by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 4, 2025
Dressage at Devon is seeking volunteers to help with its fiftieth anniversary show, whether it’s for a few hours or several days.
Special needs are for help with the Dressage Explorers for kids on Sunday, and general/floater volunteers on Tuesday and Wednesday during the day.
Volunteers will receive an entry ticket, a parking pass and food on the day they help. There’s also special swag, including a commemorative fiftieth anniversary T-shirt.
Click here to sign up.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 3, 2025
The May 16-17 Gladstone Driving Event will be utilizing facilities at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters, the Gladstone Equestrian Association’s driving committee has announced.
The marathon is the highlight of any driving event for competitors of all ages. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
Not only will horses be stabled at the USET Foundation, but the dressage is set for the venue’s main arena, while the cones phase will run on the grass in the North Field. The marathon is being contested at the Pine Meadow section of Hamilton Farm, where the entire event has been staged in the past.
The plan alleviates some of the issues with wet footing that affected the 2025 event at Pine Meadow.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 26, 2025
The U.S. Equestrian Federation’s blood rule is designed to protect horse welfare, but it too often frustratingly has meant elimination for the presence of blood in competition that was not the fault of the rider.
The federation has just approved a change to GR 843 regarding blood on horses that acknowledges a variety of situations may result in the presence of blood on a horse. According to the updated rule, effective Dec. 1, blood caused by the rider/handler or equipment (as opposed, to, say, a fly bite) requires the horse to be eliminated from the relevant class. The new rule language also states that the presence of blood on horses will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by a licensed judge or ground jury.
Noting that horses sometimes bite their tongue or lips, if minor blood is spotted in a horse’s mouth, the new rule allows the licensed judge or ground jury to rinse or wipe the horse’s mouth. It permits the horse to continue if there is no further evidence of blood. However, should the bleeding continue, the horse will be eliminated.
If a horse is eliminated during a class that is a qualifier for a championship or another class, they may compete in the championship if the bleeding issue is resolved. If a horse is eliminated in the work-off, a championship, or in a jump-off due to blood, they will be eliminated from that phase of the class and placed based on the score they had at the start of the work-off or jump-off round.
Each breed and discipline has its own chapter of USEF rules, separate from the general rules. If breed or discipline rules include stricter language regarding blood in competition, or have additional requirements and provisions beyond the general rule, the more restrictive elements of the breed or discipline’s rules will take precedence.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 31, 2025
The $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix had only three riders in the jump-off for the feature of the fiftieth anniversary show, but the trio provided plenty of excitement as they raced over the Nick Granat-designed course.
British rider Jessica Mendoza guided In the Air to her first 5-star victory with a time of 37.34 seconds. Right behind was Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam with James Kann Cruz, in 37.90. The American in the tie-breaker, Kristen Vanderveen, toppled a rail at the third fence to finish third with four faults in 38.05 seconds.
“It’s a pretty amazing win,” Jessica said.
Jessica Mendoza and In the Air (Kind Media Photo)
“This is one of the best American shows. It’s truly amazing to be here and to win the grand prix. It’s always fun to go into the jump-off with the top three; you don’t have much to lose. I knew there was a bit of room where Shane could catch me, but my mare was perfect across the ground. She’s an incredible horse and had an incredible summer. She really found herself this year.”
Shane commented, “I was very happy with my horse. He’s a very different horse (from Jessica’s). He spends a bit of time in the air and is a bit of a slower horse, so I did my plan close enough to what I thought would be enough to challenge. He jumped great. In hindsight, I could have taken a few more gambles.”
McLain Ward, the winner of Friday’s qualifier on High Star Hero, was going for his eighth grand prix victory in his years at the Hampton Classic. He failed to make the tie-breaker on Imperial HBF with a rail at the triple bar and a foot in the water to finish fifteenth.
Jessica’s win brought her the $20,000 Longines Rider Challenge as the top rider in the 5-star division over the course of the show.
A highlight of the afternoon was a retirement ceremony for the 17-year-old Zangersheide gelding, Ladriano Z, a two-time former winner of the class with Daniel Bluman.
Click here for grand prix results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 31, 2025
From relatively unknown to two European Dressage Championships gold medals in less than two months — Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus have enthralled us with a seemingly impossible story.
For the second time in three days, the 9-year-old black Hanoverian and the man who selected the horse seven years ago in Portugal showed true mastery of their art as they won the freestyle Sunday with their miraculous connection at the title meet in Crozet, France. The combination showed it would be a force to be reckoned with by posting a freestyle victory at Aachen in July. (Click here to read about his first gold medal at the championships)
The freestyle winner and his horse have a special connection.
Justin’s mark of 89.964 percent in the championships’ freestyle was just 0.143 percent ahead of silver medalist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour from Denmark (89.821) on the lightly campaigned Mount St. John Freestyle, who did not show at Aachen. Each of the top two had one big mistake that they made up on the joker line, but their excellence overall was unquestionable.
Justin and Zonik pirouette. (FEI photo)
Germany’s super-duper star Isabell Werth wound up with bronze on Wendy de Fontaine (88.046) after an incredibly determined ride as she sought to better her bronze from Friday’s Grand Prix Special. It was the twenty-ninth European Championships medal and the fifty-fifth overall for the sport’s most decorated rider.
European Dressage Championships freestyle winner Justin Verboomen gives as good as he gets with champagne on the podium from Catherline Laudrup-Dufour and Isabell Werth.
After his ride, Justin, 38, said, “I wanted everyone to feel the emotion, and to keep the connection with my horse.”
His error was breaking into canter steps in the trot half-pass, but aside from that, the two impressed with their connection.
“His strength is that he always wants to show his very best. If I don’t make mistakes, he doesn’t either,” the Belgian commented about the horse he trained through the ranks.
Asked about her mare, who had a whoops in the two-tempis, Cathrine said, “She was amazing again today. It was so close, but I think this is what the sport is about. Even though it comes with a little bit of disappointment right now, we’ve seen amazing sport here.”
Cathrine, who placed first in the team competition last week, told Isabell, “you always look so hungry every time you go in.”
Isabell, who commented on the “incredible standard” of the competition, was complimentary of her mare, saying, “I love to compete, I love to present the horse in the best way. She gives really her heart today. It made me really proud. In the end, 1 percent more or less, it’s more luck than performance in the freestyle. I can live with that for sure.”
The order of finish in the freestyle was the same for the top three in the Special. Justin’s golds were the first ever in the dressage championships for his nation.
The emotionally overwhelmed winner, when he managed to get out a few word after his score was announced, said of Zonik he was “so proud of my horse, he’s so young,” noting that the fact that the stallion is “always attentive to me is his greatest quality.”
This is more than a partnership; it’s a mind meld of human and horse. The duo garnered 14 marks of 10 in their test, ridden to an entrancing instrumental musical compilation. Four of the seven judges scored Justin at more than 90 percent.
Overall, the quality of the performances at Jiva Hill Stables was fantastic, elevating the state of the art even well down the ranks from the podium finishers.
Looking ahead to the 2026 world championships less than a year away, it will be interesting to see how the U.S. riders will fare at that competition in Aachen. They have 11 months to prepare, and they will need every minute of it.
The display of excellence at Crozet was stunning, and Britain was not far off the pace in the freestyle with Becky Moody and Jagerbomb. They finished fourth in their European Championships debut on 86.982 percent with a ride to a Beatles medley. One judge put her at over 90 percent.
But it did not go as well for her country’s world champion, Lottie Fry on Glamourdale. She was tenth with 79.579 percent for her imaginative ride on “Glamourdale Airlines,” as the voice of a “flight attendant” (Lottie herself!) announced the take-off and landing. The tunes included “Come Fly With Me,” but the first part of the “flight” was a bit rough, as her opening halt was not square and the black stallion scooted with his hind end during passage.
As her teammate, Carl Hester (seventh on Fame, 81.029 percent) remarked, the noise level in the arena felt rather high. Lottie’s music played quite loud, which put her mount on edge, particularly at the start.
The championships marked the last time the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere will be showing Hermes, the 13-year old Dutchbred stallion who has been her partner. She finished thirteenth on 77.781 percent.
“Hermes has been great the whole week. We wanted to give it all today. It was a difficult ride, because it was our final one. I can’t say much more now, but I am sure he will have a great future ahead of him,” Dinja said sadly. The horse is not supposed to retire, but plans for him aren’t being revealed at this time.
The first time France has hosted the championships was historic. The team at Jiva Hill on the edge of Switzerland,with a backdrop of the Jura mountains, did a fabulous job even with having limited time to prepare after the original venue dropped out.
Click here for results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 23, 2025
Lana Lobell was a picturesque landmark farm known around the world for the standardbreds it produced. The horses, used for harness racing, were bred and trained at the Bedminster, N.J., facility. A number won such prestigious races as the Hambletonian, held during this era at the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey.
But the farm came on hard times, with bankruptcy declared in 1989. Various plans for it fell through. Now, however, it is on track for a new identity in conjunction with the Fiddlers Elbow Country Club, also once part of an estate, that is located just down Rattlesnake Bridge Road.
The plan doesn’t include anything to do with horses and indeed, the vast decrepit stables will be torn down. Permission is being sought to replace it with an “event barn” for club events, weddings and similar activities.
The old Lana Lobell stables. (Photo © 2025 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
But the big attraction is the relatively well-preserved mansion on the property, with its welcoming entrance hall, balconies, a classic wood-paneled library and a circular staircase worthy of Tara from “Gone with the Wind.”
Green fields, which will be planted with wildflowers, stretch out in scenic fashion from the back portico of the building, adding to the country ambience.
The back portico of the mansion. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
Ken Donovan, the president and a trustee of Fiddlers Elbow, knew exactly what he wanted to do with the building after he vacationed in England’s Cotswolds region.
The Cotswolds have been mentioned a lot recently in equestrian circles because it was there this summer that British show jumping gold medalist Harry Charles married show jumper Eve Jobs — daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs.
As Ken recalled, earlier this year, when he and his wife were “hanging out at a Cotswolds manor house, I had this weird feeling come over me:`This reminds me of something.’ ”
What it reminded him of was the mansion presiding over Lana Lobell, because he was familiar with that property. When he inquired about the farm’s status, he learned it was coming up for auction in three days, and wasted no time taking action.
“We were the winning bidder,” said Ken.
The sign says it all. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lana Lobell was purchased in May 2025 for a bit more than $5 million from Bank of America, which acquired ownership in a mortgage foreclosure sale last year.
Bedminster Mayor Larry Jacobs said the township is eager to see “the property put into someone’s good use and to see something great happen there and to restore the property, restore the fence, restore the fields. It’s been in a poor situation for a number of years. We look forward to its improvement.”
The farm has quite a history. According to a volume of “New Jersey Country Houses: The Somerset Hills” series by W. Barry Thompson and Jack Turpin, the property originally was known as the Field Farm, owned by brothers Hendrick and Jeremiah Field, who fought in the American Revolution.
In 1926, the prominent Schley family bought the land and built their 23-room Georgian-style home, reminiscent of the type of house found on a Virginia plantation. The bricks and roofing shingles came from John D. Rockefeller Jr. They were the same type he was using in the restoration of Williamsburg, Va.
Ken Donovan at the main entrance to the mansion. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
In 1976, the farm was bought by a corporation controlled by Boris Leavitt, a Russian immigrant, and his wife, Sophie. The couple, who started the standardbred stable, were pioneers in the catalogue business after World War II. They promoted their wares from a small chain of shops under the name Lana Lobell.
Most of the 128-acre property, 122 acres, has been preserved for agriculture or agricultural uses. But something that is not agriculture-related can be done within the balance of the tract.
So the manor house will become a club with a farm-to-table restaurant and serve as a guesthouse with overnight accommodations supporting Fiddlers Elbow. Members will have access to both facilities.
The property is getting a name change to Oxbow Farm, after a bend in the Lamington River that looks like an oxbow. Fiddler’s Elbow is also named after a bend in the river, which is stocked so guests can participate in fly fishing.
A farm store will be the only place on the property open to the general public. Most of the acreage will be used for growing lavender, hay, sunflowers and “tons and tons and tons” of vegetables. There also will be some animals on the property; goats, sheep, Highland cattle, ducks and chickens.
Ken’s son, Tommy, who handles the environmental and green initiative at Fiddlers Elbow, will be heavily involved and many from the horticulture staff will be at the farm, along with additional employees.
Though there had been a suggestion that part of the farm, with its white-fenced pastures, could be a home for retired horses, Ken noted his company isn’t familiar with the horse business and felt that wasn’t a realistic use.
“It’s not what we do,” he pointed out.
He did, however, note, “We’d be crazy not to have some sort of homage to the horses who were there,” but what that will be has not yet been determined.
He quickly added, “We love horses,” noting his father had racehorses. Equestrian themes can be spotted throughout the house. A carved fox head above one fireplace, for instance, is flanked by Currier & Ives-style depictions of a farm on one side and a hunting scene on the other.
The fireplace decoration with an equestrian flair. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
The mansion is being refurbished but Ken noted that “the house, for not being fully occupied for a long time, is in really good shape. They don’t build houses that way anymore.”
Work has begun on the rooms in the manor house and Ken hopes they will be ready by next summer, although plans eventually call for an expansion that will yield a total of somewhere around 30 rooms, if the township approves.
Show horse trainer Rachel Rosenthal Bellard of Heronwood Farm in Bedminster, recalled working for Lana Lobell in 1986. At age 18, her job involved helping to get yearlings ready for the sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
“My job was to drive this old Jeep around the track with a horse attached to the gate behind it. I had to watch the horse in the rearview mirror and make sure it wasn’t cantering, (it needed to be) either trotting or pacing. Craziest horse job I’ve ever had. We then took 110 horses to Harrisburg. Amazing experience!,” she remembered.
“I am so pleased to hear that this property will not be parceled out and developed. I can’t wait to see it brought back to life. Even if it’s not going to be a horse farm, I am so happy to know it will be used for agricultural purposes.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 29, 2025
Justin Verboomen delivered on the promise he showed when he wowed the crowds at Aachen last month, as he took Belgium’s first European Championships dressage medal, earning gold in the Grand Prix Special on Friday in Crozet, France.
The rider was brought to tears as he left the arena after his flowing test marked at 82.371 percent seemed to put him on the brink of a win, even with such stars as Germany’s Isabell Werth (Wendy de Fontaine) and Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Mount St John Freestyle) still to come.
A moment that captures the intensity of Justin Verboomen.
“I cannot believe what happened in this arena,” he said, after confessing he was speechless in the drama of the moment.
“I just couldn’t believe it. He is only 9 years old,” a stunned Justin said of the black Hanoverian stallion by Zonik NOP that he found in Portugal as a 2-year-old.
“He has so much to learn, I have so much to learn,” he continued, noting “I had a lot of pressure before I put on myself.” It was, he added, “difficult to handle and manage.” Of his horse, he commented, “he did an incredible job.”
Justin Verboomen was moved to tears after his wonderful ride on Zonik Plus.
Justin got four 10s for his pirouettes, one for piaffe and one for passage, and so many 9s that I stopped counting them, except for one 9.5 for general impression.
Justin and Zonik Plus in action. (FEI Photo)
Cathrine, who was first in the team competition that ended Thursday, finished second on 81.687 percent after a mistake in the one tempis when her mare “knocked her one leg” and was marked at 3.7.
“Other than that, I had an amazing ride in there.”
Cathrine Laudrop-Dufour of Denmark and Mount St. John Freestyle, runner-up in the Special. (FEI Photo)
Isabell won her twenty-eighth European championships medal by taking bronze with a score of 79.027 percent. In her case also, the one-tempis were responsible for her failure to break 80 percent, with several marks of 5 there.
“I realized how difficult it would be,” Isabell said of the Special.
Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine, third in the Special (FEI Photo)
“I know I’m not on this serious level i need to be to be so safe and confident to go to the canter work,” she added.
The changes are “still on the way to get it really easy and confident. Sometimes, a little mistake when she’s not really with me. That we have to sort out. The rest was really super.”
In her first senior Championships, German rider Katharina Hemmer finished fourth with Denoix PCH, owned by Nancy Gooding of the the U.S. and German trainer Hubertus Schmidt. What a shame that lovely Denoixl isn’t competing for the USA.
But Katharina did a wonderful job with a fluid test, in which the piaffe and passage each were well-balanced, front and hind. The entrancing performance that earned 78.678 percent had German coach Monica Theodorescu wiping tears from her eyes.
Katharina’s European Championships debut was a special experience for her.
“It’s not so often you can really enjoy your ride, active in the test, because you are so focused. But this time I felt Denoix was so focused and he wanted to do everything right and I could really enjoy it during the ride,” Katharina explained.
“He tried his best. I felt so proud during the ride that he’s giving his all for me. I was very, very delighted.”
Click HERE for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 28, 2025
Germany did Thursday what it usually does, taking team gold for the twenty-sixth time at the European Dressage Championships. That nation has won a total of 26 golds in European championship competition, though at the last Euro title meet two year ago, it settled for silver while Britain took gold.
This time, the placings were reversed, with Britain less than three points behind the Germans, 229.644 to 226.785.
“It’s very sweet to get it back,” said German Chef d’equipe Klaus Roeser, who works with coach Monica Theodorescu.
“We are very happy once again to bring the title back to Germany.”
The German dressage team: Chef d’equipe Klaus Roeser, Ingrid Klimke, Isabell Werth, Frederic Wandres, Katherina Hemmer and Monica Theodorescu.
As has been the case since she was suspended in 2024 for whipping a horse during a lesson several years ago, Britain’s former superstar, Charlotte Dujardin, was absent from the team, although she has been competing in England since her punishment ended in July. But the mare on whom she won an individual bronze at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, Mount St. John Freestyle, performed in great style with Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St. John Freestyle.
Cathrine was the only competitor at the title meet in Crozet, France, on the border with Switzerland, to break the 80 percent mark with her test, earning 80.823 percent. Freestyle did not compete in Aachen last month, which proved to be a wise decision by Cathrine, who as a result enjoyed a fresh horse in France. She led the Danish team to bronze on 223.385. It was the third time in that medal position for Denmark.
“We came here with quite a green team, and maybe weren’t yet in a position to chase the Germans and Brits, but we made it to the podium,” Catherine said. She was just ahead of Germany’s top rider, Isabell Werth on Wendy de Fontaine, with 79.224 percent. The mare was consistent, though her lower lip was often in motion and her mouth opened at times, showing some tension.
Britain missed a chance to overtake Germany when anchor rider Lottie Fry’s performance with Glamourdale wasn’t up to her usual level. She got a 4.5 for her collected canter, and her left pirouette was disheveled, scoring 4.4. The ride was saved, as always, by the stallion’s ground-eating canter. Team stalwart Carl Hester, the architect of Britain’s rise to the top of the dressage world, had a bravura performance with Fame on 76.098 percent to stand fifth, ahead of Lottie.
“I am just thrilled,” said Carl.
“He is such a genuine horse. He’s nice to ride, he’s fun to ride and he’s fun to ride around the Grand Prix because he doesn’t run out of energy – and he’s like that every day, whether you’re at home or in an arena.
“I’ve had some great rides this year. Of course, there’s always something that can be better. I probably went better in my extended trots today than I’ve gone before, but I just thought, ‘go for it – we’re behind anyway, so I need to ride a little bit stronger.”
Jagerbomb, who made his Olympic debut in Paris last year with owner Becky Moody, was marked at 74.829 and would have been higher if not for an unscripted flying change in the extended canter. Britain had only a three-person team after pathfinder Andrew Gould’s Indigro was blown out by a judge during his test for being uneven on the first day of Grand Prix..
Everyone was looking forward to the appearance of Aachen sensation Justin Verboomen and the rivetingl Zonik Plus for Belgium. He started off with 8s for his entrance, but hit the boards during his reinback (5.2) and his power presentation of the one-tempis led to a costly error ,resulting in a mark of 4.6 for that movement. Justin didn’t quite hit 80 percent, winding up in third place with a score of 79.084 percent, which put the Belgian team fourth with 220.062.
The top 30 return for the Grand Prix Special on Friday.
Click here for individual results. Click here for team results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 25, 2025
Not only is she a wonderful rider and trainer, three-time Olympian Adrienne Lyle also is a top class coach, whose many strengths were on display at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions over the weekend with victory after victory.
She won the Developing Prix St. Georges title with Hussman’s Topgun, a dynamic son of the late, great Totilas, earning 72.549 and 73.425 percent in her classes. Adrienne feels the need to log another year of developing work for this big, talented horse before he’s a CDI championship candidate.
“He’s definitely not one that you will put any external time constraints on, because he’s ready when he’s ready,” she explained.
Adrienne and a be-ribboned Topgun. (USA Equestrian photo)
Her students also dominated their competition at the show in Illinois. Christian Simonson became the youngest person (he’ll be 23 on Tuesday) ever to win the national Grand Prix Championship with a sweep of all three classes.
His freestyle with Indian Rock, the 2024 Olympic mount of Emmelie Scholtens from the Netherlands, was close to the 80 percent stratosphere on 79.430 percent.
Looking ahead to the highlight of 2026, the FEI World Championships at Aachen, Adrienne said about Christian and Indian Rock, “We’re definitely not ruling that out. The reason we came to this (the championship) was that he needs to go step by step up the ladder. I’ve always been very careful about not letting him jump into things too soon; making sure he did all the proper steps.
Christian Simonson and Indian Rock. (California Dressage Society photo)
“I thought doing his first national Grand Prix championship was a very important step. He handled it all amazingly, as he always does. The goal for next year is to do the Grand Prix CDIs and see where that takes him.”
Christian also rode Fleau de Bain, a stallion who is the former mount of another Dutch rider, Adelinde Cornelissen, to win the U25 Brentina Cup with a 72.820 percent freestyle. That competition has special meaning for Adrienne because it is named after the favorite mount of Debbie McDonald, who was her mentor. Needless to say, Christian was the first person to take the Grand Prix and Brentina Cup titles at the same show.
“Anything that he is interested in, he is like a sponge. He wants to learn everything and absorb everything,” said Adrienne, who won the Brentina Cup when she was starting on her career path.
“We are not trying to prove anything to anyone. We are all very humble students of the craft, and if you enter with that kind of mindset, your mind is open to absorb and learn. Christian always comes with such great insights and great questions. You could tell his brain is constantly working to unlock every little bit of knowledge he can about this sport.”
Christian Simonson had several victory laps. (USA Equestrian Photo)
Both his horses and Topgun are owned by Heidi Humphries of Zen Elite Equestrian Center.
Adrienne described Heidi as “the engine that drives the machine. She is so incredibly supportive” even of horses she doesn’t own that are trained by Adrienne.
“For Heidi, they are all in the family, the barn family,” Adrienne observed.
“She has contagious enthusiasm. She has such a die-hard belief in her riders and horses through good times and bad times. Heidi’s done a fantastic job of allowing us to develop a pipeline. We’re not just looking six months or a year ahead and trying to scramble into a spot.”
Adrienne just got the ride on Zen’s newest horse, My Vitality, who is only eight. She doesn’t know if he’ll be ready for the championships, but she described him as “incredibly smart, an incredibly rideable horse.”
She appreciates the decision by the U.S. Equestrian Federation to hold the 2026 Grand Prix championship as part of the selection process for the world championships as a stand-alone at Ocala’s World Equestrian Center in May, rather than during the Dressage Festival of Champions, which has so many other divisions.
Adrienne noted the USA’s top Grand Prix horses often don’t appear at the Festival because they have just come off a European tour. Running their competition as a standalone is important, in her view.
“I think this will make it that the top horses are going head-to-head in the national Grand Prix championships,” she suggested.
In addition to everything she does with the horses, Adrienne also keeps busy as a mother with her daughter, Bailey Da Silva, who is about to turn two and already is sitting bareback on horses when she isn’t hugging or kissing them.
But Adrienne never loses focus on her work. Among others she coached to the top of the rankings at the Festival was Katie Duerrhammer, who won the Seven-Year-Old Championships at the Festival with Kylie Lourie’s Rosebank VH, who took both classes.
When Katie clinched the title, Adrienne said, “That was really a special moment. She made me cry, which is very few and far between. I’m not a crier. But she has been working so hard with that stallion and had two of her most beautiful tests. She rode so soft and so harmonious. You could have heard a pin drop.”
Katie Duerrhammer and Rosebank VH. (USA Equestrian Photo)
She was proud that in the heat of the moment, Katie was “giving him still the same soft ride he needed. It’s hard not to push a little harder when you’re under that kind of pressure.”
And then there’s Quinn Iverson, who won the Developing Grand Prix with longtime supporter Billie Davidson’s Oldenburg gelding, Gremlin 41. She earned 72.03 percent.
Quinn Iverson and Gremlin 41. (USA Equestrian Photo)
Quinn, who started as a working student for Debbie and Adrienne, has trained Gremlin for several years.
“She’s done an incredible job with him. I think he’s a super talented horse,” observed Adrienne, adding, “I think he could be on the radar to be a contender for next year (the championships shortlist) possibly too.
“It might be a little bit too soon, but our goal for next year is to get him into the Grand Prix CDIs. I’d love for him to go to Europe.”
Adrienne called Quinn, “an incredible rider. She’s one of those naturally gifted people with a super feel of the horses and the way to read horses. She can ride anything, she can get along with anything. She’s a very gifted trainer.
“I trust her to make the right decisions. That’s really exciting for me, because my goal is to bring up people who are not just good competition riders but who first and foremost are good trainers and can produce horses. We’re trying to pass Debbie’s system and knowledge to the next generation.”
It’s quite a team effort.
Christian describes his success as a reflection of the “incredible support from Adrienne and Zen,” as well as grooms Hugo Saldivar and Marina Lemay.
“Whatever Adrienne tells me to do is where I go,” Christian emphasized.
His horses have “almost the same type of character, “they’ll go through fire for you and try their hearts out.”
Each, of course, is different to ride.
Felix, as Fleau de Bain is known, is smaller than Rocky and has been Christian’s mount for 18 months. He “is like a piaffe passage machine.”
Rocky, who Christian has ridden for eight months, is “so incredibly elastic…he has incredible lateral scope and capability.”
Will we see Christian at the FEI World Cup finals and FEI World Championships next year? Could be.
When he was 13, Christian disclosed, “I wrote all of my biggest goals in a notebook. One was a Pan Ams (he already has ridden on the gold medal team in the Pan American Games), one was a WEG (World Equestrian Games, now world championships), one was an Olympics. That would be just unbelievable if it happened, Let’s keep our hooves crossed and see how it all goes.”
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 22, 2025
Ron Turcotte, who in 1972 rode Secretariat to racing’s first Triple Crown in a quarter-century, died Friday. He was 84.
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame stated: “Ron was a legendary rider and also an inspiration for all he achieved and overcame during his incredible life. Although best known for sweeping the Triple Crown with Secretariat–culminating with a 31-length victory in the 1973 Belmont Stakes – Turcotte’s Hall of Fame career spanned 18 years and more than 3,000 wins.
“As an ambassador for both the sport and the legacy of the great Secretariat, Ron made countless people into fans of racing through his kindness and the time he gave to all, whether telling stories about Big Red, signing autographs, or posing for pictures. He was a fierce competitor on the track and a gentleman off of it. He will forever be remembered as one of the game’s greats.”
The Belmont victory was historic, and I am still grateful I was present to witness it and write about the moment of a lifetime. Secretariat’s solo run to the finish line (he left the rest of the field behind in another dimension) was something I will never forget, a moment out of time.
That famous run.
“With 70 yards to go, I chirped to him to make sure he did not lose focus,” Turcotte told Tom Pedulla when remembering that magnificent airborne gallop.
“He responded by finding still another gear. Sure that the race was won, that Secretariat would be the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, I was able to soak in everything. The crowd that was going wild. The teletimer. track announcer Chic Anderson’s memorable race call. ‘Secretariat is widening now. He is moving like a tremendous machine!” Turcotte wanted to make sure the big red horse to set a record, and he did.
The jockey’s career was cut short in 1978 when a fall at Belmont Park left him a paraplegic. He made appearances at racetracks to celebrate his career and raise awareness for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. He moved back to his home town of Grand Falls in New Brunswick, Canada, where he was honored with a life-sized statue of himself riding Secretariat.
Turcotte was the last survivor of the triumvirate who oversaw Secretariat’s history-making career. Trainer Lucien Laurin died in 2000 and the horse’s owner, Penny Tweedy, passed away in 2017.
