by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 19, 2024
Could this be the year that Britain’s Oliver Townend finally wins the MARS Maryland 5-star event?
After making the podium in the first three editions of the competition, but falling short of victory, he moved closer to taking the title for the first time with his 17-year-old partner, Ballaghmor Class. Following Saturday’s cross-country segment, he rose to first place with just 4.8 time penalties added to his dressage score of 26.5. Sunday’s show jumping finale will tell the tale for this prize that Oliver wants very, very much.
The Irishbred gray gelding Oliver calls Thomas has led six times in five-star events after cross-country, with three wins (Burghley 2017, 2023) and Kentucky (2021). If he can pull off victory in Maryland, he would become one of just three horses with more than three 5-star wins. The others are legends; Priceless (four) and La Biosthetique Sam (six).
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The prospect has made Oliver emotional, bringing him to tears as he contemplated the career of his amazing partner, whom he called “a special horse.”
He noted Thomas had “a couple of niggling setbacks” in the spring, which had never happened before. So Oliver, a former world number one, knows the clock is ticking relentlessly and he must appreciate every moment that he can be center stage with his athletic partner. At the same time, he is looking ahead to competing Thomas in 2025, if all goes well.
Part of Oliver’s way to the top was paved when overnight leader Mai Baum retired after a refusal at fence 17, the oddly shaped Sawmill Slice of brush and logs. The black gelding felt like a 10-year-old in the dressage phase, rider Tamie Smith reported as she discussed his 25.3 penalty test on Friday.
Tamie Smith on the cross-country course with Mai Baum before she retired at fence 17. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
But he actually is 18, and the MARS Maryland 5-star was planned to be his final competition at the sport’s highest level. His age and the taxing, undulating terrain at Fair Hill proved to be too much for this warmblood, so there was no sense in having him continue to run the last 5-star of his career.
(Interesting that in fourth place is a thoroughbred — the type of horse that was the original eventing mount when the competition format required more endurance. The pairing of Buck Davidson and Sorocaima, an ex-racehorse who was thirteenth after dressage, is now a longshot contender on 39.2 penalties.)
Buck Davidson and Sorocaima. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Mai Baum’s absence is no insurance, however, that Thomas will take the big prize at the competition, which offers a purse of $325,000. Oliver, who was second in dressage, has to watch out for fellow British subject, David Doel, whose Galileo Nieuwoed had been touted as the fastest horse in the competition, which drew 21 starters.
That wasn’t false advertising. David completed the 28-fence test in 10 minutes, 51 seconds, 24 seconds under the optimum time of 11 minutes, 15 seconds. David was the only one of the eight finishers not to incur time penalties over the final route devised by retiring course designer Ian Stark.
David Doel and the speedy Galileo Nieuwmoed. ( Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
David, calling his horse, “A phenomenal galloper and jumper,” noted, “It was almost a little bit embarrassing going that quick. But he just was within his stride. I never really felt like I was pushing him. I never felt like I was actually going to his limit. He definitely still felt like he had a few more gears in there.”
After rising from sixteenth place in dressage, he is less than a rail behind Oliver on a score of 34.5 penalties going into show jumping, and a mere 0.1 penalties ahead of third-place Tim Price and Falco. The New Zealander, who won Maryland with another horse in 2022, rode Falco to sixth place in the Paris Olympics.
Tim Price and Falco. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Boyd Martin, the 2021 Maryland winner, had a Groundhog Day moment, falling at the third fence, the Locust Log Pond after Commando 3 hit the obstacle. In 2023, he fell at the third fence in a different iteration when he was riding Contessa.
After starting out with a fall Saturday morning in the 3-star that runs with the 5-star, he scratched his other horses in that competition. Following his 5-star tumble, he scratched his second mount, Olympic veteran Tsetserleg. Boyd is scheduled to ride in the 5-star at Pau, France, this coming week with his Olympic mount, Federman B.
Seven entries retired on course, while six were eliminated and two withdrew from the original field of 23 that was listed for cross-country. The small number of finishers raised questions for some, but not Oliver.
“I thought it was a brilliant track and we’re all huge fans of Ian Stark and I thought it was a very fair track,” he commented.
“But it’s a 5-star and it’s meant to be a 5-star and this is the top of the sport and it did feel like you were riding around Badminton, Burghley or Kentucky, and those events are the top of the sport and as a rider, you don’t necessarily want it to be easy.”
As he reflected on his course, Ian mused, “There were quite a few that were going really well and then silly mistakes towards the end and they didn’t complete. So the statistics are not great, and it’s not quite how I wanted to end my career.
“But I thought there was some good riding, and there was maybe some green riders, green horses that were barely ready for it,” he pointed out, adding that the “trouble” was spread around the course.
“And it’s a difficult one when your first horse (Harry Meade’s Away Cruising, who lost a shoe) doesn’t go around. It sort of makes other riders begin to question. And so maybe the greener ones weren’t quite so confident setting off.”
Ian pointed out that the course was very little changed from last year, and that in terms of those who didn’t finish, “It’s unfortunate, but it happens, sadly. The ones that did go around looked amazing. And their riders were quite happy.”
Ian Stark (nicknamed Scotty) in a horse inspection 17 years ago, wearing a kilt to proclaim his Scottish heritage. (Photo © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer)
He mentioned that nearly 25 percent had clear rounds (except for time penalties), and was pleased that only one rider didn’t collect those, which testified to the appropriateness of the optimum time. (The situation looked worse than it was because of the smaller number of entries.)
What happened to those who had problems?
“For whatever reason, bad luck, younger horses, greener combinations…it wasn’t quite the result I was hoping for,” he replied.
“There’s one thing for sure,” he said with a chuckle, “nobody will talk me out of my retirement now.”
So what will the 71-year-old do in that retirement, aside from spending more time with his three grandchildren?
Turns out, it’s not really retirement. He will still help riders in the U.S., as well as continuing to ride in lower-level eventing competitions and start green horses–though in that regard, he says his family thinks “I’m nuts. I wait until they’ve all gone out, and then I back them a little bit (work with young horses).”
David Doel, Oliver Townend and Tim Price. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 16, 2024
Olympic eventer Liz Halliday, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in an August cross-country fall, is making “steady progress” in rehab, it was revealed on Wednesday.
Liz is at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, where her friends and family cited, “The dedication of her amazing team of therapists, doctors, nurses, and staff,” saying it is “nothing short of extraordinary, and we are deeply grateful for the care and expertise they are providing. Each day brings meaningful victories, and Liz is pushing forward with impressive strength and resilience.”
Liz Halliday’s upbeat spirit, evident here after a show jumping round last year, is helping her work toward recovery.( Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
To keep her horses going, her mounts are being placed with other top riders.
“The first group of horses safely arrived at Boyd Martin’s farm this week and have settled in beautifully. Liz’s amazing team have been incredibly resilient during this time of transition and are keeping things running flawlessly at the farms,” the statement from friends and family said.
“Liz continues to prioritize rest and therapy, and we kindly ask for your continued respect for her privacy as she focuses on her healing journey. Liz and her family and friends appreciate every single one of you, and while there is still a long road ahead, we know that with your support — and her tenacious spirit — she will continue to make strides toward a full recovery.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 14, 2024
TerraNova Equestrian Center has cancelled its World Cup Dressage qualifier and national show scheduled to run Thursday through Sunday at its venue in Myakka City, about 20 miles east of Sarasota, which was hard hit by Hurricane Milton.
The reasons cited for not holding the show were ongoing power outages and widespread effects on the region’s communities. The facility had hosted equine evacuees at its state-of-the-art stables. Refunds are being issued for competitors, as well as for spectators who bought VIP brunch tickets.
In North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene caused massive damage, the Tryon International Equestrian Center called off its eventing competition that was to run Oct. 31-Nov. 3, due to damage on its cross-country course. The facility has served as a center for hurricane aid, distributing supplies and offering shelter to first responders.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 18, 2024
As I was telling you in Thursday’s story about the first half of the MARS Maryland 5-star event’s dressage phase, Mai Baum and Ballaghmor Class would be the ones to watch on the second day of competition at Fair Hill. And so they were.
Overnight leader Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious, competing in the horse’s first 5-star, moved down to sixth on Friday. They were overtaken by a wave of brilliant performances from luminaries of the sport.
This is the final 5-star of an impressive career for 18-year-old Lexus, as Mai Baum is known. His 25.3 penalties for Friday’s test were more than a point ahead of 17-year-old runner-up Ballaghmor Class, or Thomas, which is what rider Oliver Townend calls one of history’s most successful event horses.
Tamie’s least impressive marks were for the mid-test halt (6.5 across the board) but she made up for that with a 10 for her final halt and salute. It doesn’t get better than that, and her post-performance series of hugs for Lexus showed her pride and affection for the stately black gelding.
He did his first 4-star event at Fair Hill, so it’s a closing of the circle to have the German sport horse deliver his final 5-star at the facility.
“I was super-pleased with him. He was feeling like a million bucks,” said Tamie of the 2023 Defender Kentucky 5-star winner.
“He feels like he’s 10 again, so strong. I feel like I had my best test. I was really thrilled with pretty much every aspect of it,” she said. Although she’s had a test that earned less penalties, it would seem this one got elevated in her mind because it’s the last at the 5-star level.
Oliver raised his right arm in triumph more than once at the conclusion of his 26.5-penalty test in one of his favorite venues. It was emotional for him, he started to cry in a post-competition interview.
Oliver Townend was pleased with Ballaghmor Class and his dressage test. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
To him, Fair Hill is special.
“I love it here. I love the place, I love the atmosphere, I love the people’s enthusiasm behind the event. I’m a massive, massive fan of the entire venue,” commented the number five-ranked eventer in the world, who has come close to winning with a variety of horses in the event’s first three years, but hasn’t yet made it to the top of the podium in Maryland.
Bubby Upton, who had to learn to walk, and then to ride again after breaking her back last year in a fall on the flat, turned in a sparkling test with Cola, marked at 26.7 penalties. Brown Advisory, which presents the 5-star, and Howden Insurance teamed to get Bubby to the States for her first visit to the U.S.
Now 25, she was a top Young Rider with Cola and excelled in the junior ranks as well. The two have a true emotional connection, and she has an amazing story of grit and perseverance.
Bubby Upton, who had to learn to walk and then ride again after breaking her back, gives thanks to her Cola after her dressage test. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
World number three Tim Price of New Zealand, a previous Maryland winner, is fourth (27.4 penalties) with Falco, his sixth-place finisher from the Paris Olympics.
New Zealander Tim Price and Falco. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
And Boyd Martin of the U.S., world number six, is fifth with another equine senior citizen, the 17-year-old Tsetserleg who has been there and done that. He is also seventh with Commando 3 (28.5), behind Cosby.
Of course, Saturday’s cross-country, the last course to be designed by the retiring Ian Stark, could do another reshuffle of the standings, so don’t open the champagne just yet.
Asked what he thought of the route across terrain that gets steep at times (they didn’t call it Fair Hill for nothing) Oliver had just one word, “Big.”
“Yeah, it’s big,” agreed Tamie.
The top three after dressage: Oliver Townend, Tamie Smith and Bubby Upton. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
I wondered what Lexus will be doing when this event is history and he heads home to California. Tamie noted that “Lexus could do anything,” and offered several thoughts on the subject.
They run from having his owner, Alex Ahearn, ride him on the trails, to perhaps focusing on pure dressage and maybe doing hunter derbies (Tamie already has discussed that with prominent California hunter/jumper trainer Archie Cox.) I suggested he could do exhibitions; he is so popular that could be a winner for, perhaps, a charity.
Can’t you see Mai Baum as a pure dressage horse? (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“He’s a very all-around horse,” said Tamie.
One thing is certain: “We’ll keep enjoying him.”
Making a decision about what’s next requires some input from the horse.
“It’s hard because they don’t actually speak in words, but they do speak if you listen to them,” said Tamie.
“We listened to him this summer when he wasn’t quite right and ready to go to the Paris Olympics,” noted the rider, who called that experience “dream-crushing.”
But she knows what’s important.
“You just become a horseman…you do what’s right by them, not necessarily what you competitively want. Mai Baum has taught me a tremendous amount about horsemanship and listening to my horse.”
Oliver doesn’t have the luxury of all those possibilities with Thomas post-eventing.
“I don’t quite know what we’re going to do with him once his job as an event horse is finished, because I can’t see him doing too many other jobs,” mused Oliver.
“We’ll keep him going as long as he’s able. He isn’t going to be a happy hacker for somebody. I can’t see him in the hunting field. He’s a naturally top class event horse and we’ve been hugely privileged to have him as part of our team for so long.”
Click here for 5-star dressage phase results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 17, 2024
The world’s newest 5-star three-day event may not have drawn a huge field of entries, but there are some very impressive names among the 23 horses going for a piece of the $325,000 purse this weekend.
Although the MARS Maryland 5-star is only in its fourth year, it has become a go-to for top British riders as well as American stars. The 2024 edition, which got under way Thursday at Fair Hill, will mark the final appearance at this level of Mai Baum, who in 2023 wowed his fans with the first U.S. victory in the Defender Kentucky 5-star since 2008. He missed the Olympics due to injury, but could start his campaign for another 5-star title Friday afternoon with Tamie Smith.
And then there’s Ballaghmor Class, a warrior who has won the Defender Kentucky and Burghley (twice!) 5-stars under the guidance of Britain’s Oliver Townend, the man who came close at Maryland three times, only to miss the top spot. But we won’t see him until Friday either.
Boyd Martin, the USA’s busiest rider, has two entries. He would have had three, but he decided that On Cue, who won the first Maryland 5-star, “was starting to struggle in her final gallops and jump schools.” As he pointed out, “It would not do her justice if I tried to take advantage of her good nature by asking her to do something I was not sure her body was capable of.”
So there are big names aplenty, which is why it was interesting that Cosby Green, 23, had the best score as the first half of the field competed, with Highly Suspicious, a not-so-easy horse doing his first 5-star.
The top three on day one at the MARS Maryland 5-star, presented by Brown Advisory: Boyd Martin (second), Cosby Green (first) and Lindsay Traisnel (third). (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Her score was 28 penalties, the equivalent of 72.04 percent in regular dressage, and just 0.5 penalties ahead of Boyd and Commando 3.
Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Cosby, an American based in England with New Zealanders Jonelle and Tim Price, revealed that it has been a difficult road with Highly Suspicious, the horse she has owned for seven years and affectionately calls Puff.
“I totally had no business buying him when I did at 16. I couldn’t ride one side of him, I scored consistently in the 40s and had lots of 20s (refusals),” she explained.
Cosby tried selling the appealing gray, or even giving him away, but “everyone kept telling me to stick with it.” And it turned out they were correct.
But it has been a long journey to success.
“My horse…lacks confidence and is quite anxious as well.”
That often reflected her feelings.
“We’re quite similar people, really,” she smiled.
Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The key was “Just having Jonelle believe in me and changing the program, we just flourished because of it, if I had to pinpoint it to something,” said Cosby.
“It’s just been a matter of getting his body right and his mind right,” she said of Puff.
Discussing his test in the wide-open arena at Fair Hill, “overall, I thought it was some of his best work in the ring so far,” she observed.
Although the walk continues to be Puff’s weakness (he got marks of 4, 3 and 2 for the medium walk when he didn’t settle), “I thought he did a great demonstration of all the work we’ve been putting in, and that doesn’t always happen in such a big atmosphere, so I really am thrilled with him,” she said.
“It’s not been a smooth road, but a day like today makes it worth it.”
Boyd credited his wife, Silva, for helping make Connor, as his “high-energy horse” is known, deal with the stress of competition She rode him at Fourth Level at Dressage at Devon last month, which gave the Holsteiner some mileage to ease the sharpness he has exhibited when there is lots of atmosphere.
Boyd Martin executes a smooth flying change. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“It was very beneficial I just felt he was more rideable in the ring than usual, so thank Silva,” said Boyd, noting Connor felt like he was “on the job”.
Silva Martin competing Commado 3 at Dressage at Devon. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Silva produced the test ride for the 5-star with another of Boyd’s horses, Luke 140, enabling the judges to compare notes and get on the same page before the competition began.
The judges confer after Silva’s test ride. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Third-place Canadian Lindsay Traisnel and her Bacyrouge have been partners for nine years. That relationship “reinforces what I can do and trust him and he always does his best to perform well,” she said. Their score was a respectable 30.7 penalties.
Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The Selle Francais was bought as a four-year-old prospect, but Lindsay and her husband, Xavier, found they didn’t want to sell him. It was a good decision. Last year, she rode him on the Canadian eventing gold medal team at the Pan American Games, where she won the individual bronze.
Click here for the first half of the 5-star results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 13, 2024
JJ Torano became the youngest rider ever to win the Dover Saddlery/U.S. Equestrian Federation Hunter Seat Medal Finals, topping a field of 169 on Sunday at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show.
A 14-year-old who eligible to ride as age 13 (giving him four more years to win the other equitation championships if he needs extra time), JJ nailed the demanding final test, riding without stirrups over a course that tested control. It started with a hand-gallop and included taking two fences at the counter-canter. The requirement to halt after the final obstacle was handled spot-on to make a statement by JJ and his mount, Special Edition Z, who won the best horse title.
JJ was confident that his horse “could do anything I ask him for. From holding counter leads to nailing the final halt after the last jump – I think that was the best part of the final test.”
Favorite Edition Z started out as a jumper last year, but by the time of the 2024 Winter Equestrian Festival, he had transitioned to equitation with JJ.
“We prepared for this season with a lot of repetition. We don’t know what to expect coming to Medal Finals, but we practice to be prepared for anything we’re asked for,” said JJ, with a wisdom beyond his years.
The winner is the son of Jimmy and Danielle Torano, both of whom have been big winners in the hunter and jumper ranks. JJ is trained for equitation by Missy Clark, John Brennan and the team at North Run.
JJ Torano with his parents, Danielle and Jimmy Torano. (US Equestrian photo)
JJ was leading last weekend in the Show Jumping Talent Search Medal Finals East in New Jersey before he accumulated several time faults and chipped in at the next-to-last fence in his last round on one of his rival’s horses during the Final Four test. (To read the Talent Search story, go down to the second feature on this site.)
The Floridian wasn’t going to let anything like that happen this time, executing every round with flair and thinking through every stride during the final test of the top six riders, culled from 25 semi-finalists during a second round over a new course designed by Steve Stephens. The class was judged by Rachel Kennedy and Tammy Provost.
Second was Sydney Raidy of New York, who moved up from third place before the work-off.
“I wanted to play it safe,” said Sydney, who is trained by Frank Madden.
“We’ve had so many lessons at home, learning about the smartest choices to make once you’re there. It’s easy to get nervous and do something that’s too hard. So, I just wanted to walk in, get my counter lead, and get good distances.”
Maddie Tosh of Georgia finished third. Trained by her father, top hunter rider Hunt Tosh, she was the winner of the 2023 Washington International Horse Show’s equitation championship. Washington is where the riders are heading for the next championship, before capping the season in November at the National Horse Show with the ASPCA Maclay.
Fourth went to Ariana Marnell, another North Run trainee, who lives in Florida. Fifth was Olivia Sweetnam, who had been third in the Talent Search last weekend and won the Turnham Green/USEF National Junior Jumper Championship earlier in the Pennsylvania show. The Florida resident is coached by Ken and Emily Smith.
Judge Kennedy observed, “The top six riders were fractions apart going into round two. But the top four finishers were super strong.”
click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 13, 2024
U.S. rider Hallie Coon and the aptly named Cute Girl finished third individually at a muddy Boekelo 4-star eventing Nations Cup Final in the Netherlands on Sunday, with the Irish team of Aiofe Clarke, Austin O’Connor, Susannah Berry and Padraig McCarthy taking top honors scording102.6 penalties. The USA finished second on 116. 1, while Germany was third with 131.9.
“The Nations Cup final here in Boekelo is a huge deal and it means a huge amount to anyone competing. It has a real weight to it that is more than some of the individual legs,” said Aiofe.
She commtend that the organizers, “have really done well here, there’s a great atmosphere- it’s built up to a really fun end of the competition. I love Boekelo and would come back every year if I had a horse for it. I love the enthusiasm of the supporters and the work that went in to getting the cross-country right.”
The victorious Irish team. (Photo courtesy Military Boekelo)
The footing was so mucky after extended periods of rain that a loop had to be taken out of the cross-country course to insure hore and rider safety. Germany won the individual honors however, as 2021 Olympic individual gold medalist Julia Krajewski first on Nickel 21 with 28.8 penalties, having added time penalties to her dressage score on cross-country and finishing clear in show jumping. Nickel is the horse on which she won the Aachen event last summer.
“I came here with the idea that I wanted to finish in the top five,” said Julia.
“But Nickel 21 was just great. He came out of the cross-country super fit and jumped fantastically today. I always like it when there is some pressure. And of course there was, because I had to stay clear. My horse took it well and kept space on every fence. It’s great to win here again after six years, just an hour and a half’s drive from home.”
Great Britain’s Laura Collett, clear through the first two phases with Dacapo, had a rail in the final segment to wind up second individually with 29.3 penalties. Hallie finished on her dressage score of 30.4 penalties, going from twenty-third place to sixth and finally third during the competition.
There was a wide range of ages among the U.S. squad. Twenty-nine-year-old Hallie rode on the team with the eternal Phillip Dutton, 60, who finished twentieth on Possante (43.1). Also on the team were Mary Bess Davis, 45, nineteenth with Imperio (42.6) and looking to the future, 19-year-old, Cassie Sanger, thirty-first with Redfield Fyre (51.2).
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 3, 2024
Our headline has a double meaning: Not only will some of the world’s top horses be at the Fair Hill eventing competition presented by Brown Advisory — including several big-time contenders from overseas — but you’ll also be able to put your money down on your favorite (or favorites) and perhaps get something back.
The Sport & Entertainment Corp. of Maryland, which puts on the event, is partnering with Crab Sports, a startup sportsbook tailored for the Maryland market, to offer sports betting markets for the Oct. 17-20 event. Spectators can bet on both the 5-star and the 3-star Long, in various classifications, including event winner, top three, top five and top 10.
This marks the first time fans will have the opportunity to engage in sports wagering on eventing in the U.S. An entrepreneur two years ago was working on a betting protocol for show jumping, but never went through with it.
At last year’s event, Maryland’s CEO, Jeff Newman, told me, “We want to continue to create more off-competition amenities, things non-equestrians want to come to. I think eventing is perfect for it.
“It’s something the sport needs. I think socially, it’s something that will help raise the bar and get more people out here.”
Craig Williams, Crab Sports director, commented, “Partnering with local businesses and events is at the core of what we do, and this collaboration allows us to connect with our Maryland customers in meaningful ways, going beyond where others are willing to go. Together, we’re excited to drive even more fan excitement and engagement to the world-renowned 5-Star, right here in our backyard.”
Registration can be done via the Crab Sports website or their free mobile app, available for download through the App Store and Google Play. Those interested in betting can register using the promo code MD5STAR through those platforms for access. All new users will receive a $500 Bet Insurance offer, giving them a second chance if their initial wager does not settle as a win. Full terms and conditions can be found here.
Market lines for the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory will open Oct. 14 and be live through the event’s conclusion Oct. 20. All participants must be 21 or older and physically present in Maryland. For tickets to the event, click this link.
Looking for a good bet? Mai Baum, the first U.S. horse to win the Defender Kentucky 5- star since 2008 when he did it in 2023, will be making his 5-star swan song at Maryland under the guidance of Tamie Smith.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Ballaghmor Class, another Kentucky winner who also has a victory in Britain’s Burghley 5-star to his credit with rider Oliver Townend, will be on hand along with additional challengers from England. And New Zealand’s Falco, ridden by Tim Price of New Zealand, also could be in the favorite category.
The USA’s Boyd Martin with have his previous Maryland winner, On Cue in the line-up, along with the promising Commando 3, his Olympic reserve horse, and his old favorite, Tsetserleg, for whom this surely should be the last 5-star.
Click here for the current 5-star entry list.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 8, 2024
The Dressage Foundation has made awards to two trainers from its $25,000 Anne L. Barlow-Ramsay Grant for U.S.-Bred Horses Fund.
The grants, going to more than one recipient for the first time, are designed to showcase U.S.-bred horses ridden by American citizens.
Lauren Chumley of Pittstown, N.J., and Leeloo Dallas will be training this winter with Michael Bragdell under auspices of the grant. Leeloo Dallas, bred by Racheal McKinney, was purchased by Lauren as a foal. Lauren specializes in developing young horses and is a member of the USEF Developing Program with the mare, who has KWPN bloodlines.
“I believe in this little American horse with my whole heart and in Michael’s program,” said Lauren.
“I am absolutely thrilled that TDF believes in us too.”
Floridian Molly O’Brien and Fortunato H2O, an 8-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Lehua Custer, will train with Olympians Sue Blinks and Ali Brock during the winter season in Wellington. Molly is an assistant trainer and head groom for Lehua and has competed Fortunato H2O successfully through Prix St. Georges. Fortunato H2O was bred by Kendra Hansis of Runningwater Warmbloods.
Calling the grant life-changing not only for herself, but also for Lehua and Kendra, Molly said, “Dr. Ramsay’s philanthropic generosity affords riders like me, without private sponsorship, to pursue training opportunities to showcase elite, U.S.-bred equine athletes on a competitive stage.”
The Anne L. Barlow-Ramsay Grant Fund was established at the Dressage Foundation in 2008 by Dr. Barlow-Ramsay to fulfill her desire to support U.S.-bred horses that are competing on the international dressage stage. Since 2008, eleven recipients have been awarded a $25,000 grant for training or competition, including those who have successfully competed at the highest level of the sport. Applications are due August 15 each year.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 2, 2024
Could mandatory registration of dressage trainers be on the horizon, along with a certification requirement for these professionals?
It’s a definite possibility in the wake of Tuesday’s FEI stakeholder meeting in Switzerland, where some key players in the discipline met to discuss the core objectives of dressage and “ways of realigning the discipline to reflect these objectives.”
Dressage has been under scrutiny not only since the pre-Olympic Charlotte Dujardin scandal (the Olympic multi gold-medalist was shown hitting a student’s horse with a longe whip in a video that went viral) but also after other allegations of abuse became public.
What is the overall goal as seen at the meeting? Those attending contended that horses should be trained through balanced and systematic education, while being ridden to be calm, supple, flexible, confident, and responsive, “fostering a deep and positive connection with the rider.” You may be seeing that perception written into the FEI Rulebook going forward.
“A crucial aspect is that Dressage is practiced without tension or resistance, ensuring harmony between the horse and rider,” the FEI stated.
FEI Dressage Director Ronan Murphy explained the next step is to figure out how to “adapt our practices and approaches to ensure these standards are met. This effort is not the responsibility of any one group; it is a collective mission for the entire Dressage community.”
FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said, “While showcasing top sport, the Paris Games brought to light challenges that have prompted us to reflect and reassess in the post-Games period.”
One thing that should be reassessed is how the blood rule is handled. A case in point was the way the head of the ground jury stopped Marcus Orlob in the middle of his Paris Grand Prix test because his mount, Jane, had a tiny scratch on her white hind leg. It wasn’t gushing blood. Had it been on a black leg, it wouldn’t have been visible at all.
Was anyone in the stands, far from the middle of the arena, able to see that? No, so they were mystified when the rider was excused. Why not let the athlete finish his test and then have the veterinarians in the backstage area determine afterward whether the horse should be disqualified. The scratch obviously was not anything to do with abuse; it happened when the mare whirled to follow the previous entry, who exited the arena the wrong way.
The FEI should train and trust officials to make judgments about the presence of blood and determine whether it stems from something the rider has done or from another source. Animal rights activists have terrified officials, even though many of these protestors know nothing about horses and may have objectives that don’t necessarily relate to horse welfare. The fear of having horse sports excluded from the Olympics has been a driver for incidents like the one involving Jane.
National federations and media were not part of the Tuesday meeting. Participants included representatives of the
International Dressage Rider’s Club, the International Dressage Officials Club, the International Dressage Trainer’s Club and the dressage organizers, as well as the presidents of the European Equestrian Federation and the Pan American Equestrian Confederation; the FEI vice president, the chair of the FEI Para Equestrian Technical Committee and the FEI Dressage Steward General.
The discussion will continue at the FEI annual meeting in November and its sports forum in April 2025.
