Those who dream about riding in the Olympics will need to temper their plans (real or fantasy) following the International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) decision yesterday to cut teams from four to three in each of the Olympic disciplines and eliminate drop scores.
Olympic medal podiums will be less-crowded under the new format for three-member teams approved by the FEI. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
And you thought competition to get on a team was already tough enough?
Alternates, however, are envisioned as playing a bigger role, taking the place of a teammate who can’t continue after the competition has begun, but can you imagine, for instance, a jumper coming into the mix in the second round? The International Jumper Riders Club didn’t like it, saying it would be difficult for a horse to enter the competition cold without having become accustomed to the arena and fences in a first round that serves to acclimatize entries.
Cutting the number of competitors per country was only one of many measures taken during the FEI’s General Assembly in Tokyo Nov. 22. I watched the livestream from 7 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the Eastern U.S.) so I’ll fill you in on the highlights, including several presentations.
These changes and numerous others are all part of an effort to keep equestrian sports in the Olympics, with the idea of having more countries represented to show universality of participation in horse sports. Space in the Games is always at a premium, as new sports jostle to become a part of them, often at the expense of the older sports on the roster.
Only 11 of 107 nations represented voted against format changes, but their number included the equestrian powerhouses of Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland and New Zealand. Neither Canada nor the U.S. were among the dissenters.
Canadian Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist Eric Lamaze said that at a meeting of his country’s team in Rio last summer, members of the squad were all against the change from four to three.
“Given the outcome of our meeting, it comes as a complete shock that Canada voted in favor of the proposed change to three-man teams. What the Canadian federation went forward with was not the wish of the Canadian show jumping riders, as per our meeting in Rio,” commented Eric.
“I accept the fact that our vote would not have changed the outcome, but we made a decision and believe that our voices should have been heard,” he continued.
“The current format works, and I want to make it clear that we believe the new format is not good for our sport on many different levels,” stated Eric.
However, it appears the FEI is at least on the right track with the IOC by increasing “the flags” because a promotional video from the Japanese Olympic Committee that was screened at the assembly kept emphasizing “diversity” in connection with the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Happily, it was decided not to switch the format of eventing to CIC style with the cross-country last, which had been discussed and would have changed the sport.
But other big changes for the Olympics include having the Grand Prix Special (run to music!) determine the team medals in dressage, with the Grand Prix being used to winnow the number of teams that can go in the Special. In show jumping, the individual competition will be first. The eventing dressage and show jumping will be at 4-star level, but cross-country will be at the 3-star technical level, and eventing dressage can take only one day, not two, as usual.
The presentation about the 2020 Games revealed there are two Olympic venues in Tokyo. The inland Heritage Zone “evokes the spirit of the ’64 Games” and that is where most of the equestrian competition will be, just as it was 52 years ago, the last time the city hosted the Games. The Sea Forest cross-country (designed by Derek DiGrazia, who also designs the route for the Rolex Kentucky 4-star) will be at the waterfront Tokyo Bay Zone on reclaimed land.
The good news for those who dream of achieving team glory is that the squads for the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C., will have four members, not three.While the IOC runs the Olympics, the FEI runs the WEG , which offers more freedom.
World Equestrian Game medal ceremonies still will have places for teams of four, as they did during the 2014 WEG in Normandy. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Mark Bellissimo, the managing partner behind the Tryon International Equestrian Center, was in Tokyo to offer information on the WEG and his facility. He revealed that after Bromont, Quebec, withdrew as host of the 2018 WEG, he called his right-hand man, Michael Stone, and within five minutes it was decided Tryon—with its eight all-weather rings and six grass arenas–could do the Games.
The backing of the U.S. Equestrian Federation helped in submission of a bid, which was quickly accepted by the FEI.
After the 2014 Normandy, France, WEG, it was obvious changes needed to be made in the way the WEG was handled. Too often, the WEG has been a financial disaster. It was determined tighter parameters were needed for future World Games; that the time for the Games needed to be reduced to nine or 10 days, athlete numbers had to be cut and the FEI should reduce its host fee and sponsorship commissions.
Tryon has a huge advantage over Normandy and its multiple venues in that the 2018 WEG will be on one site. Although $125 million has been spent on TIEC, Mark said another $100 million will be going into the facility.
Plans for more hotels (among them a 200-room hotel is scheduled to open on site next year), amenities and recreational opportunities were outlined. Prospective spectators will be glad to hear that TIEC will have control over hotel rates in the region and nothing can be more than 10 percent over the usual cost of rooms, unlike the 2010 WEG in Kentucky, where price gouging was a big issue.
“We aspire to a venue of the stature of Aachen (Germany, home of the successful 2006 WEG),” Mark told his audience of 300. Hmmm, but did he go a bit far when he suggested in closing that after the 2018 WEG, people might refer to Aachen as “the Tryon of Germany?”
In other business, Lord Stevens gave a report in the integrity of equestrian sports (there were no equestrian drug/medication violations at the Rio Games) and noted that in other sports, including soccer, cycling and cricket, there was “an extraordinary series of scandals” recently.
He pointed out that scandal affects the reputation of a sport while also hurting its profitability, explaining that “trust is key” for sponsors. Along those lines, the FEI wants higher fines for those found to have violated rules involving banned substances and controlled medications.
When the 2016 World Endurance Championships in the United Arab Emirates “became a cause of concern,” the FEI “demonstrated strength” by relocating them to Slovakia, Lord Stevens noted.
Other items I picked up:
The Youth Olympic Games will be in Buenos Aires Oct. 1-7 2018, which could be an interesting experience for young people aspiring to the senior Olympics.
A new invitation system for jumping competitions at 2-star level and above will open more opportunities for athletes who too often found themselves closed out of big competitions . The new system will give them a chance to climb up the rankings ladder, which is often a key for team selection and also gives preference in entering shows with limits on the number of competitors.
Roly Owers, CEO of World Horse Welfare (worldhorsewelfare.org) talked about the “invisible” working horses around the world and their plight. Take a look at the website. The FEI Code of Conduct was drafted with World Horse Welfare, which promotes the need for responsible breeding and proper care of horses after their careers, among many other issues.
In closing, FEI President Ingmar de Vos noted, “This was a very important General Assembly. We took crucial decisions for the future of our sport and I understand that not everybody was happy, but we followed a very democratic process and in the end there was a clear majority. There are no winners or losers in this debate. These new formats give us a huge responsibility and failure is not an option, so we need to work together with all our stakeholders to prepare for Tokyo 2020.”
Bridget Love Meehan has resigned as executive director of the Washington International Horse Show after six and one-half years in the position.
She wants “to pursue new professional and personal challenges,” but is confident that the show is “in solid standing and in good hands.”
Bridget said she was honored “to help lead this incredible organization successfully through a period of significant development, including moving up to the 4-star FEI competition level, joining the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League, consistently maintaining positive income as an organization and annually generating more than $10 million in economic impact for Washington, D.C.”
Victoria Lowell remains as president of the show at the Verizon Center.
Trainer Kip Rosenthal, who has worked with Bertalan de Nemethy, George Morris and Victor Hugo-Vidal, is giving a clinic at the Grand Augean Stable in Stockton Dec. 3.
In her youth, Kip placed in the top three at the American Horse Shows Association Medal and ASPCA Maclay finals. She also rode Goodboy Dee to the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year Junior Hunter Championship.
An R-rated judge in both Hunter and Hunter Seat Equitation, she has judged at such shows as the Hampton Classic, Lake Placid and the Capital Challenge.
In addition, Kip holds a PhD in clinical counseling psychology and conducts sports psychology seminars.
Registration forms for the clinic, which offers sessions at $200 for work over fences at 2’6”, 3’, and 3’6”, are available via email from KipRClinic@gmail.com, or by calling 917-640-6133. Auditors are welcome to register at $30 per person.
Persistence paid off last weekend for T.J. O’Mara of Rumson, who set a goal and returned year after year to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone attempting to realize it.
On his fifth try, he finally won the Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East, topping a stellar group of riders with a performance that was long on consistency and style.
T.J. O’Mara and Kaskade. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Trained by Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill Show Stables and Max Amaya of Stonehenge Stables, both in Colts Neck, T.J. said winning the Talent Search “has been one of my dreams for my junior career. I’m so proud of my horse.”
He has had a long relationship with Kaskade, his only equitation mount, who sadly will be for sale after indoors as T.J. ages out of the division.
“It’s going to be very emotional to see her go, but this was obviously on my checklist and I’m just happy to have won this on her, and not on another horse,” he said after the Talent Search award presentation.
He went from 11th after the initial flat phase to fifth after gymnastics on Saturday.
“Then I snuck into the top four,” said T.J., who won the Sunday morning jumping phase with a 92, though Daisy Farish still held the overall lead, as she had throughout the competition.
The Talent Search finalists enter the ring. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
So T.J. was happy to have a clean slate to start over for the last phase, the “final four,” when each exhibitor rides their own horse, and then that of their competitors, over a shortened course.
Daisy had a refusal with her own horse, Ganjana, in the first round of the final four, and then the low score in every round thereafter.
Sophie Simpson won the first three rounds of the final four competition until she got on Ganjana, then put in eight strides where everyone else did seven between fences two and three, cross-cantered at the end of the ring and met the in-and-out in less-than-optimal fashion.
Sophie Simpson and Breckenridge, with the USET Foundation stables in the background. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
She wound up second with a score of 350 to T.J.’s 355, while Vivian Yowan was third with 347 on McLain Ward’s Clearline, who won the Grappa trophy as best horse of the final. Daisy was fourth with a score of 246.
It was 2012 when T.J. first competed in the Talent Search, geared to spotting riders who could someday represent the U.S. in international competition. He was out of the ribbons, but his sister, Meg O’Mara, finished second that year. That was when he set his sights on winning someday.
His determination continues. T.J. is gearing up for his last shot at the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals, which his sister won at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. While there originally may have been some sibling rivalry, he notes that now, “Meg has been a huge support for me. She texts me at every single final and I know she’ll be proud of me, and my other two sisters will be proud of me as well.”
Vivian Yowan and Clearline, Best Horse of the finals. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Meg told him that depending on how he did at the Talent Search, she might show up to support him in person at the other finals. After the Medal, he has the Washington International’s equitation championship and then the ASPCA Maclay finals at the CP National Horse Show.
I met T.J. at the 2012 Hampton Classic when I was interviewing Meg about her blue-eyed horse, Sinatra, on whom she had won the junior jumper championship. She advised me that T.J. was going to be good, and I took it for what it was worth. She was, after all, his sister, which means she might have been prejudiced. He was just a kid, so I have to admit I didn’t pay a lot of attention. But Meg turned out to be right.
T.J. is an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Kentucky, where he is majoring in agricultural economics. His father, Tom, advised him that he needed something to fall back on if riding didn’t work out for a career, and he’s very interested in horse feed anyway.
This photo, T.J. on Daisy Farish’s mount, Ganjana, shows off his beautiful, balanced style. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
He is a serious young man, with an earnest demeanor and excellent manners. All in all, a pleasure to deal with, and gracious, too.
He gave credit to everyone who helped him get this far, from Don Stewart, who trained him initially, to Max and Stacia and their teams, and his family and friends. While in Kentucky, he also got some help from Federico Sztyrle, a friend of Max’s, and his partner, Chris Ewanouski.
T.J. is grateful for his experience, noting, “The equitation gives you a sense of who you are as a rider. It’s built a ton of confidence in me over the years.” Next for him is focusing on jumpers with his new horse, Queen Jane.
The victory meant a lot to T.J.’s trainers, not only because of what he did, but also because of who he is.
“I am so happy for T.J. because I look at him as not only an unbelievable developing young rider, but he’s been like an assistant to Stonehenge and Beacon Hill,” said Stacia.
T,J. with one of his trainers, Max Amaya, and his parents, Liz and Tom O’Mara. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He knows the horses. He can tell you what every horse in the barn eats, and probably what they wear for shoes. If I’m ever at the ring and one of my assistants isn’t there to answer a question about rules, he knows the rules because he reads the prizelists. He’s one of the few kids that actually gets a prizelist at the beginning of each horse show and reads it. He knows the rules of not only the competitions he rides in, but the rules of other competitions.
“He studies riding,” she continued.
“He watches videos, he reads books, he goes old school on you.” That makes winning the Talent Search “so well-deserved in that respect, because everything’s not coming from the trainer, even though we like to think we’re a very important part of it. He’s done a magnificent job of educating himself and I think that is what really pulled him through.”
Bridget Hay of East Amwell and Kim Herslow of Stockton were rooming together, stabled their horses side-by-side and shared a tack room during an often-rainy Dressage at Devon. Both competed in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I, while Bridget also rode in the FEI 5-year-old finals.
Bridget Hay and Kim Herslow during Dressage at Devon. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Even though we compete against each other, it’s all fun,” said Kim, who couldn’t pinpoint whether their acquaintance was 15 years or 20, finally concluding, “it’s been a long time.”
Each was taking care of their own mounts (though Bridget also got help from her mother, Barbara), but were able to lend a hand to the other when needed.
“We haven’t done this in four years,” said Bridget, and things were different then. Riders regularly find themselves in the land of beginning again, and so it was with Bridget and Kim.
Four years ago, Bridget was showing her stallion Fitzhessen (like all her horses, a homebred). Kim was training Rosmarin, known as Reno, before he became a major star at last year’s Pan American Games as the team won gold and qualified the U.S. to compete in dressage at the Rio Olympics.
Sadly, Bridget’s stallion had to be put down after contracting a severe case of laminitis. This year, she showed his full brother, Faolan, a 7-year-old stallion by Freestyle, who finished 12th at Devon in a field of 40 in the PSG and 10th in the I-1.
Bridget Hay and Faolan. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Reno, a German import, was diagnosed after the Pan Ams with a cyst on the cruiciate ligament on his right stifle, and had to undergo surgery. He’s still rehabbing, but has moved up to cantering and hacking in the fields at Kim’s Uppercreek Farm.
So last week, Kim was showing All or Nothing (Ollie), a son of the stallion VDL Prestige who had been ridden by Netherlands’ star Edward Gal. Ollie belongs to Kim’s client, Ellen Reeder, but she offered the horse so Kim would have a chance to get back in the ring while Reno is on the sidelines and waiting to start training again with Debbie McDonald in Florida before year’s end.
Before you can go in any ring, however, you have to go in the warm-up area, and at Devon last Thursday, it was a mess.
When Bridget showed Fauna (who wound up second and third in the 5-year-old classes with a 79 and a 77.8) the rain was coming down and “water was gushing into my boots,” said Bridget. At the time Faolan was in the warm-up, “it was slop,” she observed.
Kim joked that before the GPS, Ollie “won the warm-up, his hind legs were hitting his belly” in an area flooded with puddles.
After that, however, “he kind of flattened out in the main ring with perfect footing. He lost a little bit of his gas,” she said, though he finished 19th of 40 in the class. He was still tired for the I-1, winding up 26th in that test.
“He was great about the whole thing,” Kim said of his third CDI.
Kim Herslow with All or Nothing. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
While “he was not in the groove,” he still handled the unique atmosphere of D at D. His owner will make her debut on the horse this winter. She bought Ollie from a woman who got him for her 15-year-old son, before he decided he liked riding motorcycles more than riding horses.
Fauna is attached to Ollie, a good thing, because as Bridget pointed out, “I have to keep my mare and my stallion apart.”
Despite the weather, the two friends were having a good time.
“Devon’s my favorite show, even though it’s freezing cold and you get wet every year.” said Bridget.
“The random years that it’s sunny, you really appreciate those years.
“The atmosphere is awesome, but there are certain horses that I would think twice about taking here,” commented Bridget, who noted her horses were fine in the imposing Dixon Oval, and Kim said the same about the good-natured Ollie.
The duo tried to find fun where they could with a dinner out, but show life isn’t necessarily glamorous. For instance, Kim didn’t get to watch the Grands Prix for the Special and Freestyle on the Friday night because she had to be ready to show at 8 a.m. the next day.
Kim and Bridget went their separate ways after Devon, with Bridget heading to Kentucky next month for the national championships with both horses, while Kim went home before going to Florida. The two will reunite there, with Bridget basing herself in Kim’s barn for the winter circuit and continuing the thread of equestrian friendship that is so tightly woven through their lives.
Daisy Farish is leading the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East at the end of the first day of competition at the Gladstone headquarters of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation.
Daisy Farish leads the Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search on Ganjana after two of the four phases have been completed. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
The 15-year-old Lexington, Ky., resident won today’s flat phase on Ganjana with a score of 92, and finished second in the afternoon gymnastics with the same score. Vivian Yowan, another Lexingtonian, tied with Sophie Simpson for eighth on 87 in the first phase, then topped the ranks in gymnastics with a 93 to stand second. The scores from gymnastics were multiplied by 1.5 to give Daisy a total of 230 to Vivian’s 226.5. Standing third is last year’s ASPCA Maclay winner, McKayla Langmeier, on 226.13, followed by Taylor St. Jacques (224.75) and T.J. O’Mara of Rumson in fifth with 223.25 Sophie is sixth on 222. One of the favorites for the class, Lucy Deslauriers, was fourth in the flat phase but had a refusal at the last fence in the gymnastics and is 53d on 148.50.
The four-part competition, considered by many the most rigorous event of its kind, continues at 9 a.m. Sunday, with all of the 57 competitors jumping a course. At 1:30 p.m., the top riders will compete in the “Final Four,” with each jumping a course and then going back over it on all of the other finalists’ horses.
The idea of the Talent Search is to discover riders who could represent the country internationally. Previous winners include McLain Ward, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who was on the silver medal squad in Rio last summer, and Charlie Jayne, the reserve rider for the 2012 Olympics and 2014 World Equestrian Games, as well as Andre Dignelli, who has coached a number of equitation finals winners and trains Daisy, along with Jodie Bailey, and Vivian as well.
Admission is free. If you can’t make it, the competition will be livestreamed on the USEF Network.
Herb Cohen, representing the U.S. Olympic Committee, presents an Olympic flag to Frank’s widow, Mary, and his daughters, Laura and Wendy at a celebration of the former show jumping coach’s life. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
By Nancy Jaffer
Sept. 20, 2016
A generation-spanning who’s who of American show jumping gathered yesterday at the Gladstone headquarters of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation for a smile- and tear-filled tribute to Olympian and coach Frank Chapot.
The celebration of Frank’s life drew everyone from his longtime teammates, George Morris, Kathy Kusner and Bill Steinkraus–who served as team captain before Frank, to Michael Matz, Joe Fargis and Anne Kursinski, among the stars of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, and current team members, represented by Rio silver medalists McLain Ward and Beezie Madden.
The crowd of more than 150 also included people whose lives had touched Frank’s in other ways; students, former grooms, show ring officials, governance figures and those who simply had been friends. Also on hand were his wife Mary, another former teammate; daughters Laura, a top grand prix rider and Wendy Nunn, an outstanding amateur rider; son-in-law Edward Nunn and grandchildren Frank, Mary and Cathleen Nunn.
Some of those who turned out for Frank Chapot’s memorial celebration, in the courtyard of the USET named for the 1960 Rome silver medal team on which Frank rode. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer) FOR A WHO’S WHO IN THE PHOTO, GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY.
Speakers touched on multi-dimensional aspects of Frank’s life, which ended June 20 at the age of 84. They talked about his outstanding record as coach, with team gold at the 1984 and 2004 Olympics as well as the 1986 world championships, among many other international medals. And then there were his own accomplishments, team silver at the 1960 and 1972 Olympics, individual bronze at the 1974 World Championships and what likely is a record that never will be broken–riding on 93 Nations’ Cup teams, 46 of which brought home the win for the country he loved.
Frank at the 1986 world championships at Aachen, where the team won gold and Conrad Homfeld (pictured on Abdullah) won individual silver. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
As noted by U.S. Equestrian Federation President Chrystine Tauber, another former teammate, Frank was a strong proponent of the Nations’ Cup, pushing for better scheduling and prize money for these classes that embody national honor. He also brought along the World Cup, insuring the annual indoor championship’s survival and prominence, as current coach Robert Ridland (yet another former teammate) emphasized.
Frank was, above all, a true patriot. Red, white and blue were his colors, commemorated with the baseball caps resting on every chair for the ceremonies. The front was emblazoned with USA, in the fashion of his favorite headgear. The side was embroidered with an American flag and the back had his name and the dates and locations of his silver medals.
The U.S. and its team were everything to him, and he gave them his all. George noted that Frank usually was under-horsed for the big events, but his determination flowed to his mounts and often gave the desired results. When they didn’t, he took the fall and came back to try again, even if the odds were not in his favor.
The best horse Frank ever had was one he did not ride in competition. He bred and trained Michael Golden’s Gem Twist, part of the 1988 silver medal team, who took individual silver as well at those Games for Greg Best, a young man also trained by Frank. Gem was named Best Horse at the 1990 World Equestrian Games and won not only for Greg, but also for his subsequent riders, Leslie Burr Howard and Laura.
Greg Best and Gem Twist. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Leslie remembered getting to ready to ride Gem in the Dublin Nations’ Cup before a packed stadium when Frank put up a big oxer in the warm-up ring.
“Okay, this is your first jump,” he told her. She took it, “and then Frank says, `That was your last one,’ ” so she went in the ring off just one fence to jump clean.
Frank demonstrated the vision to take a bold chance when he cloned Gem, a gelding who couldn’t pass on his pedigree, at a time when cloning was not as accepted as it is now. When the clone, Gemini, came of age, Frank had to be the first one to ride him, even at the age of 78. Luckily, as Wendy noted, Gemini behaved.
Now standing at stud in France, Gemini is carrying on the great Bonne Nuit jumping bloodlines, exemplified in the mount with which Frank perhaps was most identified, Good Twist, the sire of Gem. Bill remembered that on one European tour, Frank had the fastest time with the gray stallion in the speed classes at every show that summer.
Frank Chapot on the speedy Good Twist.
The afternoon at the USET Foundation was a treasure trove of stories, rich with detail, humor and of course, nostalgia, for things gone by. Some could be repeated, while some, delivered with a wink, were for private conversation only. Others seemed therapeutic, bringing the speakers back for a moment or two to a time they shared with Frank.
As Chrystine pointed out, Frank had a winning attitude. Bill, who got a standing ovation for his remarks, noted that one of Frank’s favorite sayings (after the oft-quoted ingate advice of, “let him go clear”) was “that you can’t win them all unless you win the first one.”
Peter Leone put it this way: “Frank was the definition of a winner.”
Chrystine recalled you never needed to say to Frank, “Tell us what you really think.”
After meeting with a sports psychologist when that initiative was in its early days for equestrians, Frank told him curtly, “Anyone who needs this isn’t going to ride on my team.”
Chrystine noted that Frank had developed his own way of “mentally tapping into that peak zone,” rather than needing outside help.
I remember sitting in the stands at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where show jumping was the final competition. Frank came up to seats near me between rounds to discuss strategy with his teammates and coach Bertalan de Nemethy, and though I couldn’t hear the specifics, I was impressed to see a level of determination so strong in his demeanor that it practically sent out shock waves .
It interested me that George, in his speech yesterday, mentioned he thought before the Games that Frank’s Montreal mount, Viscount, was not really the right horse for that test. Yet they finished fifth, not far off the medals. Frank made it happen, as George said, with “accuracy, guts, leg, and that horse went beautifully.”
A view of the tent as Philip Richter speaks on behalf of the USET Foundation. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Frank also had a big role in sport governance and rule-making.
“Part of being prepared, to Dad, was knowing the rules,” said Wendy.
“He prided himself on knowing the rules and making the judges and competitors play by those rules.”
As John Madden, the FEI’s first vice president, commented, “Everywhere he went he commanded respect. He was involved in every aspect of the federation and he was a tremendous influence on the FEI.”
John remembered a controversy over something at a show, where Frank had to make his case before the jury over an interpretation of a rule.
He was convincing.
“You may be right,” one of the judges finally conceded.
Not content with that, Frank retorted, “Of course I’m right. I wrote the rule.”
Frank had the backs of the team members when he was needed.
“He was always there when things were difficult,” reported John.
While Frank’s demeanor was usually no nonsense, he also had a side that was, as Wendy put it, “fiercely protective.”
His goddaughter, Robin Rost Fairclough, remembered riding for someone at a local show whose horse put in just one stride in a two-stride combination, alarming Frank. Although he was not training her that day, he marched up to the animal’s owner and informed him, “She’s never riding that horse again.”
After the formal proceedings of the memorial were over, guests moved from a tent in the arena into the stable that had played such a big role in Frank’s life. They enjoyed a drink or two and something to eat, renewed acquaintances and swapped stories. Each left with a new baseball cap and a lot of memories.
They all knew, as George said when he closed his talk, “You don’t ever replace Frank Chapot. There won’t be another one.”
Here is the list of those in the group photo: Front row–Jimmy Torano, Neal Shapiro, Peter Leone, Chrystine Tauber, Mary Chapot, Bill Steinkraus, Beezie Madden, Robin Rost Fairclough, Leslie Burr Howard, Anne Kursinski, Joy Kloss, McLain Ward, George Morris, Laura Chapot, Linda Sheridan, Michael Matz.
Back row–Mark and Armand Leone, Eric Hasbrouck, Joe Fargis, Chris Kappler (DD Matz, hidden)
As the weather gets cooler, it’s time to think about hitting the trails, and there are plenty of opportunities to do that competitively in New Jersey during the coming weeks.
The Tewksbury Trail Pace is running Sept. 18 at Christie Hoffman Farm Park from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The awards ceremony will be held at 3:30 p.m., and there are always great prizes. The fee is $45 for adults and $35 for juniors, with a $10 discount for members of the Tewksbury Trail Association, which is presenting the competition.
Western and English riders both are welcome to ride in the pace, which has a choice of 6- and 9-mile loops. For information, go to www.tta-nj.org or email to tewksburytrail@gmail.com.
Come back to www.nancyjaffer.com in the coming weeks for news about more paces.
You saw the Olympic eventing from Rio on TV or the live stream, but Marilyn Payne lived it as president of the ground jury, and she had quite a different view.
It was, of course, serious business, but also an adventure to be part of the world’s biggest sporting event.
Olympic eventing judge Marilyn Payne and her daughter, Holly Payne Caravella, at Holly’s Gladstone fundraiser to take Outfoxed to Burghley. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Marilyn shared her experiences last weekend at Beval Saddlery in Gladstone for a fundraiser for her daughter, Holly Payne Caravella, who is riding Never Outfoxed in this week’s 4-star Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England. (Those who wish to give her a check can make it out to Holly Payne Caravella and send it to P.O. Box 59, Gladstone, NJ 07934. Or click on https://www.gofundme.com/2fq3ey2s.)
While Holly got a U.S. Equestrian Federation grant to bring her other top mount, Santino, to the 3-star Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials the week after Burghley, she was on her own to pay Fox’s way.
So her mother, who is part of the syndicate that owns the 10-year-old thoroughbred, stepped up to talk about her time in Rio.
As soon as she arrived in Rio, Marilyn found herself in the Olympic mode. Standing in a 100-person line waiting to go through customs, she found herself chatting with the person ahead of her, who happened to be the chief judge of gymnastics.
“You think dressage has a problem? We had a lot to talk about,” she told her audience with a smile.
Marilyn, who runs Applewood Farm in Califon, attended the test event in Rio last year, when none of the radios worked. Just as dire, volunteers from Brazil who said they spoke English couldn’t even communicate the simplest messages, such as the need to call for an ambulance.
“It was a disaster,” recalled Marilyn.
Another disaster hovered at the Olympics during the rehearsal for handling the cross-country phase, just five days away, when the radios died within 10 minutes and the practice had to be suspended.
“They had to get a whole new set of radios,” Marilyn reported.
After the experience with the 2015 test event, officials from other countries (who could speak English) had to be flown in, with airfare and lodging paid for by the cash-strapped Rio Games.
Marilyn and the other officials lived in Olympic housing, where shortcomings included the choice of food and meeting the challenge of taking 30-second showers before the plumbing situation was resolved.
There was one thing the judges didn’t have to worry about. They took a bus from their accommodations to the venue, and found armed guards everywhere (the Deodoro Equestrian Center was on a military base). So security–a key issue discussed any time the Rio Games were mentioned–wasn’t a problem.
“We felt very safe,” Marilyn reported.
Talking about the first horse inspection, Marilyn said it was “entertaining” to see all the different team fashions, especially those of the Swedes, whose female riders wore “a ballooning yellow outfit” tied at the waist with something resembling a rope.
“We were like, `Oh my gosh. Okay, got to look at the horse,’” she chuckled.
In the dressage phase, everyone was waiting to see the performance of Germany’s Michael Jung and Sam, the defending champion partnership from the London 2012 Games and the hot favorite to take the title again.
Marilyn said Michael had a good ride, “but it wasn’t the best ride.”
So the thought was, “Wow, this is going to be a cool competition. Somebody else might win the gold medal.. But then came cross-country.”
While those who just wanted to get around could take optional lines that would leave them with time penalties, anyone seeking a medal had to try the more difficult direct routes.
Most teams put their best cross-country horse first, and “we lost a few,” meaning they were eliminated, Marilyn noted.
What Marilyn called THE obstacle, was actually two numbered fences, the Malmesbury Cottage table fence and a gate. The direct route involved jumping a corner of the “building,” then taking between three and five strides to a gate. By the time the second horse of each team went out, “coaches started getting smart,” she said, having their riders go the long way and making a time-consuming loop before the gate that enabled a better approach.
“You want to get the team around,” explained Marilyn.
After the USA’s Boyd Martin finished in the first group, teammate Clark Montgomery had to withdraw because his horse didn’t want to play. So Marilyn was watching intently from her vantagepoint in the control center as the US team’s third rider, Lauren Kieffer, who was having a great round, until she galloped toward the cottage and gate.
When she saw Lauren aiming for the direct route, Marilyn’s reaction was an anguished “`Nooooo.'” “Unfortunately, she said, “the direct route didn’t work out.”
Lauren’s horse cleared it in front but caught it behind and slipped on landing, going down. That put the U.S. team out of the running, with only two riders left to compete in the next day’s show jumping.
Michael Jung went the direct way at the table/gate combo, and it was “picture perfect,” Marilyn said. She estimated six tried the direct way, and three didn’t make it.
The tricky moment for the USA’s Phillip Dutton’s came at a brush fence, where Mighty Nice barely missed being off the edge. The judge at the jump called it in to the jury as a refusal.
The cliffhanger way he took the fence “was unbelievable,” said Marilyn, noting the jury watched the instant replay several times.
Mighty Nice’s “hind end did not jump the fence,” Marilyn noted, but because the horse’s head, neck and shoulders cleared the obstacle, the effort was counted as bona fide, since that’s all the rules require. Phillip went on to take the individual bronze.
Questions such as that were easily resolved by the ground jury because not only did they see instant replays of the TV camera shots when requested, but there also was additional footage of a head-on view of the horses available to them, so they could determine whether they jumped through the flags at a fence.
Judges also have the task of stopping a horse they feel is unfit to continue.
In the show jumping, which was held over two rounds for the team and individual honors, Marilyn had a great view as Michael Jung claimed his second gold medal.
“I’ve got to get his signature,” she decided.
By the time she came down from the judges’ tower, Michael was leaving the press conference and likely on his way to a celebration.
Marilyn cleverly blocked his departure, rushing up to say, “Michael, congratulations.” She just happened to have a purple pen, so how could he say no when she handed it over and asked him to sign her hat. That was sold for $255 at the fundraiser, with Holly’s husband, Eric Caravella, acting as auctioneer. He is darn good at that job, also bidding up a little doll of the Olympic mascot, Vinicius (a blend of Brazilian animals) for $205.
After eventing concluded, the eventing judges scribed for the Grand Prix dressage judges (Marilyn sat with Gary Rockwell of the U.S.)
While she does judge pure dressage in the U.S., she doesn’t judge the discipline at that level.
“You’re right there, watching these amazing horses and hearing these amazing scores. I never heard so many 9’s and 10’s in my life.”
Eventing dressage drew more of a crowd than Grand Prix dressage, Marilyn said.
In my view, that was because Brazil had no chance at all in GP dressage, which is not popular in Brazil, while the eventers had a shot at a respectable finish.
Before her mother spoke, Holly talked about Outfoxed and how she got him. She saw a video of the thoroughbred learning to swim, with a teenage girl in a bathing suit on his back. He stepped into water and with a few little kicks from his rider, he struck off as the bottom of the lake dropped away and he was paddling nicely.
Holly Payne Caravella and Never Outfoxed. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Holly’s reaction?
“Oh my God, it’s a 4-year-old who will do that?” It clinched the deal and she bought him sight unseen with her mother. The thought was, “Let’s see what we’ll get. If he’s awesome, we’ll syndicate him. He was awesome.
“I knew right away he would be a 4-star horse. There are not many in the world you get on and instantly know, `This horse is going all the way.’ He had all the heart in the world with all the athletic ability. Within the first year of owning him, I decided I was going to keep him.”
She syndicated him and he has proven her original assessment correct by running twice at the 4-star Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
Holly Payne Caravella and Never Outfoxed at Rolex Kentucky this year. (Photo copyright 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Burghley is, she noted, “kind of terrifying,” but Fox is the horse on which to try it.
“If you point him in the right direction, he’s going to do it for you. This is an amazing opportunity.”
Holly said she has been “overwhelmed by people contacting me saying, `I want to donate something, what can I give you?’”
The vast Tryon International Equestrian Center is being proposed as the site for the 2018 FEI World Equesrian Games.
While I realize the Olympics are the main focus for the next couple of weeks (who could miss that?), it’s past time to discuss what’s happening with the FEI World Equestrian Games, scheduled to be held somewhere on the planet a short two years from now.
The sparkling new $125 million Tryon, N.C., equestrian complex put itself forward last week as a possible candidate for WEG 2018, following the decision that the original bid winner, Bromont, Quebec, wasn’t going to work due to a lack of government financing.
Tryon, set on 1,500 acres, has it all–12 arenas (the main arena seats 6,000 and can expand to 12,000); a 5,000 seat covered arena, 1,200 permanent stalls, a new cross-country course that could also host driving, hundreds of miles of trails in the area (for endurance) and several VIP areas.
It also enjoys the support of the governors of North Carolina and nearby South Carolina. Just as important, it has the backing of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, which of course would like to keep the WEG in North America for 2018.
USEF CEO Bill Moroney said the organization has sent a letter to the FEI requesting its consideration of Tryon.
“We think it’s a strong proposal,” he said of Tryon’s case.
The idea is in play with the FEI. Given the short time frame before the WEG, the FEI Bureau has decided not to re-open the bid process for the 2018 Games and has mandated President Ingmar De Vos to work on an alternative.
“The FEI is already in contact with two National Federations/OCs (Samorin in Slovakia, and Tryon, USA),” Ingmar said in response to my questions.
“If other organizers contact the FEI to express an interest in hosting the Games, they will be asked to provide the information through their National Federation. The FEI will be in a position to provide more details shortly.”
In case you’re wondering why the WEG is so important, it goes beyond the fact that it’s a compilation of eight world championships. Equestrian sport is not confident of continued inclusion in the Olympics. Those Games are always changing, trying to get a new and wider audience. That means, for instance, you’ll be seeing skateboarding in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Equestrian competition is expensive to put on and Olympic leaders aren’t necessarily convinced that it has enough of a following to serve the purposes of the Games. So there’s a feeling that equestrian must insure it has a big stage of its own in case it is dropped from the Olympics, even though it is bending over backwards to stay within the five rings (to the point of major revisions such as making eventing a CIC.)
The WEG, however, too often has been a black hole financially for its organizers (one example is the 2010 Kentucky WEG, which lost more than $1 million). There are several reasons why this happens: A lack of sponsors, a lack of sufficient government support and a lack of facilities, which requires expensive infrastructure work to get it to the point where a WEG can be hosted.
Tryon seems to hit all the bases, but there is a big wrinkle. Rolex, a former FEI sponsor, is a Tryon sponsor, while Longines, another watch company, is the FEI sponsor. How do you solve that one?
Mark Bellissimo, the managing partner of Tryon Equestrian Partners which owns the facility, is hoping something can be worked out.
“The bottom line is that Rolex is focusing on what is in the best interests for the sport…they encouraged the dialogue with FEI and we’re going to work it out once we understand the level of interest,” he told me in an interview.
When I asked the FEI whether it would be in a position to mediate between Rolex and Longines if necessary, I was told, “We are at a very early stage of the review process so it is premature to be looking at these kind of details at this point.”
I get that, since the FEI hasn’t even done a site visit of Tryon at this point.
As Mark pointed out, however, the Tryon option is “a great opportunity to keep the sport global vs the tendency to think of the sport as Eurocentric. I think it would be a shame if it weren’t back here (North America) again.”
The main arena at Tryon, where it draws a capacity crowd for its Saturday Night Lights grands prix.
The WEG, which has been held every four years since 1990, has been in Europe for each renewal except 2010.
“We have a unique opportunity,” commented Mark, who is also the managing partner for Wellington Equestrian Partners, which presents the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida. He works with Michael Stone, former secretary general of the FEI and the Irish equestrian federation. Michael is the president of Equestrian Sport Productions and in his governance days, was involved in the planning process for several WEGs.
“The problem with this event,” Mark said, referring to the WEG, “is you have to get a team of people five years in advance to do a one-time event and you burn through millions (of dollars) each year in preparation. You’re creating stuff you’re going to use once. (However, for the record, both Kentucky and Aachen 2006, the most successful WEG, have continued to use what was created for their WEGs.)
Mark noted that not only is a lot of the infrastructure in place in Tryon, but “We’ve also got two state leaders very excited about it,” and there is local support as well.
“It’s been tough in the past (for previous WEGs) because everyone is so focused in getting the venue done or figuring out how to work the venue,” he pointed out.
Another advantage of Tryon is that all the activities will be on the venue’s property (except for some of the endurance trails), which is similar to the situation at Stockholm for the first WEG, Aachen and Kentucky. That plays to the concept of giving people a chance to take in competitions they wouldn’t normally see otherwise without having to travel for the driving marathon or eventing cross-country. Mark also sees WEG as an opportunity to package the sport so it is aimed at people who just like horses, and presenting it as a festival, rather than just pure sport. Interest in horses in general can translate into an interest in horse sport, he contended.
“We’d like to think that we would try to operate in a way that would be successful across many dimensions,” he commented.
“I’m hoping the FEI embraces our venue and we bring the WEG back to America,” Mark said.
“Let’s talk about how we grow the sport, vs the `watch wars’. How do we make the sport great? That’s what the goal here is and there’s at least one group that’s willing to have a conversation and figure out how to make it work.”
I asked the USEF’s Bill Moroney whether his organization will get involved in the negotiations between the watchmakers, if there is any.
“I think it’s somethng that will happen mainly between the organizers and the different sponsors and the USEF will provide any support and advisement that is necessary to help those discussions go smoothly,” he commented.
“I’m sure the FEI will as well. I think everybody understands the challenge there, but I do think in the end that everyone across the board will do what’s best for the sport.”
Some have wondered whether it would be better to break up the WEG and instead go back to individual world championships (the way it was done before the first WEG) or groups of championships.
In answer to my inquiry on that, Ingmar responded, “The FEI World Equestrian Games™ are the FEI’s flagship event and they are a commercial operation, with benefits for both the local organizing committee and the regional economy. The economic impact study conducted at Normandy (home of the last WEG) in 2014 showed that the Games had a massively beneficial impact on the region and on France overall.”
The equestrian center at Samorin is part of a multi-sport and leisure complex, close to airports in neighboring Vienna, Austria, and Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. It is hosting the endurance world championships next month, so you know it’s familiar territory for the FEI.
