by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 9, 2022
The U.S. show jumping team was left without an alternate at the FEI World Championships in Denmark. Jessica Springsteen’s horse, RMF Zecilie, a 2007 Holsteiner mare owned by Rushy Marsh Farm LLC, was part of the team’s practice jog prior to the first horse inspection and was deemed fit for presentation.
But yesterday she did not pass the jog that counts before the ground jury and was slated for reinspection today. She was examined by the USA’s veterinary team immediately following the inspection.
This morning, however, the team felt it was not in RMF Zecilie’s best interest to be re-presented before the ground jury, so the decision was made to withdraw her prior to the re-inspection.
Jessie was a member of the Olympic silver medal team in Tokyo last year, but with a different horse. The four riders named to the U.S. team of McLain Ward, Lillie Keenan, Adrienne Sternlicht and Brian Moggre will begin competition as the jumpers get under way tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2022
The U.S. Equestrian Federation’s dynamic director of sport, Will Connell, is leaving the organization after eight hugely successful years.
“What drives me is trying to find programs and solutions that will grow the pathway, increase performance and everything,” said the native of Great Britain, explaining his decision to take another road.
“You have to give 100 percent. When you start feeling that it’s time for someone else to take the reins, that’s the time for me to move on.”
Will, who is staying with USEF through Nov. 25, will continue living in Gladstone, N.J., with his wife, Lizzy Chesson, the USEF’s managing director of show jumping. She will remain in her post.
Thinking about his time with USEF, he said, “There’s a huge amount I’ll miss. I don’t do this job for the check at the end of the month, even though that’s quite generous.
“I’m sure walking away from a well-paid job in the face of a recession is perhaps not the most intelligent move, but I’ve always been driven by my instincts and I feel that now’s the time. There will be plenty of people out there who can take up the reins and run with it.”
As he reflected about his time in the job, he commented on how much he appreciates those who step up to back the sport.
“The one thing the U.S. has that I don’t think any other country has is the support from the donors and that ability to engender financial support from people who really get nothing out of it, other than liking to see the team win. That is something the U.S. must never lose.”
Other countries’ sports programs, he pointed out, are supported by the government or commercial interests, or lack financial aid entirely.
“When you see the enthusiasm of the (U.S.) donors and how they’ll get behind projects, I wish I had been better at structuring programs they could have gotten behind,” he said wistfully.
He pointed out that “there are some incredibly talented and dedicated people in the U.S. across the whole spectrum,” running from the grooms, coaches, athletes and horse owners to the leaders in the federation.
Will Connell at work at a championship.
One of his great achievements was putting the U.S. para dressage program in the spotlight, which paid off with the country’s first team Paralympic medal in Tokyo last year.
So what’s next for Will, who came to the U.S. in 2014 from a job as the British Equestrian Federation’s Performance Director. He had the responsibility for co-ordination and delivery of the UK Sport National Lottery-funded World Class Program, which covered eventing, dressage, showjumping and para dressage. In 2012, HRH the Princess Royal presented him with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace, in recognition of his service to equestrian sport.
That was a hard act to follow, but he did it when he came to the U.S. Now he’s still thinking about another appropriate move.
“In my ideal world, if I could write the next chapter, there would be four or five or six projects that would be differing in nature but very focused in outcome. You might as well dream big,” he mused.
“Probably within sport, but maybe other areas as well. I think I’m also the sort of person that until I make that jump, I’m not going to force myself to find out what the next step will be.”
He noted that he has yet to rewrite his resume.
“I think it still says, `Just left the army, ’” he laughed.
There can be no doubt that whatever he does will involve some aspect of his leadership experience. While in the British army, he served as commanding officer of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. In that prestigious position, he oversaw 165 soldiers and 130-plus horses that comprise the ceremonial saluting battery of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Household Troops.
Will Connell (second from left, front row) with the Queen Mother during his King’s Troop days.
Combined with his knowledge of elite sport, he noted, “those experiences can shape what I do next in terms of what I deliver.”
He is looking forward to having more time for his family, both here and in Britain, and plans to return to the London International Horse Show, where he works as a volunteer.
Will sees that show as “a beacon, where elite sport meets entertainment. You’ve got sport at the very highest level and you’ve also got entertainment at the highest level. When you can bring those two together, that’s pretty special.”
He’s pleased that the FEI World Cup Finals are going to Ft. Worth, Texas in 2026, a follow up to the dressage, show jumping and vaulting Cup that will be in Omaha for the second time next year.
“I hope they can find that balance between entertainment and sport,” he said.
With the World Championships looming next month, he’s still all-in for helping the U.S. teams in para, dressage and show jumping qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics and Olympics with their performances in Herning, Denmark.
Dressage will be interesting, he notes, with the Germans looking to be far from the juggernaut that they usually are in that discipline. Although the Danes are favored for gold, there is plenty of room for other countries to maneuver for the medals.
In jumping, he called the quality of the teams “unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a championships or Games with such depth of quality jumping teams.”
The U.S. squad has several young athletes, but he noted, in the big picture, the U.S. show jumping program has done extraordinarily well, and the pride he feels about it was obvious.
“When you look at what the jumping team has achieved since 2012; medals in 2014 (the Normandy world championships), 2016 (the Rio Olympics), 2018 (the Tryon world championships) and ’21(the Tokyo Olympics), the World Cup finals. It’s been incredible. I think it’s had more success than any other team in history, probably, over an eight-year period.”
And he’s optimistic about prospects going forward.
“When you look at what is on the horizon for Paris, it’s very exciting. I would say it’s more exciting now in ’22 looking at ’24 than in ’18 looking at Tokyo. The team is super excited to be going, and that enthusiasm will carry them onto the field of play and they will come together as a team.”
But he also cautioned, “Yes, it’s wonderful to win medals every time you go out, but more important, it’s about having the long game.
“The first stage of Long Term Athlete Development is fundamentals. FUNdamentals. Having fun in sport. While we have great and good governance, we must never lose track of the fact that ultimately and initially, sport should be fun taking activity.”
The USEF will be hiring a new director of sport, and plans call for Will to help that person get established in the job.
In the meantime, CEO Bill Moroney had kind words for the man who is departing.
“Will Connell has provided important leadership and contributed greatly to the success of the U.S. teams since 2015; his accomplishments and contributions are many,” said Bill.
“We support him in his decision and appreciate that he remains completely committed to our efforts to field and support the athletes, their horses, and their support teams for the upcoming World Championships, as well as his continued support of our sport staff team and programs across all the FEI disciplines.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 8, 2022
The glamorous Glamourdale and Great Britan’s Charlotte (Lottie) Fry short-circuited expectations for a home country winner at the Ecco FEI World Dressage Championships in Denmark, edging Danish star Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos for the Grand Prix Special gold medal by a bit more than one percentage point.
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.
After leading her country’s team to gold yesterday, Cathrine fell short in the individual contest for the Special when she received a mark of 3 among 4s and a 5 for mistakes in the two-tempi lead changes.
“Vamos was really fantastic in the ring, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and the crowd do a bloody good job supporting me in the ring. Vamos Amigos is the cutest little gelding, and he just loves the stadium, the audience and the whole atmosphere,” said Cathrine, acknowledging the “blip” that affected her score of 81.322.
But Glamourdale was right on point.
“It’s literally incredible. I have no words for this,” said Lottie, a 26-year-old, who was completely in control of her expressive black stallion. His extended trot and canter work was breathtaking, captivating what was a good-size crowd for a Monday in the 10,000-seat Stutteri Ask Stadium.
“He was incredible, the atmosphere was incredible and he went in there and just did everything I could ask. He was just ready for it today,” said Lottie, who marked at 82.508 percent, with 9s and 10s for his final halt and a range of marks from 9 to 10 for general impression.
Lottie, who was on her country’s bronze medal team at the Tokyo Olympics with Everdale, the sire of teammate Charlotte Dujardin’s energetic Imhotep. Lottie is the daughter of the late Laura Fry, who also rode for Britain.
“I really felt I had to do something extra today because we came in straight after Cathrine and we tried our best,” said Lottie.
Never one to lose any points, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour executes a perfect halt with Vamos Amigos.
“I actually heard the crowd being loud in my canter work and it was amazing. Yesterday, I had problems with the pirouettes, but Isabell Werth gave me some pointers to work with and it was much better today, she is simply the best, such a nice person and she has been my idol since I was a kid.
“Glamourdale is nothing short of amazing right now, and yet I know so many things I know we can work on to improve, it is only his first season.”
I’m an I-told-you-so kind of person (not one of my better traits) and you’ll remember I said yesterday that I liked Glamourdale better than the more highly touted Vamos Amigos—a wonderful horse, but a plain bay can’t captivate like a flashy black stallion in my book. Especially if there are mistakes.
But of course, Vamos Amigos is lovely and did get a 10 for the trot half-pass and twice for the difficult passage-piaffe-passage transition that tripped up more than a few competitors.
Dinja van Liere of the Netherlands with another personable stallion, Hermes, completed the podium. Transition problems with the passage/trot/passage and the transitions from trot into collected canter when Hermes looked as if he spooked downgraded her performance, but she still was in line for honors with 79.407 percent.
The medalists: Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, silver; Lottie Fry, gold and Dinja van Liere, bronze.
In a rare occurrence, Isabell Werth of Germany did not add to her lifetime collection of 62 medals when she finished fourth on DSP Quantaz, who doesn’t have quite the flair of some of her other horses. He was marked at 79.073 percent.
Glamourdale’s victory gallop.
Right behind her, in fifth, was her teammate on the bronze medal German squad, Benjamin Werndl on Famoso OLD (78.237 percent). The Germans were missing his sister, world number one Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl, who is pregnant. Another member of the German team, Frederic Wandres, was supposed to compete in the Special but withdrew Duke of Britain at the last minute.
Britain’s once and future superstar Charlotte Dujardin (those Brits love their Charlottes) was sixth with 77.523 on the very green 9-year-old, Imhotep, who is a bundle of energy. Used to living outdoors at home, he spends a lot of time being handwalked in Denmark.
Even so, when Charlotte rides him, she said, “I feel like I’m on high speed and full power. He’s so enthusiastic.” He wants to do everything; she compared it to driving a go-kart.
“When he gets it all under control and waits for me, I think it’s going to be spectacular,” she said.
It was only the third Grand Prix Special for her horse, known as Pete. He’s never done a freestyle.
“I’m just trying to ride and give him confidence,” she said.
Gareth Hughes, also a member of Britain’s silver medal team, was right behind Imhotep, seventh in the standings with Classic Briolinca (77.280),
The mare was undone on the first day of the Grand Prix Saturday when the crowd started clapping as she was going down centerline to finish her test and blew the halt. (There’s a rule that says the halts have to last at least three seconds, and her wasn’t.) The crowd has been better-behaved since then, now that they have seen that their well-intended enthusiasm had the wrong effect.
“Today she felt really calm and relaxed,” Gareth said of his horse.
“She’s got such good mechanics and she’s really regular,” added Gareth, who was pleased with his ride.
“Where we finished, I don’t care.”
Gareth revealed yesterday he had contracted Covid, but he didn’t test positive until he got to Herning. Today, he tested negative for the second time, having tested negative previously last night.
“I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable,” said Gareth, adding he was “a long way away from everyone in the stadium.” It is outdoors, not an enclosed arena like Madison Square Garden.
There were no masks on the podium for the team medals, thank goodness–enough of the Covid craziness and photos of everyone in masks from last year–but he said he abided by Denmark’s rules on handling the virus. How many people do you think were in the stadium who might have been positive for Covid if they tested?
Tomorrow is a rest day, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens Wednesday evening in the freestyle. Will Vamos Amigos fulfill expectations for gold? How will the lively Imhotep handle that challenge? Can Glamourdale make it two in a row?
Only two U.S. riders made it to the Special, which had 28 placings. The top 15 qualified for the freestyle, which was redemption for Adrienne Lyle and Salvino, who had trouble yesterday in the canter half-passes to bring down their score when she had to slow to a walk to get reorganized.
Adrienne Lyle and Salvino in the Special; we’ll see them again in the freestyle. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Adrienne pulled it out this time with marks of between 6.5 and 7.5 for that movement, and finished ninth with 75.699 percent. The score gets her into the freestyle, which has extra importance in Herning because it was not held at the last world championships in Tryon, N.C., due to storms.
“He didn’t put a foot out of place, he felt even better than the Grand Prix,” said Adrienne.
As she assessed her ride on Salvino, she said, “Overall, he felt really honest,” noting, “I can just sit up there and pilot him around. He’s not a horse that likes to make mistakes and was rather upset after the Grand Prix that he got his legs tangled up.”
She praised the stallion’s owner, Betsy Juliano, who is very supportive and has enjoyed Salvino’s journey. That trip likely will include a visit to Paris in 2024 for the Olympics, since the U.S. squad qualified for those Games with its sixth-place finish in Denmark.
“He’s taken us everywhere we dreamed to go,” Adrienne said of her mount.
Things didn’t go as well for Adrienne’s teammate, Steffen Peters, and Suppenkasper, who wound up with a score of 73.708 percent that put them 17th, two away from the magic number that would have gotten them in the freestyle.
“Overall, I’m very, very happy with him,” said Steffen about the 18.2-hand horse he compared to “a gigantic teddy bear,” but added, “I wish the results would be better. The judges felt very different than I did, but that’s part of the game.”
He was getting assistance in Herning from Debbie McDonald, Adrienne’s mentor and the USA’s former dressage technical advisor, whom he has known for 35 years. Debbie had called him back then asking for help, and now he asked her for help.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper.
And while we’re on the subject of USA problems, let me go off topic for a minute and mention that RMF Zecilie did not pass the horse inspection for the U.S. show jumping team, whose world championships start Wednesday morning. (The freestyle is that afternoon). Zecilie, who will have an opportunity to be re-presented, is the mount of U.S. team traveling alternate Jessica Springsteen.
This evening, Denmark said goodbye in a moving ceremony to retiring Grand Prix veteran Cassidy, Cathrine’s horse, a sprightly chestnut she called, “not the most obvious Grand Prix star.”
Cathrine Dufour and her pal Cassidy on the eve of retirment. (Photo courtesy Ecco Herning)
But he excelled with her focus and the help of an “awesome team of trainers.”
Cathrine, whose parents gave her the horse when she was 17 and he was six, said, “By working with the talents the horse is given naturally, you can go really far, and I think Cassidy is a great example of that.
“And then he has just taught me love of the sport, and love of competing, as well as the daily training. He is the entire cornerstone in my love of the equestrian sport. He is completely unique and will likely be the most special horse I have had and will ever have.”
For Grand Prix Special results, click here
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 7, 2022
Denmark, as predicted, made history today, taking the place usually reserved for Germany at the top of the dressage world championships podium and earning the Scandinavian nation’s first medal in the global title competition since it won bronze in 1982.
Cathrine-Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos. (Photo courtesy FEI)
The home country crowd at the Ecco FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark, gave full flag-waving and Viking horns-wearing support to its team, anchored by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Vamos Amigos, who stands first individually with 81.864 percent. She put the Danes over the top for the team honors, which they won with a total of a 235.451 combined percentage ahead of irrepressible Great Britain (234.223) and Germany (230.291).
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour was overcome with emotion after her winning performance on Vamos Amigos.
It was just revealed this evening that Gareth Hughes of Great Britain contracted Covid, but nonetheless contributed to his team’s score on Classic Briolinca yesterday. He stands 13th individually and plans to ride in tomorrow’s Grand Prix Special in the big outdoor stadium.
The bad news for the U.S. was that it didn’t finish near the medals, winding up sixth with a score of 220. The good news was that the top six teams are automatically qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, so that’s a goal accomplished with a sigh of relief.
The best-placed Americans, Steffen Peters with Suppenkasper (15th on 74.767 percent) and anchor rider Adrienne Lyle on Salvino (18th with 74.394) qualified for the Special, which is open to those ranked in the top 30. They were two-thirds of last year’s silver medal Tokyo Olympic team. The third combination of that successful squad, Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo, was missed in Denmark. Sabine had the highest score for the U.S. in Japan, but did not enter any qualifiers for this championships.
“Mopsie was very excited today in extended canter, the arena was getting really small,” recounted Steffen, calling Suppenkasper by his nickname.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
“He lowered his neck and I couldn’t get him up as much as I wanted to. Well, it’s pretty amazing when you have so much power underneath you. I think we can step it up a bit tomorrow. Pressure? You get there, you’ll always be nervous, I’ve learned to accept it.”
Salvino started well in his running score with 80 percent, but got a bit long in the crucial passage/canter transition, where a number of riders lost points. He broke in the canter half-passes, going into the walk briefly, and received marks of 2 and 3 from the judges for that mishap.
“He got his legs comp tangled up in the zig zag and so I just walked and carried on. I didn’t want to get him worried about it,” said Adrienne. She noted she’s looking forward to the Special and most of all, is excited the team qualified for Paris. Adrienne is in Herning as a coach as well as a rider. She trains Katie Duerrhammer, who rode Quartett yesterday to a score of 70.839 to finish 34th and just miss qualifying for the Special.
The podium in Herning: the silver medal British, the victorious Danes, the bronze medal Germans.
Let’s turn our attention back to Cathrine, who said, “Thank you to the audience–you rocked the arena to perfection. I was a bit nervous, I am always nervous. My horse was nothing short of amazing. I feel so immensely proud for what my team members have done, we are all so proud of our achievement.”
Cathrine is coached not only by Kyra Kyrklund of Finland and but also by Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein. Interestingly, Nathalie is a Danish princess, the daughter of Princess Benedikte, who gave out the medals!
Four women with incredibly impressive performances joined Cathrine at the top of the individual standings. Great Britain’s Charlotte “Lottie” Fry, was only a little more than one percentage point behind the Dane, earning 80.838 percent on the magnificent Glamourdale. With better results on her pirouettes, she might have overtaken Cathrine this afternoon, and she’s hoping to work on that for the Special.
Glamourdale and Lottie Fry. (Photo courtesy FEI)
Glamourdale, whose name suits him, is a dynamic black stallion. I’m guessing Cathrine was playing it safe with Vamos Amigos, but he didn’t have the compelling presence of his rival.
“I’m a little bit numb, said Lottie after her ride.
“From the second we left the warm-up, he had the crowd and he was just ready for it. He was just on fire. When they started clapping on the last centerline, he just rose to it and was seriously loving it.”
Frankly, I appreciate Glamourdale more than Vamos Amigos, because he brings excitement to a discipline that outsiders often compare to watching grass grow. But that’s not the case with this stunning boy.
Lottie’s late mother, Laura Fry, competed at the 1992 Olympics and was a teammate of Carl Hester, the mentor of Charlotte Dujardin (more on her in a minute). Lottie also trained with Carl, who helped her secure a place at Van Olst Horses in Holland, working and training with five-time Danish Olympian Anne Van Olst.
Standing third is Dutch rider Dinja van Liere, who led for the first day on another super stallion, Hermes with 78.835. Her score wasn’t enough for the Netherlands to move ahead of Sweden, however. The Dutch finished fifth on 225.621, while the Swedes were fourth with 227.142.
Germany’s Isabell Werth, the most decorated equestrian in history, is ranked fifth on the stallion DSP Quantaz (77.407), who is not as compelling as some of the horses she has ridden over the years. (I’m thinking of the recently retired Bella Rose, among others).
She finished behind British superstar Charlotte Dujardin, who brings out horse after horse with Carl Hester’s help to boost her standing with her considerable fan club.
Okay, I admit, I’m one, and was happy but not surprised to see her marked at 77.407 percent with Imhotep, who had only been in three international shows before coming to Denmark. After all, this was the woman who teamed with Valegro in perhaps the greatest dressage partnership ever, from the time they were part of the landmark British European Championships gold medal team in 2011 through the 2016 Olympics. I will never forget her gold medal performances at the 2012 London Olympics with that very special horse.
Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep.
Charlotte was thrilled with Imhotep’s performance amidst the crowd and the buzz. He would have scored higher except for a miscommunication in the transition from passage to canter (as I mentioned above). There’s quite a story behind this 9-year-old Dutchbred by Everdale, so indulge me while I tell it.
Carl picked the horse, who they call Pete around the barn, from a video.
He had a huge canter, but, according to Charlotte, “looked really ugly I’m not going to lie. Whomping head, skinny neck. The naughtiest young horse. Like those bulls you let out of those cages in rodeo. He bucks like I can’t even tell you. He has that side of him, which meant Carl didn’t want to ride him.”
So she took him over when he was 5. “I absolutely love that horse. He makes me smile from ear to ear every day. He wants to please you every day. He never runs out of energy.”
She noted that she and the horse have mutual trust.
“What I don’t want to do is scare him. He feels so ginormous,” she said, noting when she can manage all his power “it’s going to be spectacular.”
He’s only done two Specials, and never a freestyle, so the next few days should be interesting.
Not all the stories are happy at the championships.
I was so sad for New Zealand’s Gaylene Lennard, who had a heck of a time getting her Jax Johnson from his home on the other side of the world to Denmark. Then when he arrived, he had a temperature, which meant he had to skip the horse inspection. He got better, so the inspection was rescheduled and he passed.
But the days he lost meant he missed training time in the arena, and when he arrived today for his competition, the atmosphere had him whirling prior to his entrance to the stadium.
It’s believed he may have bitten his lip during that time. So while he was able to complete his test, the fact that there was pink color on a swab of his mouth meant automatic elimination. And with that, the New Zealand’s team chances were scuttled, because it was only three members to begin with and two members do not count as a team. That ended their chance to qualify for Paris 2024.
There’s often as much heartbreak as there is glory at these events, so we shouldn’t forget those who give it a try, but can’t prevail against circumstances.
To see the individual results, click this link
To see the team results, click on this link
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 6, 2022
At the top level of the sport, more and more dressage horses are reaching the heights. Multiple breathtaking performances impressed as the ECCO FEI World Championships got under way with the first day of the Blue Hors Dressage Grand Prix in front of an enthusiastic crowd—though some might say it was too enthusiastic.
The fans in Herning, Denmark, were so into what they were seeing that they couldn’t wait until the final salute from some of the entries they favored. They started clapping for Great Britain’s Gareth Hughes on Classic Briolinca as the Dutchbred mare passaged into what was supposed to be her final halt, but the noise-sensitive 16-year-old got distracted.
Britain’s Gareth Hughes goes down that infamous center line moments before the audience began clapping.
“The poor judge at C just sort of shook his head. There’s nothing you can do,” said the good-natured veteran rider.
“If I have to forgive her for not halting at the end, then I can at least give her that,” he continued, noting she did her tempi changes “like a metronome” and got four 9’s for her second pirouette to receive a score of 75.978 percent that has Britain standing fifth in the team competition with medals awarded tomorrow.
The team standings are a bit deceptive, though, because they are based on the best score from each nation. Only two riders from each four-member team competed this afternoon and evening. (Exceptions are Norway, Australia, Japan, Ireland and New Zealand, with three riders, but they are not in contention for awards.)
Then when it came to Denmark’s own Carina Cassøe Krüth, the spectators really couldn’t control themselves. They loved her black mare, Heiline’s Danciera, and put their palms together loudly in appreciation, but she was able to get 9’s for that difficult final halt.
Her mark of 76.863 percent awarded a lovely passage from the Danish warmblood, though she leaned a bit on her rider’s hand in the piaffe. Denmark is favored to win the gold, and it is third in the team rankings today with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, a candidate for individual gold, coming on the second day of Grand Prix tomorrow.
The Netherlands’ top rider, Dinja van Liere, stands first and has put her country in the top spot for now with 78.214 percent on Hermes, a Dutchbred stallion who is a willing partner to his rider. He is active without being extreme, and if one wanted to pick something that needed improvement, it was a transition into canter where he pulled his rider into the gait.
She wore a tailcoat in the bright orange that is her country’s traditional color, matched by flags and jackets in the same hue among Dutch partisans in the stands. And I admired the orange stripes at the top of her boots.
“I was very happy but I had my doubts finishing; was it good enough, was it good?” she said after her test.
Dinja van Liere leads the championship for the Netherlands on Hermes.
“But then the audience started clapping and I felt really happy. Hermes gave me a really good feeling, even if I was nervous. He is so talented with piaffe and passage even if we today had a few things that of course can be improved.”
Unlike the case with Classic Briolinca, the applause was a plus for her mount.
“Hermes is a clown. He likes the applause and he knows it’s for him,” said Dinja.
However, it all depends when the applause takes place. Turns out that when he enters the arena, he doesn’t like to hear it.
“But when he finishes, he thinks, `Of course this is for me, because I’m the best!'”
Germany, usually favored to take dressage titles, is without world number one Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl, who is pregnant, but she was ably represented by her brother, Benjamin, on Famoso OLD.
The Oldenburg earned 77.03 percent to put Germany second at this point. While he wasn’t square in his first halt, his rider’s elegant style and the classic frame in which he kept his horse carried him from there and served him well.
Forgive yourself if you’re not familiar with Benjamin. He’s ranked number 117 on the FEI dressage list with Famoso. He was second in the 4-star Grand Prix Special in Aachen and prior to that, he had victories in Hungary, which isn’t part of the 5-star European circuit. But Benjamin upheld the family honor admirably today.
Benjamin Werndl and Famoso Old.
The first German rider into the ring was Ingrid Klimke, a competitor you probably know as an eventer. But the daughter of Reiner Klimke, who dominated the sport in the 1980s, would have made her late father proud. She was marked at 75.683 percent, which was the drop score today. But tomorrow, who knows? The same competence she has shown so often in her other discipline came through today with Franzikus, a personable Hanoverian.
“Sometimes I have been just a passenger, but today, we were really one and I was in the driver’s seat,” beamed Ingrid.
Sweden is fourth, just ahead of Britain, on Juliette Ramel’s 76.164 percent with Buriel KH. I remember how impressed I was with him four years ago when the dressage championships were part of the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. He has a reputation for running away. It happened at Aachen, where he lost his bridle during the bit check, and in Herning, when he was scared by a lightning storm.
This is the moment at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games when Sweden’s Buriel first caught my eye. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Today he was on better behavior, but the clapping got to him and he walked through the final halt. It was what a traffic cop might call a rolling stop.
I can hear you asking, “So what happened to the U.S.?” Let me sum it up this way: It wasn’t a good day.
The U.S. is eighth of 17 teams, although that likely will change tomorrow, when the squad’s top riders appear.
Stephen Peters on Suppenkasper and anchor Adrienne Lyle with Salvino will have to make up for a score of 62.258 percent as Ashley Holzer’s ride, Valentine resisted in piaffe to the point of rearing. She stands last in 43d place.
“She’s never seen a venue like this,” said Ashley, who noted the mare was nervous when she came into the arena.
The problem “totally caught me off guard. She’s never done any antics like this. As disappointed as I am, horses are not machines, she got scared and confused,” Ashley said.
Katie Duerrhammer and Quartett. (U.S. Equestrian/Shannon Brinkman)
On the bright side, Katie Duerrhammer made her championship team debut with Quartett and collected 70.839 percent to stand 11th.
Salvino’s owner Betsy Juliano watching the action in Herning with Adrienne Lyle, Katie Duerrhammer’s trainer, and Debbie McDonald, Adrienne’s mentor.
“I am super proud to be the path-finder for the U.S. team,” she said, noting it is her first championship.
Katie, who is coached by Adrienne Lyle, added, “The arena feels amazing, so beautiful. We really did a solid trot tour; this is where my horse shines. I am from Denver, Colo., in the mountains, so Herning is very different, but I really love the cold here, it is fantastic.”
One of the things I love about championships is seeing horses and riders who haven’t been in the limelight yet.
I really enjoyed the performance of the plucky PRE gray stallion Quincallo de Indalo, ridden by Alejandro Sánchez del Barco of Spain to put his nation sixth on 72.842 percent. He is eighth individually.
The sympatico between horse and rider really stood out, and the stallion was correct in so many ways that his effort was a joy to watch.
Quincallo de Indalo and Alejandro Sánchez del Barco making their mark for Spain.
As I said yesterday, it’s interesting to see how the sport is progressing in countries that one doesn’t usually associate with dressage.
Shruti Vora of India loved being at the championships and stands 37th on Denightron with 64.534 percent.
“I am happy with the horse; he did his best,” she said, noting her stallion is a Danish Warmblood bred in India who came to Denmark for his international debut.
“I trained him from the beginning, and we learned together. And a message for all enthusiastic young riders in India: It takes a lot of sacrifice, but you can do it! I am grateful to all, especially my horse. And coming to Herning is like coming to a horse-Mecca.”
She definitely has the right attitude. I hope she inspires others in her country to give it a try, along with those from other nations outside the discipline’s main stream for the moment.
Link to intermediate individual results
Link to intermediate team results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 5, 2022
The FEI world championships, which get under way Saturday, are about more than medals.
For dressage, show jumping and eventing, they are qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, while the para dressage is a qualifier for the 2024 Paralympics. Who doesn’t want to go to Paris? And that’s especially true since the Tokyo Olympics had to run without spectators, or much in the way of atmosphere due to Covid restrictions last year.
The top six teams from the dressage world championships will qualify for Paris, while the host country, France, automatically gets into its Games without being in the top six.
Dressage is first up at the ECCO FEI World Championships Herning 2022 in Herning, Denmark, not what you usually think of as a destination city, but still very nice. Para will follow, then show jumping. (The non-Olympic discipline of vaulting is also on the program.) Eventing won’t be held until next month in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy.
U.S. dressage team anchor rider Adrienne Lyle and Salvino. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Shannon Brinkman)
The World Equestrian Games, which ran from 1990 to 2018, combined all the championships for the FEI disciplines, but has been dropped in favor of an arrangement that doesn’t require so much heavy lifting from a host site.
We just got the starting order for the dressage Grand Prix, which (unlike the case in Tokyo) will determine the team medals. Also unlike the teams of three that competed in Tokyo (and sadly, will be the case in Paris as well), each nation can have four starters. That means the worst score can be dropped from the team totals, which can be a game-changer.
The growth of the once European- and North American-centric discipline of dressage is reflected in the addition of competitors representing countries that are farther afield, including India, Singapore, Moldova and Armenia. They won’t be close to the medals, but you have to start somewhere. Widening the pool of participants is important in terms of keeping horse sport in the Olympics.
The Olympic roster is very competitive, with a new emphasis on sports that don’t take forever to run and appeal to the young. Among the events seeking admittance for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are motor sports (likely go-karts), flag football and breaking, (or break dancing as we called it when it was an exhibition in the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics.) So you can see what legacy sports like equestrian are up against, and why they have to keep evolving with an eye toward staying in the Games.
Ashley Holzer is riding Valentine on her first U.S. championship team (she rode for Canada in the Olympics). (Photo courtesy of US Equestrian)
Likely dressage medalists for the world championships this time around aren’t necessarily the usual suspects. Denmark is a heavy favorite for team gold with its star, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos, touted as the likely recipient of individual gold.
Germany, normally the championships’ powerhouse, is short of its usual muscle as world number one Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, is pregnant and won’t be part of the team. Ingrid Klimke, better known as an eventer, is on the squad.
She’s following in the steps of her father, Reiner Klimke, who earned double gold in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Who can forget his impressive one-handed victory passage lap there with the magnificent Alherich? He would be pleased to know she’s on the team for his discipline in Herning.
Isabell Werth, the most decorated equestrian Olympian of all time, doesn’t have a superstar in her Herning mount, DSP Quantaz. It says a lot that she’s not riding the anchor leg for Germany on Sunday. That honor goes to Frederick Wandres on Duke of Britain FRH. He is new to this level of the sport, but was impressive as he improved on the Florida circuit last winter.
Don’t discount Britain as a threat. Although Valegro is long retired, Charlotte Dujardin still knows how to win. She was selected with Imhotep, a 9-year-old Dutch warmblood, partially owned by her mentor, Carl Hester, with Valegro’s groom, Alan Davies, at her side. While Imhotep is rather inexperienced, don’t forget that she earned double bronze in Tokyo on Gio, another horse that was short on mileage.
While Carl isn’t on the team as a rider because he didn’t have a horse available, you know he will still be active, and part of whatever success Britain enjoys in Denmark with its other riders, who are worth a look
Sweden is also a medal possibility–can you imagine the excitement at Herning if it’s a Scandinavian 1-2?
Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Defore and Vamos Amigos. (Photo by Kim Lundin)
I’ll be posting a story every evening, so come back to this website for updates.
The competition will be livestreamed on clipmyhorse.tv, but you have to subscribe to watch. If you want to see the U.S. riders, championships newcomer Katie Duerrhammer leads off at 8:11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, followed by Ashley Holzer on Valentine at 1:54 p.m. EDT. Steffen Peters rides Suppenkasper on Sunday at 10:14 a.m. EDT and Adrienne Lyle will be the anchor with Salvino at 1:54 p.m. EDT
Click here to view the start list. The time in Denmark is six hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time in the U.S., so bear that in mind, since the list gives times that are local to Herning. I did the math for you on the U.S. riders.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2022
Even without spectators in the grandstand, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s arena has character. The towering backdrop of the historic stables in Gladstone, N.J., offers a reminder that this is where so many of the country’s most famous riders trained during another era.
That ambience is among the reasons the Summer Days dressage show always is such a good schooling opportunity, whether for a veteran mount’s tune-up or to provide mileage for young prospects and horses switching disciplines.
After the buzz of the Essex Horse Trials on July Fourth weekend, it was quite a change in mood to see horses performing their tests surrounded by silence this week. This is not what you’d call a spectator event, but it means a lot to those taking part.
“I love to ride at the Team. It’s great, the footing is great,” said Marilyn Payne, who was aboard Maestro LFS, a five-year-old gelding who punctuated his respectable Training Level 2 test with a series of inquiring, high-pitched whinnies.
Marilyn Payne and Maestro. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“What’s going on?” the Dutch warmblood seemed to ask. “Where am I?”
Coming up the hill from the indoor ring, horses enter the big arena and suddenly, they catch sight of the (empty) grandstands and the stable.
“It’s hard for a young horse. For a lot of horses, it’s a real eye-opener,” explained Marilyn, a respected trainer and judge who has officiated at two Olympics.
“There’s a lot to look at,” she noted.
Then she laughed and said, “We stayed in the ring, that was good. A couple of times, I thought he was going to take off and jump out of the ring.”
But he didn’t, and was marked at 64.828 percent, third in his Training Level 2 class of five.
Maestro loves Marilyn’s husband Dick, and when he’s driving the tractor, follows him around. They have the same birthday, April 16; Dick is just a little older than Maestro. So don’t ask if he’s for sale.
Arielle Aharoni’s Furst Queen is “not a hot weather horse,” so she was taking a little break from eventing to compete at Gladstone. The Danish warmblood by Furstenball is a half-sister to Arielle’s well-known eventing mount, Dutch Times.
Arielle Aharoni and Furst Queen. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“One day, she’s going to say `no more’ to eventing and this is going to be her full-time career,” the rider revealed about the mare.
Furst Queen won her Second Level Test 3 class with 63.33 percent.
“She is just happy to do whatever we say. She’s a really sweet, sweet mare,” Arielle said of the 8-year-old she bought six years ago. Before the mare, bred in Pennsylvania. came to Arielle, she had undergone surgery as a two-year-old for an OCD lesion, so she was nervous when she arrived at the farm of her new owner. No problem.
“Three days of sitting in the field and giving her treats fixed that,” advised Arielle, who uses that technique often.
She’s hoping to qualify Furst Queen for the U.S. Dressage Federation’s national championships in Kentucky this November. Gladstone was a step along the way.
“I do love this place. I think it’s a great environment, especially for the spooky horses that are just learning to take in a big scenery,” said Arielle.
“They have to get used to that if they want to go do big stuff.”
Kimberly Herslow, who has gotten into PRE horses, rode Spanish import Holgazan in Fourth Level Test 1, earning 61.53 percent.
Kimberly Herslow and Holgazan. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He’s just starting to learn his changes and get a feel for what’s going on,” she said.
“I was really happy because it’s an atmosphere here, and the last two shows he went into the ring and cantered off the halt and did silly stuff.”
“He just needs to go in and do a nice solid ride and do his job,” said Kim, whose test was marked at 61.53 percent.
Last fall, Kim said goodbye to her 2015 Pan American Games team gold medal mount Rosmarin, better known as Reno. He had a nice retirement on her farm in Stockton, N.J., then had to be put down due to worsening suspensory problems. She’s still emotional about that, of course, but Kim is one who keeps busy and looks ahead, focusing on careful training with a series of up-and-coming mounts.
Glenna Gray had a memorable day at her first show back after a two-year absence from competition. She fractured her right heel when she fell from a ladder, which made it hard to do heels down. Riding Alpine Getaway, a lovely thoroughbred ex-racehorse, she earned 66.923 percent in her first dressage show to finish ahead of four other entries in Training Level Test One. I was so impressed by the mare; as I was passing by the ring, she caught my eye immediately for her willing performance and pleasant appearance in the ring.
Glenna Gray and Rachel Rosenthal Bellard with Alpine Getaway. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
An English as a Second Language teacher in Manville, N.J., Glenna grew up in Peapack-Gladstone and visited the USET as a child but never rode at the facility.
“It’s a wonderful experience,” she said.
Glenna took lessons with trainer Rachel Rosenthal Bellard of Bedminster, N.J., when she was 12, and the two reconnected recently. Rachel thought Glenna and the 17-year-old mare, whose barn name is Harley, would be a good match, and they were.
“I really wanted to prove to myself I could get back in the show ring,” said Glenna, who is hoping to enter the mare in jumper classes.
The USET Foundation is a familiar venue for Lauren Sammis, who won a team gold medal in the 2007 Pan American Games. Although she’s a trainer based in Pittstown, N.J., Lauren has what amounts to a pleasure horse in Daisy van Wittenstein P, who earned 70 percent in the Grand Prix.
Lauren Sammis and Daisy van Wittenstein P.
Enjoying horse who amounts to a pet is an unaccustomed luxury for a professional.
“She’s on her own schedule,” noted Lauren.
“It’s been a joy to have my own horse. I can do whatever I want to. It’s no pressure, it’s just going in and riding the test.”
Daisy came to Lauren as a sales horse.
“I wasn’t able to sell her, because her X-rays were awful. Awful. And she’s been sound ever since.”
Of course, right?
Having her has enabled Lauren to try different techniques.
She’s not “a leg flinger,” so she competes nationally, rather than in CDIs. Lauren doesn’t see any reason to push her to become something she’s not.
“I didn’t care about scores whatsoever. She’s why you own a horse. She doesn’t ever do anything wrong,” said Lauren.
She has plenty of other horses to ride in competition.
They include the Danish warmblood Heiline’s Oh Land, who got 74.8 percent for a win in the Prix St. Georges, and the Hanoverian Baccara B.
Also competing at Grand Prix was Catherine Haddad Staller, who selected Hazel ASK off a video. The mare had been a 1.30-meter jumper in Denmark, until the rider’s wife decided to try her in dressage.
“I have to have that one,” Catherine said, recalling her reaction to what she saw in the video.
Catherine Haddad-Staller and Hazel ASK. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“The greatest part about this horse–I can get her off the horse trailer, throw my right leg over her, and walk her around the grounds on the buckle. She’s totally cool,” commented Catherine, whose groom rides the 11-year-old mare bareback. She earned 69.239 percent in the Grand Prix early on the first day of the show. Catherine is hoping to enter her at Dressage at Devon this fall.
“It’s so wonderful to have a horse who wants to work with you. She’s totally inspired by the dressage arena.”
The mare belongs to a new company, NorCordia, that Catherine formed last year with three Danish partners. Another NorCordia horse, the 7-year-old Hanoverian Sola Diva, was marked at 78.6 percent in the young horse test.
Explaining how her business works, Catherine said “We’re buying and selling hand-picked horses, and put them with trainers in Europe and the USA. We don’t keep them in one stable.”
Catherine decides where they should go, matching top trainers to top horses, and when it comes to sales, “we look for the right partner for the horse.”
The company is also an investment firm. All the horses they buy go into portfolios of 10 to 12 horses, which is a way of managing risk for investors, as opposed to buying a single horse.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 29, 2022
Hunter rider Amanda Steege has had great success with Lafitte de Muze in the country’s most important hunter competitions. Even so, she admitted to some extra stress today during the inaugural $10,000 Bill Ellis Memorial/U.S. Hunter Jumper Association International Hunter Derby at the Princeton Summer Classic in Skillman, N.J.
“I always feel like Lafitte’s a favorite, and if Lafitte and I execute, he and I can be the winner,” she said.
But then she observed, “It felt like a lot of pressure out there, because I wanted to do that for Bill and for this class being in memory of Bill,” she commented.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Citing “emotional reasons” for her desire to do well in the class, Amanda mentioned she was very friendly with Bill, a top rider, trainer and judge during his career, who died at the age of 69 last November. (For another story about Bill, click here.)
When Bill was ill, he sent her one of his clients, Cara Garito, who now is part of Amanda’s Ashmeadow stable family.
“That gives me a little extra connection,” said Amanda, who is based in Califon, N.J., and Ocala, Fla.
“I was like, `Derby Finals is going to be a piece of cake after this,’” she chuckled, referring to the annual USHJA competition at the Kentucky Horse Park in August. It offers well over $100,000 in prize money, with the final figure, based on entry fees, yet to be determined.
In addition to wanting to participate at Princeton because the class was a tribute to Bill, Amanda thought it would be a good preparation for Kentucky “because it’s such a nice, big ring and we don’t have that many places to practice riding in rings this size.”
While the Rolex stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park is huge, she said, “I felt this was the closest I could get without driving too far away to do something, in terms of timing and similarity of ring size to Derby Finals.”
The class attracted a field of 12 for the two-part test, a classic round and a handy round, designed by Michael Puffer. Three names were standouts among the entries; Amanda, Geoffrey Hesslink and Jeffrey Ayers, all successful professinals.
“It was a good class with a nice group of competitors in it that all are very supportive of each other. The results reflected who you thought, when you looked at the list, would be in the top three or four,” Amanda said.
Lafitte’s total for the two rounds was 383 points, just ahead of the 380 score for Geoffrey’s ride, Chivalry. Jeff was further back with Cartel on 368, while Geoff’s other mount, Reddington, finished fourth on 364.
Geoffrey Hesslink and Chivalry, runner-up in the derby. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The winner collected $3,000 for his share of the purse. He is an equine ambassador for the Equus Foundation, with his prize money used by his owner, Cheryl Olsten, to match donations up to $35,000 to help care for horses who have been abused and neglected, were being sent to slaughter or who are involved in therapeutic riding programs.
Bill’s family gathered at the event, with his husband and business partner, David Connors saying. “This is the best day ever. They did an amazing job. Bill would have been happy beyond.
“This was his favorite class and he just loved seeing spectacular horses show. This means a lot to us. He would have been thrilled.”
Amanda and Lafitte at the awards ceremony with Kelly DeSaye, Tim Delovich, Peggy McNeil, Cara Garito, Carol Stillwell, David Connors, Billy Ellis and Barbara Ellis. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Like many of the others on hand, he felt Bill’s presence.
“When the horses were going around, we’d be like. `You know what Bill would say, `She’s going too slow,’ he wants to see her pick up the pace,” he said with a grin.
Bill Ellis and David Connors at a quarter horse show in 2003. (Photo courtesy of David Connors)
Barbara Ellis, Bill’s sister, said “it’s such an honor to be here in memory of my brother. This would mean the world to him.”
Bill’s son, Billy Ellis, observed, “the best way to remember him is with a derby, a class he was so fond of and so special to him. It’s meaningful that so many people come out and celebrate and share great memories.”
Carol Stillwell, who rode with Bill, donated $5,000 in prize money, with the rest of the purse made up of contributions from Cara Garito, Kelly Moore, Dolly Hubbard, Abby Skelton, Lanie DeVoer and Peggy McNeil.
“The people who supported this, from local to far away, spoke volumes about the respect for Bill, about his journey about what they learned from him,” said Carol.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze enjoy their victory gallop. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He was a true horseman. With Bill, it was about the horses and making sure they were taken care of. I couldn’t be prouder, in New Jersey, to have it here, I would like to see this continue on and on.”
Andrew Philbrick, the impresario of Princeton Show Jumping, agrees that the class should be held again in Bill’s memory during World Champion Hunter Rider week.
Standing in the midst of the VIP tent, Andrew glanced over to Carol’s table and said, “A year ago, Bill was sitting right there in the front row. He was one of our professionals that we grew up with and he never had a bad word to say about anybody. Everybody loved him, everybody thought the world of him. He was the consummate horse professional.
“When they came to me and said Carol would like to honor him, we were all about it. What better than at an international hunter derby with all these top riders in the middle of New Jersey? The response was amazing. These classes are hard to fill because they’re difficult. Some of these international derbies are having six or eight horses because they’re hard. It’s a real test,” Andrew pointed out.
“It fits into our summer beautifully and I think it’s a testament to our friend, a hunter professional who spent his whole life developing hunters. To have our highest level hunter test in honor of Bill, what could be better?”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 19, 2022
The HITS team will be addressing environmental requirements to ensure that California’s Del Mar Horse Showpark can reopen in 2023.
“The California horsemen have an incredible jewel at the Del Mar Showpark, right in the heart of such a vibrant successful community,” noted Tom Struzzieri, HITS CEO.
“Because of the great interest and concern of local citizens, Showpark has been allowed to reopen and deliver an extraordinary product to California. It goes without saying that no expense will be spared when it comes to improving the facility so that it not only conforms, but exceeds, the environmental requirements”.
He added, “It is my belief that the bones of the Del Mar Showpark will set the stage for a new HITS flagship on the West Coast after improvements to riding areas, stabling areas, and the food and beverage experiences.”
As well as staging seven hunter/jumper competitions from July into October, HITS also plans to run three dressage competitions in January, February and March.
The newest addition to the Del Mar Horse Showpark will be the expansion of facility rentals. One of the underutilized improvements at the Showpark is the covered ring. HITS plans to reinvent that building, creating an event hall that can be used to highlight and host not only hunter and jumper competitions, but many different breed events and finals.
HITS stepped into the Showpark picture after West Palms Events announced it could not reach an agreement with the 22nd District Agriculture Association to operate the 63-acre park.
“With only a five-year guaranteed contract, we were not able to come to an agreement that worked for us,” said Dale Harvey, president and CEO of West Palms Events.
At the end of the 2020 season, the 22nd DAA temporarily closed the park due to the impact of Covid and the need to complete costly stormwater mitigation on the property. In late 2021, a Request for Proposal was released and it received two bids —one of which was West Palms Events; the other was HITS. When West Palms stepped aside, HITS stepped in.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 27, 2022
State flags were flown at half-staff in memory of Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, a great friend of the New Jersey horse industry, who died at the age of 73 after a long illness.
Assemblyman Ronald Dancer
The son of famed harness racing driver Stanley Dancer, the assemblyman was a driver, trainer and breeder of standardbreds himself. The Ocean County resident “was a work horse, not a show horse,” Gov. Phil Murphy observed in a statement following the assemblyman’s death last weekend, referring to the legislator’s efforts for the equine industry, agriculture, tourism and veterans.
Ironically, when the assemblyman was successful in getting the state Legislature to pass a bill eliminating the tax on boarding horses, it was Murphy who doomed the measure by failing to sign it into law in January 2020.
Assemblyman Dancer’s most recent effort on behalf of the horse industry is a bill that would allocate $2.5 million for long-awaited improvements at the Horse Park of New Jersey. The bill remains in committee and its fate could be uncertain without the assemblyman pushing to get it to the floor for a vote.
“Assemblyman Dancer dedicated his career to supporting the agricultural community in the Garden State. Having been a lifelong equestrian himself, Assemblyman Dancer was a tremendous supporter of the equestrian community and thereby the Horse Park of New Jersey,” said Ellen Brindle Clark, the Horse Park’s interim president.
“His willingness to listen to his constituents’ needs, and find ways for the state government to help, made us feel valued and supported. We sincerely appreciate all the effort Assemblyman Dancer put towards helping the Horse Park of New Jersey. The Board of Trustees could not have asked for a better advocate and friend. He will truly be missed.”
He served on both the state horse racing commission and the state Department of Agriculture’s Sire Stakes board. The Rutgers Equine Science Center honored him with its Spirit of the Horse award.
The assemblyman, who grew up in New Egypt, was for 22 years the mayor of Plumsted Township, where he lived. He was known as the man who got things done. His volunteer work involved everything from the Ocean County Board of Social Services to the Ocean County Senior Citizens Advisory Council.
The assemblyman is survived by his wife, Brenda; two children and two grandchildren.
