by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 23, 2024
Pointing toward “Victory in Versailles,” the venue of this summer’s Paris Olympics, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation raised $2 million for its efforts at a weekend party hosted by Zacharie and Louis Vinios at their Five Rings farm in Wellington, Fla.
Bruce Springsteen and his wife, Patti Scialfa, entertained at the USET Foundation gala. (Jump Media Photo)
The co-chairs of the gala, Bruce Springsteen and his wife, Patty Scialfa, performed and put up for auction two trips to concerts on their band’s plane. Their daughter, Tokyo Olympics team show jumping silver medalist Jessica Springsteen was on hand as well. Another big ticket item also purchased twice at the auction was a vacation at a Tuscan villa donated by Glen Senk and Keith Johnson.
James McNerney Jr., the USET’s president and CEO, explained that unlike the situation in other countries, equestrian sport in the U.S. does not receive government funding and relies primarily on the USET Foundation to raise money needed for training and international competition. He was given the R. Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award for his service.
The setting for the gala summoned Paris. (Photo by Luxeciné)
Other awards presented during the party went to Olympic show jumping multi-medalist McLain Ward, who received the Whitney Stone Cup, while a representative of the younger generation of show jumpers, Zayna Rizvi, took the Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 17, 2024
Those non-riding days present a good opportunity to clean out the tack room. Collect your unneeded items and donate them to Mane Stream (adaptive riding and therapy services), which is seeking donations of horse-related items for its Nov. 17 tack sale in Oldwick.
Mane Stream has a contactless drop-off for unwanted bridles, saddles, blankets, tack boxes as well as out-grown boots, breeches, jackets, and any horse-related jewelry, models or knick-knacks. Donations support Mane Stream;s mission to improve the quality of life for children and adults with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through a diverse program of equine assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives.
This event is an important part of the yearly fundraising plan with all proceeds to benefit Mane Stream’s horses, adaptive riding program, therapy services and other equine assisted programs including “Horses for Healing: Cancer and Parkinson’s Disease”.
All donations can be dropped off at the stable at 83 Old Turnpike Rd. Oldwick during office hours. If you would like to make a donation or have any questions, contact Alex Willard at alex@manestreamnj.org, 908-439-9636 or visit www.ManeStreamNJ.org.
Want to learn more about Mane Stream?
Come to its open house March 23 from 12-2 p.m. You can get an in-depth look at therapy services, as well as a free program called Horses for Healing, geared to people living with Cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. Several openings are available for therapy services and the upcoming Horses for Healing program, which starts in April.
Meet the staff, take a tour of the facility and learn about the physical and emotional advantages of interacting with horses.
Bring a pair of shoes to help Mane Stream keep shoes out of landfills, provide affordable footwear to people in developing nations and raise funds for farrier costs for the Mane Stream herd.
If you know someone who might benefit from one of the programs Mane Stream offers, be sure to let them know about the open house and encourage them to visit.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 19, 2024
Four Seasons, which traditionally marked the start of the outdoor show season in New Jersey, is making a comeback April 11-14 following a cancellation in 2023.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation national show is returning to its former home at Duncraven in Titusville, Mercer County. It will be managed by Claudine Libertore, who runs many of the shows in the state.
A.J. Garrity, whose father, the late Gary Kunsman, founded the fixture in the days when he was at Four Seasons Farm in Readington, said “it’s a special show to my family and myself because it was my dad’s horse show for so many years.”
Her husband, Mason Garrity, “really put his heart and soul into it and tried to build it up” when he managed it after its move to the Horse Park of New Jersey in 2016.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t really take off at the Horse Park the way we had hoped,” noted A.J., so the couple decided to take a break and put the show on hiatus for what would have been its fiftieth anniversary.
In a 2023 interview after Four Seasons’ cancellation, Mason said, “Last year (2022), the weather was gorgeous, in the 70s, but no one was there.” He noted that people are staying in Florida longer into the spring, with some not coming home until the week of Four Seasons. In addition, he pointed out, the Horse Park was showing its age, which didn’t help when trying to attract exhibitors.
Obviously, stand-alone shows don’t have the resources of the big circuits, observed Mason, who noted, “because of Gary, we ran it (Four Seasons) as long as we could.”
“The landscape of the horse shows has changed in the last few years,” his wife agreed, citing the domination of what she calls “Amazon” type horse shows with their own facilities that offer weeks of competition.
“The boutique-type shows. like we are, are kind of fading away. In New Jersey, I felt like we were the last man standing with our one-off type of horse show. Middlesex, Monmouth, so many of these special shows have changed hands.”
The Garritys knew it was time for a new direction if the show were to continue.
When Four Seasons left Duncraven, it had almost outgrown the venue, A.J. noted. But the stable was sold several years ago and “seeing all the improvements the new owners of Duncraven have made, it was in my head that I thought the show was ready to go back to where it was so successful for over 20 years,” explained A.J. Additional rings there will be helpful in organizing the schedule, she pointed out.
Meanwhile, her family has stepped away from managing shows. Mason runs a business making jumps, announces and has a judge’s card, but the Garritys decided to leave the management to someone else.
“Claudine has taken over so many of these horse shows and has a following of people enjoying her shows,” said A.J.
“I’m excited for 2024 and beyond for the horse show now.”
A.J. still owns the date, but she’s going to step back and “let Claudine take the reins in the management role. If she needs anything from us, we will be there, but we will kind of let it become her stepchild. She does such a good job with all her other dates, I’m just hoping this will join the group and be a success.”
Asked how many shows she runs in the state under her CJL signature, Claudine gave up on a count and figured between 20 and 30 (with another 12 to 15 nearby in Pennsylvania). In New Jersey, they include licenses with a variety of familiar names, including Middlesex and Monmouth, as well as Tewksbury (after a stable that disappeared from Hunterdon County decades ago), Snowbird and a bunch at Duncraven and the Horse Park.
“Most of my clientele are maiden voyage-type people, it’s all mileage,” said Claudine, mentioning many start in mini-stirrup and short stirrup, and then go on to do their first junior hunters or the classes offering 3-foot, 3-inch fences.
She’s hoping the return to Duncraven “will bring some of the older type people who used to do Four Seasons and the New Jersey circuit forever.
“I think it should get some interest,” she said. “Let’s see when it comes time to do entries.”
Claudine showed at Four Seasons when it was at Duncraven, so she has a definite connection.
She’s mulling what to include in the prizelist, and hopes to offer several derbies at varying heights for hunters and jumpers to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. That is something dear to the Garritys’ hearts, because their 10-year-old daughter, Logan, has Type 1 diabetes and they are involved with a walkathon to aid that charity.
Four Seasons will be one of the shows in a series of a dozen or so for which riders can earn points for the CJL high-score awards, to be presented at a December banquet.
Claudine, 53, talks about retiring from management at some point, noting she started showing at the age of three and managed her first show in 1999 at Congress Hill Farm in Monroe Township. But retirement is not happening yet, even if it’s hard to get help, so she does much of the work herself with the aid of her assistant, Gianna Bellantuono. She is an R jumper judge and has a small r in hunters and equitation. She also has accreditation as a regional course designer.
Running shows is not for the faint of heart.
“It’s a lot to do, it’s a gamble. You can have the best weekend and the best weather and you might sit there with 35 horses. Everybody right now is about facility, facility, facility. What’s going on on social media, where is everyone else going?”
Added Claudine, “All of us are struggling.”
New Jersey is not the same horse state we knew when we were young, and some of the current professionals do not have the same approach as those who were based there a few decades ago.
“It’s not so much about learning how to do it and do it the right way and becoming a horseman,” mused Claudine.
“It’s all business-related. I see it every week. The horses are not prepared. They come in and do their schooling round or warm-up and the horse is bad and they scratch. Because they (trainers) already got their shipping (fee) and training (fee), at the end of the day, they’re still going home with the same paycheck. I find it disturbing,” said Claudine, who was taught differently.
But as she points out, there will always be beginners in the sport, and she’ll give them a place to go. So she perseveres.
“My people have become a little bit dependent on me,” she acknowledged.
“For now, I’m here.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 12, 2024
“Won’t you change partners and dance with me?” goes the line from the old Fred Astaire song. It keeps coming to mind as riders and countries change partners in a flurry of activity before the Jan. 15 deadline for nationality switches before this summer’s Paris Olympics.
The most recent swaps were announced by Andreas Helgstrand, following the Danish equestrian federation’s decision to keep him off that nation’s team — at least until January 2025 — after the scandal involving an undercover documentary of training practices at his stable.
Patrik Kittel of Sweden, who lost out on Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour’s Olympic ride, Bohemian, when the horse was sold to the U.S. for Endel Ots, will be getting the ride on Jovian in a new partnership. That was Andreas’ horse for the 2023 Danish national championships, where he won individual bronze but then lost it when the horse tested positive for medication due to colic treatment before the competition.
“I admire Jovian,” said Patrik of the World Championship for Young Dressage Horses winner.
“He is an absolutely fantastic horse, and I am honored to have the opportunity to ride him. I have been a fan of his since Andreas bought him. He has qualities beyond this world – when he trots, it’s like he’s trotting on clouds. I will do everything I can to do him justice and hope that we develop a good and fruitful partnership together.”
In collaboration with Queenparks Wendy’s owner, Bolette Wandt, Isabell Werth’s owner Madeleine Winter-Schulze has begun a partnership on the mare.
Andreas Helgstrand and Queenparks Wendy.
As a 5-year-old, Wendy won the Blue Hors Young Horse Championship with one of the highest scores ever, along with a bronze medal at the World Championships for young dressage horses.
Isabell said of her new mount, “I am very proud and grateful to welcome this outstanding horse as a new addition.”
She has other horses that are candidates for Paris, including Quantaz and Emilio, who was supposed to retire but was doing so well he kept on going.
Wendy’s owner Bolette Wandt called her mare and the German rider, “the perfect match. They are both true power girls. Wendy has a real ‘here-I-come’ charisma, talent, and power – the entire package required to reach the top. Moreover, she is still a young horse, and I have no doubt that there is a lot more to come in the future. Wendy is in very good hands with Isabell.”
Jovian doesn’t lack talent or results either. Andreas Helgstrand spotted him when he bought Jovian as a three-year-old. From there, things progressed quickly, and in 2019 and 2021, Jovian won the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses. By the age of 8, Jovian was already an internationally successful Grand Prix horse with a series of top international placements, including a bronze medal at the European Championships with the Danish national team in 2023.
“I admire Jovian. He is an absolutely fantastic horse, and I am honored to have the opportunity to ride him. I have been a fan of his since Andreas bought him. He has qualities beyond this world – when he trots, it’s like he’s trotting on clouds. I will do everything I can to do him justice and hope that we develop a good and fruitful partnership together,” said Patrik.
Jovian and Wendy are at the peak of their careers, according to a statement from Helgstrand, “so it only makes sense that they should have optimal conditions to develop their sporting potential” while Andreas is out of competition in 2024.
“Both Wendy and Jovian are two absolutely fantastic horses, and it’s, of course, a bit sad to say goodbye to them,” said the statement.
“However, I am most of all happy and proud that we have made agreements with two of the world’s absolute best dressage riders, allowing both horses to showcase their worth and continue on their journey towards the stars,” noted Andreas.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 24, 2024
Will the Wellington, Florida, Village Council vote this week on whether land should be taken out of the Equestrian Preserve for the first time, as part of a trade-off around expanding the cramped Wellington International showgrounds?
The answer was still unclear following Tuesday night’s “second reading” of an ordinance that would remove 96-plus acres from the protection of the Preserve designation, so housing and various non-equestrian sports amenities could be built by Wellington Lifestyle Partners at their Wellington North project. The community adjacent to a golf course would be constructed on what is now the site of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival and nearby property.
In turn, acreage contiguous to the showgrounds a short distance away at WLP’s Wellington South project would be rezoned from residential to equestrian commercial for expansion of the facility that would accommodate dressage competition, as well as hunters and jumpers. WLP would pay for new facilities that would include a 3,000 seat international ring, a covered arena, a new derby field, 220 permanent stalls and 272 temporary stalls.
Beginning in June, there have been 45 hours of public debate and discussion on the development issues by the Village’s Equestrian Preserve Committee, the Planning Zoning and Adjustment Board and the five-member council, with more meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
To remove land from the Preserve, a super-majority of four of the five council members would have to vote in favor. They did that on “first reading” of the ordinance in November, but since then, a group opposed to removing the land started a recall petition against all the council members except Vice Mayor Michael Napoleone, the only one who voted against the move.
The Adequan Global Dressage Festival grounds.
(Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
The recall group also is highlighting contributions council members received from entities related to the development, asking why those who got such money did not recuse themselves from the vote.
Feelings run high about the land deal. Equestrians who feel betrayed at the prospect of losing property from the Preserve, which includes 9,000 acres Village-wide, showed up at the meeting wearing their signature “Vote No” and “Horses Not Houses” red T-shirts. More than 8,000 people have signed a petition against taking land from the Preserve.
Others who spoke during the packed meeting contended removing land from the Preserve is worth it if that affords more space for the show in the “Winter Equestrian Capital of the World” to expand and compete with new venues in Ocala to the north and the Sarasota area to the west.
Global Equestrian Group, the owner of the Wellington International showgrounds, is part of Waterland Private Equity, which has put the showgrounds up for sale. Wellington International holds all the licenses for the hunter/jumper shows at the home of the Winter Equestrian Festival, while Mark Bellisimo holds all but one of the dressage licenses for the Global Dressage Festival.
John Ingram, a businessman and Wellington farm owner who spoke Tuesday night, said “the horse show needs to grow and expand. What I see has been proposed here is a practical solution that would be good for the equestrian community and the overall Village. If we mess around and don’t take advantage of this unique opportunity, I think we stand a very strong chance of waking up in five to 10 years and finding Ocala, Thermal (Calif.) or somewhere else has taken over the top destination spot.”
The best horses and riders from the U.S., Europe and Latin America are “what gives Wellington the aura it has.” He said if they don’t come because the facilities are lacking, property values will fall, leading to a lower quality of life for residents.
In 2017, Ingram led a successful effort to bring major league soccer to Nashville, Tenn., an initiative that has been “wildly successful.”
Along those lines, he pointed out that “opportunities come when they come…I see this current moment as a really important one and if we don’t take advantage, we will dramatically affect the future of the whole Village.”
He warned that if the opportunity is missed, the Wellington South land that could be used for showgrounds expansion will be developed with houses.
The whole development situation has become ever-more complicated, with its parameters, costs and numbers changing many times, making it difficult to follow or understand for many observers, who also are concerned about traffic and environmental issues.
There are a variety of conditions attached to the process of Wellington North and South approval. The most important measure is Condition 7, which keeps dressage at its current location until the expanded showgrounds is finished and dressage can move there, with a deadline of Dec. 31, 2028. Until that happens, no houses would be built at Wellington North.
A late starter was Condition 12, which calls for WLP to give the Village 55 acres of a former golf course (land WLP doesn’t own, but which is under contract) for use as a public park a few miles from Wellington North. The developer also would pay $2 million for improvements, while having the right to remove up to 30 percent of the land area for fill.
Andrew Carduner, a homeowner in the Village’s venerable Palm Beach Polo community, called the park an “obfuscation,” while emphasizing that the “equestrian community is the lifeblood of Wellington.”
Doug McMahon, the CEO of WLP and co-founder of luxury developer Nexus, said plans for development in Wellington have been modified to make them better, a process that “has been hard and been passionate” resulting in a request for 201 residences at Wellington North. (The neighboring Coach House property, which is not in the Preserve, already has been approved for 50 residences.)
Doug McMahon of WLP.
If Wellington North is not approved, six homes can still be built on the Equestrian Preserve and White Birch properties, along with a number of businesses, such as a riding school or offices. There is no requirement for the landowner to present dressage shows.
The developer has cut back on the number of housing units it seeks at both North and South, while McMahon said the project has improved as a result of the input received from residents by WLP.
He reminded those in attendance that “none of these lands are public lands” unlike national parks such as Yellowstone.
But Maureen Brennan, a leader of the recall movement, said of the Preserve “this is our Yellowstone.”
Although she suggested that the homes on Wellington North might become timeshares, renting to people who are not part of the community, similar to a Nexus project in the Bahamas, McMahon said in Wellington “we’re not doing residence clubs.”
Maureen Brennan at the podium.
He maintained the “vast majority” of the homes would be primary residences. A club model, he said, is based on real estate sales initially, a joining fee and annual dues that would allow the club community to be maintained. He noted WLP would have nothing to do with running the horse show.
The development saga has been running since the summer of 2022, when Bellissimo proposed “The Estates at Equestrian Village” project on the dressage showgrounds as part of his “Wellington 3.0 project.” Bellissimo, who took over the Winter Equestrian Festival in 2007, built the dressage showgrounds in 2012, but has lost the trust of some in Wellington with projects presented by his ownership group of Wellington Equestrian Partners over the years.
The Estates project was withdrawn and replaced last year with Wellington North and South, and WLP became the entity presenting it. Bellissimo stepped back as a principal of WLP in favor of McMahon as point man and has not been heard from at the meetings on Wellington North and South. His daughter, Paige, is WLP’s executive vice president.
The speakers Tuesday included Cynthia Gardner, who opened the first stable in Wellington in 1977 and was the first chairman of the equestrian committee. She recounted some history, saying the committee was asked to create an Equestrian Overlay District (the Preserve) “so we would never have to worry about the protection and preservation” of the Village’s equestrian properties. “The highest and best use of property in the Equestrian Preserve is not for housing development.”
She warned that encroachment could wind up with formerly equestrian properties being developed along the lines of what happened to Royal Palm Polo in Boca Raton, south of Wellington, where 10 polo fields became housing.
Land use attorney Harvey Oyer, representing the prominent Jacobs family, said that while his clients originally had a “cautiously neutral view” of the development proposal when he spoke during a meeting last year, “the family remembers well the history of past failed promises by other developers over the years.”
The Jacobs, whose Deeridge Farms is on Pierson Road, are among a group of landowners within 500 feet of Wellington North who should have the right to enforce the covenant of what can be done by the developers, Oyer said, and “not just hope that some future Village Council will do so, because we are the ones adversely affected.”
Part of the arrangement sought by the Jacobs would involve the Village manager making an annual inspection of the progress of work on the expanded showgrounds and reporting it on the Village website “so we all know what is going on there.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 3, 2024
John Nicholson, the former executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park, next month will succeed Michael Blowen as president and CEO of Old Friends, the thoroughbred racehorse retirement operation.
John ran the Horse Park in Lexington from 1997 to 2014. It hosted the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010, the first WEG to be held outside of Europe. He went on to become CEO of the Virginia Horse Center from 2015-2021.
Old Friends, with its main campus in Georgetown, Ky., near Lexington, began with Michael and his wife, Diane White taking a golf cart around to feed the horses in a low-key operation. On its 20th anniversary, it is now a multi-million dollar corporation on 240 acres with 300 horses.
It also has two satellite campuses; Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division, which opened in 2009 in Greenfield Center, N.Y., and Old Friends at Ashton Grove, a senior retirement community in Georgetown, where senior citizen humans can interact with senior citizen horses.
Michael Blowen and John Nicholson with Old Friends’ resident Red Knight.
“I started looking a couple of years ago for someone to take over as president,” said Michael.
“The most important thing I was looking for was someone that really, really, put the horses first. It’s not like they’d just be saying it, but that they really have to think about the horses first.
“Then maybe about six months ago,” Michael continued, “I ran into John and we started talking, and I said to him, ‘You know, I’m really looking for somebody to take over Old Friends because I’ve really taken it as far as I can take it. It needs a really good CEO that has managed a much bigger facility than we have, and the only way that we can improve is to get more space for more horses, which means more money, more donations, and an executive CEO that knows how to handle big business.’ ”
After 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand was sent to slaughter in Japan, where he had stood at stud, Old Friends, along with help from some others, became the first organization to repatriate Thoroughbreds from Japan to the United States. The first two horses to arrive home were Sunshine Forever and Creator.
Since then, six more Thoroughbreds – Fraise, Ogygian, Wallenda, Silver Charm, War Emblem, and Charismatic – were repatriated to the United States from Japan thanks to the efforts of Michael and Old Friends.
Old Friends has also repatriated a horse from Italy, Geri, and in 2022, he opened the door to returning horses from South Korea with the arrival of Any Given Saturday.
John noted, “I have always had a deeply felt respect and appreciation for Michael’s vision and tenacity. What he has accomplished is beyond remarkable. I have treasured our friendship over the years, especially having had a great collaborative relationship between Old Friends and the Kentucky Horse Park. He and I have always shared a spirit that the horse has given far more to us than we could ever give in return.
“Old Friends is making an important and vital contribution, not only to the racing industry, but most importantly to the lives of the horses who have given so much to us. I have been fortunate in my career to be a part of some meaningful endeavors, but Old Friends offers all of us who love the horse a unique opportunity to serve the animal who has served us so well.
“It is also very gratifying and reassuring that Michael will remain a part of the daily world of Old Friends as the founder. We are blessed that he is in good health and his passion for the mission of Old Friends is undiminished. I plan to sit at his knee in the weeks and months ahead to listen and learn. I know for certain that working with him and the Old Friends team will be exhilarating and rewarding.
“And, at this stage of my life and career, having had much experience in the equine, tourism, and non-profit worlds, I believe I am in a position to help assure that Old Friends will remain a strong and viable force for all the good things it does for decades and generations to come.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 14, 2024
A U.S. Equestrian Federation clinic for 11 up-and-coming young riders set off a storm of heated comment on social media Saturday, after some who viewed the session criticized comments by clinician Katie Monahan Prudent, while others supported her approach.
A member of the gold medal 1986 World Championships show jumping team, the always-outspoken Prudent was an equitation champion as a junior and won many hunter and jumper championships over the decades. She last competed internationally in 2015.
USEF issued a statement on Sunday saying, “We are aware of concerns regarding the recent clinic and are conducting a review of the matter.”
The federation added, “The safety and well-being of both horse and rider are of the utmost priority to U.S. Equestrian. Effective communication between trainer, horse and athlete is critical to safety and success in equestrian sport. At times, direct words are needed to get this across when coaching; however, under no circumstances does U.S. Equestrian condone training techniques that do not put horse and rider well-being first.”
Katie Monahan Prudent competing on V in 2013. (Photo © 2013 by Nancy Jaffer)
The video of the segment with the controversial remarks was not available on the USEF network in the wake of the furor. The listing bore the message: “The recording unfortunately is not working. We will fix the problem shortly.” An edited version appeared subsequently.
There were those on social media objecting to the way the 69-year-old Prudent addressed some of the students, who were between the ages of 16 and 21, calling it “bullying.” Others were incensed when she mentioned flipping a horse over backwards, suggesting one rider should “crash him into a fence rather than letting him turn” and saying that horses “need a good licking sometimes.” Prudent also criticized “animal rights activists who know nothing about training horses.”
She was critical of the fact that riders didn’t even know how to safely shorten their stirrups when mounted, and suggested to U.S. Show Jumping Developing Chef D’Equipe Anne Kursinski that doing it properly should be the subject of another lesson.
“As a group, you guys lack discipline,” Prudent informed the riders. She told them, “either you don’t listen or you’re just birdbrained.”
The clinic took place in Wellington, Florida, while the USEF’s annual meeting was being held in Kentucky, ironically with an emphasis on “social license to operate” for the sport, so it has public acceptance.
Kaylee Monserrate, who called Prudent’s coaching “incredible for me,” said “her fast corrections for any mistakes I made kept me safe during the 1.45m schooling we were typically doing.”
She did, however, suggest some of Prudent’s comments, “could have been done so a little more tactfully, such as insinuating flipping a horse, etc., which is not okay.”
Kaylee noted, “The most learning here needs to be the industry as a whole, including the trainers in it. How students in a horsemanship clinic such as this one have never saddled a horse or properly changed their stirrup length is incredible and mind-blowing.”
She suggested many of Prudent’s remarks “came from what seems as an area of frustration,” and contended the industry itself is broken.
U.S. eventing world championships individual silver medalist Dorothy Trapp Crowell reacted this way, “I understand I am old school, but I actually agree with everything she’s saying. God forbid any of my lessons or clinics from the past were put out on Facebook now. Pull up your big girl britches and do what she says. She is actually trying to keep these kids safe by giving them the tools they need to ride safely. Which in the end keeps the horses safe.”
Hope Glynn, whose daughter, Avery, was in the clinic, called it “great,” citing the instruction of not only Katie, but also Anne Kursinski and Beezie Madden.
“Katie set a tough gymnastics and if you answered the test, she praised you and if you didn’t, she taught you what to do…I am far more offended by trainers who say, `Yes, good job’ to everything. I encourage you to watch the whole clinic, the positives, the negatives, and spend your time learning instead of attacking someone online.”
Dutch Olympic show jumping individual silver medalist Albert Voorn, on the other hand, was outraged, stating it was unbelievable “that the USA equestrian federation allows this on their showgrounds. The world is totally lost.” (It isn’t U.S. Equestrian’s showgrounds, actually, but licensed shows are held there.)
Eventer Halley Anne commented, “What I learned from this is that if someone tells me to flip my horse over, I will leave the lesson. Hyperbole or not. If that’s the best way an instructor can think of to explain what they want me to do, then that is not the lesson for me or my horse. That being said, I liked her tough teaching style.”
Jeremy Steinberg, former. U.S youth. dressage coach, observed, “If it is in fact the case that `under no circumstances, does US Equestrian condone training techniques that do not put horse and rider well being first,’ you would clearly see that both horse and rider, on many occasions, were being over-faced, horses being incorrectly punished for lack of education as well as riders. If it was in fact the case that those horse and rider combinations were not up for the task, it should’ve been US Equestrian or Katie’s responsibility to then educate as opposed to berate and rough up.”
Meanwhile, Alice Debany Clero, the country’s leading junior jumper rider in 1986, declared that “Katie was the best trainer I ever had. Of course, she didn’t really mean she would flip the horse over. She was just trying to make a point to the riders that the ability of stopping in a straight line is very important.
“Please don’t let her blunt expressions soil her reputation,” added Alice, who coaches the Dubai show jumping team.
And here’s one more viewpoint, from Susan Bright: “When I was in college,” I was in a clinic with a top clinician/judge from Virginia Beach. I was winning equitation classes and felt like I knew quite a bit. During the mounted discussion, he threw his clipboard at me and said, `Riding isn’t about looking pretty, it’s about being a thinking rider.’
“He took off my stirrups and had me ride cross-country jumps until I fell off. (Then) said to get out of the way of the other riders. That lesson blazed a mark in my mind. But it made me a better thinking rider.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 15, 2024
McLain Ward accepted the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s International Equestrian of the Year title and the International Horse of the Year title for stellar jumper HH Azur this weekend during the organization’s annual meeting in Louisville, Ky., while John French took the National Equestrian title and the trophy for Paradigm, the hunter who took National Horse of the Year.
The awards were voted on by USEF membership. Although standouts from a wide range of breeds and disciplines were nominated for the honors, the winners were not surprising, considering not only their accomplishments, but also the fact that hunter/jumper members are the biggest component of the federation.
McLain, who also was International Equestrian of the Year in 2017, rode 11 horses at the international level during 2023.
At the beginning of the season, he won the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva and the Rolex Grand Prix of ‘s-Hertogenbosch at the Dutch Masters with HH Azur, better known as Annie. She is owned by McLain and DoubleH Farm. They were only the second combination ever to win two consecutive legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping since its inception in 2013.
McLain Ward and HH Azur. (Photo © 2017 by Nancy Jaffer)
Annie, McLain’s ride for victory in the 2017 Longines FEI World Cup finals, retired after Aachen, but Ward kept going. He helped the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team to a win in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup in San Juan Capistrano aboard Contagious and secured another victory in the Grand Prix aboard Kasper van het Hellehof. He rode Callas to a top result for the team in the Mercedes-Benz Jumping Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen, followed by another strong performance for the pair at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in Barcelona.
He rode Contagious in the Pan American Games,helping the team secure the USA’s qualification for the Paris Olympics with a team gold, and earned individual bronze as well.
“We are very honored to receive this award because it is chosen by our US Equestrian community. It is a reflection of our team’s hard work, and how that work is having a positive impact,” said Mclain in his acceptance.
“You might ask why I started this speech with the word `we’ instead of `I’. The reality is that [it is] because of the individuals and professionals around me, both past and present, that any of our accomplishments have been possible. The people around me have been some of the most brilliant and knowledgeable minds who have not only been the reason for that success in the sport, but have also, more importantly, made sure our horses have had a wonderful quality of life because of the care they receive.”
He gave special acknowledgement to his associate of more than 35 years, Lee McKeever.
“My first thought was that I was not truly the horseman behind our success,” said McLain.
“My job in this operation has always been to ride, train, and compete, but Lee is the true horseman,” McLain contended.
“I believe that true geniuses don’t often realize they are a genius, and that is true for Lee. He wakes up every morning thinking about the horses, and he spends his days figuring out what they need to be the best in the sport and, much more importantly, in their lives.”
John French added the National Horse and Horseman trophies to a resume that already included a long list of achievements, among them the 2012 WCHR Lifetime Achievement Award and a place in the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame.
In 2023, John won three major events on three different horses, all of whose hunter careers he started himself. He added to his list of career successes by topping a field of 83 competitors to win the Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium with Meredith Lipke’s Paradigm.
John French and Paradigm.
He also won the $100,000 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular on Kent Farrington LLC’s Milagro and the $25,000 WCHR Professional Challenge on Marnell Sport Horses’s Babylon — his third consecutive WCHR Pro Challenge win. He also received the inaugural Jeff Wirthman Memorial Trophy as the Winter Equestrian Festival’s Leading Hunter Trainer by money won in 2023.
“I would like to really thank Kent Farrington,” John told his audience, “because four years ago, I pretty much thought I was going to wind down. I don’t think I would have had the success without the team that I have. I couldn’t do this on my own and I don’t see myself doing it on my own. These last few years with having a team and having someone like Kent; hopefully, now maybe I can go on for several more years. I really hope so.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 10, 2024
The beginning of the winter dressage circuit every year is a time for change, but this season it seems an unusual number of high-level horses are switching owners.
The most recent on that list is Serenade MF (Sir Donnerhall/Duet MF X Don Principe). The mare, known fondly as “Shrimp” for her relatively diminutive size, was bought by Jessica Howington. The 11-year-old Hanoverian was ridden in the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals by Alice Tarjan, who raised her from a foal.
The timing was right, as Jessica just retired her Grand Prix horse, Cavalia, this month. She has ridden Shrimp only 10 times, but sees similarities between her and Cavalia, particularly the fact that both are by Sir Donnerhall.
“I’m really excited for them. I think it’s a great match,” Alice said about Shrimp going to Jessica.
“It will be fun to cheer them on.”
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Alice has plenty of other horses to keep her busy, including Jane, who had nine victories in a row in a variety of Intermediate competitions between October 2022 and October 2023. She will be looking to give Jane more ring time this season.
So what are Jessica’s plans with her new horse, bred in North Carolina by Maryanna Haymon?
“I have no idea,” admitted Jessica, who is based in Ocala but is spending the winter at Rowan O’Riley’s farm in White Fences, near Wellington, which means she is right down the road from Alice’s winter quarters. She is training with Charlotte Bredahl, who is serving as the U.S. developing rider coach until April 1.
Serenade MF enjoying a victory during Dressage at Devon with Alice Tarjan. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“In a perfect world, of course, I’d like to say I’m going to do the grands prix and go for Paris,” noted Jessica, referring to this summer’s Olympics.
“But this is a brand new relationship and I don’t want to put too much pressure on her or myself,” she explained in discussing her future with Shrimp.
“I want to just be able to take my time with her and build a relationship on that, so when we do go out for the first time, it’s a really good, positive experience and build from there. I need a few more rides under my belt with her before I make any major decisions.”
“Ideally,” Jessica continued, “I would like to get her in the CDI arena this season, if the relationship is good.
Andrea Woodard, with whom Jessica has trained, had learned Shrimp was for sale and shared the news.
“That’s how I heard about her, so of course, I went to try her,” said Jessica,
It was love at first ride.
“I got on and the second I picked up the trot I was like, `Yup, this feels exactly how I want it to feel.’ It did give me a lot of the same feeling as when I sat on Cavalia.”
Jessica Howington and Shrimp. (Photo courtesy Jessica Howington)
That mare has two foals by embryo transplant, and Jessica would like a few more, but she won’t risk having 17-year-old Cavalia carry a foal herself.
Jessica is a professional horsewoman with several other mounts. One is Lordswood Bernstein (known as Bagel), a six-year-old KWPN breeding stallion she’s had since he was a three-year-old. Like Alice, she buys horses young and trains them herself. She is hoping Bagel will compete at Third Level in Wellington.
She also owns MW Marcario (nicknamed Miso), a seven-year-old Oldenburg who is competing at Prix St. Georges.
But there is more in Jessica’s life than horses. The 44-year-old Emory University graduate, a native of Georgia, is a nurse practitioner who is active in her profession. While in Wellington, she is able to use telehealth to serve patients, and is dealing with those on hospice and palliative care.
She balances it all gracefully, and with appreciation.
“I am very grateful to have this opportunity with Shrimp. I feel very fortunate, and a huge part of that I owe to my parents, Melanie and King Howington, for helping me follow my dreams with her.”
To read about other recent changes in dressage horse ownership, click on this link, and look at the second feature on this website. Also check out the article on Heidi Humphries in the On the Rail section of this site.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 13, 2024
There were some sentimental moments Saturday night before the first show jumping grand prix of the season at WEF, as veteran campaigner Mark Q was retired at the age of 22.
Kevin Babington took a joyful victory gallop at Devon after winning the grand prix in 2016. (Photo © 2016 by Nancy Jaffer)
Mark Q (Obos Quality X Abbey Emerald) is best known as the mount of Ireland’s Kevin Babington, whose victories with him included Devon, Lake Placid and Wellington. The bay gelding, bred in Ireland by Barbara and John Walshe, came to Kevin as an eight-year-old and they were a special match through a long career.
In 2019, Kevin suffered a fall with another horse in competition that left him paralyzed from the chest down. His teenage daughter, Gwyneth, took over the ride on Mark Q and gained valuable experience in 2- and 3-star classes.
Kevin Babington with his wife, Dianna, daughter Gwyneth and Mark Q at the horse’s retirement ceremony.
As Gwyneth rode Mark Q under the Wellington International arch, Kevin and his wife, Dianna, were on hand for the retirement ceremony in the center of the arena before a packed house in Wellington, Fla. They were joined by their other daughter, Marielle, and several supporters. Mark Q will live a life of leisure on their farm in Loxahatchee, Fla.
Tribute was also paid to Alan Chesler, an avid rider and an important figure behind the scenes in the world of show jumping.
