The Fair Hill, Maryland, facility that hosts the 2- and 3-star fall national championship events and a variety of other equestrian competitions, is looking for an upgrade as it seeks to stage the USA’s second 4-star event.
Stakeholders have begun discussions with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources about the 2015 Maryland Horse Park System Study, which recommended Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area as an ideal equestrian field event venue.
The interest was prompted by new information about the economic value of Maryland’s horse industry as well as an invitation to submit a proposal to host the 4-star, which will be held in 2018 or, more likely, 2019, since the World Equestrian Games will take center stage in September 2018.
“New economic data shows that the state’s equine industry has grown 23 percent in the last five years and contributes $1.15 billion in annual economic activity,” said Jim Steele, chair of the Maryland Horse Industry Board.
“Improving equine facilities at Fair Hill is a vital part of this industry-wide renaissance. We have to stay current and make sure our competition venues meet the needs of the equestrian community.”
Implementation of the study includes enhancement of existing facilities and infrastructure that would support improved conditions for a broad spectrum of activities and programming, including steeplechasing, timber racing, polo, 4-H, the Cecil County Fair and more.
As the partners in the implementation of the recommendations, Fair Hill International was given the opportunity to respond to a request from the U.S. Equestrian Federation to host the new 4-star. Rolex Kentucky, at this point the country’s only 4-star, is held in the spring at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
“Regardless of the outcome of the 4-star proposal, there remains tremendous interest and support to upgrade Fair Hill’s infrastructure for a variety of recreational uses,” said Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton.
“A community-led foundation is now being developed to begin identifying potential funding for critical enhancements and improvements at the racetrack and fairgrounds.”
Work continues with stakeholders, park users, and the community to develop and refine the proposed enhancements in the coming months. There will be opportunity for public comment and engagement. If the site is selected, Maryland would then join Kentucky as the only state to host both a Triple Crown race and a 4-star event.
Other contenders for the 4-star are Great Meadow and Morven Park, both in Virginia; the Ocala Jockey Club in Florida and the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, N.C., where the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games will be held.
Britain has a new performance management plan, utilizing a partnership with an emphasis on sports science and tailored coaching, while “building on excellence” in the existing coaching program.
Richard Waygood will become the world class eventing performance manager, an announcement that follows news of former German coach and British citizen Christopher Bartle being appointed to the newly created role of performance coach.
The new program for the eventing squad is part of a greater plan to continue improving performance for the next Olympic cycle. This concept will be “more individually tailored,” putting a greater focus on human and equine sports science, “as well as examining opportunities to improve the collective horsepower in Great Britain” and seeking to build on success.
Richard, who has been the performance manager for dressage, commented that holding his new position has been “ a lifelong ambition.”
Chris commented, “It’s exciting and yet daunting to be offered the opportunity to train the British team. On the other hand, it’s with sadness that I leave behind the German team and all those at the DOKR and the German Federation with whom I have worked over the last 16 years. I am equally delighted that Richard Waygood has agreed to come on board as performance manager for eventing. I can’t imagine a more suitably qualified person for this position.
Eventing Chief Executive David Holmes noted, “Following 17 successful years under Yogi Breisner, we are thrilled to have found such an experienced team in Richard and Chris to take the British eventing squad forward. This combination will not only help us advance our elite level athletes but also to use their knowledge and skills to enable us to develop pathways throughout our sport so that we can produce a stronger performance culture from ponies to podium.
“As we look towards Tokyo 2020, Richard and Chris will be key for eventing to ensure the World Class team has the skills, tools and support to reach its full potential.”
Clare Salmon, chief executive of the BEF, stated: “Other sports will also be a great source of inspiration as we strive for a winning culture across the disciplines with the quest for a new performance director being key in our new approach within the World Class Program.”
The World Class Program will begin recruiting a new performance director, who will be responsible for driving the process of change across the entire program. This role will be joined by a new position as they also seek a head of performance support.
Richard and Chris will take over in January, succeeding Yogi, who has been eventing performance manager since 2000.
Valegro, the greatest dressage horse ever, retires Dec. 14 at the Olympia show in London. You can see the ceremony and the freestyle that precedes it beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on FEI TV. The show ends at 5:35 p.m. EST. Go to www.feitv.org to learn the details.
Click on the arrow to see a wonderful video paying tribute to this magnificent horse.
It’s a Thanksgiving tradition in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills–going to the Essex Foxhounds meet before sitting down at home to turkey and the trimmings. The occasion gained popularity in the days when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a member of Essex, and people came out to watch her ride, when she was often accompanied by her daughter, Caroline, and son, John.
Essex Joint Master Karen Murphy greets the crowd. (Photo by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Despite the fact that she died more than two decades ago, people still arrive on Thanksgiving to see the hunt. This year, hundreds arrived at the Ellistan estate, which has all the charm and grandeur of an English manor house. They often have a little tailgate brunch while waiting for the riders and hounds to assemble.
Eager children reach out to pet the horses and the joyful foxhounds have their own meet-and-greet, being particularly drawn to the kids.
Foxhounds love attention and children. (Photo by Lawrence J. Nagy)
All the horses are impeccably turned out, beautifully groomed and braided. The whole scene is reminiscent of a Currier & Ives print, and it’s fun to be a part of it.
Members of the crowd were treated to a stirrup cup, just as those riding in the hunt had a hot chocolate or something stronger to fortify them for the ride.
The field this year was quite big. Everyone wants to be in on the occasion, though they tend to drop out along the way. There are long gallops across beautiful fields, framed by lovely barns and houses.
It does require a fit horse and rider to continue to the end; this time, a few more than a dozen were still on hand when huntsman Bart Poole signaled that it was time to take the hounds back to the kennel.
People who come out to see the hunt love to meet the horses. (Photo by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Essex Joint Master Jazz Merton salutes Mr. and Mrs. Hank Slack for opening their property to the hunt and all the people who turn out to see it. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Jazz Merton takes a fence. (Photo by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Veterinarian Brendan Furlong was among those who came out for the meet. (Photo by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Essex Horse Trials organizer Ralph Jones. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
There’s no danger of violating the speed limit on the way back to the kennels. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
They’re coming back! The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals are heading to Las Vegas April 15-19 2020.
The venue will be a new one, the MGM Grand hotel, as the Thomas & Mack Center, the venue where finals in 2000,2003,2005,2007,2009 and 2015 finals were held, was no longer deemed up to the demands of the indoor championship competition in this era.
While it seems far in the future, 2020 isn’t that long away. And to make the waiting go faster, don’t forget the CenturyLink Center in Omaha will be hosting both finals March 29-April 2 2017.
There has been a lot of good news about venues for major championships in the last few weeks. First, we had word the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games will be in Tryon, N.C., next September. Then in May, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Grand Prix, Intermediaire I and Brentina Cup dressage championships are coming to U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone (see article to the right for details.)
Those who dream about riding in the Olympics will need to temper their plans (real or fantasy) following the International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) decision yesterday to cut teams from four to three in each of the Olympic disciplines and eliminate drop scores.
Olympic medal podiums will be less-crowded under the new format for three-member teams approved by the FEI. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
And you thought competition to get on a team was already tough enough?
Alternates, however, are envisioned as playing a bigger role, taking the place of a teammate who can’t continue after the competition has begun, but can you imagine, for instance, a jumper coming into the mix in the second round? The International Jumper Riders Club didn’t like it, saying it would be difficult for a horse to enter the competition cold without having become accustomed to the arena and fences in a first round that serves to acclimatize entries.
Cutting the number of competitors per country was only one of many measures taken during the FEI’s General Assembly in Tokyo Nov. 22. I watched the livestream from 7 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the Eastern U.S.) so I’ll fill you in on the highlights, including several presentations.
These changes and numerous others are all part of an effort to keep equestrian sports in the Olympics, with the idea of having more countries represented to show universality of participation in horse sports. Space in the Games is always at a premium, as new sports jostle to become a part of them, often at the expense of the older sports on the roster.
Only 11 of 107 nations represented voted against format changes, but their number included the equestrian powerhouses of Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland and New Zealand. Neither Canada nor the U.S. were among the dissenters.
Canadian Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist Eric Lamaze said that at a meeting of his country’s team in Rio last summer, members of the squad were all against the change from four to three.
“Given the outcome of our meeting, it comes as a complete shock that Canada voted in favor of the proposed change to three-man teams. What the Canadian federation went forward with was not the wish of the Canadian show jumping riders, as per our meeting in Rio,” commented Eric.
“I accept the fact that our vote would not have changed the outcome, but we made a decision and believe that our voices should have been heard,” he continued.
“The current format works, and I want to make it clear that we believe the new format is not good for our sport on many different levels,” stated Eric.
However, it appears the FEI is at least on the right track with the IOC by increasing “the flags” because a promotional video from the Japanese Olympic Committee that was screened at the assembly kept emphasizing “diversity” in connection with the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Happily, it was decided not to switch the format of eventing to CIC style with the cross-country last, which had been discussed and would have changed the sport.
But other big changes for the Olympics include having the Grand Prix Special (run to music!) determine the team medals in dressage, with the Grand Prix being used to winnow the number of teams that can go in the Special. In show jumping, the individual competition will be first. The eventing dressage and show jumping will be at 4-star level, but cross-country will be at the 3-star technical level, and eventing dressage can take only one day, not two, as usual.
The presentation about the 2020 Games revealed there are two Olympic venues in Tokyo. The inland Heritage Zone “evokes the spirit of the ’64 Games” and that is where most of the equestrian competition will be, just as it was 52 years ago, the last time the city hosted the Games. The Sea Forest cross-country (designed by Derek DiGrazia, who also designs the route for the Rolex Kentucky 4-star) will be at the waterfront Tokyo Bay Zone on reclaimed land.
The good news for those who dream of achieving team glory is that the squads for the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C., will have four members, not three.While the IOC runs the Olympics, the FEI runs the WEG , which offers more freedom.
World Equestrian Game medal ceremonies still will have places for teams of four, as they did during the 2014 WEG in Normandy. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
Mark Bellissimo, the managing partner behind the Tryon International Equestrian Center, was in Tokyo to offer information on the WEG and his facility. He revealed that after Bromont, Quebec, withdrew as host of the 2018 WEG, he called his right-hand man, Michael Stone, and within five minutes it was decided Tryon—with its eight all-weather rings and six grass arenas–could do the Games.
The backing of the U.S. Equestrian Federation helped in submission of a bid, which was quickly accepted by the FEI.
After the 2014 Normandy, France, WEG, it was obvious changes needed to be made in the way the WEG was handled. Too often, the WEG has been a financial disaster. It was determined tighter parameters were needed for future World Games; that the time for the Games needed to be reduced to nine or 10 days, athlete numbers had to be cut and the FEI should reduce its host fee and sponsorship commissions.
Tryon has a huge advantage over Normandy and its multiple venues in that the 2018 WEG will be on one site. Although $125 million has been spent on TIEC, Mark said another $100 million will be going into the facility.
Plans for more hotels (among them a 200-room hotel is scheduled to open on site next year), amenities and recreational opportunities were outlined. Prospective spectators will be glad to hear that TIEC will have control over hotel rates in the region and nothing can be more than 10 percent over the usual cost of rooms, unlike the 2010 WEG in Kentucky, where price gouging was a big issue.
“We aspire to a venue of the stature of Aachen (Germany, home of the successful 2006 WEG),” Mark told his audience of 300. Hmmm, but did he go a bit far when he suggested in closing that after the 2018 WEG, people might refer to Aachen as “the Tryon of Germany?”
In other business, Lord Stevens gave a report in the integrity of equestrian sports (there were no equestrian drug/medication violations at the Rio Games) and noted that in other sports, including soccer, cycling and cricket, there was “an extraordinary series of scandals” recently.
He pointed out that scandal affects the reputation of a sport while also hurting its profitability, explaining that “trust is key” for sponsors. Along those lines, the FEI wants higher fines for those found to have violated rules involving banned substances and controlled medications.
When the 2016 World Endurance Championships in the United Arab Emirates “became a cause of concern,” the FEI “demonstrated strength” by relocating them to Slovakia, Lord Stevens noted.
Other items I picked up:
The Youth Olympic Games will be in Buenos Aires Oct. 1-7 2018, which could be an interesting experience for young people aspiring to the senior Olympics.
A new invitation system for jumping competitions at 2-star level and above will open more opportunities for athletes who too often found themselves closed out of big competitions . The new system will give them a chance to climb up the rankings ladder, which is often a key for team selection and also gives preference in entering shows with limits on the number of competitors.
Roly Owers, CEO of World Horse Welfare (worldhorsewelfare.org) talked about the “invisible” working horses around the world and their plight. Take a look at the website. The FEI Code of Conduct was drafted with World Horse Welfare, which promotes the need for responsible breeding and proper care of horses after their careers, among many other issues.
In closing, FEI President Ingmar de Vos noted, “This was a very important General Assembly. We took crucial decisions for the future of our sport and I understand that not everybody was happy, but we followed a very democratic process and in the end there was a clear majority. There are no winners or losers in this debate. These new formats give us a huge responsibility and failure is not an option, so we need to work together with all our stakeholders to prepare for Tokyo 2020.”
Bridget Love Meehan has resigned as executive director of the Washington International Horse Show after six and one-half years in the position.
She wants “to pursue new professional and personal challenges,” but is confident that the show is “in solid standing and in good hands.”
Bridget said she was honored “to help lead this incredible organization successfully through a period of significant development, including moving up to the 4-star FEI competition level, joining the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League, consistently maintaining positive income as an organization and annually generating more than $10 million in economic impact for Washington, D.C.”
Victoria Lowell remains as president of the show at the Verizon Center.
HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, N.Y., will hold the dressage, show jumping and para-dressage disciplines for the 2017 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships July 18-23.
The eventing portion of the championships is set for Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana, July 20-23.
Although all the disciplines traditionally have been held together in one place (this year they were staged at the Colorado Horse Park), that didn’t work out for 2017. As a result, the endurance competition will not be offered as part of NAJYRC. “Alternative possibilities,” are being looked considered.
Mark Coley, the USEF’s director of membership and events, explained the situation this way: “Over the course of the past several years, due to the changes in the competition and developing environments within each of the disciplines that compete at NAJYRC, the relevance and viability of the event to the goals of each discipline, competitors and coaches has changed.
“Additionally, it has become increasingly difficult to find a location and date that fits the calendar of all the disciplines and a venue and organizer that can take on the event in its entirety. The opportunity for individual disciplines to embed their portion of the event into an existing competition creates an alternative approach that could very well increase participation and support the varied goals of each discipline.
“At this point, the decision as to how and where the event will run in the future has not been completed. We will be having discussions with those directly involved in the event, focusing on NAJYRC in the current competition landscape and the role it serves within each of the disciplines. Once we all have a clear understanding of what is best for each discipline individually we can determine what the guidelines will be for organizers so that maximum opportunity to the sport can be provided.”
Trainer Kip Rosenthal, who has worked with Bertalan de Nemethy, George Morris and Victor Hugo-Vidal, is giving a clinic at the Grand Augean Stable in Stockton Dec. 3.
In her youth, Kip placed in the top three at the American Horse Shows Association Medal and ASPCA Maclay finals. She also rode Goodboy Dee to the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year Junior Hunter Championship.
An R-rated judge in both Hunter and Hunter Seat Equitation, she has judged at such shows as the Hampton Classic, Lake Placid and the Capital Challenge.
In addition, Kip holds a PhD in clinical counseling psychology and conducts sports psychology seminars.
Registration forms for the clinic, which offers sessions at $200 for work over fences at 2’6”, 3’, and 3’6”, are available via email from KipRClinic@gmail.com, or by calling 917-640-6133. Auditors are welcome to register at $30 per person.
The Rutgers Equine Science Center’s “Spirit of the Horse” award was presented to Jeanne Vuyosevich, who doesn’t believe in giving up on any horse.
Her Sunset Meadow Farm in Farmingdale is a sanctuary for horses in need of care, treatment or a good home. She was nominated by Dr. Cathy Ball, who said of her, “Jeanne is a consummate professional horsewoman. She has an innate feeling for a horse and what it needs to be happy.”
She has re-homed many ex-race horses on her own and established organizations such as Re-Run using networking to find hard-working horses forever homes.
Jeanne’s award was presented during the Evening of Science and Celebration in New Brunswick, where the Gold Medal Horse Farm award went to Hidden Hills Farm in Hillsborough, owned and operated by the Nienart Family.
The Nienarts have made a commitment to conservation and worked with the Natural Resource Conservation Service for planning, technical assistance, and grants to make their idea a reality. They developed a comprehensive nutrition management plan for their 40 acres, developed a soil erosion/water reclamation plan and used “rotational grazing” to insure the farm is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also an example of environmental sustainability and management.
