by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 1, 2021
Catherine Haddad-Staller wanted to salute the outstanding success of New Jersey dressage riders and trainers during the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Festival of Champions, so she borrowed a tradition from Europe for a celebration at her Califon home last night.
All the prizes won by competitors from the Garden State at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois last week were displayed in the international competitor’s barn, with the colorful ribbons arrayed on twine above tables covered with trophies and championship coolers. It was quite an impressive sight.
Outside, there was a big bonfire and Catherine’s husband, Dr. Greg Staller, presided at the barbeque grills cooking sausage, pork tips and peppers for guests waiting at a row of picnic tables. It was a time to relax after a week of very hard work.
Catherine Haddad-Staller and her husband, Dr. Greg Staller, by the bonfire during the party at their farm. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Catherine felt it was important to have a party for those who had done so well.
“It reminds me of when I lived in Germany, because any time we went to a horse show, there would be 10 or 12 riders right from the town I lived in who would be successful.”
Prizes were displayed and food and drink was abundant for the achievers.
“But this time, we went to the national championships, there were seven or eight riders from this county that brought home all of that swag. It’s incredible.
“I think Hunterdon County is a really strong county for equestrian sports, and in particular, dressage. We had so many people there. This area close to Gladstone (the home of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in neighboring Somerset County) is rider-rich. So it’s kind of exciting.”
The lion’s share of the booty belonged to Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, like Califon, a part of Tewksbury Township. Alice took nine horses to Illinois and had five helpers to take care of them.
Would she want to transport three-quarters of her barn like that again?
“I don’t know if we ever try to top that and just say we did it and we’re done,” Alice revealed with a smile.
She won two championships and two reserve championships herself, along with several high ribbons in other divisions while her trainer, Marcus Orlob of Annandale, won the five-year-old title on her stallion, Glory Day, earning several scores of 10.
Marcus, who rode another of Alice’s horse’s, Maximus, to sixth place in the four-year-old competition at the show as well, was concerned about the atmosphere affecting the two stallions.
“I was just hoping they’d behave, because there were obviously much more horses than at our local shows in New Jersey,” he noted.
Marcus Orlob, Jaime Dancer, Kim Herslow, Bridget Hay, Hope Beerling, Alice Tarjan, Krystian Evans and Cesar Parra all rode at the championships. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
But it worked well, because the horses “get a little more pumped and you have a little more power in the ring,” which was helpful during an extremely hot and humid week.
Even while her achievements accumulated during the show, Alice wasn’t focusing on them.
“I was just so busy all week, you don’t really have time to process it, you just ride, ride, ride and concentrate on riding the next test and try to give every horse the ride they deserve.”
Her conclusion about the show? It was a typically modest Alice observation: “I have a lot to go home and work on.”
She doesn’t operate on expectations, explaining, “We just train the horses and put them in the ring and see how it shakes out. The scores are going to dictate what we do or don’t do. If the horses are happy and sound, then that’s good enough for me.”
As she pointed out, “It’s a little surreal when you see the names on the trophies. All those people were on teams. I don’t think I really quite belong there.”
She is still getting used to the idea that she is going to the world’s greatest dressage show, Aachen, this month to ride her Grand Prix champion, Candescent, in the 4-star at that venue.
Here’s the same group clowning around, with Alice Tarjan as the centerpiece. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We definitely don’t belong there either,” Alice feels (that’s the modesty coming through again), but she took the advice of Marcus and U.S. Dressage Development Coach Charlotte Bredahl about making the trip.
“I guess we’ll just go for the experience. The horse has two CDIs on her and we’re going to Aachen, I don’t know if that’s what you’re supposed to do,” mused Alice, who has never even been to a European show to watch.
While dealing with her string at the championships was a tall order, she noted, “I had five girls working everything back at the barn and all I had to do was ride horses. They took care of almost every aspect. Without them, I don’t think it would have been possible. When people see me in the ring it’s just like the tip of the iceberg.”
Beneath the surface were Desi Altland, who works for Alice full time; Kimberly Kotch, who used to work for Alice and took a week off from her job to lend a hand; Kimmy Pullen, who was competing at the championships, and Allison Nemeth, who worked for her last summer. Alice’s husband, Dennis Sargenti, played a big role as well. He toted all the saddlepads, polo wraps and towels from everyone in their barn aisle to a laundromat he discovered in nearby Elgin Ill, where he made good use of the 50-pound washing machines.
“I bring so much laundry the guy gives me the dryers for free,” Dennis revealed.
The helpers also included Lauren Chumley of Pittstown, Alice’s best friend, who was showing her pony Nikolas, in the Developing Grand Prix and missed Catherine’s party because she’s riding in the American Eventing Championships in Kentucky this week.
Alice and Lauren are pals with Bridget Hay of East Amwell, who took ribbons with her homebreds at the Illinois show, and Kim Herslow of Stockton, who competed in the Intermediaire I championship with the Lusitano Elvis. Guess what kind of music she used for her sixth-place freestyle?
Another New Jersey champion was Katryna Evans, taking the four-year-old title with Fontenay, from the stable of Cesar Parra in Readington, while Alice was reserve with Ierland’s Eden in that division.
Katryna, who grew up in Colorado and trained in Germany, admitted to being a bit skeptical when she was invited to work in New Jersey.
“I didn’t know what Jersey was like, I’d never been here. I didn’t know what to expect,” she said.
As it happened, though, “It was the best thing I could have done. We got to compete around here and there are so many (dressage) people in this area.” She said Catherine’s farm and places like it “remind me a lot of Germany.”
Katryna also was third with Møllegårdens Fashion in the five-year-old category. Cesar, meanwhile, finished fifth in the six-year-old division with Fanta 4.
“Everybody learns when you go to that show,” Cesar said.
“The competition at Lamplight was awesome.”
Of Fontenay, he said, “We believe in him a lot and he keeps giving (to) us.”
While Catherine feted the entire group of ribbon winners, she also deserved personal acknowledgement as the breeder and trainer of Vianne, ridden by her assistant trainer, Hope Beerling, to the reserve title in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Championship for five-year-olds.
Hope Beerling and Catherine Haddad-Stallers with the “Congratulations Jersey Strong” cake. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Catherine, a decorated breeder in Germany, sold Vianne to a client last week, but will keep her in her program, with Hope doing the riding.
“We have very high hopes for the horse. She’s only five, so we have to wait and see what time brings,” said Catherine.
The only non-Hunterdon County Jerseyan in the mix was Jaime Dancer of Dancer Dressage in Millstone, Monmouth County, who brought along her 11th place ribbon from the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Championship (Prix St. Georges) with Supremont “the love of my life,” owned by E.G. Sporthorse.
Jaime noted the championships were “really competitive. I feel like in the last five years, we have stepped up our game as a country. I learned a lot; it was great.”
To read about the championships, go to this link for the On the Rail section of this website.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 30, 2021
Roxie Trunnell, who won gold in Friday’s individual Grade I test, did it again today after achieving a record-breaking score. Ranked as world number one, topped her category of the freestyle at Baji Koen Equestrian Park with Karen Flint and Flintwoode Farm’s spectacular Dolton as the Paralympics ended its run in Tokyo.
She now matches the mark of U.S. para pioneer Vicki Garner-Sweigert, who took two golds in 1996, the first time the Paralympics were held in conjunction with the Olympics.Roxie’s score of 86.927 was a world record.
Roxie Trunnell gives Dolton a pat for a job well done. (Taylor Pence for USEF)
“He was really with the music and marching today like we really wanted,” said Roxie of her horse’s performance to the theme from the movie “Forrest Gump.”
“All of the little points were really there..He really loves his freestyle,” added Roxie, who is coached by Andrea Woodard. Asked about a highlight, she noted that.in the stretchdown, “he was really stretching.”
This was a different path to fulfillment of a dream she once held as an able-bodied rider, when she had earned a U.S. Dressage Federation bronze medal, was eyeing a silver and thinking about the Olympics. Then in 2009, a virus led to a stroke, and she found herself in a wheelchair.
Undaunted, she pursued the Para path. In 2016, she was 10th individually at the Paralympics, and then won bronze in 2018 at the FEI World Equestrian Games. Grade IV rider Kate Shoemaker originally had the ride on Dolton, but gave it up after realizing that, as coach Michel Assouline pointed out, Dolton’s great walk would make him a star in Grade I with Roxie. (Riders are graded on their degree of impairment, and the tests they ride are designed accordingly.)
A native of Washington State, Roxie moved to Florida so she could pursue her goals with Dolton.
“That was the right choice,” she said.
Kate, an equine veterinarian, continued on her road with Solitaer and today finished achingly close to the podium with a fourth place in Grade IV. Her score was 74.910, just short of bronze medal winner Manon Claeys 75.680 as the Belgian rider claimed the bronze.
It’s been an incredible Paralympics for the U.S., taking its first team medal (the bronze) and two individual golds. While Britain kept on the unbeaten streak it has enjoyed since 1996, the U.S. is on its way and could eye an upset in Paris 2024.
The other U.S. rider competing today, Beatrice de Lavallette, was 10th in that division on Clarc with a score of 72.194.
Britain’s star, Sir Lee Person, claimed his 14th Para gold in Grade II with a score of 82.447 percent on the very sensitive Breezer, who he has had since the horse was foaled.
“I’m twice over the moon – I actually didn’t care if I won a medal, that horse gave me his heart in there,” said Lee.
“He was braver than the team test, braver even than the individual test a few days ago. He still was nervous in there and we had a tiny little spook before I entered and I just half halted to say, ‘Daddy’s here’ and just kind of said, ‘Come on, we can do this’. Then, halfway through the test, I nearly started enjoying it and then I remembered I needed to get to the end before I enjoy it – he was amazing.”
Between the Olympics–where they were the only country to medal in all three disciplines–and the Paralympics, the Brits left Japan with 13 medals. The U.S. was no slouch, however, taking two silvers at the Olympics and two golds and a bronze in the Paralympics.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 29, 2021
The U.S. moved up from fourth on the first day of team competition to reach the podium today for its first Paralympic team medal, taking the bronze in “a nailbiter to the absolute end” on a score of 224.352, behind gold medal Great Britain( 229.905) and the Netherlands (229.249).
Britain kept its unbeaten streak, having won gold at every Paralympic Games since they began running in conjunction with the Olympics in Atlanta a quarter-century ago.
After the USA’s Roxie Trunnell on Dolton earned 80.321 percent and Becca Hart with Rowan O’Reilly’s El Corona Texel got 72.206 yesterday, it was up to Kate Shoemaker today to clinch a medal with Solitaer, who recovered from a broken coffin bone earlier in his career.
And she did it, even with being in “a little bit of a tough spot” having to go first in the order at the Baji Koen Equestrian Center. Riding first, it turned out, was as difficult as waiting until everyone else finished to see how the medals came out.
“I think it might have been the best test he’s ever done,” said Kate about her mount, owned by herself with Deena and Craig Shoemaker. She acknowledged there were “little bobbles here and there,” but pointed out, “the overall way of going I was incredibly happy with.”
Kate Shoemaker thanks Solitaer for a job well done. (Photo Taylor Pence/USEF)
Her score of 71.825 percent gave the U.S. the edge it needed over Denmark to make history by the tiniest of margins, 0.028 percent.
“It was such an amazing competition, it was so close, oh gosh, it was a nailbiter to the absolute end,” said Becca.
“I’m so incredibly blessed and happy to be standing here with these two amazing riders. It was a complete and total team effort and for all of the people all of our support and grooms and everyone behind the scenes that make all of this happen, to be able to finally after so many years get to stand on the podium as a country, it’s so fulfilling. A lifelong dream has just come true.
Today, Kate changed her tactics from the way she rode in her initial test of the competition.
“We tried for a more elastic, forward-moving way the first night and the judges said,`No, please don’t do that,’ so we went for collection and balance…today. I think we showed the potential we had.”
She was loving simply being part of the Paralympics as much as standing on the podium.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to be here with my teammates, it’s just irreplaceable,” she said.
Roxie Trunnell, Kate Shoemaker, Becca Hart. (Photo Taylor Pence/USEF)
Roxie’s Grade I score was the highest of any rider in the team competition (the only one to break 80 percent), and Grade IV rider Kate had a role in the roots of that success. (What grade a rider is classified in is determined by the level of their impairment.)
Kate, who deals with motor control dysfunction, had been riding Dolton, owned by Karen Flint and Flintwoode Farm. But when coach Michel Assouline thought the horse would be better in Grade I–where his fabulous walk would carry the day–Kate gave up the ride to Roxie.
Formerly an able-bodied rider, Roxie had a stroke after catching a virus, but she was still determined to continue her equestrian involvement.
Both riders earned bronze at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, which set them up for their achievements in Tokyo, where Roxie also won gold in her first test last week.
Roxie and Kate compete in the musical freestyle tomorrow, where they will be joined by teammate Beatrice de Lavallette on Clarc.
This was the fourth Paralympics for Becca, a Grade III rider who has a rare genetic disease that causes muscle wasting and paralysis.
“It was such an amazing competition,” enthused Becca. “It was so close, oh my gosh, it was a nailbiter to the absolute end. I’m so incredibly blessed and happy to be standing here with these two amazing riders.
“It was a complete and total team effort and for all of the people all of our support and grooms and everyone behind the scenes that make all of this happen. To be able to finally after so many years get to stand on that podium as a country, it’s so fulfilling. A lifelong dream has just come true.”
Coach Michel noted, “I came with a mission to lead these wonderful athletes to the Paralympic podium. I just didn’t know it would happen in a relatively short spell but with such amazing overall support and talent the dream became true.
“We will continue to deliver our best tomorrow on the final day of competition here and will immediately start looking ahead to the World Championships next year and Paris 2024 (Olympics) so we can continue to deliver success for this program and team.”
The Brits also had their own nailbiter, besting the World and European Champion Dutch by 0.656 percent. It was a touching moment during the medal presentation when Sophie Wells put the gold medal around the neck of her teammate, Sir Lee Pearson, as he claimed his 13th Para gold.
“I don’t think any of us expected that in a million years,” said team member Natasha Baker after the medal ceremony.
“We’re just so exceptionally proud of everything that our horses have done over the last few days – the way they’ve dealt with it so well and been such professionals. We were hoping to come and challenge for a bronze medal, that’s all. It’s unbelievable when you think what we’ve been through these last few weeks – one of our horses is a reserve!”
As Lee noted, “We don’t have a horse on the team who’s done a championship before and two have never even been abroad. We didn’t think we would win gold and weren’t expected to. The team behind the scenes have been incredible, we couldn’t have done it without them. To even get us here is amazing, and to keep me under control, too. To be here, to compete and do as well as we have is a fairy tale.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 28, 2021
As the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Festival of Champions drew to a close, Alice Tarjan of Oldwick ended her stellar cavalry charge at Lamplight Farm in Illinois with titles in two more divisions.
She took the Grand Prix tri-color on Candescent, the mare with which she was shortlisted for the Olympic team and whose next stop is Aachen in September. Candescent claimed a mark of 77.165 percent in the freestyle that wrapped up the division, blowing away her stablemate, Donatella M., who was still ahead of everyone else on 72.549 percent. Candescent’s average for the show was 73.434.
“I was really pleased,” Alice said about her freestyle.
“I thought it was clean and that I stayed with the music, so that was a good thing. I lost a lot of the self-carriage I think. It’s hard; you prep these horses for so many tests, and they’re all different lines.
“And I guess in a perfect world, the horse follows your aids and doesn’t matter what line you ride it on, and maybe it messes me up mentally, and I don’t know if it messes her up, but to try to keep the self-carriage through the whole test with different lines is still a challenge.”
Serenade MF won the Developing Horse Grand Prix on 75.833 under Alice’s guidance, with her Harvest fourth in the class on 71.083.
In the Six-Year-Old Final Test, her Summersby II tied for second with Michelle Gibson’s ride San Raphaelle LS on 8.040, behind David Blake, the winner with Delilah (8.120) . Summersby moved up to third in the overall standings for the division.
On Saturday, Alice had picked up yet another win, taking the USEF Four-Year-Old test on the Oldenburg Ierland’s Eden with a score of 8.800. The mare is by Ierland out of a Krack C dam. She finished in the class just ahead of Fontenay (8.640) a Hanoverian by Furst Jazz ridden by Katryna Evans, based at Cesar Parra’s stable in Readington.
But with a fourth-place behind winner Fontenay in the division’s opening class Thursday, Alice missed out on the overall championship, winding up as reserve on 8.57. Fontenay took the title with an overall average of 8.79
Earlier this summer, Cesar said of Fontenay, “I think this is the best horse I have had in my life so far. This is like the horse with a dream, the best I could find in the world last year.” The Olympic veteran owns Fontenay with Gina Raful.
After her ride, Katryna said, “I am used to riding and starting young horses, and I’ve never had a four-year-old that was this rideable and manageable, and this fun.
“I think that this has been a very good learning experience for me, even just watching the other riders. We’re surrounded by a really good, competitive group, and I think that the judges did a really good job of judging fairly and offering some very constructive comments.”
Alice has been on quite a streak at Lamplight Equestrian Center, previously taking first and second place with her horses in three classes at the show. Of her reserve champion, who she got as a two-year-old from a friend in Denmark, she said, “We broke her last year. She was actually quite difficult to break, I didn’t think we were going to get the job done, Kasey Perry-Glass’s husband, Dana Glass, broke her, and it took a couple of months. She has turned into a really reliable horse.
“It’s funny, people will tell you ‘Oh, 30 days under saddle, they look so easy!’ and I don’t know. I think you need at least six months to really know. I think that it’s going to be a good grand prix horse; she just needs a little time. Right now, she actually is super easy, and very reliable. I was really happy with my scores. I really believe in the horse and I think she’s going to be a really good grand prix horse.”
Meanwhile, Marcus Orlob of Annandale rode Alice’s stallion, Glory Day, to first in the FEI Five-Year-Old Final test, earning three 10s and winding up with an astronomical score of 9.770 after one error when he lost his place in the test. The Danish warmblood is by Grand Galaxy Win, as is Gjenganger, the mare Alice rode to third place in the class with a score of 8.980.
The hot, humid weather didn’t put a dent in Glory Day.
“He is never tired. He is very energetic, and he loves to work, coming out every day at 100 percent,” said Marcus.
“He was a little fresh in the warm-up, and then when they were clapping, he was more tense, but after a few minutes he settled in nicely and I knew that I would have a good ride if I didn’t mess up. I did mess up, so I’m mad at myself, but stuff happens. I’m glad that I have a good horse that makes up for my mistakes.
“He has such a natural talent for self-carriage, the lightness, the power. I think that this will be a good grand prix horse.”
Second was Hope Beerling and Vianne (by Vitalis), bred by another New Jerseyan, Catherine Haddad-Staller. The mare was marked at 9.260.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2021
She did it again, and again.
The day after taking first and second place in the Grand Prix at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions with her mares Candescent and Donatella M, Alice Tarjan was first and second in the Intermediaire II for the Developing Grand Prix Championship with another mare, Serenade MF (75.048 percent) and a stallion, Harvest (72.597). Then she was first and second in the Grand Prix Special, with Donatella (71.978 percent) and Candescent (71.765) changing places for this one.
Alice competing on Serenade earlier this summer at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The Oldwick resident, who brought nine horses to the Festival at Lamplight Farm in Illinois, was sixth in the final U.S. Olympic trial last spring.
Discussing Serenade, Alice said, “She’s so funny; you walk up here and you feel like a little kid on this pony
“She wants to be a children’s hunter, and I wonder how I get her through a Grand Prix! We’re warming up with all of these horses with a great, big presence, and there is ‘Shrimp.’
“Man, that horse knows her job though, she fills herself up and off she goes. She put in a really clean test for what she is capable of, so I was thrilled. She’s a neat little horse.”
Harvest, a year older than Serenade, has a different story.
“The quality is very good, but it just needs more time to develop. He is a little spooky and less secure, and, for sure, bigger and (more) powerful. It takes me longer to fix it on him than on Shrimp. Shrimp kind of trained like a dog, and Harvest trained fine, but it’s just a little green. It’s just a matter of getting it consistent in the ring.”
Alice called the championship, “a fantastic show, and I think that it’s exactly what they need. Because Harvest can be a little spooky, I think he just needed to go at it a little bit, and be able to settle in the arena. The self-carriage on all of these horses is good, but it’s one thing to do it well at home and then you can go to a show and it all falls apart. It keeps you honest about where the horses are in their training.”
Alice was pleased with the way Donatella performed in the Special.
“She really tried for me in the ones, and there were a couple moments where I was like ‘I don’t know if we’re going to be able to hold it’ and ride her through, but she knew her job. It’s a little like in jumping when you miss a distance and a horse carries you over the fence anyway; it was really nice of her.”
Candescent had a few mistakes today in the two tempis and a pirouette, but yesterday, she was marked in the Grand Prix at 73.673 percent) and Donatella at 71.782.
“Both of the tests were clean,” said Alice. “We basically got all of the movements, and that was a good thing that we could come out and get a clean test.”
“These are drastically different horses. They are both very honest, but Candescent was not so easy to train and I had to think out of the box. She’s got a lot of movement so to try to balance that and keep her moving is not always so easy. And to try to make it look harmonious and easy is a challenge.
“Donatella is a perfect angel, and she tries and tries, and gives so much effort.
“It’s so interesting because people often say that I have a `type; of horse, but if you walk through the aisle, they are all different horses. I think that they all have the ability to be expressive in their movement and have scope and volume, but they all have different mechanics and they are very different to train.”
Alice’s stallion, Glory Day, won the FEI 5-year-old Preliminary class with her trainer Marcus Orlob of Annandale, earning an impressive score of 9.140. She rode her homebred Gjenganger to sixth place in that competition, earning 8.040.
“In the test, he was 100 percent with me,” Marcus said, discussing his ride.
“He has a spook at E; I don’t know what he was afraid of. That was it,” the rider said, noting he had a spooky warm-up. “He is a workhorse. That is the nice thing with him; he is willing to work all the time. That makes it much easier for me.”
He observed, “I think Alice is the dream owner to have. She does whatever is right by the horse and me. It is a very good relationship. The horse is very straightforward. It is a pleasure to work with both of them.”
In the USEF Four-Year-Old Horse competition, another New Jersey entry was a winner. Katryna Evans rode Fontenay, from the Readington stable of Cesar Parra. to first place on 8.940.
Recounting the horse’s history, she said, “He was at a sales and training barn in Germany. All three horses that we have here (at Festival of Champions) are one version or another of the F-lines, so it’s cool. They all have good characteristics. They have the foundation, and I credit that to Cesar because he’s really big on the basics. This is my first time here, and I’m really grateful to have this opportunity with such awesome horses and to have a good experience, I’ve had fun so far! I felt like I could really enjoy that ride.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2021
Laura Graves announced today that she and her husband, Curt Maes, are expecting a little girl.
The former world number one (the first and only American ever to hold that position in the dressage rankings) Laura has been keeping a low profile since retiring her equine partner, Verdades, in 2020. She has been bringing along other horses through the ranks.
She and Curt, who have been together more than nine years, got married in October.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2021
Roxanne Trunnell, ranked world number one, delivered on expectations with Karen Flint and Flintwoode Farm’s Dolton by earning gold in Tokyo with a remarkable 81.464 percent for her Grade I test.
“He felt like he was really with me and a really good boy,” said Roxie, who had no idea of how he would react to the imposing stadium at Baji Koen Equestrian Park.
“I didn’t know what he would do. It surprised me how calm he has been,” Roxie said. But she simply concentrated on doing her job and let the scenario unroll, as Dolton’s fabulous walk–the key to Grade I success–took center stage.
Gold medalist Roxie Trunnell (center) with silver medalist Snikus Rihards of Latvia and bronze medalist Sara Morganti of Italy. (Photo courtesy FEI)
“I don’t really think about pressure. That’s just all noise,” Roxie explained.
“It’s just me and Dolton doing our own thing. He is loving all the attention. He is a very goofy young horse. He is temperamental but he is also easy to get along with.”
Roxanne Trunnell leaves the arena with a big smile and congratulations from Andrea Woodard after a stellar performance. (Photo courtesy FEI)
Tenth individually at the 2016 Rio Games, she is enjoying her second Paralympics, explaining, “It’s wonderful, everyone is so nice here, and helpful.”
Roxie holds two world records, for the highest scores in a freestyle test (89.522 percent) and in the Grade I team test (84.702).
Roxie had competed in able-bodied dressage and aspired to be an Olympian. But a virus she contracted in 2009 caused swelling in her brain and led to a stroke. She now uses a wheelchair to get around for the most part, except when she’s sitting tall on Dolton.
She has a master’s degree in psychology, with a focus on equine-assisted psychotherapy.
Her gold was the third for the U.S. in the Paralympics. Para pioneer Vicki Garner-Sweigert took two golds in Atlanta in 1996, the first year the Paralympics was held in conjunction with the Olympics.
A former jumper rider, Vicki sustained a spinal cord injury when the horse she was training side-stepped when was mounting and she went off the other side. Vicki no longer was able to move her legs, but did not give up her involvement with horses.
Moving on to Para-dressage, she was selected for the 1996 team, in the days when competitors rode borrowed horses. She gave the credit for gold to her mount, Miss Jane Marple.
“I believe whoever rode her would have gotten a gold medal,” Vicki stated modestly.
In Tokyo, second to Roxie and taking the Grace I silver was Snikus Rihards of Latvia on King of the Dance (80.179), while the bronze was taken by Italian competitor Sara Morganti with Royal Delight (76.964).
The only other U.S. competitor today, Becca Hart on El Corona Texel, finished 11th in Grade III. Riders are assigned a grade based on their degree of physical impairment.
“I was happy with the warm-up and how he felt going in,” said Becca, who will ride in the team competition with Roxie and Kate Shoemaker. The team event starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday.
“I felt a little tension creeping in through the ride, but overall, I love my horse and everyone who has helped me get here, but truthfully, disappointed in the score,” continued Becca.
“We’re going to stick with the same game plan and try to carry on. We’re going to add a bit more power to keep him in front of me more in the test, but the thought process is going to stay the same and we’ll move forward.”
In his first ever ride in a Paralympic arena, Tobias Thorning Jorgensen of Denmark won gold in the Grade III competition riding Jolene Hill, getting 78.971 percent over reigning two-time champion, Natasha Baker of Britain on Keystone Dawn Chorus (76.265) percent. Bronze went to current world champion Rixt van der Horst of the Netherlands on Findsley N.O.P. with 75.76 percent.
U.S. Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline commented on the team’s performances so far and what he expects for the start of tomorrow’s team competition, which will commence the hunt for a team podium position at the end of Sunday’s competition.
“Roxie and Dolton have definitely delivered. She’s done as well here as ever before and the scores are very similar to before this competition, which is fabulous. In this context, the judging is stricter, and the judges are very focused and stricter on the marks,” he said.
“We know our riders have the ability to score higher. We know that there is the ability for improvement, and we have the chance to still up our game tomorrow with the team competition.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 26, 2021
Great Britain was the only country to medal in all three equestrian disciplines at the Olympics.Today, it added to its Tokyo medal trove with a gold, a silver and a bronze as the Paralympics began at Baji Koen Equestrian Park.
Leading the medal parade was, of course, Sir Lee Pearson, who took gold on his homebred Breezer in Grade II (Paralympians are assigned to their division based on their degree of physical impairment).
This is his 12th gold in the 21 years since making his Paralympic debut in Sydney. His score of 76.265 put him ahead of Austria’s Pepo Puch, who rode Sailor’s Blue to earn 73.44. Meanwhile, Britain’s Georgia Wilson, who had been the reserve for her team before being elevated to the squad, got the bronze on Sakura, with 72.765 percent.
Despite having decades of experience, Lee admitted to being emotional and shedding some tears today.
Gold medalist Lee Pearson with Pepo Puch and Georgia Wilson on the podium at the Paralympics today. (Photo courtesy of the FEI)
“I didn’t think having a home-bred horse would give this a little extra meaning, but it has. I saw him at hours old in a field and to complete that test, which at my last test event I did not complete, that added to the emotion,” he said.
Interestingly, his philosophy is never to think much ahead.
“I try to enjoy every day,” he explained. “With horses, it’s hard to think too far ahead, you have to think about where you are now and in your training. What will they give you that day, what changes are you going to make? I never believed my life would be how it is, up to Sydney and afterwards. It’s surreal, I use that word a lot, but it’s true. I never take anything for granted – I won’t take today for granted, or tomorrow. I literally live for today.”
Beatrice de Lavalette was fifth in Grade II for the U.S. Her score on Clarc was 70.265 percent, marking the first time a U.S. Paralympian had earned over 70 percent at the Games. She lost her legs in a terrorist bombing at the Brussels airport in 2016, something that seems particularly pertinent to recall today after what happened in Afghanistan.
“It is such a great honor to be here representing the U.S. at this competition and being able to have fun with my horse out there after five years of fighting for my life,” she said.
Beatrice de Lavalette with Shayna Simon. (Photo by Taylor Pence/USEF)
“It was really very emotional for me at the end,” she explained. “Setting the goal of being here five years ago when I was in the ICU was a dream and being here today is a dream realized and I couldn’t be happier. I’m very proud of myself and my team because without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
In Grade IV, Kate Shoemaker was seventh for the U.S. with 70.854 percent on Solitaer 40. Like Beatrice, she has qualified for Monday’s freestyle with her performance.
Kate a veterinarian, said of her mount, “We’ve been showing together for a while now and this is the end of our seventh year together. It’s a partnership that’s been a long time coming,” added Shoemaker. “He loves championships and when you add that little bit of energy, he really turns into something special and it’s a feeling like none other.”
Grade IV was won by Sanne Voets, as the Dutch rider finally took a gold to crown her collection of European, World and Paralympic titles.
She earned the highest score of the day, 76.585 percent, on Demantur N.O.P. Rodolpho Riskalla of Brazil took the silver on Don Henrico with 74.65 percent, ahead of Belgium’s Manon Claeys with 72.85 on San Dior 2.
Sanne praised her horse, saying, “I’m just over the moon with him. He still amazes me every day and he traveled here well. When you enter the stable and you see he’s happy, relaxed and at ease, you realize again that’s what is most important.
“Of course, you’re here to perform at your very best and you want to win medals, but there’s always one thing more important than the result, and that’s just your horse being happy.
In Grade V, Sophie Welles earned Britain’s silver with 74.405 percent on her reserve horse, Don Cara, behind Michele George of Belgium, in just her seventh competition with Best of 8. She scored 76.524 percent. Dutch rider Frank Hosmar took the bronze on Alphaville N.O.P., with 73.405. No American took part in the Grade V competition.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 26, 2021
Alice Tarjan was always going to be a key player at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions.
How could she be anything else, after finishing sixth in the final U.S. Olympic trial last spring and bringing nine horses from her Oldwick farm to Lamplight Farm in Illinois for the championship?
Her credentials speak for themselves, and today she added to them, finishing first and second in the FEI Grand Prix with Candescent (73.673 percent) and Donatella (71.782).
“Both of the tests were clean,” said Alice. “We basically got all of the movements, and that was a good thing that we could come out and get a clean test.”
“These are drastically different horses. They are both very honest, but Candescent was not so easy to train and I had to think out of the box. She’s got a lot of movement so to try to balance that and keep her moving is not always so easy. And to try to make it look harmonious and easy is a challenge.
“Donatella is a perfect angel, and she tries and tries, and gives so much effort.
“It’s so interesting because people often say that I have a `type; of horse, but if you walk through the aisle, they are all different horses. I think that they all have the ability to be expressive in their movement and have scope and volume, but they all have different mechanics and they are very different to train.”
Alice’s stallion, Glory Day, won the FEI 5-year-old Preliminary class with her trainer Marcus Orlob of Annandale, earning an impressive score of 9.140. She rode her homebred Gjenganger to sixth place in that competition, earning 8.040.
“In the test, he was 100 percent with me,” Marcus said, discussing his ride.
“He has a spook at E; I don’t know what he was afraid of. That was it,” the rider said, noting he had a spooky warm-up. “He is a workhorse. That is the nice thing with him; he is willing to work all the time. That makes it much easier for me.”
He observed, “I think Alice is the dream owner to have. She does whatever is right by the horse and me. It is a very good relationship. The horse is very straightforward. It is a pleasure to work with both of them.”
In the USEF Four-Year-Old Horse competition, another New Jersey entry was a winner. Katryna Evans rode Fontenay, from the Readington stable of Cesar Parra. to first place on 8.940.
Recounting the horse’s history, she said, “He was at a sales and training barn in Germany. All three horses that we have here (at Festival of Champions) are one version or another of the F-lines, so it’s cool. They all have good characteristics. They have the foundation, and I credit that to Cesar because he’s really big on the basics. This is my first time here, and I’m really grateful to have this opportunity with such awesome horses and to have a good experience, I’ve had fun so far! I felt like I could really enjoy that ride.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 25, 2021
The call to vaccinate is everywhere during the Covid pandemic but it is also an admonition from the state Department of Agriculture, after a 7-year-old unvaccinated mare in Cumberland County contracted EEE and had to be euthanized. (Note: The department originally said the mare was in Atlantic County; today a correction was issued to say it was actually Cumberland County.)
“We continue to encourage horse owners be vigilant in vaccinating their animals against these diseases spread by mosquitoes,” said state Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher said. “Vaccinated animals are much less likely to contract deadly diseases such as EEE and West Nile Virus.”
EEE causes inflammation of the brain tissue and has a significantly higher risk of death in horses than West Nile Virus infection. West Nile Virus is another serious mosquito-borne viral disease that affects a horse’s neurological system. The diseases are transmitted by a mosquito bite. The virus cycles between birds and mosquitoes with horses and humans being incidental hosts. EEE infections in horses are not a significant risk factor for human infection because horses (like humans) are “dead-end” hosts for the virus. Reported animal West Nile Virus (WNV) cases in New Jersey this year have been limited to wild avian species, three Cooper’s hawks and one American crow.In general, most regions in New Jersey have a reported mosquito population at or slightly above the 5-year averages. The first EEE positive mosquito pool was detected in Gloucester County this year. Livestock owners are strongly encouraged to vaccinate against WNV, EEE and other mosquito-borne diseases. Effective equine vaccines for EEE and WNV are available commercially. Horse owners should contact their veterinarians if their horses are not up to date on their vaccinations against both EEE and WNV.
For more information about EEE in horses, visit the New Jersey Department of Agriculture web site at: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ah/diseases/diseaseworksheets.html
EEE and West Nile virus, like other viral diseases affecting a horse’s neurological system, must be reported to the state veterinarian at 609-671-6400 within 48 hours of diagnosis. The New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory is available to assist with EEE and WNV testing and can be reached at 609-406-6999 or via email – jerseyvetlab@ag.nj.gov.
