by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 8, 2025
Matt Morrissey, who has worked in show management with his father, Michael Morrissey and late uncle, Gene Mische, has been named general manager of the Desert International Horse Park. He is also a founder of the Major League Show Jumping series.
The facility previously was led by CEO Steve Hankin, who was bought out by the venue’ s three other partners last month. (to read that story click here)
In announcing Morrissey’s appointment, the Horse Park statement said he “will provide strategic leadership and will reinforce DIHP’s commitment to providing world-class competition as the premier equestrian destination on the West Coast.”
The facility hosts 19 weeks of competition from October through April. The show management team of Pat Boyle, Phil Devita, Ashley Keeler, Skyler Brittner, Lori Hill, David Runk, Duncan Peters and Joe Wilson will stay in place.
“This team’s extensive experience in producing world-class equestrian events and their deep understanding of what makes venues successful will be invaluable as we continue to build the equestrian sport on the West Coast and provide opportunities for our athletes to compete at the highest levels,” said DIHP partner Jeremy Smith..
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 5, 2025
Mary Anne McPhail, a visionary who did so much to boost dressage in the U.S., has died at the age of 92.
“She was incredible; worked tirelessly to promote and support a sport that was not well-known,” former U.S.. Dressage Federation President Ellin Dixon Miller said on social media.
“The growth of dressage that occurred during her lifetime can, to a huge extent, be attributed to her. Mary Anne was instrumental in creating the Florida circuit. It created multiple shows at the international level, encouraged Europeans to come to us, and the best of the U.S. to unite and compete in one location.”
Mary Anne McPhail, doing what she enjoyed.
Devoted to the Dressage Foundation, where she was a volunteer committee member for more than 20 years, Mary Anne and her husband established the Mary Anne and Walter McPhail Judge Education Fund to provide support for the U.S. Dressage Federation’s judge education initiative.
“Mary Anne was one-of-a kind when it came to wisdom, kindness and generosity. Her impact on U.S. dressage has been profound throughout many years because she was never afraid to think big,” said a statement from the Dressage Foundation.
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The U.S. Dressage Federation noted, “Mary Anne’s legacy will live on through all who knew and loved her, and through her generosity of spirit that will continue to positively impact and benefit the dressage community for years to
come.”
She also backed top riders Robert Dover and Olivia Lagoy-Weltz when they were involved in international competition.
A longtime host and executive director of the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, she lived in Loxahatchee, Fla., and Michigan, where she founded the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 1, 2025
So what’s next for California’s Desert International Horse Park and its former CEO Steve Hankin, who parted ways this week?
Three partners in the venture bought out Hankin and his wife, Lisa. The couple was the fourth partner in the group that six years ago purchased a long-term lease on 240 acres where the HITS Thermal show had been held previously.
The Desert International Horse Park show will continue, and there are plans for a major expansion and development in years to come at another property just down the road.
Palms and mountains provide the backdrop at Desert International Horse Park. (Photo DIHP)
The break-up raised questions, however, because the show had developed into an incredibly successful fixture, attracting a following not only in the West, but also drawing prominent riders from the East Coast and Europe.
Hankin would say only that, “Whether the partners got along or not is not relevant to the people in the industry. It’s obvious we didn’t and the partnership failed. I think it’s disappointing for the industry that it did. I think what was accomplished in the last five or six years was really remarkable.”
But the details of the break-up aren’t important to those who come to the shows, he pointed out.
“What they care about is that we built something that wasn’t there before, we raised the level of the sport and that we cared about horses,” said Hankin, mentioning he got more than 100 messages after word was out about his departure.
Riders such as Kent Farrington came from the East to compete at DIHP. (Photo DIHP)
Hankin also will be missed by Michael Stone, president of Wellington International, which hosts Florida’s Winter Equestrian Festival.
“I was very disappointed to see he was going,” said Stone.
“He was really a leader to make change and elevate the level in California, which ultimately helps everybody. The higher the level, everybody gets better. You don’t sit on your laurels.
“Having him there was definitely beneficial for the sport in general,” Stone pointed out, noting he and Hankin worked closely when Covid hit.
“We had to come up with ways of being able to get back open as fast as we could. With the EHV (Equine Herpes) outbreak, we worked on that closely too. Good to have a like-minded person on the West Coast really driving the standards out there.”
As for Hankin’s future, he will stay in both the industry and California, his home for 11 years.
“I’m 100 percent not done,” said Hankin, who plans to move on with other projects.
Meanwhile, the remaining DIHP partners, Jeremy and Christina Smith, Rob Meadows and Catherine Harvey, are pursuing a vision of their own on 640 acres that will host the horse show and a development, part of a package called Thermal Ranch. But the show will continue to be called Desert International Horse Park.
It all starts with the leadline. (Photo DIHP)
The new land is being used to grow carrots at the moment and the project is still in the approvals process with the city and county.
“We have no interest in pushing it hard until it’s being built,” Jeremy Smith said about the project, located a short canter from the present facility. The best case scenario would be for the showgrounds to open in October 2029.
“It’s a big project, but we think it’s the future of show jumping on the West Coast,” he continued, adding that it will be 30 percent larger than the current showgrounds.
“We really want to build a permanent home for the horse park that is sustainable, to own your own facility and control your own destiny,” said Smith, who has been in the crafts business and now can add the word “developer” to his resume.
“It’s $100 million to build a show and do it right,” he said, explaining the only way to make the books balance is by constructing homes, hotel rooms and commercial opportunities in and around it as well.
That means “taking a big swing and having a big enough show to make it work.”
He pointed out that while the lease on the current showgrounds is long term, “in 20 years, if it (the land) were needed for anything else, there would be no place to go because development would have happened around it. Where development happens, horses always get pushed out.”
The current facility is aging with “old infrastructure…a hard beast to keep going,” said Smith, who cited all the benefits of a purpose-built venue. The layout for stables and rings will be convenient, and an indoor arena that can host FEI World Cup qualifiers is also part of the vision.
Harvey mentioned that on the current property “The way it’s lined up, you have tractors in the same aisle ways as horses and bicyclists and golf carts We would like to line things out in a much safer way, where those two don’t overlap; have a more efficient use of space and really create a proper center where your grand prix arena and grand hunter arena are and everything else revolves around it.”
That would be “as opposed to our (current) property, it’s (the rings) at one end and the barns are at the opposite ends of the property and the grass field is even at the farthest end of the property.”
The new acreage “would give us more space to do whatever needs to be done,” Harvey said.
As Smith noted, “Being able to build a brand new modern facility that’s perfect for horses as well as guests who can actually come and watch and is safe all around, it will be a breath of fresh air and a dream for all of us.”
Having homes around a showgrounds is a model that started in Wellington, and was done in a more modular way at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., and TerraNova, east of Sarasota, Fla.
“We’ve learned a lot over the years and we’re still learning,” said Smith, who envisions people living so close they can take a golf cart over to the venue “and socialize around the horse show instead of just going home at night.”
Socializing is a big part of DIHP’s charm. (Photo DIHP)
The current facility will still be used after the new one is built, but it can have offerings beyond hunter/jumper competition.
Options are dressage, western, low-level hunters and jumpers with no braiding, “the possibility of three day shows with lesser entry fees. How do we lower the bar to have people come in and try it out?” said Smith.
“We’ve got to make it (showing) as accessible as possible, knowing that’s it still expensive,” he commented, pointing out that growing the base is key to keep the sport strong.
The partners aren’t seeking another CEO, but they haven’t made a decision yet about who will be heading up the team at the park.
“I think Steve did a lot and I think asking anyone to do his entire job isn’t necessarily what we want to do,” Smith said.
“We’ll split that up a little bit. There’s enough for a couple of people in there. I’ll take a lot of the business end of it with the team. We all like to be involved in the business. You don’t buy a horse show for an investment, you don’t build a horse park for an investment.
“You do this because you want to be involved in it and you like the business and you enjoy this. We want it to be fun. It’s really exciting for us. But we have no intention of jumping in and running everything.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 7, 2025
A property in Sussex County, N.J. has been quarantined after one horse developed highly infectious equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM).
The horse, a 20-year-old mare, developed acute clinical signs Aug. 3, and was euthanized. A week earlier, another horse on the property had similar neurological signs and was euthanized without diagnostic testing. EHM, often deadly, is the neurologic form of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) infection.
The remaining horse on the premises are under quarantine and being monitored. No horses from the property, which is in an undisclosed location, have been moved, making the risk of disease spread very low.
“The department took swift action to prevent the disease from spreading to other horses by enacting a quarantine, which stops movement of horses in and out of the properties and puts in place preventive measures to contain the virus,” said state Secretary of Agriculture Edward Wengryn.
The EHV-1 organism spreads quickly from horse to horse and can cause respiratory problems, especially in young horses and spontaneous abortions in pregnant mares. The neurologic form of the virus can result in death. The incubation period of EHV-1 is typically two to 10 days.
Clinical signs include respiratory disease, fever, nasal discharge, depression, cough, lack of appetite, and/or enlarged lymph nodes. In horses infected with the neurologic strain of EHV-1, clinical signs typically include mild incoordination, hind-end weakness/paralysis, loss of bladder and tail function, and loss of sensation to the skin in the hind end.
The virus spreads readily through direct contact with infected materials. The virus is endemic in the country and although highly infectious, it does not persist in the environment for an extended period and is neutralized by hand soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and sunlight. The virus does not affect humans and other domestic animals, except for other Equidae and Camelids (llamas and alpacas).
The NJDA Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory is available to assist veterinarians with the EHV-1 testing. For contact information, go to the lab website: www.jerseyvetlab.nj.gov. Owners should consult with their veterinarian prior to taking any action, as the clinical signs of infection with the neurological form of EHV-1 (EHM) are common to many other diseases. EHM is a reportable disease in New Jersey. If an owner has a horse exhibiting neurologic signs or suspects Equine Herpes, they are directed to call their veterinarian immediately.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 31, 2025
The man who led the Desert International Horse Park in its transformation as a California venue to be reckoned with has been bought out of the partnership that purchased the venue six years ago.
In his farewell statement Wednesday night, DIHP CEO Steve Hankin said, “it is with considerable sadness that we, Lisa (his wife) and I, are announcing the end of our involvement with the Desert International Horse Park. It took a lot of people to get to where we are today. We have an incredible team and I owe all of them an enormous thanks. That thanks extends to not only to the individuals that make the show happen in the office and at the rings that you see every day, but also the extended teams that are essential to doing what we do so well.”
There were many who wondered why Steve would want to get so involved in making the former HITS Thermal a destination for not only West Coast riders, but also East Coast and European stars.
His answer was simple: “Because it has always been about the sport.”
He cited the passion he and Lisa shared that has always been grounded in a love for horses and a desire to help build the sport, at all levels, for everyone.”
McLain Ward, a member of DIHP’s Major League Show Jumping team, paid tribute to the former CEO on social media, saying, “Steve you did an incredible job and brought the world of Showjumping to the desert!”
Because of DIHP’s success, Steve’s departure is a bit of a headscratcher. But on the same evening as his farewell, the venue announced a change in ownership as of that date.
“The current ownership group, consisting of the Smith, Meadows, and Harvey families, has completed the acquisition of the remaining ownership interest formerly held by Steve and Lisa Hankin.
“We are deeply grateful to Steve and Lisa for their vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment over the past six years. Under their guidance, DIHP has evolved from a venue in need of significant transformation into a world-class destination for equestrian sport.
“Their efforts, particularly during the unprecedented challenges of the human and horse crises of the last five years, were instrumental in establishing the Horse Park as a premier venue enjoyed by trainers, exhibitors, vendors, and spectators from around the globe.
“We thank Steve and Lisa for their dedication to our mission and their many contributions to elevating the sport on the West Coast. Their impact on DIHP and the equestrian community will be lasting.”
So why did it happen? A deeper explanation will have to wait for another day.
No new CEO was named in the ownership group’s statement, which continued, “Looking forward, the ownership group remains committed to building on this strong foundation. The current staff — who many of you know and work closely with — are already hard at work preparing for the upcoming season. We’re excited to share more updates soon, including new improvements to the facility and developments shaping the future of DIHP.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 29, 2025
Cecile Hetzel Dunn was an ecumenical horsewoman, whose efforts benefited a variety of breeds, from Arabians to Friesians, Andalusians to saddlebreds.
She spent decades serving the entire horse industry, working as a licensed official and volunteering with a variety of governing bodies. Cecile was a mainstay of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s board of directors. She served as a founding member of that panel after the organization succeeded the old American Horse Shows Association.
A recipient of the federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, she died Saturday at the age of 89.
Cecile Hetzel Dunn and the USEF’s David O’Connor.
Cecile rode a pony on her family’s Arabian farm before she could walk and became a skilled competitor who went on to devote her life to equestrian sport and education.
After graduating from Stephens College in Missouri, she worked at Northwestern State University to develop its equestrian studies program. She returned to Stephens as a professor and director of their Equestrian Department.
Moving on to Salem International University, she developed its Equine Careers and Industry Management degree program, as well as a horsemanship teaching certification program. As a professor and coach, she inspired young equestrians by helping them set realistic goals and guiding them.
She went to her first AHSA convention in the late 1950s (she wasn’t quite sure of the year) at the posh Breakers hotel in Palm Beach.
“I thought I was in fairyland,” she said, recalling how her eyes lit up when seeing the jewels and sparkling floor-length gowns worn at the social events that once were a key part of the convention in a very different era.
Those were the days when it was “100 percent” about who you knew. For instance, she told me that after a saddlebred trainer for whom she worked wanted her to judge a horse show, he simply called a friend at the AHSA office and asked that Cecile be given a judge’s card–even though she had no training in that area.
The only question asked was whether she was 21. When her age was confirmed, Cecile got her card.
Things are different today, of course, and Cecile served17 years on USEF’s Licensed Officials Committee, among other committees that furthered the mission of the federation. She officiated for 49 years, working as a steward as well as a judge. Among the judges’ cards she held were those for Andalusian/Lusitano, Connemara, Friesian, National Show Horse, Welsh and Western.
Cecile also was a founding member of the Arabian Horse Association and served as the Region 6 Director and on various AHA committees.
She was married to the late Norman Dunn, who also was active with USEF. They are survived by two daughters, Martha Rattner and Merri Murdock-Krehl.
In lieu of flowers, Cecile’s family has requested that donations be made to the Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund in her memory. For information, go to: https://www.horsemensdistressfund.com/
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 14, 2025
Town Halls throughout the summer and autumn have been scheduled at a number of shows across the country by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, with the idea of discussing equine well-being among those who compete in a variety of breeds and disciplines.
In July, forums on equine well-being were held at HITS in New York and the Oaks in California. Here are some of the suggestions offered at those sessions:
- Evaluate judging criteria for hunters and encourage judges not to penalize horses for expressiveness that’s appropriate for the level
- Increase the number of shows and horses that are drug tested
- Drug test the top placed horses in all classes
- Require horses on the grounds for 24 hours prior to competing in any class $10,000 or more
- Task USEF with assigning stewards to competitions to reduce concerns about conflicts of interest
- Guidelines for blood (a rule change will be considered by the USEF board Aug. 26)
- Minimum requirements for horses and/or riders to demonstrate aptitude at a level before they can move up to a new level
- Installation of surveillance cameras at stalls, in wash racks, in lunging and schooling areas
- Offer educational programs for grooms on ethical treatment, and also educational programs helping trainers know how to teach new grooms about proper handling.
One town hall has already led to an initiative. After the audience brought up concerns about the treatment of horses in the wash racks at shows, the Oaks show organizer Nilforushan Equisport Events posted signs at the wash racks in both English and Spanish the next day, letting grooms and competitors know that spraying horses in the face is prohibited.
More town halls are scheduled this year. In August, the sessions are set for the USEF Pony Finals Aug. 5 in Lexington, Ky., and on Aug. 22, for the Dressage Festival of Champions in Wayne, Ill.
During September, they will be at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals Sept. 8-13 in Wilmington, Ohio; the All-American Classic Sept. 10 or 11 in Indianapolis and the Oktoberfest at Stable View, Aiken, S..C. Sept. 27,
Oct. 4-11, the session will be during the Morgan Grand Nationals in Oklahoma City and Oct. 30 at the U.S. Dressage Finals in Wilmington, Ohio. Dates are yet to be decided for December through February.
For those who can’t make one of the sessions at a show, an on-line forum will be held before the end of the year. Send any thoughts about the state of welfare for show horses, or how to improve it, to feedback@usef.org.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 27, 2025
Aaron Vale, who had two major grand prix wins already this year at Devon and Upperville, was in the spotlight across the Atlantic on Sunday in Dinard France, taking the 500,000 Euro Rolex fixture on his stalwart Carissimo 25.
Dinard winner Aaron Vale and Carissimo 25. (Photo by McKenzie Clark for US Equestrian)
Many of the riders from this month’s European Championships tried their luck over the course designed by Jean-François Morand, albeit some with different horses. Top U25 rider Nina Mallevaey of France rode her championships mount Dynastie de Beaufour, but lost her stirrup partway through the tiebreaker and had to settle for third in 40.64. Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands and Mr. Tac made a good effort with 40.51 seconds
Aaron and the horse known as Ducky blew them away in 38.77, and then the rider was ready for his champagne.
“I just had to stay clear and go full throttle,” he said of his round, adding how impressed he was by the atmosphere at the showgrounds.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 15, 2025
After 14 years of litigation, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has encountered a judicial setback to its plans for eliminating wild horses from more than 2 million acres of public land in Wyoming, home to the Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin herds.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit found serious legal failings in the BLM’s concept. contending it acted arbitrarily and capriciously in adopting its plan, violating federal law by failing to consider a core requirement of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. That is, managing wild horses and burros as part of a thriving natural ecological balance on public lands.
“This is a significant win for America’s wild horses and a meaningful check on BLM overreach. The court has made clear that the BLM cannot sidestep the law to appease special interests and eliminate wild horses from their rightful habitat,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director of American Wild Horse Conservation.
“Wild horses are meant to roam free, not be rounded up and erased from the landscape. We remain committed to fighting for the future of Wyoming’s iconic wild horse herds.”
Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., equine program director for the Animal Welfare Institute stated: “This ruling sends a clear message: the Bureau of Land Management cannot simply erase wild horses from the landscape because they pose an inconvenience to the agency. These animals are federally protected and must be managed humanely, not eliminated. The court’s decision upholds a key tenet of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, setting a strong precedent for the protection of wild herds across the west.”
American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), the Animal Welfare Institute, Western Watersheds Project and their allies have secured a legal victory that delivers a major setback to the largest attempted eradication of wild horses in U.S. history.
“Public lands are suffering not from wild horses, but from the industrial livestock lobby’s corrosive influence. The BLM removes protected mustangs only to make room for cattle and sheep—subsidized at rock bottom fees—while ignoring the real ecological damage wrought by these domestic herds,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of the Western Watersheds Project.
“This ruling demands accountability and exposes who’s truly driving degradation on the range.”
The case challenged a BLM Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment that would have eradicated wild horses from two Herd Management Areas (HMAs) by changing their status to Herd Areas (HAs) with population targets of zero, and slashed the population in a third HMA by over half.
In planning documents, the BLM repeatedly acknowledged that areas under consideration for its management plan contained adequate forage, water, space, and other resources to sustain wild horse herds and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance. The court found the agency acted arbitrarily and capriciously by failing to assess whether its decision was consistent with ecological balance—a central mandate of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
The ruling states that the BLM cannot “use the RMP process to skirt its Wild Horse Act obligations.”
However, it also leaves room for BLM to attempt to revise and potentially reinstate its plan, underscoring the need for continued oversight and advocacy.
The lawsuit was brought by American Wild Horse Conservation, the Animal Welfare Institute, Western Watersheds Project, wildlife photographers Carol Walker and Kimerlee Curyl and sociologist and author Chad Hanson. They are represented by the public interest law firm Eubanks & Associates, PLLC. Two other wild horse protection organizations each filed separate lawsuits in the case.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 21, 2025
At the age of 19, Mai Baum was still showing his class over the weekend at the Event at Rebecca Farm, winning the 4-star Short before taking a bow and retiring from competition in the same place where he won his first 3-star.
Mai Baum and Tamie Smith in the ring for the last time. (Shannon Brinkman photo)
With Tamie Smith aboard, the aptly nicknamed Lexus broke the Montana event’s dressage score record with 22 penalties, did a solo turn on cross-country so everyone could watch and turned in a show jumping double-clear to earn his final trophy.
He was ridden in the victory gallop by his owner, Alex Ahearn, who also did the honors in the retirement ceremony, where he received a wreath of flowers. Mai Baum was the first U.S. horse since 2007 to win the Kentucky 5-star when he triumphed there in 2023, making him an instant hero who will be missed.
