by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 1, 2022
The Nations Cup of show jumping, a contest that epitomizes a country’s equestrian pride in its achievement, will continue as a two-round competition next year.
The International Jumping Riders Club noted the FEI (international equestrian federation) has confirmed the format for 2023, even though some organizing committees have expressed interest in making it just one round. Economically, a two-round approach is expensive for a number of reasons, including the cost of consecutive hours of media coverage.
A Nations Cup win is always a cause for celebration. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Remember how removing roads and tracks and steeplechase from three-day eventing changed that game? Making the Nations Cup one round instead of two would have a similar effect on a different discipline.
As IJRC points out, the Nations Cup is the oldest and most prestigious class in equestrian sport. Riders wearing team colors are a symbol of the competion’s sporting importance.
In terms of its value, dropping a second round would not be in keeping with the Cup’s philosophy concerning consistency in horse and rider performance. They must prove their teamwork and freshness over longer courses involving two rounds. A second round enables a team to improve its standing in the class, or create an opportunity for redemption. A team can correct its mistakes or change its strategy in the second round.
IJRC maintains, “It is the most coveted and important competition in an athlete’s sporting career. This is underlined by the fact that riders agreed to the formation of three-combination teams at the Olympics, being assured that the Nations Cup formula would not be affected.”
Outside of the Olympics, as in last month’s world championships, four-member teams have always been the rule. IJRC contends joint solutions to the economic issues should be found in order to support the organizing committees and address their concerns.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 28, 2022
New Jersey riders continued to do the state proud as the Dressage Festival of Champions came to a close at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois today.
It was quite the show, with 168 horses and riders across 15 divisions for seven days. The Festival began as a multi-discipline competition in the 1990s at the U.S. Equestrian Team in Gladstone, N.J., eventually winding down there to include only the dressage championships, but with less divisions than were held in Illinois, where more rings were available at a larger facility.
Cesar Parra, who splits his year between Pittstown, N.J., and Florida, won the Markel/USEF Young Horse Six-Year-Old championship with Møllegårdens Fashion (83.480). The Danish gelding (Florenz 71 X Tailormade L’Espoir) “was very relaxed. I didn’t want to push for much more. He’s a a very powerful horse, we are a little bit new to each other. I know how he can get really, really strong,”
Cesar Parra and Møllegårdens Fashion claim their prizes. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
Cesar added, “I’m very happy he’s getting so obedient, so supple.” He characterized him as “almost a Grand Prix horse now.
While it is “Important to come here and win,” he added what is more important is that “the education follow parameters we need for Grand Prix.”
Cesar told the story of showing Fashion at the Florida Horse Park last April, when “he ran away from the groom. two miles and almost got hit. That was his warm-up. I think that’s why he’s a beautiful gelding.”
The reserve champion was Lauren Fisher’s Lionell VE (81.800), ridden by Rebecca Rigdon. She said their test had one mistake, but it was hers and “I can fix that.”.
Alice Tarjan, the omnipresent Oldwick, N.J., resident, who took the Grand Prix title with Serenade MF earlier in the week, was third in the six-year-old section with Gjenjanger (80.840).
“I’m really pleased with my horse. She did her job. It’s been a long week,” said Alice.
Fourth place went to another of her horses, Glory Day (79.520), ridden by her trainer, Marcus Orlob of Anandale, N.J.
The Markel/USEF Young Horse Seven-Year-Old title belonged to Endel Ots on King’s Pleasure (Dark Pleasure X Glock’s Johnson TN) with a score of 78.925. Cesar was second on Fanta (76.181), a Hanoverian he owns with Gina Raful.
Endel said the horse’s final test, marked at 78.925 “couldn’t be better” after a day devoted to a hand walk, turnout and a roll.
“He had a lot of power and energy and really stayed with me.”
Endel told his horse’s owner, Heidi Humphries, that he didn’t want to show him in the six-year-old championship last year, because he wasn’t ready. But 2022 would be another story.
Endel Otts and King’s Pleasure. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“For her birthday about 10 months ago, I gave her a silver frame and it said `Seven-year-old 2022 national champion Kings Pleasure.’ I said there will be a photo in that frame of your horse with a championship ribbon on there. I see it, I feel it. I know it. It’s there.”
And he was right.
Cesar said he enjoyed his ride on Fanta, even though he was having a hard time keeping him on his aids. “He’s an amazing horse. I really love him. I’ve been riding him for two years.”
In the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix section, Claire Darnell earned the championship with the 10-year-old Dutchbred Harrold S (Vivaldi X Fiedermark NRW) on a score of 69.942 percent.
“My horse was super good all week,” said Claire, noting that even when “I made a couple of little rider errors, he kept doing his thing.” She said the best quality of the horse is his reliability.
Judge Janet Foy, left and U.S. dressage development coach Charlotte Bredahl (far right) with Claire Parnell and Harrold S. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickel)
“My goal for the year was to qualify for this. To have him win was super, super special,” she said, noting he adjusted to everything but “the fake horse in front of the VIP.” They kept putting different decorations on it, so “every time he came by, it was different.”
Reserve champion on Jane was Alice, with a total of 69.325 percent.
As she has said was the case with her other horses, being in Germany much of the summer as an alternate for the U.S. world championships team meant little training for those who stayed at home. Alice called the championships a good experience for Jane, noting now it’s back to work. She’d like the horse to have more exposure, so she’s thinking of going to Show Plus Dressage at Devon next month.
Third place went to Marcus on Jeannette Pinard’s Spirit of Joy (68.966).
He sees “a lot of things to improve,” but noted it was the hose’s first Intermediate II.
Marcus said, next up is “a few weeks of light work, then our homework will start. He’s only eight. I think I have to push to the next level,” which means starting with national Grands Prix in Florida.
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Read stories from previous days in the previous columns section, listed at the top of the website.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2022
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF made a clean sweep of the Grand Prix championship classes at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions today, after adding a freestyle win to her victories in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special earlier in the week at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois.
The Oldwick, N.J., resident breathed a sigh of relief after the competition ended, saying she was “just happy we got through it.”
It was only the second time she had ridden the freestyle on Serenade (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe.) She was marked at 76.985 percent and took the overall championship on 74.176.
She didn’t know much about the music to which her 9-year-old mare danced, expIaining that when she needed a score to try and qualify for the world championships, a European produced the piece for her.
“He was kind enough to throw it together for me in five days,” said Alice, who won the championship for the second year in a row. In 2021, she rode Candescent to the Grand Prix title, while Serenade won the Developing honors.
The mare was bred in America by Maryanna Haymon. Alice and “Shrimp,” as she is nicknamed, were the first alternates for the U.S. team that went to Herning, Denmark, for this month’s world championships.
Critiquing her progress with Shrimp, she noted, “The balance uphill has been a real struggle,” adding the mare is getting better and better overall. She kind of wants to be a show hunter,” Alice observed slyly, “so it’s been a real push to try keep her in front of my leg. Over the week, she’s getting hotter and hotter. This is like a way different horse than I ever used to ride.”
Alice Tarjan is heading home to Oldwick, N.J. from the national championships with quite a collection of ribbons. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
Training with the team in Europe “helped me have an idea about how much more compressed you have to keep the horses through the test to be able to get the quality and higher marks you want.
“You have to really ride to get a young horse through a Grand Prix, because otherwise it doesn’t happen. You have to make something happen in the beginning, but after becoming more proficient in movements, the idea is to back off and have it be more harmonious.”
The reserve champion was Katie Duerrhammer on Paxton with an average of 70.547. Katie rode Quartett on the world championships team in Denmark, and for today’s competition, Katie said she borrowed Quartett’s freestyle. (Quartett is Paxton’s uncle, so it’s all in the family.”
Katie told Terri Gallo, who produced her freestyle, that she “wanted music that would be fun, that people would know and wouldn’t overpower him. He’s a very powerful horse, but he’s very lightfooted.”
He had not done this freestyle before and they had some mistakes, but she liked the way it showcased “his power and showed how elegant he can be. I was very proud of him; he tried very hard to accomplish everything in there.” She was marked at 74.980 for her performance to the music.
The Markel/USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Championship went to Fritz and Claudine Kundrun’s Johnny Be Goode (Glock’s Dream Boy X Tietse 428.
“I was really pleased with how he stuck with me and did everything I asked and handled everything, despite being hot. You can’t ask for more than that,” said his rider, Olivia Lagoy-Weltz, who has been riding him since December. His score was 73.223.
Reserve was Kathryn Fleming-Kuhn’s Ronin, ridden by Martin Kuhn (71.211).
Adrienne Lyle was a big winner at the show, taking the four- and five-year-old Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships and coaching her assistant trainer, Quinn Iverson, to the Brentina Cup championship for riders 16-25. Quinn, who started with Adrienne as a working student, rode Billie Davidson’s Beckham. That competition is named after Brentina, who was the ride of Debbie McDonald, Adrienne’s mentor.
Adrienne praised Quinn for all her help in keeping things going while she was away at the world championshps.
Although Adrienne has always trained young horses, this is her first year doing young horse classes and championships.
She described the 5-year-old, Valor (Vitalis 4 X Fürstenball OLD), as “so rideable, such a kind, giving horse.”
He was bought off a video when he had just turned three. He’s already earning astronomical scores, taking the championship on 92.480. The Westphalian is owned by Kylee Lourie, who also owns Katie’s horses. Adrienne is Katie’s coach, so that’s a nice little package
Alice was reserve five-year-old champion with Ierland’s Eden (88.480).
Adrienne topped the four-year-old rankings with Fürst Dream (Fürstenball OLD X Benneton Dream). Their average for the show was another whopping score, 92.920. The Hanoverian stallion is owned by Betsy Juliano, who also owns Adrienne’s world championships mount, Salvino.
Adrienne Lyle and Fürst Dream. (Photo courtesy USEF/Susan Stickle)
While the horse was frisky outside the ring, “he really focused when we went down centerline. He’s really rideable,” said Adrienne.
“He has such incredible suppleness, especially for a four-year-old. He just feels like every part of him moves, and I love that feeling. And he’s got an amazing brain.”
Reserve was yet another of Alice’s horses, Ice Princess (89.760).
“I’m super excited about that horse,” said Alice, who bought her as a yearling from a friend in Denmark.
“I think she’s going to be a super Grand Prix horse.”
While she’s honest, she’s also hot, and can “overboil easily.”
Since she had the summer off while Alice was in Europe, her owner thinks it says something about Ice Princess that she could come to the show with a minimum of training.
The mare lives up to her name, she’s quite the princess.
“There is no question that horse thinks she’s the most important horse in the barn. That horse thinks she’s special, I’ll give her that,” Alice said.
To read previous days’ stories about the championships, check the On the Rail section.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 26, 2022
There was yet one more win for Alice Tarjan at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions today, as she took the Markel/USEF Developing Grand Prix Championship (Intermediate II) with Jane (Desperado NOP X Metall) marked at 71.813 percent.
Alice, from Oldwick, N.J., didn’t mince words when she assessed Jane, bought as a two-year-old.
“I think she’s probably the stupidest horse I’ve ever trained,” stated Alice, then quickly noted that once Jane learns a movement, “she’s so honest, that’s what she does every time and she doesn’t question it. Once she understands it, it’s completely solid.”
Assessing her test, Alice said proudly, “We got the twos and the ones,” referring to the two- and one-tempi lead changes.
She called it “kind of a miracle, given what the warm-ups have been. This horse hasn’t been basically been ridden for 2 ½ months.”
Alice was training in Germany this summer with the U.S. world championships team, for which she was the alternate.
Jane was shown just a bit in Florida, where Alice also has a stable, but the championships at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois was her first real “away” show.
Alice Tarjan and Jane.. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“The horse just needs exposure and experience,” said Alice, comparing being in the saddle of the eight-year-old to riding a four-year-old.
“The concentration has been on having her trying to feel confident in the arena. She’s the sweetest horse everybody loves her.”
Alice characterized Jane as “super hot.” That made her so strong when she was young that Alice thought she might be a man’s ride. But it’s all worked out.
“She’s so willing, she has no attitude at all,” Alice reported.
Another New Jersey competitor, Cesar Parra, was wildly enthusiastic about his win on Møllegårdens Fashion in the FEI Six-Year-Old Preliminary Test with a stellar mark of 84.200 percent.
“I’m very excited. I love this horse. I connected with him very well,” said the trainer, who has stables in Pittstown, N.J., and Wellington, Fla.
The Danish gelding (Florenz 71 X Tailormade L’Espoir) was bought by Cesar as a two-year-old as a present for his wife and previously trained by others at Parra’s farm.
Looking toward the championships, Cesar said, “I took the ride on him in late March. He’s very strong, but I think he’s a horse built for Grand Prix. He has amazing hind legs, he’s very honest and he’s very powerful. Hopefully, we can be part of the (U.S.) team in the future. I think we have a wonderful horse. It’s up to God.”
Cesar characterized the horse as “a goofball. He’s the dude in the barn, like Mr. Sexy. When you get on him, it’s like you are going on a jet. I think he’ll be a better horse as he develops.” The horse was third last year in the five-year-old championship.
The FEI Seven-Year-Old Preliminary Test went to King’s Ransom, ridden by Endel Ots to a score of 78.543 percent.
“I gave more gas in that ring than in the warm-up. I just really wanted to go for it and show everybody how great a mover he is. He is such an honest, really-with-you horse,” said Endel.
He called the stallion (Glock’s Pleasure X Glock’s Johnson TN) “a puppy dog. You can have a five-year-old lead him, but then he fights for you in the ring that way.”
Endel has had the horse for a year, but he wasn’t ready for the six-year-old championships in 2021.
He told the horse’s owner, Heidi Humphries, that the seven-year-old competition would be “a really good plan for him.”
The owner agreed and “has been a dream. That kind of support…gives you a lot of confidence. I never felt any pressure. She said, `I want what’s right for the horse.’ It’s been wonderful.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 25, 2022
Alice Tarjan continued her march toward the national Grand Prix Dressage Championship today, taking the Grand Prix Special with Serenade MF on 73.467 percent at the Festival of Champions at Lamplight Farm in Illinois.
Second place went to Katie Duerrhammer with Paxton (71.680 percent).
Interestingly, Katie, a Coloradan who rode Quartett on the U.S. team at the world championships this month, last week was one of three riders (Adrienne Lyle and Steffen Peters were the others) named to the U.S. dressage pathway program’s elite training list. She was named with Paxton.
Meanwhile, Alice and Serenade, as well as another of her horses, Donatella M, were not selected for the elite program, but rather, the pre-elite program with 10 other riders, including Katie, who is on that roster with Quartett.
As I mentioned previously, Alice’s Wednesday Grand Prix score of 73.869 percent was ahead of the marks delivered by Katie and Ashley Holzer with Valentine, half of the U.S. team at the world championships. Would Alice, who was the squad’s alternate, have had the same score she earned at Lamplight had she been at the world championships? No way to know, but interesting to consider.
Alice, who lives in Oldwick, N.J., needs only a good enough score in Saturday’s freestyle to take the national Grand Prix title for the second year in a row. But that isn’t a done deal.
“All kinds of things in the freestyle we haven’t practiced in probably over six months. And the horse has worked two days,” said Alice, who doesn’t want to overdo on a non-show day.
Alice Tarjan and Serenade in the Grand Prix Special. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“We’ll try to school a little bit…and cross my fingers and pray. It’s easier if they’re kind of familiar with the lines, which she’s not,” Alice observed.”
The American-bred Serenade (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe) is continuing her development.
“We missed both sets of ones (one-tempis) so that’s a little disappointing,” said Alice, as she thought about her test.
“It’s hard had to get everything on the same test on the same day.”
Even so, she added, “It’s a drastic improvement over where it was last year. We didn’t prepare for this show at all, so I’m really pleased. The horse is drastically different than she was last year.”
She praised Serenade’s work ethic, saying, “You could put your 12-year-old child on this horse and it would do its job.”
Laura Graves, once the world’s top dressage rider with the now-retired Verdades, took the Intermediate I Championship on SenSation HW.
She had won the Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I classes this week, but finished second today with 76.005 percent in the I-1 freestyle to Emily Miles of Kansas and Daily Show (77.300).
Laura, a Florida resident, had a high enough overall score to take the tricolor, however. She earned a total of 75.104 percent to Emily’s 73.301 for reserve. SenSation was ridden by Michael Bragdell to the USEF five- and six-year-old championships in 2018 and 2019 respectively before Laura took over.
The Westfalen gelding (Sunday NRW X Dancier) will now move up to the Grand Prix ranks, with enough time ahead of him at that level to perhaps be considered for the Paris 2024 Olympic team.
Laura was all smiles to be back in the show ring, have missed two years after Verdades retired and she had a baby.
“I’m always so excited to stand top three with women. (Rebecca Rigdon was third overall on Iquem with 71.350 percent.)
“It’s so amazing for us to support each other. It’s such a difficult industry. And to see smiling faces and people really supportive of you….”
She said it was the second time she had ridden SenSation in the freestyle, but “the first time in a big atmosphere,”
There’s more to come.
“It’s just the beginning, I think,” she said, noting she’s rally getting to know him.
Laura was “Super proud of the test we put in at beginning of the week,” referring to the Prix St Georges.
At this point, Laura sees herself “moving forward and excited about it.”
Olivia Lagoy Weltz has only been riding Johnny Be Good (Glock’s Dream Boy NOP X Tietse 428) since December, but he made a real statement to the tune of 74.558 percent for his performance in the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage National Championship. That was a personal best for her, and she’s very excited about Johnny.
Olivia Lagoy Weltz and Johnny Be Goode. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
“He’s a very striking horse. He’s very elegant in his trot work and his extensions. He just kind of draws you in,” she said, assessing her mount.
“I think he’s a horse that potentially has no weaknesses. He’s scored up to 10 on the walk, and I don’t know that we were able to show that today, but I think that he really has the ability to have no holes.”
Adrienne Lyle made a statement for the future with young horses.
She topped 12 other horse/rider pairs in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Four-Year-Old Dressage National Championship with Fürst Dream (Furstenball Old X Benetton Dream), who won the Four-Year-Old test with a score of 9.5. Lyle. The Hanoverian stallion is owned by Betsy Juliano, who also owns Adrienne’s Olympic and world championships ride, Salvino.
“This is a big venue, and there’s a lot going on for a four-year-old,” Adrienne pointed out.
“We’ve done very limited showing. He handled everything just super well, he was focused, and he was right there with me. He’s just got such an incredible brain, which is something I really like, besides his talent. And he’s got lovely gaits, but he’s really got a super brain, especially for a stallion.”
In the Markel/USEF Young Horse Five-Year-Old Dressage National Championship, Adrienne was the best of 14 starters in the Preliminary test on Valor (Vitalis 4 X Furstenball OLD) on a score of 9.26. Kylee Lourie’s 2017 Westphalian gelding rose to the occasion.
“Honestly, I don’t think I could have asked him to do much better than what he did,” she said.
“He is so fun in the ring. He is so light to the aids, soft in the contact, that you can just kind of sit there and try to stay out of his way. And he really lets you navigate him through all of the different questions in there.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 25, 2022
Popular combined driving competitor Bill Orth, once one of the top single-horse drivers, died at the age of 90 on August 20 at his home in Eaton, N.Y.
A native of New Jersey who once had a farm in Stockton, he did a lot of winning with a Morgan named Bentley and gained international fame in 1992 with the Morgan New-Ran’s Hawk. He and Hawk traveled to the Royal Windsor show in England and won the Single Horse title at the Harrods International Driving Grand Prix competition. The trophy and ribbons were presented by Queen Elizabeth.
His closest competitor at Windsor was another Hunterdon County resident, George Hoffman. The two were members of the Possumtown Five, a group of fun-loving drivers that also included George Millar, Joe Urso and Stan Rosania during the heyday of combined driving in New Jersey. He also was an active member of the Hunterdon County Horse & Pony Association.
Bill Orth
Born in Passaic, N.J., Bill went to work for the Noll family farm, where he met Marilyn Noll, who became his wife in 1957. After his time in the dairy industry, Bill became a long-distance driver for several trucking companies before starting his own B-Line Trucking, which he ran until his 1985 retirement.
Bill and Marilyn relocated to Southern Pines, N.C., but after her death, he moved to Eaton, N.Y., and built a log cabin on the Orth family dairy farm.
A self-taught musician who played several instruments, he also was a bird-watcher, historian, a competitive card player and quite a storyteller.
He also was known for his sense of humor. Katie Whaley, another driver who was a close friend, remembers the time he showed up with his friends at the Fair Hill, Md., driving event’s exhibitors’ party in late October. They came as Snow White and the seven dwarves. Bill was dressed as Snow White, and the other Possumtown members were the dwarves. Margie Margentino, who narrated their skit as Merlin, helped Pat Rosania make the costumes.
Margie remembered Bill as a “good mentor and great horseman who was a good supporter of the sport and always encouraged new people.”
Bill is survived by his sister-in-law, Dorothy Hostage and her husband, Michael. The family has requested that instead of flowers, those wishing to remember Bill with a gift should make a contribution to a charity of their choice.
A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 15, at the Orth family farm, 2861 Evans Road, Eaton, N.Y. 13334. Arrangements are by Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 31 Cedar St., Morrisville, N.Y.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 23, 2022
Joe Fargis had many words of wisdom for those participating in a sold-out clinic he gave at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J., this week. You need to listen when an Olympic double gold medalist tells you something.
“Better to get it right than to hurry through it,” he told groups of participants riding during segments at fence-height levels from 2 feet to 3-3. The clinic, and a show today, were organized by the Metropolitan Equestrian Team.
Clinic participants start off with an exercise involving poles on the ground. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Joe’s other advice included:
- “Don’t ride faster than you can think.”
- “Be as exact as you can be with your flat work.”
- “Don’t let your transitions look like you just put on the brakes.”
- “We all do too much when we’re riding; less is more.”
- “Always do some flatwork after the last jump.”
- “Stay square in the tack. Be committed to straightness in everything you do.”
Those are just some of the comments that reflect his background of classical training and doing what’s right for the horse. Much of the need to take time and lay a foundation often has been ignored or forgotten as riders negotiate a crowded competition calendar that offers points toward awards, qualifications and big money. That often makes it all too difficult to skip a show and stay home to train.
In addition to Joe’s team and individual gold medals with the thoroughbred Touch of Class in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he also won team silver on Mill Pearl in Seoul at the 1988 Games.
But it took a long time and plenty of work on the basics for Joe to get to that point. He first came to the USET headquarters at age 21 in 1969. During the time he was working with USET show jumping Coach Bertalan de Nemethy, he slept in one of the no-frills rooms that now serve as offices on the top floor of the historic stable. Bert, who was in the Hungarian cavalry, exercised strict discipline and expected those he was training to adhere to the highest standards.
Joe is a living legacy of that tradition. And though the world is very different today than it was more than half a century ago, the principles of horsemanship remain, and those in the clinic appreciated getting them first-hand.
“Such an amazing experience to ride with an Olympian,” said Rachel VanDemark of South Brunswick, N.J., She adopted her 5-year-old, Disco, from New Vocations, a thoroughbred rehoming agency, which meant Joe’s background had particular appeal for her.
“I know Joe’s top Olympic horse was a thoroughbred, so to ride with someone who knows the breed so well was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she said.
Metropolitan Equestrian Team’s Jane DaCosta and Joe Fargis with a painting of his 1984 Olympic mount, Touch of Class. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Her big takeaway from the clinic was “Asking for my (lead) changes earlier instead of waiting until we got to the wall (at the end of the ring).The term Joe was using was `Don’t bounce off the wall.’”
Rachel said she got “some good tips I will take home and definitely do my homework.”
Shelly Jermyn of New Hope, Pa., watched her 15-year-old daughter, Bella, ride her thoroughbred, Myko, in the mid-level segment of the clinic. She called it, “A great opportunity to have a training clinic with a famous Olympian and get off property; new faces, new horses and experiences.”
Another New Hope resident, young professional Lucy Nyland-Elliott of InGate Farm, was riding an eye-catching gray, Cristal Hill. She had set up a grid at her farm similar to the gymnastic that Joe arranged.
“At home, he wanted to rush a little bit, so it was nice to have it implemented today in the exercise because it helped me learn how to take a step back and slow it down. It’s a refreshing experience, she commented.
Joe offers a pointer to Lucy Nyland-Elliott as Bella Jermyn looks on. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Joe is doing clinics almost every weekend this fall. He said the Metropolitan organization called him “out of the clear blue sky.” Despite having to move the clinic to the indoor ring because of rain, which meant Joe often had to shout his messages to the riders, he said “I’ve enjoyed coming here.”
He keeps the gymnastic exercises “as low and as simple as I can,” which helps riders avoid trouble, and enables him to give them equal time, instead of having to work more with one who’s having a problem.
“It was a wonderful exercise. I loved how he built on it, focusing on the straightness and the softness,’ said Melissa Rafano, who took the “perfect practice” mantra to heart.
A pastry chef from Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Lebanon, N.J., Melissa rode in the section with the highest jumps and confessed to being “a little nervous coming in”, but said of Joe, “he was super-approachable. What a nice man.”
Olivia Sousa, a 15-year-old who came from Cornwall, N.Y., with her horse Mooney, called the clinic “really cool. I was very excited. It was very helpful to find my rhythm and think `straight.’ ”
What was amazing was hearing Joe call each of the riders by name; they were all new to him, but it was special that he could identify them. You can see he really puts his heart into the clinics. Joe also does many of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Emerging Athlete Program clinics around the country.
“I just love the attitude of the people I teach at the lower levels. They’re not entitled. They love riding and horses. It’s fun,” he observed.
Joe continues to ride at home in Virginia. Although he hasn’t shown for six months, he might compete again.
“I’m not going to rule it out,” said Joe, who is the president of the Upperville, Va., horse show, adding with a smile, “I never make a plan.”
The Metropolitan Equestrian Team was established in 2010 by the energetic Jane DaCosta, who explained the organization that focuses on athletes in grades three through 12 is part of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Community Outreach program, which offers grants.
“The idea is to be a part of the large picture of what opportunity can be brought through equestrian sports for people who may or may not have been able to have access to it before,” said Jane.
Metropolitan is also an affiliate of the USHJA which provides grants and opportunities including the Outreach competitions.
Because of her organization’s involvement with USEF and USHJA, “we came to the decision that this is the home of the U.S. Equestrian Team for the Olympics and felt it would be in best suit to have a two-time Olympian who is a part of this historical facility to provide an opportunity for an educational session on our sport,” Jane explained.
Those attending got a post-clinic tour of the stable from the USET Foundation’s Maureen Pethick. Proceeds of the clinic and show will go toward Metropolitan’s scholarship fund.
“We provide horseback riding and educational opportunities for children regardless of their socio-economic status,” Jane commented. To date, the organization has gotten $1.7 million in college scholarships.
Jane noted, “If you believe in hard work and education, you can be a part of this team. Our vision is to change the conversation from `if’ I’m going to college to `where’ I’m going to college.” Vocational opportunities also are part of the picture.
Although Metropolitan is based in Manhattan’s Times Square, it has satellite locations all over the country. Horses owned by the group are scattered at different barns, including in New Jersey, with Genna Centolanza at Brookside Show Stables in Ringoes.
“This equestrian team provides so much for these kids. I think it’s a good, good thing,” said Joe.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 21, 2022
Dressage star Charlotte Dujardin is expecting a baby girl early next year with Dean Golding, to whom she has been engaged and had an on-and-off relationship, which is very much “on” at the moment.
“Our hearts are already full of more love than we thought possible,” Charlotte stated on social media.
“A new chapter in our journey will begin; one that we have always hoped for, and we cannot wait to welcome our little girl into the world. I just hope she already knows how much she has been wished for and how much love awaits her, from ourselves and our excited families.”
Dean and Charlotte at the baby’s gender reveal party. (Photo by Jess Photography)
The timing is good, as Charlotte just completed the world championships on the British silver medal team, and the European Championships aren’t until later in 2023. The Paris Olympics are in 2024, so she should be all set for competition after the baby is born.
After Charlotte took her last gold medal ride on Valegro at the 2016 Olympics, Dean was photographed with a sign that said, “Now will you marry me?” But the couple broke up in 2019 before reuniting last year.
Charlotte became Britain’s golden girl with double gold at the 2012 Olympics in London on Valegro. They continued as a winning combination through Rio, after which Valegro retired.
But Charlotte continued bringing in the medals, taking individual bronze in the Special on Mount St. John Freestyle at the 2018 world championships, and individual bronze on Gio at the Tokyo Olympics. Riding the very inexperienced Imhotep this month at the world championships in Denmark, she missed an individual medal but contributed to the team’s silver.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 19, 2022
The answer to the question above is not just “airplanes.”
It was time for a re-think after the team failed to finish in the top five at the FEI World Show Jumping Championships last week, which would have been an automatic ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The American show jumpers didn’t even make it to the line-up of 10 teams that battled it out for the medals in Herning, Denmark, but coach Robert Ridland has a plan that should land his squad in Paris at the right time. As he pointed out, there are other opportunities upcoming to make the cut for the Olympics.
Coach Robert Ridland began his winning streak with the U.S. show jumping team eight years ago. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
First is the Nations Cup Final in Barcelona, Spain, in the autumn of 2023. The U.S. didn’t qualify for the final in Barcelona this year due to a variety of circumstances including the EHV-1 outbreak in California, but will go all out for next year. The highest-placed nation that is not already qualified for the Olympics can manage it through this route. But that’s only one available spot.
Then there are the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2023.
They are the final qualifier for the Olympics. Three of the highest-placing teams not previously qualified would become eligible for the Olympics. However, this time all the teams (unless one from the Western Hemisphere gets lucky in Barcelona) will be vying for an Olympic spot, since only Europeans were in the top five group at the championships in Denmark. That means the qualifiers for Paris will be the Pan Am medalists.
In the years when the U.S. qualified for the Olympics at the World Championships, the Pan Ams presented an opportunity for less-experienced riders to gain championship mileage.
But it’s a different story for 2023. Robert sees the Pan Ams not only as a must-do for a top team, but also “a dress rehearsal for the Olympics.”
Because Chile is in the Southern Hemisphere, the Pan Ams will be held later than its customary schedule. It’s our autumn but South America’s spring. Pan Ams usually are held in the Northern Hemisphere’s mid-summer.
“I want to take advantage of the fact it’s quite close to the Olympic Games, which is important,” Robert said of the Pan Ams.
“That was the plan we’ve been hatching for some time now. It makes a lot of sense in the lead up to Paris.”
So the U.S. squad will include A-team riders, as well as “one or two of the younger horses we want to see in a championship before you hit them with a big time world championship or the Olympic Games. It’s a perfect opportunity for that,” commented Robert.
Robert Ridland is planning on how the U.S. flag can be raised high for show jumpers on the podium at future championships. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“Hopefully, it will work out and a similar type team will be in Paris eight months later.”
Putting things in perspective, Robert suggested, “You have to look back on the last two Olympic cycles and what we did. And a lot of things we were consistent with. The first Olympic cycle, Normandy (the 2014 world championships), Toronto (the 2015 Pan Ams) and Rio (the 2016 Olympics), we had a podium finish all three, which is rare in one Olympic cycle. We repeated the same thing in two cycles,” the next being Tryon, Lima and Tokyo.
“That’s unprecedented. No team I’m aware of in the last 50-60 years has ever done that. That’s a pretty good winning streak.”
At the same time, he pointed out, “As with all winning streaks in sport, the Lakers, the Yankees–at some point, they come to an end, and what do you do? Start a new one.”
This time, “the pendulum swung with the injuries, that affects the depth,” he said. The injuries ruled out two Olympic team silver medal mounts, Laura Kraut’s ride Baloutinue and Jessie Springsteen’s, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, who weren’t available for the world championships, as as well as Jessie’s world championships reserve horse, RMF Zecilie.
“The bottom line is, we didn’t have the horsepower” said Will Connell, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s director of sport, quickly adding that at the same time, “there isn’t a need to panic. This needs to be looked at as a catalyst for launching forward, for stepping up again, not getting depressed and looking back.”
After the experience in Herning, Robert said, “You wake up the next morning and plan for the next winning streak. I have been planning our lead-up to Paris and hope we’ll end up with a successful result there.”
On the bright side, the dressage team qualified for Paris by finishing sixth in its championships in Denmark, while the para dressage squad qualified for the Paralympics with a team bronze medal.The eventing squad will go for its qualification next month at the FEI World Championships in Pratoni, Italy.
“Herning shouldn’t be all about the jumping team,” Will pointed out, citing the successes.
He mentioned that competing in Europe is a big deal convenience-wise for riders from the U.S., while the Europeans often can just load their horses on a van and drive to their next stop, then head home. Think about the proximity of France, Germany and Switzerland, for instance.
“Our people compete and train and take themselves away from home,” he said.
That makes for “a hard three years,” during the Olympic cycle, as Will put it. He added that there were “no (U.S.) athlete horse/combinations that didn’t want to go to Herning but should have gone to Herning. We had the best available. The pride in team among the top U.S. athletes is as strong as any other nation in the West.”
The reality was that Lillie Keenan and Brian Moggre (at 21 the youngest in the competition but who finished ahead of the other riders on the team) were on their first championship squad, while Adrienne Sternlicht, a member of the 2018 gold medal world championships squa, hadn’t competed at this level for several years with Cristalline. All three are in their 20s. Robert usually puts just one younger rider on his teams, but no veterans were available this time around except McLain, who had only one fault-free trip in the team competition.
Robert noted the teams “more in contention in Herning than others were the ones with two superstar riders, who had serious championship success. We had a team with one of those riders,” he said, referring to McLain.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 20, 2022
Brendan Furlong bought a horse off a video a month ago, and what a winner he turned out to be.
The veterinarian from Pittstown, N.J., finally saw the gelding in person this week at the Dublin Horse Show, where the Irishbred Bloomfield Watergate won the Three-Year-Old Middle Weight class, then the Three-Year-Old Championship and the Supreme Young Horse Championship.
As if those weren’t enough awards, he also won the championship for horses bred by an exhibitor. Percy, as he is known, was shown by Michael Lyons.
Brendan Furlong and his new purchase, Percy, with Michaell Lyons, who showed him. (Photo courtesy Brendan Furlong)
Brendan isn’t bringing Percy home quite yet, though. He’s leaving him in Ireland to be produced for the Hunters Under Saddle Class at next year’s Dublin show.
