Call it the daily double. Only in Wellington, Fla., could you have a 5-star-rated $210,000 grand prix with 44 entries in the afternoon and a 3-star $134,000 grand prix with the same number (but different horses, or course) a couple of miles away in the evening.
That’s what happened yesterday in the municipality that bills itself as “the winter horse capital of the world,” though the classes ran with two different scenarios.
The afternoon competition, the Longines Grand Prix of the Palm Beach Masters at Deeridge Farm, drew the biggest names, among them U.S. stars Beezie Madden, McLain Ward and Margie Engle. The foreign riders included FEI World Equestrian Games silver medalist Martin Fuchs (who sadly fell off Silver Shine when the horse refused the second jump), Lorenzo de Luca in his snappy Italian Air Force uniform and Great Britain’s 2012 Olympic team bold medalist Ben Maher.
The jump-off was a cavalry charge of 15 horses, bringing to mind last Saturday’s 18-horse jump-off at the Winter Equestrian Festival’s 5-star $391,000 Fidelity Grand Prix, won by Martin on his WEG horse, Clooney 51.
Despite losing a rein before one fence and adding an unplanned stride, Paul O’Shea emerged the winner on Imerald van’t Voorhof while managing to get a time of 36.03 seconds, 0.75 faster than Margie on her intrepid stallion, Royce. The difference is the way Royce clears the fences, leaping high in a fashion that keeps the rails up, but which means some lost time.
“My horse is not the quickest in the air,” said Margie, who had the advantage of going last over the course designed by Alan Wade, who did the routes for the WEG.
Paul rides Imerald, a potential sale horse, for the Tisbo family’s Tequestrian Farms. Interestingly, one of the award presenters was Lauren Tisbo on behalf of her family’s Suncast enterprise, a sponsor of the class.
Third place went to Juan Manuel Gallego of Colombia, the rider of Coulash van de Broy Z, who called it an honor to be on the dais at the press conference with Paul and Margie. Beaming, he said, said it was “one of the happiest days of my life.”
There was quite a contrast to the afternoon class and last night’s Winter Equestrian Festival’s Cabana Coast Grand Prix, run under the lights at the Equestrian Village, down the street from WEF and best known as the home of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
It looked as if there might not be a jump off. After the first half of the class, the only clear round among 22 starters belonged to Nicki Shahinian-Simpson on Akuna Mattata.
Four retirements and two eliminations in that group had course designer Catsy Cruz of Mexico asking for an Advil. But a jump-off emerged with the lone fault-free trip in the second half, Spencer Smith on Quality FZ.
Nicki and her mare, known as Nahla, ripped through the tiebreaker in 37.08 seconds. Spencer, who rides with Canadian Olympic gold medalist Eric Lamaze (but was on his own last night) clocked in at 38.71 seconds.
Third place went to the fastest 4-faulter, Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, N.J., who had the last rail with Chandon Blue. Laura is always a speedster, and it paid off as she got the Martha Wachtel Leading Lady Rider honors for the week.
Why was the course so tough?
“The grand prix here it always much more difficult than it walks,” said Laura.
“The lights, the difficulty of the smaller ring, the new venue. It always seems like you walk it and it doesn’t seem too bad and then the rails down come from everywhere. She’s very clever in the way she sets the course that way. It wasn’t one specific problem.”
Laura prefers a small jump-off to a larger one, explaining, “I don’t like it when there’s 15 clear before you go. As long as you’re confident in your plan and trust your horse, then it’s a matter of riding the course. If you ride it well, you can do it. When there’s a lot clear, you can get unlucky.”
Nahla is an interesting horse, because she is a triplet out of SRF Dragonfly, one of Nicki’s longtime mounts. Luckily, Dragonfly didn’t have to give birth to all three—they were carried by different surrogate mares. Each is in a different stage of development, but all are looking like they will make it in the jumper ranks.
Nicki has tried a few World Cup qualifiers with her, and believes that if she makes the cut and gets to the finals in Gothenburg, Sweden, this April, Nahla will be up to the challenge.
WELLINGTON, Fla. — My first look at the order of go for the Winter Equestrian Festival’s $391,000 Fidelity Investments CSI 5-star Grand Prix revealed what seemed to be an almost sure bet: with the advantage of going last on the speedy Gazelle, it appeared Kent Farrington would be the likely winner.
It was close, but Kent lost by less than half a second to the FEI World Equestrian Games individual silver medalist, Martin Fuchs of Switzerland on Clooney, a grey son of Cornet Obolensky. This was Martin’s first visit to the WEF (he’s here for three months with his American girlfriend, Paris Sellon) and he was “having a very good time” and loving the break from the European weather it even before he picked up his paycheck Saturday night.
Martin thought Kelvin Bywater’s course looked “a bit too easy for a 5-star grand prix” when he walked it, and figured the time allowed would be a factor, but it wasn’t. As a result, 18 riders–nearly half the 40-entry class —came back for the jump-off, where Clooney’s “exceptional” long stride gave him the edge over Gazelle. Kent saw Martin leave out a stride before the double, but he worried it was “too much risk” and that if he tried it, the mare might stop. It was, as usual from Kent, smart thinking, but relying on Gazelle’s foot speed and hope wasn’t quite enough to overtake his rival.
Irish rider Richie Moloney was less than a second behind Kent on the Irishbed Rocksy Music, who he thinks is “going to be my best horse.”
The jump-off didn’t work out for McLain Ward, another favorite who had a refusal with Contagious, and Beezie Madden on Coach, 10th after dropping a rail.
It was the first 5-star grand prix of the season, so the riders understood that the designer needed to think about that rather than laying out a route that was too difficult for this time of the year, even with so many international stars in the field.
Clooney made a comeback after colic surgery last year, and his team was devoted to his recovery. Martin, his mother (Martin’s a member of a famous show jumping family), Clooney’s owner and the groom took turns getting up every two hours at night to check the horse, even though he had a camera in his stall.
During Clooney’s recovery he couldn’t wear a saddle, so he would get four hours of hand-walking a day and work out on a rented treadmill. That kept him in shape so he could place in three 5-star grands prix before the WEG.
A Cape May County horse found positive for rabies last month has been euthanized. The 20-month-old colt, which was on a farm in a rural part of the county, was tested for rabies because it showed neurologic symptoms when it was being treated at a referral facility. The exposed surviving horses, all previously vaccinated against rabies, have received a booster vaccination and are under observation until Feb. 22.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health encourages everyone to speak with their veterinarians about vaccinating their animals against rabies, if they are not already doing so. Vaccination of livestock and other domestic animals is the most effective strategy to protect animals against this disease and minimize the impact it may have on you and your animals. If unvaccinated livestock are suspected of having direct contact with a rabid animal or are suspected of contracting rabies, it may be necessary for the entire premises to be placed under quarantine.
Rabies is endemic in New Jersey but is often detected in bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, cats and, to a lesser extent, domestic livestock. Transmission is almost always from the bite of a rabid animal. The virus is shed in the saliva several days before the onset of clinical signs. The disease is fatal once clinical signs appear. Suspect cases should be handled with care and isolated from other animals.
Rabid animals of all species usually exhibit typical signs of central nervous system disturbance with owners first noticing their animal “doesn’t seem right.” As the illness progresses, nervous system impairment becomes more obvious. Affected animals may or may not show signs of aggression. Livestock often develops the “dumb” form of the disease which consists of slight depression, walking in circles, eating non-edible items, “star gazing,” or not acting normally.
Potential cases of rabies in livestock, like other diseases affecting the neurological system, must be reported to the State Veterinarian at (609) 671-6400 within 48 hours of diagnosis. The Animal Health Diagnostic Lab is available to assist with all your testing needs including pathology services.
For inquiries, contact the NJ Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory. Phone: (609) 406-6999; Fax: (609) 671-6414; web: http://jerseyvetlab.nj.gov. To report suspicion of rabies in species other than livestock, contact your local Health Department or the New Jersey Department of Health at (609)-826-4872.
The four-time Ocean County Equestrian of the Year got a promotion when she was named the 2019 New Jersey Equestrian of the Year by the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board.
Riley Chenoweth-Hafner of Manahawkin, a 17-year-old junior at Southern Regional High School,
represented the N.J. Pony Breeders and Owners at the 62nd Annual New Jersey Breeders’ Luncheon in Hamilton Jan. 27.
A rider since the age of eight, Riley joined the 4-H Horse Program the following year. She has been on the National 4-H Roundup Communications and Horse Judging teams,judged at the American Quarter Horse Congress and is president of the Equine Science 4-H Club in Ocean County. She also has volunteered as a ring steward for Olympic eventing qualifiers at the Horse Park of New Jersey and worked on the ring crew for Central Jersey Horse Shows.
“I think probably what made me fall in love with horses is that whenever I was around them, it felt like they understood everything I was saying,” she said. “It’s like they can relate to me and understand my emotions. It kind of grew my love for them. They seem to love me just as much as I love them.”
“Riley’s distinguished work with horses in a dedicated and compassionate manner shows why she has been chosen to represent the industry as the Equestrian of the Year,” said state Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher.
“Her love for horses started at a young age and she will be a proud ambassador for the Garden State and an outstanding role model to encourage children and others who are interested in equine activities.”
Riley has a rescue pony named Dante and has done extensive work with her thoroughbred, Rocky, also a rescue she has been working with for three years.
“Rocky had a lot of issues with being scared, so my main goal has been to get him into a show ring,” Riley said. “Mostly I train him to get him used to the sights and sounds. We went to a show last fall and that was his first big show. We slowly worked him up to that and we are hoping to do more showing this summer.”
She would like to attend Stockton University and eventually become a veterinarian. Being involved with horses has helped Riley understand the importance of patience with herself and others.
“When you are training a young horse, you can do something one day and they get it, and then come back the next day and they may act like they have never seen that lesson,” Riley said. “You have to work on their terms, not yours. It’s taught me to not get uptight when something doesn’t go right. I’ve learned to take a step back, relax, and then go forward again.”
As Equestrian of the Year, Riley will attend functions hosted by the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board and represent the Board at various events.
Equine ophthalmology, muscle diseases and esophogeal obstruction (otherwise known as “choke) will be among the topics explored at B.W. Furlong and Associates’ Healthy Horse Seminar in Annandale Feb. 9.
The seminar, featuring veterinarians from the practice, runs from 8 a.m. starting with registration and breakfast until 1 p.m. at the Beaver Brook Country Club, 25 Country Club Drive. Registration is $25 before Feb. 1, $45 after that. To register, call the clinic at (908) 439-2821.
I’ll bet you spent the last few weeks of our miserable weather cleaning out your tack room, basement or barn and now you’re wondering what to do with the items you no longer use. You’re in luck! It’s almost tack sale time, and Mane Stream is looking for donations.
Of course, if you’re on the other end of the transaction and need some tack, clothing or barn equipment, you’re also in luck.
Mane Stream (adaptive horsemanship and equine-assisted therapies) is seeking donations of new and gently used tack or horse related items for its tack sale at 83 Old Turnpike Road in Oldwick from 8 a.m.-4 p.m April 6.
Adaptive riding at Mane Stream
In addition to tack, blankets, tack boxes, boots and clothing, horse-related jewelry, models and knick-knacks are also welcome.
It’s an opportunity to make a difference by supporting the Mane Stream mission to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through a diverse program of equine-assisted activities, therapy and educational initiatives.
This event is an important part of the yearly fundraising plan with all proceeds to benefit Mane Stream’s horses, equine-assisted programs including “Take the Reins” for Veterans and “Horses for Healing” for those living with, recovering from and living life after cancer.
All donations can be dropped off at the stable during office hours. If you would like to make a donation or have any questions, contact Holland Kochanski at holland@manestreamnj.org, (908) 439-9636 or visit the website at www.ManeStreamNJ.org
On April 7, the day after the tack sale, the community is invited to Man open house from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. You can get first-hand information on adaptive riding, therapy services, and Summer Camp improve the quality of life for children with cognitive, developmental, emotional, medical, or physical challenges.
Kids will receive a Mane Stream “Farm Traveler Passport” to take from station to station while they learn about the activities available. Games and crafts will be offered to keep the kids busy while parents ask questions about Mane Stream’s programs.
The day includes tours of the facility and a demonstration of the in-house therapy clinic.Visitors also may look in the barn and pet the horses.Those interested in finding out about the summer day camp for children of all abilities will be able to talk with the camp director Holland Kochanski. Anyone who registers for camp during the open house will receive at $25 discount. For more information contact Holland at holland@manestreamnj.org or 908-439-9636. Visit the website at www.ManeStreamNJ.org.
Phyllis Mills Wyeth, a noted horse breeder and carriage driver, died Jan. 14 at age 78 with her husband, artist Jamie Wyeth, at her side.
She was often a model for her husband, whose most famous paintings include “And Then Into the Deep Gorge,” which depicts her driving a pair of grays through the woods.
“And Then into the Deep Gorge,” by Jamie Wyeth
Horses were a big part of her life. In addition to owning driving horses, she also had a racing stable in Chadds Ford, Pa. Her best-known homebred was 2012 Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags.
The daughter of James and Alice DuPont Mills made a name for herself as an advocate for the handicapped and disabled after she was injured in a head-on automobile accident at age 20. She used crutches and a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
After working for John F. Kennedy, both when he was a U.S. senator and during his time in the White House, she remained active in Washington D.C., working as a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts and as vice-chairwoman of the National Committee on Arts for the Handicapped.
Mrs. Wyeth was an early supporter of the Tri-County Conservancy, which became the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, and was a founding member of its board. She also was a conservationist and environmentalist.
As a special tribute exhibition, the Brandywine River Museum of Art plans to host a selection of paintings of Phyllis by her husband, who is the son of artist Andrew Wyeth.
Dressage star Laura Graves continues to hit the heights, with yet another run of success encapsulated over three days in Palm Beach County, Fla.
Not only do the judges reward her performances with Verdades, the Dutchbred gelding who was purchased on the basis of a video as a weanling, but now the public has voted in her favor as well. Actually, no surprise there; the only American ever to be ranked as world number one is widely admired for her down-to-earth work ethic. When she won the Grand Prix Freestyle with Verdades at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington Friday night, for instance, she picked up the check for the groom’s award as well as the first place prize.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Equestrian of the Year and International Horse of the Year trophies were presented at the organization’s awards dinners over the weekend at the West Palm Beach Hilton. Laura got a standing ovation as she picked up the trophies for both major honors, decided through online ballots. Show jumping hero McLain Ward, also nominated for the Equestrian of the Year title—which he won for 2017– urged his fans to vote for her, and Laura acknowledged to me that she believed his generous gesture played a role in her victory.
But Laura is well-deserving of all her accolades, which also include two silver medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. Likely she would have had a third WEG medal, had not the WEG freestyle been cancelled. The WEG was where she was going to debut her new freestyle, performed to the Neil Diamond favorite, “Coming to America.”
“I was really looking forward to showing this at Tryon with everyone coming to our country,” she observed.
Instead, the debut was at Global last weekend before a good-size crowd, although not as big as the audience that would have seen it at the WEG. The freestyle had the same choreography as the one Laura rode previously, but she noted, “I just wanted to change the music.” The show was the first of the season, and the first World Cup qualifier for the finals, which will be in Gothenburg, Sweden, this spring.
Click on the video below to find out her thoughts.
The new freestyle was well-received for its energy and style. But always viewing her rides with the critical eye that has been crucial to her success, Laura cited a couple of mistakes, including one in her final pirouette.
“I need to settle down a little bit I think,” she said. “My horse is ready to go, he’s right on. I just came out at him a little strong.”
Laura had a full table backing her up at the awards dinners, with U.S. dressage technical advisor Debbie McDonald (who is also Laura’s coach), Betsy Juliano and WEG teammates Adrienne Lyle and Kasey Perry-Glass on hand.
Debbie picked up a well-deserved award of her own when she accepted a Pegasus Medal of Honor statue. Others in that category also went to U.S. jumping team gold medal coach Robert Ridland, along with one of the dressage world’s most respected figures, Janine Malone, and Ellen Di Bella, a western dressage standout. The medal is awarded for service to horses and the sport by those who have advanced its popularity.
The USEF owns seven figures worth of silver trophies, many of which date back decades and make for an impressive display. They are just there for presentation and photo purposes, however; winners only take home a small Pegasus statue.
Other honors went to former U.S. dressage technical advisor and international judge Anne Gribbons, who guided Laura Graves as a working student to bring Verdades to Grand Prix. Anne accepted the Walter B. Devereaux Sportsmanship Award for her commitment and dedication to the sport.
The winner of the Sallie Busch Wheeler Award for distinguished service is selected by USEF President Murray Kessler, and never revealed before the dinner.
It went to assistant show jumping coach and Olympic medalist Anne Kursinski, whose decision to talk about the abuse she suffered as a child from her trainer underlined the value of the Safe Sport program that is such an important part of USEF’s agenda.
One other winner who should be mentioned is the National Horse of the Year, Cobra. A wild mustang who has quite a story, he was.rounded up in Nevada as a six-year-old and later deemed unadoptable.
But owner/trainer Marsha Hartford-Sapp knew how to reach him and make use of his instincts. She bid on him after watching a 15-second video of this horse that had not found a home after being put up for adoption three times.
She prepared him for the Extreme Mustang Makeover, and he turned out to be a versatile competitor, excelling in both classical and western dressage.
Cobra has an impressive list of victories and awards to his credit. He was 2015 Horse of the Year for western dressage and won the Adequan/ U.S. Dressage Federation All-breeds American Mustang & Burro Association Prix St. Georges national championship in 2018. He stays busy making special appearances and has been immortalized as a Breyer model horse.
Like Verdades in his younger days, Cobra presented a challenge. But the persistence of Laura and Marsha illustrates how important it is to stick with a horse that has potential so these special animals can realize their true calling and show it off to the world.
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.
