by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 22, 2023
HITS, the horse show series with competitions from coast to coast, has a new leader in Peter Englehart.
The company’s president and chief executive officer will be at the helm as HITS “redefines its commitment to creating an exemplary customer experience at all six of its world-class venues.”
In the past, he has worked with ESPN, ABC Sports, Sesame Street, MotorTrend & Hot Rod magazines and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, among other enterprises. He joined HITS in March 2022 as part of the team recruited by the shows’ new owner, Traub Capital Partners.
“Peter has a proven track record of creating winning teams and businesses,” said Brian Crosby, co-managing partner of Traub Capital Partners.
“Understanding the enthusiast consumer is a characteristic in which he is well-versed, and this trait will aid the growth of HITS in the equestrian marketplace.”
The new president has already helped launch such initiatives as the Young Jumper Program and developing more dressage events, as well as expanding into California’s historic Del Mar Horse Park, which will open in July after a two-year hiatus.
“Leading HITS is a wonderful opportunity to take a legacy brand to a new level of growth,” said Englehart. “We are blessed with wonderful locations, dates and an experienced management team to help move the company forward in the future.”
The HITS Ocala Winter Circuit at Post Time Farm will continue through March 26 and be followed by five more circuits throughout the spring, summer and fall in New York, California, Illinois, Vermont and Virginia.
HITS, established by Tom Struzzieri, is the largest producer of hunter/jumper horse shows in the U.S., operating six venues with 60 Weeks of sanctioned Hunter/Jumper competitions and six Weeks of dressage events.
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 5, 2023
The Canadian team gave the best possible welcome gift to its new chef d’equipe, Ian Millar, as it handily won the $150,000 CSIO 4-star Nations Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival Saturday night.
Ian, formerly known as Captain Canada for his leading role as a rider, had been on the job only a month when he faced his first team competition in Wellington, Florida. Could his squad win the title for a seventh time at the Wellington International venue?
Tiffany Foster, who produced the victory with teammates Mario Deslauriers, Beth Underhill and Erynn Ballard, said the team had been hoping for a long time that Ian would take the chef’s job.
“I think tonight’s win has a lot to do with him,” she said, breathless with excitement, after embracing Ian and her teammates.
“We wanted this for him and we’re glad we could give it to him.”
The victorious Canadian team: Erynn Ballard, Mario Deslauriers, Ian Millar, Tiffany Foster and Beth Underhill. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
A beaming Ian was understandably proud of his team’s achievement.
“For almost 50 years, I was one of the riders. I always appreciated the chefs and how much they cared and how much they supported us. Tonight, I feel part of this winning team and it’s a great feeling! I’m so proud to be the chef of our Canadian team. I always said that if I ever did it, I would only do it for Canada. I’ve been offered the position by other countries, but I always said I would only do it for Canada, if ever. And here we are.”
There’s always a big, enthusiastic crowd for the Nations Cup. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
The venue is packed for Nations Cup night, with the Tiki Hut restaurant converted to the “Irish Embassy” for the occasion, and various nationalities waving their flags and wearing gear that proclaims the country for which they were rooting.
This competition isn’t one that qualifies teams for the Cup finals in Barcelona, Spain, which offers a way to clinch an Olympic berth. But even so, it has value and bragging rights for a special achievement.
The Canadian win was clinched with three clear trips in the second round from Erynn, Tiffany and Mario, who was also fault-free in the first round with the 11-year-old Belgian warmblood Emerson, who had never jumped in a Nations Cup before.
After the first round, Belgium led on 4 faults, while Canada was tied on 8 with Brazil and Ireland. The U.S. barely made the cut to come back in the second round. Its 20 faults put it last in the standings going into the segment, after Venezuela, Chile and Argentina, the lowest-placing of the 11 teams that started the competition, did not make the final eight that jumped the same course again.
Things changed radically in the second round, as leader Belgium was a drop-out after Jos Verlooy fell when Nixon Van ‘T Meulenhof refused the ninth fence, a Liverpool, and the rider took a hard fall. Things continued to go south as Zoe Conter was eliminated, and that was the end for that country.
Canada’s three clears meant anchor rider Beth didn’t have to ride in the second round as it clinched the victory with just eight penalties.
The U.S. squad had three riders who were relatively inexperienced in this kind of setting. Mavis Spencer, Natalie Dean and Mimi Gochman were joined by Adrienne Sternlicht, a member of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games gold medal team, aboard a young horse, Faquitol-S. Natalie was the team star with a clear on a 4-fault trip on Acota M.The USA moved up from eighth in the first round to finishing fifth overall with 32 penalties, but U.S. fans may not have understood what happened to their country’s effort.
Natalie Dean performed best for the U.S. with a clear and a four-fault-trip on Acota M. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Coach Robert Ridland explained, “The plan from the very beginning this year was the 5-star nations cups that are qualifiers for Barcelona have to take priority. This nations cup has always been a great proving ground for the next generation. The road gets bumpy.
“And it was a little bumpy tonight,” he conceded.
“We were pretty darn close. Obviously, there were a couple of rounds we would have liked to have forgotten about. You have to go in knowing we’re going against some teams that are sending their best. We’re the only country that has so many riders that we can take our young talent and put it in a nations cup.
“Our competitors can’t do that, they have to send who they have, and they all have their veterans. In some ways, you might say it’s a little bit of an unfair fight, and you always want to win and get on the podium. But we have to stay the course of why we did this. Otherwise, you don’t give your young talent that’s going to be your next generation, both riders and horses, the experience when it really counts under pressure.”
TheU.S. team was selected from the rankings, and discretion also played a role in naming the squad.
Brazil edged Ireland for second place with a faster time, as both squads had a total of 16 faults. Mexico was fourth with 17, Australia sixth with 32 and Britain was seventh with 42.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 19, 2023
Sabin Schut-Kery is announcing, “A new chapter begins for a horse of a lifetime.”
The stallion Sanceo, the USA’s highest scoring horse at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, will compete no more, his rider stated today on social media. His performance in Japan that earned a personal best of 81.596 percent in the Grand Prix Special clinched a historic team silver medal was his last in competition. He is moving on to a breeding career.
Sanceo and Sabine Schut-Kery in Tokyo.
Explaining the choice to retire the stallion, Sabine said, “Since our wonderful Sanceo was just three years old, he has given everything he can to all that is asked of him; always inspiring us and always giving 100 percent to anything put in his way….and it’s because of this, we have made the decision to retire him from competitive sport.
“We have learned so much together and he has always been there for me, and I keep this in my heart as we make this difficult but also exciting decision to let him finish his performance career on a high, with happiness, memories, and while he is in good health.
“I will always cherish the unbreakable bond that led us to achieving our goals, through to his
big finale in Tokyo. Sanceo will continue to be adored in this next chapter of his life with his owners, Alice Womble-Heitmann and Dr. Mike Heitmann on their breathtaking ranch in Hempstead, Texas, where they have welcomed his return home.
Sabine and Sanceo had a big victory in Wellington in 2021 prior to the Olympics. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Walking into the barn every day without his cheerful face will take a little getting used to, but I know in my heart this is the best decision for him and what we owe him. In these past three months together, we have just enjoyed each other’s company, as I reflected on the journey that we have been on and how special this horse has been to me and my life.
“His kindness and intelligence has still shone through each day; still fascinating me and inspiring me. We had such a strong partnership and together with his perfectionist mind and his incredible talent, we have made memories that will last a lifetime.
Sanceo competing in the freestyle in Tokyo.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank his wonderful owners, Alice and Mike, as I was so fortunate to have shared Sanceo’s journey with them.
They have always made me feel like Sanceo was also my horse, going as far as to say that I could keep him with me here in California.
“But a retirement with them, on their beautiful 1,000-acre ranch just feels right for our one in a million. They have such love for the sport, but Sanceo’s happiness has always come first and I’m so grateful for their belief in us and their friendship through these wonderful years.
“His legacy will continue through his breeding duties, as he spends this next chapter of his life on the ranch; a scene so special and fitting for our beautiful boy. He will always have a very special place in my heart and I look forward to many more visits with him.
“Our journey has been a team effort so I take pride in dedication another post in the future to the amazing team behind us.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 19, 2023
Over the eons that I’ve written about the horse industry, showing, eventing, racing and other equestrian sports, I’ve accumulated stacks of programs, orders of go, course diagrams, photos, magazine articles and newspaper clippings. Lots and lots. Boxes and boxes of them.
Some (not even all!) are jammed into a storage locker, where I’ve started to go through the imposing piles of paper. This journey down memory lane begins with the 1970s and runs on through Olympics, world championships, World Cup finals and other competitions from around the globe. I’ve rediscovered pieces about people and horses, some well-remembered but long gone now, and a sort of historical perspective on what’s happening today.
As I culled the archives, I found so many interesting old stories that I decided some should be shared with my readers now and then, before the paper they’re on crumbles into dust. A few of these articles may be familiar; others could offer a new viewpoint.
I’m starting with a 1985 piece on eventer Mark Phillips, written when the Olympic gold medalist who won Badminton and Burghley came to the U.S. Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, N.J.,to give a clinic for American eventers. It may seem a bit quaint, but remember this was a different era and quite a big deal at the time because of his connection with Britain’s royal family.
Here’s the original of the 1985 story that introduced Mark Phillips to many of my readers.
In 2023, we all know Mark as the former chef d’equipe for the U.S. eventing team, and a sought-after course designer (he put together the cross-country route for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games and many other tests here and in Europe). His daughter, Zara (Tindall), who was only four when this story was written, went on to become European Eventing Champion and subsequently World Champion, earning an Olympic team silver medal to boot.
Mark Phillips consults with U.S. team member Boyd Martin in 2017. (Photo © 2017 by Nancy Jaffer)
But 38 years ago, that was yet to come and the general public knew Mark Phillips best as the man who married Great Britain’s Princess Anne. Below is the story in readable form (don’t try to make out the words in the clipping above–you’ll strain your eyes.) The article was written primarily for a non-horse-oriented audience: Here it is–
June 16, 1985: Yank Equestrians jump at chance for some royal lessons
The world at large knows Capt. Mark Phillips as the good-looking fellow who married Great Britain’s Princess Anne.
In the international equestrian community, however, Phillips is famous for his competitive stature. His dossier includes four wins at the world’s most prestigious Three-Day Event and membership on the British teams that won gold medals in the Three-Day Event at the Munich Olympics and the World Championships.
He also has a reputation for good sportsmanship, and it is the desire to share his approach to riding with others that has brought him to New Jersey for a few days.
Phillips is giving a helping hand to up-and-coming American eventers at the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) Training Center in Gladstone.
There are those who might consider that aiding the opposition. Even Phillips cheerily refers to the American three-day riders as “sort of traditional enemies” of the British in the sport.
“America has always been the team to beat as far as we’re concerned,” he notes.
But Phillips is quick to add, “If you can’t help somebody in sport, well … ,” and the unspoken words are a dismissal of those too mean-spirited to share their knowledge.
Three-Day Eventing is enormously popular in Britain, where the combination of dressage, riding over obstacles cross-country and jumping fences in· a stadium setting can draw 100,000 spectators.
Ironically, though the U.S. has won the eventing team gold medals in the last two Olympics, the sport has a much lower profile here.
That doesn’t make it any less of a passionate pastime for its practitioners, however. Their ranks include the 15 riders who came from all over the East and Midwest over the weekend to work with Phillips. He volunteered for the duty and did not charge the team for his presence, considering it “an honor” to be at the elegant Gladstone facility.
“So much history in equestrian sports and success has come out of this place,” he explained.
Phillips even admitted to a bit of I nervousness before arriving.
“Americans are more technical than we are,” he observed. “We tend to ride more by the seat of our pants.”
The riders got along well with the informal Phillips, partying with him at a local restaurant one night and eagerly seeking his opinion on their horsemanship.
“I work on my own at home, so this is particularly valuable to me,” said 23-year-old Nick Marnye of Kentucky after finishing a schooling session with his palomino quarter horse, Good as Gold.
Phillips liked Marnye’s mount, and that was a boost to the young rider.
“It certainly gives you a little more confidence,” said Marnye, adding he appreciated Phillips’ attitude.
“I know he’s here to help me, not destroy me,” added Marnye, who had some previous instruction that rendered the opposite effect.
Indeed, Phillips in action is the essence of encouragement. Attired in boots, breeches, an argyle sweater and flat wool cap, Phillips instinctively goes through the proper movements-holding imaginary reins, straightening the shoulders as he instructs from the ground.
“Thank you very much indeed. Excellent,” he says with enthusiasm time after time, as riders successfully use suggested techniques and obtain the desired response from their animals.
Phillips believes in pushing the positive.
“If you take the top 10 riders in the world, what’s the difference on the day (of competition)?” he asked.
“Confidence. If confidence is high, you go and do it. If you say, ‘I’m no bloody good,’ you give up.”
Though he is 36, giving up is something Phillips himself has yet to seriously consider. His sport is a dangerous one. A tiring 1,100-pound horse who takes a misstep at an immovable cross-country jump can mean bone-crushing disaster for a rider.
But the father of two is looking ahead to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and hoping to be a part of the scene there.
“I’ve had two or three really bad years, when horses I thought would come through, haven’t,” said Phillips.
“But I won the Novice Championship last year with Distinctive and I’ve got two or three others I’m very excited about.
If these prospects don’t pan out, he conceded, “That might be the time to call it a day and spend time teaching.”
As Phillips has acknowledged in the past, “There’s no fame shorter than sporting fame” and he accepts the fact that the moment will come when the trophies will go home with his students, rather than himself.
He teaches all over the world, doing instructional clinics in Australia and New Zealand regularly, and ranging as far afield as Japan. He hopes to do more such work in America after breaking the ice this time.
And it’s possible there may be more opportunities like the commentating stint he handled for Australian television at the Olympics.
“I had never done it before and I was a real novice,” he admitted. “But people wrote and said they enjoyed it. That gave me a bit of a buzz. Maybe all the effort was worthwhile.”
Eventing sponsorship in Great Britain is quite the thing, and Phillips is backed by Land Rover. The firm is committed through 1988 to his “Range Rover” team, which includes a contingent of young riders he is bringing along.
Like all top competitors, Phillips often yearns for someone to give him a few pointers, just as he helps others.
Though he has had some dressage coaching, there is little time for him to get assistance. During his stay here, he worked on jumping techniques with retired USET Show Jumping Coach Bertlan de Nemethy of Far Hills.
At home, Princess Anne occasionally lends a hand, if asked. A top eventer herself, she rode on the 1976 British Olympic team, while Phillips was the reserve member there.
Since the birth of the Phillips’ children, Peter, 7, and Zara, 4, Princess Anne has been concentrating primarily on events for novice horses.
But the mutual eventing aid comes only “as and when required,” Phillips said, noting, “It’s like a husband and wife can’t teach each other to drive. There’s nothing worse than help from a husband or wife when you don’t want it.”
Phillips added he and Princess Anne “interchange a bit” and occasionally swap horses. “Sometimes the feminine touch works better with a horse, and sometimes the male strength is better. Different horses react differently,” he commented.
Phillips doesn’t feel that being married to Princess Anne has affected his position in eventing.
“Sport doesn’t do anybody any favors. It’s no respecter of rank or anything else,” said Phillips. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a poor boy or a rich boy once you get in the arena.”
Besides, he noted, before he was married he had won Badminton, the biggest annual event on the Three-Day calendar, several times and ridden in the Olympics.
“Within the sport, I was already a name,” he pointed out. “Once you’ve got to the top, you’re always a name.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 24, 2023
Adrienne Lyle, who seemed almost a lock to qualify for April’s FEI Dressage World Cup finals, won’t be competing in Omaha with Salvino.
Adrienne Lyle and Salvino. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
She was all set to ride a week from today in the final qualifier in Wellington, Fla., until Betsy Juliano’s stallion popped a small split.
“Salvino has been doing great in his training and we were entered and ready to go for next week’s CDI-W,” Adrienne recounted.
“However, when we took him out of his stall, we noticed a lump on the inside of his leg that was not normally there. Upon veterinary evaluation it was discovered that he had popped a small splint. Betsy, Debbie (McDonald, Adrienne’s coach) and myself conferred and all agree that of course, his welfare always come first and he will not be pushed to do next week’s competition.
“Although a very minor injury, it will need time to rest and recover and with only only (one) World Cup qualifier left this season, it simply wasn’t meant to be for us,” she continued.
Salvino missed a qualifier earlier this season when he colicked. He and Adrienne, who were part of the Olympic silver medal team in 2021 and competed on the world championships team last year, will be pointing for the Paris Olympics next year.
“We will always treasure our memories of competing at the World Cup in Sweden in 2019, and we wish all of our fellow U.S. riders the best of luck on their last qualifying competitions and on to the World Cup! It will be a very special event this year, having it on our home soil,” Adrienne said.
Steffen Peters already qualified with Suppenkasper on the West Coast. Alice Tarjan and Sarah Tubman are the two highest on the World Cup qualifying list, with Alice three points ahead of Sarah. Anna Buffinii also is competing for the third berth. Friday night’s class will determine who gets on the plane.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 16, 2023
Course designers Anthony D’Ambrosio and Linda Allen have just been elected to the Show Jumping Hall of Fame and will be inducted March 5 at the group’s annual dinner in Wellington, Fla.
While both have impressive course designing credentials (Tony has designed the World Cup Finals; Linda the 1996 Olympics) each also made their mark in other areas of the industry.
As a rider, Tony is perhaps best known for setting records in the puissance; first in 1973 at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden, where he jumped 7 feet, 4 inches aboard Sympatico. Nine years later, he rode Sweet & Low at the Washington International Horse Show over a wall standing 7-feet, 7 and one-half inches, an indoor record that still stands.
Tony won more than 30 Grand Prix competitions, including the Hampton Classic and the USET Show Jumping Championship. He is also well-known as a technical advisor/delegate and course designer l.
He and his wife, Michael, are based out of Wild Horse Ranch in Red Hook, N.Y., which specializes in developing Grand Prix jumpers. He has sold four Olympic horses, three of which he developed from an early age, as well as many other Grand Prix winners.
With more than 60 years involvement in equestrian sports, Linda began as a rider, representing the U.S. in international competition, then following that with a career as an internationally respected official judge and course designer. The Californian has also served as president of the ground jury for FEI events in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. She also served on the ground jury for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games and 2000 FEI World Cup Finals, as well as for other FEI events around the world.
Linda has been a design consultant for more than 50 equestrian facilities throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada and conducted clinics worldwide for riding, course design and judging. She has served on the boards of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, the U.S. Equestrian Team, the Young Jumper Futurity and the Young Jumper Championships, among others.
She also wrote the book, 101 Jumping Exercises for Horse and Rider, and the DVD, The JumpSmart Guide to Course Building. Linda has won many awards, including the USEF Pegasus Medal of Honor and the California Professional Horsemen’s Association Horsewoman of the Year.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 17, 2023
Three riders will be getting valuable team experience on the U.S. squad at the Nations Cup in Wellington, Fla., next month.
Floridians Natalie Dean and Mimi Gochman were selected, along with a Californian, Mavis Spencer. The squad will be filled out by the more seasoned Adrienne Sternlicht, a veteran of the 2018 gold medal World Equestrian Games team, as well as the 2022 world championships.
Mimi Gochman at Devon last year. Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer
The Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival is always quite the occasion, with rooters from the countries participating giving their teams plenty of vocal support. It does not, however, count as a qualifier for the Nations Cup finals in Barcelona this fall.
That is a Longines fixture, while Rolex is the watch sponsor of choice at the Wellington International showgrounds, where the WEF is held. So it offers a chance for riders to get team mileage in an electric venue where spirits and tension are high.
The Longines Nations Cup for the U.S. will be held this spring in California. It’s important for the U.S. to win there and get a shot for Barcelona, since the country needs a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics. If the U.S. doesn’t make the cut in Barcelona, there’s only the Pan American Games in Chile later in the fall to secure a place in Paris.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 16, 2023
If you own a fancy warmblood or a sleek thoroughbred, you may disagree with the premise of Cornell University’s Equine Seminar Series presentation entitled, “Why is the mule the most important member of the horse family?”
Want to draw your own conclusion? Go to Zoom from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 21, when Dr. Doug Antczak, the Dorothy Havemeyer McConville professor of Equine Medicine at the Baker Institute for Animal Health, will introduce you to the fascinating world of mules.
It’s free, but registration is required at this link
In case you don’t know, the Mule is a hybrid produced by a mating between two separate species, the horse and donkey. Mules have a long history of contributions to human society as a remarkable beast of burden and source of animal power.
Less well-known are the many ways in which the study of mules has advanced scientific thought and our understanding of fundamental biological principles. This seminar will introduce you to the fascinating world of mules.
The professor graduated from Cornell with a BA in biology in 1969, before receiving his VMD from University of Pennsylvania in 1973. He then completed a PhD in immunology at the University of Cambridge in 1978. At Cornell, his research program is focused on horse health.
Among other important projects, Dr. Antczak’s genetic selection and breeding of horses led to his continuing involvement in the international Horse Genome Project.
This seminar is part of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Equine Seminar Series, presented by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Equine Hospital, the New York State 4-H Horse Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 19, 2023
Riders with California ties commanded the podium in Saturday night’s $100,000 WCHR Peter Weatherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, as John French won with the 8-year-old Hanoverian Milagro.
Hunter Spectacular winner John French and Milagro. (Photo Jump Media LLC)
The horse’s name means miracle in Spanish, and that’s what it was for John, who got his first victory in the class at age 60 with a total of 187.5 for the two-round test.
A longtime Californian who won the Pacific Coast Horsemen’s Aasociation Perpetual Troophy many times over three decades, he is back on the East Coast (he was originally from Maryland) riding for Kent Farrington LLC.
In second place was a rider 42 years John’s junior, the 2022 ASPCA Maclay winner Augusta Iwasaki. The Southern Methodist University equestrian team member was aboard Small Love, owned, by her parents’ operation, Iwasaki and Reilly. Her score was 184.49.
Nick Hanness, third on Glade Run Farm’s Queen Celeste, has been commuting back and forth between California and Wellington as he prepared for the big hunter week in Florida. He had a total for the two rounds of 180.41.
“I think riding in this kind of atmosphere brings out the best in all horses,” said John, who last year was inducted into the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame.
“They were all jumping so well tonight, and I think the lights, the crowds and the jumps really showcased the hunters. There aren’t a lot of these classes left, so we get excited for nights like this and so do our horses.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 14, 2023
Diana Firestone, as well known in the horse show world as she was in the racing world, died in Florida Feb. 12 at the age of 91.
Mrs. Firestone and her late husband, Bert, had a racing stable that included 1980 Kentucky Derby winner Genuine Risk. She is the mother of show jumper Alison Robitaille, who has ridden for the U.S. team many times.
Diana Firestone.
Born in New Brunswick, N.J., she was the granddaughter of Robert Wood Johnson, the founder of Johnson & Johnson. Mrs. Firestone was the daughter of John Seward Johnson, an executive with Johnson & Johnson, and Ruth Dill Johnson. After learning to ride in England, Mrs. Firestone competed in shows and fox hunted in Virginia.
“She was an amazing mother and an amazing horse woman,” said Alison Robitaille.
“Pretty much every animal loved her. Whether it was dogs, horses, whatever; when it came to animals, she was like a magnet. She gave to me my love of horses and introduced me to them at an early age, which I am very grateful for.”
Mrs. Firestone received the Walter B. Devereux Trophy from the American Horse Show Association (the predecessor of the U.S. Equestrian Federation), for having exemplified good sportsmanship through commitment, dedication and service.
In addition to Allison, Mrs. Firestone is survived by her other children; Lorna Stokes, Christopher Stokes, Cricket MacDonald and three stepsons; Matthew Firestone, who was an eventer; Ted Firestone and Greg Firestone. She is also survived by 16 grandchildren.
