by Nancy Jaffer | May 15, 2024
It took a century of work, but World Horse Welfare is celebrating historic legislation that will ban live export of horses and other livestock for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain. It has passed Parliament and awaits assent of the king before becoming law.
“The passage of this law ensures that no horse, pony or donkey will legally be exported from Great Britain for slaughter and while this is a monumental step forward, plenty more needs to be achieved to effectively combat the illegal export of equines from the country,” said Roly Owers, the organization’s CEO.
“This will rely on the new law being effectively enforced and the introduction of full traceability of all equines, and we look forward to working with DEFRA (Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to achieve this. In the Twenty-first Century, it is preposterous that equine ID is still based on a paper-based system, which simply provides an open door for horse smugglers.”
A symbolic ride to Parliament emphasized the urgent need for reform and played a role in getting it established. World Horse Welfare’s recent rescue of the “Dover 26” – a group of horses and ponies, some of whom were almost certainly intended for slaughter in Europe – highlights the critical need for enforcement of the new legislation.
These animals were found on an overloaded and filthy transporter at Dover (a British port), with only 19 of the 26 declared for export. Many were unfit for the journey, including pregnant mares, unhandled youngsters and a severely arthritic mare who required euthanasia. At least one animal was infected with Equine Influenza, showing the significant biosecurity risk that smuggled animals pose.
As the UK legislation moves forward, World Horse Welfare pledges to continue its advocacy work within the European Union, focusing on ending long-distance transport of horses for slaughter and citing the legacy of its founder, Ada Cole.
U.S. horses are transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, which is also problematical. In 2022, 16,300 U.S. horses were sent to slaughter in Mexico, and 5,100 to Canada. There are, however, no plants slaughtering horses for human consumption in the U.S., with the last one closing in 2007.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 12, 2024
The sixteenth time was the charm.
New Zealand’s Caroline Powell won the MARS Badminton Horse Trials’ Whitbread Trophy on Greenacres Special Cavalier after 15 previous outings in the event.
Caroline Powell of New Zealand with Badminton’s Whitbread trophy. (MARS Badminton Horse Trials Photo)
“I wasn’t ready for that,” said Caroline, 51.
“I thought third place would be great, but to win – wow. It’s awesome and it means so much – I’m not in my youth and just to get a horse to this stage is difficult enough, but to win – I can’t believe it.”
There was a huge shakeup in the standings during Sunday’s show jumping phase on the track designed by Kelvin Bywater at the seventy-fifth anniversary of the British fixture. Another New Zealander, Tim Price, dropped from first after cross-country to eighth with five knockdowns on Vitali, who is not known for his show jumping prowess. (To read about cross-country day, go to the second feature on this website or click here.)
Even more remarkable was the slide of Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt, who went from a close second with Grafennacht following a brilliant cross-country trip, to an unlucky thirteenth after six knockdowns.
“I should have pulled the plug yesterday,” he said, referring to his wonderful cross-country ride, “but I have lived with a few moments in my career and it will all be fine tomorrow. I’m 55, I’m in one piece and I’ve been lucky.”
The mainstay of so many British teams, William had suggested that this could be his final Badminton, He confirmed it after his ride, noting the time has come, though he thinks he will still compete at a lower level.
As for Grafennacht, William said she will continue with a younger rider.
Caroline, seventh after dressage and sixth after cross-country, was among only three who achieved double-clear in the show jumping. She pulled it off on her 11-year-old Irish sporthorse mare (Cavalier Royale X Touchdown).
Caroline finished with a score of 43.2 penalties, ahead of Ireland’s Lucy Latta on RCA Patron Saint (45.2). Without just one of her two knockdowns, Lucy would have been the winner on a big day for the Irish.
But it already was special. Lucy is the highest-placed Irish rider at Badminton since Eddie Boylan won in 1965.
“I made a total rider error at the third fence, but my horse was phenomenal this week and I feel there’s loads more to come for him,” Lucy commented.
Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier on their way to Badminton victory. (Photo MARS Badminton Horse Trials)
An even bigger leap was made by third-place Alexander Bragg of Great Britain. He came up from fifty-first after dressage with Quindiva, moving to tenth following cross-country and elevated himself to the podium with one of the double-clear show jumping rounds. His total was the same as Lucy’s, but the tie was broken by her lower cross-country score.
Caroline, who retired her other mount, Aldo, on cross-country, came up with her victorious mare from forty-sixth place in dressage. But as they say, it’s not a dressage competition.
Vastly experienced, Caroline, a former point-to-pointer, first came to Britain as a groom for three-time Badminton winner Ian Stark. She won team bronze at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, and was on her country’s 2008 Olympic team.
She finished thirtieth at Badminton last year on “Cav,” and sixth in the 2023 Maryland 5-star (where Ian designed the cross-country route) less than five months later. The Badminton trip was to get the mare used to crowds and atmosphere, in case she is picked for her nation’s Olympic team in Paris this summer.
Caroline and Cav going cross-country. (MARS Badminton Horse Trials Photo).
“Cav has had her tricky moments,” said Caroline, “but to be here, winning Badminton, is a dream come true.”
The top U.S. rider was UK-based Grace Taylor, who wound up eighteenth with 62.6 penalties, having moved up to nineteenth from her thirty-first place after dressage with a cross-country trip free of jumping faults.
But two knockdowns in the show jumping enabled her to rise only one place in the final tally. If she had been free of show jumping errors, she would have been just outside the top 10 in eleventh place.
Grace is the daughter of Ann Hardaway Sutton, who rode for the U.S. in the Seoul Olympics. Her father is Nigel Taylor, who like Ann, was a veteran of Badminton and Burghley, and is a British eventing selector, course designer and coach.
Three knockdowns and time penalties put another U.S. rider, Tiana Coudray on Cancaras Girl in the twenty-fifth spot. They had been sixth after dressage. Cosby Green and Copper Beach collected 28 jumping faults and 1.6 time penalties to place thirty-first.
Boyd Martin, who accumulated 60 jumping penalties on cross-country for a run-out and then crossing his own track on the way to the alternate route, was thirty-fourth with Tsetserleg in the field of 37 who finished the event. It was Boyd’s first Badminton completion, and like Tim Price, he has now completed every 5-star in the world.
He wound up on 122.6 penalties after dropping two rails in show jumping. Hopes had been high after he placed fourth in dressage with the horse he calls Thomas.
“This event wasn’t perfect,” Boyd said on social media, “but I felt like there were bits and pieces where Thomas was the best he has ever been. Certainly not the result I was looking for, but to be here was a huge achievement within itself.”
Boyd noted he is “Extremely grateful for the Turners (Thomas’ owners) for backing us around the world through the highs and lows of the sport. He’s a champion horse and for it to be his seventh year at 5-star is a huge credit to his heart, toughness, soundness, and the team at Windurra USA who helps keep him at the top of his game.”
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | May 11, 2024
EquiRatings gave New Zealand’s Tim Price only a 10 percent chance of winning the 5-star MARS Badminton Horse Trials this weekend, but he’s on track to prove them wrong.
On a testing cross-country course designed by Eric Winter, the optimum time of 11 minutes and 19 seconds proved impossible for anyone to make, as was the case in 2023. But Tim, ranked sixth in the world, did well to finish with Vitali on just 0.4 time penalties, jumping clean and moving up two spots from his dressage placing to stand first before show jumping on 31.7 penalties.
Of Vitali, Tim said, “He gave everything he had today – he was just class.”
Looking toward Sunday’s final phase, Tim noted, “His show jumping has been good recently and I think I’ve got a bit of a plan in place. He’s buzzing with fitness and wellness, so hopefully that will help tomorrow, but I’m just going to enjoy it for today.”
Tim Price and Vitali (Photo Badminton Horse Trials)
If he wins, Tim will have achieved what his wife, Jonelle, did in 2018, when she was victorious with Classic Moet. EquiRatings advises that eight of the past 11 winners have been in the top five after dressage.
Tim, who has jumped every 5-star course in the world, won’t rely as yet that tomorrow he will be holding the famous Whitbread trophy. Only six of the last 11 cross-country leaders went on to win the entire event, EquiRatings says, noting less than one in five have jumped clear at Badminton since 2010.
Great Britain’s most veteran William Fox-Pitt, tied for eighth after dressage, is less than a rail behind Tim with 33 penalties. He had a mere 2.4 time penalties added to his dressage score of 30.6. William took one cautious longer route that added a few seconds to his total on the lovely mare Grafennacht.
The master rider has hinted that this will be his last Badminton, and you know he’d like to go out a winner.
Of his mount, he said, “She’s a cracking mare – anyone could ride her; she always says `yes’. She’s not put a foot wrong and is a great old man’s conveyance.
William Fox-Pitt and Grafennacht. (MARS Badminton Horse Trials)
“I was optimistic about today because she has never had a cross-country fault. I did take a long route and circle at the Dew Pond and Tim didn’t, so that serves me right,” added William, who made an amazing comeback from a life-threatening head injury more than eight years ago.
Further back on 37.2 penalties is Ireland’s Lucy Latta, a Badminton first-timer with RCA Patron Saint (such a good name for an event horse who is no trouble on cross-country). Lucy, who works in marketing, had the fastest time of all, coming close to the optimum by one second with just 0.4 penalties and making the leap from equal eighth in dressage (that should sound familiar) to stand on 37.2 penalties. That gives Tim a margin of a rail plus some time over her.
And what of the rider EquiRatings picked as the favorite with a 21 percent chance of winning?
That would be defending champion Ros Canter on Izilot DHI, her 2023 Pau 5-star winner and the leader after dressage. The world number two-ranked rider activated a frangible pin at obstacle 10 jumping into the MARS Badminton Lake, then retired after her horse spooked and ran past the final element. Bummer.
It was also a disappointing day for the U.S., especially since there were such high hopes for Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg after they finished fourth in dressage with 29 penalties. The experienced duo was going well as one of the first rides on course, until…
Let Boyd tell you about it.
“Thomas (as Tsetserleg is known around the barn) started out fantastic. We were humming along, jumping all the hard obstacles early on,” said Boyd, ranked world number three.
And then trouble struck three-quarters of the way around.
It was “a sunken road, which was a skinny down a dip in three strides, up a bank to one stride to a skinny. I had a complete mental breakdown,” he recounted.
“I knew I had to stay out and get square but…I don’t know, we were going pretty fast. We’d done a lot of the harder jumps and I was getting a bit too brave and confident,” he admitted.
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg at Badminton (Photo Peter Nixon for USEA)
“Unfortunately, I cut my turn and tried to angle this skinny and it was basically a horrible ride. Poor old Thomas didn’t have a moment to see the fence and balance up and jump the jump. We ran off the skinny and I sort of tried to figure out where the alternate was and sort of figured it out.”
But not exactly.
“I crossed my tracks going the alternate way. After that, I was sort of just on survival and got him home safe and sound. It was unbelievable riding here and a tough, tough place to bring an event horse.”
He was given 20 penalties for the run-out and 40 more for crossing his track. Then there were the 25.2 time penalties, making his total 114.2 penalties and putting him in thirty-eighth place among the 41 who finished cross-country.
Good on Boyd for being so honest, as he usually is, and for adding, “Very proud of Thomas. Kicking myself all day for the ride I gave him at one jump. Fingers crossed for tomorrow’s show jumping.” He’s looking for his first completion at Badminton.
Grace Taylor and Game Changer, the best U.S. finisher after cross-country at Badminton. (Peter Nixon for USEA)
The best-placed U.S. rider is the unsung UK-based Grace Taylor with Game Changer, nineteenth on 54.6 penalties and clear over the jumps. She moved up from thirty first place after dressage. After her it’s Tiana Coudray on Cancaras Girl, twenty-sixth, followed by Cosby Green in thirty-second on Copper Beach.
Meghan O’Donahue (Palm Crescent) and Allie Knowles (Morswood) were eliminated after falling.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | May 6, 2024
It definitely was a longshot.
When Alice Tarjan handed her talented mare, Jane, to her trainer, Marcus Orlob, three months ago, it seemed unlikely the new combination would be among the eight U.S. competitors making the cut for a trip to Europe as part of the Olympic selection procedure.
Yet that is just what happened after the qualifying process ended last weekend at the 3-star TerraNova show in Florida.
This week, Marcus, a naturalized American citizen, heads to his native Germany to work with Jane for a month before the shortlisted U.S. riders face off against each other for the benefit of the team selectors in Hagen, Germany in June.
Marcus Orlob and Jane. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
“I am excited and looking forward to getting to know the horse better and spend some time training,” said Marcus.
“It was so busy the last couple of weeks, showing, showing, showing. Now I can finally experience a little bit and connect with her more.”
The Annandale, N.J., resident will be in Dusseldorf, where his family has a home, working with former Brazilian team coach Johan Zagers.
“It’s another step. Olympics? I don’t think it’s realistic, but you never know. The horse is doing great and has so much more potential,” he said of the 10-year-old Dutch warmblood (DesperadoXMetall).
While Marcus admitted he “lost his head” and went off-course at one point in his most recent show, “there are moments where I connect with her some more and she got a couple of eights and a nine. There are good moments coming. I am excited for Jane now.”
The talented mare had been trained through the levels by Alice, but because Jane could be strong in the arena, the horse’s owner felt Marcus should work with her. Jane’s first CDI with her new rider was only March 28, two months after Alice was showing her at Intermediate A.
The purpose of going to Europe early is for Jane “to have a couple of easy days and then focus on, hopefully, good training,” Marcus said.
The top eight horse/rider combinations on the U.S. Olympic dressage ranking list announced Monday include three other pairs that are new this year, but veteran Olympian Steffen Peters leads the shortlist roster, as he has throughout the qualifying period with his 2021 Tokyo Games mount, Suppenkasper.
His average for the qualifying period was 73.620 percent to 72.702 for second-place Adrienne Lyle with Helix. Adrienne is also fourth on 72.028 on Lars van de Hoenderheide, behind Endel Ots and Zen Elite’s Bohemian (72.041). They all new pairings.
Adrienne Lyle and Helix. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
The top eight riders are supposed to go to Europe to prepare for the Olympics, but Adrienne has two horses (both owned by Zen Elite) which moves Marcus up a notch from ninth place (70.761 percent).
Anna Buffini and Fiontini (71.494) are fifth. Like Steffen, Anna is a Californian. Neither she nor Steffen came East to compete this year. Pan American Games individual bronze medalist Anna Marek is number six on the list with Fire Fly (71.040). With the exception of the two Annas and Steffen, the rest of the top group rode in the final qualifying show.
Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Haute Couture (70.979) are seventh overall and Sarah Tubman with First Apple is eighth (70.817).
Endel Ots rides the most celebrated of the three Zen horses, Bohemian, guided to fourth in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark. He capped his campaign with a victory in Terra Nova’s Freestyle, where he was marked at 75.670 percent.
Endel Ots and Bohemian. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
Appropriately, Endel’s music included a bit of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” It was the first ever international freestyle that the rider had performed. His highest mark for a routine that included a piaffe pirouette on the last centerline was 79.35 percent from judge Christof Umbach at E.
“That was a really fun experience and a little surreal,” said Endel, whose freestyle (which included a little French interlude looking toward Paris) was crafted by his trainer, Albrecht Heidemann and Terry Gallo.
Adrienne won the Special with Lars (71.723), while Marcus was second on 69.872.
Noting that Saturday was a “blistering hot day,” Adrienne commented that while Lars completed his qualifying criteria for the Olympic short list with his Special victory despite the weather, Helix “did the freestyle just as thunderstorms rolled in.” She said “he found the plants blowing in the wind to be quite scary, but still managed to pull off a podium finish and complete his qualifying criteria.”
Helix, who was marked at 72.560 percent, to be third in the freestyle, won the Grand Prix on Friday.
Saying it was time for a big sigh of relief after qualifying criteria were completed, Adrienne thanked Zen’s owner, Heidi Humphries, and her own mentor, Debbie McDonald, as well as her grooms.
Kasey Perry-Glass, who had been a team regular with Doublet, now retired, was second in the freestyle on her new ride, Heartbeat W.P. (72.615).
The Freestyle is a requirement for Olympic candidates, but it doesn’t count in their overall standings. It’s the Grand Prix and the Special, which determines the team medals at the Games. The Freestyle secures individual medals, which are considered less important than team medals in the big picture.
Click here for Olympic dressage ranking list
Click here for TerraNova Grand Prix results
Click here for TerraNova Grand Prix Special results
Click here for TerraNova Freestyle results
by Nancy Jaffer | May 12, 2024
The Jacqueline & George Ohrstrom Jr. barn was dedicated this weekend at the Virginia Horse Center, where the couple was saluted by Roxanne Booth, president of the Virginia Horse Center.
“Together, the Ohrstroms built an impeccable reputation on the love of all things horse. Their philanthropic endeavors touch countless lives—equine and human—and they were champions of land conservation long before it was in vogue. The Ohrstroms were instrumental in establishing the National Sporting Library and Museum, and truly the list goes on.”
If the name Ohrstrom sounds familiar, there is a reason why.
George Ohrstrom Jr. owned the Chronicle of the Horse for 50 years and was a prominent figure in the racing and foxhunting communities, as well as a supporter of land conservation efforts, especially those of the Piedmont Environmental Council.
He was a member of and a major landowner in the Orange County Hunt near The Plains, Va., and in 1992, he founded the Bath County Hounds, a private pack headquartered on his land in Bath County, Va. The Ohrstroms contributed to and founded in 1955, along with the late Alexander Mackay-Smith, the National Sporting Library.
In 2010, it was rebranded as the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM). Today, the NSLM Library houses 20,000 volumes, historic periodicals dating back to the early Nineteenth Century, over 80 archival collections, and an outstanding variety of antiquarian titles dating back to 1523, stored in the Library’s F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room. Almost every object in the Library collections was donated to NSLM, making the Library a reflection of the sporting community across the United States.
The Museum’s collection has grown to over 1,300 objects, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, trophies, weathervanes, dog collars, and other ephemera. Two major temporary exhibitions are held during the year in the larger galleries, while the Vine Hill galleries host additional temporary exhibitions and a rotation of permanent collection artworks.
Thanking Mrs. Ohrstrom for all that she and her late husband have done for the Horse Center, Roxanne Booth added, “I hope that you consider today’s dedication of this barn a fitting tribute to Mr. Ohrstrom’s memory and as an integral part of your living legacy.”
Stephen Shank, VHC CEO; Will Phipps, B&D Builders; Anjela Carroll, Mrs. Jacqueline Ohrstrom Jr., Roxanne Booth, VHC Foundation Board President. (SCB Photography photos by Riley)
Virginia Horse Center CEO Stephen Shank said, “Naturally, none of the dream that is the Virginia Horse Center comes true without the significant support and investment of our dearest, closest friends.
“It is my distinct honor to express, on behalf of all those served by the Horse Center, my immense gratitude to Mrs. Jacqueline Ohrstrom and her late husband, George, for their loyalty and friendship. In recognition of their benevolence, we are thrilled and delighted to present the Jacqueline & George Ohrstrom Jr. Barn.
“Additionally, I want to acknowledge and thank Will Phipps, Daniel Glick and B&D Builders for the partnership on which we are embarking. Thanks to the demonstrated artistry and refined vision of B&D Builders, I know the interior of this barn will be state-of-the-art and above all, built to last for the comfort and safety of our dear horses. Mrs. Ohrstrom, we all hope you find it a fitting tribute to your lifetime of involvement in equestrianism.”
She responded, “All I can possibly say is the Horse Center is beautifully designed. The layout is great, and they have safe and comfortable barns. It is easy access from a number of states that are heavily involved with horses, and they have a lovely big ring.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 9, 2024
While the riders trying to make the U.S. eventing, show jumping and dressage teams for this summer’s Paris Olympics are getting a lot of attention, the Perrigo U.S. Para Dressage Team also is making an impact, as its riders won the Mannheim, Germany 3-star Para Nations Cup this week.
Polished performances from Kate Shoemaker and Rebecca Hart led the squad for “our largest-ever team score and an average individual percentage of 75.35,” Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline said.
He warned, however, “We can’t rest on our laurels and don’t want to peak too early either. Careful planning is going into this ahead of our next international in Hagen, Germany next month.”
The U.S. team’s total was 452.199 to Germany’s 443.62 while Austria was third on 433.69. Riding on the U.S. team were Beatrice de Lavalette with Sixth Sense, Rebecca with Floratina, Fiona Howard aboard Diamond Dune and Kate with Vianne, a relatively new mount for her.
Front row: Rebecca Hart, Beatrice de Lavallette and Fiona Howard. Back row: Chef d’equipe Michel Assouline and Kate Shoemaker (Photo by Stefan Lafrentz)
Rebecca and Kate led with exciting scores in both the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A and FEI Para Grand Prix Test B team tests, marking their second consecutive international competition with numbers above 75 percent.
Rebecca was undefeated with Rowan O’Riley and Chloe Gasiorowski’s Floratina, winning both Grade III classes. She was marked at 75.11 percent in Grand Prix Test A and 75 percent in Grand Prix Test B. In her freestyle, Rebecca earned some marks above 80 percent with a final total of 78.84 percent.
Kate and Vianne, owned by NorCordia USA, were first in both Grade IV team classes, earning 76.57 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A to achieve a personal best, and 75.54 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B. Their freestyle was marked at 73.58.
Fiona, who first rode for the U.S. in para-dressage in 2022, won in Grade II. She was competing on Diamond Dunes, owned by Dressage Family LLC and Hof Kasselmann, in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A on Saturday. They were marked at 75.11 percent before finishing with 74.778 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B, putting Fiona second there. In individual competition, Fiona finished third in the FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle Grade II
Also competing in Grade II, Beatrice rode her 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championship partner Sixth Sense, to a 65.40 percent on the first day of competition, and 69.94 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B for the team. On the mount owned by Elizabeth and Nicolas de Lavalette, she also earned fifth place with her high score of the weekend, a 72.878, in the freestyle.
The FEI Para Dressage World Rankings, which do not include Mannheim, list Kate as number one. Rebecca is fifth on the list and Fiona tenth.
For results, click here, but go to the bottom of the page for the para scoring.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 30, 2024
The cross-country course designer for this summer’s Paris Olympics will fill the same role next year for the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill.
Pierre Le Goupil will succeed retiring course designer Ian Stark in 2025 and stay at least until 2027. Ian was the inaugural designer for the competition, which debuted in 2022.
Pierre Le Goupil. (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
“I am delighted to design for the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill starting in 2025, and I am filled with gratitude towards the organizing committee for their trust,” said Pierre.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity for me, and it’s also a great honor to succeed Ian Stark, who in less than three years, has greatly contributed to the event’s reputation.”
The new designer, who is 61 and a former eventer himself, has also been lead course designer for last year’s Pan American Games in Chile and the 2023 FEI European Championships in Haras du Pin, France.
“We’re thrilled that Pierre has agreed to be our cross country course designer starting in 2025 for the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory building upon the incredible foundation that Ian Stark has created through this year,” said Jeff Newman, president and CEO of the Maryland 5-star committee.
“There is no position more important in eventing than the course designer, as it’s paramount both to ensure horse and athlete safety and the entertainment of our fans globally. We’re so fortunate and honored to have two of the very best supporting Maryland as we continue to build upon our legacy as a world-class event at the highest level of the sport.”
Ian is pleased with the choice of his successor, saying, “Upon announcing my retirement, there was obviously going to be a new designer and I’m thrilled for the event that Pierre will be the new man. He has the talent, the imagination and the flair to succeed and I look forward to following his plans for the future of the course.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 8, 2024
Oliver Townend, last month’s Kentucky 5-star winner with Cooley Rosalent, is missing out on a chance to make history this week.
With a win at the Burghley 5-star last year and then Kentucky this year, all he would have had to do was win the Badminton 5-star this weekend to collect the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam prize. Okay, that wasn’t a given, but Ballaghmor Class, the horse nicknamed Thomas, has a record that made it seem a real possibility.
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class were Kentucky 5-star winners in 2021. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Only two riders in history, Pippa Funnell and Michael Jung, have been able to do it. But Oliver won’t be the third, at least this year.
“Absolutely gutted to withdraw Ballaghmor Class from this week’s MARS Badminton Horse Trials,” the British rider reported about his 17-year-old Irish sport horse.
“He had an abscess earlier in the season and consequently missed a couple of runs and gallops. This morning, he went for his final gallop and with the 11.5 mins cross-country course combined with the possible soft ground, we don’t feel he’s at his normal 5-star fitness right now.
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class on their way to winning the Kentucky 5-star in 2021. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“This is the first time in his career he’s missed a 5-star and with the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing being at stake (for the third time for me!) and Thomas’s record with 10 top-5 placings at 5-star, 4 of which are from Badminton including twice second place, and his three wins at Burghley and Kentucky, we really hoped he would finally get the Badminton trophy he so badly deserves.
“He’s fit and well, and knowing his huge heart. he’d give us his all, but it’s simply not in his best interest to run this week and his welfare is our top priority.
“Thomas will be rerouted to plan B, but for now, we’d like to give a huge thanks to his owners, our sponsors and our team, who are all equally gutted but support us to make this call to look after our superstar.”
Oliver had two other shots at the Grand Slam and had been itching to make the third time the charm.
“The first time, I nearly killed myself trying to win it,” he recalled about his cross-country fall at Kentucky that landed him in the hospital in 2010.
And that was after he was stranded in Britain by the Icelandic volcano fallout. Desperate to get to Kentucky for the last leg of the Grand Slam after winning Badminton and Burghley, he took a train to Paris, hoping for a connection to Madrid, where the airport was open, but encountered a train strike. He then hopped in a cab and convinced the driver to take him from France to Spain, which cost about $3,000.
His next shot at the Grand Slam also was disappointing, but less traumatic.
“The second time,” he remembered, “I was second at Badminton.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 29, 2024
This summer’s Paris Olympics was a frequent topic at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, even though the mission of the weekend involved good performances in the 5-star and 4-star competitions. After all, those divisions were a chance to qualify, as well as make an impression and demonstrate the potential of horse/rider combinations for the biggest show of all.
A case in point is 4-star winner Diabolo, who impressed by finishing on his dressage score with Will Coleman in the biggest test of his career.
Diabolo and Will Coleman. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Riders had to decide whether to compete their top horses in the 4-star or the 5-star. The Olympics’ cross-country is at 4-star level, so you can understand why so many chose that route at Kentucky. Others, including likely members of the British team, didn’t want to forego the opportunity to make their mark at a 5-star.
I had a chance to chat with U.S. Chef D’equipe Bobby Costello about how things look at this point on the Paris perspective for American efforts and he told me that while we know “the horses that are available today, it’s a long time to the Olympics, and we may lose one or two.”
Both Will Coleman’s Chin Tonic and Tamie Smith’s 2023 Kentucky 5-star winner Mai Baum, who had been entered in the 4-star, did not compete due to physical issues. Each will be evaluated when their riders get home and come up with a plan for how they progress.
But Bobby advised, “Both of those are still such unknowns no one should get too excited or too worried today. So we can’t freak out because we actually still have really, really good depth. I think we have to stay positive.”
At the same time, he cautioned, “You have to keep building on it. Who knows what the next couple of months will bring?
“It is still so competitive for that Olympic team,” Bobby noted, saying “One good phase isn’t enough to get someone on the team.”
Following final selection trials at the Badminton 5-star and Tryon, N.C., the selectors will choose horses to be examined by USEF veterinarians, then use that report during the selection process.
Candidates will participate in the mandatory outing at Stable View Horse Trials next month to demonstrate continued competitive form and soundness. Three weeks later, the selected group will go to Pennsylvania for a mandatory gallop and veterinary evaluation before heading to the team training camp in France. They go to Versailles, the Olympic venue, July 24. Competition begins July 27.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2024
The late Debbie Haimowitz will be remembered May 13 in a celebration of her life at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J. Everyone who knew her is invited to attend, and asked to bring their best stories about her.
The open house runs from 1-8 p.m., with speakers beginning at 4 p.m. An RSVP is required by May 7. Call Jonna Gaston at 845-893-2364 or email her at jonnagaston@gmail.com.
Deb Haimowitz
Debbie, who died of cancer in February, was “an extraordinary person whose determination to teach us surpassed even our own expectations, a human who wouldn’t let the student quit until they felt or understood even a mere second, a moment, of a concept,” Jonna commented.
“Deb’s perseverance both on and off a horse was exceptional in a patient, kind and feeling manner, she continued to coax you to another level you didn’t know was possible.”
