The multi-faceted Talent Search was won by a practiced catch rider

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 9, 2022

From the start there were challenges–then the tests became increasingly difficult this weekend at the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East.

And that’s how it should be. After all, with competition running over three days, the Talent Search is the most arduous of the equitation championships, geared to finding riders who could compete internationally for their country.

So it shouldn’t have been a shock that athletes were expected to ride solo through nine different movements on the flat, complete a gymnastics competition offering a challenge in its very first line and then face a jumping course incorporating elements of the World Championships and the American Gold Cup.

The Talent Search East ended today (the West Coast version was last week) with a come-from-behind winner, Augusta Iwasaki, who was tied for 16^th place after Friday’s very demanding flat phase, leaped up to third after the gymnastics and insured a spot in the Final Four with her stunning round this morning on her jumper, Freedom.

Augusta Iwasaki on Freedom getting her trophy in the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search East from judges Michael Morrissey and Alex Jayne, with trainer Ken Smith on hand next to DiAnn Langer, USEF youth coach. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

The Californian, who is on the riding team at Southern Methodist University, did not take a wrong stride on her own horse or those of her three rivals to earn the title at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.

“I knew if we got to the Final Four she had a shot at winning,” said her trainer, Ken Smith.

“She’s super-experienced at riding a lot of different horses and has a natural feel and empathy for a horse to just get on it and create a nice round.  She’s very good at not giving up.”

Gussie, whose parents, Liz Reilley and Chris Iwasaki, are also trainers, showed what she’s made of by achieving her victory.

“She reassured me she can handle pressure situations,” said Ken, after I asked if he had learned anything more about her this weekend.

“She’s probably the most liked young rider on the showgrounds. She’s friendly, very admired by her peers, super work ethic. She’s going to go far in life.”

Freedom had never been used for equitation.

“He took me from the lows (low jumpers) to my first grand prix. He’s one of my favorite horses of all time. This is my first time here,” she said, explaining how much she liked competing on the historic foundation grounds.

“It’s so prestigious,” added the California native, who was third, 19 points behind Alexander, before the Final Four, but finished that segment on 377, 13 points ahead of runner-up Luke Jensen.

Alex Jayne, who judged the Talent Search with jumper rider Michael Morrissey, has long watched Gussie handling “thousands and thousands” of catch rides.

“She has ridden everything under the sun,” he said, adding he told Michael “I think Gussie might have an advantage over these other riders.”

He characterized her as “a very gifted rider. So if somebody had a pony that was a little bit of a rogue, they put Gussie on it. If somebody’s junior hunter wasn’t going great, they put Gussie on it. Any time the gate opens, I could see Gussie going to the ring. You can’t beat ring time. This rider is living proof.”

Augusta Iwasaki gets ready to take off on her victory gallop aboard Freedom. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

The flat phase was an eye-opener for some of the 53 entries, who may have compared it to a dressage test. But Alex characterized it simply as “jumper movements strung together. and we were trying to see how well they were preparing the horse to do the gymnastics.”

The nine movements riders had to demonstrate included a turn on the haunches, holding the bend for the counter-canter and leg yields. An additional mark was given for presentation. Alex explained that by having each rider perform solo, rather than in a group, there was nowhere to hide mistakes.

“As judges and (course) designers, we tried to make every day prepare you for the next day. So the flat phase prepared you for the gymnastics phase and the gymnastics phase prepared you for what we called the grand prix day,” said Michael, who worked with Alex and Anthony D’Ambrosio on the courses.

The first line of the gymnastics required riders to canter the initial fence, a green, purple and white oxer, then trot the second and go on to canter the vertical double, 3A and 3B. Not everyone got that far. The judges were surprised at the refusals and problems some riders had at the trot fence. I called it lack of impulsion, Alex characterized the situation a little differently.

“Show jumping is all compression,” he said, citing the problem on that line as “a lack of compression. The leg wasn’t on the horse.”

He said he and Michael were surprised at how many riders had trouble there. Michael said in some instances, the riders weren’t getting the trot early enough before the second fence.

Alexander Alston won that phase and took the gymnastics as well, and then continued to lead after the jumping. But the Ohioan, who will attend Savannah College of Art and Design next year, had problems on Gussie’s horse in the Final Four, getting tight to two fences which would eventually drop him to fourth place. His score for that segment was 337; all the riders came in with a blank slate, the scores with which they qualified were only used to determine who got into the Final Four.

Alex Alston on Ferry van de Hoogeweg against the backdrop of the USET Foundation stable. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer}

When I wondered how he felt about leading for so long, and then losing the title, he conceded. “it was tough,” but added, “trust the process.”

As for what he learned from this weekend, he said, “I could be a little stronger riding different types of horses, I think.”

Luke, a Texan trained by Missy Clark and John Brennan with Maggie Gampfer, the trio that also coaches Alexander, won the third phase and was standing second overall by one point aboard Jamaica going into the Final Four. But he dropped rails at fence four, an oxer, on Freedom, and then toppled 7A, an oxer after the triple bar, on Alexander’s Ferry van den Hoogeweg. He wound up as reserve champion anyway, with a score of 364.

Luke Jensen on Jamaica. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

“This is always a super special week showing here. I think the time to show off your ability to change your ride in the Final Four is a skill to demonstrate,” he said.

“The other three riders did an amazing job with that, too. It’s always a great experience to test that ability…to ride different horses.”

Judge Alex noted while the male riders had mistakes, both were stylists.

Another SMU student, Taylor Madden, coached by her parents, Jen and Frank Madden, was second after the flat phase and fifth after the gymnastics, but moved up to fourth following the show jumping round and finished third after the Final Four on a score of 358.

Her mount, Mac One, was named Best Horse of the finals. Riding him in the Talent Search was special to her because he had been her horse as a junior and is now leased out, so she appreciated being able to compete on him one more time.

Judge Alex said the weekend showed, “We had a very strong group.” He noted, “the future is very bright for the USA with these young riders coming up.”

Results: Rider, horse, horse owner, trainer, hometown.

Silva Martin steps up

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 7, 2022

Now it’s Silva Martin’s turn, as showcased during Dressage at Devon last week.

The Martin who always had a franchise on the spotlight was Silva’s husband, Boyd, the Olympic eventer, with an outgoing personality that has won him friends and attention while riding with U.S. teams around the world.

Boyd Martin in action on cross-country. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)

Silva has been busy in the background with their two sons (if you’ve seen the videos of these lively kids, you know she has her hands full even with the assistance of a nanny), helping Boyd with his dressage and training a group of horses with potential.

That potential moved to the next level during DAD, most prominently with four-year-old Farouche’s title as the Young Horse champion, producing the best average score of any entry in the classes for four-, five-, six- and seven-year-olds. She hit 80 percent and above twice,  receiving marks of 9 for trot (with rhythm and suppleness cited), submissiveness and general impression.

Farouche (Foundation X Carpalo 2) was discovered by Silva’s sister in Germany, who saw the mare in a video. Silva watched the video, then sent it to one of her owners, Christine Capano, who said, “You’ve got to get there.”

Silva flew to Germany right away and stayed for just 18 hours; trying the mare in the afternoon, catching a few hours of sleep, then riding her again the next morning. That was it. Christine bought the horse in the spring and “Lala” was on her way.

All eyes were on Farouche during the Sabine Schut-Kery clinic at Dressage at Devon. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

She is part of a developing string that is presenting opportunities Silva never enjoyed previously, but the trainer also has big responsibilities elsewhere.

“It’s a balancing act with the kids and with Boyd, trying to help him out, and do my own horses,” she explained.

At some point, perhaps, vying for a spot on the U.S. dressage team wouldn’t be out of the question.

“That was always on my radar; I kind of stepped back a bit when I had the kids and my head injury (which compromised her vision),” she said.

But now, “I have some beautiful horses, so why not?  This is the time to do it, because I’ve never had that kind of group of horses that I have now.”

Of course, she has several years to wait with Farouche as the mare moves up the levels to Grand Prix.

“I’m going to take it a bit slow with her. She offers so much, I’m terrified I’m going to do too much with her,” Silva advised.

Meanwhile, she has other horses on which she can focus, with the help of Grand Prix veteran Tuny Page.

“She’s been so incredible. I think every person needs a person you can relate to and understand, and she’s been just amazing for me.”

Silva and Esperanto. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Silva earned two more blue ribbons at DAD with the seven-year-old Danish-bred Zaphir (Zodiac Z X Quaterback 6), owned by Janice Murdock. He was a star in his Fourth-Level classes, earning 68.552 in Test 2 at that level and 68.589 percent in Test 1.

While so many riders are looking forward to their winter in Florida to bring along their horses and compete, Silva can only go to Florida for two weeks because of the kids.

“I do have to be a mom,” she explained, noting despite the number of horses with which she competed, DAD was “like a vacation for me” because the kids were at home and all she had to do was ride.

Another winner for her was 14-year-old Esperanto (Jazz X Negro), also owned by Christine Capano.

“We call  him Peanut, because he looks like a peanut,” she said of the chestnut.

“He’s a really good little horse for me, he’s really solid. He was a little bit wild when I first got him, but he’s really settling in. He’s really trustworthy now”

He was marked at 67.529 percent to win the 3-star Intermediate I and finished second with 69.363 in the Prix St. Georges.

“He’s ready to go Grand Prix,” said Silva, who may try some classes at that level next year. Eventually, Christine will take over the ride.

Then there’s Belrano Gold (Bellissimo X Serano Gold), who she calls, “a project. He gets very nervous in the ring.”

Competing under the lights with Belrano Gold. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Standing outside the arena, she said, “he works great out here but nobody wins the warm-up. If I can get him to relax and let me ride him, I think he’s going to be a good horse. I just have to hang in there.”

In the Grand Prix Freestyle under the lights,  the horse owned by Pferdes LLC earned 69.130 percent, a big step up from his Grand Prix.

“I could not have been happier with how he went,” Silva said.

“This is very exciting and feel like I have something to work with now as we look ahead to the winter season.”

It’s Tarjan again for a Grand Prix sweep at Devon

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 2, 2022

The psychic’s sign.

Never before have I seen a psychic in a horse show’s vendor village, so it was a first for me during Dressage at Devon when I spotted the booth offering crystal ball reading ($35) and Tarot card reading ($45).

But I decided to save my money because I knew who was going to win the Saturday night Grand Prix Freestyle, even before a horse set hoof in the Dixon Oval for the class.

Alice Tarjan with Serenade MF (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe) had to be a lock for the victory. After all, the two earned the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s National Grand Prix Championship little more than a month ago.

And with the petite mare nicknamed Shrimp, Alice was the alternate for the U.S. team at the FEI World Dressage Championships last summer.

She didn’t disappoint in front of the six-day show’s biggest crowd, earning 76.515 percent for her complex floorplan, despite a bit of a stutter start before getting in the groove and finding her direction.

“I rode a terrible test,” Alice freely admitted, when she discussed her performance after an ebullient victory pass aboard her game mare, who was bred in the U.S. by Maryanna Haymon.

Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

“I got lost the whole time; poor horse,” she sighed as she described her experience.

“I’ve got to be able to ride a bit better in my head, I think.”

But as Alice observed, since it’s a freestyle, mistakes are “not so obvious.”

She credited Shrimp for picking up the slack.

“That’s a really cool horse and she tries her heart out for you and she’s really on the aids, so you can ride a freestyle.”

The floorplan that showcased technical expertise was designed by her coach, Marcus Orlob, to music arranged by Boy DeWinter. Judges gave her marks of 7.9 to 9.2 for the degree of difficulty, so Marcus obviously accomplished his goal that enabled Alice to showcase what her horse can do so well. The Hanoverian mare has changed in the way she carries herself as she develops, so the freestyle will be tweaked accordingly.

When I asked Alice how it felt to win the big one at DAD, she responded that she was thrilled.

“It’s something I never thought was going to happen. It’s not something I ever expected.”

Huh? I expected it. (See my first paragraph above.)

But that’s Alice. She’s very self-critical, which is probably a key element to her success. As is the case with so many of her horses, she trained Serenade from the time she was a foal. The Oldwick, N.J., resident was inspired to ride at DAD in 2006 when she was being treated for cancer and decided to buy a foal with an eye toward riding it three years later in the Materiale class, which didn’t require qualification for entering.

She has continued buying horses young and educating them up the help of Marcus and several other trainers (Lars Petersen and Debbie McDonald immediately come to mind.)

Alice was assisted last night by Allison Nemeth, the winner of the groom’s award.

Canada’s Megan Lane on the 18-year-old Zodiac MW was second with 75.220 percent, and her admirable pirouettes were a high point. Two judges gave her 9’s and one a 9.1 for her test’s degree of difficulty and “calculated risks.”

Megan Lane and Zodiac MW. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Megan has been riding Deeridge Equestrian’s Dutchbred gelding (Harmony’s Rousseau X Amethist) for a decade, and the longevity of their partnership showed in what they accomplished.

Although Alice’s winning performance was popular with the crowd, it was not their favorite. Fans at the showgrounds on Philadelphia’s Main Line who were using the spectator judging app voted for last year’s winner, Maryland-based Michael Bragdell on Qredit Hilltop (Quaterback 6 X Dream of Glory). They gave him their top percentage of 77.136, compared to the judges’ 73.130 that put him third officially. Megan Lane was second in the hearts of the crowd (75.745). Alice was third in the fans’ opinion on 75.678.

Michael’s ride was exuberant, and the crowd roared in appreciation of his stallion’s no-holds-barred extended canter which really was a gallop. The music, a compilation of Blurred Lines and Coldplay. emerged as the liveliest of the evening. It was the same accompaniment he won with in 2021, but Michael noted he has tweaked his test since then, and made it more difficult, ending with a one-handed ride. His music and his interpretation of it ranged from marks of 8 to 8.3 from the judges.

Michael Bragdell and Qredit Hilltop in full gallop. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Correcting a mistake he made in getting the Oldenburg ready for Friday’s qualifier, he decided not to overdo the warm-up, which paid off in a horse that sparkled.

“I just want to come in here and have fun, and just be thankful to have the chance to ride here and enjoy this awesome crowd,” he explained.

“So I trimmed down my warm-up quite a bit and thought, ‘I’m just going to do something nice and easy.’

“I have to trust it, and it felt great, we finished so strong. And the crowd is just unbelievable, I mean, it’s so much fun. It’s a wonderful thing. I got my personal best in the CDI score, so of course I want to win, but it’s still fun to come here.”

The freestyle, presented by Kingsview Partner, was the first of 10 North American qualifiers for the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha. The finals have not been held in the U.S. since 2017, so it’s a big goal. Megan and Michael are going for it.

“I’m sure everybody is aiming for Omaha, so why not?” Michael asked, saying, “That would be super exciting” and riding on home turf would “be extra special.”

Alice is headed to Tryon, N.C., as is Michael, for the next qualifier.

But Alice explained when asked about her goals, “I don’t set goals like that. I think you follow where the horses go and where they lead you, and all you can do is try to set the horses up as best you can and put them in the best situations. All I can do is try and train my horses as best I can and try to present them in the ring, and follow that. Sometimes they’re ready and sometimes they’re not.”

The freestyle wasn’t Alice’s only victory of the day. During the misty afternoon, she also rode eight-year-old Jane (Desperado NOP X Metall)  to the blue ribbon in the FEI Intermediate A with a score of 71.500 percent. She wrapped up the show the next day with a win in the same range, 71.459 percent, for the Intermediate B.

Alice Tarjan and Jane. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

The Dutchbred mare, “who is hot and spooky,” is in her first year of showing, and she was “not so easy to bring along, but she’s really starting to shine now,” said Alice, noting that she is sufficiently trained to overcome her fear in the ring.

“She’s highly affected by the environment and very worried about it,” noted Alice.

Comparing her to Serenade MF, Alice said, “They’re complete opposite horses. Jane was on high alert this entire horse show and so worried, and Shrimp was like, `What’s the problem?’”

Entries were light in the Grand Prix Special, with just two competing in the qualifier and only one, Micaela Mabragaña, in the class itself. Her score on Diamond Rosso (Diamond Hit X Lauries Crusador) was 66.766 percent, which was a landmark for the native of Argentina.

Micaela Mabragaña was all smiles on the Hanoverian Diamond Rosso after her Grand Prix Special test. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

A U.S. citizen who has been living here since 2010, she still rides for Argentina. Micaela, who came to this country as a working student for Lendon Gray, operates a training business in Bedford, N.Y.

“The last time I was here (at Devon) was 2009 and the Grand Prix was a massive class,” she recalled. “But it’s okay, I got a blue ribbon. I’m not too disappointed.”

The rider wants to do the Florida circuit and represent Argentina at the Pan American Games.

She has been to those Games before. Micaela was there in 2015 (when it was in Canada) and that’s where she met her partner, Antonio Diaz Porras, who was the Argentine coach at that time.

Click here for results from Dressage at Devon

What are the prospects for Dressage at Devon?

by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 1, 2022

Dressage at Devon is a magical name. Over the years, it has conjured inspiration for thousands of riders to do whatever it takes so they can ride in the famous Dixon Oval and become a part of history.

It happened last night for Alice Tarjan, who won the Grand Prix Freestyle qualifier with Serenade MF, the U.S. Equestrian Federation national Grand Prix champion. She fulfilled a dream that was born in desperation.

“I think the first time I came to Devon was like 2006. I had cancer, and no hair and my wig on or whatever and said, ‘This is so cool. If I can live long enough, I want to come and ride here,’” she recalled after collecting the blue ribbon for her 71.804 percent score on Serenade.

Alice Tarjan riding Serenade MF in the Dixon Oval. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

The way to be sure of having an entry accepted was to compete in the Materiale for young horses, since there is no qualifying requirement.

She said to herself,  “I’ll go buy a foal and I’ll wait until it’s three years old and I’ll ride Materiale,” and thus she made it happen.

That horse was Somer Hit, whom she trained to Grand Prix. The U.S.-bred Serenade (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe) is another she bought as a foal and took even further, having been the alternate for the world championships team this summer.

But there were only nine horses Friday in the Grand Prix for Freestyle, and just two in the Grand Prix for the Special, both of which are highlights of the Saturday program at DAD. What once was a magnet for many of the country’s top riders is no longer an ambition shared nationally.

Canada’s Megan Lane was runner-up in the Grand Prix for Freestyle on Zodiac MW with a score of 67 percent. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Alice, who lives in Oldwick, N.J., characterized the show as more of a regional fixture than a national one, and DAD’s president, Anne Moss, doesn’t disagree.

“If you look around, we’re sort of alone in the room as far as CDI’s (FEI competition) go. They tried to run one in New Jersey this summer and it cancelled. All the ones in New England have cancelled,” said Anne.

Originally, the plan was to have a CDI at Saugerties, N.Y., then have the riders come to DAD and finally head to Tryon, N.C. on their way to Florida. But the concept failed to pan out when Saugerties didn’t happen.

Here’s what the situation boils down to: “it’s very, very difficult to compete with Wellington,” observed Anne, who is in her first term in the post.

The Florida winter circuit has become a magnet for riders from all over the U.S., many of whom have bought farms in Wellington or neighboring Loxahatchee.

Micaela Mabragana on Diamond Rosso won the Grand Prix for Special, which only attracted one other exhibitor. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Anne (and I) had thought that with Devon being a qualifier for next year’s FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha, the first finals in the U.S. since 2017, it would get more riders for the freestyle than in recent years. But no.

However, DAD is not just accepting what has happened. Do not doubt that it is working to have a future.

International judge Anne Gribbons, U.S. Dressage Federation President George Williams and professional J.J. Tate have been recruited for the show’s board, because “they have connections with those people that are competing at a high-performance level.”

At the same time, Anne conceded, “It really is hard to haul their horses from Florida to Pennsylvania for a CDI when they can sort of roll out of bed and do one in Wellington. It’s the biggest challenge we have. It’s frustrating.”

Speaking of frustration, Anne was sidelined during most of the show with Covid, but she continued working in her post from home.

Anne Moss masked up at the show.(Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer}

The good news about the show, Anne said, is that “it has the biggest amateur CDI in the country, which is pretty tremendous.”

The thing is, “people want to come and watch the Grand Prix Freestyle, that’s when they show up.”

They did, however, come to a Thursday Master Class, something new, featuring Olympic team silver medalist Sabine Schut-Kery.

But Anne pointed out fans should also come for the show’s final day if they like to watch horses performing to music.

“The Sunday is all freestyles, it doesn’t matter if it’s a junior freestyle (better music?) and I bet our stands will not be filled,” she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

When I asked if DAD can survive, she replied, “What would the area look like without Dressage at Devon? It really is a community center for participants, volunteers and spectators. I think it’s way too valuable to say, `No one shows here, let’s forget it.’

The Delaware Valley Combined Training Association presented a fun quadrille team ride with a roaring 20s theme. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

“I think the bottom line can be secured if we get enough  support from spectators, sponsors and vendors. The budget is nearly $900,000.

“Two thirds can be covered by income from spectators and competitors. The rest has to be filled by sponsors and vendors, and we’ve struggled to do that in the past.”

To counteract that trend, Lisa Engel was hired this year as sponsor/vendor coordinator and Nicole del Giorno, a professional nonprofit fundraiser, is on the board.

“We’re trying to get a capital campaign for the show off the ground so we have more of a cushion,” Anne reported.

“It’s a tremendous amount of money to rent that showgrounds,” she continued, but without it “you would lose that incredible historic ambience.”

What Anne Moss looks like without her mask. (Don’t worry, I was using a long lens.) (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

DAD did a smart thing by hiring Australian Guy McLean, who does a wonderful act with his horses from Down Under.

Their relationship with him enables him to perform some remarkable stunts, such as having three horses stand over one of their pals lying down in the arena.

Exhibitions of that caliber say something about the quality of the show.

Loved the cooperation of Guy McLean’s horses as they stood with him over one of their pals lying down. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)

Then there was the Delaware Valley Combined Training Association quadrille team, which had a Roaring ’20s theme with music to match. How those riders could make it through the ride in glittering sleeveless dresses (over breeches) with only elbow-length white gloves to keep them warm was impressive.

That’s the kind of dedication characteristic of Dressage at Devon.

For show results, click on this link.