by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 14, 2016
By Nancy Jaffer
February 14, 2016
Gabriel Armando and Zipero.
WELLINGTON, Fla. — As was the case for so many people, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, changed Gabriel Armando’s life.
The banker from Argentina was working in midtown Manhattan that day, not at the World Trade Center downtown, but he had friends who died when the buildings were destroyed by terrorists.
While the idea of changing his hobby of training dressage horses into a profession had been in the back of his mind, the notion that it was time to make the most of the rest of his life could not be denied after the twin towers came down.
He became involved with the horse business in multi-dimensional fashion.
Not only does he do clinics in many locations, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, he also is an international rider and judge who has officiated in 20 countries. That’s a rare combination. A two-time Argentine national champion, he and his wife, Suzanne Ross-Armando, run Armando Dressage in Ringoes at Diamond Creek Farm, where they are assisted by Stephanie Weber. This winter, they are based in the White Fences development near Wellington with 15 clients.
Gabriel, 53, has been competing this winter at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival with a well-behaved and friendly Dutchbred 11-year-old, Zipero, owned by Tania Loeb Wald of Brazil. The horse has been with Gabriel for a year and he has developed him to Grand Prix from Small Tour.
“He’s doing his first steps into it,” said Gabriel, noting the horse has only been in five Grands Prix.
Top people from around the world come to Wellington to show, which can be intimidating to some, but not to Gabriel..
“It’s a great experience to compete against the best, that pushes me to become better,” he said.
Gabriel competes for Argentina, which he represented in the 2003 and 2007 Pan American Games, qualifying for the freestyle in both on Euclid, a Westfalen, who he developed and was only seven years old in the first Games. On the other side of the coin, he judged the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In 1998, Gabriel was on Argentina’s silver medal team in the South American Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Obviously, international competition is important to him, and he may be interested in pointing toward the 2017 Reem Acra Dressage World Cup Finals, since they are in Omaha.
“It’s interesting,” he said, noting Zipero should be more developed in Grand Prix by then.
But as long as he rides in international classes, he cannot judge internationally in the same year, though he can judge national classes. There’s always a choice involved in these things; few international judges continue to ride internationally.
But he manages to do both well.
“He’s a sweetheart,” said Elisabeth Williams, an FEI steward at WEF and chair of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s High Performance Dressage Committee. She noted he is easy to deal with both as a judge and as a rider, which, she added with a sly smile, can’t be said of everyone.
Lars Petersen, a Danish Olympian and top dressage trainer, said of Gabriel and his wife, “I really like them both. I have respect for judges who judge the big classes and then throw themselves out there (in the arena). Most people just like to talk about it, but he’s still throwing himself out there and I think that’s great.”
Growing up in Argentina, Gabriel liked jumping. His father, Norberto, was a casual rider, yet he “understood dressage was the way to develop balance and, the seat.” If Gabriel wanted to jump, “The rules were we had to do dressage also,” he said.
Gabriel Armando competing on Zipero at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
So dressage was, in effect, just a means to be able to go over the fences. But it all changed when Gabriel was 16.
“My Swedish trainer made me ride a schoolmaster,” recalled Gabriel, who trained with Owe Christian Moltke.
The well-educated horse “was doing all these tricks, piaffe/passage and piroutte. And I decided that was the feeling I wanted to have on a horse.”
When it was time attend university in Buenos Aires, where he majored in business administration, “I tried to go to college, ride and work,” he said.
That was an impossible regimen.
“Something had to go,” said Gabriel, who stopped riding for 2 and 1/2 years at that time.
“I was miserable because I couldn’t ride,” he noted.
When he finished school and went to work for a bank, however, he started riding again.
It turned out the bank “needed a specialist in emerging markets in the branch in New York.”
He was eager to take the job in 1997, to a great extent beause it would give him the opportunity to ride and train in the U.S.
After he made his decision to leave banking for horses, the 2003 Pan American Games were in the back of his mind.
“I wanted to be in full-time riding by then,” said Gabriel.
He has never regretted giving up banking.
“I love the horses, being outside, you’re your own boss,” he said.
But there’s more to it than that.
“The journey of training a horse and making them better every day is what keeps me going–learning from my horses.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 31, 2016
By Nancy Jaffer
January 31, 2016
Judy Hennessy, N.J. Horseperson of the Year.
Her mission is to teach children about horses and their care, so 4-H volunteer extraordinaire Judy Hennessy certainly wasn’t looking for recognition.
That’s why being named New Jersey Horseperson of the Year was quite a surprise.
“I had no clue. It never would have dawned on me that anything like that would have come of this,” said Judy after receiving the award last weekend at the state’s annual breeders’ luncheon in Eastampton.
She got involved when her children, Kevin and Stacy, joined after seeing how much fun the 4-Hers were having at the Somerset County 4-H Fair. In the late 1970s, she took over as the leader of the Chaps N Spurs club, which now has members from both Somerset and Hunterdon counties.
At one time, however, there were 17 4-H clubs in Somerset County alone. The state was less developed then.
“There were horses everywhere,” Judy recalled, noting how kids would keep their horses in their backyards and go for daylong rides with a lunch bag tied to their saddles.
“You can’t do that anymore,” she said, noting few children even take care of their own horses these days.
Although her children long ago graduated from the 4-H ranks, she has kept on with it because “kids need to be made into better horsemen. You’re a caretaker. A horse can’t go out and take care of itself. You’re responsible, even if your horse is at a (boarding) barn.”
She mourns the fact that for the most part, kids don’t read about horses, not “Black Beauty” or the “Black Stallion,” not books on riding and horse care. So Judy finds a way to educate them, whether it’s through field trips, using the annual tack sale as a learning experience about different kinds of equipment or offering one-on-one advice.
Carol Ward, the Somerset County 4-H agent, called Judy, “One of our most dedicated volunteers.” She sees her every Wednesday with her own club, but Judy comes on other nights to work with children prepping for the Horse Bowl and other competitions.
“If the kids will come, she will be here. If they are willing to put in the time, she is certainly willing to impart her knowledge; it’s quite extensive. Anatomy, physiology, style of riding, all types of things–she is a treasure to have,” said Carol.
In addition to everything else she does, Judy coordinates two county 4-H qualifying horse shows each year and two tents full of horses during the Somerset County 4-H Fair.
“For a lot of the kids, that’s the only time really they are responsible for their horses,” she said.
Carol pointed out that since 1989, Judy “has been our one and only state 4-H coach for Hippology, the study of the horse.
“She works with our state team from April until the national competition in November. Every week, she drives down to the Horse Park of New Jersey to work with them. She gets no pay or reimbursement for her gas, that’s something you just don’t find these days in very many people.”
Karyn Malinowski, director of the Equine Science Center at Rutgers, agreed, calling Judy, “a tireless supporter of horse education programs for youth. Judy’s humble spirit and devotion to horses and young people made her the perfect choice for this prestigious award.”
But the real reward for Judy, who is employed as a secretary at the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center, is when the kids she works with really understand how to care for horses and perhaps point for veterinary school or something else involving horses.
“I’m glad to see them go on ahead and stay in the business,” Judy said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 17, 2021
With the major competitions of 2021 now behind us, how do you get your eventing fix until the season starts again in earnest?
Here’s an easy answer that offers an opportunity for entertainment and education while relaxing by the fireplace. Sip that mulled cider and read Jim Wofford’s, “Still Horse Crazy After All These Years.” It’s a book that is as much a history of the sport during the Olympic medalist’s lifetime (with a glance at .the key years before) as it is a biography.
If you’ve ever attended a dinner where Jim was the speaker, you’re familiar with his clever blend of charm and wit. That’s reflected in his conversational writing style, which makes this an easy and most enjoyable read. At the center of his manuscript is his conviction “that horses are wonderful, life-changing creatures.”
Carawich and Jim in the water at Badminton.
For those behind in their Christmas shopping, Jim’s book is an easy choice for the equestrians on your list. It’s available both in print and as an e-book from www.horseandriderbooks.com. You don’t have to be an eventer to appreciate the horse world from his special vantagepoint. As he puts it, “I literally grew up with horse sports in the United States.”
The son of an army officer who rode in the 1932 Olympics and became the first president of the U.S. Equestrian Team, Jim spent his youth on the family farm next to Fort Riley Kansas, the home of the U.S. cavalry until 1949. (Did you know that during the cavalry era, the Army bred its own horses–and very successfully, too.) Sadly, Jim’s father, who taught him to ride, died of cancer in 1955. Because the grief-stricken 10-year-old boy associated horses with his father, Jim did not ride for three years after that.
But he soon came around; horses were in his blood. At the time Jim started eventing seriously during the early 1960s, the sport was small in the U.S., what his mother called a poor stepchild of the popular show jumping discipline. And dressage? It barely existed.
“Event riders all knew each other,” Jim recalls. That was easy, there were so few of them. Selected for training at the USET’s Gladstone, N.J., headquarters to prep him for international competition, he interacted with more experienced competitors such as Mike Plumb, Michael Page and Kevin Freeman, among others.
He also had an acquaintance with so many of the big names during that time, from Gen. Fuddy Wing, who was running the USET in the early 1960s, to Philip Hofmann, first president of the U.S. Combined Training Association (now the U.S. Eventing Association) and others who, sadly, likely will be recognized by few in this era. Further afield, Jim even met Queen Elizabeth after finishing in the ribbons at Badminton.
Jim met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phllip at Badminton.
The great horses he knew are also a major part of the narrative, of course. You’ll meet Castlewellan, The Optimist, Carawich and so many more that galloped through Jim’s life and are seen among the many photos in the book.
The author knows how to tell a story, and the book is filled with scores of intriguing tales, many of which will make the reader feel like an insider. One I particularly liked involved how Jim and Kevin turned the tables on a practical joke perpetrated by a young Robert Ridland (now the U.S. show jumping coach many decades later).
Jim’s heyday in the sport was at a moment when endurance and guts, as much as talent, were the keys to victory. The big players and their mounts were a different breed in those days; in the case of the horses, they were literally a different breed. The successful ones were thoroughbreds, or mostly so.
Jim and I had a conversation about that, and why the eventing of yesteryear (which you can read about in detail in his book) is only a distant relation to today’s competitions.
Jim on Kilkenny at Badminton in 1968.
“Since 2004, we’ve been doing a different sport,” he told me. That, of course, was when the long format with its steeplechase and roads and tracks was abandoned in favor of the current more compact version.
“The only common theme is the fact that we do it with horses,” Jim said.
“Obviously, how you determine your winners is very different now. The old ratio of difficulty was 3 (dressage) to 12 (cross-country) and 2 (stadium jumping). Those were guidelines. If you were a cross-country star, chances are you were going to be a star regardless of the dressage or show jumping.
“And now, after they changed the scoring slightly a few years ago, you have a sport that is judged 1/1/1, with all three disciplines being equally important.”
When the element of endurance is eliminated, he noted, you’re going to get different riders and different horses wearing the ribbons. Horses that won a gold medal in the 1960s and ‘70s would not be successful today, Jim believes. Conversely, he thinks, only a few of today’s 5-star horses would be successful in a classic 22-mile Olympic three day event.
Carawich was one of Jim’s most successful partners.
He recalled that when he was on the rules committee of the FEI (international equestrian federation), in the late 1970s and early ’80s, “the Germans already were haranguing they wanted to change it.”
Why? They wanted conditions more favorable to the warmbloods they bred, sold and competed. The change was entirely German and financially driven, said Jim, explaining that “as long as you had to go 22 miles, the German verbands (breeders) were not going to be successful.”
Not unexpectedly, if Jim had a choice of riding either format, he would pick the classic version, “the thrill of the steeplechase, the difficulty of getting a horse that fit and retaining the soundness.’
He has watched riders looking worried at the Kentucky 5-star, six or eight minutes into a 10-minute course, that the horse is going to hit the wall, “meaning you’re starting to get to the limits of its physical capability.”
He pointed out that in 1978 at the Kentucky Horse Park, the steeplechase was in the infield and we galloped at 690 meters per minute for five minutes–half the length of the (current) 5-star cross-country. And that was just the warm-up.”
Today’s warmbloods are wonderful, he commented, but added, “if I had to choose the era and I were young and fit these days, I would still choose the classic era because of the difference in the horses and the difference in my skill set and the difference in the nature of the scoring. It was skewed toward someone with the skill set I had at the time.”
Jim is a popular emcee for awards ceremonies. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
He added, “Riders these days are better riders in terms of pure riding capability. They are so far ahead of our era. Having said that, I’m not sure these people would learn how to ride a tired horse, or learn (to ride them) in such a way that they did not get tired. I don’t know how many people today, with all of their technical polish, would have the nerve to go down to the coffin (jump) with a horse that’s starting to get a little heavy in the shoulders.”
Eventing’s roots are in the cavalry, as were Jim’s through his father.
The sport “was designed by the military for the military, to satisfy to satisfy the military’s concerns and goals,” said Jim.
“It was a tough life these horses led. They broke them when they were four and expected them to still be in service when they were 14.”
It took horsemanship as well as riding ability to make that happen.
Part of his mission writing the book is to educate people and memorialize that classic era, while highlighting the incredible changes through which he has lived.
Jim has trained horses and riders at competition all over the world. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
And his perspective goes beyond being a remarkable rider. He has been a successful coach and played an important role in governance, serving as president of the American Horse Shows Association (a predecessor of the U.S. Equestrian Federation), secretary of the USCTA and a member of committees for other horse sport entities that as a group he and his family referred to (not always fondly) as “the alphabets.”
Jim wrote the book for his four grandsons (all four know how to ride, but none are involved with horses), “so they won’t have the same vacuum that I have about my father,” he explained.
“That was a serious driving force. In another 10 or 15 years, they will get serious. They will keep looking forward and then they will start looking back over their shoulders. I didn’t write this as some earthshaking thing for posterity. I really wrote it as a memorial to my father and as a guideline for my grandsons.”
(Photos from Still Horse Crazy After All These Years by Jim Wofford reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com)
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 25, 2021
Back to normal, and it feels so good. Seeing the hundreds of people who came out this morning to watch the Essex Foxhounds gather for their annual Thanksgiving meet was quite a contrast to the scene in 2020.
Last year, the front field of the Ellistan estate in Peapack was empty, with a sign on the fence saying spectators would not be allowed because of Covid.
The hunt happened, but it took off unobtrusively from the back of Ellistan and no one was there to cheer on the riders.
The mood in the sunshine today was such a welcome contrast; all smiles, people happy to be out, greeting friends and enjoying the magic of the countryside en masse.
“It’s really nice to be able to gather again,” Karen Murphy, who is the joint master of Essex, told the crowd.
“Thank you so much to all of our landowners for allowing us to celebrate this great sport. We couldn’t do it without you,” added Jazz Merton, the other joint master.
“Saving traditions like this is so much fun and important to all of us.”
The field takes off over the first fence. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“This is a tradition we must continue,” agreed Pia Hamlin, a hairdresser in Peapack, who comes every year.
“We need to be outdoors with friends and family and then go eat a good turkey later on.”
Jack Chesson sports holiday-appropriate headgear. (Photo © 2021 )Nancy Jaffer)
“Todo hermosa, beautiful,” said her friend Guido Enrique, a visitor from South America who was seeing the Thanksgiving meet for the first time.
Pia introduced him to another tradition, the hot toddy, served graciously by the Slack family, Ellistan’s owners, who provide it for those 21 and over. The younger set, on horseback and on foot wasn’t forgotten; they enjoyed hot cocoa.
For those who wanted something more substantial, the occasion offered an opportunity for tailgating, reminiscent of the scene at the Far Hills Race Meeting that was held down the road from Ellistan last month. Indeed, Lexi and Dana Sendro of Pittstown set out a candelabra and tablecloths they used to display at the races for their spread, complete with sparkling wines.
How did it happen that so many people, even those without an equestrian connection, make the meet a must stop on Thanksgiving? It goes back to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who was a member of Essex and often rode with her daughter, Caroline and son John. They always drew a crowd, and even after the family no longer came out on the holiday, people who had learned to enjoy watching horses and hounds continued coming out.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at Ellistan in the days when she rode with Essex. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
I was reminded of the day I met Mrs. Onassis at the Essex Foxhounds hunter pace in 1984. My editor at The Star-Ledger, where I was the equestrian columnist, read somewhere that the former First Lady would be riding in the pace and wanted a story. I happened to be riding in it as well, so I nervously juggled the two priorities.
Knowing Mrs. Onassis didn’t give interviews, I approached her somewhat hesitantly and told her I was from the newspaper.
“Oh, am I in trouble?” she asked me with a charming smile.
I said no, we were just going to take some photos of her riding. She was very nice about it and we got a lot of good shots of her galloping along with Emil Spadone. I can’t find a copy of the story (I have literally thousands of clippings scattered hither and yon), but I did find a letter she wrote me very graciously after I mailed her the photos taken by the paper’s photographer (Sorry, I don’t remember who it was.)
And as you can see, she wished me a happy Thanksgiving, and I also wish all of my readers the same.
Enjoy some other photos from today.
Huntsman Bart Poole and the hounds. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Essex Joint Master Jazz Merton leads the way. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Essex Joint Master Karen Murphy gives Adeline and Margo Swartz a lift on George Clooney during a break in the action. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Why is this hound wearing a number? In memory of his father, auto racing enthusiast Peter Chesson, James Chesson donated radio collars for the hounds. And 76 was the number of his dad’s race car. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrenc J. Nagy)
The late Lou Piancone always drove a four-in-hand at the Thanksgiving meet. The Johnson family has picked up the tradition with its pair and carriage. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The Brienza and Juntilla families collaborated on a spread that included the makings for mimosas. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 14, 2021
The horse business isn’t easy in the nation’s most densely populated state, but the Rutgers Equine Science center offers a leg up for its proponents in many ways.
The center, marking its 20th anniversary this year, is concerned with everything from better equine health and well-being through research, which has top priority; to environmental stewardship, land use planning, youth involvement and many other related subjects under the guidance of founding director Dr. Karyn Malinowski.
As she puts it, the Center is “the docking station for everything equine.”
Its annual Evening of Science and Celebration on Zoom last week combined several honors with updates on scientific topics.
The Spirit of the Horse Award, always presented to someone who has made an impact on the horse industry and who in turn has been impacted by their involvement with horses, went to Assemblyman Ron Dancer.
The son of famed harness driver Stanley Dancer, he raced and trained horses himself from 1968 through 1998. But now he’s better known for his legislative accomplishments.
Spirit of the Horse winner Ronald Dancer.
In that arena, the assemblyman has been a fervent advocate for horses, which often involves educating other legislators.
He good-naturedly cited “a learning curve with my colleagues about the value of the equine industry in the state.”
The Equine Center and a landmark economic impact study it produced “helped build a lot of support for the industry,” he pointed out. It showed that horse have a $1.1 billion economic impact on the state, providing 13,000 jobs in connection with $4 billion in equine-related assets and 42,500 horses as counted in a 2007 survey.
There were 222,000 acres supported by horses in a largely urban/suburban state, a figure that includes not only land devoted to horses, but also involved with their support, such as farms that grow hay and feed.
The assemblyman worked tirelessly in a successful attempt to have the Legislature pass a bill written to eliminate the tax on boarding horses. Gov. Phil Murphy did not sign it last year, however, and the “pocket veto” meant it didn’t become law.
“If taxes are your issue, then New Jersey’s probably not your state,” the Governor famously advised in 2019, and we saw how it applied to this initiative.
The Gold Medal Horse Farm award went to Topline Farm, a well-run 10 acre establishment in Alexandria Township. The facility won for outstanding equine management.
Topline Farm in Alexandria Township.
The farm is run by Katie Wigness; her husband, Kris, and her father, Ron Hutchins. Katie noted in the equine industry, “its important to be a good neighbor and be aware of your impact on the neighborhood and community.”
During the science part of the evening, the keynote presentation was made by Dr. Sarah White-Springer of Texas A&M University.
Her talk was entitled, “The Mighty Mitochondria: The Importance of Muscle Health for Optimal Equine Performance.” (Without getting too technical about it, the mitochondrian is the powerhouse of the cell.)
Her research focuses on ways to improve performance and reduce injury in equine athletes, looking at mitochondrial adaptations to diet and exercise, in addition to skeletal muscle bioenergetics.
She pointed out that selenium increases mitochondrial biogenesis, which eventually creates energy, but that training a horse also increases mitochondrial density. The scientist cited the piaffe as a strength exercise that leads to muscle building, but of course, it takes a horse with a specialty to engage in that.
If dressage isn’t your horse’s thing, hill work increases endurance, while long-and-low work engages the horse’s topline, she said.
In another presentation, Dr. Jennifer Weinert-Nelson discussed Quick-N-Big crabgrass as a planting that can counteract the “summer slump” in pastures. And since it’s not the grass of choice for every horse, it’s good for a field where an obese horse is turned out to cut down on its consumption.
Doctoral candidate Ellen Rankins explained her work involving equine-assisted activities for veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). The veterans work with horses on the ground, including grooming, leading and long-lining. Muscle activity, heart rates and blood samples are used as indicators of what effect such work has on both the veterans and the horses.
Skylar Cooper, a member of the New Jersey 4-H Horse Project, talked about flashy Zebroids, such as the Zorse, a cross between a zebra stallion and a domestic mare that rarely occurs in nature, and the Zonkey, produced by a zebra stallion and a jennet (female donkey).
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 5, 2021
Show jumping will no longer be part of the modern pentathlon lineup following the Paris Olympics in 2024, the International Modern Pentathlon Union has announced.
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.
In a letter to athletes, the pentathlon union 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.
“We really need to make sure that in that new environment, with all of these new sports (such as skateboarding) that have demonstrated strength and a lot of traction with people and media, we have to make sure that our sport if (sic) flawless.”
The organization’s executive board held a secret meeting this week in which it was decided to remove horseback riding from the program. Riding’s replacement sport has yet to be decided, but cycling is under consideration.
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, 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.
However, more than 650 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. The board is reported already to have decided on an alternate sport to replace riding, but if so, it was done without promised consultation with the athletes.
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.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 31, 2021
With two important competitions separated by 317 miles this weekend, Beacon Hill Show Stable’s crew handled the distance and came up a winner at both the National in Lexington, Ky., and the Washington International in Tryon, N.C.
The Colts Neck, N.J., stable’s team worked with 13-year-old Rylynn Conway of Fair Haven in the Hamel Foundation National Horse Show 3’3” Equitation Championship today, and yesterday coached 18-year-old Dominic Gibbs to the title in the WIHS Equitation Finals, his last competition as a junior.
Head trainer Stacia Klein Madden was with Dominic through three phases of competition, while Heather Senia Williams and Lydia Ulrich were ringside for the Hamel, which drew 177 contenders. The Washington was the only equitation championship on its weekend until 2018 when, coincidentally, Beacon Hill-trained Elli Yeager won there while Dominic was victorious in the inaugural Hamel.
Interestingly, Stacia recalled, several judges who watched Dominic in the Hamel said they hadn’t seen any teen ride the way he did since Conrad Homfeld was in the equitation ranks more than half a century ago. Conrad became an Olympic team gold and individual silver medalist, among other honors, and there are high hopes for Dominic’s future in the same vein.
It’s not surprising, considering Dominic’s considerable achievements since the Hamel (victory in the ASPCA Maclay last year and good placings in the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search and the Dover Saddlery/USEF Medal Finals) that Stacia believes the 3-3 “seems to have really taken off as a division, creating a nice introduction for the 3-6 equitation,” the height at which the Medal and Maclay are contested.
Dominic Gibbs on Cent 15. (Photo by Shawn McMillen)
Heather recalled how she felt in 2018, when she had to work the Hamel and couldn’t be at Washington.
“I’ll go this time,” she told Stacia, “but I really love Washington, so I don’t want to have to go every year.”
And then, she said of the Hamel, “I enjoyed it so much I’ve been coming back ever since.”
She also noted that as Beacon Hill’s business has gotten bigger, “There’s more weeks than not that we’re sort of separated and in different places.”
Rylynn, an eighth-grader who attends the U.S. Performance Academy on line, was aboard Crossbow, her first horse, who she said, “has taught me everything. He’s been perfect for me. I love him so much.”
She is the niece of Michelle and Christine Conway, once familiar names on the show circuit who trained with Stacia and in the hunters with the late Leo Conroy, a co-manager of the National until his death in 2015.
The Hamel has become both more popular and more testing since its inception.
Today, Heather pointed out, “A lot of difficult questions were asked. Do-able but difficult.”
Rylynn was geared up to handle them.
“All week, she’s had a cool, calm confidence about her. And the horse was performing great. She seemed super confident. So I had a good feeling about today,” said Heather.
Rylynn Conway after winning the Hamel championship with trainers Heather Williams (holding cooler) and Lydia Ulrich, as well as groom Felipe Martinez. (Libby Greene photo)
The trainer, who won the World Champion Hunter Rider Developing Pro Challenge at the Capital Challenge, characterized Rylnn as “a great student. She’s very intellectual, and she also has good feel. So it’s a great combination when you have a rider who’s a super good student and really sticks to the plan and then has natural feel on top of it.”
Stacia noted Rylynn is “a fierce competitor, deadly accurate and works very hard.”
Speaking about the Washington class, Stacia said, “To me, the win was more about Dominic just really having such unbelievable goals and composure. All along, he’s always wanted to develop his horse and develop his riding. We’ve worked together to have goals that weren’t based necessarily around results.”
But he’s gotten plenty of good results, though the Washington carried “a whole other level of added stress,” Stacia said, because it was his last junior class on Cent 15, a “special” horse he developed.
“He’s so easily adaptable,” she observed about Dominic.
“He’s learned it’s consistency that we’re after.”
Dominic was third in the hunter phase of the Washington, but didn’t get distracted by that, and went on to win the jumper phase. And then he aced it when he had to change horses in the final segment. The native of Colorado has had a lot of experience with catch riding, which will stand him in good stead as he pursues his equestrian ambitions. He’s taking a year off before going to the University of Miami and will work as a professional with Katie and Henri Prudent at Plain Bay Farm, where he gets his jumper training.
Unlike many horses who are sold when their riders age out of the equitation, Cent “is a Gibbs family member,” as Stacia put it and next year will be ridden by Dominic’s younger sister, Jordan.
Dominic noted that the “mental game has always been a really big thing for me. Having done the equitation for a few years now, knowing what the finals season is like, and having that under my belt was a really good thing coming into my last junior season. Knowing my horse, trusting my training, and trying to deliver my best rounds were really big thoughts in my head this week.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 31, 2021
Why not donate your used gear for the horse, rider or the barn to Mane Stream at 83 Old Turnpike Road just outside the center of Oldwick? It is having a tack sale Nov. 7 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
In addition to new or used bridles, saddles, blankets and tack boxes, as well as outgrown boots, breeches and jackets, horse-related models and knick-knacks will be accepted. All donations may be dropped off or donors may call to schedule a pick-up. For more information, contact Jen at 908-439-9636 or jen@manestreamnj.org.
Mane Stream’s mission to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, developmental, emotional, and medical challenges through a diverse program of equine assisted activities, therapy services, and educational initiatives.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 22, 2021
What are you doing on Saturday mornings? Why not take some time to find out things that could affect your horse’s welfare.
From 10 a.m.-noon for three consecutive Saturdays, MARS Equestrian will offer educational presentations on subjects important to your horse’s well-being.
Obesity is the topic on Oct. 30, followed by senior horses on Nov. 6 and laminitis on Nov. 13. The presenters are distinguished veterinarians and a specialist in equine nutrition..
To register, click here
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 20, 2021
The Jersey Fresh International three-day event will not be held in 2022, even though the Horse Park of New Jersey trustees had voted to stage it one last time.
Under the new U.S. Equestrian Federation eventing calendar process, it lost its 4-star Long and Short designations for 2023-2027 as it was not granted those divisions, or the 3-star Long it previously hosted.
“Understandably, it was hard for our incredible sponsors, who have been so critical to our event over the years, to commit to supporting an event that they knew was quite literally on its last legs,” stated Adam Furlong, president of the park’s board of trustees.
“If the governing body of our sport has determined that this event should not be permitted to continue, what message does that send to our sponsors about the value of their investment in our sport,” he asked.
“The Park does not have the financial flexibility to operate the event at a loss, nor are we willing to compromise the integrity of the event by drastically cutting expenses,” he observed.
“It went so well in 2021, why run something less good in 2022,” wondered Jane Cory, co-organizer of the event with cross-country course designer Morgan Rowsell.
USEF didn’t waste any time following the Jersey Fresh cancellation–it has opened a one week bid process that runs through Oct. 29 to fill Jersey’s space on the calendar for an event that could host an East Coast 4-star L May 17-19, in 2022 only.
The Tryon, N.C., Spring International, one of only six events in the U.S. to be awarded a 4-star Long for 2023-27, will be on the May weekend before the dates USEF is seeking to fill. Many competitors who previously came to New Jersey obviously will be going south instead. Venues with more bells and whistles than the Horse Park had an edge, and that includes not only Tryon, but also the new TerraNova facility in Myakka City, Fla., east of Sarasota, which has never held a horse trials but whose management is investing heavily in its event.
“This is the trend. It takes a lot of money to do it,” observed Jane.
She acknowledged the Horse Park has some weaknesses, but noted organizers worked hard to overcome them. The footing is not the artificial material that is found at the “name” facilities, and the stabling is far from fancy. But a footing expert was hired for Jersey Fresh to show how to maintain the rings with the footing they have. She noted there have been no complaints from others using the facility, including dressage riders who are known for being picky about where their horses tread.
Carol Kozlowski, a former president of the U.S. Eventing Association and a member of the USEF board, observed “these riders get so wrapped up in footing and then go to Europe and you’re competing on grass.”
She noted that while many consider it “a cool thing to run FEI events, the lower levels become something of an afterthought,” though they can pad the budgets of a big event with their fees.
Adam mentioned that the trustees have “been enthusiastic in approving new investments into the Park as we can afford them, and will continue to meet the needs of all equestrian sports that operate at our facility. We recognize that the Horse Park is in need of improvements in the ring footing and stabling, and we are actively working to raise the funds necessary to make these investments.
“In recent years, JFI has had enough success to allow profits to be invested back into the park and into the event. Had the process of awarding dates played out differently, we may have still been able to operate the event in 2022 and make more money to be invested back into our facility.”
The park was granted an Advanced designation by USEF for its horse trials at the end of June, and Jane doesn’t know if something special might be done for that competition in lieu of Jersey Fresh. Will Connell, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s director of sport, said he hopes “Jersey Fresh stays on the calendar in some form or another.”
Explaining the need to reorganize the eventing calendar, he said it was in such a state that the only option was to “call a half-halt” and closely examine what needed to be done by a committee under the leadership of Olympic cross-country designer Derek DiGrazia.
The 4-star Long is “a major qualification to go 5-star,” Will pointed out, noting that a horse “can only compete in so many in a year.”
The 5-stars, in turn, are crucial in preparing teams for global competitions such as the Olympics and world championships. The committee had to look at the spacing between competitions to make sure high-level competitions did not flood the calendar . The events need to know they can get enough riders to make their events viable.
There are fewer top-level competitors in eventing than show jumping, where there are huge numbers of entries in Florida during the winter, with enough exhibitors to fill three major circuits and a couple of minor ones. Show jumpers also can compete more often than eventing horses.
Will said the choice of location for the 4-star Longs have “nothing to do with elitism. We want all of our events at that level to be the very best.”
He said an event with the 3-star Short division and below was not affected by the calendar change and “carries on,” which is an option for the Horse Park.
The Horse Park event, known for its great footing on cross-country, definitely has its fans. Pennsylvania-based Boyd Martin, winner of the Jersey Fresh 4-star L this year with Luke 140, maintained, “Jersey’s always been a special event, especially for everyone up in this region. It would be sad to see Jersey go, but I still think it’s a venue that could thrive on a championship event, horse trials, there’s been so much hard work put into developing the course.”
Boyd Martin on his victory lap at Jersey Fresh 2021.
Erik Duvander, the USEF eventing performance director, said, “I think the venue has a real good purpose for the short formats. They do a really good job there. It was always a little hard for them to get the distances and so on in the long format. I really, really wish they keep going, because I love the venue myself and in the short format, it’s a very important part of what we do.”
Jersey Fresh was started in 2003 by Debbie Adams, a professional from Medford, because a 2-star (now designated as a 3-star by the FEI) was needed in the area following the demise of the Essex Horse Trials in Gladstone after its 1998 edition (Essex was revived four years ago in Far Hills.)
“The Horse Park is a multi-purpose place with so many activities during the year; that’s why we picked it,” Debbie said. But she noted as the sport is evolving, it gave rise to Tryon, the Jockey Club in Ocala and other more glamorous locations, including Morven Park, that were able to invest a lot of money in their facilities.
Debbie said coming up with the event’s name was easy, because it reflected the importance of agriculture in New Jersey. She bowed out of the event management after two years when the Horse Park took over running it, but she often attended the competition.
“It’s tough putting a 4-star together because of the distance and length of the course; it’s hard for smaller properties to host it,” she commented. .
Adam Furlong believes that the Horse Park “will adapt and overcome. We have already had some really exciting conversations about what we plan to do in the future years, and we hope to be able to share that good news soon.
“We remain committed to developing and growing the larger sport of equestrian within the state of New Jersey, and that certainly includes eventing. We are confident that our next actions will reflect that commitment, and the Park will continue to be a facility that sees former, current, and future world champions compete on the property.”
Toward that end, Adam said, “We are going to follow up with USEF directly about the process and hopefully find a solution that is committed to developing the sport of eventing in the U.S., and particularly in the Northeast and insuring there is that pipeline for that next generation of world championship riders.”
He offered “one final thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors that have (been) integral to Jersey Fresh. The event could not have been possible without the love, grit and determination that went into JFI for the past 20 years. We know that we will make the supporters of JFI proud of what comes next.”
