by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 30, 2020
A third-place finish in the Adequan®/ USEF Para Dressage National Championships last weekend signified a triumph of will and commitment for Alanna Flax-Clark.
Even traveling to the competition in Tryon, N.C., took some resolve during the Covid crisis, since she has underlying conditions dating back to the 2008 life-threatening infection that left her coping with a variety of challenges when the initial symptoms subsided.
“I didn’t know whether to go or not,” said Alanna about the championships, adding, “I was nervous about the number of people and horses in one place. I was thinking about cancelling at the last minute.”
As Michel Assouline, the U.S. para dressage technical advisor noted, “Some (para) riders need extra precautionary measures to minimize a Covid risk of infection because of a weak immune system. In fact, some riders didn’t make the journey to Tryon because of the risk traveling poses.”
Alanna heading to the arena with trainer Sara Schmitt. (Photo by Lindsay Y. McCall)
But Alanna did wind up heading south from New Jersey with her Califon-based trainer, Sara Schmitt. She knew it was the right decision when she saw how well things were handled, with plenty of space in the stabling and a new arena, even as classes from the Pennsylvania National and Washington International shows were being held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Staying in an Airbnb nearby and skipping a party also added to her sense of comfort. Alanna cited dressage show manager Monica Fitzgerald for doing a “fantastic” job.
“It’s hard to have everyone’s needs met and have a dressage show and the hunter/jumpers there at the same time,” she noted. “We did feel safe. People were good about wearing masks. It was part of your outfit.”
After breaking 70 percent for her freestyle to Abba music, it was obvious the situation suited Alanna, 37, and her mount, El Paso, affectionately known as Taco.
Alanna and Taco. (Photo by Lindsay Y. McCall)
“Overall it was three of our best rides, the most consistent, the most reliable, the most harmonious. I felt like it was our best show overall,” said the rider, a former special education teacher who has only been competing since mid-2017.
“In spite of everything that’s been happening this year, Sara has really been good about figuring out how to push me, push my horse into developing better gaits, developing confidence, allowing me to ride a more forward trot, increasing my accuracy and geometry,” said Alanna as she reflected on how things have developed in 2020.
“Those are easy things to get better points automatically. I think my feel as a rider has gotten much stronger. Even if Sara schools him for two minutes, I get on Taco and I feel like I have the confidence to school him for the way I need to, which a year ago I can’t say I was able to do. I think all those things are pointing me i the right direction for where I want to go.”
As she observed, “Dressage is such a cool sport, you never stop learning. I can continue to develop my skills constantly.”
This year’s show was a happy contrast with the 2019 edition, where bad luck plagued Alanna. Taco lost a shoe and she lost her reins in one test, a real problem since she can’t close her fingers around them and has to put her hands through loops to guide her horse.
Alanna, who was an alternate for the team competition at the Tryon show, was on top in the individual Grade II Division standings of those who walk and trot in their tests. Her composite championship score of 67.948 percent put her behind two big names in para dressage, Rebecca Hart (77.029) who took the tri-color on Rowan O’Reilly’s El Corona Texel while competing in Grade III and Sidney Collier (76.147) reserve champ aboard Going for Gold LLC’s All in One in the Grade I Division.
Alanna shows Taco the blue ribbon they won for their freestyle. (Photo by Joanna Frantz)
Commenting on Alanna’s progress, Sara observed, “She’s very consistent and the judges are starting to recognize her, but Taco is not the quality of those horses.” (Tex and All in One).
“We’ve been working hard. I feel good about what we’re doing, but it’s nice to see it reflected in the judges,” Alanna commented.
Sara is, of course, pleased that her student is making measurable progress.
“She is a lot stronger and her horse is a lot stronger,” Sara noted about Alanna, who as of last month was ranked 14th in the world in her division.
When Alanna first came to her several years ago, “she couldn’t ride for 10 minutes,” Sara recalled, while noting how her endurance has increased dramatically.
Alanna is riding more and also works as special projects manager for Mane Stream in Oldwick, where it serves individuals with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through equine-assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives.
This winter, Alanna will be headed to Florida for competition and training, with the Paralympics as a goal. While next summer’s Tokyo competition is fast approaching, she will have more time to refine her game and perhaps get a second horse with the 2022 World Championships and Paris 2024 on the horizon.
At this point, however, she said, “I just want to focus to being in the present.”
She said she couldn’t do what she does without Sara; Maggie O’Leary, the assistant trainer and Caelyn Adams, her groom. Alanna also is glad for the support of her family in California, happy they are able to see her ride via the livestream that is ubiquitous since Covid.
Michel noted, “It was hard for Alanna this winter to continue training because of strict lockdown restrictions where she lives, but we managed to do regular online remote coaching and riding session analysis. Alanna has a good coach and she has really come from strength to strength since moving from California to New Jersey two years ago.
‘Having regular support from a coach makes a difference. I give support to both Alanna and her coach. So Alanna’s work ethic and move to her personal coach have produced great results. She is very strategically focused.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 25, 2020
Private services were held yesterday at St. Brigid’s Church in Gladstone for James C. Brady, a member of a family with deep roots in Somerset County and the thoroughbred industry.
Mr. Brady, 85, was the grandson of James Cox Brady, who built the landmark stable that is the home of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation on his estate, Hamilton Farms; his son, the second James Cox Brady, was one of the founding directors of the Monmouth Park racetrack. He also served as chairman of the New York Racing Association when Belmont Park was built.
The late James Cox Brady of Bedminster
In turn, his son, the third James C. Brady, kept up the family tradition, managing the Mill House Racing stable whose runners included America Alive, Brilliant, Trappe Shot and Rattlesnake Bridge. He was the general partner of Mill House Associates, successor to Brady Security & Realty Corporation. In 1957, Mr. Brady began work at Bankers Trust Company, resigning to take a position as commissioner of banking in New Jersey Gov. William Cahill’s cabinet, helping plan development of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, including Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack.
In 1983, Mr. Brady was appointed secretary-treasurer of The Jockey Club, joining newly elected chairman Ogden Mills Phipps and vice chairman William S. Farish. These men led a three-decade period of growth for The Jockey Club, establishing new commercial business, including Equibase Company and several technology-based service and data businesses. Proceeds from the commercial subsidiaries fueled increasing investments in the marketing of Thoroughbred racing and research and advocacy for improved safety and integrity of the sport. Mr. Brady, who remained on the board of stewards until 2013, was succeeded by his nephew, Ian Highet, as secretary-treasurer of The Jockey Club in 2010.
At his home in Somerset County, he also was a supporter of the Essex Foxhounds..
Mr. Brady is survived by his wife of 63 years, Joan Babcock Brady; his brother, Nicholas Brady, a former chairman of The Jockey Club, U.S. Senator, and Treasury Secretary; and his sisters Lisa Richards and Eliot Stewart; a son, James C. Brady and his wife, Anne Lusk Brady; daughters Joan “Nonie” Brady and her husband, Wilhelm Merck; and Kerry Chace Brady and her partner, Brock Dolman. Mr. Brady had two granddaughters, Audrey Slade Brady and Millicent McKay Brady.
A memorial service celebrating his life is to be held in the spring of 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mr. Brady’s memory may be made to LifeCamp, http://greaternewarklifecamp.org/, a summer camp for inner city youth, long supported by the Brady family.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 14, 2020
As we know far too well by now, Covid-19 has wrought changes in a horse show routine that likely will never return to its pre-pandemic state.
Those who have adjusted will fare best when the virus is just a bad memory. So on the plus side, it has been a time for the nimble to innovate and find a way to clear the obstacles they have encountered in this difficult era.
Derek Braun, the man behind the Split Rock Jumping Tour, knows all about difficult.
New Mexico’s tight Covid restrictions forced the cancellation of his August 2-star show in Santa Fe. Split Rock’s competition that ran with April’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event wasn’t held when the eventing had to be called off.
Rowan Willis and Blue Movie over the Split Rock fence in the 2019 grand prix during the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Then forest fires added to the burden of a bad year, leading to cancellation of the first week of Derek’s Sonoma, Calif., show. Prior to this, the California show was Split Rock’s biggest, selling out annually.
“It was a worst case scenario disaster,” Derek remembered.
“We dealt with so many variables we could never have predicted during a two-week span in California. To give everybody the security of the welfare of horses and rider beyond Covid was difficult to maneuver. My team gained a lot of grit and learned a lot from that experience.”
Oh, and his first Longines FEI World Cup qualifier, a 4-star scheduled for an arena in Fort Worth during December, also had to be cancelled because of Covid, which wreaked havoc on 2020’s indoor shows.
But he found a pivot position by expanding into the hunters. The catalyst was his purchase of the two Country Heir shows in Kentucky which, unlike his fixtures, offered hunter competition.
“I can’t say I would have thought that I would go in the direction of hunters in general because I’m so passionate about show jumping,” said Derek, but he emphasized, “In the past, I’ve always been open to any opportunity that I thought was good for myself and my team and the direction of our tour.”
Now, he believes, hunter competition is “a natural progression for myself and my team.”
Derek pointed out that the Kentucky Horse Park, home of Country Heir, is eight minutes from his farm, so it was a perfect fit.
“It is a very popular show in general. We hope to grow both sides of that event,” he continued, noting plans call for bolstering the jumper side of Country Heir and at the same time adding “some unique touches” to the hunter side, so competitors can “feel special and like they’re getting what they paid for.”
That may include live streaming, more extravagant awards presentations and rider bonuses for every division “just providing more opportunities and experience for everybody in every division. We’re so used to doing that for every division for every class in the jumper ring. We’re going to bring that level of detail and attention and exposure of all the hunter divisions as well.”
With the ice broken, the hunters are becoming part of Split Rock’s plans not only for Country Heir, but likely for a couple of other events that “may also incorporate hunters in some fashion,” said Derek, adding the Split Rock team is thinking of adding such divisions to the Santa Fe and Columbus, Ohio, shows.
“ I feel we’re really ready to handle a 1,500-2,000 horse horse show, whereas we’re used to handling 400 horses. It’s a totally different ballgame. We want to bring the same level of organization and attention to a 1,500-plus horse show,” said Derek.
“It’s the right time to hit it out of the park.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 14, 2020
A bronze statue that is half life-size will stand as a tribute to the marvelous dressage horse Valegro, three-time Olympic gold and two-time world championships gold winner.
The statue will go up in Newent, a small town in Great Britain’s Gloucestershire, where he is stabled. Will his rider Charlotte Dujardin get her own statue next?
Valegro gave dressage an enormous popularity boost with his grace and style. (Photo © 2015 by Nancy Jaffer)
No word on that (there’s already a gold-plated mailbox in town to commemorate Charlotte’s achievement) but an application was submitted by the Newent Initiative Trust to erect Valero’s statue. Plans call for the statue of the 18-year-old gelding to become a visitor destination in the town first mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book.
Valegro and Charlotte won the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, and Olympic titles in the team and individual dressage in the 2012 London Olympics, as well as the individual gold at Rio in 2016 before the horse retired in a moving ceremony at Olympia.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 12, 2020
The Garden State Driving Event at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown will host the advanced single and four-in-hand driving championships Oct. 7-10 2021.
Those competitions previously were held at the Live Oak show in Ocala, Fla.
The Garden State CDE last weekend presented two intermediate national championships. Sarah Reitz of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., won the singles competition with Awesome George, a 13-year-old Dutch harness cross gelding. They went into the lead in the marathon, and kept their edge to take the title.
Yvette Harris of Woodbine, Md., took the pair pony title with her mares, Suki, an eight-year-old Welsh cross and Morwell Amber, a 14-year-old Welsh. They stood first after the dressage phase and stayed in front until the trophy was awarded.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 11, 2020
The ad Kevin Babington placed in the local newspaper during the late 1980s read something like this: “Young Irish lad specializing in problem horses…”
That rang a bell with Deborah and Richard Roslowski of West Amwell, who just happened to have a problem horse.
“We said, `Let’s give Kevin Babington a chance,’ and he’s been our buddy ever since,” noted Deborah.
The Roslowskis and their daughters were Kevin’s first clients after he came over to the U.S. from Ireland. Today, they sold Ride for KBabs T-shirts and I “heart” K Babs dog treats during the second annual Babington benefit show at Duncraven in Titusville, Mercer County. They were among the many volunteers who pitched in to make the show happen because of their commitment to Kevin.
Deborah and Richard Roslowski. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Last year, the show was held six weeks after Kevin suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury in a fall during the Hampton Classic grand prix. It ended a riding career that had brought him close to an Olympic medal and left him as a quadriplegic in need of expensive medical care. A group of friends, led by one of his former employees, Jennifer Cassidy of Lambertville, organized the benefit that raised nearly $60,000.
“When I heard about the accident, I just thought, `I’ve got two able hands’ and this is what I thought I could offer. It’s been huge, the incredible support of the staff,” said Jennifer, adding, “I just made the right phone calls to put this together. Everyone stepped up to the plate.”
The Irish flag was proudly on display at Duncraven in honor of Kevin’s homeland. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
This year, the funds haven’t been counted yet, but entries closed two days early because so many people wanted to ride in the show. Then there were the donations for raffles and sales of items like those the Roslowskis had at their table in front of the stables. It was more challenging to present the show this year because of Covid restrictions, but the enthusiastic turnout overrode that situation.
With lifetime care for someone in Kevin’s condition estimated to run as high as $5 million, money is a key issue. While Kevin, 52, has improved since his accident, he is still confined to a wheelchair.
He has a bit more movement here and there than he did a year ago, and can teach using a headset to connect with someone in his ring, or virtually for students who are at their own barns. But he requires extensive physical therapy, while he has fewer clients seeking his expertise than he once did.
Kevin had a remarkable career in grand prix show jumping until his accident.
So the Duncraven show is special not only for fundraising, but also so people can keep a connection with him.
“It means everything. It means people are still behind him and haven’t forgotten the person he is and what he’s still trying to achieve,” said Kevin’s wife, Dianna, who spent the day at the show thanking everyone and visiting with old friends.
Dianna Babington with a banner that says it all about the Babington cause. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s so expensive to keep him moving and put him in the best possible place for recovery. Without the fundraising, we would never be able to do it,” she explained.
It helps pay for the gas in the car that gets him to therapy, for prescriptions, for a nurse when he needs one and the cascade of so many other costs involved in an existence that is very different from the life he enjoyed before the accident.
“These fundraisers really make all of that happen and allow us to keep going. If not, the alternative is probably a shorter lifespan and much less opportunity to recover,” noted Dianna, whose devotion and efforts for her husband and their two daughters never flag, even as she teaches lessons herself.
Duncraven is where Kevin ran his business for years, so the show had the air of a reunion.
“ Most of the people who come here are from the tri-state area and have had some kind of interaction with Kevin or know of him and heard what a great guy he is,” said Dianna.
“It’s really nice to have people turn out.”
The rings stayed busy at the benefit show. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Kevin would have liked to come to the show, but logistically, it was impossible for him travel from his base in Florida. So Dianna kept him involved with the day through FaceTiming him and sending photos of the activities.
The Roslowskis’ daughter, Julie Koveloski, was one of those who organized raffles and donations. She started riding with Kevin when she was 10 and noted, “He was like a brother to me, and like a son to my parents.”
Karen Raach, a Pennsylvanian, who handled the silent auction at the show, met Kevin six years ago when she won an auction bid for a lesson. Then she “fell in love with the family” and started taking lessons from Dianna.
Karen Raach, Julie Koveloski and Jennifer Cassidy. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
One of the items sold at the show is a face mask in the Irish colors designed by Gretchen Ober with the “S” that stands for Superman. Kevin got that nickname, Karen said, when a horse at a show in Ocala three years ago got his leg stuck in a brushbox as people gasped, and did nothing. Kevin, however, jumped off his horse, rushed over to free the horse, and got him under control.
“The people who owned the horse gave him a Superman hat the next day. Ever since then, he’s been called Superman,” said Karen, noting Redfield Tack donated half the masks and a sponsor paid for the others.
There were many such generous donations. Monica Ward of Equ Lifestyle donated two air vests, worth $1,000 each, which has particular significance because since Kevin’s accident, more jumper riders are wearing the vests in an effort to protect themselves from an injury like the one Kevin suffered.
A shamrock fence had special meaning at Duncraven. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Stephanie Valducci, who lives on Long Island, sometimes had to drive for as long as four hours (the traffic!) to take lessons with Kevin. She remains his student, but virtually, noting, “it was amazing, it was like he was in the ring with me, even though I was in New York and he was in Florida.” Training with Kevin, you’re part of the family. Anything to support them,” she said; in her case, that was sponsoring a schooling jumper division.
Jennifer, who hopes the show can be two days next year, had many people to thank for this year’s effort, including the trainers who came and brought their clients, the volunteers, secretary Mary Norris, Duncraven owner Tim Fedor, Nancy Wallis, who designed the courses and filled in where needed, as well as Katie Benson, who helped with the prizelist and supplied jumps.
It takes a huge amount of work and devotion to put on the show, but as Jennifer noted, if the situation were reversed, “Kevin would be doing the same thing for anyone else.”
Those who couldn’t make it to the show and want to help the Babington Family Trust can send contributions (which are not tax deductible) to 13254 Casey Road, Loxahatchee, Fla., 33470.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 8, 2020
There would be no sport without athletes, but all too often they have gone unheard.
That is changing following Congressional passage of legislation designed to put competitors in a better position to advocate for what they think is important, with more representation on their sports’ National Governing Bodies. At the same time, it means greater control of the way coaches and sports executives operate.
The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act, which must be signed by the President to become law, would enable Congress to decertify NGBs for cause, and it provides more money for the U.S. Center for SafeSport. That agency’s mandate involves protecting athletes from bullying, harassment, hazing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct.
The legislation proposes that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee increase funding for SafeSport to $20 million annually, from its $7.5 million allocation in 2019 and $11.5 million this year.
The bill states nothing shall preclude the Center from imposing interim measures or sanctions on an individual before an opportunity for a hearing or arbitration, something that has been controversial in the past. It also does not require the Center to meet a burden of proof higher than the preponderance of the evidence against an accused athlete.
People who deal with SafeSport, either as a victim or the accused, often have trouble understanding what is happening. That’s because the process is far different than the judicial proceedings with which they are more familiar, whether from personal experience or watching it on TV.
In an effort to determine how athletes view the agency and how they think it could be improved, SafeSport is seeking their answers through an online survey. It is part of a collaborative effort between a dozen national governing bodies, Paralympic sport organizations, the USOPC and athlete representatives from various sports.
“This is the first time Safe Sport is asking for feedback from a large group of athletes from every sport. It is anonymous, and being gathered and processed by a third party,” said Ali Brock, the 2016 Olympic dressage team bronze medalist who is the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s athlete representative for the Olympic disciplines.
Discussing the survey, she noted, “The last two questions (one asking for written feedback about the organization and the second about suggestions to improve it) are the most important if you want Safe Sport to know how you perceive, understand and have confidence in them as an organization and with the process for both the victims and the accused. All the information gathered will be shared with the NGBs and the athletes.
“This is your chance to help influence the direction Safe Sport heads in,” Ali advised.
The survey is open to U.S. Equestrian Federation members over 18 who compete. USEF will begin rolling out word of the survey this week, and those taking the 30-minute online survey will have until Nov. 15 to fill it out.
The Empowering Act, which gives Congress the option to dissolve the board of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, also calls for better athlete representation on the boards of NGBs.
The USEF already is working on that. The federation maintained the bill “will ensure a new standard of transparency and accountability” for the USOPC and NGBs, “providing stronger protections and representation for athletes participating in sport under USOPC administration.”
The legislation calls for increasing athlete representation on boards of directors and committees from 20 percent to 33.3 percent. While athlete reps hold four of the 19 seats on the USEF board, the federation will consider restructuring so athletes hold seven, or more than one-third, of the board seats. Doing the same for all USEF committees also is being considered.
Although mainly focused on protecting athletes in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics, the Empowering Act will also include increased legal aid for athletes in grievance processes.
In the bigger picture, meanwhile, it also enables Congress to decertify national governing bodies if they fail to abide by its provisions.
The International Olympic Committee, however, prohibits government interference in its National Olympic Committees, with interference potentially leading to a suspension, according to a story in the Inside.the Games newsletter.
The USOPC had initially expressed concern about the law, but USOPC President Sarah Hirshland said the law itself should not breach IOC rules.
However, she acknowledged if Congress were to act on the law and unseat members of the USOPC Board, the IOC may consider it a violation of the Olympic Charter.
“It is important to understand, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is a federally chartered organization and as such, Congress and the Federal Government has authority and that has existed for some time,” Hirshland said, according to Inside the Games.
“This bill does provide a provision that would allow Congress to essentially unseat the USOPC board. Should Congress take such an action, we do understand that the IOC may consider that a violation of the charter. But the bill itself as it is written, without that action being taken, is not a violation of the charter.”
At the same time she said, “we all understand the implications of that should the federal government make a decision to take action.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 21, 2020
When you’ve fallen off your horse, then ended up sporting a black eye and bloody nose after another ride, it may seem that you didn’t have a good day on the cross-country course. But if you earn a nice trophy at the end of the process, it’s a great day after all,
That’s how it was for Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp, who had her downs and ups at the Plantation Field International Horse Trials in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
The first downer literally involved hitting the ground, when Flash Cooley ran into trouble at a massive ditch and oxer, the sixth fence on the 4-star Short route.
“He’s a wonderful horse he’s only eight years old,” said Liz, who led him off the course after her tumble.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Flash Cooley are none the worse for wear after a tumble on cross-country. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He is still green and very careful. That was a huge fence– he just panicked a little and jumped into the middle. We’ll drop him down a level to finish off his season easy and happy,” she said.
He was her second mount of the day. Cooley Quicksilver had gone around the course previously without incident and finished 13th.
Once Liz had time to catch her breath, she was up again on Deniro Z, the winner last month at the MARS Great Meadow International event in Virginia. All went well for her until the eighth obstacle, a combination.
“I had a little bit of an exciting moment at the first water, just where he jumped so big in, and then I got really deep to the skinny,” she recalled.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z at the foundation wall, an iconic Plantation Field backdrop. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
She got smacked in the face by his neck, and that was some blow.
“I was seeing double on the way to the coffin,” she said, referring to the upcoming three-part combination.
“Luckily, my vision came back just before I had to jump in,” she said with a smile. Liz galloped the rest of the way with a very bloody nose and an eye that was turning black, but all she talked about was how her mount took over when she needed him.
“It shows what a great horse he is. He just jumped in (to the coffin) and didn’t look at it. He’s a world class horse. I’m just lucky to ride him,” said Liz, who envisions a great future with the Dutch warmblood.
“I would hope the Olympics happens and I hope I’m there on him. I think he’s as good as any horse could ever be. I just think the world of him.”
She was spot-on the optimum time of six minutes, 22 seconds. Only two other riders of the group that finished from the original field of 53 were able to make the time, though no one else got it exactly. Liz led since the beginning of the event, adding 0.40 time penalties in stadium jumping to her dressage score of 26.40.
Phillip Dutton had been right behind her with his brilliant horse Z since the beginning of the competition with a dressage score of 27.30, but he wound up with two time penalties on cross country to finish on 29.30 in second place.
“I thought it was a great competition and the cross-country caused a little more trouble than expected – the time was tight,” he noted.
Another view of the foundation, as Phillip Dutton rides through on Z. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Phillip, who is on the board of the event, missed the crowds who normally attend. The U.S. Equestrian Federation prohibits spectators because of the Covid situation.
He noted that a few months ago, the board was trying to decide whether an event could be held under the circumstances.
“We had to keep it kind of bare-bones, since we wouldn’t have spectators, etc. coming in. But people wanted to run their horses and we wanted to give them that opportunity,” he said.
“All credit goes to Denis and Bambi Glaccum and Mary Coldren, who put it all together.”
Woods Baughman, a 24-year-old assistant trainer to top-level rider Sharon White, finished 10 seconds slower on cross-country than Liz with C’est La Vie 135. But his trip was good enough to move him up to third on 36.90 penalties after finishing 10th in dressage and getting time penalties in stadium jumping, going from 10th after dressage to sixth following stadium.
Woods Baughman on C’est la Vie 135. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’re going home happy,” said Woods, who calls his 12-year-old Holsteiner “a real machine. You just point him to the jumps and he takes you there. He can put up a bit of a fight but you just kind of have to let him go and do his thing and have a blast.”
In Saturday’s 3-star, Maya Black rode FE Black Ice to the title. Plantation Field has special meaning for Maya, who grew up on Whidbey Island, Wash., and is the cousin of dressage Olympian Adrienne Lyle.
“I think this was my first East Coast win in the 4-star many years ago,” Maya recalled with a smile.
Maya Black and FE Black Ice. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“So it’s been a very special event for me. I’ve always come here and love this event, the feeling of it, a pretty big atmosphere. It’s always just been such a blast.
“If I had my way I’d be able to come here again with more horses in the future,” she said. Maya was referring to the fact that the property owner cancelled the event’s lease after a website’s allegation that the Plantation name was racist and wasn’t welcoming to people of color.
Plantation refers to a place where trees were planted, and of course there were never slaves there because it’s in Pennsylvania. (See the On the Rail item on this website for a further explanation.
“If there’s anything we can do as riders,” said Maya, “we will get behind the event and the people who put it on and try to make it something we can enjoy for many years down the road.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 18, 2020
As 1978 wound down, Denis Glaccum knew he was in trouble. With little time until his end-of-year deadline, he was not close to making his quota as a salesman for IBM.
Inspired by something he read in an article about kids with cancer, he put a sign on his car that stated, “You may give up hope, but don’t give up trying.” He saw it every day as he got in his vehicle, and it encouraged him.
“I made my quota on Monday, Dec. 31 of that year. I can remember jumping up and down and yelling,” said Denis, flashing back to how excited he was after doing what he had to do. That wouldn’t be the last time he achieved a goal.
It was, he said, “a lesson that changed my life. I was not going to give up,” noted Denis, president of the Plantation Field Equestrian Events series of horse trials in Pennsylvania. Even at age 79, after dealing with some health problems, his determination hasn’t taken a hit.
Denis Glaccum speaking at the 2019 U.S. Eventing Association annual meeting.
“We as individuals do have the ability to make things happen,” he believes, and proved it again this year in the face of Covid restrictions that put many 2020 equestrian events out to pasture.
When he returned to Pennsylvania after a winter spent in Aiken, S.C., everyone was telling him, “We won’t be able to do it,” that the future of the Plantation Field horse trials this season looked bleak,
He was having none of it. When the first two trials on the schedule had to be cancelled as the U.S. Equestrian Federation banned all licensed competitions from March 20 to June 1, the June trials became a must-do. And so they happened, a tribute to his doggedness.
“We were the first sporting event held in Chester County in June, one of three held on the same weekend around the country,” he said proudly.
Doug Payne in an iconic Plantation Field cross-country setting. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Another obstacle, more difficult than any he ever faced in a long cross-country riding career, came up when Plantation Field’s landowner, Cuyler Walker, announced he would no longer lease his land for eventing after this weekend’s international horse trials.
He took offense at the Eventing Nation website’s campaign to change the name of the event. The website contended the world Plantation had uncomfortable racial connotations, even though it referred in this case to the planting of trees, and obviously, Pennsylvania was not a slave state. (See the story in the On the Rail section of this website for details.)
Denis, however, is no stranger to dealing with controversy and always fights back. There are many stories attesting to that.
Molly Bliss remembers what he did for her when she was seeking a berth on the U.S. squad for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Sweden. She was training in Britain, the youngest rider with the American contingent, and found herself “treated very differently by our coach at the time. He had made it clear that he thought women riders were not up to the same standards as men.” She was not invited to go to the WEG with the rest of the riders.
“Heartbroken, I went into London for the day, assuming I would be flying back to the States that week,” she recalled.
“While I was gone, my mother back at home called Denis. He immediately came to my defense and by the time I had returned from London that evening, Denis and (USET Executive Director) Jack Fritz had made it very clear I was back on the team and would be going to Stockholm.” Molly, who finished capably there, said, “I’ll forever be grateful to Denis for standing by me then and for always being one of my biggest supporters.”
Olympic eventing medalist Jim Wofford calls Denis, “One of these invaluable people that are basically behind the scenes who make the sport grow and improve. He can be difficult because he sees what he wants to do and goes and does it.
“He doesn’t always bring the bureaucracy with him. All of his efforts are well-intentioned and have led to improvements in the sport,” added Jim, citing the wonderful competitions that have been held at Plantation since its transformation from fields to a venue.
Denis organized the memorable Chesterland event that began in Pennsylvania in 1976, then moved to Fair Hill, Md., to run events there before a disagreement with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources led him to start the events at Plantation Field. Being outspoken has not always made things easy for Denis, but he’s not the type who asks that things be easy.
“I decided I would rather open my mouth and be wrong than sit silent,” he noted.
His dedication has been recognized many times. In 2001, he won the Wofford Cup for his contributions to the sport, he’s a member of the U.S. Eventing Hall of Fame and formerly served on the U.S. Equestrian Team’s Three-Day Event committee, as well as being secretary and vice president of U.S. Eventing’s predecessor, the U.S. Combined Training Association.
For him, it’s always been all about horses and making the sport better. Denis grew up in South Orange, N.J., and rode with the Junior Essex Troop, going into the organization as an 11-year-old private.
Dennis learning to jump in 1953.
Members of the Troop, founded in 1943 as a cadet auxiliary of the Essex Troop of the 102d Cavalry, New Jersey National Guard, wore military uniforms marked with the insignia of their rank and handled many tasks at the organization’s West Orange farm. Their activities ranged from courses in marksmanship to rides of 20 and 30 miles where troopers stayed the night in the field with their horses.
The program cost his parents $75 a year and the discipline instilled in him not only fortitude, but also a passion for hard work.
Denis as a member of the Junior Essex Troop (the National Guard Armory is in the background) jumping for the Netherlands trophy at the troop farm in West Orange.
“The only thing I did well at that stage of my life was ride,” said Denis, who came of age during the infancy of eventing in this country. He rode in the 1960 Olympic trials in California, and knew so many figures who grew the sport in this country. As he talks about what things were like 60 years ago, he peppers his conversation with a host of famous names; Philip Hofmann, first president of the U.S. Combined Training Association; Olympians Brig. Gen. Franklin (Fuddy) Wing and Maj. Gen. Guy V. Henry, as well as Max Palmer, who guided the Junior Essex Troop.
Denis competing at Pebble Beach on Wait-a-Minute in 1962.
The officials in those days, he recalled, were all ex-cavalry, operating in an environment much more structured than today’s, “where you learned how to conduct yourself.”
Brian Murray, a member of U.S. Eventing’s board of governors, has known Denis since 1963. He remembers him from that time as “a character; he was focused. He was eight years older than I was. I didn’t really understand eventing in those days. But he was doing something none of us were doing, he was a very good rider and a very driven guy, even then.”
Denis has an important partner in his wife, Bambi, a granddaughter of Amory Haskell, the first president of the Monmouth Park Racetrack. New Jersey’s most prestigious flat race, the Haskell, is named after him.
Bambi recalled her first encounter with Denis at a party she didn’t want to attend. Her mother cajoled her into going, saying prophetically, “You need to go to this party because you might meet your future husband there.”
And that’s just the way it happened. She found herself sitting next to Denis and had no idea who he was, so she asked, “Do you ride?”
Denis took it from there. The couple has two children, Ellie and John Amory, and five grandchildren.
Of living for more than half a century with Denis, Bambi, who serves as secretary of the eventing series, said, “He has an opinion about everything. I’m never bored. He has always loved horses, and if push comes to shove, the horses take precedence over everything.”
The couple has three horses, one of which is an off-the-track thoroughbred that Denis still rides.
As he talked about his involvement with the sport to which he has dedicated his life, Denis said, ”I always got more satisfaction if the horses go well or improve, or if the kids I was teaching improved, than necessarily winning anything. My thing in eventing still is I can go to one of the low-level trials and laugh the whole day. I see people enjoying themselves, I see people doing a sport that requires many traits or skills that do not exist anywhere else anymore in our society.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 11, 2020
Looking for a discount on a new helmet? This weekend, Sept. 12 and 13, is the time to buy one. Most tack stores and helmet retailers are offering special deals this weekend.
It’s the 10th anniversary of International Helmet Awareness Day (now days) started by Riders4Helmets after Olympic dressage rider Courtney King-Dye sustained a traumatic brain injury in a fall when she was not wearing a helmet.
You need a new helmet if your current protective headgear is five years old or more, or if you were wearing it when you had a traumatic fall.
More than just a sale, the weekend offers a platform to educate equestrians about the importance of helmet and safety awareness world-wide. It is an opportunity to discuss correct helmet fit and how a helmet protects your head in the event of an accident.
