She’s been the Winter Equestrian Festival’s overall open jumper champion rider at least since 2009, though Laura Chapot hasn’t kept track of how many times the honor has come her way over the years.
And while she claimed the title again in Wellington, Fla., for 2019, earning it is never the goal.
“I go down hoping I win one blue ribbon at some point during the show,” explained Laura, who of course did much more than that.
She competed with 12 horses from her family’s Chado Farm in Neshanic Station during the 12 weeks of WEF, which in effect is the world’s biggest (as well as the longest) horse show. Each of them wound up winning at least one class. The results also made her mother, Mary Chapot, the overall jumper owner and trainer titleist, as usual.
Laura rides 12 horses a day when she’s at WEF, since she has four customers’ horses in her barn at the show as well. It makes for a busy day, together with all the classes in which she’s entered.
But what really counts for Laura and Mary is how the individual horses fare in terms of their development. The best indicator of that in the Chado group is Chandon Blue, a horse Laura started riding exactly a year ago at WEF. Sent her way by Irish Olympic medalist Cian O’Connor, he has blossomed under Laura’s guidance.
“We never expected he would rise to these heights and become quite the superstar he’s become,” she noted.
A 14-year-old Oldenburg by popular sire Chacco Blue, Chandon Blue scored five victories in 2- and 3-star-rated classes at WEF, along with two seconds and a third in the FEI (international equestrian federation) ranking classes.
“I’m very lucky to have that horse. He way exceeded my expectations. He’s a horse who knows when it counts,” said Laura, who calls the gelding Charlie around the barn.
“He comes out and tries every time. It’s an unbelievable feat when you’re talking about showing at Wellington that a horse can do that well, because you’re competing against some 85-100 horses in the qualifier, and then the top 45 in the grand prix. You hope maybe once during the circuit you win a nice ribbon. You don’t win five classes at that level with one horse.”
While Laura has shown lots of horses who have gone well over recent years, she’s been missing a breakout star and now Charlie seems to be emerging as a special horse. Laura was chosen to ride on the American team for the New York Masters on Long Island at the end of the month, along with FEI World Cup champions Beezie Madden and McLain Ward, rising star Lillie Keenan and another Jerseyan, Devin Ryan of Long Valley, second in the 2018 World Cup finals.
The show’s featured Riders Masters Cup at NYCB, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, will pit the U.S. squad against a contingent of top European riders. The Europeans won last year during the show’s debut at the arena in Uniondale, N.Y., so you could call this year’s contest a grudge match.
Robert Ridland, the U.S. team’s coach, characterized Laura as “our ace in the hole. She is one of the fastest riders around and is a huge addition to our team.”
Being on the U.S. team is important to Laura. It’s a family tradition. Both her mother and her late father, Frank Chapot, were stalwarts of the squad during the 1960s. Frank continued competing as captain of the team in the ‘70s. He went on to be the team coach, with the U.S. squad winning double gold and individual silver at the 1984 Olympics, among other notable honors, while he was at the helm.
Laura’s last team outing was the 2007 Pan American Games, where the squad won the bronze medal. She just hasn’t had a horse that was up to the ever-increasing demands of team participation, and her budget doesn’t allow for the trips abroad that have become standard for those seeking team berths these days.
“It’s just a matter of what ends up being paid for. For us to take a trip to Europe is pretty much out of reach,” commented Laura, adding another point; “There’s a lot you have to think about that you leave behind at home.
“I haven’t really had a horse to try with, so I haven’t had it (the team) in my sights. I didn’t have it in my sights this year either. But Robert gave me a call and I thought about it and it seemed like it would be a good opportunity to do something. I have not shown him (Charlie) very much indoors, so I don’t know what he’ll be like in such a small ring, compared to the big ring in Wellington. I’m a big supporter of the team and when the opportunity comes along, I love to take advantage of it,” she explained.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of horses that have been very successful grand prix horses, but I don’t think I really pursued that level with any of them, just because some of the horses I get can be a bit quirky. I feel to put yourself out for a team, you really have to have a horse you can rely on and be consistent with.”
Another horse who has been a good partner is ISHD Dual Star. She sustained a small injury during the circuit, but after a rest may be part of Laura’s string for May’s Devon Horse Show, where she also often has been leading rider.
Although the mare is older, “I thought she was jumping the best she ever jumped in Florida,” Laura said.
“We’d love to breed her one day. At the same time, as long as she’s enjoying her job, I don’t want to take that away from her. She’s not a horse who likes to just sit around. She does not turn out, she doesn’t know what that’s about. She enjoys going and showing.”
Two of her other horses are particularly worthy of note, and both suit Laura’s style of riding. They are by Gemini, the clone of the great Gem Twist, the 1988 Olympic double silver medal mount of Greg Best who was bred and trained by Laura’s father. Laura rode Gem Twist at the end of his career, and everyone has been eagerly waiting to see if the Gemini offspring resemble Gem in their talent.
“When we went down there, they were so green, they’d never been to anything like that. I was hoping by the end of the circuit they would make it into the seven-year-old division. But they were really game right of the bat. They really answered the call by week four or five they already were in the seven-year-old division,” Laura commented..
“They both seem very smart. They’re quick learners and really clever. The mare, Timeless, reminds me more of Gem in terms of style and looks and the way she looks.”
The other horse is Pursuit of Happiness (he was born on the Fourth of July, so his name references the Declaration of Independence—life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.) He wound up as seven-year-old circuit champion.
“He’s more of a classically thoroughbred type. He’s very light off the ground. He still has to physically mature a bit more, but is a very, very brave horse and tries hard every time,” Laura said.
She noted how important her mother has been to her WEF record.
“My mom is always the biggest part of our team, supporting us in every single way so nothing falls through the cracks,” Laura said.
“She’s there at every single schooling jump. She helps me with my strategy on the course. I can bounce things off her and get feedback. She’s the videographer. We watch the tapes at night. She’s helpful in the sense that I have someone to talk to and can play ideas off her. It’s very hard to do it on your own otherwise.”
Laura also acknowledged her sister, Wendy, who lives in Madison. She is an accomplished amateur show jumper and also designs courses and serves as a schooling supervisor. The mother of three, who like Laura has a judge’s license, regularly drops by the farm in New Jersey to check on things while Laura and Mary are in Florida.
“This has always been a family thing and a family team,” Laura emphasized.
“That’s in our blood. I love the horses and I live it every moment of my life. I can’t imagine doing it any other way.”
Too often, it seems as if issues involving the elite ranks of horse sports dominate the annual meetings of our equestrian organizations. By elite, I mean not only the high performance group that goes to international competitions, but also those who can afford horses costing six figures (or more), whatever division they choose; traveling around the country to shows (with their horses going by air, if necessary) and not worrying about the hotel bills and other vast costs involved.
So my ears pricked when I heard U.S. Hunter Jumper Association President Mary Babick and others at the organization’s annual meeting this month expressing interest in giving a boost to the base of the sport, along with regional, state and local affiliate organizations. Without a way to make the sport affordable and introduce people to it while building a strong base, equestrian competition will lack universal appeal and eventually become largely the property of the sky’s-the-limit crowd.
USHJA has 49 affiliate organizations (that would be groups like our New Jersey Horse Shows Association and elsewhere, for example, the Missouri Hunter Jumper Organization or the Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association.) Shows can be run as USHJA fixtures without being U.S. Equestrian Federation-recognized, which is a less-expensive and simpler way for some affiliates to go. Benefits of being an affiliate include hosting USHJA outreach competitions for those at the lowest level of the sport, while offering member discounts on national products and services. It also involves educational opportunities, in addition to competitive options and free listings on the USHJA clinics directory, among other things.
Find out what Mary had to say during the annual meeting in Tampa about the emphasis on affiliates and the base by clicking on the link to this video interview.
Katie Benson, president of the NJHSA who is on the board of USHJA, is also a member of the USHJA’s affiliates steering panel and Zone II committee (New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), has seen great changes over the last three decades in the state’s equestrian scene, which also have been mirrored elsewhere.
“When I started (with NJHSA) in 1987, there were 47 horse shows in New Jersey. Last year, there were over 150,” Katie mentioned.
Despite such growth, the affiliates program hasn’t kept up.
“Now it’s time to come back to this and pay attention to the development of the sport and do it better,” said Katie, whose Briarwood operation is based in Ringoes at Black River Farm.
“Not everyone wants to go to the Olympics. We’re not necessarily looking that they (lower-level riders) have to go up the ladder to higher jumps or great expense. They already are sustaining their horsemanship in what they can afford, whether it’s once-a-week lessons in an academy program or one horse show a year on a lesson horse. I think they need to be acknowledged, they’re part of the community, and maybe they want to make their network larger,” she said.
“I think we need to increase awareness of what already exists. We have to open those doors wider and then we can knock on new doors.
At the annual meetings, there are many illuminating exchanges—both in forums and the hallways– about not only rule changes but also other items worthy of note. Here are a few from USHJA’s Tampa session.
While there long have been rumblings about various breed groups wanting to leave the USEF, this time the angst may have some legs—although USEF CEO Bill Moroney said no one has approached him to talk about departing.
However, Glenn Petty, executive vice president of the Arabian Horse Association, mentioned that group’s executive committee asked him two years ago “to look into the feasibility from a financial standpoint of getting out.” The list of what AHA is not happy about includes the licensed officials committee process and downsizing of the USEF board, which some of the other national breeds also felt gave them short shrift.
The key issue for the AHA remains whether it is “worth shooting yourself in the foot financially to get out,” as Glenn put it to me, noting “probably the biggest question is litigation expense. That’s a huge unknown.”
The USEF’s new requirement for all competing members (as well as directors and officials) to complete three on-line SafeSport training modules before they can show also has spurred some heated conversations.
Although Glenn said SafeSport wasn’t among AHA’s major differences with USEF, he did note that while “everybody supports SafeSport, the feeling is there’s too big a net being thrown.” He said among other organizations that are not part of USEF, such as the American Quarter Horse Association (the world’s largest breed group), the paints and the pintos, “their lawyers are telling them all they have to do is offer education” on the subject, rather than mandating training for everyone.
On another topic, one proposal that didn’t get approval at the USHJA meeting dealt with an expansion of the rule on special competitions, which can be added to the USEF calendar without regard for the mileage rule that has been one of the organization’s pillars. Many shows have been able to hang on, basically, because they have no competition when the mileage rule is applied, but that has also been a problem for new competitions that want to get on the calendar.
The special competition rule already covers FEI (international) shows, USEF national finals and championships and affiliated organization championships. But the most controversial point is the new fourth category, involving special competitions for which there currently are no breed or discipline rules.
Mary Babick fears with category four that managers will say of their new brainchild, “No rules exist, so I can do whatever I want. I can create a shadow circuit.”
“This is the meat of the issue in 2018,” maintained Tom Brennan, a hunter and hunter seat equitation judge from West Virginia.
“We know this train is coming down the tracks,” continued Tom, who feels the proposal needs a closer look. He contended it is “dangerous to future of our sport and programs.
“It’s okay with what we know our sport to be today. But I don’t think we can project ourselves in the future …for how we want to develop horses and horse shows.”
TerraNova near Sarasota, Fla., burst on the scene during the autumn with its first eventing competition. Next up is a Split Rock CSI 2-star in January. The venue is drawing raves for its scenic setting and top-of-the-line arenas just a half hour’s drive from the city.
Located practically equidistant from Wellington and Ocala, it adds another element to Florida’s already incredible opportunities for competition. Dressage and driving also are planned. Read my story at Horse Sport by clicking on this link.
Jumping a replica of the TerraNova stable on the cross-country course at the new venue near Sarasota, Fla. (Al Green Photo)
The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) has taken a formal vote to drop show jumping from its program following the Paris Olympics in 2024, although protests of the move have come from representatives of numerous nations. However, a group called Pentathlon United has been formed to lobby for keeping riding in the Olympic pentathlon at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond, while the issue has been taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport..
Pentathlon received an unwelcome spotlight in Tokyo after a horse refused with a German rider who had been leading the competition to that point. She whipped the horse and burst into tears, a moment memorialized in a photo that made headlines around the world. Her mount was punched by her coach, who was disciplined by being sent home.
In a letter to athletes, the pentathlon union–which feared that the sport would be dropped from the Games by the International Olympic Committee– explained the decision, stating, “We would be making a mistake if we were to take our place in the Olympic programme for granted past Paris 2024. It is not granted for us, it is not granted for anybody.”
The organization’s executive board held a secret meeting in which it was decided to remove horseback riding from the program. Riding’s replacement sport for the 2028 Games had yet to be decided.
But while there were countries that support dropping riding, comments from pentathlon supporters from Poland to Denmark and the Czech Republic to Finland have protested the move.
After word of the decision came, more than 700 pentathletes wrote a letter expressing no confidence in the pentathlon organization’s president and board, asking for their resignations, while at the same time they pressed to keep riding in the pentathlon to save the integrity of the sport.
In a letter to the Polish pentathlon association, athletes and coaches said they understood there needed to be changes and standardization of the rules of holding a riding competition as part of the sport, adapting rules not only to competitors’ skills, but also to the horses’ abilities.
At the same time, “There are many solutions, the introduction of which will make horse riding in a modern pentathlon safer for both parties,” those protesting contended in their letter.
A riding working group had been set up by the international governing body to explore whether the equestrian element should be continued in the format that also includes shooting, running, swimming and fencing, which debuted at the 1912 Olympics. There have been innovations since, including running all the sports in a 90-minute broadcast-friendly format, rather than over a period of days.
Modern pentathlon participants are assigned a horse and have just 20 minutes before competing in the jumping. It’s a big ask for athletes who are not accomplished riders. The five-discipline event began as a military competition, with women taking part for the first time in 2000. It has not been among the more popular events to watch for viewers of the Games, which endangers its continuing inclusion.
According to “Inside the Games,” UIPM vice-president Joël Bouzou claimed the IOC had requested the removal of riding.
IOC member and UIPM first vice-president Juan Antonio Samaranch said there was no demand from the IOC, but that the pentathlon organization had to act proactively to keep the sport in the Games.
“We must rapidly develop a new event – then a chance exists,” he said.
Although modern pentathlon had been called a core sport of the Olympics, meaning it is supposed to have a guaranteed place on the Olympic program, that can change.
Citing such modern sports such as 3×3 basketball, skateboarding and surfing that are more attractive to young people, Samaranch claimed there are “no core sports.”
.Meanwhile, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called for all equestrian disciplines to be dropped from the Olympics, not just the riding phase of modern pentathlon. The FEI (International Equestrian Federation), which is the governing body for the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and grand prix-level show jumping, does not regulate pentathlon.
“Just as the Olympics evolved to include sports that are of current interest, like skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing, in a world that increasingly refuses to accept abuse in any form, it’s time to remove sports that are no longer supported by the public,” PETA’s senior vice-president of the equine matters department, Kathy Guillermo, wrote to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
There is no comparison between riding in the pentathlon and the Olympic equestrian sports, which are run at the highest standard of athleticism and care for the horse, most of which have been with their riders for many years.
John von Stade, who died yesterday at the age of 83 after a long illness, spent 50 years as co-chair of the Far Hills Race Meeting while it went from being an event that attracted a few thousand spectators to the country’s richest day of steeplechasing, with more than 30,000 attending. He did everything from bedding stalls in the stables to putting up snow fencing at first, and then managing hundreds of volunteers and set the fixture’s course as it grew.
A resident of Peapack and Bernardsville until moving to Maryland six years ago, he was a member of a prominent racing family. His father, F. Skiddy von Stade was a founder of the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which Mr. von Stade served as president from 1989-2005–longer than anyone else has held that position.
Guy Torsilieri spent 35 years helming the Far Hills Races with Mr. von Stade, who retired from the co-chairmanship in 2014.
“He was an art lover, a historian. He was like an old school guy, but he managed to change with the times. He had an incredible way about him, so gentle and focused. He knew which way things needed to go and should go,” Guy said.
Despite coming from a family that was deeply involved in thoroughbred racing, Mr. von Stade only dabbled in it briefly on a personal basis.
He good-naturedly described his Ivy Creek Stables as “a fantastic disaster.”
“He got into it and quickly got out of it,” Guy related
Mr. von Stade, who previously owned the Essex Gallery of Sport in Far Hills, dedicated his life to philanthropic venues and giving back.
Guy called Mr. von Stade the “fabric and the glue” that held things together between the races and the foundation that donates to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerville. It is the home of the Steeplechase Cancer Center and the von Stade lobby, built on $18 million from the races.
Mr. von Stade will be formally remembered on race day next year.
“We will clearly honor him appropriately,” Guy said.
Mr. von Stade is survived by his wife, Phyllis; his son, John von Stade Jr., and three grandchildren, as well as his niece, famed opera singer Frederica von Stade. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
The Sonoma (Calif.) Horse Park will hold its six 2022 hunter/jumper shows from May to September under the auspices of the National Snaffle Bit Association, rather than the U.S. Equestrian Federation, it was announced today.
Last week, word from the park was that it would not run USEF shows until that organization’s mileage rule, which currently requires 250 miles between shows in Sonoma’s region, instead permits shows within 50 miles of each other. The circumstances brought to mind the situation between USEF and the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., where the facility couldn’t get all the USEF hunter/jumper shows it wanted last winter and went with the NSBA instead. When WEC did get USEF dates for later in the year, it turned then down and signed up with NSBA again instead, a decision that also applied to WEC’s facility in Ohio.
Howard Herman, the Sonoma CEO, stated his case about the mileage situation at a Zoom meeting last week that drew approximately 50 riders, owners, trainers and other interested parties.
“We have known about the mileage rule for 30 years, but I didn’t really understand it until I got involved in the process,” he said.
Former Sonoma manager Sally Hudson, the license holder for a number of the Sonoma shows, took her licenses to Rancho Murieta’s Murieta Equestrian Center, the state’s largest equestrian facility. It is about 100 miles from Sonoma, too close for the park to qualify for its own shows without a mileage exemption.
Sonoma had three USEF dates, including an exemption for a May show, but Herman said his decision means giving up those dates because the park needs more than three shows for its circuit. He noted it is hard to plan without knowing well in advance which shows USEF will approve.
“Sponsors and vendors want to provide an adequate season,” he commented. Sonoma previously staged the Adequan/USEF Junior National Hunter Championship West and a week of World Championship Hunter Rider competition under USEF auspices.
“At 80 years old, I’ve been given a voice,” the CEO said, explaining he could not live with himself if people in his community were shortchanged because of the mileage situation.
He feels an area that is home to 13 million people should be entitled to more in the way of USEF shows. Herman cited how expensive it is for northern California residents and people from the Pacific Northwest to go to the Thermal circuit in Southern California.The Sonoma Horse Park presents a closer alternative.
“We are committed to offering comparable prize money and special classes as we have in seasons past and a schedule that is consistent with what exhibitors and trainers have come to expect at shows that Sonoma Horse Park provides. We are looking forward to a new circuit, complete with circuit championships and prizes as per Sonoma Horse Park tradition,” stated Sonoma manager Sarah Appel.
Asked for comment, a USEF spokesperson said the organization was just made aware of the announcement and did not send a statement today.
Making the most of an advantageous position in the jump-off, Kent Farrington won the $213,300 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Lexington last night with his longtime partner, the fleet mare Gazelle.
Eighth to go in the nine-horse tiebreaker, with no one achieving a clean round to that point, Kent proceeded carefully to log what would be the only fault-free trip over Bernardo Costa Cabral’s course for the tiebreaker in the FEI World Cup qualifier at the 4-star National Horse Show in Kentucky.
Daniel Bluman was fast with Ladriano Z, just back after recovery from an injury, but his time of 32.62 seconds would only be good enough for third due to a dropped rail in a combination that proved to be troublesome.
McLain Ward rode his Tokyo Olympic team silver mount Contagious, looking for his sixth win in the National’s featured jumper competition. His lightning time of 32.60 seconds would have been good enough to win, but he had to settle for second as 4 faults at that double kept the door open for Kent.
Calling Bernardo “a phenomenal course designer,” McLain said when he sees that name on a prizelist, he is excited because, “I always have confidence that it is going to be a good and fair test with a lot of horsemanship, and we as riders really appreciate that.. There were a fair bit of horses clear and it made for a nice jump off. “
Kent Farrington and Gazelle. (Photo by Phelps/Georgie Hammond)
Explaining his strategy, Kent said, “I only had one rider after me and I felt as though a neat clear round was a smart play.” Smart is practically Kent’s middle name, and his experience underlined what would be a winning fault-free round in 35. 96 seconds on Gazelle to take the title. Margie Engle, the final rider, had a rail on Dicas to leave the victory for Kent.
“I have a very experienced horse, and she has been an amazing horse for me and my career,” Kent said after claiming the trophy.
He noted that Gazelle’s owner, Robin Parsky, “has been very supportive of my management of this horse and that is part of what has made her last so long, being able to move her up and drop her back.
“The first round, she was hyper-careful, so there was a little bit of jockeying around. I thought that the jump off was a good opportunity to let her settle down and go for a cruise and that worked out for me for the win.”
In the show’s Sunday finale, the ASPCA Maclay ran for 11 hours before Zayna Rizvi on Finnick was judged the best in a field of 175. Catalina Peralta finished second with a catch ride, the Holsteiner Clover, followed by Audrey Schulze aboard Mac One III, owned by Taylor Madden, daughter of her coach, Frank Madden.
Zayna Rizvi and Finnick on their way to victory (Phelps photo/Georgie Hammond)
The top four, which included Tessa P. Brown in fourth place, had to ride a final test without stirrups. After all, it’s “No-Stirrups November.”
Archie Cox, the California horseman who judged the class with a former Maclay winner, Keri Kampsen, called it “a true championship” citing a tough course put together by. Bobby Murphy, with input from the judges.The route included several eye-catching fences, among them a double of ivy-covered walls that had to be taken in both directions, and a stand-alone pink wall with a hole in it that was worth a double-take.
Archie termed the route, “well-balanced–if you went to the right, if you went to the left, you had to go forward and had to go back.” It required horses to be “electric to the aids” to handle the challenges and the bending lines.
Zayna, a 16-year-old from Wellington, Fla., who is an experienced jumper rider, called Finnick, a Westphalian owned by Jordyn Rose Freedman, her “soulmate.” She said of her win, “I’ve been working toward this all year, so this is a really great way to end my season. It means so much to me. I’m very thankful.”
She is trained by John Brennan and his wife, Missy Clark, who assessed Zayna as “such a remarkable talent…she makes it easy.”
Catalina, trained by Stacia Klein Madden of Beacon Hill Show Stables of Colts Neck,N.J., was tearful as she talked about a tough year, having lost two horses and family members..
“Although I didn’t end up with a win, I am extremely grateful to be able to be reserve champion and just compete in this class with a fantastic horse like Clover,” said Catalina, an 18-year-old from Geneva, Fla. Clover is a Holsteiner owned by Sail Horse Investments.
“Stacia is incredible, she has helped me so much in overcoming such difficulties. I’m so grateful for the team at Beacon Hill, they are my family.”
Stacia responded, “You have to go to what you know works, and you have to go to your fall=back. When you put together a team that you trust and you have your faith in, and you have horses that you know like the back of your hand and you’ve got great owners that allow you the opportunity to have access to those horses when you need them, it really just falls into place.”
Audrey, 18, a resident of Ridgewood, N.J., was first to go in the class at 7 a.m., but she wasn’t intimidated.
“I was prepared coming into this week,” she said, explaining the jumping order came out days ago.
“I had had all week to think about it. I knew I was ready and going to execute it exactly as I walked it,” she said.
Frank Madden said :”We came here trying to stick to our game plan. I said to Audrey, `It doesn’t matter if you go first or 100th.'”
Archie said Audrey “gave a riding lesson” with her performance, citing the way she, clucked inside the double. He called it “horsemanship.”
Being on the dais was a bit surreal for Frank Madden, since he had coached both Keri and Stacia (now his ex-wife) in their wins decades ago.
“I feel so old sitting up here with two former students,” he confessed good-naturedly.
Show jumping will be dropped from the modern pentathlon lineup after the Paris Olympics in 2024, according to several media accounts.
The sport received an unwelcome spotlight in Tokyo after a horse refused with a German rider who had been leading the competition to that point. She whipped the horse and burst into tears, a moment memorialized in a photo that made headlines around the world. Her mount was punched by her coach, who was disciplined by being sent home.
The International Modern Pentathlon Union Executive Board held a secret meeting this week in which it was decided to remove horseback riding from the program, the media outlets that ran the story stated. The board said it will issue a press release tomorrow, but did not give details. The word is that cycling could replace riding.
A riding working group had been set up to explore whether the equestrian element should be continued in the format that also includes shooting, running, swimming and fencing. The panel’s recommendations originally were scheduled to be announced during an executive board meeting at the end of this month.
Modern pentathlon participants are assigned a horse and have just 20 minutes before competing in the jumping. It’s a big ask for athletes who are not accomplished riders. The five-discipline event was introduced to the Games in 1912 as a military competition, with women taking part for the first time in 2000. It has not among the more popular events to watch among viewers of the Games.
Meanwhile, people for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called for all equestrian disciplines to be dropped from the Olympics, not just the riding phase of modern pentathlon. The FEI (International Equestrian Federation), which is the governing body for the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and grand prix-level show jumping, does not regulate pentathlon.
“Just as the Olympics evolved to include sports that are of current interest, like skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing, in a world that increasingly refuses to accept abuse in any form, it’s time to remove sports that are no longer supported by the public,” PETA’s senior vice-president of the equine matters department, Kathy Guillermo, wrote to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
The re-do of the American eventing calendar was “a daunting task” for the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s eventing bid review group, according to USEF Eventing Sport Committee Chairman Mike Huber.
The reorganization left the Jersey Fresh International without the FEI (international) 4-star and 3-star Long and 4-star Short sections from 2023 through 2027. Although the 2022 edition of the event could have been held with those divisions, sponsors understandably didn’t want to back a competition that would not be continuing. (For more information, see this link)
Explaining the work of the bid review group, headed by Olympic cross-country course designer Derek di Grazia, Mike noted the calendar had been “a little bit of a free-for-all” for years. He mentioned that the late Roger Haller (whose family founded the Essex Horse Trials) was one of the first people to recognize the situation and took a look at solving it.
Mike Huber, head of the USEF Eventing Sport Committee chairman.
“There had to be some sort of a master plan. That’s what this project was meant to do, to try to have some control over what was happening and have a process not just for events that were already there, but for new events to have an opportunity and maybe have big backing on it where it would improve the sport all around,” Mike said.
He mentioned there was a plan “that the competitions all would be in a flow chart that made it best for high performance (riders) to prepare themselves; the Shorts to prepare for the Longs, the Longs preparing for the qualification to go the following year to a 5-star
“When you had a calendar that had been in place for a long time without much real disruption or correction, you then see yourself one day looking and saying. `Wow, these (divisions) aren’t really where we want them to be and at the time we want them to be.’ I hope we got it right. People worked very hard on this.
“I feel initially for some it will be painful and maybe for others, there will be an adjustment having to work toward a certain weekend. The whole idea was to make a better calendar for all. I feel badly for any event that didn’t get what they were hoping for. It was a difficult decision and we were looking to make the best caliber we could come up with,” added Mike, a double gold medalist at the 1987 Pan American Games and veteran of two World Equestrian Games, who served as the youngest president of the U.S. Eventing Association when he was in his early 30s.
He pointed out, “there are probably more venues than there are horses to run in them. What you don’t want to do is have a 4-star Short every weekend and have 20 horses in each class. There had to be a way to make these classes competitive. It’s good for Areas II (NJ, Pa., Md, Del., Va., NC) and III (Tenn., SC, Miss., Ala., Ga and Fla.) that there are that many events vying for those competitions. Any that didn’t get what they wanted, or an FEI event, certainly should continue to run their national event.”
In 2023 at the Horse Park of New Jersey, where Jersey Fresh has been the headline competition since 2003, the facility’s national-level offerings will include a group of divisions from Beginner Novice through Intermediate, headed by an Advanced horse trials the weekend of June 17.
“As time goes on,” Mike said, “there will be adjustments and changes that can be looked at as new events come along and older events improve. If an event that has been awarded the contract does not fulfill their obligations or quality is not as promised, they could be changed out.”
Being awarded a date “is not a guarantee. You have to fulfill your obligations,” whether it’s prize money or the footing or anything else, Mike emphasized, saying an event could lose its privilege and its date could be re-opened for bidding.
As an example, he cited the Foxhall event outside of Atlanta, which was a national championship that debuted in 2000 and once vied with Britain’s Badminton as the world’s richest event. It disappeared five years later, with organizers citing lack of a spectator base to keep it going.
“Anything can happen,” said Mike.
“Ultimately, we’ll be ready for whatever comes down.”
The most discussion was about the length of time selected for the events to run on the basis of the group’s decision, with some wanting more and others wanting less than five years, Mike said. But five years was selected “because an event is going to make investments…they don’t want to do that if they think in a year or two they are going to lose it.”
Interestingly, the new TerraNova facility in Myakka City, Fla., east of Bradenton and Sarasota, Fla., never ran a horse trials before it was awarded a 4-star Short, which debuted this weekend with 16 entries.
Asked how TerraNova got the okay without a track record, Mike said, “they have a proven team,” mentioning course designer Mark Phillips and Shelley Howerton Page.
Leslie Law and Lady Chatterley won the 4-star Short this weekend at TerraNova, the newest competition on the eventing calendar. (Al Green Photo)
There was, Mike explained, “a lot of stock put into that. They had a proven team that showed they could get things done.”
MaryAnn Musal, a show jumper who lives near TerraNova but never visited until this weekend, said, “it is obvious no expense was spared for the welfare of the horses, or for the competitor and spectator experience. The attention to detail right down to the temporary bathrooms, shuttles for spectators from the parking area and unbelievable footing for the horses was amazing. I can’t wait to attend a jumper show at that venue.”
Mike commented that one problem involves the fact that there’s no regulation on how big classes have to be.
“One event runs an advanced class with 35 to 40 horses in it, that’s what coaches want to see, they want to see those riders go head to head.”
But if another event splits the division, when a rider in one section is touting the fact that he got fifth place, realistically he probably would have finished lower if the event had not been split.
“It happens at all levels because local horse trials want people to come back to their event and people want a ribbon. It’s an odd mindset, but it’s an American mindset. We see this in schools where everyone gets a trophy and no one is a loser.”
The idea of the calendar change is to get bigger classes and push people so they are not satisfied with third place.
“This is why the amount of competitions, whether they be Short or Long, is being controlled for a reason. We want these people to compete head to head. That’s what it’s all about; that’s what’s going to make them better and make those competitions healthier, because they have a full complement of entries as a result of, fewer but better-attended competitions.
“Jersey will be running an Advanced Horse Trials and should take pride in that and make that better,” continued Mike, noting with that perspective, Jersey “could eventually slot into going back into the FEI category, if that’s what they support.”
Martin Fuchs’ marvelous horse Clooney, who suffered a life-threatening accident in his pasture accident during the summer, finally came home this week.
Clooney got quite a welcome at his stable.
The Westphalian gelding Martin rode to the European show jumping championship in 2019 slipped in his pasture Aug. 16 and fractured his humerus on the right side.
He was put in a sling for treatment. but two weeks later, he miraculously was taking his first steps without the support.
“This horse never stops surprising me with his strength,” Martin said at the time. “Blessed to have him in my life.”
Martin’s wish was to have Clooney at home for his retirement. He thanked the Tierspital Zürich veterinary facility for its care of Clooney.
