by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 2, 2020
They canceled Britain’s famed Wimbledon, two days after America’s famed Devon Horse Show became a no-go. So while equestrian sport is hardly alone in calling off its competitions in the midst of the pandemic (see Olympics, Final Four, Kentucky Derby) it’s impossible not to be depressed by the continuing roster of shows that won’t be held this year (or have been tentatively postponed). This morning’s radio “sports news” was short (and not so sweet), with the only item being the imminent cancellation of the British Open golf tournament.
In the midst of all this, however, the loss of Devon was a particular blow. To paraphrase a famous song title, we believed, “There’ll always be a Devon.” It speaks to the seemingly perennial nature of this show, which started in 1896 and has been held annually except for three years during World War II. And now this year.
McLain Ward has taken many victory gallops at the Devon Horse Show. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Like so many attending the country’s largest multi-breed show on Philadelphia’s Main Line, I always breathe a happy sigh when I come through the gates at the end of May and see everything looking the same as it has for many decades, all painted in that special shade of blue..
David Distler, who co-manages the show with Peter Doubleday, said they looked at postponement, but weren’t able find the right spot on the calendar where it could offer the country fair, the saddlebreds and coaches that are as much a part of the ambience as the hunters, jumpers and equitation.
The big problem with this lockdown, as David pointed out, is “you don’t know where the end’s going to be. People have to make plans.”
The country fair and the carnival are integral components to Devon’s appeal. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Like everyone else, he’s living with scuttled special plans. Judging at Germany’s Aachen show was on his bucket list, and he was set to do it in June. Except that Aachen was postponed, to no “date certain” as they say, and who knows if it will even be held?
McLain Ward, the Devon fan favorite, is missing a chance to add to his record of 11 victories in the Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon, named after his famous mare who was a winner at the show and enjoyed a retirement ceremony there.
I asked what he thinks about the big question, which is where are we going now, and when, as well as what will it look like when we get there?
“In the short term, with any crisis, especially a financial crisis,” he told me, “there’s always going to be some adjustment. We rebound and normalcy will return to some degree. I’m an optimist, I always believe that. Maybe some horse shows, some businesses, some professionals…will unfortunately go out of business; some others will come up and fill the gap. That’s the way of the world; we have to navigate it, so we’re not the ones who go by the wayside. For sure change is going to take place, you need to be ahead of the curve as athletes and as administrators.”
He was, of course, a top candidate for the U.S. Olympic team. The International Olympic Committee said that athletes who qualified for the 2020 Games will be good for 2021, but it’s different for horse-rider combinations because they can’t be selected off what they did 18 months or more before the Games.
“A lot of peoples’ situation will change, some will improve and some will not improve,” McLain pointed out.
“The internal process of qualifying in each country I think begins again. Those of us who were shortlisted have to start the process again in 2020 and 2021,” he said.
What about athletes who don’t have the same horses they had this winter, or what if their horses are going to be too old by next year to be selected for the trip to Tokyo, I asked.
“There’s a ton of questions that need to be answered on a grand world scale that are far more crucial than sports, then breaking it down to sports in general and individual programs,” noted McLain, who is waiting it out in Wellington, Fla., at the moment with his wife and two daughters.
“It’s a little difficult to find motivation day to day with not knowing where you’re going next. In the grand scheme of life it’s a small problem compared to what many are dealing with right now. I try to remember that when I’m going in circles here.”
He’s optimistic that the way American shows are put together “will play in our favor trying to get back to some sort of schedule and normalcy at some point.
We’re an exhibitor-funded, sport not a patron-funded sport, compared to Aachen that wants to put 72,000 people in the seats every day. Our shows in reality are funded by the entry fees so they’re not that concerned with how many spectators are in the seats.”
Devon (can’t get it off my mind) is a special stop for hunter riders and equitation competitors, as well as jumpers. Junior riders often have Devon as their ultimate goal of the outdoor season. That means it’s also key for top equitation trainer Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill Show Stables in Colts Neck, who will be heading back from Florida to her New Jersey farm later this month.
A highlight of any hunter rider’s yaer is competing at Devon. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
What’s her plan?
“I’m just trying to keep everything in perspective,” she said.
Stacia Madden
“Although we all do this because we enjoy the competition, we also do it for the love of the horse and love of the sport. I’m thankful I have a business I’m able to keep running, I’m thankful that can be outside and I’m thankful I own a business that’s kind of secluded on 22 acres, and we can hunker down because a lot of the staff lives on the property. Although I’m disappointed not to be showing, I’m trying to realistically look at how grateful I am that everybody is safe and healthy and that I’m able, for the moment, to stay up and running and hopefully weather the storm.”
In Florida, her customers have been allowed to flat their horses under strict protocols. When she gets back to New Jersey, she sees it as “a nice break to let the horses down a little bit” after the demands of the Florida circuit. I heard a long time ago that when disaster strikes, you’re supposed to make as few changes as possible and try to ride the wave. We’re trying to stick to our normal schedule as best I can, but being very, very cognizant of what I can do to help speed the process of flattening the curve (of the virus).
She has been kept busy cancelling housing reservations for riders and staff involving shows that would have been held through the Upperville, Va., show that was supposed to be held in June but has been moved to September.
Stacia, who has trained dozens of national equitation champions, knows that there could be issues around qualifying for finals. She said she has seen emails of people offering various suggestions and realizes that whatever happens “it’s probably not going to be standard.”
“If we get to show, great. If we are going to keep our horses and staff and customers and peers healthy and happy and try to get them ready for ‘20-21, so be it.”
I’m taking it show by show,” she stated.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 1, 2020
Among the most recent cancellations of New Jersey equestrian competitions are the Flora Lea spring horse trials in Medford, the Princeton May 6-10 hunter/jumper/equitation show in Skillman and the Garden State show in Asbury.
Organizer Debbie Adams stated, “After careful consideration, Flora Lea has decided to cancel their spring horse trials, originally scheduled for May 23-24. It seems the responsible thing to do with the pandemic looming over all of our existences. Flora Lea has been running a USEA event since 1975 and has only cancelled one time, due to a ‘100 year flood’ that hit NJ. We hope that all is well by September and that we can be up and running our Fall horse trials. We will also cancel our June 21 Youg Event Horse competition but will hope to run the August competition.”
While the May Princeton show won’t run, plans are still on for one-day shows June 7 and 21 and the three July Princeton Summer Classic shows.
Meanwhile, April and May were going to be an exciting time for the crew at the Ridge, as the Garden State Show and its pre-show were set to be staged for the first time at its showgrounds in Asbury, Warren County.
Garden State’s dates were April 28-May 3. The U.S. Equestrian Federation, however, is asking for competitions to be suspended through May 3–and there’s a chance that will go on longer. While USEF can’t ban show organizers from putting on their competitions, exhibitors will not be able to get qualifying points or points for award programs.,
Garden State previously was run by the Junior Essex Troop, a military-style organization for boys that had its own farm in West Orange. At one time, the organization presented the largest junior show in America. It became an open show in 1972, known for its challenging outside course, which involved crossing a stream and going up and down a hill. After the property was sold, the show went to Chubb Park in Chester, then the Sussex County Fairgrounds and finally last year to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone.
But the troop alumni who ran it were getting older and decided to sell the license to Nona Garson and her partner, George D’Ambrosio.
“We were happy to do it,” said Nona, who isn’t giving up on the show despite the problem of the pandemic.
“Hopefully, it’s postponed,” she noted. “We’re trying to figure out what would be best,””
But when will the show season resume?
“Nobody can really say when it will start to pass into a state of normalcy,” she observed.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 30, 2020
The pandemic has taken a toll on two more major shows in a season that has vanished.
The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair has decided to cancel its 2020 edition seven weeks out from its planned May 21-31 dates.
“This decision was made only after significant evaluation of the far-reaching operational and financial implications,” according to a statement from the show, one of the most important in the U.S.
“The organizers evaluated many options including postponement.”
Devon officials say the decision made “In fairness to the competitors, vendors, volunteers and all others involved…is the best for everyone under the circumstances.”
The only other time this iconic show has been cancelled was for three years during World War II.
Old Salem Farm on Tuesday canceled its Westchester County, N.Y., shows scheduled for May 5-10 and May 12-17.
A statement from the show said, “This decision was prompted to do our part to flatten the curve of the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our No. 1 concern is for the safety and well-being of exhibitors, sponsors, spectators, vendors, staff and the community. We will continue to follow updated recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), New York State and local authorities as it relates to public events.”
Scott Hakim, Old Salem Farm president, commented “Being back at Old Salem Farm after being away for the past seven years, my team and I had been working hard to make this year’s show extra special. It was deeply disappointing for all of us to make the decision to cancel the first Old Salem Farm Spring Horse shows in over 40 years. However, I am confident that we made the right decision. The health of our community is our priority. We are already looking at additional dates to add to our schedule and will be back as soon as the time is right.”
The Kentucky spring horse shows in May also have cancelled, but as of now, their summer shows in July and August, which include the U.S. Pony Finals, are on.
Meanwhile, north of the border, Equestrian Canada has said it will suspend sanctioned competitions through June 1. Points earned in any events held during that time will not count, and the same applies to qualifications and rankings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 30, 2020
It didn’t take long for the International Olympic Committee to come up with new dates for the postponed Tokyo Games. Today it was announced that the competition will start on July 23, 2021, one day earlier than it would have started this year, ending Aug. 8. The Paralympic Games will begin on Aug. 24 and run through Sept. 5
Although IOC officials originally said summer would be the latest time for which the Games would be rescheduled in 2021, the organization did not take advantage of the possibility to hold them in a season that would be cooler than sizzling mid-summer. It was announced last year that the marathon would be moved 500 miles north of Tokyo to Hokkaido to ease the heat situation for those athletes.
The one-year delay will be costly. It could mean about $5.8 billion in losses, according to an estimate by Katsuhiro Miyamoto, an honorary professor at Japan’s Kansai University.
Although the IOC said that athletes who qualified for this year’s Games would keep their qualifications, that presents some problems for equestrians, who may not be using the same horses with which they qualified for this year’s Olympics. Some of the older horses may have retired, while others may not be in form during the lead-up to the Games.
The new dates have to work with the rest of the global sports calendar, with cooperation key. The World Athletics Championships, originally set for Oregon between Aug. 6 and Aug. 21 2021, will be postponed until 2022. The European championships in equestrian sports were scheduled for August.
“We support the new 2021 dates for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. This gives our athletes the time they need to get back into training and competition,” World Athletics said in a statement.
“Everyone needs to be flexible and compromise.”.
Purchased tickets would be valid for rescheduled events or a refund could be requested when the new dates were set, organizers previously confirmed.
“In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the Covid-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021,” said Yoshiro Mori, who heads the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 27, 2020
Covid19 is causing the Standardbred Retirement Foundation to cancel three of its important fundraisers, at the same time that it is being slammed by the need for Americans to quarantine, keeping adopters away during the busiest time of the year for finding homes. More than 400 trotters and pacers are under the SRF’s expense and care. What this means is that there will be no funds to feed every one of its horses, making it an emergency situation.
SRF desperately needs to reduce its expenses and the number of horses now. It has already reduced staffing by 80 percent, The 31 year old organization does not receive any regular funds from any source. Support comes primarily from people who care about the animals.
The following is needed as the first effort to be able to keep all 403 horses fed and to avoid drastic action:
1. SRF is asking for Standardbred farms and breeders with pastures to take in a one or more horse on a permanent or temporary basis.
2. It seeks pleasure farm owners who have room to help by either providing a home, foster home or pasture where one can be squeezed in for any time period.
3. Use of farms with grassy pasture for horses to graze help with the cost of feeding.
4. Foster homes are such a huge help. SRF has everything set up on the website for those who can help with foster homes. This is the perfect time to be a foster, the weather is good, and you can quarantine at your your own farm.
5. Horse sponsorship will keep a horse that is with SRF fed during this crisis; it can be in any amount for any period of time. Sponsor a horse
6. Tax-deductible donations will make it possible to get through this crisis, and cover emergency care, if needed.
7. More than 200 Standardbreds are living out their lives with SRF, many had sizable earnings in the past, have lost their adopted homes, and are now considered too old for a life under saddle in a new home. SRF is requesting all racing owners and breeders whose horses the non-profit is helping, to help SRF now by sponsoring their horse, even if it was years ago that their horse came into the program.
Some horses just need a patch of grass, feed and general care, others require a little extra TLC, some are on the rebound from emaciated conditions and need more attention, some are already riding, others need a little training. Their ages range from 3 to aged, are mares and geldings, and are located in about 12 different states. They all have good brains, and great manners. Here is a link to a list of the horses in need, horses are being added until the list is complete.
These are desperate times that could never have been predicted. Every one of these horses is in imminent danger of SRF having to take other measures to get this manageable and must count on good people to reach out to help. On average, the cost per day just to feed the herd is approximately $4,000.
The link below provides information on adoption, fostering, sponsoring, and how to make a tax-deductible donation to help these horses. Please email to offer help, calls are being taken at 609-738-3255, but responses may be slow so please be patient.
To adopt, foster, sponsor, or make a tax-deductible donation please go to AdoptaHorse.org for questions please email SRFhorsesandkids@gmail.com, or call 609 738 3255.
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Donate to SRF Today
About Standardbred Retirement Foundation
Standardbred Retirement Foundation provides humane care and services for horses in need of lifetime homes, and in crisis, through rehabilitation, training, adoption, life-long follow-up
or life-time sanctuary, and offers therapeutic equine opportunities for children and adults.
SRF is a 31 year old registered non-profit organization, donations are tax-deductible.
Media Contact:
Tammy Cailliau
Phone: 609-738-3255
Email address: SRFHorsesandkids@gmail.com
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 26, 2020
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the Tokyo Games could be rescheduled to be held before next summer, according to the newsletter, “Inside the Games.”
Bach was quoted as saying the Games would “not be restricted to the summer months.” That could solve the problem of the 100-degree heat that was likely during a Tokyo summer, when the Games originally were slated for July 24-Aug. 9. The prospect of such heat prompted moving the marathon 500 miles north, which annoyed Tokyo folks who were hoping to see the race pass by them on the street.
The newsletter also mentioned that there was a thought at one point of cancelling the Olympics rather than postponing, but now the IOC is going ahead and conferring today with the governing bodies of all 33 Olympic sports about the way forward. However, Bach mentioned that those involved would have to make “sacrifices and compromises.”
What that means for equestrian sports remains to be seen. There has always been a concern that equestrian could be on the chopping block as the Olympics modernizes with sports that are urban and young (see break-dancing and skateboarding as part of the Paris 2024 agenda) Is it possible that some sports may have to be dropped for the next iteration of Tokyo 2020?
The IOC is faced with the enormous task of seeing how the Games can be juggled with the schedules of so many sports, as qualification and minimum eligibility requirements come into play.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 25, 2020
U.S. Equestrian Federation mileage rules will be waived so the organization can allow for “major events” that had to be cancelled to be rescheduled later in the year, USEF CEO Bill Moroney stated today, while announcing an extension of the organization’s original 30-day suspension of its events from April 16 to May 3.
The suspension includes all USEF-owned events, selection trials, training camps, clinics and activities. The federation can only recommend that all its licensed competitions be suspended and that equestrians do not participate. If those competitions are held, however, points, money won and rankings toward USEF awards will not count.
USEF President Murray Kessler is planning to use his Presidential Modification authority to enable the shows to have a new time slot and develop a fair method for altering qualifications for these events. With that direction, “USEF has already implemented mechanisms to provide for flexibility and the ability to make necessary modifications to responsibly manage the competition calendar in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In that vein, Moroney stated, “We are engaging with organizers daily and continue to review situations on a case-by-case basis.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 25, 2020
Aachen, the world’s most prominent horse show, will not be held in early June as scheduled. The organizers of the German show, which includes jumping, dressage, eventing and driving, say they will be looking at a date later in the year to run the competition.Aachen draws competitors from all over the world, who won’t be able to be there under the current circumstances, which may well last into the summer.
The Tryon Equestrian Center also has stopped all competition until mid-May, as per the orders of the North Carolina governor.
The Horse Park of New Jersey has closed until April 13, according to Adam Furlong, president of the park’s board of trustees.
“We do not take this decision lightly; but we recognize our social responsibility to be part of `flattening the curve,’ he stated.
“As a result of the guidelines provided by the USEF, FEI, and local and state officials, we have seen almost all equestrian events cancelled for the foreseeable future. As such, we must temporarily cease operations in order to be fiscally responsible and to ensure the safety of all those who use the park. It is our sincere hope that everyone will do their part in reducing the spread of COVID-19, and that will be able to return to operations in one month.
“The Board will work diligently with all impacted events to find suitable alternative dates when it is safe to operate those events.”
In other virus-related changes and closings:
Tack sales scheduled for the weekend of March 28 at Riding for Heart in Pittstown and April 4 at Mane Stream Therapeutic Riding in Oldwick are being postponed. Riding with Heart doesn’t have a date yet, but Mane Stream will be combining the spring sale with its autumn sale.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Region Pony Club has reshuffled its schedule of events.
The Quiz Rally originally scheduled for March 14 in Goshen, N.Y., was cancelled and will be rescheduled before June 22, the closing date for entries for the U.S. Pony Club Championships and Festival in July at the Kentucky Horse Park.
The April 5 dressage schooling show originally scheduled to be held at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, is being moved to the Horse Park of New Jersey. The new date is May 30. The May 17 Dressage Rally (open just to Pony Club members) has been rescheduled and moved from the USET to the Horse Park of New Jersey. The new date is April 25, sharing the weekend with the show jumping rally already scheduled for April 26 at the HPNJ.
Manhattan Saddlery is not open for in-person shopping, but will accept orders by phone and internet. Dover Saddlery remains open, but check hours. It is offering curbside pickup.
Further from home, the New Zealand Equestrian Federation has shut down the Olympics disciplines, para and endurance for three months. They’ll take another look at the end of April, however.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 24, 2020
As the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last night added its voice to the chorus of national Olympic committees calling for postponement of this summer’s Tokyo Games, the International Olympic Committee bowed to pressure and moved the Games to next year. The joint announcement by IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came, a day after saying it would take four weeks to come up with a plan that might have included going ahead with competition on its July 24-Aug.9 dates this year.
Bach and Abe “expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.”
Calling the Olympics a “beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times,” they stated that the Olympic flame “could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”
There are many questions to be answered in the wake of the postponement, from what to do about the Olympic village–whose apartments were being sold to private owners after the Games, to dealing with hotel reservations, travel arrangements, sponsorship and more. At this point, with the threat of the virus still strong and while we don’t even know when sports will go back into action,making plans for the future has to be on hold.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 22, 2020
The International Olympic Committee is changing its tune and setting a four-week deadline to decide whether the Tokyo Games set for this summer should be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the IOC had been insisting the Games would go ahead as planned, pushback from athletes and national Olympic committees seeking a delay put pressure on the board to reconsider. The panel met today and said the “worldwide deteriorating situation” involving the disease has prompted another step in developing scenarios for the existing operation plan for the Games–or a change to its start date.
While the IOC is not considering cancellation, it will also look at the possibility of a “scaled-down” Games.
British Olympic Association Chairman Sir Hugh Robertson urged “rapid decision-making for the sake of athletes who still face significant uncertainty.”
He pointed out, “Restrictions now in place have removed the ability of athletes to compete on a level playing field and it simply does not seem appropriate to continue on the present course towards the Olympic Games in the current environment.”
USA Swimming and USA Track and Field were among the groups urging a one-year postponement of the Games. Athletes say that closed gyms, stadiums and pools have made it impossible to train properly for the Olympics. For horse sports, cancellation of competitions that were to be used for training and to select teams is also a problem. It particularly affects eventing, which has seen two 5-stars, Kentucky and Badminton, fall by the wayside along with other competitions that mean it is impossible for participants in that discipline to prepare properly.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said postponement would be necessary if the Games cannot be held in a complete way because of the pandemic.
“If the Olympics cannot be staged “in a complete way, a decision of postponement would be unavoidable,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee, backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have decided Canadian teams will not be sent to the Olympic and Paralympic Games this July.
They “urgently call on the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee and the World Health Organization to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community. ”
The Canadian organizations noted, “This is not solely about athlete health – it is about public health. With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow.”
Australia also will not be sending a team to Tokyo if the Games get under way on their scheduled dates this year.
AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll explained, “We have athletes based overseas, training at central locations around Australia as teams and managing their own programs. With travel and other restrictions this becomes an untenable situation.”
In a letter to athletes published today, IOC president Thomas Bach said that “we are in a dilemma” and “a final decision about the date of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 now would still be premature”.
He added that to postpone the Games “is an extremely complex challenge” and a cancellation would “destroy the Olympic dream of 11,000 athletes”.
In terms of a postponement, Bach warned: “A number of critical venues needed for the Games could potentially not be available anymore.
“The situations with millions of nights already booked in hotels is extremely difficult to handle, and the international sports calendar for at least 33 Olympic sports would have to be adapted. These are just a few of many, many more challenges.”
