by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 11, 2024
Friday was the most optimistic day in the recovery of injured eventer Liz Halliday.
The most significant moment of the day was after the Baugh family, came to visit and Liz waved goodbye to them as they were leaving,
She has been seeing all of the #LapforLiz photos and videos.
Liz at the Paris Olympics last month.
Liz’s team thanks
all who are participating in the #LapforLiz . The Foxfire Eventing Team took their first lap Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern. The team said your notes and pictures have truly helped give Liz the #horsepower she needs to get through this.
They explained they are sending “our horsepower energy to Liz for rapid and complete recovery. We will take a lap in honor of Liz Halliday during every ride from now until she has recovered (or maybe we’ll keep it going). During our lap, we will harness all of the horsepower energy from our equine partners to super-boost our prayers, hopes, and best wishes for her rapid and complete recovery.”
Liz’s friends would like to show Liz everyone’s #LapforLiz to give her much-needed “horsepower energy.” Tag Liz on social media and use the hashtags #LapforLiz and #KeepFightingLiz .
Liz, a member of the U.S. Olympic eventing team in Paris, was injured when her horse fell on cross-country during the American Eventing Championships. Her horse was fine, but she was operated on at the University of Kentucky Medical Center to ease pressure on her brain and continues to recover.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 9, 2024
Allegations of horse abuse involving eventer Andrew McConnon are being investigated by the FEI (international equestrian federation), according to the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
The rider, who finished twenty-seventh on Wakita 54 at Britain’s Defender Burghley 5-star event over the weekend, was the subject of an anonymous report to USEF at the beginning of the summer. (The allegations had nothing to do with Burghley).
The federation was sent material showing the behaviors shortly after the report was made.
“After determining USEF did not have jurisdiction over the matter because it did not involve misconduct at a USEF competition, USEF promptly referred the matter to the FEI, where it is under investigation,” according to a USEF statement.
“The FEI’s jurisdiction and ability to pursue disciplinary action is broader regarding reported incidents of animal abuse occurring outside of licensed competitions. This matter is under the jurisdiction of the FEI and USEF will enforce any disciplinary action taken.”
McConnon, 38, did not respond to a request for comment.
Several sponsors have dropped him in the wake of the allegations.
Andrew McConnon at the Defender Kentucky 5-star event in April. sponsors have dropped McConnon, who is based in North Carolina, in the wake of the allegations.
“Correct Connect will no longer be sponsoring rider Andrew McConnon due to the recently released videos of horse abuse. We do not accept or tolerate abuse of any kind and we are saddened by these recent events,” said one of the sponsors.
Another stated, “World Equestrian Brands has always and will always put the well being of the horse first and foremost, as do all the companies we represent in the U.S. In light of the recent news and videos regarding Andrew McConnnon, he will no longer be part of our trainer team.”
The videos referenced, which have gone viral, include one showing a man hitting a horse in the head and spinning it around after the animal went by a jump and knocked part of it down. Another video showed a horse taking a small jump, then being yanked in the mouth afterward.
Plain Dealing Farm Eventing issued a statement saying, “We have been caught completely by surprise and are truly devastated to learn of this behavior.”
They said one of the horses in the videos is theirs.
“We had absolutely no idea that our horses were being treated in such a way,” the farm said on social media, noting they learned of the situation only when they saw the videos on line.
“There has been a failure to protect there horses and it is unacceptable….we are taking action to rectify this situation.”
The statement added about the horses, “We love them so deeply and are so thankful they are safe at home with us.”
Rebecca Farm and the Broussard Family, which games McConnon a grant that helped him go to Burghley, said in a statement they “have been made aware of allegations of horse abuse regarding one of the 2023 Rebecca Broussard Developing rider Grant recipients.
“The Broussard Family has committed to investing in the sport of Eventing and its athletes for many years and we are deeply shocked and saddened by this information. We do not condone horse abuse in any capacity.”
The statement continued, “The actions committed by the rider in question in no way align with the values the Broussard family believes are synonymous with Eventing and horsemanship. At the time of any rider’s application for a Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant, if there are any open investigations or noted violations of any kind (such as a Yellow Card), the applicant is immediately deemed ineligible. At the time this grant was administered through the USEA Foundation in December of 2023, no information had been made available to us that would disqualify this rider in any way from being a recipient.”
According to the USEF statement, “Abuse in any form, at any time, is unacceptable in our sport.” The USEF noted the federation’s board in June approved a rewrite of a rule involving horse welfare. Effective Dec. 1, 2024, it broadens the jurisdiction USEF can exercise over reports of abuse that occur away from USEF competition.
It also provides an updated description of what constitutes unethical treatment of a horse and provides definitions for both “Participants” who are bound by the rule and a “Covered Horse” expanding the ability of USEF to protect horses.
The rule change proposal went through an extensive review process. Stakeholders and affiliates across all breeds and disciplines provided feedback, which was instrumental in the creation of the final draft of the rule. The rule will apply to reports of misconduct off competition grounds that occur after Dec. 1.
“Social license to operate,” involving public acceptance of horse sports, is a hot topic now. An incident in which Olympic multi-gold dressage medalist Charlotte Dujardin was seen on video hitting a horse repeatedly with a longe whip went viral and resulted in her suspension, as well as headlines around the globe right before the Paris Olympics began.
FEI has begun a “Be a Guardian” campaign aimed at insuring a better life for horses, and is holding a meeting in October to discuss issues facing dressage.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 9, 2024
Laparoscopy, the “keyhole” surgery technique that is minimally invasive, is the topic of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s first Equine Seminar of the Fall 2024 semester on Sept. 17.
Dr. Rebecca McOnie, instructor in the section of Large Animal Surgery at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, will describe the advantages of laparoscopy and highlight the candidates for this type of surgery that can avoid a major operation under certain circumstances.
The seminar will cover the limitations of laparoscopy, and when and why to consider laparoscopy for your horse. Dr. McOnie is a linical Instructor finishing a fellowship in large animal soft tissue minimally invasive surgery.
This presentation is part of the Cornell Equine Seminar Series, and will be held from 6-7 p.m. Eastern Time via Zoom. Register in advance at https://bit.ly/ESS-Sept2024
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 8, 2024
So much incredible competition went on in all the disciplines this weekend that it was positively head-spinning trying to keep up. But we managed.
First, let’s deal with the richest grand prix in the world, the $3 million (Canadian) CPKC International, which went to Martin Fuchs of Switzerland with the incredible Leone Jei for the second year in a row at Spruce Meadows. The class, presented by Rolex, is part of the Rolex Grand Slam series of competitions, with the next leg coming up in Geneva in December.
With $2.2 million American on the line Sunday in Calgary, Alberta, a field of 39 was whittled to 12 over a course designed by Leopoldo Palacios. The biggest surprise in the initial round was when McLain Ward fell off as his Olympic mount, Ilex, crashed through the first fence. The top 12 who qualified for the second round included riders who had knockdowns and accumulated time penalties, but it wound up with three riders tied on zero penalties set for a jump-off.
In the tie-breaker, Martin had the third fence down, an oxer with brown rails, which was difficult to see in a shadow. Martin felt he over-rode it. So at that point, he needed to hustle and got his horse through the timers in 40.22 seconds.
Then he had to wait.
Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and the stallion Cartello also toppled a rail at the same obstacle and exceeded the 42-second time allowed to finish with 4 jumping and 2 time faults. Last to go was 2022 CPKC winner Daniel Deusser of Germany, the country that won the Nations Cup on Saturday.
Daniel and Killer Queen had a rail at the first part of the double, 6A. He knew after that he had to rush to beat Martin’s time, but that was not the way to approach the last fence, the colorful Hong Kong wall. Blocks flew off the top, leaving Martin the winner, Darragh second and Daniel third with 8 faults.
“It was touch-and-go,” Martin admitted about his feelings as he waited for the placings to resolve.
“But today was really my day, the other guys had some unlucky rails and I am very happy to defend this grand prix. It was very dramatic and I am glad it worked out for me today.”
It’s selfie time for the top three in the CPKC International: Daniel Deusser, Martin Fuchs and Darragh Kenny. (Spruce Meadows Photo)
Of the gray gelding who carried him to victory, Martin noted, “He has jumped 13 majors and placed in 12 of them. He’s always there when the majors are on. I’m blessed I have a partner that feels the same about those great shows.”
The big news from Spruce Meadows was that this grand prix will have a $5 million (Canadian) prize in 2025 to mark the facility’s fiftieth anniversary. There has never been a prize like that in show jumping.
Complete results of the CPKC International here
Now, on to the hard-fought Defender Burghley 5-star Horse Trials, where world number one eventer Ros Canter of Great Britain showed why she deserves that title by taking top honors with Lordships Graffalo on 23.6 penalties. She added only 1.6 time penalties to her dressage score for her trip over the show jumping fences that wrapped up the British event.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo rose to first place after cross-country at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials and kept it through the show jumping to win. (Defender Burghley photo)
New Zealand’s Tim Price had a rail down with Vitali to finish second on 29.5. He was followed in third and fourth place by Harry Meade of Great Britain with the fault-free Cavalier Crystal (72.84) and Annaghmor Valoner, who had a rail to total 75.79. And can you believe busy Harry also was twelfth on Superstition (42.9) with a clean show jumping trip?
The top American finisher was Cosby Green with Copper Beech, sixteenth with 49.6. She had only time faults on cross-country, and a rail and 1.2 time faults in the show jumping. Jennie Brannigan finished twenty-third on FE Lifestyle (57.9) after a bad few minutes when her mount was sent to the holding area during the final horse inspection. They had two rails down in show jumping.
Andrew McConnon and Wakita 54 (70) dropped two rails in show jumping to finish twenty-seventh. Mia Farley and the thoroughbred Phelps picked up 20 jumping penalties on cross-country at the Rolex corners and added time penalties in that phase as well. Four fences down and time penalties in the jumping resulted in a score of 94.5 penalties that put this combination thirty-second.
The other American entry, Hannah Sue Holberg and Capitol HIM, ended their run when she had a fall at the twenty-second of 30 cross-country fences and was eliminated.
For full Burghley results, click here.
In the Paralympics, the U.S. ended with a record medal haul that topped the tables for dressage. Americans won seven medals, eclipsing their previous Paralympic Games best of two golds and a bronze at Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2021. Two U.S. riders were triple gold for the Games.
Becca Hart and Floratina had a narrow win in the Grade III freestyle to score a gold medal hat trick for the Games, having previously won the individual competition and contributed to the USA’s first team gold. Becca’s freestyle score was 83.534 percent to 83.007 for the Netherlands’ Rixt van der Horst on Royal Fonq in the Grade III competition. Natasha Baker of Great Britain was third on Dawn Chorus (77.140).
In Grade II, Fiona Howard earned her third gold with Diamond Dunes in her Paralympic debut. She was marked at 81.994 percent.
Georgia Wilson of Great Britain, rode Sakura to 79.374 percent for silver while 69-year-old Heidemarie Dresing of Germany, the oldest Para Dressage athlete in Paris, won her first individual medal after three previous fourth place finishes, taking bronze on Dooloop with 76.127 percent.
Triple gold medalist Fiona Howard. (US Equestrian photo)
In Grade IV, Kate Shoemaker and Vianne took bronze with a personal best of 80.170 for her ride to music from the movie Forrest Gump, so all the U.S. Paralympians brought home at least one medal. It was Kate’s first individual medal after earning bronze with the team in Tokyo three years ago.
Demi Haerkens of the Netherlands won her second individual gold on her Paralympic Games debut, and third medal in all, as she and Daula won the Grade IV gold earned an impressive 83.390 percent. Anna-Lena Niehues of Germany on Quimbaya 6, scored 80.900 percent to take silver, adding to their two bronzes in the Individual test and Team event.
Meanwhile, the World Driving Championships in Hungary ended with – no surprise – world champion Boyd Exell of Australia in first place. But the USA’s Chester Weber, who set a record last week in winning the dressage phase, wound up third to reach the podium.
Boyd Exell in action. (FEI photo)
Second after Saturday’s marathon, Chester had two knockdowns in the cones segment Sunday for a total of 159.13 penalties. That put him third behind the Netherlands’ Bram Chardon, with a total of 157.74 after a clean round in cones. Bram won that phase to move up from third place to second.
“It was a very different track from a lot of the sort of Dutch-esque tracks,” Chester said of the marathon course. “But I was very pleased with how the horses handled it and their performance.”
Chester Weber gives Boyd Exell a champagne shower. (FEI photo)
His score contributed to the unprecedented twelfth team gold for the Netherlands which gave his father, Ijsbrand, his thirty-sescond world medal and fourteenth gold. Together with Koos de Ronde, they won the team competition on 322.69.
Boyd had one down in cones, but a score of 146.93 penalties for all three phases left him untouchable and continuing on top of the world rankings with his seventh consecutive gold medal. Amazingly, the two-member Australian team that also included Tor van den Berge won their first world medal with bronze (340.77). Germany captured silver (330.33).
The U.S. did not finish as a team because its only other member, Jimmy Fairclough, did not compete in cones after one of his horses incurred an injury in his stall overnight.
Get the driving results by clicking here.
Read about the HITS grand prix in our Previous Columns here .
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 7, 2024
Jump-offs can be cutthroat affairs when the stakes are high and there is, as the British would say, all to play for.
Speaking of the British, they accounted for two-thirds of the top placings in Saturday’s Core Specialty Insurance $250,000 4-star Grand Prix at HITS on the Hudson.
The other contender in the three-horse tie-breaker rides for Belgium, but has British buddies. And it turns out the top three in the class – Jessica Mendoza, Abdel Said and Sam Hutton — will be stabling together now.
Jessica Mendoza and I-Cap CL Z, on their way to winning the HITS grand prix. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“We’re all good friends, we know each other for 10 years, more even,” said Abdel, joking that he remembers the elegantly tall Jessica since the days when “she was shorter than me” and riding a pony. (Jessica was British Show Jumping’s leading pony rider in 2009 and 2010).
“Going into the jump-off, it was fun, because whatever position we ended up in, it was already a victory. But in the ring, I am competitive,” said Abdel, a native of Egypt who switched his nationality in 2021.
“It was a hard one, I went too fast, I overcooked it but I wanted to put enough pressure and then also not risk knocking a rail,” he said of his effort on Bonne Amie, his Estonian sport horse, clocked in 40.92 seconds.
Abdel Said and Bonne Amie. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Next up, Great Britain’s Samuel Hutton, riding Melusina BVL Z for Abdel’s AS Trading, was a bit slower in 42.2 seconds on the Zangersheide mare.
Sam Hutton and Melusina BVL Z (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Jessica saw the Olaf Petersen Jr.-designed route in the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium as “a great course for my horse. I was in the best position going in, because I got to see everyone,” she said, before clocking the winning trip in 39.86 seconds on I-Cap CL Z, her Zangersheide gelding, who she has owned for eight years, since he was four.
Jessica, who rides on Nations Cup teams for Britain, called him her “pride and joy, a horse of a lifetime. I know him so well.”
She said of her best horse friend, “I know if I turn really tight and slice the jump, he’s not going to put down, he’s going to give it all to me.”
For her, it was practically love at first sight with this horse, who enabled her to collect the $82,500 winner’s check at the show in Saugerties, N.Y.
“A friend in Holland told me about him. I knew after six jumps that I was going to buy him,” she said.
Olaf, who had a field of 26 to work with, said, “It was nice for me to watch. It was very exciting until the end,”
The time allowed of 84 seconds also turned out to be tight for 11 entries, who collected time penalties.
A big question involved a one-stride double, the next to-last obstacle on the first round course.
“I think nine strides to the last vertical/oxer was a much better solution than eight. A lot who tried eight strides didn’t succeed,” Olaf observed.
“That was a key part of the course for me.”
Sam Hutton, Jessica Mendoza with Lily, Abdel Said and Olaf Petersen Jr. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Abdel noted, “All in all, I really enjoyed the course. I thought it was very fair for the number of riders who were here. A grand prix with that amount of money should not be a lot more clear rounds, I think it should be top sport.”
And several top names didn’t fare well.
Germany’s Rene Dittmer, who won the grand prix at the Hampton Classic last weekend, had a rail at the rustic bridge vertical, putting him and Corsica X seventh. Another star, Jordan Coyle of Ireland, winner of the Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon with For Gold in May, dropped two rails, putting him thirteenth and out of the money.
Everyone praised the HITS facility, which has undergone impressive renovations recently.
“I love it,” said Abdel.
“I’ve been to Wellington, Miami, so many shows in Canada and I was so impressed,” he said, citing the effort for horse welfare and the footing among the benefits of HITS.
Sam, visiting HITS this year for the first time, agreed.
“I really like it. It’s very horse-friendly,” he commented.
Olaf, who had designed the former HITS $1 million class a decade ago, said that since his last visit, “the improvement I think was amazing.” Even with, as he put it, “so many rings, everybody had time to do his job and be professional.”
click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 6, 2024
Chester Weber, who has long been a star in the dressage segment of four-in-hand driving, outdid himself on Friday in Hungary with a record score of 31.06 penalties.
Chester Weber after his record-setting dressage performance. (FEI photo)
He leads the field of 41 at the world championships, earning four 10s and one 9.5 for general impression and presentation.
“I’m humbled to sit behind these horses, even though I’ve had most of them since they were four,” said Chester.
“They’ve been produced not only by me but by a synergistic team of people who all have yoked together to help make this sort of perfection. ”
Added Weber, “I knew that we came in as potential leaders, but you still have to make it happen, so I started the warmup only 35 minutes before the test and kept everything quiet and soft. Every time I asked a question today, the horses said, ‘Yes’ so I tried not to get in their way, and they really deserve this win.”
Boyd Exell of Australia, the number one-ranked four-in-hand driver in the world, stands second on 33.53 penalties. Anna Sandmann of Germany is third (40.99).
The other U.S. driver, Jimmy Fairclough, is twenty-ninth on a score of 60.23. The U.S.team stands fourth of 10 countries on 91.29 penalties, behind leader Australia (80.91). The Netherlands is second on 86.44 and Germany is third with 89.29.
Jimmy, who was Chester’s teammate on the USA’s 2018 world championships gold medal squad, hasn’t been having an easy time of it recently. On July 30, his dressage leader, Jake, suffered a fatal colic, leaving Jimmy with just four horses.
Chester came through with Gouveneur for Jimmy to lease. Then last Monday, “when we entered the stabling here, my marathon leader, Dapper, got his teeth stuck in the stall bars and broke off his front teeth,” Jimmy recounted.
“He is recovering from surgery at the clinic. Our marathon and cones will be interesting as I’ve never driven a hazard or cones course with Gouveneur,” noted Jimmy, who thanked Chester for his help.
Ever the tough challenger when a gauntlet is laid down, defending Champion Boyd Exell (AUS) followed in the final session of the day. His experienced team produced another superb test to score 33.53 which meant only he and Chester went sub-40. Later Boyd said that he was especially pleased with the horses as they are marathon specialists, so they did brilliantly to get so close to Chester’s mark. He also paid tribute to Anna Sandmann’s test on Thursday stating that it wasn’t easy for her to score so well on day one and maintain her leading position for so long.
Boyd’s score put Australia ahead in the team competition with 80.91 after his compatriot Tor van den Berge produced an improved test for 47.38. Not far behind are the Dutch on 86.44 after father and son Chardon had only 0.2 between them – Bram scored 43.12 for fifth and Ijsbrand 43.32 for sixth.
As the penultimate athlete to drive, there was expectation that Germany’s Mareike Harm would post another strong score, and she slotted in behind Anna on 42.18. It was enough to put Germany into third place as – combined with Georg von Stein’s 47.11 – they are on 89.29. The USA are fourth, Belgium fifth and hosts Hungary are sixth after Zόltan Lázár (HUN) rounded off the second morning session with 47.51.
Chester said afterwards that his strategy going into the marathon with Boyd so close is to just go for it. Both attended the test event last year and selected horses they feel with thrive over the undulating ground and through the long obstacles.
They will both try to put pressure on each other, but Chester uses the analogy with golf, saying that he tends to compete against himself and tries not to pay too much attention to what’s happening elsewhere. He’s brought a new horse, Casper, in the left lead which is a change from his Aachen combination as he feels it will add a lot of strength to the team.
The eight obstacles are situated outside the town of Szilvásvárad and have been designed by Alexander Flocke (GER).
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 6, 2024
The U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team earned its first-ever team gold, securing the title with a score of 235.567 following three team rides Friday from Roxanne Trunnell (Grade I) and Fanta Tastico H, Fiona Howard (Grade II) and Diamond Dunes, and Rebecca Hart (Grade III) and Floratina.
Fiona Howard, Becca Hart and Roxanne Trunnell with U.S. chef d’equipe Michel Assouline and their team gold medals. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
The Dutch posed the biggest challenge this time around, after stellar individual results and they finished with silver on 232.850. Germany was third with 223.51. Britain, which had dominated para dressage since its inception, was sixth (219.562).
“We’ve been in front for such a long time,” said Britain’s Natasha Baker, who scored 75.367 percent on Dawn Chorus in Grade III.
“We didn’t expect to be bringing home the team gold in Tokyo, so that was unreal. The rest of the world has caught up with us now. It’s just going to be a case of us trying to find ways that we can sneak back to the top again.”
Michel Assouline, who previously was the British para team’s chef d’equipe, has been the guiding force of the U.S. team since leaving the British squad.
Fiona’s 80 percent on Diamond Dunes – the highest individual score of Paris 2024 to date — added to Roxanne’s 77 percent put the USA narrowly ahead of the Netherlands, for which the Grade IV duo of Sanne Voets on Demantur (76.567 percent) and Demi Haerkens with Daula (78.216 percent) set the early pace.
While there was excitement around Versailles that Fiona’s score could be a new Paralympic record, due to changes in the tests since the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, it is not possible to make direct comparisons or officially recognize it as a record, but it still is quite an achievement.
“I came out the ring and thought, ‘that felt really good’, but you never know,” said Fiona, who now has two golds in her first Paralympic Games. “Whatever the score was, I was super proud of him.”
Becca entered the arena on Floratina knowing she needed a personal best score to take gold.
“It’s always a bit intense being the ‘closer’ for your team and it was a very pressure-cooker situation,” said Becca, who along with Roxanne and Kate Shoemaker, was part of the USA team that took bronze at Tokyo 2020.
“I was definitely doing the math. I think my previous best was a 75-something, so it was a jump. I had a quick peek at the board and went ‘OK, let’s go, game on’. I knew we had to do something pretty special.” And she did.
“This is the completion of a long-timed, well-planned dream( for the U.S.), going back to Tryon 2018, where we started to actually make changes,” said Michel Assouline.
“In Tokyo, when we won bronze, I had a clear plan and strategy in place, and in my mind, to earn that team medal. I just knew it had to be gold in Paris for us.
“It has been three years of very hard work, planning, logistics, competition strategies, both for Europe and in the U.S. The horsepower, the coaches, and the whole program had to be revamped to get to this point. It’s a funny thing to think – it’s what I expected — but you never want to talk about it openly. I had it in mind that this was our goal and here we are. This feels like such an amazing accomplishment for everyone who has been involved with this program over the years.”
It’s the USA’s second consecutive Paralympic team medal. The U.S. is only the third nation (after Germany and Great Britain) to win two individual gold medals in one Games, according to EquiRatings. Of course, it must be said that Britain, a paralympics juggernaut that was double gold in 2008, won two more in 2012 and three in 2016.
This was the first time the U.S.won three medals in the individual classification. Even before the team competition, the country had matched its highest Para medal count, from 1996 in Atlanta and 2021 in Tokyo.
The only U.S. non-medalist so far is Kate Shoemaker, fifth in the Grade IV competition. However, she qualified for Saturday’s freestyle, as did individual gold medalists Becca and Fiona, as well as individual silver medalist Roxanne.
Click here for Para team results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 6, 2024
The fourth-place finish of the Belgian eventing team at the Paris Olympics could be in jeopardy
The Belgian Equestrian Federation has been informed that Tine Magnus’ horse, Dia van het Lichterveld, had a positive test (A-sample) for a banned substance, Trazadone, during the Games.
“The Belgian Team in general and Tine Magnus particularly are very surprised about this result. Awaiting further steps in the procedure (analysis of B sample, ..) Tine Magnus has been provisionally suspended by the FEI,” the Belgian federation stated..
“Although all horses had been pre-tested and the team gave their utmost to prevent any incidents, this is the given situation which is currently having an impact on the team result,” the Belgian federation continued.
“We are now analyzing and clarifying the situation. Together with Tine Magnus, we are investigating what exactly happened and want to trace back to the situational details.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Trazodone is used to treat depression. It is thought to work by increasing the activity of serotonin in the brain.
The Belgian federation added, “In the current situation, it is important to stress that the results of the Paris Olympic Games, both individual and team, will remain valid for the duration of the investigation.”
If the final decision disqualifies Magnus, the Swiss team would move up to fourth and the U.S. team would advance to sixth from seventh, with Sweden taking fifth place.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 5, 2024
The U.S. Paralympic equestrian squad was facing a big challenge in Friday’s team test against 14 other countries. Great Britain always seems like the team to beat, having won every team medal since 2006. But the Dutch are also a prime contender
But the U.S. came prepared. The squad was composed of the country’s three individual medal winners: two gold (Becca Hart and Fiona Howard) and one silver medalist (Roxie Trunnell). The U.S. is only the third nation (after Germany and Great Britain) to win two individual gold medals in one Games, according to EquiRatings. Of course, it must be said that Britain, a paralympics juggernaut that was double gold in 2008, won two more in 2012 and three in 2016.
This was the first time the U.S.won three medals in the individual classification. Even before the team competition, the country had matched its highest Para medal count, from 1996 in Atlanta and 2021 in Tokyo.
The only non-medalist so far is Kate Shoemaker, fifth in the Grade IV competition. However, she qualified for Saturday’s freestyle, as did Becca, Fiona and Roxanne.
A spook in the canter near the end of Kate’s test Wednesday with Vianne ended the USA’s medal run in the individual competition.
Shoemaker, ranked number one in the world in her grade, began working with the U.S.-bred Vianne this year. They made their international debut as a combination in Doha last February.
“The first day I knew that it was something so incredibly special and she just kept proving that show after show. It was a clear decision to bring her here,” said Kate.
Their Paris test was trending around 75 percent until the spook. She ended on 72.222 percent.
“That was the first spook she’s ever had with me, but horses are horses, and if we wanted to ride something predictable, we would ride motorcycles, but regardless of anything – I love her more than anything in the world,” Kate said about the 8-year-old Hanoverian mare.
‘”She went into that stadium like she’s done it a million times and it was incredible. She’s allowed to be a horse and she’s certainly forgiven because there’s going to be a lot more beautiful days in the future.”
Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline emphasized, “Kate rode beautifully today. The two of them were incredibly accurate and in sync with one another – the picture was just beautiful.
“We have to remember horses are not machines, and sometimes things outside of our control happen in the arena. Kate handled the rest of the ride after Vianne’s spook perfectly and they still finished with a competitive score.”
It was a Dutch double for the top placings in the Grade IV class, as Demi Haerkens took gold in her Paralympic Games debut. The 2023 European Championships gold medalist won with Daula on 78.722 percent.
“It was such a lovely ride,” said Demi.
“She was so focused, with such lovely quality and softness. We didn’t make any mistakes. She was with me and dancing with a lot of quality. She was amazing. Now I want to go to the stable and give her big cuddles.”
Her compatriot, defending champion Sanne Voets, who won double individual gold and team silver on Demantur in Tokyo 2021, rode the same horse to silver on 76.528 percent.
The bronze went to Germany’s Anna-Lena Niehues on Quimbaya 6 with 75.222 percent.
There were no American competitors in the Grade V competition, won by Belgium’s Michèle George. It was her sixth Paralympic Games gold and seventh medal overall as she defended her Individual title on Best of 8. The double individual gold medalist at Tokyo 2021, was marked at 76.692 percent.
“I’m incredibly happy. She (Best of 8) was amazing. For me, it felt like a gold medal because I had nearly no mistakes and she was really dancing with me. I enjoyed every second of it. It means a lot,” the winner enthused.
Regine Mispelkamp of Germany on Highlander Delight’s, added a silver medal to her individual freestyle bronze from Tokyo, scoring 73.231 percent.
Sophie Wells of Great Britain rode LJT Egebjerggards Samoa to her ninth Paralympic medal by taking bronze with 72.257 percent adding to her four golds and four silvers from previous Games.
click here for Grade IV results
click here for Grade V results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 5, 2024
The Tewksbury Trail Association has one of the best trail paces in New Jersey. It caters to riders of all levels and ages at Christy Hoffman Farm Park on Fairmount Road West in Califon Sept. 15 from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Participants will go across open fields and forest trails, experience water crossings and have the option of taking jumps if they wish. There are four divisions: Open and 90-plus (adding up the age of the participants) and Trail Pace and Pleasure Pace.
“We have developed a seven-mile-plus course with a trail and pleasure pace option that will accommodate riders of all levels”, Jeannie Shuster, president of the TTA, explained.
“This year, we have opened a few new sections of our TTA trail network, allowing us to introduce our riders to an even wider variety of our beautiful trails.”
Gia-Raquel Esposito, TTA vice president, noted, “In addition to ribbons, we will again have a great selection of prizes for all divisions. All TTA-members will enjoy a discount on the registration fee. And we will have a special TTA Trail Pace 2024 T-shirt for the participants” on a first-come, first-serve basis.
An equine veterinarian will be on hand during the event.
For more information, go to the new TTA website: www.tta-nj.org
