by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 2, 2020
Four people present during the Kentucky Summer Classic show at the Kentucky Horse Park have tested positive for Covid-19, leading to a decision which ended that competition Aug. 1, and the cancellation of the USEF Pony Finals. They, were to have run at the Lexington facility for six days beginning Aug 4.
Two of those who tested Covid positive worked in Barns 9 and 10; another is a braider who worked in multiple barns.
The idea of the cancellations is “to mitigate the risk of spread of the virus,” according to the USEF and show organizers. The time without shows will enable sanitizing of the venue and a determination as to when competitions can resume.
The high-profile Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship and Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship are scheduled for Aug. 11-15, The American Eventing Championships are on the horse park calendar from Aug. 26-30.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2020
A viewing for respected trainer Ricci Desiderio, who died last month, will be held from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. tomorrow, Aug. 5, at his Tranquillity Farm, 300 Old Chester Road, Chester, NJ. It is being arranged to allow for social distancing.
Services on Thursday will be by invitation only because of Covid limitations on the number of people who can attend. Those who wish to make a contribution in Ricci’s memory can do so with the Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund, 236 Henry Sanford Road, Bridgewater, CT 06752 or online at https://www.horsemensdistressfund.com/
Thousands of people are mourning the loss of this equestrian who was also a devoted famliy man.Being a hard worker was an integral component of his identity.
“He was like the Energizer bunny, he would go and go nonstop,” recalled Kim Bonstein, who used to give lessons at the Desiderio family’s picturesque Tranquillity Farm in Chester Township.
When she suggested Ricci should slow down, the dynamic horseman told her, “Nope, I’m doing this for my kids, it’s what I’m leaving them.”
On July 27, said Ricci’s son, Michael, “We finally got him to take a day off.”
The Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, Mich., was dark that Monday, so the Desiderio family went boating with friends on nearby Torch Lake.
According to Michael, Ricci was walking on a sandbar when he collapsed after suffering a heart attack. A doctor who was in the area came over and tried to revive him, but had no luck.
Ricci, a legend in the Arabian horse world and an important figure on the hunter/jumper scene, passed away at age 63.
“He was the backbone for everyone; honestly, he helped everybody. He was totally unselfish. He was trying to make everything better for the horse community,” said Michael.
Ricci and his family (Photo courtesy of Michael Desiderio)
Toward that end, Ricci was a member of the Morris County Agricultural Development Board. He was well aware that horse farms are a way to save open space in the most densely populated state in the country.
“He was a super friend of agriculture, all kinds of agriculture, because we support each other–horses need hay and grain and open space,” said Ryck Suydam, president of the New Jersey Farm Bureau. The Desiderios hosted an “Equine is Agriculture” gathering with the Farm Bureau two years ago to bring together two complementary industries .
“He was a super advocate for equestrian sport and agriculture as a whole,” observed Ryck.
Ricci grew up working 60 hours a week for his parents’ equestrian operation, and had quite a career training Arabians. He became involved with hunters and jumpers after marrying Stephanie Campas, who was an equitation star as a junior rider and went on to be a trainer.
Ricci and Stephanie Desiderio.
Ricci understood a variety of breeds and disciplines, and knew how to use his knowledge of them to their benefit.
“He helped launch Arabian hunters and jumpers and get it to where it is. When Arabian sport horses came into view in 2003, he owned and trained some spectacular horses,” said Allan Ehrlick, a three-time Canadian eventing Olympian who is an Arabian Horse Association steward.
“He was very kind, a good person, big-hearted,” said Allan.
He called Ricci “passionate about his people and his horses and he was a loyal, loyal true friend. It is a huge emotional loss for me,” Allan noted.
Ricci and Stephanie at the beach with sons Michael and Vinny. (Photo courtesy of Michael Desiderio)
Ricci was the only trainer Lynne Porfido ever had, guiding the Bernardsville resident to great success in the Arabian ranks over a quarter-century after she started riding as an adult.
She was impressed when someone needed help, whether it was getting a horse in the ring, or convincing one to get on a trailer, Ricci would be there even if he didn’t know the people involved. He was a caring person.
Lynne recalled how Ricci would run alongside her son, Cole, when the boy was a beginner riding his pony, “always making sure he was safe.”
Now 18, Cole is riding with Michael in the jumper ranks. But Lynne remembered that at the Arabian Youth Nationals, her son got a top 10 in the English class in the main ring, where he worked with Ricci, then headed to another ring to win the national championship in the purebred equitation over fences class, where Michael helped him. Family teamwork at its best.
Of Ricci, Lynne commented, “He had the biggest heart, he was the most giving person. He always put himself out there for people. He leaves a huge hole in our circle of friends.”
Emil Spadone, who trained Michael for several years when he was starting out in the hunter/jumper/equitation ranks, got to know the Desiderios at that time “and what good people they were.”
As he observed about Ricci, “Above everything, he was a family man. His family was everything to him, and he was everything to them.”
Ricci with Stephanie and his family. (Photo courtesy of Michael Desiderio)
In a 2007 interview, Ricci talked about buying old houses, fixing them up and flipping them to earn enough money to buy his farm.
He passed along his work ethic to the rest of his family. In addition to Michael, daughter Alexandria and son Vinny are also riders, while Anthony pursued the law, rather than horses.
Michael and Stephanie Desiderio.
“All the kids help us at the farm,” Ricci said in the interview.
“They help us ride horses, help us train horses, help us set up. Everything,” he commented.
“I could have done a lot of other things with my money than buy a horse farm, but since we all do it, it makes a difference.”
Another man who was close to Ricci, hay farmer Frank Carrajat, who owns Snowbird Farms on Schooley’s Mountain, was in disbelief about Ricci’s death.
“How somebody so full of life could go so suddenly…” he wondered sadly.
Recalling how he was scared to death meeting Ricci when he was a 20-year-old country boy delivering hay to the big-deal trainer for the first time, he chuckled.
“I hope that isn’t straw you brought me,” Frank remembers Ricci saying,noting, “and now I know what a joke that was, but that was him.”
They soon became close, and next thing he knew, he was driving the Desiderios’ horses to Albuquerque while he, Ricci, Stephanie, the kids and a dog were all in the truck. Trips to Oklahoma, Idaho and Florida followed.
“He wanted me to succeed with what I was doing, just as much as I wanted to,” said Frank, remembering how the two of them would call each other on the phone when they were making long trips alone to keep each other awake.
“If somebody needed something, he was there. He touched a lot of people,” said Frank.
After learning of Ricci’s death, Frank sat at his picnic table at Snowbird Monday night, thinking about his friend.
“If it wasn’t for Ricci, I wouldn’t even have this place,” Frank mused.
“He played a big part in trying to get the ball rolling.”
The Desiderios have 22 clients at the Great Lakes Festival. Instead of coming home right away, Michael said, they will stay the rest of the week so their horses can show.
Michael is channeling his father in that decision, and he has it right, said Frank, who knew Ricci so well.
“That’s absolutely what he would do.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 26, 2020
Boyd Martin decided to take it a little easy at the Horse Park of New Jersey’s Horse Trials II yesterday.
For the Iron Man, that means he only rode three horses as heat soared into the high 80s and beyond, winning the FEI 3-star on Fernhill Prezley (40.10 penalties) and finishing second on Penhill Celtic (42) while ending up third in the Open Intermediate section with Long Island T (38). Then he let assistant Mike Pendleton take Bonito in the OI division at the Horse Park of New Jersey rather than riding that horse himself..
“I wimped out on Bonito,” Boyd said.
But there’s no need for apologies. This was just a few days after he rode five horses at the mid-week Virginia Horse Trials, and three months following surgery to repair various bone spurs and muscle tears. He was still experiencing some hip and groin pain.
“To be quite honest, I’ve probably bitten off a little more than I can chew,” he said of his workload as he continues to recover.
“At the moment, my body can only take so much. I want to do more, but the body’s screaming at me to take it easy and slow down a bit,” Boyd explained, reporting he’s “still a bit stiff and sore in my hip joints and still a little bit rusty, to be quite frank.”
And then, four days after competing at the Horse Park, he had surgery to remove a bit of bone from his groin muscle where it was stabbing his inner thigh. He’ll be out of action for a few weeks before coming back to finish the season, most probably in a big way, as is his style. But injury has been a fact of his life in eventing, so he has plenty of experience dealing with it..
“I love competition and riding and trying to find that balance where I can keep going for the second half of my career here. I’ve got to understand I’m not 19 years old anymore,” said the Olympic veteran, who turns 41 next month.
“I’ve got a great and decent rider (Mike) that helps with the young horses and also the upper level horses when I’m out of commission. I’m just trying to limit myself at the events at how many I can ride and try to do a very, very good job, rather than just spinning them around.”
Boyd Martin and Long Island T finishing up on cross-country at the Horse Park of New Jersey. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Prezley has done only one intermediate previously, while Boyd is pointing Celtic at a long-format 3-star. Long Island T won his dressage phase with a score of 38, went clean in show jumping and had 10 time penalties cross-country, where Boyd wasn’t pushing him.
At these trials, “I never try and go flat out. I use them as training,” said the Pennsylvania resident, who is aiming the horse for the American Eventing Championships in Kentucky next month.
“This was more of a fitness run. It’s good to win, but you can’t try and win every step. It’s more a building-him- up type of event.”
The Open Intermediate, which with 23 starters was bigger than the FEI 2- and 3-star combined, went to a delighted Jennie Brannigan on FE Lifestyle, a horse she has been touting.
After finishing on her dressage score of 30.20 penalties with no time faults cross-country, a challenge on such a warm day, an excited Jennie called U.S. Eventing Performance Director Eric Duvander, who is in Montana at the Event at Rebecca Farm.
Jennie Brannigan was all smiles as she took FE Lifestyle around the cross-country course at the New Jersey Horse Park, where she won the Open Intermediate section. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lifestyle, she said, is “One of my really exciting ones coming up. I was planning to run him at the 4-star at Morven in the fall and God willing, if that went right, the way that horse is on cross-country, I would aim him at Kentucky next year. That’s what Eric and I talked about.
“He’s a really bold cross-country horse. He jumped around Fair Hill as a 7- year-old and ended on his dressage score. He’s quite a careful show jumper as well. In dressage, he’s a beautiful mover. That judge was judging pretty stiff; it was great to have Boyd’s horse…in the class to gauge off of the scores,” Jennie continued.
“Eric’s helped me completely change the way I’m riding him and it’s really paid off. He actually sat on him a couple of times, which was really great. I tend to be a little too sympathetic in my riding, going with the way the horses want to go, instead of saying, `No, be really through.’
“The quality of his connection is so much better and his brain is so much better since I’ve been putting him in the box and telling him exactly what to do.”
The German Sport Horse she got from Clayton Fredericks, who imported him five years ago, “is every bit of a chestnut warmblood, sensitive and very hot. He ends up winding himself up when I give him too much freedom, I realized. Normally, it would take me quite a bit to get him in the zone.”
This time, her work has paid off and “he was just all business at the beginning (of cross-country).
“I actually quite liked the course. The footing was fantastic,” the Pennsylvania resident said of the route designed by Morgan Rowsell at the facility in Monmouth County.
“He’s doing a good job of slowly building everybody back up,” she added about the test, where she finished two seconds under the 5-minute, 24-second optimum time.
Like Jennie, Boyd was pleased with what the Horse Park had to offer. Both commented on the “fantastic” footing.
“The course design by Morgan was absolutely spot-on. It was a great event, I’m glad we went.”
Of Morgan, a trustee of the Horse Park, Boyd said, “He’s got a real good feel for the property. It had good flow, every question you can imagine; turning questions, accuracy questions, bravery questions. I felt like the horses finished with their ears pricked and really felt like I’ve learned something.”
A determined Boyd Martin has his eye on his spot aboard Long Island T. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
The event went even more smoothly than the June Horse Trials, which were well-regarded.
“Ellen Clarke (a trustee) and the horse park board really worked hard on refining our Covid plan,” said Morgan. “We were much better prepared.”
When he designed the course, Morgan took into consideration, “Nobody had a legitimate spring to get ready,” since the U.S. Equestrian Federation stopped all competitions from March 20 to June 1 because of the pandemic.
“I went for a very straight-ahead, very basic, approach to the design, knowing that at the low end of the spectrum, it was still going to be hard for some riders, because at the end of the day, they’re not ready.”
“I was happy to see the horses comfortable with the footing, comfortable with what they’ve been asked and now they’re ready for whatever the next step is.”
Boyd said, “I take my hat off to the New Jersey Horse Trials.These events that are running have every reason in the world to cancel. They have to abide by all these new rules and I can’t tell you how grateful the competitors are that the organizers are putting on these great shows with this added extra headache of dealing with the Corona plague.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 13, 2020
The Rutgers Equine Science Center is holding its Summer Showcase from noon-2 p.m. July 17. It will include updates, an equine anatomy lesson, a tour of the equine exercise physiology lab and an update on equine research.
A new quiz game is being introduced, just remember that to play, you need a second internet capable device (a phone or tablet) but you don’t have to download anything, since it’s web-based.
Register to secure a spot. A confirmation e-mail with details on how to connect to the WebEx will be sent to you.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 7, 2020
The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is postponing its 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium until 2021.
The RRP, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), plans to host an expanded Thoroughbred Makeover Oct. 12-17, 2021 that will offer separate classes in all ten disciplines for both 2020 and 2021 entries.
The Thoroughbred Makeover draws hundreds of competitors from more than 40 states and multiple Canadian provinces, each of whom has taken on the challenge of bringing along a Thoroughbred in his or her first year of retraining post-racing.
In a normal year, the event also includes the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace (a large-scale horse shopping experience), a vendor fair with more than 70 on-site retailers and other equine businesses, seminars, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit and various social and networking events.
To comply with COVID-19 pandemic event guidelines as recommended by the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the Kentucky Horse Park, many of these aspects, which monetize a significant portion of the event, would have to be eliminated or heavily modified.
“This was a decision that was not entered into lightly,” said the RRP’s executive director Jen Roytz.
“We went to great lengths to look at the feasibility of putting on the event from various perspectives, including preparedness of our competitors, current sponsorship commitments, the cost and steps necessary to implement Covid-19 risk management protocols for an event like ours, and what changes we would need to make to the event to comply with state and venue regulations.
“We also explored various ‘what if’ scenarios with our legal counsel, insurance company, and board, and what their impacts could be on not only the event, but our organization as a whole.”
With the Thoroughbred Makeover being a competition for horses in their first year of training after racing, the organization sent out two surveys to its competitors, one in April and one in June, to better understand how the pandemic was affecting its competitors’ ability to prepare their horses.
Questions in the survey also aimed to gauge how their competitors would feel about the changes to the event that would have to be made in 2020 in order to put it on.
Trainers expressed concern about having their horses adequately prepared for the show environment, as well as financial concerns due to lost income during shutdowns. In some cases, horses could not receive necessary maintenance care or undergo elective veterinary or therapy procedures due to the Covid situation. Furthermore, every state’s pandemic guidelines were different, which affected competitors.
“We worked hard to identify what the best course of action would be, not only for our constituents and horses, but for the long-term viability and stability of our organization,” continued Roytz.
“Our competitor survey responses showed us not only that a significant percentage of our competitors were behind on their training due to a variety of factors, but also, that if we were to implement the changes that the pandemic would force us to make, it would not only put our organization in a precarious position financially but would negatively impact our competitors’ enjoyment of the event.”
A critical aspect of the Thoroughbred Makeover on the part of participating trainers is having recently retired racehorses, all of which are relatively green in terms of their show career, adequately prepared for a big show environment at the Kentucky Horse Park. Typically, this is achieved by trainers exposing their horses to various competitive environments in the ten-month training period prior to the Makeover.
“The Thoroughbred Makeover at its core is designed to serve the mission of the RRP as a showcase of the versatility and trainability of the breed,” said Managing Director and Event Organizer Kirsten Green.
“Much of the feedback we’ve received, as well as the results of our surveys, tell us that the majority of our competitors are not feeling as confident as they typically would about their ability to showcase their horses as well as they otherwise would have. We don’t yet know when the Canadian border will reopen, we’re seeing states re-implementing quarantine mandates for travelers, trainers having their income impacted and more. That is only compounded by the financial challenges we and other nonprofits have faced in recent months and changes we would have to make in order to move forward with the event. By postponing the competition until next year and expanding the Marketplace virtually for this year, we felt it was the best way to create the most opportunities for all involved, while also doing what is in the best interest of the horses and our organization.”
Several aspects of the 2020 TCA Thoroughbred Makeover will be run virtually this year in October, including a virtual vendor fair, webinars in place of seminars, and the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace. The Marketplace will transition into an expanded online showcase of transitioned Thoroughbreds who were intended to compete in October and be offered for sale or adoption at the Makeover.
“I know I speak on behalf of the entire RRP board and staff when I say this was an incredibly difficult decision, but we feel it’s the right one,” said RRP board president Carolyn Karlson.
“The challenges presented by the pandemic are unprecedented. The RRP expanded its online educational offerings this year to better support those retraining horses amid all of the travel and shelter-in-place restrictions, like our Five-Minute Clinic series and webinars, and we have several more exciting initiatives to roll out as the year goes on. We are steadfast to our commitment to our competitors, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, supporters and, most importantly, the horses we and they serve.”
Trainers who entered this year’s Thoroughbred Makeover will have the opportunity to retain their registered 2020 horses to compete in a special 2020 division at the 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover. They also have the option to withdraw their 2020 horses and roll their entry fee to the 2021 competition with a new 2021-eligible horse. In some cases, some 2020-entered horses will be able to retain their eligibility for the 2021 division as long as they do not exceed the maximum of 15 retraining rides before December 1, 2020.
Added Roytz, “We are incredibly grateful to the TCA, ASPCA and our other major sponsors and donors for being exceedingly understanding and supportive of this decision. Many of them have also been affected by this pandemic and anticipate feeling the effects well into the coming year, but were eager to help us find ways to support both this year’s and next year’s classes of Makeover competitors in meaningful ways.”
For more information and updates about the Thoroughbred Makeover, please visit tbmakeover.org. More announcements about virtual activities and events will be released throughout the summer and early fall. Sign up to receive the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace catalog at tbmakeover.org/catalogsignup.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 7, 2020
As fear of the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread early in March, Jaime Potkalesky, the senior events manager for Reeves International, was getting nervous about the prospects for BreyerFest.
Breyer is the signature brand of Pequannock-based Reeves, which annually stages the popular July gathering that brings 30,000 model horse fans to the Kentucky Horse Park for a three-day celebration.
Enthusiastic crowds have flocked to the Kentucky Horse Park for BreyerFest over the last 30 years. (Photo courtesy of Breyer)
By the end of March, Reeves Vice President Stephanie Macejko, Jaime and their team “started to realize this virus is affecting the country in a way we’ve never seen before.”
It was decision time. One of Stephanie’s favorite things to do on Saturday afternoons at BreyerFest involved walking through the Kentucky Horse Park’s parking lot and seeing license plates from nearly every state and Canada on cars decorated with slogans such as “Breyerfest or Bust” and hashtags like “Ponies from Pomona.”
Suddenly this year, the obvious question was, “Even if things were opened up, would people want to travel?”
The company had a few choices.
“Do we cancel, postpone to September or pivot to a virtual event? It was an emotional decision,” said Stephanie explaining “the ability to connect with our fans on site is such an incredible experience that it felt really like, `Oh no, how are we going to do this?’”
“We were all devastated and there were a lot of tears shed,” Jaime recalled.
The team soon realized the right strategy for the 31st edition of the event July 10-12 was to go virtual and “rewrite the playbook for BreyerFest.”
As soon as the concept was announced, it clicked.
“We had such a great reaction that it was very affirming,” Stephanie reported.
“People were so excited they’d still have something to look forward to. Ticket sales increased immediately. We are providing as much as we possibly can all of the benefits of the real event being live,” said Stephanie.
The theme this year for Breyer’s 70th anniversary is Celtic Fling, which ties in with the salute to BreyerFest’s special Celebration model of Ballynoecastle RM, the Irish-bred gelding who is the U.S. Eventing Association’s all-time high point earner.
Ballynoe Castle RM at his 2017 retirement ceremony with rider Buck Davidson.(Photo © 2017 by Nancy Jaffer)
The eventer, known to his friends as Reggie, retired three years ago to the Pottersville Farm of his owners, Cassie and Carl Segal, after a stellar career with rider Buck Davidson, who can be seen with the Seals in an interview on the website when BreyerFest gets under way.
Reggie in retirement with his pal. (Photo © 2017 by Nancy Jaffer)
Advance sale tickets are no longer available, but tickets will be sold during the event at this link
The company headquarters in Pequannock is being turned into a live broadcast studio for BreyerFest, with host Kimber Goodwin bringing 15 years of on-camera experience in racing and horse shows. Her interviews with horse people will be interspersed among special demos, workshops and seminars. Topics range from how to draw horses to repainting your models and making a miniature bridle or saddle.
A feature will be model horse shows, with the virtual approach enabling more people to participate than normal in a live experience, where classes might be limited to 25 or 30 people.
The Celebration model of Ballynoe Castle RM. (Photo courtesy of Breyer)
An auction and shopping also are available, as they would have been at the horse park. The traditional evening celebration show has been pre-recorded and will feature Irish step dancers, bagpipers and an exhibition of horse breeds with roots in the British isles.
As Kimber noted, the great thing about the virtual BreyerFest is that “we can reach a whole new audience.”
She collects stories about the horses to make them “relatable” to her audience, which enjoys hearing tidbits about their preferences, such as the horse that liked apple pie.
Kimber, the first graduate of the University of Louisville equine management program, was recruited for her BreyerFest gig by Jamie Saults, who is the producer of the show and the floor director as well.
The idea, Jamie said, “is to make it as similar as possible to the live experience.”
Jamie, who worked 10 Olympics as a researcher and statistician for TV, got involved with Breyer horses in 1995 when she was employed by the U.S. Equestrian Team and suggested the organization sell a Breyer horse for a fundraiser at a competition. Despite some raised eyebrows, the USET went ahead with 500 models of Pieraz, Valerie Kanavy’s endurance world champion. They sold out in a half-hour.
Super hobbyist Jane Steinkamp started collecting Breyers in 1973, when she got the Man O’War model and named it Secretariat, after the Triple Crown winner that year.
Jane Steinkamp and some of her Breyer horses. (Photo courtesy of Jane Steinkamp)
She and her daughters, who played with Breyers instead of Barbie dolls, have been going to BreyerFest on a “girls’ vacation” roadtrip from her Indiana farm since 2002. “It was awesome. The kids had a great time and I had a great time, so we made it an annual event,” Jane recalled.
Naturally, she was “really disappointed” when she heard her 19th BreyerFest had to go virtual this year. But after switching gears, she decided, “We’re going to have Breyerfest in our basement.” Jane will share it with daughters Melissa Steinkamp, 28, and Molly Steinkamp Bates, 26, who had already asked for time off from work for their annual trip before the live event was cancelled.
They’ll have plenty of company–Jane displays “at least 1,000” models, though she doesn’t have an exact count of how many she owns. They’ll be coming off the shelves in her Breyer room to share the virtual experience with the family.
This is only one wall of Jane Steinkamp’s Breyer Room at her Indiana home. (Photo courtesy of Jane Steinkamp)
Nothing can replace the live fest for her, though.
“People come from all over,” explained Jane, a saddlebred owner who works in human resources. “There might be someone from California or Connecticut that you won’t get to see this year, but thank goodness for the internet, because it’s easier to keep in touch.”
By next year, it is hoped that things will be back to normal and BreyerFest once again can be live at the Kentucky Horse Park. But it also will have a virtual component that enables those who can’t travel to enjoy the experience.
Just having a live show won’t be sufficient in the future.
“The model horse hobby exists so well on line,” explained Jaime. As she noted, “The chances are that your closest hobby friend doesn’t live in your town. We’re bringing BreyerFest to where the hobby exists. I can’t see ever see having an on-site only event ever again, we will always have a virtual component too.”
As bad as the pandemic has been, on the flip side, it has made it necessary to think about doing so many things a different way. In the process, as Jaime noted, that has “opened up a lot of people’s lives.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 6, 2020
Melissa Murphy Rafano and two of her amateur rider friends have come up with an antidote for “stir crazy” after months of Covid lockdown.
With the horse show circuit in disarray, answering the question, “What are we going to do this summer?” became a priority. She and Alison Ward, a teacher, and Daria Kissenberth, a graphic designer, decided to start a retreat for riders who might be skipping the shows.
It’s interesting how often the very difficult virus situation has been the mother of invention for new ideas, and this is another one.
EQ Retreat, an entrepreneurial concept that debuts Friday July 10, offers three days of horse-oriented R&R with both fun and learning components. It is being held at the stable in Readington owned by Melissa and her husband, Chris Rafano. Called Promise Farm, the facility formerly was known as River’s Edge when perennial hunter champ Scott Stewart was based there.
With the Covid situation disrupting things this year, it was uncertain what horse shows would be doing and how they would be doing it, leading the friends to brainstorm about activities for the season when they normally would be at competitions.
“We wanted to explore other things,” said Alison.
Alison Ward, Melissa Murphy Rafano and Daria Kissenberth came up with the idea for EQ Retreat.
The thinking ran along the lines of, “This is such a lovely property, maybe we could start some kind of retreat for riders.”
When they did a test run, Charity Paashaus taught natural horsemanship the first day. The next day, they went to Horseshoe Bend Park in Kingwood for a trail ride and the third day, trainer Michael Dowling, came and gave them a clinic.
“Now we’re inviting the public to participate,” Alison said.
“The whole vision is that we want a clinic atmosphere, but with things for both the horse and rider,” she continued. Alison noted horse owners spend so much time doing things for their mounts that “we want to make sure the riders have a little spoiling time too.
Charity will be back for the July 10-12 session with natural horsemanship on the first day, followed by a barbeque. Next up is “a day of indulgence.” It starts with yoga and then breakfast, which is special because Melissa owns Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Lebanon, voted New Jersey’s best bakery on nj.com. It’s a place where you can get everything from truffled cremini mushroom quiche to the gamut of tempting sweets and pastries, so the catered meals will be quite memorable.
Riders can have their horse photographed by Susan Kozlowski, and then go for a ride in the arena or around the property, followed by a catered lunch and a visit from a massage therapist (while the horses get a magnawave treatment) before a wine-tasting with snacks. To cap off the day’s proceedings, animal communicator Armand Egidi will offer insight into the thoughts of the participants’ horses. The final day will involve equine bodywork, a clinic with grand prix trainer Nona Garson and an ice cream social.
The organizers are aiming to have an EQ Retreat every two weekends. One to be held at the end of July is still a work in progress, but for August, they are planning “a three-day three-day,” as in eventing. The first day will be dressage, the next cross-county and the third day show jumping with a clinician. An idea for another retreat might feature working with a judge.
The groups will be small, from six to 10 people “to make it feel like a retreat, not like a clinic where you’re just riding and going home.” The fee of $1,075 covers a stall for the weekend, with Thursday night arrival if participants wish, or they can come for the day at $350. Next time, there will be an option to enroll at a lower price for those who don’t need stabling and commute from home with their horses. There’s also an option to lease a horse for those who want to participate but don’t bring their own ride.
Even when shows come back in their usual format–hopefully next year–Melissa said the group intends to keep the retreats going. As she noted, “it’s like all these things you wanted to do, but never got around to doing. We just want to create an atmosphere where new friendships can be formed. I’m really looking forward to meeting new, like-minded people and just enjoying the horses.”
There is a Covid protocol, of course, but it’s not intrusive because as Melissa noted, the ring is big, the barns are open air and chairs can be set six feet apart.
“It lends itself naturally to something that’s conducive to the Covid rules,” she said. “You can take a breath, it’s nice.”
Those who want to sign up can go to eqretreat@gmail.com or call Alison at 908-872-5159.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 3, 2020
The Millbrook Horse Trials in New York, slated for July 30-Aug. 2, has been cancelled, which could mean additional entries for the Horse Park of New Jersey’s July 24-27 horse trials.
The Horse Park event has FEI competition in addition to national divisions. Will Millbrook’s cancellation send more entries to the park’s competition?
During Covid, it’s hard to predict what the riders will do.
“I don’t know which way they’ll go,” the park event’s co-organizer, Morgan Rowsell said, “but we’ll try to do our best to accept everybody we can.”
If that means adding an extra day, he’s up for it. The July event follows a very successful June horse trials at the park in Allentown. (See the headlined stories on this website.)
Morgan noted FEI riders are seeking to qualify for this fall’s three-day events–Jockey Club (Florida), Morven Park (Virginia) and the Virginia Horse Trials.
There should be even more riders looking for an FEI outing in the East when you add to the equation the fact that the organizer of Canada’s MARS Bromont CCI event and eventing Nations Cup slated for mid-August “has decided to consider dates further along the calendar,”
On July 2, the Canadian government extended the mandatory 14-day quarantine order for most people entering the country until the end of August to help curb the spread of the virus.
The order was set to expire July 7, but now will run until Aug. 31. That would make it difficult to run an event on the order of the MARS competition with competitors from the U.S.
Although the Millbrook organizers had been hopeful conditions were improving in their area, they noted “the recent increase in the spread of the coronavirus, related new regulatory restrictions, and the impact this has had on support within our communities has convinced us that we should not proceed.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 1, 2020
HITS impresario Tom Struzzieri said a series of shows planned for his Saugerties, N.Y., venue will pick up on July 6 after New York state issued a cease and desist order for his show that was to have run today through Sunday.
HITS could have faced fines of as much as $1,000 a day under an executive order related to the Covid-19 state of emergency if it went ahead with the Vermont Summer Special show.
Tom said New York State “arbitrarily” decided that his show in Saugerties, couldn’t run, even though other shows were held elsewhere in the state.
Deftly switching gears, Tom said Saugerties will “have feature classes starting Monday. New York State has given us a 100 percent guarantee we can start on July 6.”
Beginning that day, Saugerties will host five straight weeks of shows, having combined forces with the Vermont series, which wasn’t allowed to run in its state.
“We’re positive we can do a very safe horse show for you if you come, we’ve practiced it,” said Tom, who had to cancel his spring series earlier in the year due to the Covid situation.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 28, 2020
The Covid lockdown hit the Horse Park of New Jersey hard at the beginning of the season, after the gates were closed March 18.
The park’s finances were impacted by cancellation of its signature event, May’s Jersey Fresh International (which was meant to be an observation event for the 2020 Olympics); its usual opener, the Four Seasons Show, and this month’s Middlesex County Horse Show, although the latter may be rescheduled. Schooling shows and barrel racing also were called off. The loss of Jersey Fresh really hurt, since the park board anticipated it would generate its highest revenue ever, $250,000 at a conservative estimate.
Here’s what being at ringside means in the Covid era–masks for everyone, except those who are in the saddle. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Dealing with a shortened season is tough for the park, but Adam Furlong, president of the board of trustees, characterized the mood as “hopeful,” and at the same time being “pragmatic,’’ adding, “we have a long road ahead of us” while the park copes with “a condensed version of a full calendar.”
He added, however, “there is no immediate reason to be concerned about long-term viability. We’re optimistic about what the park is going to look like and optimistic about what we can do with the park.”
An events committee and a facilities committee have been created within the board to achieve those goals.
During the lockdown, rainy day accounts were depleted, but expenses were deferred where possible and the park got a loan (that may be forgiven) from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which enabled the park to bring back employees after three months. Adam cited longtime board member Donna Yukens (who is moving out of state) for devising a detailed Covid response plan that has been shared with the state Department of Agriculture as a possible template for how state parks and similar venues should prepare for reopening.
“It was a tough start, but it’s going to be a great finish,” predicted Ellen Brindle-Clark, the board’s vice president, chatting as the facility’s rings were full of riders warming up, doing dressage and show jumping before they headed out on cross-country at the season’s first horse trials this weekend.
“The down time we utilized to make improvements and sharpen the park up a little bit. I’m excited about this season,” she said.
Social distancing is a must while watching equestrian competition, like the show jumping phase of the Horse Park of New Jersey’s horse trials. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
The successful horse trials at the Allentown facility will be followed by Dressage at the Park July 4-5 and the American Saddlebred Horse Association of New Jersey’s Jersey Classic show July 10-12, for which stalls have been sold out. Sadly, under current USEF rules, spectators are not allowed, but by the time the park’s FEI horse trials come around at the end of July, that may change.
An enthusiastic group of nine candidates for trustee positions on the park board gave impetus to optimism after elections this week.
Two-time Olympic judge Marilyn Payne was one of those elected. She has been on the board previously, and ran again because, “I just think the Horse Park is so important for the horse industry and I want to keep helping make the horse park more successful and make more people aware of what it offers.
“I think it will all come back. We just have to be patient and behave ourselves so we can keep going,” she said.
Morgan Rowsell, course designer and co-organizer of the horse trials, also was chosen for a board spot.
He is looking for more sponsorship to upgrade footing and improve the stabling. If that can be achieved, “I think it’s a world class facility,” said Morgan, who will concentrate on trying to find a way to make those improvements.
The park, he noted, “has a lot to offer the horse community; it just takes time.”
He would like to see “showcase opportunities” in the different disciplines “to get people to take notice” and facilitate upgrades. Citing the positives, he commented, “It’s got a great secretary’s stand, good trailer hook-ups, a great location with hotels. The sky’s the limit.”
The cross-country footing is also a plus, but he mentioned there isn’t the space for a track like the one at the former Fair Hill FEI event, which enjoyed thousands of acres.
Some twists and turns are necessary for cross-country courses at the Horse Park because of the size of the property, but he pointed out that revered German show Aachen has, “plenty of (cross-country) tracks that turn back. We’re not Aachen, but we can provide really good cross-country that will help FEI riders get ready for whatever.”
He said the changes that Covid has brought about offer a great opportunity to rethink things, echoing the comments of U.S. Eventing Performance Director Erik Duvander in the main story on this website.
“Let’s rediscover ourselves,” Morgan advised.
Also elected to the board were executive assistant Diane Sigafoos, a teacher of special needs children, and Rich Clark, a mechanic who has volunteered at the Horse Park four days a week. Two unexpired terms on the board were filled by Rosanne Vaccarro, who has worked for Rutgers University and served as a 4-H leader and Kathryn Adams, a graduate of Morven Park who started 1996 Olympian Jill Henneberg and her mount, Nirvana, on their journey to the Games.
Weekend horse trials co-organizer Jane Cory noted that “the Covid protocol is extensive but it is doable and everyone is cooperating quite nicely. It just takes more preparation and more thinking through things and more supplies.”
But it may be paving the way for change in the future, when the pandemic is (hopefully) history.
“One of the remarkable things we noticed is that something like 99.7 percent of the entries ended up complete; never happens, normally,” she mentioned.
“We want that to carry on.”
Looking around her, she was pleased.
“The Horse Park is in a state of total beauty right now,” she said, even though the park’s furloughed maintenance men didn’t come back until 10 days before the horse trials.
In the interim, “A large amount of work was done by volunteers,” said Jane, mentioning “groups of people painting, mowing fields, cutting grass.”
So many who care have come together on behalf of the park, and to make sure the event runs as it should.
As Jane said, “It’s really cool that it’s working.”
