Jerseyans bring back WEG gold

by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 25, 2018

By Nancy Jaffer
Sept. 25, 2018

Two New Jersey horsemen carried a little extra baggage in the form of gold medals on their flights home yesterday from the FEI World Equestrian Games at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.

The realization of a lifetime dream came 40 years after Jimmy Fairclough of Newton started training for his first world four-in-hand driving championship. Devin Ryan of Long Valley had a shorter time frame in his efforts to make the show jumping team that won the top prize at the WEG, but his journey with a serious concentration on the top of the sport took more than 16 years of trying to make it, in addition to how long  he spent learning his craft after starting out on a $50 horse.

On his plane leaving North Carolina, the passengers were told a gold medalist was among them, and Devin got applause after making a brief speech.

“Ten years ago, I said at some point I want to represent the U.S. on some level, even at a Nations’ Cup level,” Devin commented when I caught up with him following the team awards ceremony at the WEG.

“It’s been a whirlwind coming here and being able to make it to the WEG, a major championship, and win a gold medal. That’s setting a high peak, so I guess the only thing after this will be an Olympics,” he said with a smile.

The U.S. team, center, on the medals podium: Coach Robert Ridland, McLain Ward, Adrienne Sternlicht, Laura Kraut and Devin Ryan. ((Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer))

Devin, 36, emerged on the global radar when he was the surprise second-place finisher last spring at the Longines FEI Show Jumping World Cup Finals in Paris, which was won by veteran Beezie Madden. Coach Robert Ridland made a bold move when he put Devin on the team as the pathfinder, and made Beezie the alternate, but it paid off when the squad earned the top prize and a berth for the U.S. at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to boot.

After three rounds of jumping at the WEG, the U.S. and Sweden were tied on 20.59 penalties. As Robert noted, the odds were long that two nations would have the same score to the hundredth of a point, but once it happened, a jump-off was the next step.

Devin, McLain Ward and Laura Kraut all were fault-free in the tie breaker, as were three of the Swedes, but the total time taken on course by the Americans was 2.03 seconds less than their rivals, giving them the gold.

This was Devin’s first team championship, and he found “expectations are high; they expect more out of you, you expect more out of yourself. I would think it never gets easier.” The team experience involved having every member of the squad, including the fourth member, Adrienne Sternlicht, living in the same house.

Devin and Eddie Blue. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

While Devin knows fans often are awed by the sport’s big names, he advised, “don’t be shy, because they’re no different than us. Everyone was doing their job, and that’s why we got our medal.”

He didn’t take his first riding lesson until age 13, then joined Pony Club and dealt with problem horses. A lesson with George Morris on one of those mounts started him on the path that would take him to the top. He worked with George for four years, then rode with dealer Alan Waldman in the Netherlands. He returned to New Jersey to open River Run farm and pursue his goal: Riding for the U.S.

Devin got Eddie as a four-year-old and developed the Dutchbred by Zirocco Blue himself. At age 9, the horse owned by LL Show Jumpers was among the youngest entries in the 124-horse field, where Devin finished 16th.

By bringing Eddie through the levels, he formed a stronger bond with him than he would have buying a ready-made jumper, which he couldn’t afford to do anyway.

“Look at the top riders and the horses with which they have been most successful,” he once told me, citing such Olympic gold medalists as McLain with Sapphire or Great Britain’s Nick Skelton with Big Star.

“They usually started with those horses as 5- or 6-year olds, when they’re young enough that they’re not set in their ways.”

Next up for Devin is trying to qualify for the 2019 World Cup finals.

It bothers him that there’s an impression that making it to the top level of show jumping requires a huge amount of cash.

“You don’t have to be uber-wealthy to get there,” said Devin, who didn’t come from big money.

“There’s so much talk that it’s not possible to get there,” he continued, noting hard work is the way to make it, even for those short of funds. He advises parents whose children are aspiring riders, “tell your kid to put the cellphone down and go to work.”

Fairclough’s marathon—where he had the disadvantage of being first on course–and cones scores contributed to the U.S. win, even though he had a control problem in the final segment after one of his horse’s nosebands broke. It had to be fixed with a zip tie when the teams were called back to the arena for the presentation.

Jimmy Fairclough in the cones segment. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

Jimmy stood proudly on the podium with teammates Misdee Wrigley-Miller and his former student, Chester Weber, who also earned individual silver for the second time in a row. He was particularly pleased to be accepting the medal with Chester.

“At one point in life, we kind of parted ways a little bit, but we always still worked on teams together, no matter what,” he said. “Over time, it’s worked out and so it’s great. He’s worked very hard at it, so it’s nice.”

Thoughts on the podium were with people who worked hard to improve American driving but had passed away. One was  Finn Caspersen, who brought the 1993 World Pair Championships to Gladstone and really put driving on the map in the U.S.

On the gold medal podium: U.S. teammaters Cheter Weber, Misdee Wrigley-Miller, Jimmy Fairclough. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

“Finn would have been ecstatic,” said Jimmy. He also mentioned Ed Young, the four-in-hand chef d’equipe, who died a year ago. “He would have been ecstatic too.”

As Chester noted, Ed “was the force around U.S. Equestrian’s program and led the way for a number of years, and today, when the reality was there that we won team gold, to me personally, for me and this team medal, that’s for Ed Young.”

Jimmy Fairclough was out first on the marathon course and really went for it. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

At age 60, Jimmy isn’t sure what his next move regarding driving will be.

“I’m going to semi-retire,” he believes, noting without a sponsor, it’s hard to compete at the top level, especially since he owns his horses and pays their expenses. He thinks he’ll still compete in this country, but he’s no longer looking ahead to the next world championships, which would be in 2020.

“It’s been 40 years. It’s a lot of work to keep horses in the kind of training for that period of time. Five shoulder surgeries later and everything else, it’s a lot.”

The very next move is easy, though. He’ll be putting this gold medal next to the team gold he won at the 1991 World Pairs Championship. Those are nice punctuation points for a lifetime passion.

Monmouth at the Team has a special niche

by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 20, 2018

By Nancy Jaffer
August 20, 2018

While a number of shows in its region have been scratching for participants this summer, Monmouth at the Team is so well-attended that part of the mandate for next year is figuring out a way to limit entries for certain competitions.

The show, with an eight-day run through Monday Aug. 20 at the historic U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation facility in Gladstone, has an appeal that is more than just location, location, location. It’s also a well-run show, owned by insurance executive Tucker Ericson and his cousin, professional horseman Michael Dowling, who has a stable nearby and is a coach of the Centenary University equestrian team.

Michael Dowling and Tucker Ericson. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

“Our objective is to develop this and not grow it into something that’s about numbers,” said Michael. He and Tucker bought New Jersey’s oldest horse show three years ago and moved it from Monmouth County to Somerset County, giving it a new and more exciting identity.

“It’s interesting, because I know some of the (other) shows’ entries have been down,” Michael observed. Meanwhile, he said, “we are struggling with getting everybody in the ring and out, and not letting it get too big. We’re always looking at how can we do this a little bit better each year?”

There are no ring lights at the facility, which means some days, there’s a race to conclude everything before sunset. The $10,000 Bobcat Derby, which drew 59 entries in its 2-foot, 2-6 section and 35 in the separately pinned 3-foot section, for instance, wrapped up just as twilight was falling.

“The biggest thing we have to take into consideration the limitations we have of the ring,” noted Michael. This is basically a one-ring show, though occasionally something is held in the indoor arena.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of an A-rated competition because of the venue and the hospitality, but the show’s highest-rated days are B, and some days are unrecognized by the U.S. Equestrian Federation. It presents an opportunity for those at the lower levels of the sport to be able to participate in a prestige fixture.

The last time Sima Morgello rode at the foundation grounds was in her equitation days at the Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East. This was the 22-year-old New York University graduate’s first visit to Monmouth at the Team and she loved it—an emotion heightened by her victory on Orientales in the $10,000 Mini-Prix sponsored by Horseflight.

Mini-prix winner Sima Morgella and Orientales. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

“It was fantastic. It’s a very special horse show. It’s very inspiring for people to see the history of the sport. They’re at a top, top facility which is always a pleasure,” she said.

“The divisions are very welcoming to riders at all the levels. The horse show really did think about making sure everybody had an opportunity to show themselves to the best of their abilities.”

“Most of the people who come back are people who are relatively local,” pointed out Michael. “We are thrilled because it’s an awesome atmosphere.

Noting, “the judges are impressed by the quality of horses coming through the ring,” he commented, “it’s really fulfilling our objectives and what we want this to develop into. We have to fine-tune some things and make sure we’re giving back to the people who sponsor, and involving more of the local community, not just the horse people, but the local merchants and restaurants and trying to increase the entertainment aspect and atmosphere.”

Tucker said having a single ring enables the community to join together and bond, instead of being scattered among arenas. “I think that adds a lot of strength for the community.”

Sima, who rides out of River Run Farm in Long Valley with her partner, Devin Ryan, led off the tie-breaker of 12 riders from the field of 28 competing over Skip Bailey’s course in the mini-prix.  After overhearing one of the riders talk about making a difficult, time-saving turn following the first fence, she decided to try the maneuver, with Devin advising “go for it…make everyone chase you.”

She pulled it off with her “phenomenal” Selle Francais mare and became the only person in the tie-breaker to finish fault-free.

Discussing her success, Sima cited the support of her mother, Susan Morgello, and groom Eliane Feltz. A native of France, Eliane can reassure Orientales (also known as Chantilly) by speaking French to her, since that is the mare’s “first language,” the one she heard before being imported to this country.

Those who finished behind Sima in the class included Devin, fourth on the eye-catching chestnut, Florida. Devin, who was named this month to the U.S. show jumping team for the FEI World Equestrian Games, enjoys Monmouth at the Team not only as a good place to put mileage on jumpers (he’s always looking to develop his next big horse) but also as a chance to compete a convenient 20 minutes or so from home after spending time in Europe, most recently in Aachen and Dublin.

B.J. Ehrhardt, who took hunter and jumper style awards, won the 3-foot portion of the Bobcat Derby on Leigh Creamer’s Dutchbred, Micah 7:7. She grew up in northern New Jersey’s Bergen County and showed all over the state. Now based in Goshen, N.Y., she still has a lot of friends in the Garden State, including Leah, who is from Saddle River and names her horses after Biblical verses.

B.J. Ehrhardt wore her bobcat ears as she won the 3-foot section of the Bobcat Derby with Micah 7:7. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

“I love this horse show. I love the barn,” said B.J. Part of the charm involves housing horses staying overnight in stalls named after famous U.S. Equestrian Team mounts. Micah occupied the stall named for Udon, Steffen Peters’ 1996 Olympic dressage team bronze medal ride.

The show is more than business for B.J.

“I love the whole ambience of it. They’re so pleasant here. It’s a great experience for my students and myself,” she said, noting that with the one ring, everyone can come and watch the classes because they don’t have to be running around to other rings.

“It’s all win-win to be here and be able to win,” she commented.

The 2-foot/2-6 section went to Heartbreaker and Libby Shea Dayton from Red Oak Farm in Stirling.

The Selle Francais belongs to the Storms family, but he hadn’t shown awhile since his owner went to school.

“This is his first attempt back. I think he did a pretty good job,” said Libby, who is trained by her mother, Bethie Dayton.

This was the first year the derby was broken into two sections, since management felt that the 3-foot competitors had dominated previously and wanted to give those jumping lower heights a chance for victory.

The derby is sponsored by the Nature Conservancy. It’s a fundraiser for Bobcat Alley, a 32,000-acre area on the border of Sussex and Warren counties where the organization wants to buy more land (the wish list is for 3,500 additional acres) so the endangered cats can move safely between the New Jersey Highlands, the Kittatinny Ridge and part of the Appalachian mountains.

Although some bobcats were imported from Maine to grow the bobcat population, there are only an estimated 300 to 400 in New Jersey.

“They’re still struggling,” said Barbara Brummer, the Nature Conservancy’s New Jersey state director.

Mary Conti and Barbara Brummer of the Nature Conservancy with Bobcat Derby 3-foot winner B.J. Ehrhardt and Micah 7:7. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)

Bobcat ear headbands with little tufts on top were much in evidence at the show, and those who taped them to their helmets got an extra point in the derby.

The USET Foundation will have another big hunter/jumper show in May, with the Junior Essex Troop’s Garden State fixture moving from Sussex County to Gladstone. Tucker will be managing it, and already is planning for the nine-day competition that likely will have a familiar feeling for those who have been to Monmouth at the Team.

“I think the shows will complement each other well, because now people know what kind of hospitality they can expect, they understand the footing can hold up to any kind of weather conditions,” said Tucker.

The iffy August weather might have wreaked havoc at another showgrounds, but not with the super drainage of the foundation’s ring.

“We had two days of steady rain,” observed Michael.

“The kids rode through it; the footing held up beautifully. It was a tribute to the facility and the reason we want to see it utilized and see our neighborhood enjoy it.”

Tucker noted that, “Sponsors already are lining up for Garden State. The shows will be a little bit different and distinct. The May show will be AA-rated, while in August, we have more grassroots focus.” He noted, however, that the first weekend of Garden State will be unrated with a $10,000 hunter derby before seven days of the double-A competition.

Barbara Brummer mentioned another initiative of the Nature Conservancy involves restoring habitat in the Paulinskill watershed for American shad, so I can see fish fins and tails taped to helmets if the organization decides to sponsor that derby at Garden State.

Asked how he analyzes the success of Monmouth at the Team, Tucker said, “Whether it’s food, décor, the courses or the awards, we don’t cut corners.  If you don’t cut corners, you end up with a better return, because people know they can count on you.”