by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 14, 2021
The horse business isn’t easy in the nation’s most densely populated state, but the Rutgers Equine Science center offers a leg up for its proponents in many ways.
The center, marking its 20th anniversary this year, is concerned with everything from better equine health and well-being through research, which has top priority; to environmental stewardship, land use planning, youth involvement and many other related subjects under the guidance of founding director Dr. Karyn Malinowski.
As she puts it, the Center is “the docking station for everything equine.”
Its annual Evening of Science and Celebration on Zoom last week combined several honors with updates on scientific topics.
The Spirit of the Horse Award, always presented to someone who has made an impact on the horse industry and who in turn has been impacted by their involvement with horses, went to Assemblyman Ron Dancer.
The son of famed harness driver Stanley Dancer, he raced and trained horses himself from 1968 through 1998. But now he’s better known for his legislative accomplishments.
Spirit of the Horse winner Ronald Dancer.
In that arena, the assemblyman has been a fervent advocate for horses, which often involves educating other legislators.
He good-naturedly cited “a learning curve with my colleagues about the value of the equine industry in the state.”
The Equine Center and a landmark economic impact study it produced “helped build a lot of support for the industry,” he pointed out. It showed that horse have a $1.1 billion economic impact on the state, providing 13,000 jobs in connection with $4 billion in equine-related assets and 42,500 horses as counted in a 2007 survey.
There were 222,000 acres supported by horses in a largely urban/suburban state, a figure that includes not only land devoted to horses, but also involved with their support, such as farms that grow hay and feed.
The assemblyman worked tirelessly in a successful attempt to have the Legislature pass a bill written to eliminate the tax on boarding horses. Gov. Phil Murphy did not sign it last year, however, and the “pocket veto” meant it didn’t become law.
“If taxes are your issue, then New Jersey’s probably not your state,” the Governor famously advised in 2019, and we saw how it applied to this initiative.
The Gold Medal Horse Farm award went to Topline Farm, a well-run 10 acre establishment in Alexandria Township. The facility won for outstanding equine management.
Topline Farm in Alexandria Township.
The farm is run by Katie Wigness; her husband, Kris, and her father, Ron Hutchins. Katie noted in the equine industry, “its important to be a good neighbor and be aware of your impact on the neighborhood and community.”
During the science part of the evening, the keynote presentation was made by Dr. Sarah White-Springer of Texas A&M University.
Her talk was entitled, “The Mighty Mitochondria: The Importance of Muscle Health for Optimal Equine Performance.” (Without getting too technical about it, the mitochondrian is the powerhouse of the cell.)
Her research focuses on ways to improve performance and reduce injury in equine athletes, looking at mitochondrial adaptations to diet and exercise, in addition to skeletal muscle bioenergetics.
She pointed out that selenium increases mitochondrial biogenesis, which eventually creates energy, but that training a horse also increases mitochondrial density. The scientist cited the piaffe as a strength exercise that leads to muscle building, but of course, it takes a horse with a specialty to engage in that.
If dressage isn’t your horse’s thing, hill work increases endurance, while long-and-low work engages the horse’s topline, she said.
In another presentation, Dr. Jennifer Weinert-Nelson discussed Quick-N-Big crabgrass as a planting that can counteract the “summer slump” in pastures. And since it’s not the grass of choice for every horse, it’s good for a field where an obese horse is turned out to cut down on its consumption.
Doctoral candidate Ellen Rankins explained her work involving equine-assisted activities for veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). The veterans work with horses on the ground, including grooming, leading and long-lining. Muscle activity, heart rates and blood samples are used as indicators of what effect such work has on both the veterans and the horses.
Skylar Cooper, a member of the New Jersey 4-H Horse Project, talked about flashy Zebroids, such as the Zorse, a cross between a zebra stallion and a domestic mare that rarely occurs in nature, and the Zonkey, produced by a zebra stallion and a jennet (female donkey).
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 5, 2021
Show jumping will no longer be part of the modern pentathlon lineup following the Paris Olympics in 2024, the International Modern Pentathlon Union has announced.
The sport received an unwelcome spotlight in Tokyo after a horse refused with a German rider who had been leading the competition to that point. She whipped the horse and burst into tears, a moment memorialized in a photo that made headlines around the world. Her mount was punched by her coach, who was disciplined by being sent home.
In a letter to athletes, the pentathlon union explained the decision, stating, “We would be making a mistake if we were to take our place in the Olympic programme for granted past Paris 2024. It is not granted for us, it is not granted for anybody.
“We really need to make sure that in that new environment, with all of these new sports (such as skateboarding) that have demonstrated strength and a lot of traction with people and media, we have to make sure that our sport if (sic) flawless.”
The organization’s executive board held a secret meeting this week in which it was decided to remove horseback riding from the program. Riding’s replacement sport has yet to be decided, but cycling is under consideration.
A riding working group had been set up to explore whether the equestrian element should be continued in the format that also includes shooting, running, swimming and fencing, which debuted at the 1912 Olympics. There have been innovations since, including running all the sports in a 90-minute broadcast-friendly format, rather than over a period of days.
Modern pentathlon participants are assigned a horse and have just 20 minutes before competing in the jumping. It’s a big ask for athletes who are not accomplished riders. The five-discipline event began as a military competition, with women taking part for the first time in 2000. It has not been among the more popular events to watch for viewers of the Games, which endangers its continuing inclusion.
However, more than 650 pentathletes wrote a letter expressing no confidence in the pentathlon organization’s president and board, asking for their resignations, while at the same time they pressed to keep riding in the pentathlon to save the integrity of the sport. The board is reported already to have decided on an alternate sport to replace riding, but if so, it was done without promised consultation with the athletes.
Meanwhile, people for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called for all equestrian disciplines to be dropped from the Olympics, not just the riding phase of modern pentathlon. The FEI (International Equestrian Federation), which is the governing body for the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and grand prix-level show jumping, does not regulate pentathlon.
“Just as the Olympics evolved to include sports that are of current interest, like skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing, in a world that increasingly refuses to accept abuse in any form, it’s time to remove sports that are no longer supported by the public,” PETA’s senior vice-president of the equine matters department, Kathy Guillermo, wrote to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
There is no comparison between riding in the pentathlon and the Olympic equestrian sports, which are run at the highest standard of athleticism and care for the horse, most of which have been with their riders for many years.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 31, 2021
With two important competitions separated by 317 miles this weekend, Beacon Hill Show Stable’s crew handled the distance and came up a winner at both the National in Lexington, Ky., and the Washington International in Tryon, N.C.
The Colts Neck, N.J., stable’s team worked with 13-year-old Rylynn Conway of Fair Haven in the Hamel Foundation National Horse Show 3’3” Equitation Championship today, and yesterday coached 18-year-old Dominic Gibbs to the title in the WIHS Equitation Finals, his last competition as a junior.
Head trainer Stacia Klein Madden was with Dominic through three phases of competition, while Heather Senia Williams and Lydia Ulrich were ringside for the Hamel, which drew 177 contenders. The Washington was the only equitation championship on its weekend until 2018 when, coincidentally, Beacon Hill-trained Elli Yeager won there while Dominic was victorious in the inaugural Hamel.
Interestingly, Stacia recalled, several judges who watched Dominic in the Hamel said they hadn’t seen any teen ride the way he did since Conrad Homfeld was in the equitation ranks more than half a century ago. Conrad became an Olympic team gold and individual silver medalist, among other honors, and there are high hopes for Dominic’s future in the same vein.
It’s not surprising, considering Dominic’s considerable achievements since the Hamel (victory in the ASPCA Maclay last year and good placings in the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search and the Dover Saddlery/USEF Medal Finals) that Stacia believes the 3-3 “seems to have really taken off as a division, creating a nice introduction for the 3-6 equitation,” the height at which the Medal and Maclay are contested.
Dominic Gibbs on Cent 15. (Photo by Shawn McMillen)
Heather recalled how she felt in 2018, when she had to work the Hamel and couldn’t be at Washington.
“I’ll go this time,” she told Stacia, “but I really love Washington, so I don’t want to have to go every year.”
And then, she said of the Hamel, “I enjoyed it so much I’ve been coming back ever since.”
She also noted that as Beacon Hill’s business has gotten bigger, “There’s more weeks than not that we’re sort of separated and in different places.”
Rylynn, an eighth-grader who attends the U.S. Performance Academy on line, was aboard Crossbow, her first horse, who she said, “has taught me everything. He’s been perfect for me. I love him so much.”
She is the niece of Michelle and Christine Conway, once familiar names on the show circuit who trained with Stacia and in the hunters with the late Leo Conroy, a co-manager of the National until his death in 2015.
The Hamel has become both more popular and more testing since its inception.
Today, Heather pointed out, “A lot of difficult questions were asked. Do-able but difficult.”
Rylynn was geared up to handle them.
“All week, she’s had a cool, calm confidence about her. And the horse was performing great. She seemed super confident. So I had a good feeling about today,” said Heather.
Rylynn Conway after winning the Hamel championship with trainers Heather Williams (holding cooler) and Lydia Ulrich, as well as groom Felipe Martinez. (Libby Greene photo)
The trainer, who won the World Champion Hunter Rider Developing Pro Challenge at the Capital Challenge, characterized Rylnn as “a great student. She’s very intellectual, and she also has good feel. So it’s a great combination when you have a rider who’s a super good student and really sticks to the plan and then has natural feel on top of it.”
Stacia noted Rylynn is “a fierce competitor, deadly accurate and works very hard.”
Speaking about the Washington class, Stacia said, “To me, the win was more about Dominic just really having such unbelievable goals and composure. All along, he’s always wanted to develop his horse and develop his riding. We’ve worked together to have goals that weren’t based necessarily around results.”
But he’s gotten plenty of good results, though the Washington carried “a whole other level of added stress,” Stacia said, because it was his last junior class on Cent 15, a “special” horse he developed.
“He’s so easily adaptable,” she observed about Dominic.
“He’s learned it’s consistency that we’re after.”
Dominic was third in the hunter phase of the Washington, but didn’t get distracted by that, and went on to win the jumper phase. And then he aced it when he had to change horses in the final segment. The native of Colorado has had a lot of experience with catch riding, which will stand him in good stead as he pursues his equestrian ambitions. He’s taking a year off before going to the University of Miami and will work as a professional with Katie and Henri Prudent at Plain Bay Farm, where he gets his jumper training.
Unlike many horses who are sold when their riders age out of the equitation, Cent “is a Gibbs family member,” as Stacia put it and next year will be ridden by Dominic’s younger sister, Jordan.
Dominic noted that the “mental game has always been a really big thing for me. Having done the equitation for a few years now, knowing what the finals season is like, and having that under my belt was a really good thing coming into my last junior season. Knowing my horse, trusting my training, and trying to deliver my best rounds were really big thoughts in my head this week.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 31, 2021
Why not donate your used gear for the horse, rider or the barn to Mane Stream at 83 Old Turnpike Road just outside the center of Oldwick? It is having a tack sale Nov. 7 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
In addition to new or used bridles, saddles, blankets and tack boxes, as well as outgrown boots, breeches and jackets, horse-related models and knick-knacks will be accepted. All donations may be dropped off or donors may call to schedule a pick-up. For more information, contact Jen at 908-439-9636 or jen@manestreamnj.org.
Mane Stream’s mission to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, developmental, emotional, and medical challenges through a diverse program of equine assisted activities, therapy services, and educational initiatives.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 22, 2021
What are you doing on Saturday mornings? Why not take some time to find out things that could affect your horse’s welfare.
From 10 a.m.-noon for three consecutive Saturdays, MARS Equestrian will offer educational presentations on subjects important to your horse’s well-being.
Obesity is the topic on Oct. 30, followed by senior horses on Nov. 6 and laminitis on Nov. 13. The presenters are distinguished veterinarians and a specialist in equine nutrition..
To register, click here
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 20, 2021
The Jersey Fresh International three-day event will not be held in 2022, even though the Horse Park of New Jersey trustees had voted to stage it one last time.
Under the new U.S. Equestrian Federation eventing calendar process, it lost its 4-star Long and Short designations for 2023-2027 as it was not granted those divisions, or the 3-star Long it previously hosted.
“Understandably, it was hard for our incredible sponsors, who have been so critical to our event over the years, to commit to supporting an event that they knew was quite literally on its last legs,” stated Adam Furlong, president of the park’s board of trustees.
“If the governing body of our sport has determined that this event should not be permitted to continue, what message does that send to our sponsors about the value of their investment in our sport,” he asked.
“The Park does not have the financial flexibility to operate the event at a loss, nor are we willing to compromise the integrity of the event by drastically cutting expenses,” he observed.
“It went so well in 2021, why run something less good in 2022,” wondered Jane Cory, co-organizer of the event with cross-country course designer Morgan Rowsell.
USEF didn’t waste any time following the Jersey Fresh cancellation–it has opened a one week bid process that runs through Oct. 29 to fill Jersey’s space on the calendar for an event that could host an East Coast 4-star L May 17-19, in 2022 only.
The Tryon, N.C., Spring International, one of only six events in the U.S. to be awarded a 4-star Long for 2023-27, will be on the May weekend before the dates USEF is seeking to fill. Many competitors who previously came to New Jersey obviously will be going south instead. Venues with more bells and whistles than the Horse Park had an edge, and that includes not only Tryon, but also the new TerraNova facility in Myakka City, Fla., east of Sarasota, which has never held a horse trials but whose management is investing heavily in its event.
“This is the trend. It takes a lot of money to do it,” observed Jane.
She acknowledged the Horse Park has some weaknesses, but noted organizers worked hard to overcome them. The footing is not the artificial material that is found at the “name” facilities, and the stabling is far from fancy. But a footing expert was hired for Jersey Fresh to show how to maintain the rings with the footing they have. She noted there have been no complaints from others using the facility, including dressage riders who are known for being picky about where their horses tread.
Carol Kozlowski, a former president of the U.S. Eventing Association and a member of the USEF board, observed “these riders get so wrapped up in footing and then go to Europe and you’re competing on grass.”
She noted that while many consider it “a cool thing to run FEI events, the lower levels become something of an afterthought,” though they can pad the budgets of a big event with their fees.
Adam mentioned that the trustees have “been enthusiastic in approving new investments into the Park as we can afford them, and will continue to meet the needs of all equestrian sports that operate at our facility. We recognize that the Horse Park is in need of improvements in the ring footing and stabling, and we are actively working to raise the funds necessary to make these investments.
“In recent years, JFI has had enough success to allow profits to be invested back into the park and into the event. Had the process of awarding dates played out differently, we may have still been able to operate the event in 2022 and make more money to be invested back into our facility.”
The park was granted an Advanced designation by USEF for its horse trials at the end of June, and Jane doesn’t know if something special might be done for that competition in lieu of Jersey Fresh. Will Connell, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s director of sport, said he hopes “Jersey Fresh stays on the calendar in some form or another.”
Explaining the need to reorganize the eventing calendar, he said it was in such a state that the only option was to “call a half-halt” and closely examine what needed to be done by a committee under the leadership of Olympic cross-country designer Derek DiGrazia.
The 4-star Long is “a major qualification to go 5-star,” Will pointed out, noting that a horse “can only compete in so many in a year.”
The 5-stars, in turn, are crucial in preparing teams for global competitions such as the Olympics and world championships. The committee had to look at the spacing between competitions to make sure high-level competitions did not flood the calendar . The events need to know they can get enough riders to make their events viable.
There are fewer top-level competitors in eventing than show jumping, where there are huge numbers of entries in Florida during the winter, with enough exhibitors to fill three major circuits and a couple of minor ones. Show jumpers also can compete more often than eventing horses.
Will said the choice of location for the 4-star Longs have “nothing to do with elitism. We want all of our events at that level to be the very best.”
He said an event with the 3-star Short division and below was not affected by the calendar change and “carries on,” which is an option for the Horse Park.
The Horse Park event, known for its great footing on cross-country, definitely has its fans. Pennsylvania-based Boyd Martin, winner of the Jersey Fresh 4-star L this year with Luke 140, maintained, “Jersey’s always been a special event, especially for everyone up in this region. It would be sad to see Jersey go, but I still think it’s a venue that could thrive on a championship event, horse trials, there’s been so much hard work put into developing the course.”
Boyd Martin on his victory lap at Jersey Fresh 2021.
Erik Duvander, the USEF eventing performance director, said, “I think the venue has a real good purpose for the short formats. They do a really good job there. It was always a little hard for them to get the distances and so on in the long format. I really, really wish they keep going, because I love the venue myself and in the short format, it’s a very important part of what we do.”
Jersey Fresh was started in 2003 by Debbie Adams, a professional from Medford, because a 2-star (now designated as a 3-star by the FEI) was needed in the area following the demise of the Essex Horse Trials in Gladstone after its 1998 edition (Essex was revived four years ago in Far Hills.)
“The Horse Park is a multi-purpose place with so many activities during the year; that’s why we picked it,” Debbie said. But she noted as the sport is evolving, it gave rise to Tryon, the Jockey Club in Ocala and other more glamorous locations, including Morven Park, that were able to invest a lot of money in their facilities.
Debbie said coming up with the event’s name was easy, because it reflected the importance of agriculture in New Jersey. She bowed out of the event management after two years when the Horse Park took over running it, but she often attended the competition.
“It’s tough putting a 4-star together because of the distance and length of the course; it’s hard for smaller properties to host it,” she commented. .
Adam Furlong believes that the Horse Park “will adapt and overcome. We have already had some really exciting conversations about what we plan to do in the future years, and we hope to be able to share that good news soon.
“We remain committed to developing and growing the larger sport of equestrian within the state of New Jersey, and that certainly includes eventing. We are confident that our next actions will reflect that commitment, and the Park will continue to be a facility that sees former, current, and future world champions compete on the property.”
Toward that end, Adam said, “We are going to follow up with USEF directly about the process and hopefully find a solution that is committed to developing the sport of eventing in the U.S., and particularly in the Northeast and insuring there is that pipeline for that next generation of world championship riders.”
He offered “one final thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors that have (been) integral to Jersey Fresh. The event could not have been possible without the love, grit and determination that went into JFI for the past 20 years. We know that we will make the supporters of JFI proud of what comes next.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 17, 2021
There couldn’t have been a better advertisement for the new Maryland 5 star event than having the charismatic Boyd Martin win it today by the narrowest of margins—just 0.1 penalties while his fans roared in unbridled delight. If the arena had a roof, they would have raised it as the country’s first autumn 5-star wrapped up a spectacular debut.
Boyd’s ride, On Cue, rubbed some rails around the show jumping course in the final phase of the competition at the Fair Hill Special Event Zone, with the crowd gasping at each potential mishap.
“We bumped and thumped few poles and never heard one come down. I couldn’t believe I got a clear round. I think Lady Luck was on our side,” Boyd conceded, saying “On Cue gutsed it out.”
Boyd Martin and On Cue clearing the final show jumping fence as fans get ready to cheer. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
He had gone into the ring in third place, with New Zealand’s Tim Price standing second and world number one Oliver Townend in the lead. Those riders had finished 1-2 at the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star in April, when Boyd was fourth on the Turner family’s Anglo-European mare by Cabri D’Elle.
Boyd called his rivals “super duper jumpers,” saying he was just hoping to finish in the top five.
But Lady Luck apparently went out for a drink after his round.
Tim had a rail at the second fence, a vertical, with Xavier Faer, adding four faults to his dressage score of 24.3 penalties.
“Having the second rail is not a great beginning to your round,” Tim pointed out, “but he’s a trier. If I get him to the fence the right way with the right energy, we can get away with it most of the time.”
As Boyd rode around the warm-up ring while the others ahead of him on the leaderboard jumped, he was surprised to hear the announcer say Tim had a rail.
“I thought to myself, `You never know, Oli might screw up as well,” he recalled with a smile.
Oliver remained faultless only a little longer than Tim, as his two-time Kentucky winner Cooley Master Class toppled a pole at fence number four. He finished on 25.1 penalties, putting four faults onto his dressage mark of 21.1 to finish second
It was that seemingly insignificant tenth of a point that made the difference between Boyd earning the $100,000 first prize and the $45,000 awarded for being runner-up.
Money aside, Boyd was honored to win in the company of “two riders that are so idolized and looked up to. Today was On Cue’s day and it’s great to win it,” he said about the mare he described as having “so much heart and desire.”
Oliver Townend, Boyd Martin and Tim Price on the podium with Boyd’s boys, Nox and Leo. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
In addition to leaving the jumps up, it was also necessary to be within the 82-second time allowed by course designer Ken Krome on his extremely influential route. Boyd came close there as well, finishing in 81.84, to become the first American since 2008 to win at the highest level of the sport. (That was a 4-star when Phillip Dutton did it at Kentucky on Connaught; the designation has since been upgraded to 5-star.)
And by the way, Boyd won the Adelaide 4-star (now upgraded to a 5-star like Kentucky) when he lived in Australia before emigrating to America, so it wasn’t his first victory at the top level of the sport. While riding in that competition, he palled around with Tim Price, who Boyd said was living in his trailer with a mattress on the floor at the time.
Saying he was happy for Boyd, Oliver commented, “Some days are meant to be your days, and some days aren’t meant to be your days. And to be again stacked both with Boyd and Tim to me is a privilege, because they’re riders that I actually have a huge amount of respect for.
“We’re working boys, we’re very normal lads and for all three of us to be in the position we’re in is a huge privilege.”
He maintained that if “normal people” work hard, “you can make it to the pinnacle of this sport. That’s the message I want to get out to any kid who’s thinking `I can’t do it because I’m not from a wealthy background.’ I think we’re all selling the sport ‘and (showing) it’s actually possible.”
Boyd deserves his popularity; he’s not only a talented rider and a hard worker, he’s engaging, a lot of fun and his rugged good looks make for compelling photos. And he’s even got cute kids to complete the picture. The crowd loved it when his little boys, Nox and Leo, joined him on the podium, though Leo kept losing his grip on the bottle of expensive champagne that would later be shaken up to soak everyone on the podium.
Having Boyd take the championship at the first competition in the Fair Hill Special Event Zone put a stamp of approval on the new venue from eventing insiders and fans.
Boyd Martin’s fans join in celebrating as he passes in his victory gallop. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
There were some kinks involving logistics and ticketing among other first-time issues at Fair Hill, but the competition rose above them.. As cross-country course designer Ian Stark put it, the event is “still teething,” but called it “impressive” nonetheless. You could say Boyd wasn’t the only U.S. 5-star winner; the event deserves that distinction as well.
Jeff Newman, the CEO and president of the event, noted it was tricky planning a new fixture in the middle of a pandemic.The four-day attendance total of 20,886, about half of which came on cross-country day, was gratifying but hard to foresee..
Next year, “We’ll have a much better idea on how to staff accordingly and (add) equipment accordingly. I think we’ll be better prepared in terms of anticipating numbers,” Jeff said, stating the goal is “to be better prepared for customer needs. It was very tough to predict what was necessary this year. We were pleasantly surprised by the crowds and now have a foundation to be able to anticipate that better.
“We had great crowd support, great athlete support and great sponsor support. What we hope next year is that we can just build on that.”
A better use for Veuve Clicquot champagne is toasting rather than spraying on fellow competitors. Oliver Townend, Boyd Martin and Tim Price clink glasses with Maryland 5 Star event CEO and president Jeff Newman. (Photo © 2021 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Twelve of the original 45 5-star starters did not finish the event, but the top 10 really demonstrated their ability. Making the biggest jump from the lower end of the pack was Doug Payne, tied for 33d on Quantum Leap after dressage, then moving up to a tie for 11th following a cross-country round that was clear except for 1.8 time penalties. He capped it all with a clear show jumping performance to wind up ninth..
“I can’t say enough really about Quantum. He tries his heart out,” Doug reported.
“For his second 5 star as a 10-year-old, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. They always say the first 5 star is nice to do; the second you know you have a real horse, and for sure, we’ve got a real one.”
Asked for his opinion about the event, Doug said, “It’s something I think the U.S. has needed for a very long time. I can’t imagine it doesn’t help us increase .our depth and be stronger and stronger, because we’re not breaking the bank every fall to find a 5-star to go to (across the Atlantic). It’s pretty special and I’m lucky to have the opportunity.”
RINGSIDE SEAT–It was good to hear the announcer give credit to Trish Gilbert, who started the first Fair Hill event that became the Fair Hill International in 1989, paving the way for this spectacular 2021 event on the other side of the acreage at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area…
This was a day for Martins. Kurt Martin (no relation to Boyd) won the 3-star national championship with Debbie Adams’ D.A. Lifetime. It’s quite a nice story; look for it on this website later this week…
Marilyn Payne, Doug’s mother, is an international judge who has officiated at the Olympics and other major events around the world. She was enthusiastic about the Maryland 5 Star, saying it was needed and fills a gap.
“This is a fantastic venue. It’s got great terrain,” she said, noting Ian Stark did a “fabulous” job laying out the cross-country route.
“It was really a true 5-star track.. We had a lot of fabulous horses and riders, so sometimes it makes it look easy, but not for the others. To develop our horses, we needed another track.”
Comparing this event to Kentucky, she said, “This is much closer to a Burghley or a Badminton.”.
For full 5-star results, click here
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 7, 2021
We’re more accustomed to seeing Heather Senia Williams coaching people outside the show ring, rather than riding in it.
But Heather, who works for Beacon Hill Show Stables in Colts Neck, had a chance to demonstrate her talent on a horse yesterday at the Capital Challenge show, where she won the $5,000 World Champion Hunter Rider Developing Pro Challenge. The 33-year-old competitor, who turned pro when she was 18, took the opportunity when Lillian Soroken offered her DiCaprio for the class. It was an impromptu decision. Heather didn’t even have the right clothes, and had to buy a shadbelly to be properly attired for the competition..
“A lot of times I’m not here during this week because it’s also the USEF Talent Search Finals,” said Heather.
“The stars just sort of aligned that I was able to be here, and I had the opportunity from the Sorokens to ride this great horse so I said I was going to take advantage and do it while I can.
“The majority of my professional career is really spent training,” she continued. “I don’t do a lot of competitive riding for myself; I do a lot of schooling jumpers and preparing horses. I would say that’s primarily what my riding entails, but I knew I was going to be here this week and it’s a rare occasion.”
Heather andDiCaprio 3, a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Contender, scored 85.66 and 88.66 for a total of 174.32. Jared Depermentier and Brad Wolf’s Sebastian were second with scores of 85 and 87.66 for a 172.66 total. Vivian Yowan and Sazerac, owned by IMB of Jupiter LLC, finished third after they scored 86.41 and 86.16 for a 172.57 total.
Heather Williams and DiCaprio. (Shawn McMillen Photo)
Heather was in third place after the first round, but their second-round score propelled them up the standings.
“Coming into the second round, I took a peek at the scores before I got on and I saw that the top riders were all really within one point of each other,” she said. “I knew if I had a good trip, I would have a real chance at moving up. I tried to stick to my plan. I know my horse really well, and I had a road map of how I wanted to ride the course and luckily it panned out exactly how I’d hoped.”
It was a sweet victory for Williams, who was the first person to ride DiCaprio 3 when he arrived in the barn two years ago.
“We brought him home to the barn from Capital Challenge actually, and I took one lap around the indoor ring. She told her boss, Stacia Madden, “This horse has to stay!’” she recalled. “It’s full circle that I rode him the very first day he came to the barn and loved him so much. Now it’s two years later, and I feel like I helped him stay in the barn and he helped me win this class. To win a class like this is always special, but to do it on a horse I have such a relationship with makes it even more special.”
She added, “I’m very grateful to Stacia Madden for giving me the opportunity to do this class and Max Amaya (of Stonehenge Farm) for always being such a supporter of my riding and myself since I was a young professional. I’m good friends with Patricia Griffith (of Heritage Farm), so she was nice enough to help me today. Lydia Ulrich and T.J. O’Mara were also here, so between the three of them, I was really lucky to have a great crew help me.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 7, 2021
There is concern about the future of Dressage at Devon, though you might not have thought so after seeing the crowd that packed the grandstands for Grand Prix night last Saturday
The U.S. Equestrian Federation Heritage Show is always popular with spectators from the area along Philadelphia’s Main Line, but in recent years, Dressage at Devon has sought help with financial issues.
“As a non-profit, we operate on a very strict budget. Given several hardships the show has weathered in the past decade, we are now in a position (where) we must ask you and our community for help,” stated a 2019 appeal for assistance from DAD.
Then came Covid. It made the situation even more difficult because the show, which started in 1975, couldn’t run in 2020.
This year, entries in some divisions were light due to a variety of circumstances, including the postponed 2020 Olympics and Aachen’s move from June/July to September, with the German show ending just nine days before Dressage at Devon began.
I asked D at D President/CEO Lori Kaminski whether there is any danger the show won’t continue.
“I don’t know, to be totally honest,” she replied, then quickly added, “I hope this show continues well into the future. It’s a well-loved show, especially to spectators and our breeders for the breed show.”
Dressage at Devon President/CEO Lori Kaminski. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
She pointed out it takes $750,000 annually to administer and run the show, which offers 1-star and 3-star international classes, as well as national competition and a breeding division, but she also offered a hopeful sign. For the first time, DAD had a title sponsor, the ShowPlus benefits program designed to reimburse equestrians for out-of-pocket costs that may not be covered by insurance.
Lori also was enthusiastic about the new “Shoppin’ in the USA” initiative for breeders to sell horses in a showcase after the breed show competition ended. It’s a way for people to see a number of horses in one place, as opposed to driving long distances to look at just one, and then going elsewhere to scout another. Lori also noted, “If you say your horse won the filly class (at DAD), that filly is going to command a little more money than one that either wasn’t shown or was shown at some little breed show.”
Canadians, usually a key contingent at DAD, won the featured Grand Prix Freestyle three years in a row through 2019. But this year, only two Canadians competed at the Grand Prix level, both in the Grand Prix Special, rather than the Freestyle that is a qualifier for the FEI World Cup final.
The Aachen date change “had us worried and it kind of proved itself true,” commented Lori. The Canadian team moved on to Aachen after the Olympics, and none of those riders appeared at Devon.
The Covid regulation situation that affected border crossings between the U.S. and Canada also probably played a role. That certainly was the case for Tanya Strasser-Shostak, who found herself dealing with her mother’s two horses as well as her own mount when her mom, Evi Strasser, couldn’t get across the border because of Covid red tape. (Click here for a link to her story).
Grand Prix Special winner Diane Creech of Ontario noted Covid made things more complicated and expensive for Canadians traveling to Pennsylvania, because of testing requirements and dealing with the timing of those test results.
Meanwhile, the strength of the Wellington, Fla., circuit and shows in Tryon, N.C., both presented by the same management, have meant a change in the dressage show calendar. Some people from the Northeast have moved south permanently; others leave earlier in the year than they used to, and may be preparing for an October getaway just when it’s time for Devon.
While DAD’s Small Tour classes filled very well, others–such as the juniors and Young Riders, had few entries. The Special attracted only four starters and the Freestyle had just six horses dancing to the music.
But for many of the spectators, 10 horses made for a full evening, when coupled with shopping and a vaulting exhibition.
Fans always turn out for the Freestyle on Saturday night at Dressage at Devon to watch combinations such as Jannike Gray and Giraldillo Cen. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Although the big names who once competed in the DAD freestyle, when the likes of a Lars Petersen (Succes), George Williams (Rocher) and Adrienne Lyle (Wizard), were no longer on the start list, the crowd came anyway.
Dr. Mary Stapleton, who has been meeting with 10 of her friends at the show “for at least 20 years,” called DAD “a seed of continuity amidst constant change. I’m not even aware of the big names anymore the way I used to be. It keeps me from having any preconceived notions. I’m enjoying the movement of the horses and I think you recognize excellence. This is poetry in motion.”
But U.S. Dressage Federation President Lisa Gorretta thinks it’s important for elite riders to participate.
She believes that at DAD “growth in the CDI (international classes), support from the high performance riders, is what has sustained it and been the shoring-up. The thing that makes Devon, Devon, and fills those stands are the international riders.
“When you have the World Cup in the U.S., you have to support it. When you have Dressage at Devon, to me, if you’re in this sport, you have a certain level of responsibility.”
It’s a complicated issue; U.S. Technical Advisor Debbie McDonald sees it a little differently.
“I understand where Lisa is coming from,” she said.
At the same time, Debbie pointed out, “Lisa has to understand with our top riders, they can only do so many shows in a year.”
With the postponed Olympics in the mix, “This was a very busy, hard year on our top horses. The timing of this show and where it is located makes it very difficult. I do not think riders have a responsibility to shows, only to their horses and what is right for them.”
From Lisa’s perspective, “Devon represents everything in the history of dressage in this country. It is one of our few really significant Heritage Competitions; other divisions (disciplines) have a lot of them. If you look at the photos of old Devon, the people who have been the movers and shakers in developing dressage in the U.S. all came through Devon. Even if they were from the West Coast, they still at some point competed at Devon.”
She added, “Everyone I have talked to without exception has said how important this competition is for the sporthorse breeders, for the CDI riders and exposure to international dressage in this part of the country. I would really hate to see not having Devon happen.”
Maryland-based Michael Bragdell, who won the Freestyle last weekend with Qredit Hilltop, loves the response of the crowd, part of the reason why DAD is special to him.
DAD Freestyle winner Michael Bragdell on Qredit Hilltop. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“There’s so much history here, and under the lights, there’s no other place like it. It’s always a treat.”
International judge Linda Zang agrees, saying,.“I think it’s important to keep Devon. It’s the only CDI in this area.”
She thinks the absence of high-performance riders for the freestyle “has a lot to do with the strength of the Florida circuit. A lot of top trainers have gone south, that slowly takes away the base of making our riders. Everything’s there now.”
Even so, she emphasized, “There has got to be a way to keep this show going. It stands for the Northeast,” calling it part of the “inspiration cycle.”
She would like to see more sponsors, and have them increase prize money to help defray riders’ expenses “and give it (DAD) importance.”
But in any case, the importance of the show to its regular competitors can’t be overestimated.
Exhibitor Lauren Chumley, who brought nine horses to compete in both the breed and performance classes, called DAD “a destination. This is just the place to be; to show here and do well in this atmosphere, with the crowds and the vendors. Devon’s got a magic to it. It’s been around for so long and so many great horses have gone under those lights.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 5, 2021
Olympian Rich Fellers has opted to go to trial in Oregon on criminal charges of sexual misconduct involving a minor. Proceedings were scheduled for April after a case management appearance yesterday by the 2012 World Cup show jumping champion.
He has been suspended indefinitely by the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the Center for SafeSport. His wife, Shelley Fellers, has been suspended until Feb. 9, 2027 on charges of abuse of process, retaliation and failure to report
Maggie Kehring, a former student of Fellers, 61, has stated publicly that he had a sexual relationship with her while she was a 17-year-old minor. Fellers was arrested June 7 and held briefly in jail before being released on 10 percent of a $40,000 bail.
Another Oregon jumper rider/trainer, Jeff Campf, 56, was suspended by USEF and SafeSport Oct. 4 for allegations of misconduct.
