by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 1, 2022
The National Western Stock Show’s grand marshal for its 2023 kick-off parade is author, speaker and professor of animal science, Temple Grandin.
On Jan. 5, she will lead the traditional drive of Longhorn cattle, horses, and western wagons through the streets of downtown Denver to celebrate the start of the 117th National Western Stock Show. The parade begins at noon outside Union Station and marches 12 blocks down 17th Street to Glenarm Place.
“It is a great honor to have a legend, visionary and dedicated animal scientist like Dr. Grandin kicking off our Stock Show parade,” said Paul Andrews, president & CEO of the National Western Stock Show.
“The impact Temple has had on the welfare of livestock, the science of animals, and her unique approach to equine therapy for both horse and human is unprecedented in today’s world,” said Paul.
“We are beyond grateful that Temple continues to educate the youth of America as a professor at Colorado State University, author, and speaker. She embodies the values of agricultural education on which the Stock Show is founded.”
Temple Grandin is an autistic savant who is a prominent author and speaker on autism and animal behavior and a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Her successful career includes consulting for livestock producers and the agriculture industry on her intuitive approach to handling livestock.
Temple’s innovative equipment design that focuses on the welfare of the animals has been instrumental in implementing animal welfare auditing programs used by McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Whole Foods, and other companies. Temple has shared her insights on numerous TV shows. Her books, Animals in Translation and Visual Thinking, have been on the New York Times Bestseller List. Temple was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2022, named a Colorado State University Distinguished Professor.
“I am honored to be the Stock Show parade grand marshal,” said Temple.
“I encourage everybody to visit the Stock Show and see all the animals. The National Western is an ideal place where kids can get off their electronic devices and discover that real animals are more interesting. I also want to invite everyone to visit the new Temple Grandin Equine Center at the CSU Spur Vida building while at Stock Show.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 27, 2022
After a two-year pandemic-related absence, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair finally is coming back to Toronto, where it will celebrate its hundredth anniversary in November.
The stands are always filled for show jumping at the Royal. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The finale of the North American Fall Indoor Circuit, the Royal has been a bastion of custom even as the circuit has changed.
While the Pennsylvania National remains the kick-off of the circuit at the same location in Harrisburg, the Washington International this year moved out of the nation’s capital to Maryland. The National left Madison Square Garden 21 years ago and has been in Kentucky for the last 11 years.
But the Royal is in the same place, the Royal Coliseum at Exposition Place, where it debuted a century ago.
During that time, it kept traditions that can’t be found elsewhere. Formal dress is still what’s worn in the bunting-draped box seats at ringside, with women in sparkling gowns and men in tuxedos or scarlet evening tailcoats. There’s always a full measure of pomp for the trophy presentations.
Pomp and formality are a big part of the Royal’s appeal. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The show wouldn’t be out of place in another century. The classes reflect that nostalgia, too. In addition to the usual hunters and jumpers, there’s coaching competition with magnificent four-in-hands and hitches of draft horses; Percherons, Clydesdales and Belgians.
The Royal draws a great turnout of coaches for a memorable display. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The international jumper competition, rated 5 stars this year, includes many big names from the U.S. and abroad. McLain Ward is one of the regulars, and Canadian stars include Tiffany Foster, while Great Britain’s Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher and world number five-ranked Conor Swail of Ireland also are set to appear,
The Royal is the largest indoor agricultural exhibition in the world. There are 6,000 animals at the fair. Although the horses are a focal point, other species on display include cattle, pigs, goats, rabbits, fowl and more. Much of the floor space is taken up by vendors of everything from saddlery to Ontario agricultural products such as fish and cheese and as you might expect, maple syrup, along with lots of related items in that category.
The show runs Nov. 4-12, with a rodeo Nov. 13. This year, the big exhibition is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police drill team, appearing daily except. Nov. 7.
From the New York metropolitan area, the easiest way to get to Toronto is via Porter Airlines, which flies out of Liberty International Airport and lands on an island in Toronto, just a short bus ride from the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, where the riders and show officials stay.
Tickets for the show are available at this link
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 24, 2022
The FEI (international equestrian federation) will consider bids for the World Equestrian Games to be held in 2026.
The last WEG was staged in 2018 in Tryon, N.C., amid all kinds of problems (an aborted endurance race, a weather-cancelled dressage freestyle, continuing construction). The world championships cycle this year included two major joint competitions; dressage, para dressage, vaulting and show jumping in Herning, Denmark, during August, then eventing and four-in-hand driving at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, last month.
While bids may be submitted for a WEG, the FEI is also accepting bids for other world championships, whether solo or in a group (although dressage and para dressage must be run together).
The show jumping podium at the 2018 WEG: USA gold, Sweden silver, Germany bronze. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
The opening date for expressions of interest in a world championship or championships is Oct. 24. The deadline for formal submission of bids is April 14, 2023. Allocation of bids will be made in June 2023.
The WEG ran for the first time in 1990 in what was supposed to be a one-off celebration of multiple disciplines in Stockholm, Sweden. It was so successful that it continued to run every four years through 2018. Finding a location that can host all disciplines is difficult, however, since each has a variety of needs, and running the WEG is exceedingly expensive for the host.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 9, 2022
Are you looking for tack, horse blankets, boots, breeches, knick-knacks or other equestrian items?
Go to Mane Stream’s sale at 83 Old Turnpike, Oldwick. It will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 6. Before then, drop off your items or call for a pick-up. Contact Jen at (908) 439-9636 or email to jen@manestreamnj.org.
Proceeds go toward Mane Stream’s mission to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through a diverse program of equine assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 26, 2022
Joey Norick will take a new position at HITS, working as chief customer officer, focusing on the needs of owners, trainers, vendors and exhibitors, and being responsible for the customer experience.
His appointment reflects the consumer-oriented philosophy of Traub Capital Partners, the owners of HITS, which is making continued improvements to all six venues, as well as elevating the level of service and experience for the exhibitors.
“Equestrian sports are constantly evolving, and I am looking forward to working with the HITS team to exceed expectations of all of our exhibitors,” said Joey.
“My vision to enhance our facilities includes improving the drainage and footing in our competition areas, as well as upgrading our amenities, such as food services, exhibitor hospitality locations and even restrooms. We will be working to create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere at every HITS venue for every HITS customer.”
He began training with Ralph Caristo on Long Island and then headed to California to continue his career at Foxfield Riding Club. A stint with Sam and Libby Edelman’s S&L Farms in North Salem, NY and Wellington, Fla., was the next step.
He went into horse sales and then the equine insurance business. He oversees a portfolio of farm and ranch properties, equine mortality and high net worth clients for Alliant Private Client, where he will continue to serve as an advisor.
“We are excited to partner with Joe, a clear thought leader in the equestrian world,” said Geoff Lurie, HITS’ interim CEO and managing partner of Traub Capital Partners.
“Joe’s long history and expertise in the industry, coupled with his dedication to customer experience, align with our philosophy and approach. We look forward to his contributions in helping the HITS team elevate the company’s position in the equestrian world.”
HITS revolutionized the industry when it produced three of what were then the richest grands prix in the world. HITS expects 65,000 horses to compete at its shows, which include 60 weeks of sanctioned Hunter/Jumper competitions at HITS’ six venues. HITS also offers six weeks of dressage.For more information, go to http://www.hitsshows.com
Traub Capital Partners is a New York-based strategic private equity firm specializing in building value in consumer companies using its unique combination of investment, strategic and operational expertise, as well as a culture-led, engaged approach. The fund targets investments in companies with revenue between $50 and $250 million.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 29, 2022
Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, N.J., took her second FEI Dressage World Cup Finals qualifying freestyle in a month as she won the Freestyle competition at the Tryon, N.C., show today with Serenade MF.
She was marked at 75 percent over the show’s Grand Prix winner, Julio Mendoza Loor of Ecuador on Jewel’s Goldstrike (74.185). They were the only competitors in the four-horse class to break 70 percent.
Alice also won the freestyle during Dressage at Devon at the beginning of October. She and Serenade were the alternates for the FEI World Dressage Championships last summer.
Alice and Serenade at Devon. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
While Alice will have to continue competing her U.S.-bred mare through the winter in order to earn one of the three North American slots for the finals in Omaha April 4-8, those who want to attend the Cup as spectators will have an easier time of securing their place at the Chi Health Center.
The usual show jumping and dressage competitions will be joined this time by vaulting, gymnastics on horseback that is a real crowd pleaser, with its costumes and music in the final rounds.
Omaha put on a heck of a show the last time it hosted the finals in 2017. Next year’s finals will be the first in the U.S. since then, because the 2020 finals scheduled for Las Vegas were cancelled due to Covid.
Some of the biggest names can be expected to compete, such as the 2017 winner, Isabell Werth in dressage and McLain Ward in show jumping.
Seating is limited, so if you want to go, this is the time to buy a ticket and reserve a hotel.
Click on this link for more information.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 23, 2022
The Rutgers Equine Science Center is conducting the 2022 Equine Industry Needs Assessment Survey to determine what concerns are most important to those involved with horses.
The survey is available through Nov. 1. Anyone can participate if they are over 18 years old and involved with horses in the U.S., either through riding, owning horses, running a horse-related business, or in some other way. Use this link to share your views and opinions in the 10 minute anonymous survey.
“Everyone’s opinion matters for this project”, said Karyn Malinowski, director of the Rutgers Equine Science Center.
“The main goal of this survey is to help us better understand how the Rutgers Equine Science Center can best support members of the equine industry in New Jersey and nationwide. Other aims are to learn more about the different groups that are part of the equine industry with regard to their demographics, interests and the issues that are important to them”, she said.
Those who have questions about this project may email the study coordinator, Alisa Herbst at ach158@sebs.rutgers.edu or phone: (848) 932-3761.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 21, 2022
Tim Price, who won the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill last weekend on Coup de Couer Dudevin, has received a recorded warning from the FEI (international equestrian federation) for “abuse of horse/misuse of whip”
Asked about the situation, Tim stated, “After the penultimate and before the last cross- country fence, I ‘brushed’ my horse with the whip. It was not deemed abuse of the horse by the officials. I was merely using the whip as an enthusiasm aid to encourage him to stay up and gallop.”
He added, “My round was a very smooth round, with my horse’s enjoyment and confidence kept as paramount at all times. Anyone who watches the round I’m sure will agree.”
The penalty for three recorded warnings in two years is a two-month suspension.
Tim Price and Coup de Couer Dudevin. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Other riders cited by the FEI in the Maryland 5-star include Woods Baughman, who finished twentieth on C’est la Vie 135, and Buck Davidson, twelfth on Carlevo.
Woods got a “yellow warning card/serious case of dangerous riding” and a recorded warning for “abuse of horse/misuse of whip.” He did not respond to a request for comment.
Buck got a yellow warning card for “abuse of horse/blood on the horse-severe bit rubs both sides of mouth.”
Buck said he accepted the decision and is “thankful my horse is healthy and happy in (his) paddock in Florida.”
Two yellow warning cards in a year bring a two-month suspension.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 20, 2022
The MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill went from being a novelty to a real fixture last weekend in just its second edition, with riders enthusiastic about the venue and the opportunity it provides.
Even so, as world number three-ranked eventer Oliver Townend pointed out, cross-country designer Ian Stark had “changed the course a lot, so it’s nearly like a first time again.”
No matter how you look at it, having two 5-stars in the U.S. is a benefit. Book-ending the season in the spring with the Kentucky 5-star, which runs with a 4-star, and Fair Hill in the autumn offers riders opportunities without going across the Atlantic to pursue the highest level of the sport.
“I think it’s critical for development,” Doug Payne said of the addition of Fair Hill, where he finished ninth.
“I’m lucky enough to benefit from it with Quantum Leap. He’s 11. This is his fourth five star.” Doug pointed out, however, that it only “would have been his second” if he weren’t able to participate at Fair Hill, another 5-star close to home.
Doug Payne and Quantum Leap. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“The financial burden to go overseas is pretty incredible,” he pointed out.
“Support from the team makes some of those trips worthwhile, but without it, we’re not in a position to do that.”
Of Fair Hill, he said, “This facility is outstanding, the courses get better and better. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions.”
Cassie Sanger, the Young Rider national champion, took the title on Fernhill Zoro after finishing third in the 3-star that ran with the 5-star.
“It was my first time competing at an event of this caliber,” said the 18-year-old.
“There was a ton of atmosphere, which is super important for the sport, and our horses get experience, even at the lower level, to be here and see it all.”
Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Compared with the events in which she had been competing, “The crowds are a lot bigger, the whole thing is just bigger and better,” she added, noting it afforded preparation for a move up the levels.
The 5-star riders generally were complimentary about the event, but some expressed concern that the 11-minute, 30-second optimum time for Ian Stark’s cross-country course of nearly four miles was overly generous and should have been tighter.
As the 5-star winner, world number one Tim Price, said, “What Scotty (Ian’s nickname) is very good at, he sees it very much through the horse’s eyes. For example, the white ramps to the corner, they walked big, they rode big, but they were very obvious and the job to be done was very obvious to us, and the horses read it and understood it very well. It was a good course for that job of educating them, as long as you gave them a fairly decent ride.”
Tim Price at the Mane ‘n’ Tail Singerly Slide complex. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
So what was the problem?
“It just comes back to the time,” Tim said, calling it “really straightforward. “
It was “not really the way any 5-star should be approached, in my opinion. Other than that, I thought it was a brilliant track.”
Ian had said from the get-go that he expected abuse from the riders about the time, but emphasized that he’d rather see more riders finish under the time than have horses on the ground.
And indeed, there were no horse or rider falls in the 5-star, where 14 of the 22 entries that completed the cross-country were within the time.
“I was kind of a little concerned about so many getting inside the time,” Ian conceded after the competition, “but I thought there was some great riding.”
He said he was “tight” in walking the course to measure it, while two technical delegates walked it separately.
Cross-country course designer Ian Stark. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“The three of us were in 20 meters of each other–how do you walk it differently?” he asked.
“I’ve made use of the gallop stretches; maybe I can look at slowing them (riders) down a little more by putting in slightly more technical questions. That might be something I think about in the future.” But meanwhile, “I thought it was a great day and I loved watching it.”
Oliver Townend, who finished third, believes that as Ian learns about the venue, he’ll get more clever about how he’s going to slow everyone down. We’re all loving it; we’ll still be back next year. It’s all positive but still needs one big tweak.”
Whimsical dinosaurs added a fantasy touch to the course. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The day after the event, I got an email from the European Equestrian Federation concerning social license, which I have written about previously.
EEF emphasized “the need for transparency and awareness of the wider society” if horse sports are to continue.
World Horse Welfare and the University of Nottingham have recently published a peer-reviewed research paper with the conclusion that public trust is essential to the future of our sport.
“Trust will only ensue if society is confident that equestrianism operates transparently, that its leaders and practitioners are credible, legitimate, and competent, and that its practice reflects society’s values.”
So if it’s a choice between having a lot of riders without time penalties, or ugly pictures of horses pushed too far, everyone should think about which is in the best interests of the sport during an era when everyone has a video camera and knows how to use it.
On the plus side, there are opportunities for eventing today that could not have been imagined in an earlier time.
Having two 5-stars in the country “can only be a positive, as long as they can stay viable and super competitive,” said Bobby Costello, the interim chef d’equipe who presided over the USA’s team silver at the FEI World Championships last month in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy.
It’s up to the riders to take advantage of it, he noted. There were only 24 starters at the Maryland 5-star, but as Bobby noted, “5-star entries were light throughout the world this autumn. Who knows if this is a one-off situation or not? There were a lot of top horses who went to Pratoni, the field was huge there. I think the jury’s out a little bit. “
He did note that with the Olympic and World Championships cross-country test at 4-star level, “the absolute need for a 5-star to qualify for these competitions isn’t the way it used to be.
I think that makes it a challenge for these organizers of the 5-stars.”
At the same time, “I still like the idea of a 5-star,” commented Bobby, who rode as an individual in the 2000 Olympics.
At Pratoni, “We had five riders who were very battle-tested at the 5-star level. It gave one a lot of confidence to know that we were sending five 5-star horses into battle on (World Championships cross-country) Saturday.”
He added, “From that standpoint, do those horses need to do a 5-star every year or keep doing 5- stars once they’ve proven themselves? Maybe not. For me, I think I’m always going to be excited when we have 5-star horses to choose from, just because we know that they’ve been there and done the most difficult test there is.”
Bobby is among those who have interviewed for the permanent chef d’equipe/technical advisor job. He noted that in the interim spot, “I only had to come up with a plan for six or seven months. This next person is going to have to have a solid plan for the next several years.”
The U.S. Equestrian Federation is looking ahead not only to the 2024 Paris Olympics, but also the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on America’s home turf.
“The program has shifted, into more decentralized coaching. It seemed to work well for Pratoni,” Bobby pointed out.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 18, 2022
Single-session tickets have just gone on sale for the FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha April 4-8.
The usual show jumping and dressage competitions will be joined this time by vaulting, gymnastics on horseback that is a real crowd pleaser, with its costumes and music in the final rounds.
McLain Ward on his way to winning the 2017 finals on HH Azur.
Omaha put on a heck of a show the last time it hosted the finals in 2017. Next year’s finals will be the first in the U.S. since then, because the 2020 finals scheduled for Las Vegas were cancelled due to Covid.
Some of the biggest names can be expected to compete, such as the 2017 winner, Isabell Werth in dressage and McLain Ward in show jumping.
Seating at the Chi Health Center is limited, so if you want to go, this is the time to buy a ticket and reserve a hotel.
Click on this link for more information.
