by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 28, 2017
By Nancy Jaffer
Aug. 20, 2017
Monmouth at the Team may well be one of the friendliest shows you’ve ever attended—it seems as if a smile is the uniform of the day.
Christina Bond’s smile was mirrored by those on the faces of many other competitors at Monmouth at the Team. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s like a neighborhood gathering, so we want to be open to everybody coming,” said Michael Dowling, the show’s co-organizer with Tucker Ericson.
Michael noted that after competing, some of the exhibitors go home to shower and change, then return to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone to watch, mingle and listen to the different bands that provide a toe-tapping soundtrack.
“We want people from outside the horse world too, local people who don’t have kids or people showing. We’re trying to embrace the community as a whole, not just the horse part. We want people to enjoy this place,” continued Michael, and the atmosphere is conducive to that.
No question is too silly to be answered politely, patience is everyone’s strong suit and there’s a general feeling of congeniality and fun. What was that word—fun? Yes, it’s a week-long horse show that’s more like a party, both in and out of the hospitality tent.
Michael Dowling, co-manager of Monmouth at the Team. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The show, New Jersey’s oldest, moved from its namesake county last year after Michael, who is a trainer, and Tucker, a horse show judge, bought it. The transition was seamless and it was named the New Jersey Horse Shows Association Show of the Year for 2016.
What’s the formula for this success?
“I think we keep doing what the people want,” said Tucker.
“They want an event, not a horse show. They want their family and friends to come and hang around and laugh and hear the music and drink great drinks and eat great food and watch their family members horse show in a venue that has a lot of history about our Olympians and our sport.”
Tucker Ericson, co-manager of Monmouth at the Team. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The show, managed by Creigh Duncan, puts new life into the grounds of the foundation where U.S. teams once trained for the Olympics and other major competitions. Names such as Steinkraus, Chapot, De Nemethy, LeGoff, Wofford, Ridland and many more are part of the facility’s tradition in the big ring behind the landmark stable.
“It’s a piece of history, an unbelievable facility,” said Ricci Desiderio, trainer at Tranquillity Farm in nearby Chester.
He assessed the show this way: “I think people love it. It’s a slower pace, you’re only showing one ring.” Ricci and his wife, Stephanie, made the show a family affair with son Michael and daughter Alexandria busy in the arena.
Liz Durkin’s Durkin Firm in Livingston is a show sponsor, but the attorney is more involved with Monmouth at the Team than simply fulfilling the role of a backer.
“I brought my hunters and my jumpers. We emptied our barn,” said Liz, whose stable is in Warren County.
“We’re really just loving it. For those of us who are in the hunter/jumper world and are local, there’s nothing that’s not spectacular about this horse show,” she commented the other day.
“This show has been going since 7 o’clock and everyone is in a great mood 12 hours later. Everything is just perfectly done. There are so many horse shows that are so routine. There’s nothing special about them. Everything about this show is special, from the venue on up.”
Maxime Tyteca and Niels Haesen of Stal de Eyckenhoeve in Belgium brought one horse, Sirlando, across the Atlantic for the show. The Dutchbred and Maxime competed in the hunters for the first time, the day after the six-year-old former dressage horse and show jumper got out of quarantine.
Niels Haesen and Maxime Tyteca present the award for the Round of the Day to Jazz Johnson Merton. The award is sponsored by Stal de Eyckenhoeve. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The couple, business partners in selling horses and building a farm in Ocala with Tucker, appreciates the character of the show. As Niels pointed out, it’s quite different from the multi-ring extravaganzas in Wellington and Ocala.
“It’s only one ring and everyone’s together around the ring,” said Niels. “Everybody’s here.”
“I love having one ring that we can all sit and watch and enjoy,” said trainer B.J. Ehrhardt,, a longtime Monmouth exhibitor who rode at the show when it was at Monmouth Park’s Wolf Hill Farm before it moved after 1971.
“The people all get to mingle, which we never get to do at horse shows, because we’re always too busy running around. I think they do a fabulous job.”
There are those who have suggested that the show could hold extra classes in the indoor ring, or in a ring in the North Field, but Tucker’s answer is short and sweet.
“Oh no. It’s all about this arena and the energy around this ring. We’ve got an amazing staff,” said Tucker, noting they have handled as many as 400 trips over fences in a day. Everyone contributes to the effort.
“Trainers and exhibitors have risen to the occasion. We have put together an amazing group of sponsors. The support is outstanding. They are trying to help us make this work,” continued Tucker, pointing out that the economics of a one-ring horse show are challenging, compared to a multi-ring show.
The good feelings start with the parking people. Telling showgoers where to park is a thankless job—everyone wants to be in the very limited VIP spaces or 10 steps from the ring—but Linda and John Ericson (Tucker’s parents) do it with a smile and the offer of a cold bottle of water.
John is a former Hunterdon County school superintendent. His wife, who was an assistant to an attorney at an insurance company, said cheerfully, “I never thought I’d have parking on my resume.
“We just love it, but it’s not easy. We get up at 4 in the morning and start working at 5:30 a.m.,” Linda reported proudly.
Tucker pitches in wherever he’s needed, too, often tending bar in the hospitality tent that stretches along one side of the ring.
The seven-day show proves that if you present a special product, it’s possible to attract exhibitors without extravagant heaps of prize money or the ultimate in U.S. Equestrian Federation ratings. Its highest rating is B, and the jumpers are Level 3.
The biggest purses are $10,000 each for the Sunday Aug. 20 mini-prix and the Bobcat Hunter Derby that was held Thursday, the one day of the show that is not recognized by the USEF. The Derby attracted 99 entries at a time when other shows are struggling to fill their classes, and the beautifully turned-out horses were top-class. Despite the feeling of informality that pervades Monmouth at the Team, this is no backyard show.
Jazz Johnson Merton, joint master of the Essex Foxhounds that are based just down the road from the foundation grounds, topped both rounds of the Bobcat Derby to win with Joe Cool, a lovely gray warmblood owned by her daughter, Willa. At age 12, Willa is a little small for the stately Joe, so mom got to ride him in the derby.
Jazz Johnson Merton, winner of the Bobcat Derby with Joe Cool. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“He’s just a really good, solid egg,” Jazz said of the gelding.
This is her first year competing at the show, but since she lives in Pottersville only a few miles away, “I was very pleased to be here this year. It’s in my backyard and such a lovely venue. I hope to see more competitions here again.”
Monmouth was Jazz’s prep for the Hampton Classic, where she will be riding Joe in the 3-3 hunters.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, she’ll be riding other horses in the Essex Foxhounds’ hunter trials at the foundation, so Monmouth was a good prep for that too.
While she hasn’t hunted Joe yet, “some of our show horses do foxhunt. All of the equestrian sports are so crucial in keeping the land open and keeping the countryside so beautiful in this area.”
Conservation actually was the theme of the Bobcat Derby. It was sponsored by the Nature Conservancy which wants to build “Bobcat Alley” for New Jersey’s last remaining wild cats. To survive, the endangered species needs land to roam. So the conservancy is trying to connect preserved land between the Appalachians and the Highland section of the state. The wildlife corridor will provide space for the animals to hunt, roam and increase their numbers.
In keeping with that mission, the Conservancy gave away headbands with tufted (fake) bobcat ears. They were the accessory to have. Some competitors even wore the ears on their helmets as they went over the fences.
Jennifer Petrisko shows off her bobcat ears during her round with Sri. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
I was interested in finding out why the conservancy wanted to have a sponsorship at the show.
“We look for people to help us out,” explained philanthropy assistant Jeff Burian.
“The show has a large crowd so it gets the word out, and that’s the primary thing.”
Mary Conte, who does marketing for the conservancy and came up with the headband concept, notes that the conservancy is located a few miles from the foundation in Chester.
“This is an opportunity for us to build awareness of the good works we are doing in our community,” she noted, detailing why the organization is involved with Monmouth at the Team.
Mary Conti at the Nature Conservancy table in the hospitality tent. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“A lot of people don’t know who the Nature Conservancy is and don’t know we’re working right here in New Jersey to help wildlife and people and nature. So we thought this was a great opportunity to meet people in our community.”
Monmouth at the Team is a refreshing fixture, proving what can be done when people who have both vision and expertise work hard and enlist like-minded folks to help them.
I have a habit of making suggestions, for what they’re worth, to show managers about what I think they could do to improve their events. But there wasn’t a suggestion I could make to Michael and Tucker–they did it all, and they did it right.
I look forward to the 2018 edition of Monmouth at the Team, and I know there’s a legion of showgoers who feel the same.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 28, 2017
There were days of silence after plans for the world-class dressage competition at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show was cancelled last weekend, but it is being replaced by arena eventing on the Sept. 23 Saturday night of the fixture.
The world’s three top-ranked dressage riders as of August, Isabell Werth of Germany, the USA’s Laura Graves and Carl Hester of Great Britain, where slated to compete at the Wollman Rink in the heart of New York city. But on the heels of the European championships, “recent unforeseen circumstances have impacted several competitors, forcing their withdrawal from the event,” according to a statement from the organizer of the event.
Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton are among those who have signed on for the 8 p.m. arena eventing, which combines show jumping and simulated cross-country at the intermediate/2-star level. It was a big hit in its debut at the Devon Horse Show last May, when the course was designed by Mark Phillips, who will also do the honors in New York. Other riders participating will include Jennie Brannigan, Holly Payne-Caravella and her brother, Doug Payne, as well as two exciting English imports, Burghley winner Oliver Townend and the great William Fox-Pitt. Sara Kozumplik-Murphy, who won at Devon, is also competing.
Meanwhile, the world’s highest-ranked riders in show jumping are set to compete at the show. Kent Farrington, number one in the international standings, and his friend and rival, McLain Ward, number two, will participate Sept. 21 in the evening’s $40,000 speed class, and the night of Sept. 22 in the $216,000 3-star Grand Prix.
A series of hunter classics is featured on the afternoon of Sept. 23, highlighted by the $50,000 Duchossois Cup.
The Central Park competition begins Sept. 20 with an Arabian show. It ends on Sunday, Sept. 24 with exhibitions and free admission
For tickets, go to www.centralparkhorseshow.com.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2017
If you thought you’d heard the last of Omaha when the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping and Dressage World Cup finals wrapped up, think again.
The Omaha Equestrian Foundation, which presented the incredibly successful Cup competition, is keeping busy.
It is offering an opportunity for anyone interested in the eight international disciplines (show jumping, dressage, para-equestrian, driving, eventing, reining, vaulting and endurance) to meet with the country’s top equestrian athletes, trainers, team managers, chefs d’equipe, coaches, veterinarians, physiotherapists and other leaders.
Lisa Roskens, who brought the Cups to Omaha and came up with the idea for the foundation, said it is committed to bringing more international-caliber competitions to the Midwest, developing opportunities for riders who aspire to perform at the highest levels of their equestrian discipline.
“We want those who are interested in these disciplines to have a chance to hear first-hand the vision held by the leaders and decision-makers of the sport,” she said, “and to be able to talk with other horsemen who share their interests in international equestrian disciplines. OEF is proud to host US Equestrian’s first-ever High Performance Review.”
Who will you see in Omaha? Show jumping coaches Robert Ridland and Anne Kursinski, dressage coaches Robert Dover and Debbie McDonald, as well as eventing individual gold medalist and coach Leslie Law.
“This will be the first time we have ever gathered representatives of all the FEI international discipline High Performance Programs together for the express purpose of determining how we can meet our goal of sustained success at the World and Games level,” said Will Connell, US Equestrian’s Director of Sport.
“We want to bring all perspectives together to determine how we are better able to meet challenges in the future, grab opportunities as they arise and ensure that we are truly focused on developing performance. If we are to be truly effective at supporting our athletes (human and equine) to deliver medal winning performances, then we must be willing to challenge the effectiveness of ourselves and our programs,” Connell said.
Those interested in attending the dinner, forums and clinic can find more information at www.omahaequestrian.com or by calling 402-930-3079.
Meanwhile, the foundation is starting the InIt2WinIt Speed Jumping Series, five nationally televised 1.40-meter speed jumping events that will culminate in the $100,000 Championship at 1.45 meters at the International Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska on April 13, 2018.
The InIt2WinIt Speed Jumping Series kicks off its first qualifying event Sept. 22 at the HITS Balmoral show in Chicago with a $25,000 Open Speed Class qualifier. The American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri will feature a $25,000 InIt2WinIt qualifying class Oct. 13. Queenie Productions will host a $20,000 InIt2WinIt Open Speed class as a qualifier Nov. 11, 2017 at the St Louis Hunter/Jumper Show in the National Equestrian Center in Missouri. The final qualifying competition will be the $10,000 Monarch Casino jumper stake at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 12, 2018.
“The InIt2WinIt Speed Jumping Series is part of OEF’s mission to produce international caliber equestrian events that change the way the sport is presented in this country, and to develop Omaha into a hub of the sport horse industry,” said Lisa.
“We want to attract international championships as both educational and economic development opportunities for the community.” To fulfill its strategic plan, OEF seeks to create opportunities for high performance athletes from the Midwest and develop young riders with a clear path to higher levels in the sport.
The International Omaha 2018 will also feature its signature jumping competition, the $130,000 International Omaha Grand Prix. In addition, it will host high level team dressage competition and a Dressage Showcase in conjunction with the United States Dressage Foundation.
All events will be held at the World Cup venue, the CenturyLink Center Omaha, which won rave reviews from World Cup competitors, vendors and fans. The four-day event April 12-15, 2018 is designed to be the Great Equestrian Gathering in the Midwest, according to Mike West, CEO of the foundation.
For ticket, sponsor, VIP and vendor information, call 402-932-4124 or go to.www.internationalomaha.com
