I hope you watched the first segment of the two-part miniseries, Equus: Story of the Horse, on PBS Jan. 16. The next segment is coming up Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and you don’t want to miss it.
Highlights of part one were the first realistic animation of the 45 million-year-old ancestor of today’s horse, the Dawn horse, and a demonstration of psychology tests that uncover how horses use non-verbal signals to communicate with each other and understand human expressions.Information on how horses breathe while galloping was fascinating as well.
So next up is Episode 2: “Chasing the Wind.” It examines how humans have partnered with the horse throughout the centuries and created more than 400 breeds, from the Yakutian horse of Siberia to the Arab horse. That juxtaposition also demonstrates horses can survive the most extreme climates that earth has to offer.
Here’s an interesting fact from part two–our ancestors drew horses more than any other animal. The first piece of art to depict a living thing was a tiny figurine of a wild horse living somewhere in Europe more than 35,000 years ago..
There’s a look at the world’s only truly wild horses, who live on Canada’s Sable Island, where a population of 500 has been living for at least 40 horse generations. Although descended from domesticated horses abandoned or shipwrecked in the 19th century, these horses receive no care from humans today.
The quality of the first segment makes the second segment must-see TV. No matter what your equine expertise is, there’s still plenty to learn about horses.
The Equestrian Businesswomen Summit, held in conjunction with the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s January annual meeting, is offering a digital recap of the day that featured an array of exciting speakers.
They include keynote speaker Tracey Noonan of Wicked Good Cupcakes, noted horse breeder Lisa Lourie of Spy Coast Farm; Lisa Roskens, who brought the FEI World Cup finals to Omaha in 2017 (and you can expect to see it there again in the upcoming decade); Alexandra Cherubini of EquiFit and dressage Olympian Ashley Holzer, who owns Today’s Equestrian magazine.
“The whole atmosphere and energy surrounding it was unlike anything I had ever been to before. It was what I hoped it would be,” commented the day’s organizers, Jennifer Wood, a public relations powerhouse.
The next step for the organization is the year-round membership platform that will launch in the spring with two tiers of membership.
“The big thing we’re offering is networking among members, expert resources they can reach out to and online video learning content,” said Jen, explaining.the lower membership tier does not include the videos.
“It’s all kind of connected in one way or another to horses. It’s done by people who understand the industry and its nuances, or it directly connects to the equestrian industry. That’s the difference between what we can offer and a more general website.”
She sees the group as “a really true community that bridges all different aspects of the equine industry. I think we started that at the summit by having people from racing, reining, dressage and show jumping, I do see it as a way to bring all the fragmented pieces of the industry that don’t normally come together being part of a community,” she noted.
Okay, he didn’t have eight tiny reindeer and a sleigh. His transportation was a propeller-driven airplane that landed at an airport, not on a rooftop. But Matt Kiener might as well have been Santa Claus this Christmas Eve.
After a five-hour flight, the pilot arrived yesterday in his single-engine Piper at Sky Manor in Pittstown with a load of puppies and a few older dogs, 26 canines in all. It was a special delivery from Mississippi by FlyPups to Puppy Love Pet Rescue, serving Union, Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties.
The area from which these dogs came isn’t prosperous. Many of the residents cannot afford to spay or neuter their animals, leading to overpopulation. Shelters often have no choice but to euthanize some dogs to make room for others. Puppy Love offers a solution, with its volunteers fostering the dogs that FlyPups brought north.
Patty Gilmore of Union, whose sister, Joan leads Puppy Love, had volunteers go down south to clean up shelters. Using adoption fees, they also pay for spaying and neutering dogs that remain in Mississippi.
“There are very few organized rescues there,” explained Patty, noting Puppy Love volunteers last summer picked some dogs they wanted to bring to New Jersey.
“It’s very difficult to get the dogs up here. We’re so grateful to be able to get these dogs flown up. Some of them are so little; the 22-hour drive is so difficult for the puppies, versus a five or six hour flight,” she pointed out.
Patty recalled that when her organization contacted Matt, “he responded instantly. He can handle so many more than we can in a car. We are so grateful for Matt, especially at holiday time.”
The video below shows the arrival of the dogs at Sky Manor Airport.
You may know Matt’s name, because he has a connection with the horse world. The Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event at the Horse Park of New Jersey this year hosted a 5-K run to benefit Fly Pups. Many equestrians have adopted dogs that arrived in New Jersey via FlyPups. Matt also works for Cassie and Carl Segal in Pottersville, where he takes care of retired eventing stars My Boy Bobby and Ballynoe Castle RM (Reggie), Buck Davidson’s former ride, who took his final bow before the public at Rolex Kentucky in 2017.
Matt got involved with dog rescue when a friend whose plane was grounded asked him to fill in bringing five dogs to New York State. At the time, Matt had an aerobatic plane without much room for cargo, but he was able to handle the five puppies involved.
“I flew the mission and it was an awakening, if you will. I hadn’t known that something like this needed to be. I didn’t understand that there were so many dogs that were in dire situations and would ultimately be destroyed if they were not relocated.
“On the flight home, I ended up naming the one dog I adopted Piper, knowing I’d have to sell my Cessna and buy something bigger that would allow me to do this more effectively and efficiently. It was one of those pivotal days when you just knew things were going to change,” Matt recalled.
“Five months later, I was deep in debt with this plane—it’s a mortgage payment—but look what I get to do. So it’s worth it.”
Matt was assisted by student pilot Liz Alexander of Rhode Island. Liz, who has been working with rescues for three years, flew the whole way to New Jersey with a five-week-old hound mix on her lap.
Explaining why she is so devoted to the rescue process, Liz said, “It’s good to see the puppies come out of disaster situations and go to foster homes and be happy and clean and healthy and not on the streets. And be home for the holidays.”
Cris Schoefer, who has five dogs, went to Mississippi in August to check out dogs who would be likely candidates and fell in love with Leyland. He was an unusual case, because he had been in a shelter for four years, since he was a puppy. When he arrived, Leyland seemed a bit overwhelmed, but stoic. Cris, however, was crying. Those were tears of joy, as she thought how happy she would be “just to see him sleeping on the bed tonight” at her home in Brick.
There were two blind dogs in the Christmas eve shipment. Pearl was an adorable blind and deaf 8-week old Aussie. That’s familiar territory for Cris, who owns a blind and deaf dog, Aspen.
She taps on his butt or nose to communicate with him, “but everything else, he does by himself,” she said. When her house lost power one day, he was operating without a problem; he’s used to being in the dark.
People had told her it was cruel to keep Aspen alive, but she is so glad she took him, and he’s happy.
“This dog makes me laugh more than any dog I’ve ever had,” she observed.
“If you’re in a bad mood, just him being his goofy self will bring you out of it.” And having Leyland around will make her even happier.
Joyanna Gilmore, Joan’s daughter, grew up with the rescue group, which has regular adoptions on Sundays at Petco in Toms River.
“I always thought it was interesting,” said Joyanna.
“I find it good for myself, volunteering and being able to help out animals. I love doing it.” She and her mother have three dogs of their own, but they still “foster whatever needs to be fostered.”
The 18-year-old Union County Community College student noted, “It makes my heart feel warm. I have my Christmas, and this is a Christmas present to them, because we’re giving them somewhere to be instead of a shelter. We’re giving them another chance at life.”
The Mississippi flight that saved the Puppy Love volunteers 22 hours of driving each way was certainly easier on the dogs. But it’s an expensive proposition for Matt, who spent $1,500 on operational costs, including gasoline, hotel and landing fees, and not including insurance or maintenance. He operates on donations, which can be made through his website www.flypups.org. The rescue takes contributions on its website www.Puppylovenj.com.
Listen to Matt and Joyanna talking about their mission.
I was so inspired by the efforts of Matt and the Puppy Love rescuers that I was in the right mood for Christmas Eve when I got home. I turned on my favorite movie, “The Bishop’s Wife,” with Cary Grant and Loretta Young, really taking to heart the final scene, the Christmas Eve sermon by David Niven, who plays the bishop. It’s about what Christmas should mean. Here it is:
“All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up, the stocking for the child born in a manger. It’s His birthday we’re celebrating. Don’t let us ever forget that. Let us ask ourselves what He would wish for most, and then let each put in his share. Loving kindness, warm hearts and the stretched-out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.”
Too often, it seems as if issues involving the elite ranks of horse sports dominate the annual meetings of our equestrian organizations. By elite, I mean not only the high performance group that goes to international competitions, but also those who can afford horses costing six figures (or more), whatever division they choose; traveling around the country to shows (with their horses going by air, if necessary) and not worrying about the hotel bills and other vast costs involved.
So my ears pricked when I heard U.S. Hunter Jumper Association President Mary Babick and others at the organization’s annual meeting this month expressing interest in giving a boost to the base of the sport, along with regional, state and local affiliate organizations. Without a way to make the sport affordable and introduce people to it while building a strong base, equestrian competition will lack universal appeal and eventually become largely the property of the sky’s-the-limit crowd.
USHJA has 49 affiliate organizations (that would be groups like our New Jersey Horse Shows Association and elsewhere, for example, the Missouri Hunter Jumper Organization or the Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association.) Shows can be run as USHJA fixtures without being U.S. Equestrian Federation-recognized, which is a less-expensive and simpler way for some affiliates to go. Benefits of being an affiliate include hosting USHJA outreach competitions for those at the lowest level of the sport, while offering member discounts on national products and services. It also involves educational opportunities, in addition to competitive options and free listings on the USHJA clinics directory, among other things.
Find out what Mary had to say during the annual meeting in Tampa about the emphasis on affiliates and the base by clicking on the link to this video interview.
Katie Benson, president of the NJHSA who is on the board of USHJA, is also a member of the USHJA’s affiliates steering panel and Zone II committee (New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), has seen great changes over the last three decades in the state’s equestrian scene, which also have been mirrored elsewhere.
“When I started (with NJHSA) in 1987, there were 47 horse shows in New Jersey. Last year, there were over 150,” Katie mentioned.
Despite such growth, the affiliates program hasn’t kept up.
“Now it’s time to come back to this and pay attention to the development of the sport and do it better,” said Katie, whose Briarwood operation is based in Ringoes at Black River Farm.
“Not everyone wants to go to the Olympics. We’re not necessarily looking that they (lower-level riders) have to go up the ladder to higher jumps or great expense. They already are sustaining their horsemanship in what they can afford, whether it’s once-a-week lessons in an academy program or one horse show a year on a lesson horse. I think they need to be acknowledged, they’re part of the community, and maybe they want to make their network larger,” she said.
“I think we need to increase awareness of what already exists. We have to open those doors wider and then we can knock on new doors.
At the annual meetings, there are many illuminating exchanges—both in forums and the hallways– about not only rule changes but also other items worthy of note. Here are a few from USHJA’s Tampa session.
While there long have been rumblings about various breed groups wanting to leave the USEF, this time the angst may have some legs—although USEF CEO Bill Moroney said no one has approached him to talk about departing.
However, Glenn Petty, executive vice president of the Arabian Horse Association, mentioned that group’s executive committee asked him two years ago “to look into the feasibility from a financial standpoint of getting out.” The list of what AHA is not happy about includes the licensed officials committee process and downsizing of the USEF board, which some of the other national breeds also felt gave them short shrift.
The key issue for the AHA remains whether it is “worth shooting yourself in the foot financially to get out,” as Glenn put it to me, noting “probably the biggest question is litigation expense. That’s a huge unknown.”
The USEF’s new requirement for all competing members (as well as directors and officials) to complete three on-line SafeSport training modules before they can show also has spurred some heated conversations.
Although Glenn said SafeSport wasn’t among AHA’s major differences with USEF, he did note that while “everybody supports SafeSport, the feeling is there’s too big a net being thrown.” He said among other organizations that are not part of USEF, such as the American Quarter Horse Association (the world’s largest breed group), the paints and the pintos, “their lawyers are telling them all they have to do is offer education” on the subject, rather than mandating training for everyone.
On another topic, one proposal that didn’t get approval at the USHJA meeting dealt with an expansion of the rule on special competitions, which can be added to the USEF calendar without regard for the mileage rule that has been one of the organization’s pillars. Many shows have been able to hang on, basically, because they have no competition when the mileage rule is applied, but that has also been a problem for new competitions that want to get on the calendar.
The special competition rule already covers FEI (international) shows, USEF national finals and championships and affiliated organization championships. But the most controversial point is the new fourth category, involving special competitions for which there currently are no breed or discipline rules.
Mary Babick fears with category four that managers will say of their new brainchild, “No rules exist, so I can do whatever I want. I can create a shadow circuit.”
“This is the meat of the issue in 2018,” maintained Tom Brennan, a hunter and hunter seat equitation judge from West Virginia.
“We know this train is coming down the tracks,” continued Tom, who feels the proposal needs a closer look. He contended it is “dangerous to future of our sport and programs.
“It’s okay with what we know our sport to be today. But I don’t think we can project ourselves in the future …for how we want to develop horses and horse shows.”
A First Day Trail Ride will be held in Sussex County on Jan. 1 to kick off the new year. The ride is the only equestrian event that is part of the New Jersey State Parks’ First Day hikes being held throughout the state.
The ride will start at 1 p.m. and last about 90 minutes, depending on the weather. It takes place on the Paulinksill Valley rail trail, which is level and easy going. Meet at the Halsey Farm, at the corner of Route 519 and Halsey Road, Newton.
Want lunch? Get togeter at 3 p.m. at Yetter’s Diner, 89 Route 206 in Augusta, next to the new QuickChek gas station. Contact Carolyn Moran 845-667-2015 for more information and to RSVP.
From relative obscurity to being practically a household name this year (at least in show jumping households!) Eddie Blue–ridden and trained by Devin Ryan of Long Valley–has been named a U.S. Equestrian Federation International Horse of Honor for 2018
Eddie, a 9-year-old Dutchbred owned by LL Show Jumpers LLC, leaped to fame this year starting with a second-place finish in April’s Longines FEI World Cup™ Show Jumping Finals.That gave him and his rider a place on the short list for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team. During the WEG team observation period, Eddie Blue and Devin were part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Poland in June. As part of the U.S. team at the world famous German CHIO Aachen the next month, they jumped an impressive double-clear in the Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup.
With only two years of FEI-level competition on his record, Eddie competed on his first FEI WEG NetJets U.S. Jumping Team. He and Devin contributed to the USA’s first show jumping team gold medal since the 1986 World Championships. They ended a remarkable year by placing second in the $205,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto 2018 for the Hickstead Trophy.
Each year, USEF names a National and an International Horse of the Year from the Horses of Honor roster. Winners are determined based on the results of online voting, which is open through Thursday, January 3 at midnight. The 2018 National and International Horse of the Year will be awarded Saturday evening, January 12 at the Horse of the Year Awards presented by AON during the US Equestrian Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla.
“Life In the Doghouse,” the emotionally satisfying movie about Danny and Ron’s dog rescue, will come to the Cranford Cinema, 25 North Ave.,on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta, both respected in the hunter industry and beyond, have gained national fame with their dog rescue that is very much a personal crusade.
They were honored with the 2008 ASPCA Humanitarian Award for their unwavering dedication and unique approach to dog rescue and adoption during hurricane Katrina.Ten years and 10,000 dogs later, their unique approach to life and dog rescue is well worth watching!
The eventing competition that was such a hit at the Winter Equestrian Festival for three years won’t be held there in 2019. It wasn’t presented in 2018 either, and for the same reason–the FEI World Equestrian Games.
“Basically, we put all our resources into the Games,” explained Michael Stone, president of Equestrian Sport Productions, which runs the WEF in Wellington, Fla., and staged the WEG in Tryon N.C., during September.
Who could ever forget the horses taking a jump while galloping through the VIP tent at the event in Wellington, as Boyd Martin did here on Welcome Shadlow.
“We didn’t do anything about it and it got too late to make it happen. Unfortunately, there isn’t a huge sponsorship interest in it. But now we have a whole year to work on it,” Michael said today, hopeful it can happen in 2020
“Basically, we didn’t start working on it until October, and that just wasn’t enough time.” After the huge expense of the WEG, and all the effort that went into it, Michael said, “We’re trying to have a year where we’re stable.”
The event drew a big crowd and new fans when it was held on the grounds of the Global Dressage Festival.
“Show jumping owners who had never even seen eventing got involved,” said Michael.
While the holidays are an occasion for celebration, at the same time, they offer an opportunity to polish memories. We think of those who are no longer with us, recall cherished moments with our horses and reminisce about eras that live on only in our hearts.
Few are better at calling up times gone by than Judy Richter, whose new book, “The Kitten’s Cooler and Other Stories,” is a real treat. While it’s filled with tales that include a variety of big names—both human and equine–that you’ll recognize, from George Morris, Bertalan de Nemethy and Norman Dello Joio to Johnny’s Pocket, Gaelic and Glasgow, Judy’s mastery as a storyteller also is evident in pieces about the many quirky folks she’s met along the way. You may not have heard of such characters as Bootstrap Jerry and Floyd van Alstyne, but you’ll never forget them after reading Judy’s treatment. She finds the humor in situations, but also tends to treat her subjects with respect.
If you’re a hunter/jumper person, you need no introduction to Judy. She’s a noted rider/trainer as well as an author with several other books to her credit. Horses are her heritage. Her father, Philip Hofmann, was a noted four-in-hand driver who became a founder of the U.S. Combined Training Association and her sister, Carol Hofmann Thompson, enjoyed a reputation as a stellar show jumper who rode for the U.S. Equestrian Team.
The book’s title comes from the time Judy visited Carol’s widower, J. Willard Thompson, after his wife’s passing. To make her feel at home, Willard put a wool cooler on the brass bedstead in the guestroom at Quiet Winter Farm in Colts Neck. The cooler had belonged to The Kitten, one of Carol’s great horses, and was always by the bed when Judy came to stay with her sister. Willard, who sadly left us last month, had put out the cooler so Judy could sleep under it and bring back the past in her dreams. And now she brings back the past for her readers.
Although Judy had written the “Between Rounds” column for The Chronicle of the Horse, her writing really took off when she enrolled in a course taught by Steve Schnur at Sarah Lawrence College. She has taken the course from Steve, a magazine editor, for 20 years, missing only two semesters.
Early on, she received an A-minus on a story about a horse who had a “93” brand on his shoulder.
“The class loved the story and that got me going,” she recounted.
While those familiar with the Somerset Hills of New Jersey where Judy grew up will particularly enjoy the book, she also goes into great detail about the horse country of Westchester County, N.Y., the location of her Coker Farm, and details her time in Vermont, another place where she has spent a lot of time over the decades.
Judy acknowledges in her new book’s final chapter, “Lamington Farm Remembered,” that the days are long gone when she galloped around with her sister and friends at one of her favorite spots in Bedminster. Not only is Lamington Farm now the site of the Trump International Golf Club, but as she ruefully noted, “We are no longer carefree girls, but careful old ladies.”
As she points out, “`Progress’ has dictated that open countryside become suburbia or even urban sprawl, but nothing can spoil the view from the top of the hill where the double white chicken coops used to be. If nowhere else, it’s in my mind’s eye forever.” And also in the mind of the reader, who can ride with her in the chapter, jumping back and forth over the post and rail fences, as well as dozens of those chicken coops.
With this book, available at www.amazon.com, Judy said she was trying to bring readers “an appreciation of the horses and the life we enjoy with horses. How great it is.”
Another book perfect for reading while there is some down time from the shows over the holidays is Frank Waters’, “The Golden Age of Show Jumping.” While it’s heavy on British riders, such as Harvey Smith, Caroline Bradley (who developed the great Milton before her death), David Broome, and many others that the horse show announcer knew personally, he also was well-acquainted with plenty of Olympic medalist Americans who were stars in the past, among them Mary and Frank Chapot, Bill Steinkraus and Neal Shapiro.
Frank Chapot in a familiar pose–as a winner.
Frank, who also has a background in riding and training, always has the inside scoop and makes those he writes about come alive. So even if all the names are not familiar, their stories will capture your attention and you’ll get a fascinating equestrian history lesson.
This one also is available at Amazon—what isn’t? Think books when you’re shopping for someone who appreciates the equestrian scene.
With so many types of feed on the market, it’s hard to decide what your horse should eat–or even how much–for optimum health and performance.
The mysteries of equine nutrition will be unraveled next year with a 14-week Rutgers University course, which is being given both on line and in the classroom.
This undergraduate course is offered on a non-credit basis to barn managers, horse owners, trainers, feed sales representatives or anyone who is simply interested in the topic. Those registered as a continuing education student will receive 3.6 continuing education units rather than undergraduate college credits.
The class will be taught by Dr. Carey Williams from 12:35-1:55 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, starting Jan 23 and running through May 6. At Rutgers, the course will be held in Bartlett Hall, Room 123 on the Cook Campus in New Brunswick.
To Register go to http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/. For more information, contact Dr. Williams at carey.williams@rutgers.edu.
