by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 29, 2025
How do dressage horses make it to the top of the game?
They gain experience through programs such as the Lövsta Future Challenge Developing Grand Prix Horse, which on Friday awarded the championship title in its finals to Jaccardo, ridden by Canadian Olympian Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu.
The 11-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding, who is at the upper age limit for the class at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, turned in a 72.500 percent test at the Wellington, Fla., venue. Jill Irving’s personable son of Desperado gives his rider “a sense of secure power.”
Brittany added that “Sometimes he’s a little bit cheeky, but what I need is to give him space and allow him to settle into the movement. I’m not putting too much pressure on him in the ring right now, I just want him to have a great experience so he’s ready for Grand Prix next year.”
Ashley Holzer, second in the Freestyle, helped Brittany, her longtime student.
Jaccardo and Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
Second place went to Marcus Orlob and the stallion JJ Glory Day, with 70.842 percent for a test performed in a snaffle, which is allowed under the rules.
“Unfortunately, he wasn’t happy with the flower boxes today, but I can’t be mad at him,” Marcus aid of the nine-year-old Danish warmblood. He has been riding the horse owned by Alice Tarjan for five years.
“I think he has all the elements to be a good grand prix horse. He’s spicy enough, but not stupid in the head, and he likes to work.”
The partnership will continue in national Grands Prix this year, looking toward international classes in 2026.
Kelly Layne, who found herself back in the saddle of Living Diamond when the horse’s young rider gave up the sport, finished third on 68.579. The former Australian Olympian now rides as a U.S. citizen. She also was third last year on the Hanoverian she co-owns.
Antonia Ax:son Johnson, proprietor of series sponsor Lövsta Stuteri got together with Swedish rider Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén a quarter-century ago. Their partnership has been a solid one, and Antonia trusts her opinion. When Antonia asked what was needed to develop top horses (jumpers as well as dressage) the series was born.
“At first we could hardly find anyone who wanted to enter, Antonia siad. “
“But today,” she pointed out, “we have a really strong tour,” which is active in the U.S., Sweden and the Netherlands. Eligibility begins for horses that are eight years old.
She explained, “Wellington is a place where we can give our horses, but also to others, an opportunity to grow and to learn at their own pace.”
During the innovative class, Tinne and judge Karin Pavicic told the audience what they thought of the horses.
“I absolutely love this combination,” Karin reported about Jaccardo to those watching.
“It’s super-exciting for the future in Canada,” she said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 27, 2025
Things were pretty quiet at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival on Thursday afternoon in Wellington, Fla. No one was in the stands, there were only a few people along the rail and the VIP area was peaceful.
But the wind ruffled the canvas on the tents around the ring, so when Jane made her entrance for the 4-star Grand Prix, she reacted.
The mare reared before she got close to the entrance of the arena. Remember Fury from the old TV show? She did a pretty good imitation.
As usual, however, her rider, Marcus Orlob, was on the case. Unflustered, he got her going, went down centerline and put in a winning test.
True, it wasn’t the sensitive mare’s best effort, but it was her third victory this season. Her talent is undeniable and when she pays attention to business, she shows some spectacular moves.
But then there are the distractions.
The Dutchbred daughter of Desperado spooked in the canter half-passes, getting uncharacteristic marks of 3’s and 4’s. The other mishap occurred in the flying change between the pirouettes, with three 4’s and a 5 along with a 7 (everything depends on vantagepoint from where a judge is sitting.)
The scores strengthened as the test drew to a close and she was awarded 8’s for her definitive passage down the final center line. Marcus and Jane were the only ones among 13 entries to break 70 percent, finishing on 70.630 percent, though two judges graded the performance at 71.413.
“I was actually disappointed a little bit, but somehow proud of her. Compare the entrance to the performance it was not that bad. Once she’s in the ring, she usually starts to settle. I think the good horses are a challenge,” said Marcus.
Look at the synchrony that Jane is showing in passage. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I would like for her to go in the ring and feel calm and she keeps breathing. That’s my goal. She’s a fantastic horse. She’s just afraid.”
She’ll be seen again Saturday in the Special.
Why not the featured Friday Night Lights Freestyle, I asked Marcus.
“I didn’t want to start right away giving her too much atmosphere,” he explained.
“I think to do right away the lights with that many people, it’s too early for her brain, so I wanted to take it a little bit more easy on her. I have to be careful I don’t completely scare her. You see how she acts up around the ring. She’s afraid and stands up. I don’t want to give like a complete rodeo show here to the people.”
He’s been taking her over to the busy Winter Equestrian Festival down the street to get her accustomed to the buzz, where she doesn’t have to perform a test and he can desensitize her without an audience.
A native of Germany who is a U.S. citizen, Marcus began competing Jane for her owner, Alice Tarjan, who felt the mare needed a stronger rider. Marcus, who has been Alice’s trainer, made the Olympic team in Paris. But Jane spooked when entering the ring as she tried to follow another horse out and cut herself. The tiny scratch showed up on a white leg and she was disqualified under the blood rule.
Now his goal is to be among the six U.S. riders who will go to Europe this spring and he hopes to be chosen for the team that will compete at Aachen. That’s important, because it will be the venue for the world championships in 2026.
When Marcus has Jane’s attention, he’d like to work on getting “the neck a little bit out and softer again. And I think the piaffe/passage will be more expressive, softer through the body. I get the changes a little bit softer. But now I have a little bit the emergency grip that she doesn’t spook, that I keep her a little bit more conservative with me.”
He does feel it all can happen when she gets desensitized and trusts him.
Second place went to Kasey Perry-Glass on Heartbeat, marked at 68.022 percent. She figures to be the favorite for the freestyle.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 23, 2025
Vera Kessels, a much admired dressage trainer, rider and effective clinician, died March 22 of ovarian cancer.
A native of the Netherlands with ties to the horse-dealing Hendrix family, she moved to the U.S. in 1995 with her Dutchbred horse, Dotato. They started showing a year later and continued through Dressage at Devon in 1998. Other mounts with which she had success included Urbanus and Jane Suwalsky’s Whitman.
Vera Kessels, who always shared her sunny smile. Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Vera married U.S. dressage rider Michael Barisone, who began showing Dotato in 1999, and the two ran the Hathorne Hill training stable in Long Valley, N.J. The couple later divorced.
She was a respected teacher. As trainerEliza Puttkamer Banks put it in a tribute on social media, “I owe where I am right now and the confidence I have, to Vera. One of the most outstanding supporters of our sport from the center of the ring, always keeping correct training and understanding of the horses as sport. We have lost one of our shining lights.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 20, 2025
The high-profile Longines Global Champions Tour is coming to Liberty State Park in Jersey City, bringing top level show jumpers from around the world to a new venue for the series.
They’re calling the Sept. 19-21 competition the Longines Global Champions Tour & GCL (Global Champions League) of New York, naturally — because New Jersey too often gets no respect. But the closest the show jumpers will get to New York is looking at the impressive view, which includes the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan.
The tour’s previous location in the area was Governors Island, which involved a lot of maneuvering. The only access to the venue was by boats and ferries, which was a logistical nightmare.
The Longines Global Champions Tour had a great view of Manhattan when it was on Governors Island. Photo © 2019 by Lawrence J. Nagy
Ben Maher competing on the Global Champions Tour when it was at Governors Island.
The tour last landed there in 2022, but GCT “always wanted to go back to New York. It’s a key city,” said the tour’s public relations manager, Floss Bish-Jones.
She explained that the tour, which has stops in London, Europe and the Middle East, is designed to offer people in the cities a chance to attend a sport they normally wouldn’t have a chance to see, and features dramatic backdrops for the competition.
The park hosted the Veuve Cliquot Polo Classic and is in horse-friendly surroundings, an important element because of the tour’s concern for horse welfare, said Floss.
Polo at Liberty State Park.
This will be the tour’s only location in the U.S. this year, since its Miami Beach leg had to be cancelled because it clashed with next month’s FEI World Cup Finals in Switzerland.
Tickets will be available in April, and announcements of events around the competition will be forthcoming in the effort to involve people in the region.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 23, 2025
An arduous new requirement that managers of all equestrian competitions in the country would have to register with and report to the U.S. Department of Agriculture will not go into effect during 2025 show season.
The requirement was part of a proposed amendment to the act, which originally was designed to stop the practice of soring in Tennessee Walking Horses and breeds that were abused similarly. USDA and its Horse Protection team will continue to work on what’s next,including additional postponement, and will continue to seek stakeholder input.
Click here to read a story that explains the background of the process to amend the act.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 21, 2025
Olympic dressage and World Championships team medalist Steffen Peters is offering a two-day clinic June 7 and 8 at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.
Auditors can enjoy the rare opportunity to learn from the former World Cup champion for a fee of $60 per day. One of the USA’s most decorated competitors and a mainstay of the team for nearly three decades, Steffen is known for his supportive teaching style as he offers instruction on the way for horse and rider to improve their performance.
Steffen Peters at the FEI Dressage World Cup Finals in 2023. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lidiya Frumoval, who is organizing the sessions, noted that Steffen does only a few audited clinics annually, but the amateur trainer noted proudly that with persistent texting, “I wore him down.”
There is a waiting list for participants, who are paying $450 a day to ride in front of Steffen. However, as Lidiya noted, just being able to audit the clinic with the California-based rider is a valuable learning opportunity. Steffen will work for an hour with each rider, with participants ranging from First Level to Grand Prix.
Vendors will be on site with wares including boots, saddles and apparel.
To register, contact Lidiya at frumoval@gmail.com
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 25, 2025
In order to ensure that U.S. show jumpers can clear financial barriers that would prevent them from representing their country in international competition, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation is launching the Performance Pathway Grant Program.
The program is designed to provide critical financial support to jumping athletes who have earned the opportunity to compete as part of U.S. teams or participate in specific high performance programs.
As the USET Foundation announcement pointed out, “From elite international championships to key developmental opportunities, the costs associated with representing the U.S. — including athlete travel, horse transport, coaching, and training — can be significant. This program helps bridge that gap by offsetting the cost of participation, ultimately ensuring that deserving athletes can focus on their performance rather than expenses.”
“The program will have a meaningful impact on the next generation of U.S. jumping athletes,” said USET Foundation Executive Director Bonnie Jenkins.
“The Performance Pathway Grant Program will enable riders to focus on their training and competition without the added burden of financial constraints. We are excited to support many more high-achieving and talented young athletes as they strive to successfully represent the U.S. on the greatest world stages.”
USET Foundation President and CEO Kristi Mitchem explained, “The goal of this new program is to pave the way for up-and-coming, talented athletes to pursue their dreams by minimizing financial barriers that too often stand in the way. It is our hope that this program will assist in fostering excellence and access in high performance jumping, ultimately bolstering the future of U.S. equestrian sport.”
This need-based grant program has been made possible thanks to Jennifer Gates Nassar, Nayel Nassar, and their team at Evergate Stables.
To qualify for the USET Foundation Performance Pathway Grant Program, applicants must be a U.S. citizen and a U.S. Equestrian Federation member in good standing, have been invited to or named to participate in a select USEF High Performance Jumping program or team, demonstrate financial need, and compete in one of the following FEI categories: Children (Ages 12-14), Juniors ( Ages 14-16), Young Riders (Ages 16-21) or Under 25, (Ages 16-25).
The USET Foundation is the fund-raising partner of USEF. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the USET Foundation Performance Pathway Grant Committee, consisting of USET Foundation trustees and National Advisory Committee members knowledgeable about high performance sports and the associated costs of competing, individuals well-versed in financial aid and USEF sport leaders serving as advisors. For more information about the USET Foundation Performance Pathway Grant Program or to apply, click this link
Questions can be answered at this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 21, 2025
Being the first to go in a nine-horse jump-off at a $350,000 grand prix is hardly an ideal starting position, but Christian Kukuk of Germany made it pay off Thursday night at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla.
Christian Kukuk and Just be Gentle on their way to the win. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s always quite difficult,” he reflected, but in the Lugano-sponsored fixture, he set a catch-me-if-you can pace of 40.61 seconds with Just Be Gentle that couldn’t be improved, even by Ireland’s intrepid Cian O’Connor, a mere 0.2 seconds behind with Iron Man. Swedish world number one Henrik von Eckermann, for his part, did no better than fifth place in 42.22 seconds with the plucky King Edward.
World number one Henrik von Eckermann plotted his jump-off route from the stands. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
Although Christian, the 2024 Olympic individual gold medalist, wasn’t on his Games mount, Checker, he showed he has an equally talented number two with the sensitive mare, Just Be Gentle.
The course set by Alan Wade – who is also doing the route for Saturday’s featured Longines League of Nations — drew a stellar field of 37 with big names aplenty.
Christian believes there is more to come with his intrepid mount.
“We know each other now for quite a time but she is still only 11,” said Christian of the Dutch-bred beauty by Tyson. He had success with her at Ocala earlier in the season. Yet he found it was a different story when he traveled down to the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington for a 5-star grand prix under the lights.
“I realized okay, we were not that ready, so I had to go a step back,” he recounted about the good horseman’s strategy he employed to get her on track again.
Christian rode her in two other shows in Wellington and knew he was prepared for another big test at night in Ocala, which earned him the victor’s share, $115,000. Of his mare, he stated, “The more you ask of her, the more ability she gets.”
Cian also demonstrated the same sort of horseman’s strategy with Iron Man, who he got at the end of last summer.
“It took a while for the partnership to develop,” he said of the12-year-old Zangersheide grey by Charisma Z.
Cian O’Connor and Iron Man. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He goes differently to some of my other horses,” Cian stated, adding he had to adjust his style to what Iron Man preferred.
“At the start, we were okay in small classes; over the last couple of weeks, he’s really clicked in. I just felt he was coming up nicely. I was so pleased. This is the first time I’ve gone a little bit more against the clock with him.”
Cian put it in perspective by noting, “Christian is obviously who he is, a champion, his horse is fantastic and very quick.”
At the same time, the pillar of the Irish team noted, “I was happy with my round. I looked up at the clock and saw it was point-2 (0.02 seconds behind) but quickly I realized it was still a pretty good result.”
These top riders have to look toward challenges from the 25 and under set. France’s Nina Mallavaey, 25, who rides Nikka vd Bisschop, finished third in a very respectable 41.14 seconds on the 12-year-old mare by top show jumper Emerald. Nikka previously was ridden by Erynn Ballard of Canada in the Olympics.
And the best American was Mimi Gochman, a mere 20 years old, who really went for it on Inclen BH and was rewarded with a fourth-place finish in 41.20 seconds.
Mimi Gochman, the top American in the grand prix, on Inclen BH. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
Laura Kraut and Hunter Holloway, the only other U.S. riders to make the jump-off, each had a rail down to finish seventh and ninth respectively.
Kent Farrington, the number two ranked rider who has been on a hot streak recently, toppled a pole with Myla in the first round, and McLain Ward, world number seven, tipped two rails with his longtime partner, the 17-year-old Callas.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 23, 2025
When McLain Ward was making his entrance into the arena for the second round of the Longines League of Nations Saturday night, the crowd welcomed him with a booming roar of appreciation. But they might as well have been silent; McLain didn’t hear them.
The anchor rider for the U.S. team was tasked with having to produce a clear round on the plucky Ilex, a Dutchbred gelding who likes to buck after the first jump. (Mclain attributes that to a bit of competition nerves.)
Nothing but perfection would do, since the German squad was a mere one penalty behind the Americans at that point. If McLain had a single time fault; there would be a jump-off. Should he topple a rail, Germany would be on the podium. So the noise didn’t register.
“In the moment of competition, you try to block it out and honestly, if I’m focused, I don’t hear much of anything,” he explained about his reaction to the clamor from the stands at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla.
But after turning in the clean round that brought victory to the U.S., he then welcomed the recognition from fans for what he had done as he raised his right arm in triumph.
McLain Ward celebrates the clean round that brought the U.S. victory. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
“You appreciate the crowds and support and you try your best not to disappoint and give them an inspirational performance. It’s always nice to jump a clear, it went right down to the wire, it was great sport,” he said.
The U.S. team on the podium: McLain Ward, Laura Kraut, Lillie Keenan and Aaron Vale. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
His trip followed a fault-free effort by Germany’s Sophie Hinners on Iron Dames Signclair.
“She’s a very good friend of mine, so I knew she was going to deliver a good round,” McLain said.
“So it was game on and that’s what you live for.”
McLain Ward can always be counted on as the anchor rider for the U.S. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
It was a friendly rivalry. McLain and his family vacation with Sophie and her boyfriend, Richie Vogel, who was also on the German team but had 16 faults in the first round and didn’t ride the second round.
Mclain was out for a month this season with a back injury following a fall, and Ilex then had a “hiccup” that kept him out of the ring for a week, so it was nice to see them both back in such good form. Now that he’s back in action, McLain will be debuting his newest ride, Imperial HBF, in national classes to get acquainted before moving him up to international classes. The horse previously was ridden by British team member Tim Gredley.
The League format includes 10 squads of four, but only the top eight countries come back for another go over the same course, in this case, a route designed by Alan Wade and his team. While in the first round each country has a drop score, that’s not the case in the second round, where only three riders are allowed to come back for each nation and every score counts.
“I love the format the League of Nations has, specifically for the excitement,” said U.S. coach Robert Ridland.
“Of course, it’s always nice to be on the right end of the excitement. But how things can so change in that second round! We had a veteran team here, these are horses that have done it before. There was a reason why that we picked the team here, it’s our home Nations’ Cup (actually League of Nations is different from Nations Cup) and we had some incredible competition that we had to beat.”
Team member Aaron Vale, who is from the Ocala area and a WEC regular, said, “it’s really special when you get an opportunity to jump against the world’s best in your backyard.” He had a rail in the first round with Carissimo, which was the U.S. drop score, and he did not ride in the second round.
Laura Kraut was aboard her 2023 Pan American Games team gold medal mount, Dorado 212, an Oldenburg who was out for a year with an injury.
“So I’m extra proud of him for the performance he put in tonight. His first round was impeccable and the second round I was really worried about my time, because I was only 0.25 under (the time allowed),” she said.
“I thought the place to make it up was to the wall and clearly that was a bad idea,” she said with a smile, referring to knocking off a block there for a 4-fault penalty.
She apologized for putting extra pressure on McLain, who was clearly capable of handling it.
There were only four double-clears in the class; McLain and Lillie Keenan with Argan de Beliard for the U.S. along with Sophie and another German, Olympic individual gold medalist Christian Kukuk (the winner of Thursday’s grand prix) on Please Be Gentle.
Germany’s Sophie Hinners’ second clear round on Iron Dames Singclair posed a challenge for the USA’s McLain Ward. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lillie trains with McLain and said he selected her mount, a 15-year-old Selle Francais by Mylord Cathargo, but she wasn’t impressed at first.
“I didn’t want him. I didn’t see how special he is and McLain really convinced me.”
He was right, of course. The grey gelding has amazing scope and style.
“His nickname is Mr. Consistency. To be honest, he would probably jump clear every single round if I managed to stay out of his way,” Lillie said.
Lillie Keenan and Argan de Beliard. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Luckily, I did that both rounds today. To be able to ride a horse that is so reliable is such a gift, especially when you have to jump two rounds and there’s obviously immense pressure, which is what he grows from.”
Without a major championship in 2025, the “quiet” year of the Olympic cycle, Robert said the U.S. will have a lot of team events “so that we can bring in some of the younger riders and give opportunity. We’re going to continue to try to get riders riding with the veterans and learning the ropes, so when we get back into the championships swing of things next year, we’ll have more depth.”
With two legs of the four League qualifiers to go, in Rotterdam and St. Tropez, the U.S. stands fourth with 140 points in the race to qualify for the finals in Barcelona this fall, the year’s biggest goal. Germany and Ireland are tied for the lead on 170 points, and France is third with 150.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 18, 2025
Becky Hart, who was a great force in international endurance competition, died last month at the age of 71.
After Pony Club and competing in horse shows, Becky graduated from the Potomac, Md., Horse Center’s horsemastership course in 1972. But where she hit her stride was after she became interested in endurance riding during the mid-1970s.
The Californian was the only three-time world champion endurance rider, performing the hat trick of titles in 1988, 1990 and 1992. Understandably, the 1990 American Horse Shows Association Equestrian of the Year is most closely identified with her mount for those victories, R.O. Grand Sultan, better known as Rio. Both Becky and Rio are in the American Endurance Ride Conference Hall of Fame.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation, the AHSA’s successor, annually presents the Becky Grand Hart Trophy to the outstanding competitor in international driving, endurance, reining, vaulting or para-equestrian.
Becky got Rio for free, and he proved to be worth far more than what he (didn’t) cost. Eighty miles from the end of a 100-mile ride, he’d turn on the afterburners. It was amazing.
Rio won his last race at 21 and had 10,305 miles in competition, making him a high-mileage horse. He was an AERC decade horse: competed for at least 10 years, had 10 wins, 10,000 miles and 10 best condition awards.
Becky Hart and Rio. (Bob Langrish photo)
For her part, Becky went on to serve as the U.S. chef d’equipe for her discipline. But the multidimensional horsewoman also was a certified Centered Riding instructor and shared her expertise teaching riding and horsemanship to all levels, from beginners to advanced equestrians.
