by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 24, 2018
The Longhorned tick has spread to a seventh New Jersey county. A little more than a month after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) was found at Soldier Hill Golf Course in Bergen County, it also was spotted in Monmouth County and now in Somerset County.
Looks like a pattern here; the tick is probably aiming for all 21 counties in the state..
Previously, the tick was found in Hunterdon, Union, Middlesex and Mercer counties.Some of these findings were a result of a statewide “Tick Blitz,” led by the Rutgers Center for Vector Biology in May and developed primarily by professionals from New Jersey’s county mosquito control programs.
Public parks where the Longhorned tick has been found include Davidson Mill County Pond Park in Middlesex County, as well as the Watchung Reservation, Houdaille Quarry Park and Briant Park in Union County.
Like deer ticks, the nymphs of the Longhorned tick are very small (resembling tiny spiders) and can easily go unnoticed on animals and people. Although specimens identified in New Jersey have not been found to carry pathogens, Longhorned ticks in other countries have been shown to spread diseases. They are known to infest a wide range of species including humans, dogs, cats, and livestock.
“We want to emphasize that it is important that people continue to use normal tick prevention measures for themselves, their pets and livestock,” said Dr. Manoel Tamassia, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian. “We will work to continue to develop strategies to control the spread of the tick to other areas.”
As part of New Jersey’s investigation, counties have set up drop-off locations for the public to submit ticks they find on themselves, their pets, livestock or on wildlife. Information on these locations and how to submit a tick can be found on the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s website at http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/ah/
A phone line has also been established to leave a message if a tick is found and there is uncertainty about what the next steps are. If you need information about what to do if you find a tick on yourself, your pets or livestock call 1-833-NEWTICK (1-833-639-8425).
For more information on ticks and tick-borne disease visit: Rutgers Center for Vector Biology:http://vectorbio.rutgers.edu/news.php; Rhode Island Tick Encounter site: http://www.tickencounter.org/; or TickCheck Tick Testing: https://www.tickcheck.com.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 23, 2018
The Delaware Valley Horsemen’s Association is hosting Horses in Hunterdon Aug. 4 with demonstrations of driving, dressage, western, hunters and jumpers, along with vendors, crafters and rescues at its showgrounds, 299 Rosemont-Ringoes Road, Stockton (Sergeantsville)..
Admission to the event, which runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., is $5 car.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 23, 2018
Want to support the Horse Park of New Jersey and enjoy yourself at the same time? Compete in the Aug. 5 fun show at the facility in Allentown, where the classes will include a hunter derby, western games, hunt teams, dressage, gambler’s choice and lots more.
All the money raised will go toward supporting the Horse Park. Judges, stewards, scribes, secretaries and jump crews all are donating their time. Prizes are donated as well, and every blue ribbon comes with a prize. Points will be given for the Thoroughbred Incentive Program and the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association.
Fine out more at www.horseparkofnewjersey.com.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 17, 2018
Meet the Ponies, a program designed for young horse lovers from seven to nine years old, is being presented July 28 at Lord Stirling Stable, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge. The activity runs from 3:30-5 p.m., and is designed for both riders and non-riders, as well as youth groups, such as the Scouts.
Participants will be hands-on with ponies. Under the guidance of experienced Lord Stirling Stable staff, students will be able to groom a pony, learn what ponies eat and experience the work involved in taking care of a pony. Participants may also take a pony ride.
The fee is $15 per child and $10 for each additional sibling in the same age group. Pre-registration is required online at www.somersetcountyparks.org; by phone at 908-722-1200, ext. 5010; or in person at the Stable office. Payment by cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover is required at time of enrollment.
For additional information, call Lord Stirling Stable at 908-722-1200, ext. 5010.
Information on all Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found on the Internet at www.somersetcountyparks.org.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 16, 2018
There had been speculation for months that the Rolex Central Park Horse Show would not be held this year, because entrepreneur Mark Bellissimo’s team was busy putting on the World Equestrian Games in the same time frame.
Word finally came that the show isn’t happening this year, with a promise that it will be held Sept. 18-22, 2019, with a 5-star jumper competition. Interestingly, however, the Longines Global Champions Tour has just announced it will be holding its first show in Canada on approximately the same dates (Sept. 19-22) in the Old Port of Montreal. The war of the watches continues… .
The Longines Global Champions Tour specializes in interesting and exotic locales, from oceanside in Miami Beach to the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is also listed on the 2019 FEI calendar with a show at Randall’s Island off Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. The park is a public/private operation that hosts many sporting events, including track meets at Icahn Stadium
The change for Central Park this year was due to competition conflicts in its time frame .The American Gold Cup, which was moved from its usual date earlier in the month to the last weekend in September, is running at the same time as Central Park would have been held. FEI rules would not allow the 5-star Gold Cup to be held during the WEG. And on top of that, the Nations’ Cup final in Barcelona is the next weekend.
The conflicts are “not conducive to our competitors’ schedules or for their horses’ welfare,” Mark explained.
The Central Park show debuted five years ago in the Wollman Rink, putting to rest doubters’ contention that such a competition could not be done. Highlights included jumpers, hunters and Grand Prix dressage, all against the backdrop of soaring skyscrapers. The 2016 show featured an exhibition by Charlotte Dujardin and her multi-gold medal mount, Valegro.
However, last year the show didn’t jibe with the high-level dressage riders’ calendars, so arena eventing was substituted. It has always been multi-discipline, with polo and Arabians among the presentations, along with a family day.
Thinking ahead to next year, Mark said, “With the new CSI 5* rating in 2019, we will attract some of the sport’s most notable athletes, as the Rolex Central Park Horse Show will join the exclusive list of CSI 5* equestrian competitions supported by Rolex.
“Our team is already orchestrating what we plan to be one of the greatest RCPHS experiences, which will bring top athletes from around the globe to compete in front of the world’s most iconic city skyline next fall.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 15, 2018
A concert featuring the band Kindred Spirit will be held July 20 at Congress Hill Farm, 118 Federal Road, Monroe to benefit Special Strides therapeutic riding.
Admission is $20/person or $100 for a table that seats six. It’s a BYOB, and also a BYOF (bring your own food).Those attending should also bring a beach blanket or chairs for the 7 p.m. event. For tickets, go to www.specialstrides.com and click on “events.” Alternatively, call (732) 446-0945
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 15, 2018
Lisa Schmidt of Hampton has been approved as the newest member of the U.S. Dressage Federation’s L Program Faculty. Members are responsible for providing instruction to and conducting the USDF L Education Program. Graduation with distinction from the USDF L Education Program is a prerequisite for entrance into the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s judge training programs.
In 1998, Lisa graduated with distinction from the USDF L Education Program and has since worked her way up through the USEF Dressage Judge Training Program to become a licensed USEF ‘S’ Dressage Judge, in 2013. Lisa has also earned her USEF designation for Young Horse and certification for Freestyle.
USDF L Program Committee Chair Lois Yukins stated, “After successful completion of the extensive L Faculty Apprentice Program, we are thrilled for Lisa to join the ranks of the existing USDF L Program Faculty. With her extensive knowledge, and experience in the judges box, the USDF L Program Committee is certain Lisa will be a great addition to the faculty.”
The USDF L Education Program is designed to prepare candidates to enter the USEF “r” Judge Training Program, to qualify individuals to judge schooling shows and to provide greater insight into the evaluative process of dressage judging , as well as to provide continuing education for licensed judges.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 14, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
July 14, 2018
It doesn’t really seem as if being held for just eight years qualifies a horse show as a tradition, but the Briarwood Derby Day is an exception to that rule.
Started by N.J. Horse Shows Association President Katie Benson in memory of her husband, Jack, Derby Day is a major fundraiser for the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center. Jack was treated at the facility, and the ties have remained strong between the center and Katie, as well as her clients and the Bensons’ friends.
Last week’s Derby Day, held at the Princeton Show Jumping grounds in Skillman, raised $41,806 for its cause. All proceeds, less the cost of running the show, went to the charity. In addition to entry fees, sponsors and donors, money is raised by a jumper class, “Ride for the Pledge,” in which sponsors give as much as they like per jump for the riders they sponsor. Participants have 60 seconds to jump as many fences as they can.
“Derby Day started as a tribute to Jack and his contributions to the industry and how we horse show based on what he taught us,” said Katie.
The late Jack Benson, the inspiration for Briarwood Derby Day.
“We’ve certainly carried that torch along, but now a lot of people who are involved in the competition never met him. They feel the excitement of Derby Day because it’s a specialty horse show. The people who put this together, everybody pulls not at 100 percent, but at 120 percent.”
Sponsors included CWD Sellier; Dover Saddlery, for the first time and Horse Flight, which paid for a golf cart that provided rides from the parking lot to the arenas. The cart was driven by John William Benson Jr., Katie and Jack’s son, who came up from his home in Miami where he works in commercial real estate. The Bensons’ daughter, Elizabeth, was teaching a camp at Auburn University, where she was an NCAA equestrian star, and couldn’t get away.
The family link among the Bensons, Briarwood and those at the show extends beyond blood relations. Brian Livell, who designed the derby courses, has a long history with Briarwood. His grandmother, Shirley Grisewood, was the show secretary for years; his grandfather, Norman, was often the announcer.
“I grew up riding with Jack and Katie,” said Brian, who owns Hunter Hill Farm in Pipersville, Pa., where his wife, Corey Golden, rides and teaches. “So for me,” he noted, “this is a fun special day to be part of. It’s like coming full circle.”
Everyone at the show seems to have some connection with Briarwood. Kelly Matthews of Derby Day sponsor Brown & Brown Insurance, who was helping out with the awards, said the memory of Jack—a family friend—makes the occasion special.
“As a Briarwood family, we are here to help and make it a successful day,” said Melissa Ho of Princeton Junction, who was working the awards booth with Kelly. Melissa didn’t know Jack, but her 13-year-old daughter, Erica Lee, trains with Katie.
The five-ring show drew 250 horses and included several derbies. The feature was the $2,500 Rutgers Landscaping National Hunter Derby, won in come-from-behind style by Kianna Luscher of Hawthorne on the Mecklenburg mare, Carissima W. The class, which drew 52 entries, brought 12 back from the classic round for the handy round.
$2,500 Rutgers Landscaping USHJA National Hunter Derby winner Kianna Luscher and Katie Benson. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Kianna, a 20-year-old Fordham University Law School student, is a regular at hunter derbies with her 13-year-old mare.
“She’s very, very handy. She has a really big step and can turn on a dime, which I think is the fact that she used to be a jumper. I can go in and gallop; she’s easy to find a distance on, very sweet and no spook,” said Kianna, who trains at On Course Riding Academy in Lafayette with Katie Moriarty.
Kianna Luscher and Carissima W on course. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Carissima, her former junior hunter, now competes in the amateur-owner classes. Kianna keeps on her good side by bringing her munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts.
“She’s very food-motivated,” explained Kianna.
Daphne Smith, 10th in the national derby on Right O’Way, left Oley, Pa., at 5 a.m. to get to the show. But it was worth it for her.
“It’s always a fun event to come out here,” said 17-year-old Daphne.
“We always get a big crowd from our barn, Valley Mist Farm. A lot of people do the derby, there’s not a whole lot of derbies that we do, it’s for a good cause. We have a lot of fun doing it. It’s a far drive, but it’s worth it.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 8, 2018
By Nancy Jaffer
July 8, 2018
On her left leg, Katie Jackson wears a sleek black Cavallo boot. On her right leg, it’s a prosthetic device and a running shoe.
On Katie Jackon’s left leg, reflected in the mirror, she wears a boot; on the right, she rides with the stump of her amputated leg. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
When she mounts Diesel, her statuesque black Oldenburg, she swings her right leg over his back, then settles in the saddle and removes the prosthetic. After a quick zip to her specially tailored breeches that fit neatly over the stump of her leg, she’s ready to head out.
The moves are so smooth, you might think she’s been doing them all her life. But it’s only since 2015 that Katie’s leg was amputated above the knee after she was diagnosed with cancer.
“If I lose my leg, I’m going to keep riding,” she had vowed before the decision to amputate was made.
And so she has—over the weekend, the 38-year-old athlete and Diesel competed with nine other horse/rider combinations at Wheatland Farms in Virginia. The invitational event is one of the components to qualify for the short list ,from which will be chosen the U.S. para-equestrian team that goes to the FEI World Equestrian Games in North Carolina.
Katie mounting up. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
A lot of people have come together to put Katie in contention for a place on the squad that will meet the world’s best at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in September. Her original goal was to go for it with her horse Royal Dancer. After he sustained a minor injury during the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Florida last winter, things went off track.
“Such is life and horses,” she shrugged. Her life, however, took a sudden turn upward one day during the show while she was having a casual meal with Rowan O’Riley, who sponsors para rider Becca Hart.
Knowing that Katie was only able to tack-walk Royal, Rowan noted she was going to be away for a week and suggested her luncheon companion could keep going by riding her horse, Diesel, and taking lessons with Catherine Haddad Staller, her trainer at that time.
“I had a lovely instant connection with him, but at that point, it was just a week,” said Katie about Diesel, a 15-year-old son of DeNiro.
“I really loved working with Catherine. It was just one of those stars aligning that a few weeks later, Rowan decided to sell Diesel and gave me a call.”
Out for a ride on Diesle, Katie looks like an able-bodied rider from the left. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Katie, who fits together beautifully with Diesel, noted, “I’ve been learning so much from him and so much from Catherine. He’s got a kind, willing personality. He knew his program and I was able to be introduced into his program in a way that made him open to it. It wasn’t about a leg being gone. It was about riding and understanding what he needs to do.”
The gelding, who has been in training with Catherine’s assistant, Michelle Brady, is “a kind soul and a sweet horse. He works hard and wants to please—that made the match,” observed Katie, who has a cheery, can-do, bubbly demeanor, one key to her success.
The system used by Catherine, a top international rider based in Tewksbury Township, became just what Katie needed, because it isn’t dependent on the lower leg.
“We train from the seat and weight and a little the turning of the thighs,” said Catherine.
“For Katie, it was the perfect system match. We had an instant mind meld. I teach her like an able-bodied rider. Whenever we need the lower right leg, we substitute the whip if needed, but (even) more, we substitute thought, rather than action.”
Removing the knee rolls from the saddle made a big difference as well.
“The stump appreciated taking it all away,” said Katie, who tends to speak of that appendage in the third person.
“I went from all this stuff to block it in and support it, to just a little Velcro that helps keep it stablilized. It’s the happiest it’s been. I dealt with a lot of pain where the femur would bang into it and bruise internally and get a lot of muscle cramping. The Stubben saddle has been a game-changer for me.”
Katie, Diesel and Catherine take a relaxing walk after arena work. (Photo© 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Katie travels regularly to New Jersey from her Austin, Texas, base, where the dentist manages a practice. Patients are cared for by Katie’s associates, since it is too painful for her to stand in the position that she would need to use while working hands-on.
Her husband, Yancey, who is in the home construction business, has learned a lot about the horse game as he helps his wife. Other pieces of the effort to get to the WEG fell into place because Katie became friendly during the Florida circuit with veterinarians Brendan and Wendy Furlong who coincidentally–just like Catherine’s husband, Dr. Greg Staller–have an equine clinic in Tewksbury.
Katie stayed with the Furlongs in Florida and they extended the invitation to her in New Jersey as well, so she is their guest in Pittstown, a short drive from Tewksbury and Catherine. The backing all around from people who have become part of Katie’s team and others rooting for her has made it work.
In Bedminster, the June Red Tail dressage show made a provision for her to practice her freestyle in a competition atmosphere. The judge marked her at 74.5 percent, which Catherine said, “brought tears to my eyes.”
Katie expressed gratitude to everyone who has become a part of her quest, from Greg Staller and farrier Chris Pinola, who care for Diesel, to Brendan Furlong, who works with Royal Dancer, and beyond that, to others she doesn’t even know.
She mentioned, “The environment of support that has come around me, people cheering for me in other countries through social media and the power of friends and family. You hear stories, `My friend in India is praying for you.’
“It makes a difference and lifts you up and gives you strength you didn’t know you had. It’s probably the most humbling thing I have ever encountered.” she said.
Katie is a long way from where her journey started in a very dark place three years ago, when she was diagnosed with an aggressive type of tumor growing behind her right knee.
“We were fortunate that it didn’t appear to have spread,” she said, but at the same time, “It’s devastating. It’s a blow. You never expect to have that kind of news, especially at 35 years old. It knocks you off your path and you feel pretty lost for quite a bit. It changed the trajectory of everything from my career to my business and family life,” she recalled.
But giving up riding was never even a thought. Katie started riding as a child in Oregon, and became focused on dressage.
“Dressage always has been something I’ve loved; the connection you have with the horses, the detail and just the beauty of it,” said Katie, who had earned a U.S. Dressage Federation silver medal on Debbie Hubbard’s Winterstolz.
After getting in the saddle again following her operation, she began training with Kai Handt, chef d’equipe of the U.S. para team.
“He was able to get me back riding and competing,” she said. Katie rides as para-equestrian Grade V, in which competitors do multiple flying changes, half-passes and other advanced movements. The para scale starts with Grade I, which is walk only.
She finished 2017 at the top of the United States Dressage Federation’s Grade V standings, and also was ranked third on the FEI Para-Dressage Grade V World Rankings List.
Katie rode in the Dressage Showcase at the FEI World Cup finals in Omaha last year. (Photo© 2017 by Nancy Jaffer)
With her goals for the WEG and 2020 Paralympics in sight, Katie reflected how she got to this juncture.
“Cancer gave me perspective on doing what I love,” she said. As a teenager, she made the decision to go to college and pursue graduate studies, though at one point, “I really wanted to keep riding and training and push myself to see what I could do as an equestrian,” she remembered.
But Katie never rode at her current level when she had both legs.
If she had not undergone the amputation, riding “would have been what I fit in in the evening and weekends,” she pointed out.
Learning that she needed the amputation, she grasped at the idea of being able to do dressage as a para-equestrian. It was comforting because “it’s a known and something close to my heart.
“This opportunity has been incredible. It’s been a gift to push myself and do this and also has helped me through the cancer and the loss; physical loss, loss of the journey and path you were on. It’s given me kind of a new purpose and a reason to get up and push hard every day and do something that’s hopefully bigger than me.
“If you could make lemonade from lemons of having something happen, this has been pretty incredible,’ said Katie.
“It has not been easy, but there are things that have aligned and you just put it out to the universe.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 6, 2018
The former World Number One show jumper, Kent Farrington, has withdrawn from consideration for the U.S. team that will be competing in September at the FEI World Equestrian Games in North Carolina.
Kent Farrington and Gazelle. (Photo©by Nancy Jaffer)
Kent, who was out of action for several months after breaking his leg last winter, felt the form shown since his return by his WEG-designated mount, Gazelle, meant it was not in the best interests of the horse or the team to continue pursuing a spot on the Net Jets squad. Kent is a veteran of the 2014 WEG, where he was part of the bronze medal team, and the 2016 Olympics, where he was on the silver medal team.
As the selection process continues to narrow down the list of candidates (previous dropouts included Lauren Hough and Jessica Springsteen), look closely at the squad that will compete in the next-to-last observation event at Aachen this month. It is composed of Margie Engle, McLain Ward, Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden and Devin Ryan of Long Valley. You may be seeing all of them in Tryon. The final observation event is in Dublin, but Aachen could well tell the team tale.
