by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 22, 2026
The International Jumper Riders Club has had great influence on the sport; check out its championship in Geneva this December. But even more important, IJRC offers a platform on which members are able to influence decisions about how show jumping is run and governed.
Eventers now have decided they should have a similar group “to ensure that riders have a seat at the table when it comes to the governance of the sport, whether that is to provide feedback on existing rules or propose new changes to the sport.”
The International Eventing Riders Club, organized this month, has defined its mission: “As eventing evolves, it’s vital that riders are part of the decision-making process.”
Any rider competing at the international level who is registered with the FEI can join the new club for free. They are able to make their voice heard by emailing board@ierclub.org. Past championship riders who are no longer competing can join as mentor members.
The club is led by British star eventer Harry Meade, who explained, “The aim was to establish a club that listens to riders, simply and effectively represents them, helps steer the sport and, importantly, stands the test of time for future generations. We will continue to build a close and cooperative working relationship with the FEI in order to ensure that the riders’ collective voice is suitably represented across the sport, now and into the future.”
The USA’s Lynn Symansky is serving as vice president, while other big names, such as world number on Tim Price of New Zealand, are on the board. The club’s website is https://ierclub.org/
The International Jumper Riders Club has had great influence on the sport; check out its championship in Geneva this December. But even more important, it offers a unified voice for members to influence decisions on how show jumping is run and governed.
Eventers have decided they should have their own group “to ensure that riders have a seat at the table when it comes to the governance of the sport, whether that is to provide feedback on existing rules or propose new changes to the sport. ”
The International Eventing Riders Club, organized this month, has defined its mission: “As eventing evolves, it’s vital that riders are part of the decision-making process.”
Any rider competing at the international level who is registered with the FEI can join the new club for free. They are able to make their voice heard by emailing board@ierclub.org. Past championship riders who are no longer competing can join as mentor members.
The club is led by British eventer Harry Meade, who explained, “The aim was to establish a club that listens to riders, simply and effectively represents them, helps steer the sport and, importantly, stands the test of time for future generations. We will continue to build a close and cooperative working relationship with the FEI in order to ensure that the riders’ collective voice is suitably represented across the sport, now and into the future.”
The USA’s Lynn Symansky is serving as vice president, while other big names, such as world number on Tim Price of New Zealand, are on the board.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 17, 2026
Many fine traditions simply can’t pass the test of time, but the Far Hills Race Meeting is a happy exception.
Started by the Essex Fox Hounds as a thank you to farmers who let the hunt ride across their land, the races in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills have grown from a local event attended by a few hundred people to a nationally televised attraction that brought approximately 30,000 people to Moorland Farm Saturday.
Attendance was not affected by the chill and grayish skies, but when the sun came out for the last race, it almost seemed to happen as an affirmation of Far Hills’ success.
The meet offers North America’s richest day of steeplechase racing, with $839,000 in purses. The highlight was the $300,000 Grade 1 American Grand National “the sport of kings hurdle stakes” that dates back to 1899 and has been run in a variety of locations, including Fair Hill, Md., and Charlottesville, Va.
It was won by the same Irish trainer who took the top placing last year. That’s Gordon Elliott, but this time it was Western Fold from his stable at even money, artfully ridden by Jack Kennedy, who triumphed in an oh-so close finish over French-bred Fil Dor (9-1). Far Hills veteran Ricky Hendriks was listed as that horse’s trainer.
That’s American Grand National winner Western Fold a nose ahead of Fil Dor.
Zanahiyr, the 2025 winner (ridden then by Jack) was third. And it was the third year in a row for a tight run at the wire. The exciting closing moments made for good viewing on FoxSports, which broadcast the races
Jack said that Zanahiyr “ran disappointing” in Nashville in May. .
“Western Fold had “younger, fresher legs” which led to Jack’s decision about who to ride.
As it turned out, “the ground was a bit softer than usual, which was favoring Zanahiyr more than Western Fold, but I made the right decision anyway,” observed Jack. He headed straight to the airport after his win so he could make a plane to Ireland and ride at Limerick on Sunday.
Del Rio racing was a big winner, taking first place in the third race, first and second in the fourth race and second in the Grand National. Gigi Lazenby is the managing member of the Del Rio Chasers Syndicate team. Her father was one of the founders of the Iroquois Steeplechase in her home state of Tennessee, and she serves as vice president of the National Steeplechase Association.
Del Rio Racing’s Lizzie Twigg, ridden by Jack Kennedy, had the lead over the last hurdle in the Foxbrook and never gave it up.
While victory is always a happy occasion, of course, Gigi has more reasons to like Far Hills.
“This is a beautiful venue. Everybody is so nice to us. They put on great sport, it’s a great benefit for the hospital. Every time we come here, we have a wonderful time. Win lose or draw, it’s a great experience.”
Trainer Todd McKenna, who won the first race with Max Attack and the second with I Found My Jet, said that while he has come to Far Hills only “a handful of times,” he appreciates being there.
“This is the pinnacle,” he explained. “The turnout, the crowd is incredible; the purses are the highest in our sport. Those are two main reasons to come here.”
As good as the racing can be, what’s even better is that Far Hills has raised $22 million for the health care organizations that are its beneficiaries.
Melissa Kling and Heidi Cavanaugh enjoy the equestrian decor at a spread that graduated from tailgate to banquet.
Many new fans have found Far Hills in recent years, yet some of those who were part of the race day for most of their lives are still involved.
Ricky Hendriks was a little boy when he started pony racing at the venue, the home of the race meet since 1915. He went on to become a professional jockey and is now a trainer, showing his competence with a win by the Irish-bred Blue Waters in the $100,000 Grade 2 Peapack, named for the small town that borders Far Hills, an even smaller town. The first race, the Harry Harris, is named for a long-ago New Jersey trainer whose wife, Muriel Harris, went on to be a show secretary at many of the area’s local competitions during the 1970s and ’80s.
Joy Slater was on hand to present the trophy given for the Foxbrook Novice Hurdle Stakes in memory of her mother, Jill Fanning, who donated many hours to both the race meeting and the Essex Foxhounds.
A three-time winner over timber at Essex on Cancottage, Joy recalled that many years ago, she would ride in the amateur-owner jumper classes at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, then head to Far Hills to assume her jockey identity. The demands of both competitions wouldn’t allow that today, but each of the sports has grown enormously since Joy was able to win in both on the same week.
While top horses from both sides of the Atlantic are a big part of Far Hills, in many quarters it’s just as well-known as a social event. Tailgating has always been a mainstay in the parking spaces handed down for generations in such families as the Bradys and the Lorillards. But beyond tailgating, big tables with fancy spreads have blossomed and become as important a reason to attend as the caliber of the horses.
Maureen Brennan, a former Somerset County resident who now lives at the Shore in Seaside Heights, hosts a reunion of sorts at the races.
Maureen Brennan with her son, Peter Marcano and his wife, Lauren.
“Friends, family, people we meet; we have people here we see once a year, they come in from California, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia. It’s the same group. We see each other once a year,” said Maureen, who hosts 35-40 people, all of whom “bring something.”
They bet a couple of dollars among themselves (even though gambling on betting apps is permitted), stay overnight with Maureen and at a house next door to hers, then they take a party bus from the Shore to the races.
Far Hill Co-Chair Guy Torsilieri.
Maureen can rest assured that the races she has attended for a half-century will continue as long as she and her group want to come, because co-chairs Guy Torsilieri and Ron Kennedy have handed some responsibility to their children, George Torsilieri and Jillian Kennedy, who are now co-vice chairs. The idea is to insure the next generation will be ready to take over when their parents decide to relax.
Guy and Ron have been with the races for decades, as has the immensely valuable Priscilla Miller, the meet’s director of owner, trainer, rider services, who started in 1980 and used to take the horses’ saddle cloths home to wash them. She’s part of a big team.
“The levels of complexity to pull this off,” mused Guy, “it’s wild.” But he added, “I love it,” ever since he started at the races by mowing grass in 1979.
Ron, who first came to the races in 1976 with his family from their home in nearby Martinsville, thought back to what the meet was like then.
Far Hill Co-Chair Ron Kennedy.
“It was nothing compared to today. It’s a different thing. Never (in his early days there) would you think what it is today. We’re on four different TV stations this morning. It brings in people who are not part of the equestrian community and gets them involved.”
The objective no longer is just to “sell a ticket; it’s sell an experience,” Ron explained, then emphasized, “But we still want to keep the traditions.”
Click here for race results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 16, 2026
The long-simmering controversy over horse-drawn carriages in New York City heated up again this week, as the mayor and city council president agreed on a bill to ban the carriages as of June 1, 2028. The bill was passed Thursday. (Read details in our lead story at this link.)
However, as the New York Daily News stated in an editorial Oct. 16, the bill is “an unworkable mess” for many reasons. For one thing, it dictates that the horses, even though they are private property, cannot be sold to pull carriages. The bill puts several other restrictions on what should happen to them after they stop working in New York.
It also doesn’t take into account the hundreds of thousands of dollars that carriage operators spent buying city-required medallions, just as taxi operators must do. That’s a big investment to dissolve into nothing.
And no real provision has been made for how the horse owners/drivers, grooms and stable workers can stay off the unemployment rolls if they no skills other than what they put to use in the carriage industry.
Kieran Kelly met his fiancee, Alanna Bodman, when both were carriage drivers in the city. Kieran is still driving there, while Alanna has a horse business, Celtic Valley Carriage and Farm, on a rented property in New York’s Hudson River Valley.
Passage of the carriage ban bill is “potentially the destruction of everything we’ve spent our lives working toward,” Alanna said.
Kieran, 61, a native of Ireland, “has devoted much of his working life to New York City’s carriage horses. His medallion represents his life’s savings, decades of hard work, and an investment in a profession he loves. This isn’t just a job he can replace with something else. It’s his life’s work, his identity, and the foundation of the future we were building together,” noted Alanna.
Kieran’s work in the city, together with her modest income, was going to fund “a place where our horses could eventually retire, where we could share our knowledge and love of animals with visitors, and where we could create meaningful experiences that connected people with horses, history, art, and the natural world.”
His job is “essential to making that possible as a sustainable retirement plan for him and an ongoing business for us,” she said.
He was planning to retire Lucky, the horse he has driven for 20 years, to the farm where Alanna is based. But with the uncertainty of what will happen now, the couple is mulling the possibility of moving to Ireland — which would mean they couldn’t bring their horses along.
There has been a cascade of commentary on social media about the carriage horse situation. Sadly, many of those weighing in are clueless about horses, often suggesting that they just need to be able to run free in grassy fields (where? whose?) or be adopted by rescues that already are straining to take care of the animals for which they are responsible. The commenters all too often know nothing about horses, their care or the costs involved; most public officials in the city seem to be in that group as well.
In the morass of postings on the subject, there are good horse people like Alanna trying to educate those who have no grasp of the situation. Two experienced carriage horse owners have written particularly compelling pieces that may illuminate those who read them.
Lori Volden of Cannon Valley Percherons in Wisconsin noted, “As a lifelong horsewoman, registered Percheron breeder of 30 years, and carriage operator, it saddens me to see so much misinformation surrounding the proposed NYC carriage horse ban.
“Pulling a properly fitted carriage is not inherently abuse. Walking on pavement is not inherently abuse. Being outdoors in the sunshine is not inherently abuse. Like any horse, working horses deserve proper care, appropriate workloads and responsible owners. Address legitimate welfare concerns with enforceable standards, not blanket bans.
Lori Volden of Cannon Valley Percherons with her horses.
“These horses are privately owned, not city property, and when their owners lose their livelihoods, there is no guarantee every horse will find a suitable home. Horses are expensive to keep, and good intentions don’t pay for hay, veterinary care, farriers, and facilities.
“I know that even responsible breeders cannot control a horse’s fate once it leaves their care. I’ve seen first-hand how soundness issues can change a horse’s future, and I know that some horses ultimately end up in Canadian slaughter pipeline. Promising `adoption’ is not the same as guaranteeing a safe permanent home and a lifetime of expensive care.”
She added, “I’m also deeply concerned about the future of the draft horse breeds. I’ve watched Percheron numbers decline throughout my years in the industry. These horses need a purpose and a market to encourage people to continue breeding, training, and preserving them.
“I believe we should hold bad actors accountable, but eliminating legitimate working opportunities has consequences that extend far beyond the city streets. If this ban is truly about protecting horses, then we must consider what happens to them afterward — not just celebrate the industry we’re eliminating. I believe responsible ownership and meaningful welfare standards are a better path than assuming every horse will somehow find a perfect home.”
Tristine Slayton of Vintage Carriage in Texas, added these thoughts:
“What happens when we eliminate their purpose? Draft horses are expensive to maintain, requiring feed, hay, farriers, veterinary care, land and facilities. There is no guarantee that every horse will find a suitable retirement home or that someone will pay for its lifetime care.
Tristine Slayton
“After 30 years breeding Percherons, I’ve watched the challenges of preserving these magnificent animals first-hand. When mechanization pushed draft horses out of agriculture, their numbers plummeted. Dedicated breeders and owners helped preserve them. What happens when we once again decide they no longer have a place in modern society?
“I’m not saying every carriage operation is perfect or that animal welfare should ever take a back seat to profit or tradition. I’m saying banning an industry is not the same as solving a welfare problem. We should focus on responsible ownership, enforceable welfare standards, accountability and realistic plans for these horses’ futures.”
She pointed out, “When we remove animals from public life and eliminate the purposes that sustain their breeds, we risk losing not only the animals themselves, but also the knowledge, traditions, and human connections that have kept them alive for generations.”
And here’s an important perspective from Tristine, “The (carriage) horses may be the immediate debate, but the bigger question is this: What happens when we decide that animals no longer have a place in our modern world? It’s a conversation we need to have before we make decisions that may be impossible to reverse.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 12, 2026
(A story that ran on this website Oct. 8 about Select Event Group’s decision to withdraw as a prospective license holder for a future Maryland 5-star eventing competition lacked sufficient comment from Select to clarify its course of action. That information has been presented today, and is included throughout the revised story in bold-face type.)
Efforts to bring back the Maryland 5-star eventing competition next year have been scuttled by the withdrawal of the organizing group behind it, though it still seeks “a sustainable path forward” for the future.
Select Event Group “remains committed to the long-term vision of restoring one of the world’s premier eventing competitions and continues to work collaboratively with public, private, and community stakeholders to identify a sustainable path forward,” according to a statement issued Oct. 8.
It said, “After careful evaluation of current timelines, funding requirements, and organizational responsibilities, Select Event Group has informed the United States Equestrian Federation that it will withdraw as the prospective license holder for a future Maryland 5 Star event at this time.”
In its new statement of Oct. 12, Select addressed the USEF Licensing Process, and its decision to withdraw, this way: “USEF’s licensing timeline requires firm commitments well in advance. We have been so impressed with USEF’s team and their process. A large part of the decision to withdraw as licensee at this time was out of respect for USEF. Without full certainty that alignment would happen, it wasn’t responsible for Select to keep holding up their timelines. We see this as a structural step, not a step back.
“The licensing process and potential funding arrangements remain part of ongoing discussions among stakeholders. USEF has been a close and valued partner throughout this process, and we appreciate their continued collaboration as we work toward identifying a sustainable path forward.”
The Maryland event, which was staged for five years, last ran in 2025, when it was won by Switzerland’s Felix Vogg on Cartania.
The 2025 Maryland 5-star winner, Felix Vogg of Switzerland and Cartania.
“This decision reflects the practical realities of the current situation, not a lack of enthusiasm for the event’s return,” the original statement continued.
The 5-star received approximately $3 million annually from the state, which has had major fiscal issues. In February, the state Division of Legislative Services discussed 2027 budget proposals before the state Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, recommending that grants for the 5-star should be deleted for the fiscal year that began July 1.
“While encouraging discussions continue regarding potential funding, governance, and operating structures, the certainty necessary to responsibly relaunch an event of this scale has not yet materialized. Rather than misrepresent the status or timing of those efforts, we believe it is important to be transparent with the governing body (USEF) and the broader equestrian community regarding where things stand today,” noted the original statement.
Select addressed “Funding and Other Considerations” in its Oct. 12 update this way: “Funding is an important piece, but it isn’t the only obstacle. For an event of this scale to be sustainable, funding, governance, operating structure, and timing all have to align. Here, resolving the remaining 2025 issues while working within the 2027 licensing timeline compressed the planning window. With the State’s support, the 2025 issues are now resolved, and stakeholders can focus on securing the long-term funding and support needed for the event’s return without forcing those discussions into a year-specific licensing deadline.”
The Maryland 5-star had financial and managerial issues, as well as being unable to attract a large field at the highest level of the sport.
Autumn is the tail-end of the eventing season. Many top horses have finished their annual campaigns by that time, especially in a year such as 2026 that included a world championships for which qualification was a priority.
In Europe, the Pau, France 5-star scheduled the week after the U.S. 5-star affected the number of competitors who would come to Maryland from abroad. This month, Pau has 52 starters. Meanwhile, establishment last year of the U.S. Eventing Open, a 4-star Long, with $200,000 in prize money, also was not helpful for attracting entries to the Maryland event. And riders trying to qualify for a championship can do so without competing in a 5-star, while saving their horses’ best efforts for a title meet.
The number of horses competing in the 5-star was down to 22 entries last October. While it brought in 32,000 spectators in 2025 and gained $18 million for the state’s economy, the event was projected at one time to have an impact of $30 million and 80,000 spectators. The only 5-star in the U.S. is Defender Kentucky, which will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in the spring. The other 5-stars around the world are Badminton and Burghley in Great Britain, Adelaide in Australia, Luhmuhlen in Germany and Pau.
This decision involving the 5-star does not affect the 3-Star event or Young Horse competition that will be held at Fair Hill, Maryland, this week. Select addressed course designer Pierre Le Goupil’s work on the cross-country route this way: “This year’s focus at Fair Hill has been delivering a great CCI3*. Pierre has been wonderful, and while his focus was on preparing for the 3*-L course, he has great ideas ready for the 5* course as well.”
(Select’s decision) relates only to the timing and structure of a future Maryland 5-Star, which ran in the Fair Hill Special Events Zone. Select is still ready to “participate in, or potentially lead, a future organizing effort as a viable long-term funding model emerges,” according to the Oct. 8 statement.
“Fair Hill remains a world-class venue, and many dedicated stakeholders continue working toward a solution that can ensure the Maryland 5 Star’s successful return. We remain hopeful that opportunity will present itself in the future and stand ready to assist when it does.”
Select expanded on the extent of its involvement in its update, stating it has “deep roots at Fair Hill and believes in what a 5 Star means for Maryland and the sport. We stepped forward to help keep momentum going while the longer-term structure came together.
‘We still believe that the 5-Star is great for Maryland and will be incredible for Maryland. As a Maryland-based event services company, we want to ensure events like this are given the best chance for success so they can continue to help provide for all of the participating Maryland businesses and the surrounding communities.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 14, 2026
Maybe.
The FEI this week sent out a notice that bids “to host all seven of its disciplines in 2030 as FEI World Equestrian Games™ will be considered,” as the “expression of interest phase opens.”
If it happens in 2030, that would be the first WEG in 12 years. Although announcers (and others) kept calling August’s 2026 FEI World Championships at Aachen the WEG, it wasn’t. Couldn’t be, since endurance was scheduled fof this December in Saudi Arabia and the WEG must include the world championship in every FEI discipline.
The WEG began as a one-off in 1990 in Sweden, but its success led to it being held every four years thereafter. But the last WEG, which was in 2018 in Tryon, N.C., had its problems, starting with Bromont, Quebec, bowing out as the original venue late in the game.
Tryon International Equestrian Center picked up the ball, with less than two years to build and organize the additional facilities that were needed. That location still was under construction in some areas when the Games began.
Then there was the fumbled disaster of an endurance competition that got canceled shortly after it was under way. Lack of adequate housing for grooms, along with various types of organizational chaos, gave the Games a rocky start. The soundtrack of the early days was the noise of hammers and riveting.
Gold medal team member Chester Weber in te marathon at the 2018 WEG in North Carolina.
The lack of “any realistic bids” for the 2022 WEG led the FEI to open bidding for individual world championships. Thus in 2022, dressage, para-dressage, vaulting and show jumping were held in Denmark; driving and eventing went to Italy, while the United Arab Emirates hosted endurance.
A WEG four years from now is not a sure thing. The FEI advises, “While bids for multiple disciplines are preferable, bids for one single discipline will also be considered;”
There has been talk that if there is a WEG, it should be held in the U.S., since the last two sets of world championships were staged in Europe. Attention must be paid to timing in terms of weather. Although the date for Tryon was moved ahead to September that year in an effort to avoid the height of summer heat, the competition was plagued by heavy rain, leading to cancellation of the dressage freestyle and postponement of the final show jumping phase of eventing by one day.
We’ll keep you posted.
And while we have you, the U.S. just announced its team for this year’s FEI Endurance Championships. They are veteran Meg Sleeper of Frenchtown, N.J., with Belesema Sapphire; Nicole Wertz of Auburn, Calif. (Little Sammy); Heather Davis. The Plains, Va. (SM Mi Anay); Heather Reynolds, Dunnellon, Fla., (Supersonic Zell) and Kelsey Russell, Williston, Fla. (Juno Im Gold).
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 20, 2026
Lillie Keenan’s majestic partner Argan de Beliard — who helped the U.S. to team success — has jumped his last competition.
The handsome 16-year-old gray Selle Francais “carried me to some of the defining moments of my career,” recounted Lillie, who began showing him in 2022..
“He represented the United States with remarkable consistency and became one of America’s most reliable double-clear Nations Cup horses.”
U.S. Coach Robert Ridland had dubbed Lillie the “double-clean machine,” and some of those perfect rounds were produced with Argan, a son of MyLord Carthago.
Yet “what makes me proudest can’t be measured in results,” Lillie stated.
“Every time he walked into the ring, he fought for me. He gave me everything he had, every time I asked, and stayed at the top of the sport far longer than any of us dreamed possible. I can never repay that kind of heart and generosity.”
Argan de Belliard and Lillie Keenan competing for the USA.
Lillie thanked all the people who contributed to Argan’s success, starting with her mentor, McLain Ward, “for convincing me all those years ago that I simply had to buy `that white horse from Luis Sabino (Goncalves),’ and to Luis (a Portugese rider) for trusting me with him.
“Thank you to our vets, Heather Sherman, Emmanuelle Van Erck and Frederik Bruyninx, for always going the extra mile and believing in Argan, Thank you to his farriers, Pierre Renault and Kenan Burgaud, who found the recipe for Argan’s perfect shoeing for sport.. Finally, thank you to his long time groom, Corentin Tual. Having someone by Argan’s side who cared for him as much as I did means more than I could ever say. His success belongs to all of you.”
She pointed out that “What makes this moment especially meaningful is that Argan gets to leave the sport healthy, happy, and on his own terms. There’s no greater reward than giving him the retirement he has so completely earned. Thank you to the team at Llangollen for taking Argan through this next chapter.”
She concluded, “Thank you, Argan. You gave me your best every single time. Now it’s our turn to give you the retirement you deserve.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 14, 2026
Pennsylvania State University is offering a webinar Oct. 20 at noon on finances of horse ownership. For new owners especially, the no-fee presentation can give insight into hidden costs and annual spending for a variety of situations.
Click here to register or for more information.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 5, 2026
Tributes are pouring in for respected horseman Earl Brown, who died Oct. 4 at the age of 73.
He was far more than a groom — his knowledge made life better for so many lucky horses, and his mentorship trained others to follow in his footsteps (or at least to try).
Dressage rider Katherine Bateson Chandler put it this way: “Anyone who knew Earl loved him, and if you didn’t, it was on you. He was the kindest, friendliest man that walked this earth. Would help anyone, stranger or friend. My heart breaks for all of us who knew and loved him which is so, so many.
“Please keep his family in your thoughts. Our special community lost the best.”
Earl Brown
David Distler, a judge and horse show manager, is another one of the legion of Mr. Brown’s friends who feel the loss.
“This is beyond tragic,” he commented.
Mr. Brown graduated from Virginia Tech and worked as a teacher for a year before joining the Marines, the going on to follow his heat’s desire and work with horses.
“One of the nicest, most gracious people I have ever had the privilege to call a friend. This is so upsetting. My heart goes out to all of his family and friends who know what a giant of a man he was.”
Former World Show Jumping Champion Gail Greenough reacted this way: “So very sad. Such a lovely human, with so much knowledge and grace. Rest in peace, Earl. You will forever be remembered for your horsemanship and kindness.”
Trainer Helena Stormanns offered a tribute from Europe, calling Mr. Brown, “a fabulous gentleman, a brilliant horseman and a truly kind person. When I met Earl, I‘d never seen anyone groom as well as he did, he was totally devoted to his horses and couldn’t do enough for them.”
Alison McIvor pointed out, “Sad day in the old timers’ grooms lounge. When these kings of the ring die, so does a lot of their know-how, and that’s also a sad loss.”
Respected horse owner Caroline Moran said, “Earl Brown, a true gentleman, a kind soul and a remarkable horseman. He was wise, gentle, funny, and to know him was a privilege.”
Earl Brown with Alison Firestone.
Aimee Aron, for whom he had worked, observed, “The loss of Earl Brown is a tremendous one. He was simply one of the best horsemen I’ve ever known—but what made Earl so special went far beyond horses.
“He had an incredible way with people, too. Earl taught me lessons about horses, horsemanship and life that will stay with me forever. A true horseman, a true people person, and truly one of a kind. He will always hold a very special place in my heart.”
Others for whom he worked included Alison Firestone and Jane Clark.
He is survived by his son, Earl Eugene Brown Jr., daughter-in-law, Stephanie Tucker Brown; and grandson, Earl E. Brown III of Olive Branch, Miss., as well as his son Thomas A. Brown and grandson Thomas A. Brown II, of Byhalia, Miss. Also surviving is a half-brother, Gerald Reid..
Memorial services will be announced in the future.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 11, 2026
“Decades of hard work” paid off for Sharon White as she won the US Equestrian Eventing Open on Sunday, moving up from third after cross-country. Aboard Claus 63, she took the title in the $200,000 test with a clean show jumping round in the relentless rain.
“It means so much,” said Sharon, 51, for whom the victory at Morven Park was more important than just the $60,000 first prize.
“It’s a labor of love in this sport.”
She always had faith in her horse, explaining their connection with a smile.
“Claus is really glad I finally got out of his way,” she suggested.
“I have always believed in him. Mentally, he’s a little tough. Mentally, I’m a little tough. When I got better mentally, he got bette rmentally.r,” Sharon noted about the 14-year-old Holsteiner she owns.
For the second year, Will Coleman had to settle for second with Off the Record. As the overnight leader, he had only the narrowest of margins going into the final phase, with just 0.3 penalties difference between his score of 28.6 after cross-country and the 28.9 that belonged to Isabelle Bosley and Conner.
But Will didn’t really get breathing room when Isabelle had 12 jumping penalties and 1.6 time penalties. Her issues moved Sharon up to second on a mere 30.8 penalties.
As it had happened in 2025, show jumping was Will’s downfall. The victory was lost with a knockdown at 5B, the second element of the double combination. Four more penalties were added to his total with a dropped rail at the liverpool two obstacles later. He hung on for second with a total of 36.6.
Third went to Mia Farley on the top U.S.-bred horse in the competition, Invictus by Diorado. The 10-year-old is owned by eventing legend Karen O’Connor, the wife of Mia’s mentor, David O’Connor. Mia was double clear to move up from sixth to the third spot on the podium with 39.8 penalties.
The competition was doubly special to Sharon (known for her distinctive orange and white stable colors) because of its location at the Virginia venue.
“I grew up at Morven,” she explained.
“This place is so special to me.”
She noted it has “grounds that are meant for horses; the trees and the grass and the terrain is amazing. It’s old turf, it’s established. The horses love galloping across it. This is where you want to be. It’s a place that welcomes horses, and that’s what we all love.”
In Saturday’s cross-country test, the leader after dressage, Californian Tamie Smith on Danito, had a runout at the challengingly angled fourth element of fence 9, the leaf pit, and retired at fence 22 rather than taking four more fences to finish up on the Derek DiGrazia-designed course.
Sharon, second after dressage on Claus, collected 4.8 time penalties to sit third on a score of 30.8. Last year’s winner, Boyd Martin, who rode Miks Master C in 2025, stood nineteenth this time around with Luke 140 (71.1) after a runout at the same obstacle on the course as Tamie.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 10, 2026
U.S. Olympic show jumping team silver medalist Jessica Springsteen is pregnant, according to news accounts from around the world.
She and her partner, Belgian Olympian Nicola Philippaerts, have been a couple for more than two years. Nicola, 33, a member of his country’s silver medal team at last summer’s world championships, is a twin (his brother Olivier is also a top rider). So maybe that will run in the family?
Jessica Springsteen and Don Juan van de Donkhoeve.
The baby will be the second grandchild for Jessie’s parents, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. Jessie, 34, is a regular on the Global Champions Tour, but has not competed since July to await the baby’s arrival.
