by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 14, 2020
A bronze statue that is half life-size will stand as a tribute to the marvelous dressage horse Valegro, three-time Olympic gold and two-time world championships gold winner.
The statue will go up in Newent, a small town in Great Britain’s Gloucestershire, where he is stabled. Will his rider Charlotte Dujardin get her own statue next?
Valegro gave dressage an enormous popularity boost with his grace and style. (Photo © 2015 by Nancy Jaffer)
No word on that (there’s already a gold-plated mailbox in town to commemorate Charlotte’s achievement) but an application was submitted by the Newent Initiative Trust to erect Valero’s statue. Plans call for the statue of the 18-year-old gelding to become a visitor destination in the town first mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book.
Valegro and Charlotte won the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, and Olympic titles in the team and individual dressage in the 2012 London Olympics, as well as the individual gold at Rio in 2016 before the horse retired in a moving ceremony at Olympia.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 12, 2020
The Garden State Driving Event at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown will host the advanced single and four-in-hand driving championships Oct. 7-10 2021.
Those competitions previously were held at the Live Oak show in Ocala, Fla.
The Garden State CDE last weekend presented two intermediate national championships. Sarah Reitz of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., won the singles competition with Awesome George, a 13-year-old Dutch harness cross gelding. They went into the lead in the marathon, and kept their edge to take the title.
Yvette Harris of Woodbine, Md., took the pair pony title with her mares, Suki, an eight-year-old Welsh cross and Morwell Amber, a 14-year-old Welsh. They stood first after the dressage phase and stayed in front until the trophy was awarded.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 11, 2020
The ad Kevin Babington placed in the local newspaper during the late 1980s read something like this: “Young Irish lad specializing in problem horses…”
That rang a bell with Deborah and Richard Roslowski of West Amwell, who just happened to have a problem horse.
“We said, `Let’s give Kevin Babington a chance,’ and he’s been our buddy ever since,” noted Deborah.
The Roslowskis and their daughters were Kevin’s first clients after he came over to the U.S. from Ireland. Today, they sold Ride for KBabs T-shirts and I “heart” K Babs dog treats during the second annual Babington benefit show at Duncraven in Titusville, Mercer County. They were among the many volunteers who pitched in to make the show happen because of their commitment to Kevin.
Deborah and Richard Roslowski. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Last year, the show was held six weeks after Kevin suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury in a fall during the Hampton Classic grand prix. It ended a riding career that had brought him close to an Olympic medal and left him as a quadriplegic in need of expensive medical care. A group of friends, led by one of his former employees, Jennifer Cassidy of Lambertville, organized the benefit that raised nearly $60,000.
“When I heard about the accident, I just thought, `I’ve got two able hands’ and this is what I thought I could offer. It’s been huge, the incredible support of the staff,” said Jennifer, adding, “I just made the right phone calls to put this together. Everyone stepped up to the plate.”
The Irish flag was proudly on display at Duncraven in honor of Kevin’s homeland. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
This year, the funds haven’t been counted yet, but entries closed two days early because so many people wanted to ride in the show. Then there were the donations for raffles and sales of items like those the Roslowskis had at their table in front of the stables. It was more challenging to present the show this year because of Covid restrictions, but the enthusiastic turnout overrode that situation.
With lifetime care for someone in Kevin’s condition estimated to run as high as $5 million, money is a key issue. While Kevin, 52, has improved since his accident, he is still confined to a wheelchair.
He has a bit more movement here and there than he did a year ago, and can teach using a headset to connect with someone in his ring, or virtually for students who are at their own barns. But he requires extensive physical therapy, while he has fewer clients seeking his expertise than he once did.
Kevin had a remarkable career in grand prix show jumping until his accident.
So the Duncraven show is special not only for fundraising, but also so people can keep a connection with him.
“It means everything. It means people are still behind him and haven’t forgotten the person he is and what he’s still trying to achieve,” said Kevin’s wife, Dianna, who spent the day at the show thanking everyone and visiting with old friends.
Dianna Babington with a banner that says it all about the Babington cause. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s so expensive to keep him moving and put him in the best possible place for recovery. Without the fundraising, we would never be able to do it,” she explained.
It helps pay for the gas in the car that gets him to therapy, for prescriptions, for a nurse when he needs one and the cascade of so many other costs involved in an existence that is very different from the life he enjoyed before the accident.
“These fundraisers really make all of that happen and allow us to keep going. If not, the alternative is probably a shorter lifespan and much less opportunity to recover,” noted Dianna, whose devotion and efforts for her husband and their two daughters never flag, even as she teaches lessons herself.
Duncraven is where Kevin ran his business for years, so the show had the air of a reunion.
“ Most of the people who come here are from the tri-state area and have had some kind of interaction with Kevin or know of him and heard what a great guy he is,” said Dianna.
“It’s really nice to have people turn out.”
The rings stayed busy at the benefit show. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Kevin would have liked to come to the show, but logistically, it was impossible for him travel from his base in Florida. So Dianna kept him involved with the day through FaceTiming him and sending photos of the activities.
The Roslowskis’ daughter, Julie Koveloski, was one of those who organized raffles and donations. She started riding with Kevin when she was 10 and noted, “He was like a brother to me, and like a son to my parents.”
Karen Raach, a Pennsylvanian, who handled the silent auction at the show, met Kevin six years ago when she won an auction bid for a lesson. Then she “fell in love with the family” and started taking lessons from Dianna.
Karen Raach, Julie Koveloski and Jennifer Cassidy. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
One of the items sold at the show is a face mask in the Irish colors designed by Gretchen Ober with the “S” that stands for Superman. Kevin got that nickname, Karen said, when a horse at a show in Ocala three years ago got his leg stuck in a brushbox as people gasped, and did nothing. Kevin, however, jumped off his horse, rushed over to free the horse, and got him under control.
“The people who owned the horse gave him a Superman hat the next day. Ever since then, he’s been called Superman,” said Karen, noting Redfield Tack donated half the masks and a sponsor paid for the others.
There were many such generous donations. Monica Ward of Equ Lifestyle donated two air vests, worth $1,000 each, which has particular significance because since Kevin’s accident, more jumper riders are wearing the vests in an effort to protect themselves from an injury like the one Kevin suffered.
A shamrock fence had special meaning at Duncraven. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Stephanie Valducci, who lives on Long Island, sometimes had to drive for as long as four hours (the traffic!) to take lessons with Kevin. She remains his student, but virtually, noting, “it was amazing, it was like he was in the ring with me, even though I was in New York and he was in Florida.” Training with Kevin, you’re part of the family. Anything to support them,” she said; in her case, that was sponsoring a schooling jumper division.
Jennifer, who hopes the show can be two days next year, had many people to thank for this year’s effort, including the trainers who came and brought their clients, the volunteers, secretary Mary Norris, Duncraven owner Tim Fedor, Nancy Wallis, who designed the courses and filled in where needed, as well as Katie Benson, who helped with the prizelist and supplied jumps.
It takes a huge amount of work and devotion to put on the show, but as Jennifer noted, if the situation were reversed, “Kevin would be doing the same thing for anyone else.”
Those who couldn’t make it to the show and want to help the Babington Family Trust can send contributions (which are not tax deductible) to 13254 Casey Road, Loxahatchee, Fla., 33470.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 8, 2020
There would be no sport without athletes, but all too often they have gone unheard.
That is changing following Congressional passage of legislation designed to put competitors in a better position to advocate for what they think is important, with more representation on their sports’ National Governing Bodies. At the same time, it means greater control of the way coaches and sports executives operate.
The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act, which must be signed by the President to become law, would enable Congress to decertify NGBs for cause, and it provides more money for the U.S. Center for SafeSport. That agency’s mandate involves protecting athletes from bullying, harassment, hazing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct.
The legislation proposes that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee increase funding for SafeSport to $20 million annually, from its $7.5 million allocation in 2019 and $11.5 million this year.
The bill states nothing shall preclude the Center from imposing interim measures or sanctions on an individual before an opportunity for a hearing or arbitration, something that has been controversial in the past. It also does not require the Center to meet a burden of proof higher than the preponderance of the evidence against an accused athlete.
People who deal with SafeSport, either as a victim or the accused, often have trouble understanding what is happening. That’s because the process is far different than the judicial proceedings with which they are more familiar, whether from personal experience or watching it on TV.
In an effort to determine how athletes view the agency and how they think it could be improved, SafeSport is seeking their answers through an online survey. It is part of a collaborative effort between a dozen national governing bodies, Paralympic sport organizations, the USOPC and athlete representatives from various sports.
“This is the first time Safe Sport is asking for feedback from a large group of athletes from every sport. It is anonymous, and being gathered and processed by a third party,” said Ali Brock, the 2016 Olympic dressage team bronze medalist who is the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s athlete representative for the Olympic disciplines.
Discussing the survey, she noted, “The last two questions (one asking for written feedback about the organization and the second about suggestions to improve it) are the most important if you want Safe Sport to know how you perceive, understand and have confidence in them as an organization and with the process for both the victims and the accused. All the information gathered will be shared with the NGBs and the athletes.
“This is your chance to help influence the direction Safe Sport heads in,” Ali advised.
The survey is open to U.S. Equestrian Federation members over 18 who compete. USEF will begin rolling out word of the survey this week, and those taking the 30-minute online survey will have until Nov. 15 to fill it out.
The Empowering Act, which gives Congress the option to dissolve the board of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, also calls for better athlete representation on the boards of NGBs.
The USEF already is working on that. The federation maintained the bill “will ensure a new standard of transparency and accountability” for the USOPC and NGBs, “providing stronger protections and representation for athletes participating in sport under USOPC administration.”
The legislation calls for increasing athlete representation on boards of directors and committees from 20 percent to 33.3 percent. While athlete reps hold four of the 19 seats on the USEF board, the federation will consider restructuring so athletes hold seven, or more than one-third, of the board seats. Doing the same for all USEF committees also is being considered.
Although mainly focused on protecting athletes in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics, the Empowering Act will also include increased legal aid for athletes in grievance processes.
In the bigger picture, meanwhile, it also enables Congress to decertify national governing bodies if they fail to abide by its provisions.
The International Olympic Committee, however, prohibits government interference in its National Olympic Committees, with interference potentially leading to a suspension, according to a story in the Inside.the Games newsletter.
The USOPC had initially expressed concern about the law, but USOPC President Sarah Hirshland said the law itself should not breach IOC rules.
However, she acknowledged if Congress were to act on the law and unseat members of the USOPC Board, the IOC may consider it a violation of the Olympic Charter.
“It is important to understand, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is a federally chartered organization and as such, Congress and the Federal Government has authority and that has existed for some time,” Hirshland said, according to Inside the Games.
“This bill does provide a provision that would allow Congress to essentially unseat the USOPC board. Should Congress take such an action, we do understand that the IOC may consider that a violation of the charter. But the bill itself as it is written, without that action being taken, is not a violation of the charter.”
At the same time she said, “we all understand the implications of that should the federal government make a decision to take action.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 21, 2020
When you’ve fallen off your horse, then ended up sporting a black eye and bloody nose after another ride, it may seem that you didn’t have a good day on the cross-country course. But if you earn a nice trophy at the end of the process, it’s a great day after all,
That’s how it was for Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp, who had her downs and ups at the Plantation Field International Horse Trials in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
The first downer literally involved hitting the ground, when Flash Cooley ran into trouble at a massive ditch and oxer, the sixth fence on the 4-star Short route.
“He’s a wonderful horse he’s only eight years old,” said Liz, who led him off the course after her tumble.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Flash Cooley are none the worse for wear after a tumble on cross-country. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He is still green and very careful. That was a huge fence– he just panicked a little and jumped into the middle. We’ll drop him down a level to finish off his season easy and happy,” she said.
He was her second mount of the day. Cooley Quicksilver had gone around the course previously without incident and finished 13th.
Once Liz had time to catch her breath, she was up again on Deniro Z, the winner last month at the MARS Great Meadow International event in Virginia. All went well for her until the eighth obstacle, a combination.
“I had a little bit of an exciting moment at the first water, just where he jumped so big in, and then I got really deep to the skinny,” she recalled.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z at the foundation wall, an iconic Plantation Field backdrop. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
She got smacked in the face by his neck, and that was some blow.
“I was seeing double on the way to the coffin,” she said, referring to the upcoming three-part combination.
“Luckily, my vision came back just before I had to jump in,” she said with a smile. Liz galloped the rest of the way with a very bloody nose and an eye that was turning black, but all she talked about was how her mount took over when she needed him.
“It shows what a great horse he is. He just jumped in (to the coffin) and didn’t look at it. He’s a world class horse. I’m just lucky to ride him,” said Liz, who envisions a great future with the Dutch warmblood.
“I would hope the Olympics happens and I hope I’m there on him. I think he’s as good as any horse could ever be. I just think the world of him.”
She was spot-on the optimum time of six minutes, 22 seconds. Only two other riders of the group that finished from the original field of 53 were able to make the time, though no one else got it exactly. Liz led since the beginning of the event, adding 0.40 time penalties in stadium jumping to her dressage score of 26.40.
Phillip Dutton had been right behind her with his brilliant horse Z since the beginning of the competition with a dressage score of 27.30, but he wound up with two time penalties on cross country to finish on 29.30 in second place.
“I thought it was a great competition and the cross-country caused a little more trouble than expected – the time was tight,” he noted.
Another view of the foundation, as Phillip Dutton rides through on Z. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Phillip, who is on the board of the event, missed the crowds who normally attend. The U.S. Equestrian Federation prohibits spectators because of the Covid situation.
He noted that a few months ago, the board was trying to decide whether an event could be held under the circumstances.
“We had to keep it kind of bare-bones, since we wouldn’t have spectators, etc. coming in. But people wanted to run their horses and we wanted to give them that opportunity,” he said.
“All credit goes to Denis and Bambi Glaccum and Mary Coldren, who put it all together.”
Woods Baughman, a 24-year-old assistant trainer to top-level rider Sharon White, finished 10 seconds slower on cross-country than Liz with C’est La Vie 135. But his trip was good enough to move him up to third on 36.90 penalties after finishing 10th in dressage and getting time penalties in stadium jumping, going from 10th after dressage to sixth following stadium.
Woods Baughman on C’est la Vie 135. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’re going home happy,” said Woods, who calls his 12-year-old Holsteiner “a real machine. You just point him to the jumps and he takes you there. He can put up a bit of a fight but you just kind of have to let him go and do his thing and have a blast.”
In Saturday’s 3-star, Maya Black rode FE Black Ice to the title. Plantation Field has special meaning for Maya, who grew up on Whidbey Island, Wash., and is the cousin of dressage Olympian Adrienne Lyle.
“I think this was my first East Coast win in the 4-star many years ago,” Maya recalled with a smile.
Maya Black and FE Black Ice. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“So it’s been a very special event for me. I’ve always come here and love this event, the feeling of it, a pretty big atmosphere. It’s always just been such a blast.
“If I had my way I’d be able to come here again with more horses in the future,” she said. Maya was referring to the fact that the property owner cancelled the event’s lease after a website’s allegation that the Plantation name was racist and wasn’t welcoming to people of color.
Plantation refers to a place where trees were planted, and of course there were never slaves there because it’s in Pennsylvania. (See the On the Rail item on this website for a further explanation.
“If there’s anything we can do as riders,” said Maya, “we will get behind the event and the people who put it on and try to make it something we can enjoy for many years down the road.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 18, 2020
As 1978 wound down, Denis Glaccum knew he was in trouble. With little time until his end-of-year deadline, he was not close to making his quota as a salesman for IBM.
Inspired by something he read in an article about kids with cancer, he put a sign on his car that stated, “You may give up hope, but don’t give up trying.” He saw it every day as he got in his vehicle, and it encouraged him.
“I made my quota on Monday, Dec. 31 of that year. I can remember jumping up and down and yelling,” said Denis, flashing back to how excited he was after doing what he had to do. That wouldn’t be the last time he achieved a goal.
It was, he said, “a lesson that changed my life. I was not going to give up,” noted Denis, president of the Plantation Field Equestrian Events series of horse trials in Pennsylvania. Even at age 79, after dealing with some health problems, his determination hasn’t taken a hit.
Denis Glaccum speaking at the 2019 U.S. Eventing Association annual meeting.
“We as individuals do have the ability to make things happen,” he believes, and proved it again this year in the face of Covid restrictions that put many 2020 equestrian events out to pasture.
When he returned to Pennsylvania after a winter spent in Aiken, S.C., everyone was telling him, “We won’t be able to do it,” that the future of the Plantation Field horse trials this season looked bleak,
He was having none of it. When the first two trials on the schedule had to be cancelled as the U.S. Equestrian Federation banned all licensed competitions from March 20 to June 1, the June trials became a must-do. And so they happened, a tribute to his doggedness.
“We were the first sporting event held in Chester County in June, one of three held on the same weekend around the country,” he said proudly.
Doug Payne in an iconic Plantation Field cross-country setting. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Another obstacle, more difficult than any he ever faced in a long cross-country riding career, came up when Plantation Field’s landowner, Cuyler Walker, announced he would no longer lease his land for eventing after this weekend’s international horse trials.
He took offense at the Eventing Nation website’s campaign to change the name of the event. The website contended the world Plantation had uncomfortable racial connotations, even though it referred in this case to the planting of trees, and obviously, Pennsylvania was not a slave state. (See the story in the On the Rail section of this website for details.)
Denis, however, is no stranger to dealing with controversy and always fights back. There are many stories attesting to that.
Molly Bliss remembers what he did for her when she was seeking a berth on the U.S. squad for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Sweden. She was training in Britain, the youngest rider with the American contingent, and found herself “treated very differently by our coach at the time. He had made it clear that he thought women riders were not up to the same standards as men.” She was not invited to go to the WEG with the rest of the riders.
“Heartbroken, I went into London for the day, assuming I would be flying back to the States that week,” she recalled.
“While I was gone, my mother back at home called Denis. He immediately came to my defense and by the time I had returned from London that evening, Denis and (USET Executive Director) Jack Fritz had made it very clear I was back on the team and would be going to Stockholm.” Molly, who finished capably there, said, “I’ll forever be grateful to Denis for standing by me then and for always being one of my biggest supporters.”
Olympic eventing medalist Jim Wofford calls Denis, “One of these invaluable people that are basically behind the scenes who make the sport grow and improve. He can be difficult because he sees what he wants to do and goes and does it.
“He doesn’t always bring the bureaucracy with him. All of his efforts are well-intentioned and have led to improvements in the sport,” added Jim, citing the wonderful competitions that have been held at Plantation since its transformation from fields to a venue.
Denis organized the memorable Chesterland event that began in Pennsylvania in 1976, then moved to Fair Hill, Md., to run events there before a disagreement with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources led him to start the events at Plantation Field. Being outspoken has not always made things easy for Denis, but he’s not the type who asks that things be easy.
“I decided I would rather open my mouth and be wrong than sit silent,” he noted.
His dedication has been recognized many times. In 2001, he won the Wofford Cup for his contributions to the sport, he’s a member of the U.S. Eventing Hall of Fame and formerly served on the U.S. Equestrian Team’s Three-Day Event committee, as well as being secretary and vice president of U.S. Eventing’s predecessor, the U.S. Combined Training Association.
For him, it’s always been all about horses and making the sport better. Denis grew up in South Orange, N.J., and rode with the Junior Essex Troop, going into the organization as an 11-year-old private.
Dennis learning to jump in 1953.
Members of the Troop, founded in 1943 as a cadet auxiliary of the Essex Troop of the 102d Cavalry, New Jersey National Guard, wore military uniforms marked with the insignia of their rank and handled many tasks at the organization’s West Orange farm. Their activities ranged from courses in marksmanship to rides of 20 and 30 miles where troopers stayed the night in the field with their horses.
The program cost his parents $75 a year and the discipline instilled in him not only fortitude, but also a passion for hard work.
Denis as a member of the Junior Essex Troop (the National Guard Armory is in the background) jumping for the Netherlands trophy at the troop farm in West Orange.
“The only thing I did well at that stage of my life was ride,” said Denis, who came of age during the infancy of eventing in this country. He rode in the 1960 Olympic trials in California, and knew so many figures who grew the sport in this country. As he talks about what things were like 60 years ago, he peppers his conversation with a host of famous names; Philip Hofmann, first president of the U.S. Combined Training Association; Olympians Brig. Gen. Franklin (Fuddy) Wing and Maj. Gen. Guy V. Henry, as well as Max Palmer, who guided the Junior Essex Troop.
Denis competing at Pebble Beach on Wait-a-Minute in 1962.
The officials in those days, he recalled, were all ex-cavalry, operating in an environment much more structured than today’s, “where you learned how to conduct yourself.”
Brian Murray, a member of U.S. Eventing’s board of governors, has known Denis since 1963. He remembers him from that time as “a character; he was focused. He was eight years older than I was. I didn’t really understand eventing in those days. But he was doing something none of us were doing, he was a very good rider and a very driven guy, even then.”
Denis has an important partner in his wife, Bambi, a granddaughter of Amory Haskell, the first president of the Monmouth Park Racetrack. New Jersey’s most prestigious flat race, the Haskell, is named after him.
Bambi recalled her first encounter with Denis at a party she didn’t want to attend. Her mother cajoled her into going, saying prophetically, “You need to go to this party because you might meet your future husband there.”
And that’s just the way it happened. She found herself sitting next to Denis and had no idea who he was, so she asked, “Do you ride?”
Denis took it from there. The couple has two children, Ellie and John Amory, and five grandchildren.
Of living for more than half a century with Denis, Bambi, who serves as secretary of the eventing series, said, “He has an opinion about everything. I’m never bored. He has always loved horses, and if push comes to shove, the horses take precedence over everything.”
The couple has three horses, one of which is an off-the-track thoroughbred that Denis still rides.
As he talked about his involvement with the sport to which he has dedicated his life, Denis said, ”I always got more satisfaction if the horses go well or improve, or if the kids I was teaching improved, than necessarily winning anything. My thing in eventing still is I can go to one of the low-level trials and laugh the whole day. I see people enjoying themselves, I see people doing a sport that requires many traits or skills that do not exist anywhere else anymore in our society.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 11, 2020
Looking for a discount on a new helmet? This weekend, Sept. 12 and 13, is the time to buy one. Most tack stores and helmet retailers are offering special deals this weekend.
It’s the 10th anniversary of International Helmet Awareness Day (now days) started by Riders4Helmets after Olympic dressage rider Courtney King-Dye sustained a traumatic brain injury in a fall when she was not wearing a helmet.
You need a new helmet if your current protective headgear is five years old or more, or if you were wearing it when you had a traumatic fall.
More than just a sale, the weekend offers a platform to educate equestrians about the importance of helmet and safety awareness world-wide. It is an opportunity to discuss correct helmet fit and how a helmet protects your head in the event of an accident.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 9, 2020
The Rutgers Equine Science Center is hosting the last in a series of educational webinars at 7 p.m. Oct. 22, featuring veterinarian Dr. Brian Colquhoun lecturing on use of alternative therapy for horse acupuncture. Register here
For questions about the series or for instructions to access Webex, email Hank Bignell at hdbignell@njaes.rutgers.edu
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 9, 2020
The 49th Olympia show in London has been cancelled, as attempts by organizers to run the competition have failed.
“Olympia is Christmas” for many in the United Kingdom and beyond, who have indulged in the wondrous trade fair and enjoyed seeing Father Christmas in a sleigh pulled around the arena by ponies, in addition to watching a variety of exhibitions and great classes.
“Over the last few months, the Olympia organizing team has been looking at multiple scenarios to try to stage the indoor show with the health and welfare of everyone involved at the heart of that decision-making process,” said a statement from those managing the fixture.
“Reluctantly, it has been concluded that it is not possible to run the event in December 2020 given the commercial implications of the government social distancing guidelines and the numerous additional Covid-19 safety requirements.”
Meanwhile, the Jumping Amsterdam show has become the first major Covid cancellation of 2021, though sadly, it already isn’t the last, as questions remain about international travel and having spectators at sporting events, including the Olympics.
And today, Denver’s National Western Stock Show, which includes a horse show, was cancelled because of Covid. Officials said the indoor event couldn’t comply with health and safety guidelines that have been issued to combat Covid, and will be held in 2022.
Paul Riemens, CEO of RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre and chair of Jumping Amsterdam, explained, “We do not want to take any risks whatsoever when it comes to people’s health.
“Moreover, from a financial viewpoint, it is not justifiable to incur expenses at a time when uncertainty rules and measures are continuously adjusted. In order to safeguard the continuity of Jumping Amsterdam in the long term, it is therefore more sensible to miss one year and to focus on the 2022 edition.”
The show, slated to run Jan. 28-31 was scheduled to be among the first major fixtures of next year. With so many 2020 shows postponed until 2021, it’s concerning to think some might not run then, either.
Last week, John Coates, vice president of the International Olympic Committee, said the Games will go ahead “with or without Covid 19.”
Meetings are under way involving officials from the Japanese Government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, with the aim of producing “robust countermeasures” by the conclusion of the year.
“Their job now is to look at all the different countermeasures that will be required for the Games to take place,” John Coates said.
“Some countries will have it under control, some won’t. We’ll have athletes therefore coming from places where it’s under control and some where it is not. There’s 206 teams, so there’s a massive task being undertaken on the Japanese side.”
Guidelines are expected to be published in December by the coronavirus countermeasures panel.
Both Tokyo 2020 and the IOC are including spectators in their planning for the rescheduled Games, but have acknowledged holding events without fans is a possibility.
For Tokyo, the “situation is changing almost day by day,” IOC President Thomas Bach said during a press conference after an IOC board meeting.
“The task force has to prepare for different scenarios, not knowing which one will be the environment next year. That will not be easy, but of course, social distancing is under consideration.”
He added, “We are also following very closely the development of rapid testing and vaccinations, because these could also have an effect and facilitate preparations.
“But, it’s just too early to give a concrete answer to what will be the final scenario and the final approach.
“The only thing we can say is, it will be about offering a safe environment for all participants.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 7, 2020
Summer used to be a time of seemingly endless horse shows, week after week of grands prix and hunter classes in North America; big shows, smaller shows, take your pick. It was always the occasion for partying in the VIP area, seeing old friends, making new ones, picking up ribbons and prize money, buying and selling horses, the usual rites of the season.
But Covid-connected restrictions, rules and regulations changed all that. It became harder to find a show when such big names as Lake Placid. Spruce Meadows, the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals and the Hampton Classic scratched due to the pandemic. Many of the smaller fixtures didn’t run either, unable to cope with the demands of offering a competition in these difficult times. Meanwhile, U.S. show jumpers couldn’t venture to Europe and the Europeans couldn’t come over here.
The crowds and excitement of Labor Day weekend at the Hampton Classic are only a memory this year. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
As the old song goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got, until you lose it.” The tune came out in 1961, when no one could have dreamed of what is happening now, but the sentiment really applies these days after so many things we took for granted have vanished.
Labor Day always would mark the unofficial end of the summer show season for exhibitors, who then started looking toward the indoor circuit and the equitation finals as they headed into the fall. And now–the indoors?
This year, some classes from the Pennsylvania National and Washington International shows will be outdoors in Tryon, N.C., after an attempt to move them to Tampa, Fla., was scuttled. The National Horse Show in Kentucky announced last week it will have the use of outdoor rings and a covered arena as well as its usual home in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. Outdoor venues are deemed less of a Covid risk, but they can be chilly at the end of October.
Last weekend’s HITS championship show in Saugerties, N.Y., however, is a survivor that didn’t take a step backwards. It dug in and offered what will likely go down in history as the richest show jumping grand prix of 2020, the AIG, with $500,000 in prize money, as well as six-figure purse hunter competitions and smaller classes with good prize money.
Covid rules meant few were on hand to applaud in person, but winner Ben Maher on Explosion W, Amanda Derbyshire on Cornwall BH and Hunter Holloway aboard Pepita con Spita still enjoyed their impromptu victory gallop after the $500,000 AIG grand prix at HITS. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The Covid no-spectators rule meant only those involved with the show were watching in person, but anyone who was looking at the livestream also got an eyeful. The grand prix actually had international flair, attracting the world’s number one horse/rider combination, the aptly named Explosion W and his rider, Ben Maher of Great Britain, with shorter odds to win if you were betting than Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law, who lost at Churchill Downs the day before.
Ben Maher and Explosion W in action. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
But Ben and his glorious chestnut lived up to expectations in the field of 50 to take the top prize of $150,000 over another British rider, Amanda Derbyshire and Cornwall BH with a margin of more than five seconds in the jump-off. Both are based in the U.S., of course, so the travel bans didn’t matter..
AIG runner-up Amanda Derbyshire and Cornwall BH. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Although it was only the second grand prix of 2020 for Ben and his mount, they demonstrated they still deserved all their accolades from 2019.
“Obviously, we’re in a different year; we’re not all going like we normally do in big grands prix week on week,” he said.
“I rode a bit of a slower first round by mistake and was just inside the time,” Ben observed. But he recouped during the tie-breaker, noting, “Everything went my way today and really made up for a long summer, as it has been for everybody.”
Amanda said she has never finished ahead of Ben and Explosion, but considering the elevated status of that duo, she was pleased enough with what she got.
“I’ll take second,” she said happily.
McLain Ward hasn’t shown as much as usual without Spruce Meadows and a European tour. But he flew in from the Traverse City show in Michigan for the AIG, in which he finished seventh on Noche de Ronda, noting that when he landed at La Guardia airport, “it was less crowded than Home Depot.”
Masks were the rule at HITS, as its president and CEO, Tom Struzzieri and McLain Ward demonstrate–no exceptions. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
He’ll be taking off again this week, as several others in the HITS lineup are doing, heading back to Michigan for the American Gold Cup.
Devin Ryan, who wound up 12th in the grand prix on Eddie Blue, was grateful to HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri for the chance to jump for big money.
“Tom’s always sort of had that niche to throw money at us. That can make it or break it for a lot of us,” Devin said.
“That money during the circuit gave us something to jump for regardless of amount of entries that showed up. That’s one thing that Tom’s always been good about is the prize money; he stood behind it.”
In the hunter ranks, Jennifer Jones took Highlighter to the honors in the $250,000 Diamond Mills class over Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze.
Jennifer Jones and Highlighter. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“She did the hunters for the first time this summer,” Jennifer said of the chestnut mare, purchased originally as a jumper.
“During Covid, we put the aluminum shoes on and turned her into a hunter and she loved it. She has a mentality more for hunters, she’s quiet, she likes to eat, she’s a fun horse,” Jennifer continued, noting she and owner David Raposa were pointing toward the Diamond Mills all summer.
“She’s done an amazing job,” Jennifer said of Highlighter. “She’s trying to do her best, she’s a great, great horse.”
After four rounds, her score was 364, with 358.50 for Amanda, who was all smiles after getting her ribbon and check.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
As she put it in a tribute to her consistent mount, “Every day with you and every class we have together brings me so much joy!
“You are the most talented, driven, smart, powerful yet sweet, caring, humble guy I know. The amount of joy you bring to me, your owner, Cheryl Olsten, all of the people that know you is hard to describe.”
Amanda had a winner of her own in the $15,000 Green Hunter Prix with Niki Holtzman-Hayes’ PHIL.
“To know him is to love him and we are so thankful for the endless laughs and smiles he brings to the whole team,” she said.
