by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 24, 2024
Forty years ago, California’s Santa Anita racetrack hosted one of the greatest show jumping competitions of all time—the Olympics. That ended in a team gold for the USA, as well as individual gold for Joe Fargis and silver for Conrad Homfeld.
On Saturday night, the first grand prix at the venue since the 1984 Los Angeles Games emerged as a worthy successor to that landmark confrontation of decades past. A top-quality field of 40 (including the entire U.S. Paris Olympics silver medal team) gave the fans an exciting evening in the $400,000 Longines FEI World Cup qualifier that wasn’t decided until the last entry wrapped up the eight-horse tiebreaker.
The class in the shadow of the track’s starting gate belonged to Karl Cook and one of the fastest horses in the world, Caracole de la Roque, whose exacting, agile turns enabled the duo to outdistance Israel’s Daniel Bluman and Corbie V.V. by 1.68 seconds. Daniel continues to lead the North American League standings for the Cup.
Cara, as the winning horse is known, seemed to simply fly around the course designed by Anderson Lima of Mexico for the class that was part of the Split Rock jumping tour.
Caracole de la Roque and Karl Cook. (Shannon Brinkman photo)
The partnership between Karl and his mount continues to develop and deepen with every competition.
“She’s amazing. So game. So committed. She understands what’s going on before I do,” said Karl, who rode on the USA’s Paris team with Laura Kraut and McLain Ward, neither of whom made the jump-off at the track.
Laura had two rails with Baloutinue and McLain tapped the third part of the triple with Callas. Kent Farrington, who was named to the Paris squad but didn’t ride when his horse was under the weather, had been clear until the final fence with Toulayna.
Of his brilliant Selle Francais mare, Karl explained, “Every moment on her is a pleasure. As long as we’re going forward with speed, then there’s no `no.’ ”
Daniel also was aboard a mare, a newer ride with a dynamic spirit.
For his part, he observed, “If I give my 70 percent, [Corbie] is probably going to jump a clear round.”
Daniel Bluman and Corbie V.V. (Shannon Brinkman photo)
The rider, who has finished among the top 10 in each of the first four legs of the North American League season, added, “That’s a great feeling, to be able to have when you have this level of competition. I think the future is bright for her.”
Karl had the advantage of going last in the tie-breaker to log his clocking of 41.19 seconds, where the first to go, Ashlee Bond of Israel on Donatello had an incredible time of 40.44, but dropped two rails in the process to finish seventh.
Ireland’s Cian O’Connor balanced speed and caution with a new horse, a grey appropriately called Iron Man, finishing in 44.68 without dropping a rail to finish third.
Unexpectedly, chilly rain fell during part of the class in normally warm Southern California, but the riders coped admirably.
The Longines FEI World Cup qualifier course
The victory had special meaning for Karl, a native Californian.
“This is a wonderful setting, a historical setting, one that deserves, in my mind, show jumping,” he said. “I’ve wanted this investment—in time, people, and money—in California for so long.”
Disappointingly, however, Santa Anita is not a candidate to stage its second Olympics four years from now.
It was a wonderful venue in 1984, when all the equestrian competition was presented there except eventing cross-country (which was held at a nearby golf course). I will never forget seeing the racetrack’s grandstands packed to capacity with cheering fans as amazing sport took place.
The World Cup qualifier offered a compelling invitation to continue the highest level of the sport in the Golden State, and particularly at Santa Anita, but the Olympics is going to the 240 acre-Galway Downs venue in Temecula, because the 2028 Games organizers decreed each part of a sport must be held in the same location. There is no place for cross-country at Santa Anita.
Next for Karl is the Geneva, Switzerland, show in December as he continues to produce encores for his Paris performance.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 23, 2024
It’s been a few weeks since a status report on Olympic eventer Liz Halliday has come out, but word today is that her rehabilitation from a traumatic brain injury continues unabated at the Shirley Ryan Abililty Clinic in Chicago.
A release from her friends and family stated, “Her grit and determination shines through each day and her body continues to show increased stamina.”
As a competitor, Liz Halliday was always known for her fighting spirit, and she continues in that vein through rehab.
They added, “We are more confident than ever that Liz is with the best team possible, and her daily progress and work ethic is evident to them as well as us.”
Liz Halliday has always been upbeat. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
They thanked Liz’s supporters, saying, “Your words of encouragement and support mean the world to us all and to Liz. Her peers, friends, sponsors and community have stepped up in a way we could not even have imagined. The equestrian community is a remarkable family and one we are so blessed to be a part of.”
Liz fell with her horse, Shanroe Cooley, on cross-country in August at the American Eventing Championships. While the horse was uninjured, Liz sustained a head injury and underwent brain surgery to relieve the pressure.The mantra of her friends and family is, #”Keep Fighting Liz,” and that’s what she’s doing. Meanwhile, her horses have been sent to other riders so they can stay fit and remain in training.
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 19, 2024
The Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park is ready to host California horse shows in the new year after the Ridland Group completed a state-of-the-art plan to capture stormwater originating from its facility in San Juan Capistrano, according to a joint statement from that entity and the Orange County Coastkeeper organization.
The new infrastructure will keep contaminated storm water out of San Juan Creek, an important waterway that supports aquatic habitat and flows into Doheny State Beach. The plan resolves Orange County Coastkeeper’s concerns and cements the two groups’ alliance in support of clean water.
“We extend our sincere congratulations to the Ridland Group for completing this project ahead of schedule,” said Garry Brown, founder and president of Orange County Coastkeeper.
“We are excited to observe the new system during the upcoming rainy season and are confident in its success.”
Coastkeeper hopes the stormwater capture system can serve as a national model, proving that large-scale equestrian centers can be effective watershed stewards.
“This is a huge stride forward for the equestrian community,” said Hillary Ridland, CEO of the Ridland Group.
“With this accomplished, we can get started on all of the upgrades we have planned for the park. We thank Coastkeeper for its cooperation as we found our way to the finish line.”
In May, the U.S. Equestrian Federation reorganized major shows on the Southern California spring/summer calendar in the wake of Coastkeeper’s decision earlier in the month to bar any equestrian activities involving more than 25 horses from the Riding Park.
The indefinite closure was due to failure of the Ridland Group to comply with requirements and commitments made under a 2018 consent decree involving water quality, according to USEF. The Ridland Group also is run by Hillary’s husband, USEF show jumping chef d’equipe Robert Ridland.
According to a posting by the City of San Juan Capistrano, it entered the 2018 consent decree with Coastkeeper and the Ridland Group to resolve litigation arising from alleged water quality violations at the city’s Riding Park property. It required completion of three water quality projects by April 15, 2024, several of which were done by the city.
When the work was not completed, a competition application process for the Riding Park’s dates was begun for organizers who met USEF standards, license criteria and had a venue. There were 21 applications submitted, including by the Ridland Group, for the period from June into September.
The city, the Ridland Group and Coastkeeper reached agreement in mid-May on an amendment to the consent decree that extended the Ridland Group’s project completion timeline, allowing equestrian events at the venue. Blenheim Equisports kept five of its 10 shows at the Riding Park.Two Blenheim shows also were held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.
Some show calendar decisions for California in 2025 are pending.
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 20, 2024
Sabine Schut-Kery, the highest-scoring rider on the 2021 Olympic silver medal team, has received the U.S. Dressage Foundation’s $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize.
Sabine will use the money for training Sonnenberg’s Jersey, a 10-year-old Dutch warmblood stallion owned by Gina and Dan Ruediger and bred by M.A. Van de Goor in the Netherlands.
At the 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions this year, Sabine and Jersey were Intermediate 1 champions. Sabine will use the prize for intensive training with Christine Traurig, who also was chef d’equipe of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.. Sabine will take video lessons with her German-based trainer, Jan Nivelle, and ride in clinics with Lilo Fore, who has judged dressae at the highest level.
“I am beyond excited and grateful to receive this year’s Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize for Sonnenberg’s Jersey,” said Sabine.
“This generous prize from the Dressage Foundation will give me more concentrated training to help me develop Jersey toward Grand Prix. Without this grant, our education would be limited, and we could not receive the training needed to reach the highest levels of the sport. I am extremely excited about Jersey’s potential and our future together.”
Sabine Schut-Kery and Jersey. (Susan J. Stickle Photo)
She continued, “I can’t thank TDF enough for the commitment, support, and passion for dressage in the USA and I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Jersey’s owners, Gina and Dan Ruediger, my coach Christine Traurig, and my close team for believing in us and supporting this partnershi. I will work very hard and hope we will make you proud.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 17, 2024
It’s the West coast’s version of “indoors,” the time-honored circuit that runs from the end of September through the beginning of November in the East.
The Las Vegas National, hosting the Marshall+Sterling Insurance/U.S. Hunter Jumper Association National Championships, is a standout standalone for a region where the most important shows are outdoors.
The venue is a casino hotel, the South Point. It’s 570,000-square-foot equestrian complex under one roof has 1,147 indoor stalls and hosts 46 weeks of equestrian sport annually.
Seeing riders in boots and breeches walking past the wildly dinging slot machines is a bit incongruous, but it’s fun, and they love it. The show, which ended its seven-day run on Sunday, plays along with the Vegas spirit, offering special awards for bling turnout to juniors and amateurs. They showed up in everything from a red-sequined jacket to a shiny pink jumpsuit.
Vegas first became a prime destination for show jumpers in 2000, when it hosted a ground-breaking show biz version of the FEI World Cup Finals, complete with fireworks, an Elvis impersonator and an abundance of glitter. It held the finals four more times at University of Nevada at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center, with the 2020 edition cancelled due to Covid.
The World Cup Finals at Thomas & Mack put Vegas on the map for show jumping. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
In the early 2000s, I attended a discussion at South Point about the possibility of having the casino hotel present one leg of the East coast National Horse Show after it left Madison Square Garden, but the idea came to nothing.
Decades later, the USHJA Championships demonstrate all that concept could have been, with classes running simultaneously in three rings and offerings ranging from jumpers over 2-foot, 3-inch fences to a $49,999 1.40 meter grand prix, national hunter derbies, leadline, all flavors of equitation and many more.
Show manager Pat Boyle remarked “The whole concept of this event with the USHJA is allowing the people who have never been to a really big horse show and finals before” to participate.
“It’s kind of a two-part horse show. You have this group that has never experienced this high level, all these affiliate kids who qualified in their hometowns locally at small shows and come to a big national championship, which is amazing.
“But it also caters to the high-end people. Everyone has an opportunity. You walk around, you feel the vibe, you feel the excitement. They come with grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles. To see the excitement at all different levels; it’s what makes you get up every morning.”
Families come out to support competitors at the Las Vegas National. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Yet this year’s show easily could.have been no show. The FEI component, which included a World Cup qualifier, was cancelled at nearly the last minute. But California’s Desert International Horse Park CEO, Steve Hankin, became involved to make sure the competition that is a goal for so many would go on, even without FEI classes. That was important.
“Kudos to Steve Hankin and all the partners at Desert Horse Park for jumping in when this thing maybe wasn’t going to happen at all,” said Pat.
“We said, `No, we can’t let that happen.’”
After a one-hour meeting with Steve, Bill Moroney of the U.S. Equestrian Federation and USHJA President Britt McCormick, “We pulled together and said, `We’re going to make it happen,’” Pat recalled, acknowledging organizers were conscious that exhibitors already had made their plans and reservations, while “kids have been dreaming about this for 10 months.”
Exhibitor Paige Walkenbach agreed about the youth perspective, explaining, “It’s a fun thing to look forward to at the end of the year. It’s cool being in Las Vegas for a horse show. It’s so random, but so fun.””
Paige Walkenbach and Princeton, winner of the national junior amateur hunter derby. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The Arizona rider won the junior/adult hunter derby on Princeton and also claimed the California Professional Horsesman’s Association West Coast Equestrian Junior/Amateur medal final, a jumper-style equitation class. She comes back every year for it, having finished third, second and now, finally, landed on the top tier with Bigtalu GZ, a horse she began showing only the previous weekend.
Paige was also a star on the Eastern indoor circuit this year, taking the National Horse Show’s Grand Hunter Championship in Kentucky, and many other prizes along the way.
Being a winner East and West — which is more important for the rider who is heading to Florida for the beginning of her final year as a junior?
“Coming back here is kind of like a home to me,” Paige observed while wearing the colorful WCE medal around her neck after the three-round class.
“I live on the West coast, so it’s always nice seeing familiar faces, people I’ve grown up with. East is like a whole other world, new people. It’s just so special going to both coasts.”
Kasey Ament, a California professional, was victorious in the grand prix with her long-time mount, Gaia, “the fastest, the bravest, the most game.” She follows course designer Anderson Lima when he’s on the West coast because she thinks her horses jump better after tackling the routes he sets.
“I really enjoy this show,” the winner added, saying it felt more relaxed without the FEI classes.
“I come to Las Vegas every year,” said Kasey, who has ridden in the FEI grands prix at the show previously. She was the 2004 winner of the BET/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West, as it was called at the time.
Grand Prix winner Kasey Ament and Gaia. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The success of the DIHP-produced fixture is even more impressive because organizers had a very short time to put it together without the FEI element.
“It is a very important horse show for a very important segment of customers,” said Steve Hankin.
“Even though we’ve only been at it for 60 days, we were hoping to make it special and I think the reaction has been great. There are not a lot of opportunities on the West coast to ride indoors. It’s a different horse show than it’s been. I feel really good about it.”
The big question is what will happen next year, and will there be an FEI component again? Without FEI, more riders had a chance to compete and ride in the main ring, the South Point Arena.
“I think everybody is trying to figure out a good path forward that maintains this special horse show,” Steve said.
Even leadliners, like Jamison Mahoney, have a chance to shine at the Las Vegas National. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’re pretty invested to continue to make it successful. It’s not, in the end, our decision,” he continued, saying that USEF and USHJA are also part of the equation, but he is “hopeful about it. We have a voice at the table.”
At a post-show meeting of the principals, he expects the conversation to answer these questions, “What did we learn and where do we go? I have more of a bias to try and figure out how to make it work than I did going into it. It’s a very important show to try to figure out and make it sustainable. We’re pretty happy with it.”
“I think there’s a lot of passion for it and a lot of desire to make it work,” he emphasized, adding that the South Point crew was “super to work with. What great partners they are. Everything we’ve needed, they’re been there for us.”
The USHJA’s Britt McCormick, making his first trip to the show, admitted, “I went into it a long-term skeptic. I’d never been, so I had nothing to base that on.”
However, he soon changed his mind.
“After being there and seeing the production Desert and Pat put on and watching the affiliate side, our side, I’m blown away by it.
“I’m a huge fan. I think it has the potential to be one of the top championships in the country. It was above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I see even more growth potential.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 11, 2024
Like the victors in the other major equitation championships this fall, the winner of the Platinum Performance/ USEF Show Jumping Talent Search West has parents who are professionals.
Avery Glynn, the daughter of Hope Glynn and Ned Glynn, took the title last weekend at the Desert International Horse Park in California, more than a month after Taylor Cawley won the East version at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.
A member of the equestrian team at Auburn University in Alabama, Avery borrowed Change Up PS from David Bustillos for the class when she flew home to the West Coast.
Avery Glynn and Change Up PS (Photo by Avery Wallace)
“He has just been the most incredible partner,” she said of her mount, an OIdenburg stallion.
“So scopey, a big stride, brave—I’m just so lucky to have been able to show him.”
Judges Kirsten Coe and Michael Tokaruk designed a version of the Paris Olympic course to test the 26 riders who participated. Paige Walkenbach, who won the flat phase, finished second, followed by Victoria Zahorik and Katherine Reuter.
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 10, 2024
Not too far down the road, your dressage test likely will be judged to some extent by Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as a human official. And you probably can expect AI to be used to a certain degree in horse inspections at competitions in the future.
That was part of the discussion during a press conference following a closed-door gathering last week in the Netherlands of the International Dressage Riders Club, the International Dressage Trainers Club and the Dressage Organizers and Officials organization.
So how should AI be used in judging dressage? The most obvious answer is for items such as keeping track of the number of lead changes, regularity of paces or how many times a horse performs a pirouette.
“There are a lot of possibilities,” said Klaus Roeser, secretary-general of the IDRC, noting riders and trainers are quite interested but the judges “are a little bit scared about it. They may think, `Maybe in five years, they don’t need us anymore.’ ”
But Klaus said, “That’s totally not the point,” explaining AI may reduce the complexity of the judging task, so the officials “can concentrate more on the quality. Because quality you can’t measure with AI.”
In the near future, the use of AI will be tested, and judges are open to the idea, according to Klaus. It was pointed out that use of AI may help spectators understand the sport better.
As dressage reacts to being under pressure after several well-publicized, high-profile horse abuse cases in the past year, more than 120 stakeholders of the sport at the meeting discussed that situation and others that can impact the future of dressage, particularly its inclusion in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Suggestions gleaned from the gathering on a look at the state of the sport went to Ronan Murphy, the FEI’s director of dressage, who is developing a new strategy for the discipline.
Issues center around perception, welfare, transparency and trust, items that need to be addressed in order to improve the situation, said Linda Keenan, secretary-general of the IDTC. Linda said “specific things” will be done “to gain more trust,” but until Ronan is ready to reveal them, no more can be said.
Klaus suggested that having open stable days so people can see how the horses are taken care of, could be a helpful approach, but he added, “it will never prevent if you have boys or girls doing bad things behind closed doors.”
Linda mentioned that riding that is not good enough can be conflated to become a welfare issue, when it’s simply “not fulfilling the goals to get a high score.” She also noted, “just because you’re not doing something perfectly is not the same as being abusive. We really need to do a better job of clarifying what is abuse and what isn’t abuse.”
Organizers addressed the difficulties they are having putting on CDIs and the financial pressures that exist in connection with that. At its general assembly this week, the FEI will address cutting the number of judges officiating at a World Cup Final from seven to five for cost-saving reasons.
The Dutch and Swedish federations made a proposal to allow use of a snaffle, instead of a double bridle, at Grand Prix in international competitions. It will not be voted on at this year’s general assembly, but Linda said it seems the FEI wants to encourage organizers to offer restricted classes where the snaffle is used, though such classes could not be Olympic qualifiers.
She noted the double bridle is not a welfare issue. Linda added a recent study showed there are more mouth lesions with snaffles. Riding with a double bridle is a skill; “it’s one of the ultimate skills of dressage riding. Competitors need to prove their competence at the top level in terms of using a double bridle.”
Other items discussed at the meeting included the effect that shape and fitting of the bit and bridle have on horse performance, the effect of saddle design on performance and the rider’s seat and the impending device for testing the tightness of a noseband, which is not yet available, so it’s not possible to give a recommendation on how to deal with it, Linda said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 10, 2024
Three times a winner at Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Alex Matz wrapped up that trifecta with his first-ever Longines FEI World Cup qualifier victory Saturday night.
Alex is the 28-year-old son of U.S. Olympian Michael Matz, who won the same class at the Royal in 1977, and Michael’s wife, DD, who also rode on teams for the country. That pedigree demonstrates how show jumping success runs in the family, as Alex achieved the only double-clear in a five-horse jump-off. The course set by Oscar Soberon, making his Royal designing debut, foiled big name after big name.
Third to go in the tiebreaker, Alex was flawless with Ikigai in 34.68 seconds. That time would be bettered, but not his record over the fences. The USA’s McLain Ward and his Olympic mount, Ilex, toppled a pole but edged Matz on the clock by 0.10 seconds. Canada’s Tiffany Foster, the favorite of the capacity crowd of 6,500, had by far the fastest clocking in 32.81 seconds with the aptly named Electrique, but a rail at the final towering vertical put her second.
Ikigai, an 11-year-old KWPN chestnut stallion by Elvis ter Putte, had been out with an injury and underwent recovery for a year.
With “so much talent, the most talent of any horse I’ve ridden,” Ikigai was worth waiting for, noted Alex, who rode on the U.S. squad last month in the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona.
Alex Matz and Ikigai.
“I never thought I would have had the week that I had this week, The horse tried his heart out,” said Alex, who was named the show’s leading international rider. His other victories earlier in the week came with Cashew CR.
“Even if I was second, the horse performed so well that I would have been happy.”
Explaining her strategy, Tiffany said, ““I was trying to go as fast as I could, and the only part of the jump-off I watched was Alex’s turn to the last fence. I tried to replicate it, but I didn’t do it as well.
“This is Electrique’s first FEI World Cup™ class and her first big class indoors,” Tiffany said of the mare developed by U.S. Olympic medalist Kent Farrington.
“I think the world of her. She’s a real competitor. She loves to go fast and the faster you go, the faster her brain works and the faster her legs move,” added Tiffany, who received the trophy for being the show’s leading Canadian rider.
Defending champion Daniel Bluman of Israel finished seventh with Gemma W. That was good enough for him to move into the lead in the North American League standings with 37 points. American riders are close behind; Kristen Vanderveen is second with 36 point, followed by Kent with 30 points. They’re all trying to qualify for the final in Switzerland next April.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 5, 2024
Kent Farrington and McLain Ward will represent the U.S. next month in Geneva at that most elite of elite match-ups, the International Jumping Riders Club’s competition for the world’s top 10.
Here is the complete list of participants: World Number One Henrik von Eckermann (Sweden), current titleholder Steve Guerdat going for the title for the fourth time, former Olympic champion Ben Maher (Great Britain), Kent at number four; Julien Epaillard (France), Max Kuhner (Austria), Richard Vogel (Germany), Olympic champion Christian Kukuk (Germany) McLain and Ireland’s Conor Swail.
Kent is at the far left on the second row; McLain is second from right in the first row.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has qualified as one of 10 nations that will compete for the second season of the Longines League of Nations. The U.S.earned the third-most points, behind Ireland and France and ahead of Olympic champion Great Britain. At the bottom of the rankings, Brazil was replaced by Italy in tenth and Canada was close, eleventh, but did not make the cut.
The U.S. leg of the League is held during March at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala.
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 5, 2024
A legendary rider of the 1970s and ’80s, Capt. Con Power of Ireland, has passed away at age 71 after a long illness.
A mainstay of the Irish team during his era, Capt. Power was part of his nation’s three straight victories in the country’s most important competition, the Aga Khan Cup at the Royal Dublin Horse Show, in 1978, 1979 and 1980. He was leading rider at Dublin in 1976 and 1979 and took the same award at Washington, New York and Toronto in 1978. Capt. Power won five classes at Aachen in 1979,
The horses he rode included Coolronan, Castlepark and Rockbarton. Another of his mounts, Mullacrew, became the dam of influential Irish sporthorse sire, Cruising.
The legendary Irish Aga Khan team of Paul Darragh, Con Power, James Kiernan and Eddie Macken.
Although he started his career as a jockey, growing to 6-feet, 2-inches tall called for a change of focus. Beginning in the Army Equitation School in 1973 on a six-week trial, he was selected to stay. In 1979, he retired from the Irish Defense Forces and set up his own equestrian business. The former officer was Irish Show Jumping Rider of the Year from 1983-1986.
Irish Horse Board Chairman Tiernan Gill pointed out that “Capt. Con Power really was one of Ireland’s true horsemen, with sporting achievements in so many different aspects of the industry, coaching, racing, eventing and showjumping.
“To be part of the famous three-in-a-row Aga Khan winning team on three different Irish-bred horses, demonstrates the phenomenal talent that he had with different types of horses. Winning a puissance competition before riding on a winning Nations Cup team at the same show, on the same horse, is a something that will probably never be repeated.”
Capt. Power is survived by his wife, Margaret, and their children, Robbie, a former jockey and Elizabeth, an eventer.
