by Nancy Jaffer | May 10, 2021
Good news! Beginning May 17, the U.S. Equestrian Federation says anyone who is fully vaccinated is no longer required to wear a face covering outdoors at licensed competitions.
You have to read the fine print, though. Even vaccinated people have to stay six feet from anyone who is not in their immediate household when they are unmasked. The USEF decision is superseded by more restrictive rules from state or local governments, or individual shows. Meanwhile, everyone has to keep their mask on a when entering facilities that are fully or partially indoors. So don’t throw away your mask in joy quite yet..
Please click here to access the full amendments to the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan protocols.
As a statement from USEF President Tom O’Mara and CEO Bill Moroney said, “While we are all looking forward to the continued easing of restrictions on COVID-related protocols, we must also realize that the effects of the pandemic are not over and as cases increase and decrease, state and local modifications may occur.
“Overall, our community has done a great job of not only being one of the first organized sports to reopen, but has also successfully kept our sport open by complying with the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan. As we continue to ease restrictions, we must do so in a responsible and moderated manner. Personal responsibility continues to be a critical component of easing restrictions and ensuring we can continue to enjoy equestrian sport.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 7, 2021
September’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is being cancelled for the second year in a row due to the Covid situation, leaving Britain without a 5-star event over a two-year stretch during which both Burghley and Badminton in May have been cancelled twice.
“Despite the continued easing of lockdown measures, the nationwide vaccination program and the hope within the Government Roadmap for unlocking the country, there have been and remain too many variables and uncertainties due to the Covid-19 pandemic to deliver this much-loved international event,” said a statement from the organizers..
“We have, throughout the last six months, striven to find an event scenario which would allow our competitors, followers, exhibitors and contractors to enjoy this annual sporting highlight. However, the Event runs on a greenfield site; the lead time and strategic infrastructure planning all require significant investment and expenditure year on year. Staging the competition element is ongoing 365 days a year, from one year’s event to the next and the contractual cancellation procedures mean that even though restrictions are easing across the country, we have to make difficult decisions many months ahead of the event. The severe financial implications of a potential cancellation of an event of this scale and magnitude at a late stage, without available pandemic insurance, are too great to risk for all involved .”
This makes the new October Maryland 5-star event at Fair Hill even more important. When I spoke with Dickie Waygood, the British eventing high performance manager at Kentucky last month, he indicated riders based in his country would be interested in coming if they could get some financial “contribution.” This development should up the ante. Germany’s Luhmuhlen event and Pau in France (the only 5-star to run last year) to this point are available for the autumn unless the situation changes in Europe (always possible), but Maryland is a sure thing.
Miranda Rock, President of Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, commented: “It is with a very heavy heart that we have come to the extremely difficult decision to cancel The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials this year. The Horse Trials is an incredibly important part of what we do here at Burghley and is the highlight of the year for all those who live and work here.
“I am deeply sorry for everyone whose hopes have been dashed – from the equestrian world internationally to the pony clubs nationally, for the people of Stamford and our neighboring communities, as well as our wonderful suppliers, supporters, retailers, staff and visitors who will not be able to enjoy this glorious event in September. Next year marks our 60th Anniversary and, despite the challenges ahead, we will be focusing all our efforts on delivering a spectacular event in 2022.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 3, 2021
There’s quite a lineup for the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, which gets under way with dressage competition on Thursday, May 6 at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown. (Diehards can attend the horse inspection on Wednesday for free.)
Boyd Martin, no stranger to the Horse Park, will be riding Luke 140 in the Jersey Fresh 4-star Long. (Photo © by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The final selection trial for the U.S. Olympic eventing team that will go to Tokyo has drawn 2016 Olympic individual medalist Phillip Dutton with Sea of Clouds and Pan American Games double gold medalist Boyd Martin with one of his top horses, Luke 140 for the featured 4-star Long.
It will also offer a rematch between the 1-2 finishers in the Land Rover Kentucky 4-star Short, Alyssa Phillips, who won with Oskar, and Tamie Smith with En Vogue, who dropped from the lead after two phases with a rail down and time penalties in the show jumping segment.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation is now allowing spectators at competitions it licesnes, so find out how to get tickets in advance or at the gate here.
Children under 12 years old will be admitted free of charge, as will 4-H and FFA members (with ID), Pony Club members (with pin), and military members and their dependents (with ID). Seniors 65 years and older will be admitted at a discount of $5 per person.
Unlike the case at the Land Rover Kentucky event last month, where Oliver Townend made his victory gallop past cardboard cutout photos of spectators, live fans will be allowed at Jersey Fresh. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Alyssa, who trains with Jennie Brannigan, is a regular at Jersey Fresh.This year, Alyssa noted, “With everything happening with Covid and all the closures, it fits perfectly with my schedule and he’s fit and ready, so Jersey is the perfect place for him to do his first 4-Long based on the terrain and the technicality that Jersey has to offer. I’m really excited; I’m really looking forward to it. He’s an awesome cross-country horse.”
Alyssa Phillips and Oskar winning the 4-star Short at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Mars Equestria. (Photo by RedBay Stock)
Other big names that will be running in the event, which also includes a 4-star Short and 3-star Long and Short include likely team candidates Liz Halliday-Sharp and local favorite Doug Payne, who grew up in Tewksbury. The 2004 individual Olympic gold medalist from Britain, Leslie Law, now one of the U.S. coaches, will be riding, along with fan favorites Sharon White and Buck Davidson. Doug’s sister, Holly Payne Caravella, is in the 4-star Short.
Dressage continues on Friday, with cross-country on Saturday, as well as show jumping for the 3-star and 4-star Short divisions. The 3 and 4-star Long divisions will show jump on Sunday.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 23, 2021
Brentina, synonymous with what became a new excellence in American dressage, has been euthanized at the age of 31. The Hanoverian mare by Brentano boosted the popularity of her discipline as she and rider Debbie McDonald showed the world that the U.S. had something very special to offer in a European-dominated sport.
A daughter of Brentano, Brentina was bought at a Hanoverian auction in Germany by Peggy and Parry Thomas. Debbie’s husband, Bob McDonald, advised them at the time, “This will be the best horse you’ll ever own.” He was right.
Brentina and Debbie McDonald were the best of friends. Photo © 2005 by Nancy Jaffer
“We had 14 wonderful years competing together through the levels, nine years of which were at Grand Prix.,” said Debbie, who brought the lovely chestnut along from first level. She started working with Steffen Peters, who would eventually be her teammate in the Olympics, and then trained for three months in Germany with Klaus Balkenhol, the German who served as U.S. coach.
The combination of Debbie and Brentina served notice to the world about the new power of American dressage just before the turn of the century, when they won double gold at the 1999 Pan American Games. The duo went on to lead the silver medal team at the2002 FEI World Equestrian Games, just missing out on an individual medal, then played the same role for the U.S. squad at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where the team took bronze. Debbie and Brentina became the first U.S. pair to win the FEI World Cup Finals, and were part of the bronze medal team at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games.
More than all those awards, their demeanor and harmony inspired many to try dressage, or to become a fan of the discipline that previously had fewer enthusiasts than show jumping and eventing in this country.
Brentina made her last competitive bow at the 2008 Olympics and had an emotional formal retirement ceremony the next year at the FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas. She spent the rest of her life at a California farm, where she enjoyed a peaceful existence after having two foals through surrogates.
Debbie, now technical advisor for the U.S. dressage team, had deep love and gratitude for Brenina, the mare she called Mama. Together, Debbie and Brentina were celebrities who did so much for their sport.
“I had an amazing career with my horse of a lifetime,” Debbie recalled. “She was the one who put me on the map.”
Debbie also thanked many of those who played a role in Brentina’s life and success, from the Thomas family to groom Ruben Palomera, but she gave a special mention to Christi Sulzbach; her daughter, Kate, “and everyone at In the Irons Farm. They are the reason Mama lived such a long and happy life.
“They knew her inside and out and we all were under the agreement that she would tell us it is time. They had to make that awful call you never want to hear and they are the ones that stayed with her to the end. I can never repay what you gave her and also gave me. There was never a day I worried about her. That is rare for those of you that know mel I worry all the time! But never about her. A piece of my heart is gone but the memories will last a lifetime!”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 8, 2021
The Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event will be back next month after missing its 2020 edition, when competitions across the country were shut down due to the pandemic.
This time around, plenty of top riders are expected to take part, but the state’s biggest eventing fixture won’t be able to welcome spectators at the Horse Park of New Jersey. As a Covid precaution, the U.S. Equestrian Federation has banned the public from attending its licensed shows until at least mid-May (see the story in the On the Rail section of this website).
But Jersey Fresh May 5-9 will persevere with an assortment of divisions, including 3- and 4-star Long and Short.
“We’ve been running for over 20 years. We’re had ups and downs. We’re a very resilient group. We always come out on top, we always improve year to year, and we’re up for the challenge,” said Morgan Rowsell.
He has been the 3-star cross-country course designer in the past. Now he has moved up to handling the 4-stars as well. Former U.S. eventing coach Mark Phillips, who took over the course designing job in 2017, will serve as an advisor this time around.
Morgan Rowsell.
Jersey Fresh is one of only two selection events for the U.S. Olympic team in 2021. The other is the Land Rover Kentucky event April 21-27; Badminton, which was in the mix, has been cancelled due to the Covid lockdown in the United Kingdom.
For the first time, Kentucky has added a 4-star S to its program, which is highlighted by the 5-star. Last year, only one 5-star was held, so Kentucky has attracted a good number of foreign competitors.
Morgan, who is also the course builder and co-organizer of Jersey Fresh with Jane Cory, isn’t worried that having a 4-star S in Kentucky will hurt entries at Jersey Fresh. While he noted his event might lose some horses as a result, he mentioned that since Jersey Fresh is two weeks after Kentucky, some riders may choose to run their 4-star horses again. Horses that don’t finish the 5-star at Kentucky often reroute to Jersey Fresh, which sometimes gets as many as 10 from that group.
“We’re anticipating a pretty full entry and we’re excited about that,” he said.
“We’re going to make a good showing on getting them prepared and getting the selectors a good chance to see the top horses and assess who’s ready for Tokyo.”
Even without the general public, there will still be tailgating by parents of riders, owners and sponsors “so we can still have some atmosphere,” Morgan said.
There is a focus on the grand prix arena, where the base has been replaced and a campaign is under way to update the surface for 2022. Even so, what is there now is decent enough, and arena expert Aaron Thompson of North Carolina has been hired to oversee the footing all week long.
In a non-Covid year, spectators lined the rail of the grand prix arena to catch the action.
“He will keep it at the right moisture content, the right compaction and the right dragging. He’ll be focused on that solely,” said Morgan, noting Aaron does the same type of work for events in Fair Hill, Md.
At Jersey, there will be a tent under the oaks by the ring in case of rain or intense sun so people can watch dressage and jumping under cover, while socially distanced, of course.There also will be a tent at the cross-country water complex for sponsors B.W. Furlong Associates, AIG, Boehringer Ingelheim and Zoetis,
Mark Phillips, who designed the cross-country course for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, is coming at the end of April to inspect the Jersey Fresh route.
“I’m extremely grateful for Mark promoting the next generation of designers, he’s been a mentor and a friend. I’m excited about him still being involved,” said Morgan.
“He’ll make sure we’re all on the same page and that I’m asking the right questions and that it’s suitable for Olympic trials and the 4-star championship. He’ll give me the confidence to be bold but not overstep where the horses should be. I’m excited to have someone of his caliber working with me and checking my work.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 7, 2021
Are you missing going to horse shows? Virtual may be useful, but it can’t match the thrill of being in the stands or on the rail to watch a competition. The U.S. Equestrian Federation has barred the general public from shows since last June due to Covid (shows were shuttered from March 20-May 31 when the pandemic broke out.)
But now there’s hope that you can watch your favorite athletes from across the ring rather than from across your living room. The USEF announced today it is “optimistic” it will be able to permit a limited number of spectators at USEF-licensed competitions by mid-May. The federation will offer more details in the next weeks “so that organizers and spectators have time to prepare in advance.”
A word of caution before you start making your travel plans: USEF warns that the only exceptions to its decision permitting fans “involve instances where state, county, or local government and health authorities or a particular competition organizer have more stringent requirements in place, in which case those more stringent requirements take precedence.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 31, 2021
With an uncertain immediate future for horse sports in Europe in the wake of the EHV-1 outbreak and suspension of competition there, it has been decided that U.S. Olympic dressage team candidates will not be going abroad as usual for their final selection outing.
Instead, an observation of the short list riders will be held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington June 8-12, when it is believe the heat and humidity will be at a comparable level to what he team will encounter at the Games in Tokyo.
The event will be mandatory for the horse and rider pairings selected to the short list after the end of the qualifying period on April 25, according to the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
Steffen Peters leads the ranking of U.S. Olympic dressage team candidates with Suppenkasper. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“After much consideration, USEF, alongside program leaders and team selectors, have made the decision to continue team selection preparations in the U.S., as the window of opportunity to prepare effectively in Europe is very small and should anything change, it would be too late to formulate an alternative selection plan,” according to a federation statement.
“Given the competition opportunities made available to combinations over the past few months, it is has been determined that the team can prepare effectively in the U.S. by utilizing existing competitions and the final Observation Event.”
The horse inspection will take place on Tuesday, June 8, and combinations will compete in the FEI Grand Prix on Wednesday, June 9, with the group draw order determined by the FEI World Rankings List. The FEI Grand Prix Special Test to Music will be held on Friday, June 11.
The U.S. Dressage program intends to facilitate and support overseas travel to Europe for additional teams this year, including Young Rider, U-25, and senior teams, to continue building momentum towards the 2022 FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark, the first team qualifying opportunity for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Confirmation of additional team events will be announced over the course of the next several weeks.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 23, 2021
Several key topics came up last night at the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Town Hall meeting on Zoom, one in a series of sessions that enables members and board members to share their thoughts. USHJA President Mary Knowlton (formerly Babick, who changed her name after her divorce), ran the meeting, which allowed for a good back-and-forth.Here’s an overview:
A questioner showing at A and AA hunter/jumper shows for 20 years stated “In our area, the shows are getting smaller and smaller, I think because the cost is too high” and said she would like the matter looked into. “I think this is something we have to continue to dig into,” said Mary. “As exhibitors, when we ask for more, when we’re getting more, it’s going to cost more. That money has got to come from someplace.” Meanwhile, Californian Marnye Langer is conducting a research program looking at the difference in costs for jumping and reining competitions at the same facility and trying to find out why one is so much less expensive. (Guess which one…) It is not USHJA’s business to tell show managers what to charge, Mary said, but added, “I do think as an industry we have to start looking at the cost of things and start trying to make things as affordable as we can. Otherwise, we are going to price ourselves right out of business. We’ll keep our eyes on that.”
- The new instructor credential program will get under way after the on-line portion is sorted out. Candidates eventually will be teaching live when Covid restrictions ease.
- There will be six regional hunter derbies this year; participants don’t have to qualify to enter.
- Outreach 2.0 has upgraded the entry level competitions, and it can be overlaid on existing shows.
- Feedback is being sought from competitors at Regional I and II (B and C) shows on what kind of finals they’d like and what would make regional shows more interesting (some parts of the country don’t have them.) There is some talk about combining regional and national-level shows. With Covid, some people don’t want to travel as much or as far as they once did, which could boost regional shows.
- The prospective three-way age split in the amateur-owner hunters is still under discussion after the rule change was withdrawn for further input, rather than tabled. “There is a disparity as you get a little bit older, it gets tougher,” said amateur task force chair Tracy Weinberg. Mary said some show managers felt a three-way split would diminish entries in the amateur division. Tracy would like to hold some amateur task force town halls to “really dissect this.” She noted 77 percent of those surveyed on the subject felt there is a need for change.
- Entries for the International Hunter Derby are down, as are USHJA member numbers, but the organization has “stayed really strong,” during Covid, according to Mary.
- A question about prohibiting the practice of pulling hunters’ shoes before under saddle classes was assigned by Mary to the Horse and Rider Advocate Committee. She wasn’t sure how something like that could be regulated.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 22, 2021
At tonight’s U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Town Hall meeting, the question of when the public will be allowed to return to U.S. Equestrian Federation horse shows was asked several times–most notably by Hampton Classic Executive Director Shanette Barth Cohen–but no one had the answer.
Happily, I do; at least to a certain extent. The fan ban was enacted when shows resumed June 1, 2020 following a no-show hiatus to sort things out after the Covid pandemic hit. The idea was to enable competition to proceed while keeping everyone safe, despite the virus.
But now it’s been nearly 10 months with empty bleachers across the country. I happened to be talking this afternoon with USEF CEO Bill Moroney, and asked him when USEF-licensed competitions can once again be open to the public.
“We’ve been working on what the protocol will look like,” he said.
“I’m not sure yet of exactly when we’ll be able to do it. I can say pretty comfortably it won’t just be an open floodgate…that it will be limited in the number of spectators. We will have a methodical, graduated approach to getting back to what I’ll call pre-Covid normalcy of spectators and fans and public coming to competitions.
“But it’s going to take some time and we’re not quite ready to pull the trigger to say we’re ready to start. But we’re preparing for that day so that we’re not behind the eight-ball when it comes.”
Remember when crowds were allowed to fill the stands at the Hampton Classic and other U.S. Equestrian Federation shows across the country? (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
I asked him if it might happen during the spring, which runs until June 20 and the beginning of summer.
“I’m hopeful by that point that we’re seeing some level of spectators back by the end of spring,” he commented.
“Our environment is out in the open, it’s not like you’re in a stadium where you can say one person every six feet or something like that. It’s a lot harder to manage. It’s nice to hear that people on the management side are doing everything they can to enforce it (the protocol) and on the exhibitor side, people are actually saying,`This is how we are going to keep our sport open.’ ”
By the way, I asked Bill last September when he thought the whole Covid thing would have “pretty much released its grip on us.” He told me then December 2021, and I hoped he was wrong. But probably not….
“Our country is doing really well compared to a lot of countries…in the vaccine department,” he said.
“We’re getting a lot of people vaccinated. On the one hand, we’re ahead of the game, but on the other hand, I have concerns over the fact that so many people are getting vaccinated that people will forget to keep being vigilant. Just because they’ve been vaccinated they haven’t proven yet you can’t carry it to someone else. There’s rightful concern that even though you have been vaccinated, you still wear a mask and still socially distance, so we can get more people vaccinated.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 18, 2021
As thoughts turn to this summer’s Olympics, the names most familiar to the general public for U.S. team candidates are Adrienne Lyle with Salvino, who earned 80.170 percent in the Grand Prix Special a year ago (we’re waiting to see her ride the stallion in competition again this spring) and Suppenkasper, guided to 19 straight victories by Steffen Peters, Adrienne’s 2018 World Championships silver medal teammate.
But Sanceo and Sabine Schut-Kery have a winning streak of their own, taking their fourth competition in a row today (March 20) at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival with a victory in the Grand Prix Special, marked at 75.660. It follows a personal best 75.022 for the Grand Prix for Special on Wednesday at the show in Wellington, Fla.
The Special is key for selection of a squad because it will determine the team medals at the delayed Tokyo Olympics, where the U.S. is going to face challenges not only from the Germans and British, but also the Dutch and the Danes.
Sanceo and Sabine, who were on the 2015 gold medal Pan American Games squad in Small Tour, could play a big role on the three-member team in Japan if they are chosen.
“I’ve watched Sabine for a long time, especially moving up the levels with this horse,” said Debbie McDonald, the U.S. dressage team technical advisor.
“She’s such an amazing rider and really has such beautiful harmony with the horse. It’s breathtaking to watch. Top quality. It just makes things look a little bit brighter for team USA. She’s just growing, I think she’s an easy 80 percent.”
Sanceo in action. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The rankings before the Special compiled from Sept. 5, 2020, were led with a single score of 77.319 for Don John, ridden by Nick Wagman, who has never been on an international championship team. That mark came from a show in Wellington March 6; today was his second score.
Don John, who was marked at 73.196 while finishing second in the Wednesday Grand Prix and 73.340 for being second in the Special this afternoon, originally was followed in the overall standings by Suppenkasper with 76.745 and Sanceo with 75.936.
That number will be officially updated in the wake of Sabine’s Special victory, but according to some informal math, the results of the class mean Steffen’s score for the average of two Specials has moved him up to first, Sabine is now second with 76.564 and Nick third with 75.329, as his score today lowered his average.
I was not a math major, so all that must be verified by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, of course..And don’t forget that Adrienne will doubtless figure into the equation when she starts showing Salvino again.
Asked about how she views her prospects for the Olympics, Sabine said, “I think it is possible, but with things like that, I go one day at a time and try not to worry or be concerned.
“I really would love for it to happen. It’s an amazing opportunity that you work towards not just a year or two years prior. It’s a long road where you strive to take the time to train your horse as correctly as possible and that results in maybe making it on a team or not.”
It’s difficult to count on a team berth in any year, and this time so much more than usual is uncertain because of Covid and now the EHV-1(Herpes) outbreak, which has cancelled shows across Europe until April 11. As a result, there has been a delay in announcing the details of what the observation events will be for American team candidates. Normally, eight riders would be doing a European tour as preparation for selection, and the U.S. Equestrian Federation does have hotel reservations abroad in place for them.
Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo enjoy a victory lap. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer
But these are not normal times. As Hallye Griffin, the USEF’s managing director of dressage noted, “The aim is still Europe, but we’ve got to have other plans in place to make sure we can easily and quickly shift to not going to Europe if we need to. We’re in touch with show organizers both in the U.S. and Europe with what’s happening with different events.”
While there is one more international show in Wellington, one in April at the new World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., and two others later that month at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina and in Sacramento, Calif.,the question is what to do after the qualifying period ends April 25 to keep the horses on target.
“There’s nothing on the FEI calendar (in the U.S.) between May and September, so if we were to stay here (in the U.S.), we’d have to create events,” said Hallye.
“That’s definitely on our radar and kind of behind the door working on what we can have ready to go if we do need to go that route. There are a lot of things up in the air, that’s for sure. Things change every single day.”
Whatever happens, Sabine has great confidence in Sanceo, noting “his biggest strength is his work ethic, and obviously his talent. He can really sit.”
In line with that, his highlights, she notes, are the piaffe and passage.
“That’s really nice.” she said, but it doesn’t mean much “if you don’t have the willingness and the partnership. That’s what still until to this day blows me away, is that he’s with me and we know each other. He’s a good soul.”
Sabine is very hands-on with the 15-year-old Hanoverian stallion, a son of San Remo who is owned by Alice Womble.
“I still to this day do a lot of the grooming myself,” she said.
Knowing him so well, she is very conscious of what he needs in his program.
“I’m always very careful of giving down time,” she said. Other elements of her plan with him are “cross-training and making sure the fundamentals of the training are always refreshed and up to date.”
The first time I remember seeing Sabine, it was under very different circumstances than the sedate scene at Global. She was in the spotlight in front of a packed house at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas during the opening ceremonies of the 2007 FEI World Cup Finals, carrying the American flag into the arena aboard a gray horse who glowed in the spotlight..
Sabine Schut-Kery was part of the glitz at the 2007 FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, where she carried the American flag on a stunning horse. (Photo © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer)
Talk about versatile! She has something of a show business background as does her husband, Kristian Kery, a stuntman who is also a movie director.and helped put together the music for her freestyle. A native of Germany, Sabine trained with Jan Bemelmens there. She came to the U.S. in 1998 to work with Friesians, often doing memorable exhibitions at shows and other events.She did exhibitions for so long, she said, that for awhile she didn’t even think about competing, but once she got involved with that, she did well, getting her U.S. Dressage Federation gold medal riding Friesians..
In 2017, she was awarded the Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Training Grant, enabling her to go to Europe with Sanceo for competition and training with Jan Nivelle of Belgium for two months.
Throughout her career, the priority has been doing things properly with her horses.
“Even when I did my demonstrations” she noted, “I always was very tough on myself and wanting to do it correctly. I want to learn and get better. That’s what I get pleasure out of.”
