A well-known rider and a famous horse enjoy their first Devon together

by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 26, 2026

It isn’t always easy to find genuine “feel good” stories amid the pressure and nerves that can run wild at major equestrian competitions, such as Kingsview Partners Dressage at Devon.

But James Koford’s experience at the show Friday evening was all about simply enjoying his ride in the famous Dixon Oval during the Grand Prix Special Qualifier for Saturday night’s Freestyle.

You probably remember James from his partnership with the eye-catching spotted Friesian mare Adiah HP, the U.S. Dressage Final Grand Prix Freestyle Champion in 2019, the year they won their third straight title.

But his career took a new turn in 2025 when he got together with the high-achieving Firefly.

That’s a horse with big-time name recognition; he was team gold and individual bronze with former rider Anna Marek at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile.

However, when Anna moved on, being turned out to pasture didn’t suit the 16-year-old KWPN gelding.

“He didn’t like retirement and my horse had foot problems and had to retire,” said James, explaining how he and Firefly got together.

“I was psyched to pick up the ride on him.”

Not that it was easy; Fire Fly, James revealed, to a certain extent, is “part pony in his brain,” (and we know how stubborn ponies can be!)

As James explained, “It is so hard to ride a horse that you have not trained.

“I started in November last year and I finally feel like we’re starting to speak the same language. We’re both Grand Prix old men,” said James, who is 64. It seems to me that both horse and rider are in the prime of life.

There has been quite a conversation as they coordinated.

James Koford and Fire Fly after their first ride in the Dixon Oval.

If James suggested, “Let’s meet in the middle,” his horse said, “Nope, this is how I do it.”

Even so, “It’s such an honor to ride such a fun horse with such good experience,” James said of the handsome bay known as Fred around the barn.

“He was so good with his other rider. He’s done all these wonderful things. He just didn’t want to retire. I’m not trying to be Anna Marek. He’s having fun. I’m having fun. It’s amazing, it’s so fun to be here,” added James, who jubilantly raised his arms in triumph as the spectators cheered after his ride.

People tend to look closely at a well-known horse with a new rider.

“It’s a hard act to follow,” James conceded, adding, “at the same time, he’s older, I’m older, and we have nothing to prove. It’s fun to play the game.”

James has no illusions of what he will achieve in a sport that he feels often seems to be “dominated by the 20-somethings and 30-somethings.”

“I can still play this sport at the top level at my age and it’s amazing just to be able to do it,” he emphasized.

After getting a score of 67.413 percent (with one judge marking him at 69.239), James finished a very respectable sixth in the 13-horse field. The next night, he earned a personal best in the Freestyle, earning 73.555 for a seventh-place finish. His music, appropriately, included the Frank Sinatra standard, “My Way,” which reflects James’ dynamic approach to competition.

The  Friday class was dominated by Canadians, with Camille Carier Bergeron winning on Finnlanderin. The 16-year-old mare by Fidertanz finished on 70.565 percent. Only one judge marked the Oldenburg below 70 percent.

Camille Carier Bergeron led Canadian dominance of the Grand Prix for Freestyle.

Camille’s compatriot, Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu, was second on Jaccardo, who earned 70.174 percent. The Canadians were the only competitors to break 70 percent. The top American was Kevin Kohmann, third with Sonata MF (69.522).

As she got ready to return to the ring for the prize presentation, Camille looked around and said about Devon, “It’s such a fantastic show to compete at. Being at night; who can say they competed at almost 11 o’clock at night, ever in their lives? That makes it very special. The people are so welcoming in the stadium It’s a special vibe.”

She said her mare, who she characterized as “a queen, loves it. The more atmosphere, the more vibe, the better. If there’s atmosphere and electricity, she’s just like `bring it on.’ I can trust her with my eyes closed. She’s the most perfect horse.”

Erin Nichols and Elian Royale, the Grand Prix Special qualifier winner.

In the qualifier for the Grand Prix Special, Erin Nichols made her Devon debut a winning one, taking the blue ribbon on Elian Royale with 67.087 percent.

A native of California, she now lives in North Carolina and Florida, working with Christoph Koschel.

“It’s been a great experience, it’s been just over two years training with him. It’s been really great learning with him; different atmospheres, different venues.There is a lot he has taught me,” Erin said.

At 23, she is one of the 20-somethings James Koford mentioned..

Erin found her horse in Germany when she was in Europe for the Young Riders tour in 2022.  A 17-year-old KWPN gelding by Glock’s Johnson TN, he was “the next step into the U25.”

She explained, “We started in Young Riders. We were bronze in Aachen in Young Riders and we went to U25, did the Nations Cup in Wellington, then stepped up to the seniors.

“I have a U25 horse I still ride. I go back and forth between U25 and seniors, just to get more experience in the ring. It’s been really helpful riding different horses with different personalities. There are different things they need in the ring from me and different ways of riding a test.”

Of her winner, she said, “He’s my fireball.”

I saw that firsthand when she left the ring, as he was still ready to go and Christoph had his work cut out for him as he helped get him back to the stable.

“He’s a very hot horse,” said Erin, “so coming into a larger atmosphere, he really has to trust me. He came in with lots of energy, I was really happy he settled, trusted me and did his amazing job.”

She was enjoying Devon, observing, “It’s really cool. Very historic and traditional feeling. It’s been wonderful under the lights with all the spectators cheering.”

Chris Hickey and Wyatt Earp.

Second place went to the very veteran Chris Hickey on Stenagers Wyatt Earp (odd name for a Danish warmblood). They earned 66.826 percent.

Although the horse was purchased as a six-year-old and is now 14, “He’s only done a handful of CDI’s,” said Chris, noting, “it’s taken him a long time to get settled in the work because he’s hot. He’s maturing and things are more calm.”

Click here for Grand Prix Special Qualifier results. Click here for Grand Prix Freestyle Qualifer results.

A Canadian company will fill the void left by Dover Saddlery’s demise

by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 16, 2026

When Dover Saddlery — the largest retailer of equestrian products in the U.S. — went out of business this summer, it left behind disappointed customers, unpaid vendors, empty stores and disillusioned former employees.

But Canada-based Greenhawk Equestrian Sport is swooping in to save the day, opening 10 U.S. stores this autumn in locations previously occupied by Dover. It’s starting with the Wellington, Fla., store scheduled for a late September or early October debut in the “Winter Equestrian Capital of the World.” The other stores should be open later in the autumn.

Ian Russell, Greenhawk’s CEO, said it was “always a plan” for his company “to enter into the U.S.”

Greenhawk’s original U.S. outpost, a wholly-owned 10,000-square foot subsidiary in Natick, Mass., was the “springboard” to a greater U.S. presence, as Ian put it.

“Then the Dover opportunity came,” he said.

Natick will continue operating, as stores are added in Branchburg, N.J.; Chantilly and Charlottesville, Va.; Ridgefield, Conn.; Aiken, S.C.; Dallas, Libertyville, Ill., Alpharetta, Ga. and Parker, Colo. There will be more U.S. stores opening in the future, Ian promised.

An American and Canadian team is “making this happen,” he advised.

“Our contribution is, at most, seeing this opportunity and then jumping on it as quickly as we could, putting the structure together and then largely handing it over to a really accomplished team.”

Greenhawk CEO Ian Russell with the company’s president, Gary Millage.

That includes many people who worked for Dover, which means that customers may feel at home when they walk into a Greenhawk store at a former Dover location. (The company bought all the fixtures from the Dover locations, and will use the same color palette, but they did not buy any of the inventory.)

Greenhawk has a similar brand supplier profile to Dover, and Ian expects Greenhawk will hire more than 200 employes.

As he noted, “If you have the right people on the team, then a lot of the pieces fall together a lot easier and you have people who know the industry, so you’re not having to reinvent the wheel.”

They also understand horse sport and the consumer dynamic. Greenhawk rehired a segment of Dover management, which included personnel from the head office. But that wasn’t all.

“Very important was the store management,” Ian emphasized.

“That was the motivation for moving really quickly.”

Ian’s father, Gordon Russell, started Greenhawk in a 20-foot trailer with two employees at an Ontario, Canada, racetrack 42 years ago. From that low-key beginning, it became Canada’s largest equestrian retailer, with 50 corporate and franchise sites. It also owns Bark & Fitz, a specialty pet retailer.

Dover was publicly traded before Webster Capital acquired it in 2015. Promus Equity Partners bought it in 2022, but expected growth did not come, and in April, the company went to a liquidator, Gordon Brothers, as final sales emptied the stores. Employees were looking for their next jobs while customers scouted for other places where they could be fitted for helmets or boots, buy equipment for their stables, pick up tack and get assistance from experienced advisors.

“I’m super grateful for the response from the trade, from the supply chain,” Ian reported about the reaction to Greenhawk’s move.

“A lot of excitement, thank goodness, because that was a big opportunity being lost for the industry — those channels at the ground level to the consumer,” he said, referring to the Dover stores.

“You’ve got to make it a destination for the passionate rider, whether they’re an amateur or a pro or novice, or maybe they’re just showing up at the barn to watch a rider on their dressage horse. It’s that whole life cycle. The commonality between all those individuals is passion. If you’re not in the equestrian world, I don’t think you really get it.”

He is determined that the passion will be reflected in Greenhawk’s stores and personnel.

“When you love something, it’s more fun to go to the store,” Ian pointed out.

He believes in “mirroring the passion of the sport with the passion of Greenhawk. The most important person in the mix is the customer.”

The company’s initiative is good news for so many in the industry. There was disenchantment and even heartbreak as a result of Dover’s departure after a half-century of being a go-to brand on which people had come to rely.

James Paolino, who had been director of retail at Dover, wrote on Linked In, “Over the last three years, as leadership changed, so did the culture. What had once been a positive, collaborative environment became increasingly toxic. Decisions became increasingly disconnected from key players, communication and discussion became not existent, and the organization began to feel different. People were frustrated and valid concerns ignored.”

Haley McIsaac, who worked in the creative department at Dover for eight years, called the end of the company “a profound loss,” saying it “was not expected.”

Last spring, employees received a 60-day warning that they could lose their jobs, something required under Massachusetts law, and that was a time of turbulence for them.

“We knew the company was for sale, but we did not expect the sale to go to a liquidator,” said Haley, who is also a professional photographer and is looking for a job as a digital image specialist.

“What we knew as Dover and who we knew as Dover was not the group that made this decision,” the Massachusetts resident said as she commented on the company’s fate.

Speaking about the friends she made at Dover, Haley observed,  “People really put care into their  work and cared about the brand more than just a job, because so many of us are horse people. We felt we were contributing to an industry that is meaningful to us beyond work. I think that’s why this was kind of traumatic.”

A volunteer organization that did so much is done

by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 23, 2026

The Friends of Lord Stirling Stable is running its final hunter pace Nov. 8. After more than 40 years of involvement with the Somerset County Park Commission’s stable in Basking Ridge, N.J., the organization that did so much for the facility is disbanding.

​The Friends was started in the 1980s by women who rode together on Thursday mornings. They wanted to run some special events at the stable and met with the Somerset County freeholders (now called commissioners), who suggested they organize Family Fun Day and two other events.

Always going above and beyond, they wound up organizing five events. That was just the beginning. The group that started as an informal entity became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 1984.

It not only has run activities such as the hunter paces and 5K runs, but the dedicated members funded many projects at the stable, including a “pony pavilion” where pony rides are held; a sprinkler system to keep dust down in the indoor arena; purchasing stall mats to reduce the cost of bedding and providing jumps, as well as new footing for the indoor arena.

The Friends of Lord Stirling Stable organization was involved in many projects. (Photo courtesy of FLSS)

Friends’ President Barbara Huber became involved with the group in 2019, shortly before the stable shut down for Covid and dispersed its horses. The Friends offered dog walks during that time, but when the stable reopened, the Park Commission didn’t want the group to keep its dog walk supplies in the indoor arena annex any longer. Huber said the Friends were told they were an outside organization, and if they could keep their supplies there, that set a precedent.

After that, “Every step of the way, it got more difficult,” said Huber.

She recounted that Carrie Springer, the commission’s administrator of leisure and community services, told the Friends’ president, “It’s a different age now in terms of the county parks. They want to know that each park is bringing in revenue.”

Huber said, “that means the park wants the FLSS (Friends) to pay ‘user’s fees’ for any activity we put on, and get permits requiring that we provide proof of insurance, get ADA compliant porta johns, and other add-ons. We used to be able to ‘piggy back’ using county-contracted porta johns. Now, a porta john rental cost is between $300-$500.

“So instead of being able to put on events for the benefit of the stable, we need whatever money we bring in to pay the bills (that) we require to operate. We were just kind of stymied.”

The disbanding of FLSS “is one of my great sadnesses. We worked so hard to find common ground with the Park Commission,” said Huber.

After years of meeting with commission personnel, “the suggestion was made that we should disband to eliminate our overhead costs and just volunteer to run stable-organized activities. The county has a great need for volunteers to run their activities and raise funds.”

Springer told her, “You can just fold and just volunteer and pass along the money.”

A 501(c)(3) can’t do that,” Huber responded.

“It was a skeleton group of us trying to run things, and we’re tired,” she said, estimating there are more than 40 members.

“We’ve done our bit; we tried very hard.”

The final pace for the Friends, which was scheduled for Sept. 27, was postponed to Nov. 8 because of the storm threat on the last weekend in September.

Dan Hayes, the park commission director, said he hopes those who belonged to the Friends “continue to volunteer for different events. The hunter pace is a program that is very much going to be taken over by the Park Commission.

Hunter paces have been a mainstay of the Friends of Lord Stirling Stable. (Photo courtesy of FLSS)

“Some of the other events they have done in the past, we can continue to offer them as programs and hope all the people who are interested in supporting and being volunteers, (will) volunteer. We have a way of registering volunteers so they can be covered by insurance. We hope we can continue to have a vibrant relationship with anyone who wants to volunteer. We’ll tap the people who care about the program to help us.”

Hayes added, “Somerset County is committed to our equestrian program. Since post-Covid, we have invested; we put a new barn up, we are rebuilding our herd, we are rebuilding our lesson programs. We have the trails. We’ll take advice and assistance from wherever it makes sense.”

The director added, “Members of the Friends I’ve met have done a great job and care about the stables and our programs, and that’s very much appreciated. I value the contributions they have made. Perhaps the organization will surface again as a solid source of fundraisers and advice for the stables.”

Don’t miss Carl Hester giving the Dressage at Devon Masterclass next week

by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 14, 2026

A highlight of the Kingsview Partners Dressage at Devon Sept. 22-27 will be the Capital Square Masterclass on Sept. 24.

It offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of the world’s greatest – and most popular – trainers in the discipline, bringing Carl Hester from Great Britain for a special evening at the showgrounds on Philadelphia’s Main Line.

While Carl will be working one-on-one with a variety of riders, those in the grandstand can learn from how he offers pointers to a variety of clinic participants. They range from top Grand Prix riders Chris Hickey and Lindsay Kellock to Lehua Custer on a U.S.-bred Oldenburg and Kathrin Hain, who will be riding a Clydesdale. Carl offers insights that everyone, no matter what their level, can take away from how he trains each rider.

Click here for a link to buy tickets the Masterclass and Dressage at Devon.

Carl is fun and entertaining, while offering an education with his characteristic showmanship that shines. Even those who have no more equestrian ambition than taking a trail ride will get something out of his presentation, and enjoy themselves in the process. He is, after all, the man behind legends Valegro and Uthopia, among other equine stars,  having proved many times over that he is a master at what he does.

Carl Hester

It is an incredible coup to get Carl for the Masterclass. Dressage at Devon’s new president, Nicole Del Giorno, explained it happened because Christina Morin-Graham, Anne Gribbons and George Williams “worked their Masterclass committee magic” to bring the respected trainer to Pennsylvania.

“We are ecstatic,” said Nicole, a trainer and competitor from New Jersey.

“The team literally hit it out of the park.”

Carl is the mastermind who guided Britain to Olympic dressage gold in 2012, at the Games in London, taking the country from nowhere in the international pecking order to the top of the standings.

Dressage at Devon’s Masterclass concept over the years has included U.S. Tokyo Olympic star Sabine Schut-Kery and Catherine Laudrup-Dufour, no stranger to being ranked as world number one. Having yet another outstanding clinician demonstrates the importance of this series at the six-day show, offering another golden opportunity for improvement and understanding of dressage.

The British gold medal team on the podium at the London 2012 Olympics: Carl Hester, Laura Bechtolsheimer, Charlotte Dujardin.

It all will all be interesting, but it’s not about just the  elites. Carl will make the most of how he works with the participants. He is happy to help younger riders or even someone who is struggling with a particular issue. There may be many in the audience who have had to deal with something similar and who will welcome insights on how to cope.

Carl on Hawtins Delicato as Britain won team bronze in the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.

Carl saluting the crowd at the 2012 Olympics in London, where he rode Uthopia as part of the gold medal team.

Dressage at Devon runs Sept. 22-27. It includes a breed show as well as a wide variety of performance classes. The competition is a World Cup qualifier, and offers the Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle at the highest level. For more information about the show and to buy tickets for other days, click here.

In addition to the competition and the Masterclass, Dressage at Devon has extensive shopping opportunities, and not only for equine-related items. There are chances to investigate intriguing jewelry, clothing and decorative pieces, in addition to the latest in horse clothing and tack.

The show, which marked its fiftieth anniversary last year, started 2026 with its new president and impressive additions to the board.

They include Ellin Dixon Miller, a past president of the U.S. Dressage Federation; Cara Kettenbach, a breeder who has played several key roles with the New England Dressage Association; Marie Kohles, an audit partner at Pricewatershouse Cooper who works with Seven Stars Equine Arts, dedicated to developing riders and horses for top sport, and James Peterson, a breeder of Friesian sport horses who is a former CEO of Mercury Financial.

Teresa Uddo and Lori Kaminski are co-show managers.