“Fast away the old year passes…”

by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 29, 2020

The headline today is from the fourth verse of “Deck the Halls,” one of my favorite carols. It’s quite appropriate; for most of us; Covid 2020 can’t pass away fast enough.

Here we are in the middle of the “holidays,” which haven’t felt very festive without real celebrations, family and friends (live, not on a screen). Facebook, as useful as it is in some ways, can’t make up for the miles between us.

“One Christmas was so much like another, in those years,” begins “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” and many of us will agree with that thought when it comes to the Yules they once knew. But this Christmas was certainly unlike any other, and not in a good way. Let’s hope the pandemic, with its deaths, masks, lockdowns, financial pain, quarantines and struggling businesses are just a bad memory by this time in 2021, rather than a new, despairing pattern that weaves its way into our memories like a tick.

Masks on the presenters and winners and awards ceremonies always reminds me of the pictures of bank robbers in the wild West. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

If I had to characterize 2020 in one word, I’d select “virtual.” With the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s decision to ban spectators from shows, those who want a taste of the action must go to the live stream. And it’s just not the same. I watched the National Dog Show at Thanksgiving, hoping its cardboard “crowd” and recorded “fan” reaction wouldn’t be borrowed by misguided equestrian competitions desperately trying to add excitement. It didn’t work for the dog show.

Live stream shows are better than nothing, though. Edicts on the size of gatherings from various governors resulted in show cancellations at different periods throughout the year. Which meant no live streams.

In New Jersey, indoor shows couldn’t be held after Dec. 5, and only 25 people were allowed in groups outdoors (not that many will consider competing when the mercury drops into the 30s and below, anyway.) The regulations extend until at least Jan.2, but I suspect that could go on much longer, killing what is normally a decent indoor season in the state for those who can’t migrate to Florida.

The equestrian organizations’ annual meetings–the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association (12 days!), U.S. Eventing Association and U.S. Dressage Federation were held on Zoom, as the USEF convention will be next year when Tom O’Mara succeeds Murray Kessler as the organization’s president. Zoom cuts down on travel expenses, but the bargain means no chance for important connections involving chatter in the hallways, meeting new people or drawing someone into a lengthy back-and-forth on the issues.

Still, it’s tough to derail the horse industry even in the worst of circumstances, so there was a brighter side to the pandemic as competition organizers and exhibitors stepped up. Managers learned how to run shows efficiently with the restrictions. Show secretaries rejoiced at having entries arrive via the Internet in a timely manner. Facilities at showgrounds got intensive cleaning. And horse sales were up (just like pet adoptions.) With so many people working from home, they had more time for equestrian pursuits, especially since a host of other recreational activities were on hold because of Covid regulations.

Jill McGrady, chair of the USHJA’s Recognized Riding Academy Committee, noted lesson programs grew in size and people were spending more time at the barn than usual. Less showing also meant more learning–riders could strengthen their skills in lessons and clinics while establishing greater rapport with their horses, rather than constantly trying to cope with the pressure of competition.

Issues coming to the fore in 2020 included safety improvements, as well as how to make horse sports more diverse, while amateurs are demanding that their concerns are heard and acted on. They want their voices to be heard.

In the good horse-related news from 2020 (there was some), the President this week signed the bill that includes the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act passed by Congress. It establishes an independent anti-doping agency to ensure national standards (as opposed to fragmented state standards) in regard to use of drugs and medications at tracks across the country. Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, called the legislation, “the biggest gain for horses in half a century,” which “will put the welfare of the horses at the center of the enterprise, and put the sport on a level playing field that aligns with the rest of the world.”

When more than 23 horses died in less than three months last year at California’s Santa Anita Park, the issue of breakdowns that may be caused by race day medications could not be ignored. A national database will be developed to track injuries and fatalities. The legislation also addresses track safety through an accreditation program that ensures compliance with proper maintenance of the surfaces.

What will 2021 bring? We’re nervous…

We all missed Devon and its special atmosphere this year. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)

Can fixtures that couldn’t run this year stage a successful return? Think about the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star event, Devon, Lake Placid, the Essex Horse Trials, the Hampton Classic, Dressage at Devon, the new Maryland 5-star event and so many others we missed in 2020 (including the Olympics, now set for this summer in Tokyo).

And then there was the FEI World Cup Finals in dressage and show jumping, which couldn’t be held in Las Vegas last April and sadly is unlikely to return there anytime soon.

Several of the stories I covered intensively during 2020 are ongoing and will develop further next year. Here’s an update:

• Grand prix rider Kevin Babington continues to work hard at rehabilitation since being left a quadriplegic by a catastrophic fall at a horse show in August 2019. He has regained a small amount of feeling here and there, including sensation that comes and goes on the right side of his body. Kevin is part of an ongoing stem cell trial at the Mayo Clinic, while the effort he is making in physical therapy is starting to pay off. That is a tribute to the Irish Olympian’s indomitable spirit and the dedication of his wife, Dianna and their children, Gwyneth and Marielle, to his cause.

“I feel like I’m getting stronger,” Kevin told me the other day. “I’m definitely encouraged.”

Kevin Babington, with his wife, Dianna, at his side, continues teaching from his porch. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)

He continues to teach and said, “I feel like I’m getting better at it. If I didn’t have teaching, I’d be lost.”

Visitors have stopped coming to see him in person because of Covid, and much of the fundraising that supported Kevin at the end of 2019 and earlier this year has disappeared for the same reason, but his expenses continue to be enormous. Those looking for an end-of-year tax break can contribute to the 501c3 Kevin Babington Foundation, which handles such needs as paying for aides and renovating his Florida home, which was not handicapped accessible.

To donate, send an email to kevinbabingtonfoundation@gmail.com to obtain bank or mailing information. To make a contribution to the Babington Family Trust, which pays day-to-day expenses, send contributions (which are not tax deductible) to 13254 Casey Road, Loxahatchee, Fla., 33470.

• Although it looked as if the 2020 eventing competition at Plantation Field in Pennsylvania would be the last held there following a furor over the competition’s name, eventing at the facility actually will continue next year.  When a website started a campaign to change the event’s name, contending that “Asking people of color to come visit, to spectate, volunteer, or compete, at a place called Plantation is insensitive at best and works against our efforts to implement more diversity in the sport,” property owner Cuyler Walker was upset by the implication that his family had a link with racism. He resigned from the board of Plantation Field Equestrian Events and cancelled the event’s lease on the property. Plantation Field had no connection to slavery; it got its name after Boy Scouts planted trees there in the 1930s.

• 

  The signature cross-country complex at Plantation Field. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)

It turns out, however, that the lease had a provision enabling events to be held on the acreage for two more years after the contract was cancelled. So the board of Plantation Field Equestrian Events voted to have competition continue at the scenic site in 2021.

As 2020 wanes, we should give a thought to those we lost in the preceding 12 months. They include modern pentathlon coach Lt. Col. John Russell who reached the century mark; Ricci Desiderio, the trainer who ran Tranquillity Farm in Chester Township with his family and was a strong voice for agriculture in New Jersey; Agneta and Brownlee Currey, pillars of the Hampton Classic and U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation and James Cox Brady of Bedminster, an important figure in racing whose grandfather built the landmark stable that is the Gladstone headquarters of the USET Foundation.

Others who passed on included Eugene “Captain Seawood” Johnson, a true horse show character who could do any job around a venue, from grooming to cooking; Pan Am Games team gold and individual bronze eventing medalist Packy McGaughan and hunter/jumper/author/trainer Kip Rosenthal. This month, we lost esteemed judge Frank Willard, a North Carolinian also known for his career as a top rider and trainer; as well as Ray Harper of Howell Township, who had been director of information technology for the USET Foundation. Also gone in December were show manager and national PHA President Naomi Blumenthal and Kitty Wieschhoff, well-known in the eventing world, whose obituaries are still in the On the Rail section of this website.

Horses who went to greener pastures were dressage great Totilas, equitation star Grappa and McKinlaigh, Gina Miles’ 2008 Olympic eventing silver medal mount.

Let’s remember them all fondly and then ride forward into 2021 with confidence and our eyes up, hoping for better things. Happy New Year!

Amazing story of a blind horse and all he can do with trust in his rider

by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 22, 2020

I have never posted the work of others on my website, but this story from Horsey Hooves about an Appaloosa who lost his eyes is so touching and amazing it just seemed perfect for Christmas. And at this point of a difficult year, we all can use something heartwarming.

Endo jumping. (Photo: Jumpswest.com)

Endo contracted recurrent uveitis, glaucoma and cataracts in one eye, which had to be removed. Months later, the same problem involved his other eye, which also was removed.

Totally blind, he relied on his owner, Morgan Wagner, and the two developed an incredible line of communication that even enables her to send him over a jump, do pole bending and handle trail class-type obstacles.

Here is a link to the article and amazing video about Endo the Blind, as he is called. And if learning about him makes you a fan, here’s his website .

Octavia Brown has devoted her life to equine assisted therapy, which helps so many (Updated)

by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 15, 2020

A legend in the world of Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies, Octavia Brown got in on the ground floor of this significant movement, becoming a visionary instrumental in its growth. And at age 78, the Gladstone resident is still just as committed to continuing that evolution.

“Octavia has dedicated her professional life to improving the lives of others, and her passion and expertise have touched everyone and every aspect of the industry,” said Kathy Alm, CEO of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH International).

“We’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has served on more committees and work groups for the association.”

Yet it all began simply enough, as often is the case with so many important things. It happened that Octavia was a horse person in the right place at the right time, which was 1967. She was dating a man who worked at the McLean psychiatric hospital, which had a farm in Belmont, Mass. A horse-owning co-worker came up with the idea of bringing in horses as therapy for the patients.

It seemed a novel notion, but soon grew into a worthy one. When the horse owner moved on, the project needed someone to continue the program. Octavia, an immigrant from Great Britain with an equestrian background, was the perfect candidate to take over.

Four horses became part of what was called “activities therapy” and “I was `the horse lady,’ ” reminisced Octavia, who had ridden since she was eight.

McLean patients would come with an orderly to the barn or a walled, enclosed locked area (“so they couldn’t run away”).

Some were dealing with schizophrenia; others experienced psychotic episodes or were depressed.  When they walked out of their wards, Octavia recalled, they “looked like the shutters were down on the windows.”

Yet after entering the barn, “all of a sudden, those eyes would come to life and we would be horse people together. It was a perfectly normal activity that could take place in this stressful environment,” she said.

“They would always go back in a better frame of mind than they came, and everyone would see that.” It quickly became evident to Octavia that when they spent time with the horses, “It was a skill they were learning and improving at, and I think that’s what got me hooked.”

For the patients, she realized, the horses were a slice of normal life, like music and art sessions, because “you could use your own talents, nobody was trying to analyze you.”

The program was created by Octavia and a colleague, Helga Haendel from Germany, the art therapist at McLean, who had heard a little something about equine therapy in Europe.

But “There was no training, nobody to tell you what to do,” recalled Octavia.

“I essentially learned on the job and took a lot of seminars and learned a lot about mental health and observed what people did with the horses. I taught horsemanship, and people responded,” she said.

Little did she realize, however, that an opportunity for someone who was “just a good horse person” could become a key component of what would develop into a respected mode of therapy.  Eventually, it spread across the country as the concept grew around the world.

Octavia is the consummate teacher.

By 1969, people were getting together to create NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, PATH’s predecessor) and they organized a meeting in New York City of those who were interested in furthering the work. Octavia attended and found that at age 28, she was the youngest person in the room.

“They said, `We need a board of directors, who’s willing?’ We all put up our hands. So I was on the founding board from that moment.” She is the only person who remains from that original panel.

Octavia was asked to write about the program for an in-house seminar at McLean and produced a 15-page paper on psychiatric theory in connection with how people related to the horses.

“No one had a theory about what was happening and I created my own theory,” she said, explaining it had roots in activities therapy, which also included drama, music and art for psychiatric purposes Although Octavia had received an excellent secondary education in England, she didn’t have a college degree.

To fill that gap a year later, she enrolled in Harvard University’s school of education, seeking a master’s degree in Education for General Purposes, submitting the paper as part of her application.

She continued her understanding of therapeutic riding with a course at the Cheff Center in Michigan, where she earned a certificate and learned about the physical aspects of therapy and how it could be used with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and stroke. Octavia presented an innovative international paper about teaching someone with cerebral palsy how to post to the trot, a technique that “was entirely my own invention” she said, confiding its origins involved the way she learned to post without stirrups.

“I discovered if you lift your chest, your chin and your pelvis forward and up, essentially you lighten up your seatbones and you can, in fact, post and you don’t have to grip like fury with your legs to get yourself unweighted,” she explained.

“Someone with spasticity can’t really use their legs and seats to push off of…but they can use their upper body to move with the horse and give that little upward push.”

By the time Octavia married and moved to New Jersey in 1971, she said, “I pretty much had it all under my belt.” When she founded the pioneering Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding program, it took off quickly.

After an article about her interest in starting a therapeutic program appeared in a local paper, a physical therapist from the Easter Seals therapy center in Morristown contacted Octavia, asking to work with her on getting a program going with her patients. An important piece of the puzzle was missing, however. So Octavia went to the Somerset Hills Pony Club, saying, “I need horses, can you help?” And they did,

Other people got involved. The Roser family, who had an indoor ring, hosted the program once a week. Octavia’s friend, Naomi Lorch, a psychologist and physical therapist who was working with Easter Seals at that time, referred people. The late Helen Gordon, who was active with the U.S. Equestrian Team, got on board. With the agreement of Octavia’s husband, Truman, for which she was grateful, the program moved to the couple’s Crossroads Farm in Bedminster in 1975, where it remained until the early 1990s. In that decade, it moved to Oldwick and eventually became Mane Stream.

“This Somerset Hills areas embraced me with both hands I never had any trouble fundraising,” Octavia said. The Essex Foxhounds were helpful as was Jack Fritz, then executive director of the USET. Although she and her husband are divorced, she emphasized how supportive he was of her project. For Octavia, it was gratifying that so many took to the concept.

“It became a thing that everyone was aware of, and we benefited from that. It seemed like once you tell horse people what you want to do, it’s almost a given they will get on board,” she observed.

“I think as it grew, it was self-evident to a whole bunch of people that this should be a good thing,” said Octavia.

“When I get on a beloved horse and go for a trail ride, I know what that means to me, so you have to extrapolate that to anybody with any type of challenge. It just is a natural sell.”

Octavia still enjoys riding.

Naomi Lorch noted that while there had been a focus on “the impairments of the body, getting people to move better,” beyond that what was important for clients involved “getting into real activities and being part of the world and doing what other people do, and not just being this kid with a disability who goes to therapy and doesn’t do much else. There was a sense that doing something that was fun would be good for kids.”

Octavia, she noted, “adapted to their levels and introduced the challenge of doing more and more based on their abilities, rather than a passive pony ride.”

Tracy Cole, who became one of Octavia’s first students in 1972, has gone on to be an instructor of therapeutic riding at Centenary University and mentor other instructors in training.

She got involved at age seven when the doctor at Easter Seals asked if she wanted to swim or ride for her therapy.

“I had wanted a horse my entire life,” said Tracy, so the choice was easy and Naomi connected her with Octavia.

The ability to ride horses has been life-changing for Tracy, who has cerebral palsy.

“They give me a chance to do things  I can’t do on my own two feet, to go places, see things and compete,” said the Randolph resident, who uses a rolling walker to get around when she’s on the ground.

She took to Octavia immediately when they met.

“I was a little kid and she was going to teach me how to ride, and it was a dream come true. So she was the best person I ever knew,” said Tracy.

Octavia also has been active in the worldwide therapeutic movement, serving for three years as president of Federation Riding for the Disabled International. Europe, she pointed out, had been ahead of the U.S. in the 1960s in instituting therapy using equines in response to the polio epidemic. The Germans invented hippotherapy, in which a therapist uses the movement of the horse for therapeutic purposes.

Now the really good riders and trainers are seeing the value of going above and beyond and teaching someone to get into the Paralympics, she commented.

Octavia Brown

When Octavia moved on from Mane Stream, she went to work in higher education as she and Karen Bocksel co-founded Therapeutic Riding at Centenary (TRAC) in 2003. She also taught a course at Centenary on therapeutic riding and became the Gates Ferry Lecturer in 1993-94. She went full-time at the school in 1997, teaching a leadership and basic riding skills, as well as leadership and other thought-provoking courses. Centenary recognized her achievements by awarding her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Although she retired this year, she still is involved with TRAC, now run by Karen Brittle.

“It has been a daunting but exciting prospect to steward the program forward, following Octavia’s impressive tenure,” stated Karen.

“In every way, Octavia strove to be supportive and generous towards me as we transitioned the TRAC program to new leadership, and this has afforded me the wonderful opportunity to get to know Octavia and to better understand her immense contribution to the EAAT industry as a whole. We are looking forward to next steps for the TRAC program and our EAAT industry training courses, while honoring the traditions of inclusion, vision, excellence in service and community that she established.”

Octavia’s influence is wide-ranging. She was involved with establishing Operation Centaur, Centenary’s therapeutic riding program for veterans now run by George Paffendorf. She’s still on a committee to further research the horse/human bond with the Horses and Humans Research Foundation, and consults with the Center for Therapeutic Riding of the East End on Long Island.

Despite all she has done, she sees more that should be accomplished.

Octavia hopes at some point insurance companies will cover therapeutic riding. They are “highly resistant to paying for anything that has to do with a horse, because by definition, they think it’s sport,” she explained.

“For physical, psychological and psychiatric reasons, it needs to be documented and researched as thoroughly as can be,” said Octavia.

While Octavia has no intention of ending her involvement, there now are many others who will pay forward what she did for them. As Tracy put it, “She was one of the reasons I became an instructor. I wanted to give someone else the opportunity she gave me:”

Reflecting on her career, Octavia said, “I truly do think I was exceptionally lucky. But also I realize that when a door opened, I went charging through – and perhaps that’s the legacy I’d most like to pass on to my students and riders.The truism is that if one door closes, seek another one that will open.”