by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 1, 2023
“Thank you, beautiful Dalera,” is the way Jessica von Bredow-Werndl expressed her gratitude to TSF Dalera BB after winning the dressage Grand Prix at Aachen on Thursday, and she had the chance to say it again today, after another victory, this one in the Grand Prix Special.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera. (Photo courtesy CHIO Aachen)
It was her 10th triumph in a row since November 2022, with time off between January and the FEI World Cup final in April while she was on maternity leave.
There were a few bobbles this morning; the marks of 6 she got in the collected walk transition into the piaffe, and uncharacteristic 4’s and 5’s for a miss in the flying changes between the canter pirouettes.
“It’s not so easy when you try to be so light in the aids,” said the Olympic champion.
“I made two wrong decisions which ended up in two big mistakes,” explained Jessica.
“In the transition from the collected walk to the piaffe, I collected Dalera too much into transition to the piaffe. And with the one-tempis on the center line, I waited too long.” The rider from Bavaria said both mistakes were her fault: “Dalera was amazing; I wasn’t,” she emphasized.
The very refined Dalera, a 16-year-old Trakehner by Easy Game, made up for the mishaps stepping as lightly as if she were dancing on a cloud.
As expected, Jessica’s score of 81.021 led the way to a German team victory (458.285). Denmark (460.097) was second despite the best efforts of Great Britain’s Charlottes, Dujardin and (Lottie) Fry, who were the pillars of the third-place British team (459.756).
Charlotte Dujardin is still getting to know Imhotep.
Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep. (Photo courtesy CHIO Aachen)
“He is making such good progress as the moment and is gaining more and more strength and expression,” she explained about the Dutch warmblood, marked at 80.787.
World Champion Lottie, riding her Olympic mount, the Dutchbred Everdale, rather than her world’s mount, Glamourdale, finished fourth with a score of 79.574. Maybe we’ll see Glamourdale face off with Dalera at the European Championships this summer.
Third place went to the best Danish pair, Nanna Skodborg Merrald, with the Oldenburg-bred gelding, Zepter by Zack with a score of 80.340 percent.
The horse was schooled by Daniel Bachmann Andersen. When Daniel left the Blue Hors Stud, Zepter was intended as a schoolmaster for a young rider, but he also left. So Nanna, took over the gelding; together they were second at the FEI World Cup finals in Omaha.
Click here for individual results, and on this link for team results.
Aachen didn’t go well for the U.S. team, which finished last of eight nations. Chalk it up to a learning experience.
“There are certainly things we will take away from this competition and look at moving forward as a program,” said U.S. technical advisor Debbie McDonald.
“It wasn’t the result or marks we wanted coming into this competition, but each of these combinations knew the areas of improvement that need focus in their training and have clear takeaways after this week, so they can come back better and stronger.”
Bright notes for U.S. dressage came in non-team classes. Today, Christian Simonson finished out his Young Rider career with a third place on Son of a Lady in the freestyle, earning 75.660 percent. The other American in the class, Erin Nichols, finished 10th on Elian Royale (72.235).
Christian was ninth with a 70.177 percent on Zeaball Diawind in the Intermediate I. He acquitted himself well among big-time competition.Olympic multi-medalist Charlotte Dujardin won with the promising Times Kismet (78.294), while German Frederic Wandres had an impressive performance with Quizmaster FRH (75.441).
Adrienne Lyle, an Olympic medalist who is a protege of Debbie’s, trained Christian remotely because she is six months pregnant and couldn’t make the trip to Germany.
The music Christian used for his freestyle was what he rode to with his first Young Rider horse. It’s a full circle kind of thing, he noted, calling it “a good farewell for my Young Rider career.”
With Zeaball, “it was more a real weekend of experience, getting my growing pains out of the way. It was just `give me a lot of time in the ring in Aachen,’ which is something I hope will pay dividends…years from now.”
In the four-in-hand driving, the USA’s only representative, Chester Weber, lost his way in the marathon and was eliminated.
“Today we had an unfortunate error of course. I take full responsibility for this mistake,” stated Chester, who had won the dressage phase, “and am sorry that I let my team and my horses down. In life, we are suffering or learning and I choose to use this setback as a springboard for a comeback.”
Click here for individual driving results.
Aachen is a show like no other, and if I had to offer just one example, it would be this evening’s MERKUR Casino-Cup in the vast Deutsche Bank Stadium. The class is a contest among multi-national teams of three; an eventer, who rides a course of solid jumps and a tour of the lake in the middle of the stadium; a show jumper who competes over a regular course of colored poles and a four-in-hand, maneuvering around a set-up like the obstacles on a marathon course, as well as negotiating a route through a pair of cones after the eventer piled on the carriage.
It is all for fun, with the crowd cheering and clapping to music non-stop for a refreshing break from the serious competition.
The top three teams in the combo class delighted the audience.
The music fit the competitors; Australian eventer Andrew Hoy, for instance, rode to “I come from the Land Down Under.”
That was also appropriate for the driver with whom he was paired. World Number One Boyd Exell–who won the marathon today–is an Australian as well. Joined by Swedish show jumper Frederik Spetz, they topped the combo competition with a score of 165.28. Right behind was Bram Chardon, a rival of Boyd’s and the son of another of Boyd’s great rivals, Ijsbrand Chardon (second in the marathon). Bram was teamed with show jumper Jur Vrieling and Belgian eventer Lara de Liedekerke-Meir for a score of 165.85.
Sunday is the Aachen finale, with the Grand Prix dressage freestyle and the Rolex Grand Prix. Will McLain Ward win the competition, which has long been his ambition? The pressure is on, because he took the first two legs of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, and a victory in Aachen on HH Azur would give him an extra million Euros to spread around for the feat of taking three majors in a row.
Check back Sunday evening and we’ll tell you all about it.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 1, 2023
The eventers persevered today through a reversal of fortune to finish second after a demanding cross-country test, producing the best placing of any U.S. team at the five-discipline equestrian festival in Germany.
Will Coleman, who won at Aachen two years ago, was leading for the U.S. effort until he had a run-out with Off the Record after a slip before a skinny at the Turkish Airlines complex, the 16th of 25 obstacles. That incurred 20 penalties, and he got another 20 for crossing his line as he resumed his trip, becoming the discard score for the U.S.
The errors plummeted him from fifth to 38th, but the very veteran Phillip Dutton moved up from 24th after dressage through a clear in Friday’s show jumping to wind up sixth with Z on 38 penalties.. That helped clinch the team silver medal placing, earned with a total of 108.2 penalties. Phillip had just 5.2 time penalties on cross-country, where no one made the optimum time.
Phillip Dutton and Z handled cross-country in their usual workmanlike fashion. (Photo courtesy USEF)
Tamie Smith, the 5-star Kentucky winner in April with Mai Baum, turned in an equally impressive performance from her Land Rover win with just 2.80 time penalties cross-country to wind up third. Time faults were practically a given on soft ground along Rudiger Schwarz’s cross-country course that demanded both precision and stamina. The ground got a good soaking by the end of the competition as rain fell, adding to the challenge of the equation.
Tamie had the same number of time faults as German superstar Michael Jung on fischerChipmunk, who wound up second on 27.2 penalties to lead Germany to the team gold (104.9 penalties).
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum showed their usual determination in leading the U.S. to silver in the Aachen SAP Cup. (Photo courtesy USEF)
Tamie’s teammate, Liz Halliday-Sharp came through with only 4.4 time penalties on Miks Master C to finish fifth with 36.5 penalties total and boost the USA’s fortunes. Three Americans in the top six–great effort!
Chef d’equipe Bobby Costello noted, “I’m very encouraged, because we made a plan to come here with the strongest possible team we could field just to make a statement after Pratoni last year (the world championships, where USA took silver) that that wasn’t a one-off. We came here with every expectation of a solid finish and I’m glad we could produce that result.”
Said Tamie of her mount, “He’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse. It’s a dream to be able to have a competitive score like that. Hopefully, there’s more to come.”
Will Coleman reflected, “Not the way we wanted to finish individually, but I could not be more proud of my teammates and usef eventing this weekend CHIO Aachen. They carried the day, and rode fantastic to put us on the podium.
“Timmy was his usual beastly self on the cross-country. I was going for it, but didn’t execute well enough to pull it off in the end. There will be another day. It’s always a privilege riding at this incredible horse show, and it was an honor representing our country with this fine group of riders and horses”
World Champion Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain collected a mere 1.6 time penalties on Banzai du Loir to regain the lead she held after dressage and win the competition on 27.10 penalties, making up for a refusal cross-country at Kentucky that ruined her effort there. She wouldn’t have the same mistake twice.
Yasmin Ingham, the Aachen champion of the SAP competition. (Photo courtesy CHIO Aachen)
Yasmin is never afraid to show her feelings and there were many thoughts crowding her consciousness as she contemplated the victory.
“I am pretty speechless,” she said with a smile.
“I am very glad to be here representing my country. I am very lucky to be here riding. My amazing horse did everything right. His performance in each phase was immaculate. He did brilliantly in the dressage, there are a few areas I can still polish up, a few marks to grasp, but overall he performed brilliantly.”
Yasmin added, “I could have kicked myself after the show jumping,” she said, speaking of the second phase, where she accumulated two time penalties that dropped her from the lead she held after dressage.
“I rode too slowly, didn’t canter enough, I couldn’t fault him, but I was a bit frustrated with myself. I channeled that frustration so that I would impress in the cross.” And she did.
A speedy Yasmin Ingham squeezed neatly over a corner with Banzai du Loir.
Michi Jung observed that some caution was called for on the route.
“The course was nice to ride, but the faster you ride, the more risk, you take, which can lead to mistakes.“
Ask Tom McEwen about that.
The British team wound up third. After being the overnight leader, Tom and JL Dublin had a run-out at that troublesome Turkish Airlines complex to wind up 26th, as the Brits ended on a total of 136.6 penalties for third place.
Click here to see team standings, and on this link for individual placings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 29, 2023
Legendary Aachen has it all–pomp, an incredible sense of the occasion, an educated audience (45,000 were in the stands for the show jumping Nations Cup) that knows when to cheer and when to groan. But most important, of course, is the wide array of equestrian competition it offers–dressage, show jumping, eventing, four-in-hand driving and vaulting.
With the World Equestrian Games no longer on the global schedule, the German production more than fills the gap. In fact, Aachen hosted the most successful WEG in 2006, a standard to which its successors aspired but never quite were able to match.
The opening ceremonies on Tuesday served notice of the splendor that would follow, with all manner of pageantry. Each year, Aachen picks a partner nation to salute, and this year it was Britain. That meant a visit from Princess Anne and the Household Cavalry (our cover photo), as well as racing Shetland ponies. The theme song for the evening was the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.”
The setting of the main arena is a true landscape in the city, complete with hedges and a lake. The big names in every discipline wouldn’t miss Aachen. The dressage Grand Prix and the show jumping Mercedes Benz Nations Cup today involved a face-off of the biggest in those disciplines.
Buoyed by double-clears from 2012 Olympic gold medalist Steve Guerdat (Venard de Cerisy) and former European Champion Marcus Fuchs (Commissar Pezi), the Swiss took the show jumping title for the first time since 2002. The class, worth 1 million Euros, was touch and go until the end. When Martin went clear, it clinched the title for his country.
Martin Fuchs proclaims victory for Switzerland after a clear round that clinched the Cup for his homeland.
Switzerland had only 4 penalties after the two rounds. Great Britain and Belgium were tied on 8, but the British got the nod for second place because they were faster in the second round.
The U.S. was fourth of eight teams on 12 penalties. McLain Ward went double clear on Callas. All eyes will be on him Sunday as he tries to win the final leg of the Rolex Grand Slam, after taking the first two segments in Geneva and the Netherlands. His performance today qualified him to compete in the grand prix this weekend.
Second-best for the U.S. was McLain’s 2018 WEG gold medal teammate, Devin Ryan of Long Valley, N.J., who had one rail in the first round and was clean in the second on Eddie Blue. It was a triumphant return to Aachen for Devin, who missed major classes with Eddie for a long time after the horse suffered a bone bruise.
Team newcomer Natalie Dean had a rail in each round with Acota M, while Laura Kraut logged two rails in the first round and one in the second with her 2021 Olympic team silver medal mount, Baloutinue.
“We always aim for the podium, and we just barely missed it in fourth, against eight of the top teams in the world. So not disappointed,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland.
“McLain of course did his normal double-clean in the anchor spot. The energy and excitement here at the sold-out stadium at Aachen is, as always, the epitome of the sport, the Wimbledon of show jumping. The atmosphere actually was a bit much for Baloutinue, and he ended up being quite an uncharacteristic handful for Laura.
McLain Ward on the field at Aachen with Callas. (Photo courtesy USEF)
“Natalie in her first big-time Nations Cup was very impressive and it was great to have Devin and Eddie Blue back on our team after his absence due to injury following the world championships in 2018…also a very impressive performance.”
Devin Ryan and Eddie Blue. (Photo courtesy of USEF)
In the dressage Grand Prix, Germany’s Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, world number one and two-time World Cup winner, with TSF Dalera BB; Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin on Imhotep, a son of Everdale, a stallion who was being ridden at Aachen by another famous Brit, World Champion Lottie Fry (she won the world title on Glamourdale; like Everdale, by the stallion Lord Leatherdale).
Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Charlotte is back after having baby Isabella Rose. Jessica was absent from the world championships last year after she gave birth. It’s nice to see these women aren’t missing a beat once their babies have arrived.
Jessica, Charlotte and Lottie finished 1,2,3, with only Jessica breaking 80 percent, which she did after a slow start that she left behind with her usual verve and a strong finish to earn 82.304 percent. She got a 10 for her final halt.
In the beginning of her test, she explained In the first salute, the mare was slightly restless and lifted her left hind leg.
“That is an energy thing,” Jessica explained.“She can hardly wait for us to start.”
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her fabulous mare. (Photo courtesy CHIO Aachen.)
Germany topped the competition with a score of 235.413, while Denmark finished second (228.608). Britain came oh-so-close behind on 228.565.
Charlotte, who warmed up Wednesday in the Prix St. Georges with a victory on her “ballerina,,” Times Kismet, earned a score of 79.782 on Imhotep in the team competition. That’s remarkable, considering her relatively brief competitive partnership with “Pete,” as the Dutchbred stallion is known. Lottie’s mark was 78.913.
Charlotte noted, “My goal was to compete here, and here I am, I came second and am absolutely delighted with Imhotep. How he coped so well with the atmosphere here, at the biggest, best equestrian show in the world. He is an inexperienced horse, he hasn’t done many Grand Prix tests yet, he is 10 years old and it is such fun riding him! He is so full of energy and has so many highlights. He is the horse with the best piaffe I have ever sat on.”
And that’s saying something. Remember, she rode the great Valegro to her Olympic gold medals.
Lottie was enthused with her finish.
“I know what Everdale is capable of. But for everything to go right on day X and in the arena in Aachen, that is something different. So I couldn’t have been happier today. I was actually a bit emotional after the test because he felt so super and I am looking forward to the next class.”
That is Saturday’s Grand Prix Special, which will determine the final team placings.
The U.S. wound up eighth of eight teams in the Grand Prix on 213.638. Anna Buffini on FRH Davinia la Douce was last to go in the class, but led the way for America in 17th place with a score of 72.804, backed up by Alice Tarjan, 23d on the petite Serenade MF (71.087). Susie Dutta (69.739) 30th on Don Design DC also figured in the total, with Sarah Tubman 31st on First Apple having the drop score, 69.67.
Anna Buffini and Davinia La Douce. (Photo courtesy USEF)
As the anchor rider, Anna was ready to handle the pressure of her second Aachen experience.
Although her mare “was the most difficult she’s been beforehand,” Anna and trainer Guenter Seidel were “really soft with her and just waiting for her to get her legs under her again and feel good again after the travel. She had the fire in her eyes. She was excited to go.”
Driving dressage was running at the same time as ridden dressage, with the USA’s Chester Weber taking the lead on 38.85 penalties, just ahead of world number one Boyd Exell of Australia on 38.92, far past third-place Bram Chardon (48.38) from the Netherlands. Bram is ranked world number two, and Chester is world number 16.
At half-time of the show jumping,16-year-old DSP Alice was retired to the refrain of “One Moment in Time.” She was German rider Simone Blum’s partner in taking the show jumping world championships at the 2018 WEG in North Carolina. The mare wore a sheet that bore the words, “Thank you, Alice.”
Said Simone, “I wouldn’t be where I am now without Alice. She has always been my soulmate. Because she is so unique, we have a very special connection.”
Simone Blum and DSP Alice.
Check back for another update. In the meantime, get individual dressage results at this link. Find team dressage results here.
To see jumping results, click here.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 30, 2023
The U.S. team was standing second this morning after the dressage phase of eventing at the exciting Aachen competition, but the show jumping segment during the afternoon dropped the squad to fourth.
There’s still hope, however, and you know how fast things can change on cross-country. This event has the same format as a horse trials, with show jumping following dressage and ending with cross-country, rather than show jumping as the finale, the way it is in the 5-stars. So Saturday’s test will be the tale of the winner.
This Nations Cup in the quaintly picturesque German city is not part of the league in which countries are vying for a chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. And the U.S. already qualified with silver at the 2022 world championships.
Yet it’s still quite important. Many consider Aachen the best show in the world, and as I said in our previous coverage, with competition in five disciplines–vaulting, show jumping, dressage and four-in-hand driving, in addition to eventing–it’s the closest we’ll come to the defunct World Equestrian Games.
Land Rover 5-star Kentucky winner Tamie Smith on Mai Baum was the best of the Americans after dressage, fifth with 26.9 penalties, but toppling a plank on a course that asked all the right questions put her ninth with 30.90 penalties. She was among 24 riders in the field of 44 who had knockdowns.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum on course.
Asked what she thinks about the cross-country, she said, the course is “Non-stop,” citing its technicality and noting, “you’ve got to be really smart and on your A-game.”
For dressage and jumping, she noted, the Aachen stadium is “like no other atmosphere. The first time is a little awe-inspiring. It’s a really unbelievable magical feeling to be on that grass.”
At this point, the highest-ranked U.S. rider is Will Coleman, who won Aachen two years ago, becoming the first American ever to take the title. He and Off the Record moved up to fifth with a clear round adding nothing to his dressage score of 28.10.
Asked what he thought of the show jumping course, Will said simply, “It felt like Aachen. Frank Rothenberger (the designer) is one of the greatest at putting the colored poles up. It’s such a great privilege to go into that arena; It’s a magical experience.”
Will Coleman and Off the Record. (Photo courtesy USEF)
But that’s over and it’s time to move on.
As Will put it, “Now you just forget about all of it and look forward to tomorrow.”
(Click here to get a look at the cross-country course)
Will, who has experienced Aachen’s cross-country test four times, believes that of all of them, “This is the toughest. You have to be really precise on your lines. The speed at which you’re going to try to get close to this (optimum) time makes it really easy to make a small mistake. The course is set up that a small mistake is going to be very expensive. It builds a little bit as you go, as you’re trying to go the hardest to get the time and your horse might just be fatiguing….he (course designer Rudiger Schwarz) asks you a question literally until the last fence.
“Every time you come here even if it’s the same horse, it’s a totally new experience,” said Will. Off the Record may be “marginal” as a 5-star horse, but he noted, “this event has suited him well in the past. i just love coming to this event.”
Tom McEwen, the British star who was second at Kentucky with JL Dublin and in the same spot after dressage at Aachen, had an efficient clear today to keep his dressage score at 24.3 and move up one place to take the lead.
Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH (Photo courtesy CHIO Aachen)
But only 0.1 penalty behind is Germany’s Michael Jung, of whom you might have heard while following all the Olympic medals and world championships he has won.
He’s on the reliable fischerChipmunk FRH. I watched Michi handle the Turkish Airlines two-stride double and glimpsed the most subtle of moves that got his mount in the right place to take the second element, which had been a problem for some of the other riders. It’s exciting when you can glimpse the things that have made him a master.
World Champion Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain had two time penalties (she was one of 10 who couldn’t beat the clock) with Banzai du Loir, which dropped her from the lead to third (25.5) ahead of New Zealand’s Tim Price. The winner of last year’s Maryland 5 star with Coup de Couer Dudevin, Tim this time is on Falco (26).
Mai Baum struts in the eventing dressage at Aachen. (Photo courtesy USEF)
World Champion Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain had two time penalties (she was one of 10 who couldn’t beat the clock) with Banzai du Loir, which dropped her from the lead to third (25.5) ahead of New Zealand’s Tim Price. The winner of last year’s Maryland 5 star with Coup de Couer Dudevin, Tim this time is on Falco (26).
Another U.S. rider, Liz Halliday Sharp, third at Kentucky, was sixth in the standings with Miks Master C until she had a rail and two time penalties to wind up standing fourtheenth, four places ahead of Phillip Dutton (Z), who was double clear in show jumping and moved up six places from dressage.
For the individual standings in eventing, click here. For team standings, click this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 26, 2023
Two saddlebreds at the Virginia Horse Center for the Shenandoah Classic competition tested positive for Equine Herpesivrus-1(EHV-1) last week. Both were taken to a veterinary clinic where one was euthanized and the other was stable after receiving medical care.
Approximately 80 horses were under quarantine after being stabled in the same barn as the two positive horses at the Lexington, Va., facility. They were prohibited from competition and were placed in isolation by the State Veterinarian’s Office of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Each was monitored twice daily for fever (temperature over 101.50° F) and other clinical signs.
None of the 80 quarantined horses remained on the grounds after Sunday, June 25. Starting June 26, the State Veterinarian’s office put a special team on the grounds, disinfecting every stall and grounds equipment such as Bobcats, tractors, muck buckets, rakes, etc. Dr. Abby Sage has stated that after June 26, the Virginia Horse Center will have the “safest stalls in the country”.
Glenn Petty, horse center CEO stated “The Virginia Horse Center cannot state enough how appreciative we are for the professional and common sense leadership of Dr. Abby Sage and Dr. Tabitha Moore, State Veterinarian’s office; Dr. Ginger Reagan, show veterinarian; Dr. Hugh Behling, Kalarama Farm veterinarian; Dr. Katie Flynn, USEF BioSecurity Veterinarian; and R H Bennett, show manager.
“We had a great team and thoughtful management of the situation worked. Also, the trainers and exhibitors could not have been more supportive and cooperative. At the end of the large trainer meeting, the team was given a round of applause for the handling of this situation.”
Moving onto the grounds this week will be the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 and 16 Championship and the Vaulting Region IX Championship. The House Mountain Hunter Jumper Show scheduled for this week has been moved to July 18-19.
For more information on EHV-1 or the latest on disease outbreaks visit https://equinediseasecc.org/.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2023
Wellington, Florida’s Equestrian Preserve Committee Thursday night unanimously rejected a proposal to change the land use and master plan on property slated for a much-needed addition to the Wellington International showgrounds, raising questions about the future of that expansion.
Wellington International is best known as the home of Global Equestrian Group’s Winter Equestrian Festival, which draws competitors from around the world and hosts 2,500 to 3,000 horses each week during its run from January through March. It also holds smaller shows in other seasons.
Will this land ever become part of the Wellington International Showgrounds?
This was the the second evening in a row that the Equestrian Preserve Committee turned down a rezoning proposal involving The Wellington, a two-segment project.
It is a major revision of a concept presented to the committee last September by entrepreneur Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of a group that owns the land involved. Bellissimo and his daughter, Paige, have since formed Wellington Lifestyle Partners with developer Nexus Luxury Collection, one of private investment firm Tavistock’s largest portfolio investments.
The Wellington South segment, where the Wellington International showgrounds expansion would be located, covers 269.39 acres at the northwest corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, east of Gene Mische Way. WLP also seeks to develop up to 197 single-family residential units on the eastern 173.46 acres of the parcel.
Wellington North, on the northeast corner of South Shore Boulevard and Pierson Road, is 101.87 acres that includes White Birch and Equestrian Village, home of the Global Dressage Festival at the Equestrian Village. That proposal calls for removing about 96 acres from the Equestrian Preserve Area and the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District, changing the land use to residential, and developing a 300-unit residential project. The committee was unanimous in its rejection of that plan on Wednesday.
Concern was expressed during the discussion that once acreage was taken from the preserve, it would be a slippery slope leading to more loss of land for equestrian purposes.
Expansion of Wellington International by another 80 contiguous acres would mean more space to spread out than is available in the current cramped layout, even as dressage is moved from the Equestrian Village to the current Wellington International grounds, which it would share with the hunters, while jumpers would be on the additional land. Expansion also would open the door to solving access problems causing current traffic woes and offer far more parking than is available on the 94 acres at the current site.
The Preserve Committee is only an advisory group. The Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board is slated to consider the project next month, and in August, the fate of the proposals are scheduled for a vote by the Village Council.
Michael Stone.
If the rezoning for the showgrounds expansion doesn’t go through, “We have to regroup and see what our options are,” said Wellington International President Michael Stone. That would involve looking at purchasing other lots close to the show, he suggested.
Committee members expressed concern that although they saw extensive plans for development of high-end homes and recreational amenities, as well as a golf course purchased for $35 million, they hadn’t been given any details about the showgrounds expansion, beyond construction of nine rings and a stadium that could seat 7,000.
“I do recognize that Global Equestrian Group’s plans need to be clearer and more tangible,” said Doug McMahon, managing director of the Tavistock Group, co-founder of Nexus Luxury Collection and the chief executive officer of Wellington Lifestyle Partners.
Although Nexus is not involved with what will be built at the expanded showgrounds, McMahon agreed, “That’s such a critical part. We’ll try to help them (GEG) get there.”
Stone said that Global Equestrian Group has a signed agreement for purchase of the showgrounds with Wellington Equestrian Partners, also headed by Bellisimo, but no money for the property has changed hands. Asked if the developer would be funding the horse show, Stone replied it would not.
Michael Stone and Mark Bellissimo at Equestrian Village when it was under construction in 2012. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Wellington Equestrian Partners is holding the land hostage, will sell it if all of this approved. What that has to do with this Tavistock neighborhood — nothing, except they say they may get some people in here that might go to a horse show,” said Jane Cleveland, chair of the preserve committee.
“Global Equestrian Group is not in this application at all. If the applicant was really in favor of supporting the horse show industry, they would sell you the land…but you can’t buy it unless all of this gets approved. If the applicant was truly in support of the horse industry they would sell you the land without the strings.”
That comment drew applause from the audience.
Committee member Dr. Kristy Lund observed that “if you build and build and build, you lose the character of why Wellington people come here,” another remark greeted with applause.
“I don’t want to vote on the houses when I don’t know what’s going to happen with the new equestrian center they want to build. We need to see the plans, we need to see what’s going on,” said Carlos Arellano, one of seven preserve committee members.
Earlier in the evening, he commented about Wellington’s ambience, “We don’t want to change; we want to keep it the way it is.”
Dan Rosenbaum, an attorney for Wellington Equestrian Partners, said the developer “can bring to the table the infrastructure and the hospitality that’s needed in order for you to continue to be the (winter) equestrian capital of the world. You don’t see the other side of it, which is the fact that revenues are needed are needed to support these shows.”
Discussing the overall plan, McMahon noted that a luxury community “of this magnitude and magnetism we would bring” represents an incremental $200 million investment “before we even embark on selling real estate.”
Many of those in the packed meeting room appeared to be skeptical of the plans, saying what is needed are more four-acre farms within hacking distance of the horse show, rather than luxury houses.
McMahon responded, “I do think we would attract equestrians, I do think we would attract next generation equestrians, I do think we would attract patrons and sponsors and interested people to equestrian sport here if we create our kind of community.
He noted the majority of Wellington’s housing stock predates 2005 or even 2000.
“The most beautiful architecture and the most beautiful construction I’ve seen in the community are the barns,” he mentioned.
“There’s an opportunity to create a housing product and a club community here that is at the standard of what Wellington is as the horse sport capital.”
At the same time, he cautioned, “You cannot do a community of this size and scale and quality with 100 residential homes.”
Seventeen people spoke, with most expressing concern about maintaining the equestrian lifestyle that is the reason they live in Wellington.
Lynda Sirota, president of the Equestrian Club Estates Property Owners Association, said residents moved to that development because it was close to the horse show.
If the proposal passes, she said, “We are now going to engulfed by a residential area behind us,” adding traffic already is heavy in the area without more houses.
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition against the project.
Attorney Leonard Feiwus spoke as an “interested party” representing a “united coalition of hundreds of Wellington residents who strongly object to the land use application before this committee.”
He stated, “We cannot preserve a horse-friendly bucolic landscape by permitting developers to build conventional high-density residential and commercial space in the preserve,” adding the effects would include “excessive noise and pollution,intolerable traffic congestion overcrowded public spaces.”
“To the very limited extent that the applicant has provided vague, non-binding promises to expand the current showgrounds or promote equestrian activities in the preserve, has the applicant provided sufficient detail to greenlight the radical changes to the preserve and land use regulations that are requested by these applications?” the attorney asked.
He contended such changes to the village land use laws if approved “will destroy the unique equestrian lifestyle and landscape that is and has been the defining principle of this community.”
Asked what he thought about the tone of the evening, McMahon said, “I expected it to be charged and emotional, and it was more challenging than I expected. I think we did a better job communicating the second night, because we had a better understanding of the complexity of the environment. We are respectful of the process, and I tried to communicate that we’re listening and will continue to listen.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 22, 2023
Tamie Smith, the heroine of Land Rover Kentucky less than two months ago, now is facing tragedy as her Luhmühlen 5-star mount, Solaguayre California, was euthanized in the wake of a cross-country injury at the German event last weekend.
The mare sustained a knee fracture after hitting the third element of the water obstacle.
In a social media statement, Tamie said, “My heart is broken as I write this and say that Solaguayre California was humanely euthanized after a planned surgery to repair a slab fracture to her knee.
“As California jumped out of the C element of the water at the Luhmühlen CCI5L, I felt her hit the jump and what seemed to be just a sting and disappointing moment of having to pull her up to save for another day. Initially the assessment of her recovery was favorable as we stopped when we did and it seemed to be a simple fix. However it has turned out much more extensive and the damage was irreparable.
Tamie Smith and Solaguayre California. (Photo courtesy Tamie Smith)
“This is devastating to our team; her owners and I cannot quite imagine life without our girl, however her tenacity and grit was the complete example of how we get through times like these.
“I find comfort knowing we were able to get her to the best surgeon with the best medical team. There were so many amazing people who helped facilitate this and no stone was unturned on trying to find a perfect plan to having her make a full recovery.”
Tamie continued, “California was a star in the making and showed the world, especially this season, how incredibly gifted she was. Our hopes and dreams for her were so high. Our hearts are broken.”
Tamie, who will be riding her Kentucky star, Mai Baum, on the U.S. team at Aachen next week, added, “I have to reflect at the incredible honor it is to have these partnerships with our horses. How lucky are we to experience such a bond with these athletes. I know that living……means you take the good with the bad. Life’s uncertainty can’t disable your life because you are afraid of the risk of living. It isn’t easy, but it is better to have experienced the moments and memories and to live for every moment than to just sit and be safe.
“California was the epitome of “Carpe Diem”…….so I take this meaning of living life to the fullest in her memory.
My brain is spinning, my heart is broken, but I know I have you all to keep me pushing on.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 30, 2023
Take the results from April’s Land Rover Kentucky 5-star, mix in a couple of more big names and you have the standings from the dressage phase of this morning’s Aachen, Germany, eventing competition.
It’s run in the same format as a horse trials, with show jumping following dressage (later today) and cross-country as the finale tomorrow, rather than show jumping as the finale, the way it is in the 5-stars.
Kentucky winner Tamie Smith on Mai Baum is fifth with 26.9 penalties, the top American in the standings. Leading are two British riders, world champion Yasmin Ingham (Banzai du Loir,23.5) and Tom McEwen (JL Dublin, 24.3), who was second at Kentucky.
Mai Baum struts in the eventing dressage at Aachen. (Photo courtesy USEF)
Michael Jung, of whom you may have heard, stands third for Germany with 75.56 on fischerChipmunk FRH, while Tim Price, winner of last year’s Maryland 5 star with Coup de Couer Dudevin, is fourth on Falco (26). Another U.S. rider, Liz Halliday Sharp, third at Kentucky, is right behind Tamie in the standings with Miks Master C (27.3). Will Coleman, who won Aachen for the U.S. two years ago, is seventh on Off the Record (28.1).
So you see how it sets up. The U.S. is looking good for this Nations Cup, although you should know it is not part of the league in which nations are vying for a chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. And the U.S. already qualified with silver at the 2022 world championships.
Tamie said the cross-country course is “Non-stop,” citing its technicality and noting, “you’ve got to be really smart and on your A game.”
For dressage and jumping, the Aachen stadium is “like no other atmosphere. The first time is a little awe-inspiring. It’s a really unbelievable magical feeling to be on that grass.”
Note that she said “grass.” Think of all the complaints you’ve heard from riders when they don’t have state-of-the-art artificial footing. And then see how well they do on Aachen’s grass, which admittedly is maintained beautifully, though that might not be the case elsewhere.
Phillip Dutton and Z were fault-free in show jumping.
With half the jumping finished, Phillip Dutton went clean on Z. He was the first U.S. team rider to compete in this phase, and was twenty-fourth after dressage.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 23, 2023
Dr. Karyn Malinowski, founding director of the Equine Science Center at Rutgers University, received the 2023 Distinguished Service Award at the 2023 Equine Science Society Symposium in Grapevine, Texas.
The Distinguished Service Award in Equine Science recognizes outstanding contributions in the field. Award recipients must also have a record of significant accomplishments in teaching, research and extension or service as it relates to the advancement of the equine sciences and horse industry.
Karyn has served as a faculty member at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences since 1978 and in various roles, including extension specialist in equine sciences, animal sciences professor, founding director of the Equine Science Center and the director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Her research and extension programs concentrate on improving the equine athlete’s well-being and quality of life, while ensuring the equine industry’s vitality and viability, both statewide and nationally.
After having the opportunity to drive the famous Niatross, she got interested in racing and spent several summers learning how to drive harness horses. In 2001, she acquired her first Standardbred racehorse, Could Be Magic, who took her to victory in her amateur debut in 2003 at Freehold Raceway.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award from the Equine Science Society,” said Karyn.
“It has been my extreme pleasure to have worked for over four decades with top-notch young people and horses.”
At the same meeting in Texas, Dr. Kenneth Harrington McKeever, FACSM, FAPS, a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Rutgers and associate director of research at the Rutgers Equine Science Center, was elevated to the rank of Fellow of the Equine Science Society. The rank of Fellow is an elite member status reserved for recognizing distinguished service to the horse industry and to the Equine Science Society over the member’s many years of service.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 25, 2023
New Jersey’s Essex Horse Trials earlier this month turned out to be a good warm-up for the 4-star Strzegom, Poland, eventing Nations Cup, as Caroline Martin Pamucku finished second individually to lead the U.S. team to the silver medal.
Caroline Pamucku on cross-country aboard HSH Blake at Strzegom, Poland. (Photo courtesy FEI)
Caroline, who won the Essex Combined Test competition with HSH Blake, was first after dressage in Poland with a score of 28.1 penalties. But time penalties with Blake on the cross-country course designed by Marcin Konarski boosted her total to 35.7. She was clean in show jumping to end on that score behind the winner, Lea Siegl of Austria on van Helsing P (33.3).
The Dutch team won on 133.8, even though the fourth member of the squad was eliminated on cross-country. The U.S. had 142.8 penalties under the guidance of Emerging and Developing Eventing Coach Leslie Law. The total was 166.1 for bronze medal Belgium.
The Dutch are hoping to win the Nations Cup series when it concludes this fall in order to qualify for the Paris Olympics. One Olympic slot is available for the highest-placed team that hasn’t otherwise qualified for the Games.
