ride on Mai Baum, good enough to stand fifth individually.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Although her horse broke in the medium trot at the beginning of her ride, Tamie’s usual grit enabled her to get past that for a formidable performance at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy.
Boyd Martin, the anchor rider on his old pal Tsetserleg, is tied for fourteenth with 26.2 penalties. Will Coleman, the pathfinder yesterday with Off the Record dropped from a tie for fifth to eighteenth, while Lauren Nicholson’s 27.1 on Vermiculus put her twenty seventh, which is the country’s drop score at the moment. Riding as a U.S. individual, Ariel Grald is fortyninth with a score of 32.5 aboard Leamore Master Plan.
Britain kept its lead in the rankings with a total of 69.2, a record at this point in a world championship.
That team’s anchor rider, Oliver Townend on Ballaghmor Class, stands sixth on 24.3 penalties.
“Maybe he didn’t quite take me forwards enough in the trot, but I felt once he was into canter he was away and I felt the work was very good quality. We know each other very well and he’s a lovely horse to ride,” said Oli, a multiple winner of the Kentucy 5-star.
“We’ve just been trying to work on getting him more forwards. He’s a horse that’s always been a little bit introverted – either that, or completely explosive – so I’m just trying to get him to breathe and take me a little bit more in all the paces, really, and it showed up in the canter. I think it’s a bit of a dream start for the Brits, so let’s hope we can keep it up.”
Germany got lifted into second place in the team standings by superstar Michael Jung’s first-place performance with fischerChipmunk FRH (18.8), a personal best that brought his nation’s total to 76.1. The U.S. has 76.6 penalties, but New Zealand is close behind. The Kiwis are on 77.9 penalties, with Australia fifth on 81.1.
Michael, who could be on his way to his second individual world championship title, said of his mount, “It’s amazing how he performs in the arena. He just brings everything in there and you can ride like at home so this is a great feeling.
“He is so relaxed but powerful and concentrated so you can show all of what you train, and that’s an amazing feeling for the rider.”
Saturday will undoubtedly re-arrange the standings, as the cross-country test set by Giuseppe della Chiesa includes formidable terrain. I will be posting a cross-country story tomorrow morning, so please come back to the website then to track the competition.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 14, 2022
The CBS show 48 Hours, which investigates “the most intriguing crime and justice cases,” will begin its fall season with a program on the matter of dressage trainer Michael Barisone.
Set to run at 10 p.m Saturday, it will explore how a U.S. Olympic dressage team alternate came to stand trial for attempted murder and weapons charges, after a dispute with his tenants spiraled out of control. In April, Barisone was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the attempted murder of a student, Lauren Kanarek, who lived on his farm and whom he was trying to evict.
The show is called, “The Shooting of Lauren Kanarek,” and includes interviews with both Barisone and Kanarek, as well as her father; eventer Boyd Martin, a friend of Barisone’s; the prosecutor, Christopher Schellhorn, and Barisone’s lawyers, Ed Bilinkas and Chris Deininger.
Michael Barisone in court during this month’s hearing with his lawyers,, Chris Deinnger and Ed Bilinkas. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
When Kanarek was unhappy about the level of training she received, she began posting messages on Facebook branding Barisone a bully, racist and anti-Semitic. He denied the allegations, and his supporters say her postings were unfairly damaging his reputation as he worried about how it would ruin his business.
The Facebook posts seemed to rattle and unnerve Barisone to the point where he called 911 four times, telling police he “feared” for his life.
“I remember complete and total panic,” Barisone tells CBS correspondent Nikii Battiste.
“Everybody says I was unglued. I was unglued.”
Then, on August 7, 2019, he allegedly confronted Kanarek. She testified that Barisone “pulled out a gun and shot me once, twice, directly in the chest.” She called 911 and was taken from the scene to undergo emergency surgery.
Lauren Kanarek testifying in court. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Barisone tells Battiste he recalls the messages Kanarek posted on social media about him, but says he has no memory of the shooting.
“Did you shoot Lauren Kanarek?” Battiste asks Barisone.
“I’m told I did,” Barisone says.
“But I have no recollection of that event,” Barisone says. “Zero. Nothing.”
At trial, his attorney argued that Barisone was driven temporarily insane by Kanarek’s attacks and then snapped. Kanarek said during the trial that Barisone bullied her..
Kanarek and her family do not believe Barisone’s story, that he had no idea what he was doing when the trigger was pulled.
Michael Barisone as he appeared in court during his trial. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Michael Barisone should be in a state prison for the rest of his life,” says Lauren Kanarek’s father, Jonathan Kanarek.
Barisone spent four months being evaluated at the Anne Klein Forensic Center in West Trenton, N.J., until a hearing on his status earlier this month. Judge Stephen Taylor, who presided at his trial in Morristown, N.J., ruled that Barisone should be treated at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris County, with his situation to be evaluated in six months.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 15, 2022
The Tewksbury Trail Pace, a longtime fixture at Christie Hoffman Farm Park in the Tewksbury Township, will be blazing new trails next month at the Sullivan-Whitman Preserve, 27 Fox Hill Road, Califon.
The Tewksbury Trail Association is partnering with the Tewksbury Land Trust for the September 18 event, which will include both a trail pace and a pleasure pace with divisions for adults and juniors.
The Tewksbury Trail Pace is always fun. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The course will be approximately six miles, complete with rocky areas, challenging hills and road crossings. The land is part of the Ten Mile Trail initiative being developed by the Land Trust. It also includes the Lance Preserve and the Raritan Watershed’s Fox Hill Preserve. Participants also will be riding across private farms.
The pace will be held from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Participants must bring their own water for themselves and their horses.
Visit tta-nj.org for questions, or email Tewksburytrial@gmail.org.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 11, 2022
Hunter Holloway and Pepita con Spita. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
What does the name Pepita con Spita mean?
I’ve wondered since I started writing about the feisty show jumper a few years ago, and the question crossed my mind again today when she won the $405,300 FEI 5-star Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties with the only double-clear performance.
Hunter Holloway, who rides the gray mare, has searched the internet for an answer, with little luck.
I did some searching of my own and got one definition; a pepita is an edible pumpkin seed.
Okay, and “con” means “with” in Spanish.
As for spita? It appears to be Romanian for fifth wheel. That’s all I could find, but it probably isn’t right. A hint might be that the 11-year-old German-bred Westphalian is by Con Spirit. Maybe they meant to call her Pepita Con Spirit, but someone wrote it wrong? It’s happened before; think of all the weird misspelled horse names that are out there.
So I’ve made up my own definition of spita in the way it applies to “Princess P,” as they call her around the barn. I take it to mean grit, and Hunter expanded on that.
“She’s a really catty, brave mare. She’s full of heart. She gives it her all every time she steps out in the ring and she is very fast as well.’’
And the best things about her?
“I think it’s her heart and how much she tries for her rider,” said Hunter. “Keeping her happy is our main goal.”
Hunter Holloway enjoys her victory gallop. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
There were 25 starters in the grand prix, the finale of championship week at HITS.
Will Simpson, whose unforgettable round in the 2008 Olympics assured a gold medal for the U.S. team, was the first rider to try Scottish course designer Mark McGowan’s route in the wide open space of the Grand Prix Stadium.
Will Simpson and Chacco P. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
But after he and Chacco P secured a clear, the designer had to wait nervously for the twelfth to ride, Great Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire on Cornwall BH, before he could be assured of a jump-off. (In 2017, with a different designer when the class was worth $1 million, victory belonged to a rider with just one time fault and nobody clear, which meant no jump-off).
“I was told this morning that two (clear) was unacceptable and if I could get more than two, the boss would be quite happy. Thankfully, I got four and now he’s happy. I was pleased with that,” Mark related.
Pepita, seventeenth in the order of go, eased the tension further with a third clear, and then Jessica Leto, going four before the end with Cinbura, turned in a fault-free trip.
Discussing his course, Mark said, “the lines were the lines,” contending, “I didn’t overcomplicate it. I was getting them to the fences,” which were “between 1.55-1.60 (meters) in places” but he handled things in such a fashion that exhibitors could “cope with the height.”
Will saw things differently.
“It was too complicated for me,” he said with a smile.
“At my age I can’t get my car out of the driveway without a GPS.”
Before the class, he told me that Chacco, a Mechlenberg by Chacco Blue, can be difficult.
“He’s best in the show ring,” said Will.
“He’s miserable to hack. I’ve started to take it personal. He’s calm and cool about everything, except when I get on him. He’s getting better. Maybe he’s a late bloomer, a lot like me.”
In the jump-off, a rail down at the ice cream soda fence, the second in the tiebreaker, left Will on four faults with a time of 55.56, which would be good enough for third and a $60,795 paycheck. Amanda had a pole at a vertical, the third-to-last, after getting a little flat while pursuing a much faster time of 51.78. It would be good enough for second, and $81,860 in prize money.
Amanda Derbyshire and Cornwall BH.( Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
After seeing her rivals have faults, Hunter didn’t rush with Pepita, but she made the most of her mare’s trip, “relying on her natural quick foot speed” while leaving all the poles in place. That gave her the lead, as the only rider to that point with a clear, even though her time of 54.42 wasn’t all that speedy. Her strategy paid off in a victory worth $133,749. Jessica, the least experienced in the group, started with a lot of pace, eyeing Hunter’s time. But she had two rails in a clocking of 59.95 to be fourth.
Show manager Rian Beals announced that there will be another 5-star at Saugerties next year. He also mentioned a big money class at the end of HITS Ocala in the winter, but did not reveal an amount.
In other action at HITS, Jimmy Torano repeated his 2021 victory in the $200,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final with Laskano. They were on top with scores in the 90s in every round.
“The horse never put a foot wrong. He won every single round, which I believe he also did last year. He is just a horse that doesn’t want to let you down,” Jimmy observed.
In the $50,000 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix Finals, Kaitlin Porath took the victory on Democracy, taking home the victory by more than 20 points.
The $15,000 HITS Green Hunter Prix went to Hannah Isop and Let It B with scores in the high 80s to take the top placing.
The Blackbarn $25,000 Junior/Amateur Jumper Prix was won by Laura Sloey with Beijing LS La Silla.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 8, 2022
After more than 40 years heading HITS LLC, its founder, Tom Struzzieri will be leaving his post as chief executive officer at the end of the 2022 season, it was announced this morning.
The organization, known for its hunter/jumper shows around the country, will be led by its management team during the search for a new CEO. Traub Capital Partners became a majority partner in HITS in March.
Tom will remain a part-owner and director of the company while providing strategic consulting as well as significant involvement in the launch of the Del Mar, Calif., Showpark in 2023.
“I have been extremely fortunate over the four decades of running HITS to have a terrific group of employees who have been by my side through some very hard climbs as we together have grown the company,” Tom said.
“I remain committed to those people and will be in constant touch as a consultant as we face the next challenges together. On a parallel course, I have also been blessed to have very loyal clients and because of that loyalty, they too can continue to count on me as a liaison to all things HITS-related. The future of HITS is bright and I plan on doing what I can behind the scenes to help it shine.”
The move will enable Tom to pursue his life-long goal of cycling across the U.S. as he supports the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) with Team Alpha.
“It has been a pleasure to witness the industry through Tom’s eyes. He has been, and will continue to be, a guide and advisor to us all.” said Mortimer Singer, managing partner of Traub Capital Partners.
“Tom has built a great business and we look forward to continuing our work together as partners.”
With venues in New York, Florida, Vermont, Illinois, Virginia and California, “HITS will continue its mission of providing top quality competitions for riders at every level, while improving its facilities, technology and overall customer experience,” according to a statement from the company, which also offers dressage shows.
New developments are promised at the beginning of 2023 as the HITS Ocala Winter Show Series kicks off at Post Time Farm, as well as at Del Mar Showpark, where teams are already in place to begin renovations.
Those who want to donate to the organization Tom will be supporting with his bicycle trek may do so at https://www.alphabikeride.com/team.
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. The fund targets investments in companies with revenue between $50 and $250 million. To learn more about Traub Capital Partners, visit www.traubcapitalpartners.com
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 15, 2022
Great Britain, as expected, is heading the standings in the FEI World Eventing Championships on the first of two days of dressage at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy. The Olympic champs are on 45.5 penalties, as their Laura Collett leads the way individually with 19.3 penalties aboard London 52.
New Zealand has 53 penalties and the U.S. is just a bit behind in third at 53.5. Individually, the USA’s Will Coleman was marked at 26.4 on Off the Record, putting him in a tie for fifth, while Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus scored 27.1 to be seventh.
Will Coleman and Off the Record. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
The other American riders, Boyd Martin, Tamie Smith and Ariel Grald, will ride on Friday. It’s worth noting that this is the first time since 1994 that Phillip Dutton has not been part of a world championships team.
Looking ahead to Saturday and Guiseppe Della Chiesa’s cross-country course over rugged terrain, French rider Thomas Carlile assessedit this way: “It seems to me like a balance between a true championship test and a modern look at eventing, with a lot of frangible pins that we all have our ideas about.
“But it’s the way the sport is going and we need to choose and produce our horses in that aspect now. There are plenty of different routes to make sure everyone has the possibility to get around and it will require proper cross-country riding with the terrain,” added Thomas, who tied with Will in fifth place aboard Darmagnac de Bellard.
This is the last of the world championships this year in which the U.S. will have a team. The four-in-hand driving championships, which follow the eventing at Pratoni next week, will not have an American squad because Misdee Wrigley dropped out for health reasons. Chester Weber is the lone American driver competing.
There is no endurance championship because the event was cancelled due to a problem with track.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 7, 2022
It was quite a different Michael Barisone who came back to the Morristown, N.J., courtroom where he was tried for attempted murder last spring.
Michael Barisone in court Wednesday with attorney Chris Deininger. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The dressage trainer appeared today for a hearing that would determine whether he could be freed after serving nearly four months in a psychiatric hospital. He was neatly dressed, a contrast to his disheveled look during the trial.
He has been in a psychiatric facility since shortly after a jury returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with the shooting of his student, Lauren Kanarek.
It was up to the same judge who presided at his trial to decide the next step for the 2008 U.S. Olympic dressage team alternate. Want to know how he ruled?
To read the story, click here.
