by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2022
Even without spectators in the grandstand, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s arena has character. The towering backdrop of the historic stables in Gladstone, N.J., offers a reminder that this is where so many of the country’s most famous riders trained during another era.
That ambience is among the reasons the Summer Days dressage show always is such a good schooling opportunity, whether for a veteran mount’s tune-up or to provide mileage for young prospects and horses switching disciplines.
After the buzz of the Essex Horse Trials on July Fourth weekend, it was quite a change in mood to see horses performing their tests surrounded by silence this week. This is not what you’d call a spectator event, but it means a lot to those taking part.
“I love to ride at the Team. It’s great, the footing is great,” said Marilyn Payne, who was aboard Maestro LFS, a five-year-old gelding who punctuated his respectable Training Level 2 test with a series of inquiring, high-pitched whinnies.
Marilyn Payne and Maestro. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“What’s going on?” the Dutch warmblood seemed to ask. “Where am I?”
Coming up the hill from the indoor ring, horses enter the big arena and suddenly, they catch sight of the (empty) grandstands and the stable.
“It’s hard for a young horse. For a lot of horses, it’s a real eye-opener,” explained Marilyn, a respected trainer and judge who has officiated at two Olympics.
“There’s a lot to look at,” she noted.
Then she laughed and said, “We stayed in the ring, that was good. A couple of times, I thought he was going to take off and jump out of the ring.”
But he didn’t, and was marked at 64.828 percent, third in his Training Level 2 class of five.
Maestro loves Marilyn’s husband Dick, and when he’s driving the tractor, follows him around. They have the same birthday, April 16; Dick is just a little older than Maestro. So don’t ask if he’s for sale.
Arielle Aharoni’s Furst Queen is “not a hot weather horse,” so she was taking a little break from eventing to compete at Gladstone. The Danish warmblood by Furstenball is a half-sister to Arielle’s well-known eventing mount, Dutch Times.
Arielle Aharoni and Furst Queen. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“One day, she’s going to say `no more’ to eventing and this is going to be her full-time career,” the rider revealed about the mare.
Furst Queen won her Second Level Test 3 class with 63.33 percent.
“She is just happy to do whatever we say. She’s a really sweet, sweet mare,” Arielle said of the 8-year-old she bought six years ago. Before the mare, bred in Pennsylvania. came to Arielle, she had undergone surgery as a two-year-old for an OCD lesion, so she was nervous when she arrived at the farm of her new owner. No problem.
“Three days of sitting in the field and giving her treats fixed that,” advised Arielle, who uses that technique often.
She’s hoping to qualify Furst Queen for the U.S. Dressage Federation’s national championships in Kentucky this November. Gladstone was a step along the way.
“I do love this place. I think it’s a great environment, especially for the spooky horses that are just learning to take in a big scenery,” said Arielle.
“They have to get used to that if they want to go do big stuff.”
Kimberly Herslow, who has gotten into PRE horses, rode Spanish import Holgazan in Fourth Level Test 1, earning 61.53 percent.
Kimberly Herslow and Holgazan. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He’s just starting to learn his changes and get a feel for what’s going on,” she said.
“I was really happy because it’s an atmosphere here, and the last two shows he went into the ring and cantered off the halt and did silly stuff.”
“He just needs to go in and do a nice solid ride and do his job,” said Kim, whose test was marked at 61.53 percent.
Last fall, Kim said goodbye to her 2015 Pan American Games team gold medal mount Rosmarin, better known as Reno. He had a nice retirement on her farm in Stockton, N.J., then had to be put down due to worsening suspensory problems. She’s still emotional about that, of course, but Kim is one who keeps busy and looks ahead, focusing on careful training with a series of up-and-coming mounts.
Glenna Gray had a memorable day at her first show back after a two-year absence from competition. She fractured her right heel when she fell from a ladder, which made it hard to do heels down. Riding Alpine Getaway, a lovely thoroughbred ex-racehorse, she earned 66.923 percent in her first dressage show to finish ahead of four other entries in Training Level Test One. I was so impressed by the mare; as I was passing by the ring, she caught my eye immediately for her willing performance and pleasant appearance in the ring.
Glenna Gray and Rachel Rosenthal Bellard with Alpine Getaway. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
An English as a Second Language teacher in Manville, N.J., Glenna grew up in Peapack-Gladstone and visited the USET as a child but never rode at the facility.
“It’s a wonderful experience,” she said.
Glenna took lessons with trainer Rachel Rosenthal Bellard of Bedminster, N.J., when she was 12, and the two reconnected recently. Rachel thought Glenna and the 17-year-old mare, whose barn name is Harley, would be a good match, and they were.
“I really wanted to prove to myself I could get back in the show ring,” said Glenna, who is hoping to enter the mare in jumper classes.
The USET Foundation is a familiar venue for Lauren Sammis, who won a team gold medal in the 2007 Pan American Games. Although she’s a trainer based in Pittstown, N.J., Lauren has what amounts to a pleasure horse in Daisy van Wittenstein P, who earned 70 percent in the Grand Prix.
Lauren Sammis and Daisy van Wittenstein P.
Enjoying horse who amounts to a pet is an unaccustomed luxury for a professional.
“She’s on her own schedule,” noted Lauren.
“It’s been a joy to have my own horse. I can do whatever I want to. It’s no pressure, it’s just going in and riding the test.”
Daisy came to Lauren as a sales horse.
“I wasn’t able to sell her, because her X-rays were awful. Awful. And she’s been sound ever since.”
Of course, right?
Having her has enabled Lauren to try different techniques.
She’s not “a leg flinger,” so she competes nationally, rather than in CDIs. Lauren doesn’t see any reason to push her to become something she’s not.
“I didn’t care about scores whatsoever. She’s why you own a horse. She doesn’t ever do anything wrong,” said Lauren.
She has plenty of other horses to ride in competition.
They include the Danish warmblood Heiline’s Oh Land, who got 74.8 percent for a win in the Prix St. Georges, and the Hanoverian Baccara B.
Also competing at Grand Prix was Catherine Haddad Staller, who selected Hazel ASK off a video. The mare had been a 1.30-meter jumper in Denmark, until the rider’s wife decided to try her in dressage.
“I have to have that one,” Catherine said, recalling her reaction to what she saw in the video.
Catherine Haddad-Staller and Hazel ASK. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“The greatest part about this horse–I can get her off the horse trailer, throw my right leg over her, and walk her around the grounds on the buckle. She’s totally cool,” commented Catherine, whose groom rides the 11-year-old mare bareback. She earned 69.239 percent in the Grand Prix early on the first day of the show. Catherine is hoping to enter her at Dressage at Devon this fall.
“It’s so wonderful to have a horse who wants to work with you. She’s totally inspired by the dressage arena.”
The mare belongs to a new company, NorCordia, that Catherine formed last year with three Danish partners. Another NorCordia horse, the 7-year-old Hanoverian Sola Diva, was marked at 78.6 percent in the young horse test.
Explaining how her business works, Catherine said “We’re buying and selling hand-picked horses, and put them with trainers in Europe and the USA. We don’t keep them in one stable.”
Catherine decides where they should go, matching top trainers to top horses, and when it comes to sales, “we look for the right partner for the horse.”
The company is also an investment firm. All the horses they buy go into portfolios of 10 to 12 horses, which is a way of managing risk for investors, as opposed to buying a single horse.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 29, 2022
Hunter rider Amanda Steege has had great success with Lafitte de Muze in the country’s most important hunter competitions. Even so, she admitted to some extra stress today during the inaugural $10,000 Bill Ellis Memorial/U.S. Hunter Jumper Association International Hunter Derby at the Princeton Summer Classic in Skillman, N.J.
“I always feel like Lafitte’s a favorite, and if Lafitte and I execute, he and I can be the winner,” she said.
But then she observed, “It felt like a lot of pressure out there, because I wanted to do that for Bill and for this class being in memory of Bill,” she commented.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Citing “emotional reasons” for her desire to do well in the class, Amanda mentioned she was very friendly with Bill, a top rider, trainer and judge during his career, who died at the age of 69 last November. (For another story about Bill, click here.)
When Bill was ill, he sent her one of his clients, Cara Garito, who now is part of Amanda’s Ashmeadow stable family.
“That gives me a little extra connection,” said Amanda, who is based in Califon, N.J., and Ocala, Fla.
“I was like, `Derby Finals is going to be a piece of cake after this,’” she chuckled, referring to the annual USHJA competition at the Kentucky Horse Park in August. It offers well over $100,000 in prize money, with the final figure, based on entry fees, yet to be determined.
In addition to wanting to participate at Princeton because the class was a tribute to Bill, Amanda thought it would be a good preparation for Kentucky “because it’s such a nice, big ring and we don’t have that many places to practice riding in rings this size.”
While the Rolex stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park is huge, she said, “I felt this was the closest I could get without driving too far away to do something, in terms of timing and similarity of ring size to Derby Finals.”
The class attracted a field of 12 for the two-part test, a classic round and a handy round, designed by Michael Puffer. Three names were standouts among the entries; Amanda, Geoffrey Hesslink and Jeffrey Ayers, all successful professinals.
“It was a good class with a nice group of competitors in it that all are very supportive of each other. The results reflected who you thought, when you looked at the list, would be in the top three or four,” Amanda said.
Lafitte’s total for the two rounds was 383 points, just ahead of the 380 score for Geoffrey’s ride, Chivalry. Jeff was further back with Cartel on 368, while Geoff’s other mount, Reddington, finished fourth on 364.
Geoffrey Hesslink and Chivalry, runner-up in the derby. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The winner collected $3,000 for his share of the purse. He is an equine ambassador for the Equus Foundation, with his prize money used by his owner, Cheryl Olsten, to match donations up to $35,000 to help care for horses who have been abused and neglected, were being sent to slaughter or who are involved in therapeutic riding programs.
Bill’s family gathered at the event, with his husband and business partner, David Connors saying. “This is the best day ever. They did an amazing job. Bill would have been happy beyond.
“This was his favorite class and he just loved seeing spectacular horses show. This means a lot to us. He would have been thrilled.”
Amanda and Lafitte at the awards ceremony with Kelly DeSaye, Tim Delovich, Peggy McNeil, Cara Garito, Carol Stillwell, David Connors, Billy Ellis and Barbara Ellis. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Like many of the others on hand, he felt Bill’s presence.
“When the horses were going around, we’d be like. `You know what Bill would say, `She’s going too slow,’ he wants to see her pick up the pace,” he said with a grin.
Bill Ellis and David Connors at a quarter horse show in 2003. (Photo courtesy of David Connors)
Barbara Ellis, Bill’s sister, said “it’s such an honor to be here in memory of my brother. This would mean the world to him.”
Bill’s son, Billy Ellis, observed, “the best way to remember him is with a derby, a class he was so fond of and so special to him. It’s meaningful that so many people come out and celebrate and share great memories.”
Carol Stillwell, who rode with Bill, donated $5,000 in prize money, with the rest of the purse made up of contributions from Cara Garito, Kelly Moore, Dolly Hubbard, Abby Skelton, Lanie DeVoer and Peggy McNeil.
“The people who supported this, from local to far away, spoke volumes about the respect for Bill, about his journey about what they learned from him,” said Carol.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze enjoy their victory gallop. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He was a true horseman. With Bill, it was about the horses and making sure they were taken care of. I couldn’t be prouder, in New Jersey, to have it here, I would like to see this continue on and on.”
Andrew Philbrick, the impresario of Princeton Show Jumping, agrees that the class should be held again in Bill’s memory during World Champion Hunter Rider week.
Standing in the midst of the VIP tent, Andrew glanced over to Carol’s table and said, “A year ago, Bill was sitting right there in the front row. He was one of our professionals that we grew up with and he never had a bad word to say about anybody. Everybody loved him, everybody thought the world of him. He was the consummate horse professional.
“When they came to me and said Carol would like to honor him, we were all about it. What better than at an international hunter derby with all these top riders in the middle of New Jersey? The response was amazing. These classes are hard to fill because they’re difficult. Some of these international derbies are having six or eight horses because they’re hard. It’s a real test,” Andrew pointed out.
“It fits into our summer beautifully and I think it’s a testament to our friend, a hunter professional who spent his whole life developing hunters. To have our highest level hunter test in honor of Bill, what could be better?”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 19, 2022
The HITS team will be addressing environmental requirements to ensure that California’s Del Mar Horse Showpark can reopen in 2023.
“The California horsemen have an incredible jewel at the Del Mar Showpark, right in the heart of such a vibrant successful community,” noted Tom Struzzieri, HITS CEO.
“Because of the great interest and concern of local citizens, Showpark has been allowed to reopen and deliver an extraordinary product to California. It goes without saying that no expense will be spared when it comes to improving the facility so that it not only conforms, but exceeds, the environmental requirements”.
He added, “It is my belief that the bones of the Del Mar Showpark will set the stage for a new HITS flagship on the West Coast after improvements to riding areas, stabling areas, and the food and beverage experiences.”
As well as staging seven hunter/jumper competitions from July into October, HITS also plans to run three dressage competitions in January, February and March.
The newest addition to the Del Mar Horse Showpark will be the expansion of facility rentals. One of the underutilized improvements at the Showpark is the covered ring. HITS plans to reinvent that building, creating an event hall that can be used to highlight and host not only hunter and jumper competitions, but many different breed events and finals.
HITS stepped into the Showpark picture after West Palms Events announced it could not reach an agreement with the 22nd District Agriculture Association to operate the 63-acre park.
“With only a five-year guaranteed contract, we were not able to come to an agreement that worked for us,” said Dale Harvey, president and CEO of West Palms Events.
At the end of the 2020 season, the 22nd DAA temporarily closed the park due to the impact of Covid and the need to complete costly stormwater mitigation on the property. In late 2021, a Request for Proposal was released and it received two bids —one of which was West Palms Events; the other was HITS. When West Palms stepped aside, HITS stepped in.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 27, 2022
State flags were flown at half-staff in memory of Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, a great friend of the New Jersey horse industry, who died at the age of 73 after a long illness.
Assemblyman Ronald Dancer
The son of famed harness racing driver Stanley Dancer, the assemblyman was a driver, trainer and breeder of standardbreds himself. The Ocean County resident “was a work horse, not a show horse,” Gov. Phil Murphy observed in a statement following the assemblyman’s death last weekend, referring to the legislator’s efforts for the equine industry, agriculture, tourism and veterans.
Ironically, when the assemblyman was successful in getting the state Legislature to pass a bill eliminating the tax on boarding horses, it was Murphy who doomed the measure by failing to sign it into law in January 2020.
Assemblyman Dancer’s most recent effort on behalf of the horse industry is a bill that would allocate $2.5 million for long-awaited improvements at the Horse Park of New Jersey. The bill remains in committee and its fate could be uncertain without the assemblyman pushing to get it to the floor for a vote.
“Assemblyman Dancer dedicated his career to supporting the agricultural community in the Garden State. Having been a lifelong equestrian himself, Assemblyman Dancer was a tremendous supporter of the equestrian community and thereby the Horse Park of New Jersey,” said Ellen Brindle Clark, the Horse Park’s interim president.
“His willingness to listen to his constituents’ needs, and find ways for the state government to help, made us feel valued and supported. We sincerely appreciate all the effort Assemblyman Dancer put towards helping the Horse Park of New Jersey. The Board of Trustees could not have asked for a better advocate and friend. He will truly be missed.”
He served on both the state horse racing commission and the state Department of Agriculture’s Sire Stakes board. The Rutgers Equine Science Center honored him with its Spirit of the Horse award.
The assemblyman, who grew up in New Egypt, was for 22 years the mayor of Plumsted Township, where he lived. He was known as the man who got things done. His volunteer work involved everything from the Ocean County Board of Social Services to the Ocean County Senior Citizens Advisory Council.
The assemblyman is survived by his wife, Brenda; two children and two grandchildren.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 25, 2022
What kind of wine goes with lectures on pasture and supplements for your horse? Whatever they’re serving at the Cream Ridge Winery on August 4, when Rutgers’ Carey Williams and Penn State’s Laura Kenny will discuss making pasture more productive, as well as what type of supplements and forage are best.
Admission is free to the Evening of Wine and Equine is free at Cream Ridge, 145 County Rd 539, Cream Ridge, N.J. Wine tasting accompanied by light snacks begins at 5 p.m., with the program to follow at 6 p.m. Those who would like to buy wine and glasses to take home will get a discount.
While there is no fee for the evening, those planning to attend need to register by emailing Carey at cawilli@sebs.rutgers.edu.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 21, 2022
The British kept everyone waiting, but today they finally named their team for the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championship presented by Helgstrand, which will be held in Denmark next month.
Although Valegro is long retired, the country’s star, Charlotte Dujardin, still has plenty of horsepower. She was selected with Imhotep, a 9-year-old Dutch warmblood, partially owned by her mentor, Carl Hester, with Valegro’s groom, Alan Davies, at her side.
While Carl isn’t on the team as a rider because he didn’t have a horse available, you know he will still be active, and part of whatever success Britain enjoys in Denmark.
Charlotte also has a direct back-up in the 13-year-old stallion Everdale in case something goes wrong with Imhotep, so she’ll be a key part of the British effort. Everdale, the sire of Imhotep, was ridden by Charlotte Fry on the Tokyo Olympic bronze medal squad.
Also selected for the British squad are Gareth Hughes with Classic Briolinca (and as a direct reserve ride, Sintano Van Hof Olympia); Richard Davison (Bubblingh) and Charlotte Fry (Glamourdale ).
Britain could be a medal contender, though likely not on the scale of the Danes, who are favored, as often-dominant Germany is weaker than usual without its pregnant Olympic gold medalist, world number one Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB. Sweden also looks as if it could be in for a medal. And don’t forget the USA.
Steffen Peters (Suppenkasper) and Adrienne Lyle (Salvino) were no surprise to make the Dutta Corp. U.S. dressage team for the championships. Both were on the country’s Tokyo silver medal team. Also named was Ashley Holzer (Valentine) an Olympic medalist for her native Canada before becoming an American citizen. She looked like a lock for the squad on Valentine after some impressive performances during the European tour this summer.
But newcomer Katie Duerrhammer with Quartett was a bit of a surprise, as speculation ensued about the fourth member of the squad. Katie, at 33 the youngest rider in the group, is trained by Adrienne. Debbie McDonald, Adrienne’s mentor, works with her, and Steffen as well. Steffen is the highest-ranked U.S. rider in the world, at number 19.
Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, N.J., was named alternate with the U.S.-bred Serenade MF and will train in Germany with the squad before it leaves for Denmark.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 25, 2022
A memorial service is important to the friends and family of someone who has passed away, but you can bet that Bill Ellis really would have appreciated commemoration of his life with a hunter derby.
And that’s just what he’ll get at 8 a.m. on Friday July 29 at Princeton Show Jumping’s Summer Classic in Skillman, N.J., where the $10,000 Bill Ellis Memorial/U.S. Hunter Jumper Association International Hunter Derby will be held. The international derby was Bill’s favorite class.
He was not only successful in the saddle, having won the leading rider title at such prestigious hunter/jumper shows as the National, Devon and Upperville, but he also did well on the quarter horse circuit. The trainer ran Four Winds with business partner and husband David Connors. The operation was located at Carol Stillwell’s Stillwell Stables in Colts Neck, N.J., at one time, but they also had a farm in Ocala, Fla., the area where Bill had based himself in the early 1980s.
Bill, a member of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, died at the age of 69 last November. He probably was best known in the 21st Century as a respected judge, having worked in that capacity for more than 30 years.
Bill Ellis in judging mode. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Another claim to fame was his discovery of the talented thoroughbred For the Moment for his student, Lisa Jacquin. That duo went on to contribute to the U.S. team silver medal at the 1988 Olympics, in addition to winning many important competitions.
A small memorial service for Bill was held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, but not everyone who would have liked to attend could be there.
So Kelly DeSaye came up with the idea of the class at Princeton, with Carol, Bill and David’s client, putting up $5,000 toward the purse. The derby emerged as a group effort, with the remaining $5,000 donated by Cara Garito, Kelly Moore, Dolly Hubbard, Abby Skelton, Lanie DeVoer and Peggy McNeil.
Noting Carol Stillwell was a long-time customer of the trainer, when the derby idea came up, “she thought it would be a really fun thing to honor Bill,” said Mary Knowlton, an administrator at Princeton Show Jumping and president of USHJA.
Bill was one of Mary’s mentors.
“He was a funny person, a wonderful horseman, generous with his time,” recalled Mary, who until recently ran Knightsbridge stable in Colts Neck.
When she was getting started on the big circuit with Carol Stillwell’s regular conformation hunter, Marshall, Carol sent Mary on the road with Bill. She felt it was a privilege to work with him.
“Bill, for so many of us, was a real icon,” Mary observed.
“He went too early.”
Kelly, who is known for her dedicated volunteer work with USHJA, put together the memorial derby, which is drawing such big names as Amanda Steege with Lafitte de Muze and Jeff Ayers with Cartel.
“There’s been so much support of people buying tables just to be here that day,” said Kelly, who trained with Bill the first time she went to Ocala.
“It’s very special. Everybody at the horse shows loved Bill, he was always there to help no matter what.”
Bill Ellis in the days when he was a champion rider. (Photo courtesy of David Connors)
Carol Stillwell remembers Bill’s belief that “every trainer, every individual that touched a horse had a responsibility to put that horse first. The horse’s needs always came first, that was from the very beginning.”
During the time she rode with Bill, Carol said, “I learned a lot, it was a long journey.” About 35 years, to be exact.
She remembered that despite his sense of humor, he was all business when riding was involved.
“When I started out with Bill, I was not a very disciplined person, I was very talkative,” Carol said.
She recalled that didn’t sit well with him when she was supposed to be focusing.
That was brought home to her, she recalled, the time she started to say something while jumping around a course while he was teaching.
“He called me into the middle of the ring and said, `The lesson’s over. We don’t talk during lessons. You want to talk? We talk after lessons, we talk before lessons, we don’t talk during lessons.’”
Carol can still laugh about that incident and explained, “He was a tough taskmaster. But if you’re talking, you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing. There was so much I learned from him.”
The derby, being held during Princeton’s sold-out World Champion Hunter Rider show, will begin following remarks by Carol and David Connors. Bill’s sister, Barbara Ellis, and his son, Billy Ellis, also will be on hand.
As Carol mused what Bill meant to her, she noted, ” The older I got, the smarter he got. He was such a wonderful trainer and so devoted to the horses. I miss him desperately.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 15, 2022
Only one Olympic veteran has been named to the U.S. NetJets show jumping team for the world championships in Denmark next month.
McLain Ward and Contagious will lead the way as Lillie Keenan (Argan de Beliard) and Brian Moggre (Balou du Reventon) will be making their debuts on a championship squad. Adrienne Sternlicht, a member of the 2018 gold medal world championships team, was selected with Cristalline.
McLain Ward and Contagious on their way to winning the Sapphire Grand Prix at Devon last month. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Jessica Springsteen, 30, a teammate of McLain’s on the Tokyo silver medal Olympic squad last year when she rode Don Juan Van De Donkhoeve, will be the traveling alternate with RMF Zeclilie. She is a native of Colts Neck, N.J.
Brian, a Texan, will turn 21 Aug. 7 when he arrives in Denmark for the competition, which begins several days later on Aug. 10. In the final observation trial in the Netherlands this month, he was the only U.S. rider to turn in a clear round during the Nations Cup, where the squad finished eighth.
Lillie, 25, a New York City resident who trains with McLain, made her Nations Cup debut in 2014.
Sternlicht, 29, a Connecticut resident who previously trained with McLain, is the only team member who will be riding the same horse she was aboard in the 2018 championship. Cristalline’s best finish this year was fourth in the Sapphire Grand Prix at Devon, which McLain won with Contagious.
McLain at age 46 is very senior to his teammates and has had a stellar career. The Olympic multi-medalist from Brewster, N.Y., won the 2017 Longines FEI World Cup finals with HH Azur and took two classes with Contagious at Aachen this summer.
Show jumping is one of four world championships that will be in Herning, Denmark, this summer. The others are dressage, para-dressage and vaulting. And no, it’s not the World Equestrian Games.
The WEG began in 1990 in Stockholm as a one-off compiled of all the FEI disciplines. It went so well that it continued, some years in better style than others, through 2018 in Tryon, N.C. The very expensive and difficult to present WEG ended after Tryon.
So this year, the eventing and four-in-hand world championships will be held in Pratoni, Italy (just as was the case in the 1998 WEG based in Rome), but they’re far from the four disciplines in Denmark. Endurance will be in Verona, Italy. Reining has been dropped by the FEI so it’s no longer part of the world championships scene.
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by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 13, 2022
In the nation’s most densely populated state, the Horse Park of New Jersey is a tree-shaded oasis. I think of all the places where I used to compete not so long ago that have been developed or no longer stage shows—Coppergate in Basking Ridge, Tewksbury in Hunterdon County, Gill-St Bernards in Somerset County, to mention only a very few.
So the concept of a showgrounds that is safe from development is very important, especially if you are aware of the multi-breed constituencies it serves. From hunters and jumpers to Standardbred pleasure horses, saddlebreds, Arabians, eventers and a variety of schooling activities, the Horse Park stays busy.
Of course, it can’t be compared to lavish venues such as Wellington International or the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, where private entrepreneurs have spent many millions. There are, however, plenty of other facilities across the country that have state-of-the-art footing and some amenities without the bells and whistles of the big players. But while those involved with the Horse Park never stop trying to do their best, it remains a 30-year-old non-profit that could use some updates.
The Horse Park is awaiting word on a request for $2.5 million from the state that would pay for footing and stabling improvement. But it will be waiting for a while. The legislation for that spending, submitted by Assemblyman Ron Dancer, is now in the state Assembly Agriculture and Food Security Committee for review. According to a spokesperson for Assembly Deputy Majority Leader Roy Freiman, who chairs the committee, the panel will not resume its work until September. Then it has to come out of committee, go to the Assembly and Senate for approval and finally make it to the governor’s desk. It’s a long process, and who knows at this point how the legislation will fare.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky Horse Park has been granted $10 million from the Blue Grass State’s politicians to renovate its stabling. It is seeking feedback from those who have stabled horses there as to what improvements they would like. In Kentucky, there is an understanding of the importance of its horse-related constituency across the board, even as national attention focuses mainly on its racing, highlighted by the Derby and this year’s Breeders Cup. Horse-related activities bring in out-of-staters, helping all kinds of small businesses in addition to hotels and restaurants. New Jersey politicians should pay attention to what Kentucky has done, and why.
Despite the Horse Park of New Jersey’s shortcomings that have kept some trainers away, there are many who enjoy the facility and what it has to offer. I talked to competitors, officials and others during last weekend’s Dressage at the Park show to find out their opinion of the venue.
Trainer Marcus Orlob says, “I love it here,” citing the amount of space at the venue, but he was not happy with the puddles that distracted the sensitive stallion, Spirit of Joy, in his Developing Grand Prix test. Depending on who is managing the rings at the park, Marcus observed, the footing “gets at times deep, or really hard.”
Marcus Orlob and Spirit of Joy. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
On Sunday, the surface was generally okay, aside from the puddles, he said. But he wondered why the East Ring was watered after a big rain two days earlier. At the same time, he said, the warm-up ring was fine. But the first group of riders bore the brunt of the water mishap.
Co-manager Kathy Grisolia approached Marcus for an assessment and apologized to him, he said. She noted that with the sun coming out, the footing dried up, they would do a drag during the break and “it gets better.” In terms of watering, “it’s a fine balance,” she commented.
Emily Wyman of Hudson, N.Y., a professional who rode her test with Chigali after Marcus had finished, also noted the puddles bothered her horse.
“I know he needs to go wherever and do whatever,” she said, but it presented a problem “especially because it wasn’t consistent.” There was a big puddle at one end and “a bit of puddling” on the long side of the ring, was a factor, she noted.
“They watered a little bit much,” Elisabeth Williams, a former steward who was working at the show as a volunteer, said on Sunday.
“It was a little bit deep this morning, but there is a bottom to it,”
Even so she mentioned, “They’re not slip-sliding around anywhere, even with the heavy rains we had going into Friday.
The show was supposed to have an FEI component, but the 2-star CDI was cancelled when entries were low and there was a problem getting a veterinary official with the required credential.
The July show traditionally is lighter in entries than the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training show in September. Jennifer Bateman, co-secretary with Monica Fitzgerald, estimated there were approximately 124 entries. Initially, she had expected about 150. Unlike a hunter/jumper show, however, a dressage competition is valid for participants no matter how light the entry because competitors are marked the same way by the judges whether there is only one in the class, rather than 10, and the test comments are a good barometer of where a horse is in its development.
Some competitors were disappointed about the CDI situation because they needed an FEI result to qualify for next month’s national championships in Illinois. Marcus, who received 70 percent in the Developing Horse Grand Prix, is qualified for the championships because that division does not require a CDI score.
Emily entered the show when it was a CDI, with qualifying for the national championships as a goal, and is applying for a waiver to that competition after the CDI was scrapped.
Emily Wyman and Chigali. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Marcus rode just after 9 a.m., but as the morning went on and the ring was dragged, puddles disappeared and the footing was not the subject of complaints.
“It’s not fancy footing, but it’s not dangerous, it’s safe. I don’t mind the footing here at all. It’s not slick,” said trainer Lauren Chumley of Pittstown after her 10:55 a.m. ride in the Intermediate I freestyle on Santa Barbara DASH.
Elisabeth observed, “No it’s not the wonderful Global (Dressage Festival) felt footing, but it’s totally rideable. None of the horses are sucking back. There’s enough give in it so they can extend and do all that good stuff. To me, they’re doing a good job on it.”
Marcus, based in Annandale, Hunterdon County, responded to a question about what should be improved at the park in addition to footing by saying he would appreciate more food trucks (“better food” was mentioned by several people) and more vendors. And of course, upgraded stabling, which is what everyone would like. He sees the potential of the park with improvements as a place with the potential of a place “to hang out” for chats and socializing with clients and other professionals
Young Rider Morgan Colliti, 22, a Newtown, Pa., professional, who also did not need a CDI to make it to the championships in her division, is a fan of the park.
“I really like it here. It’s really open. The horses like it because they can see everything,” she said after completing her first freestyle, and noting her Donatalla CF is “pretty okay with water (in the ring) most of the time.”
Another who appreciates the park is Mia Mata Blake.
“Even though the CDI was cancelled, we decided to come anyway, it’s been really good so far,” she said mid-morning.
“The footing’s been fine. They’re doing a great effort for trying to drag it between rides, which we really appreciate. It’s important for horses to stay sound,” said Mia, the head rider for Silva Martin’s stable.
Mia rode 12-year-old Hannah Lu W while Pamela Murphy rode Hannah’s dam, 18-year-old Rosa Cha W.
Rosa Cha W and Hannah Lu W have a brief discussion. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
As is often the case with pre-teen daughters and their mothers, the two mares have their issues. “They have similar personalities,” explained Mia, so the only time they spend together is when they’re trailering to shows. Hannah showed Rosa who was in charge–she was first in the FEI Prix St. Georges while her dam finished third. I can only imagine their horsey conversation on the trailer ride home to Pennsylvania. I heard the remark of equine outrage after they touched noses when they stood together for photos in the Horse Park awards area.
The level of satisfaction seemed to focus on the competitor’s ride time. Those who rode after the early morning classes seemed pleased.
“It’s been a terrific show, the ring’s been fine, the rain helped a lot, they’re dragging it regularly. It’s very well-organized. I’m super happy,” said Sandra Cohen, an amateur who came from New York with her 11-year-old Dutch warmblood, Grace Jones, to ride in the Prix St. Georges.
The park often draws people who are just curious about the horses and their activities, so important in terms of an opportunity for exposing more people to horses. The Garret family of nearby Manalapan, for instance, dropped by to watch because their daughter, 6-year-old Brielle, likes horses. They were unfamiliar with dressage, so one of the very nice volunteers answered their questions. Brielle’s parents, Lindsay and Scott, decided to come after Brielle’s grandparents made a trip to the park and recommended it.
Lori Kelly of Hillsborough, N.J., was among the several vendors in the park’s pavilion with her booth of Waldhausen products. The brand sponsored the Brentina Cup at the show.
Lori Kelly at her Waldhausen booth in the pavilion at the Horse Park. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“The quality of the rides was great, but I don’t think the exhibitors showed appreciation for us being here. It’s not that they need to buy something, but just walk through and humor us,” said Lori. She mentioned, however, that one exhibitor did just that saying “Thank you so much for being here,” and the sponsorship.
“That means a lot to us,” Lori observed.
Elisabeth Williams feels the park has potential. She’d like to see better judges’ booths for the dressage, since it rains into the current open-sided booths, and mentioned the need not only for better stalls, but also for a few that are 12 by 12 for the bigger horses, instead of 10 by 10.
She feels that acting park president Ellen Brindle Clark “has the vision and runs enough shows to know what’s needed. Management is great and they’re really trying. There are different groups here running different competitions, and I think maybe a little more cohesiveness might be nice.”
Former U.S. Dressage Federation President Lisa Gorretta of Ohio, who was the show’s technical delegate, commented after the competition ended that she was impressed by her first visit to the park.
“It has a wonderful atmosphere. I love the `chi,’” she said, referring to its energy.
“It has extremely dedicated horse show and professional staff that do everything they can with the facility they have. The volunteers have been awesome to work with. These guys I think are doing a remarkable job, looking at the footing, trying to figure out what the weather is going to do They really are dedicated to making Mother Nature as cooperative as possible.”
As Lisa noted, it is important to stage 2-star level shows where horses, riders, officials and volunteers all can develop their skills.
“We have to have the farm team of horse shows,” she stated, explaining, that offers “opportunities for people to compete at approximately the level where they are comfortable and bring the standards up all around that.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 9, 2022
As a kid, Lauren Chumley didn’t have a pony. The family wasn’t into horses, and her parents weren’t paying for her to ride.
But as Lauren pointed out, “Little girls that like horses are going to like horses, whether you have horses or not.”
Her enthusiasm wasn’t going to be denied, so she took the route of many other little girls and got a Breyer model horse. First one, then about 299 others.
With the exception of a Clydesdale that proudly stands on the mantel of her Pittstown, N.J., home, her collection now lives in boxes, treasured keepsakes stored away but not forgotten.
“I liked the realism of them, the different breeds, I liked the educational aspect,” the trainer said explaining her childhood involvement. Breyers fascinated Lauren during her non-riding days because she enjoyed reading about all the different breeds represented, along with the history of the real horses depicted.
“Breyer did such a good job. I just ate all of that up,” she recalled. “It was my only access to horses.”
These days, she runs barns at two locations (“I still have too many horses,” she chuckles) where her business involves training, selling and competing 60 of them. And wouldn’t you know it, more than warmbloods are in the mix.
She used to work for a Norwegian Fjord breeder, so it’s no surprise to see her on one of those intriguing individuals. But her best-known horses include a Morgan, Avatar’s Jazzman, who does dressage and evented, as well as Nikolas, a buckskin German riding pony who is a dressage specialist.
Both are made famous by becoming Breyer models, but Nikolas has been elevated to new stature by being named the 2022 Celebration Horse for Breyerfest, July 15-17 at the Kentucky Horse Park, and on the livestream as well. He’s also the program’s coverboy.
Breyerfest took a break from running as an in-person event during Covid, so the 33d edition marks the first time in two years that fans are welcomed to the horse park in Lexington for the event, entitled Breyerfest: Prost!, meaning “cheers” in German. Of course the German theme was a natural for Nikolas as a centerpiece. To carry out the concept, there’s an Oktoberfest tent, complete with polka band and beer Garden.
Jazz and Nik will be performing together at Breyerfest. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Nikolas and Jazzman, both owned by Melissa Dowling, are appearing together at Breyerfest, doing a Grand Prix pas de deux with Lauren’s assistant, Jessie Hayes, on the Morgan. They are available for autographs and photos as well.
The duo is among 200 equines brought in for Breyerfest, which also offers numerous exhibitions–including Sylvia Zerbini and her lovely troupe of white horses.
Crafts and vendors fill out the offering, while a live broadcast studio brings the event to 128 different countries for those who aren’t among the 35,000 people from all 50 states to come there in person.
Stephanie Macejko, vice president of marketing and product development for Breyer’s parent company, Reeves International, noted it is unusual that someone has had two of their horses become models.
She explained, however, “When we were looking for a horse a little bit different for our celebration model,” Nikolas emerged as the perfect choice for the Celebration horse, which comes with an all-access ticket to Breyerfest on site, or with traditional online access.
Sylvia Zerbini and her white horses will be part of Breyerfest. (Photo © by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“He was really unique, ” she pointed out.
“He sort of fit the bill; the German theme, his beautiful buckskin coloring. And Lauren we had known from doing Avatar’s Jazzman.
But there’s more to the selection than looks.
“One of the key aspects of being a Breyer Celebration Horse is they have to be good around people,” said Stephanie.
The Breyerfest experience is “very hands-on for the kids. It gives kids and adults an opportunity to meet their horse heroes, get their photos taken with them and talk with their owners and trainers,” she noted.
“It’s great to see kids having the opportunity to get the exposure to the horses.”
Having models made of the horses she rides has great meaning for Lauren.
“Jazzman was the first one, he’s a special guy. I thought it was really cool that he’s immortal now. There will be kids who are never going to see him who will know who he is. Maybe somewhere out west, or who knows where, some kid will read about Jazzman and the crazy stuff that we did. Who doesn’t want to make their special horse immortal?” Lauren asked.
She likes the idea that kids will recognize Nikolas the way they have recognized Jazzman because of the model.
“Oh my God. Is that Jazzman? Can we take a picture?” kids say when they see her with the Morgan at a show.
“It’s kind of fun,” she said.
Nik, who is 11, did his first Grand Prix last year. She is hoping to take him to Dressage at Devon this autumn, but notes that he’s still green at it and there’s more work to do.
“Just because you start Grand Prix–as I describe it to people–it’s like you finally cross the desert and you arrive at the other side. And then you realize you’re at the base of Mt. Everest; you’re not even halfway done!”
Avatar’s Jazzman with Jessie Hayes and Nikolas with Lauren Chumley stand by their models. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
She has the encouragement of Alice Tarjan, her best friend, who is short-listed for August’s dressage world championships. In turn, she has groomed for Alice at Aachen last year and Rotterdam this summer.
“I am so happy to be able to help at all,” she said. “It’s an honor and privilege to go to those shows with her and help her out.”
So will there come a day when Alice will be grooming for Lauren at a big show?
“It would be my life goal that I could be good enough that Alice has to wrap my horse for me,” Lauren said with a chuckle.
Lauren didn’t start riding until she was 12, when her grandmother hit her 40s and decided she wanted to ride. She took Lauren with her to the stables at the Quantico Marine base in Virginia, where her husband was stationed.
“My parents are still mad at her. She was taking lessons and I tagged along and that was the end of it,” Lauren said. After that, she started taking lessons at home and “everything snowballed from there.”
The model of Nikolas was created by artist Brigitte Eberl of Germany. It’s a brand new sculpture from the woman who has produced likenesses of such dressage stars as Valegro, Salinero and Totilas.
“I usually tap Brigitte when we’ve got a particularly high-end dressage horse or a horse of the Olympic disciplines,” said Stephanie, noting that Brigitte, who also does bronze work, will have an exhibit at Breyerfest.
Jaime Potkalesky, who handles events for Breyer, notes Breyerfest will have a bigger footprint than ever, with many more model horse shows. People are glad to return after Covid, she said, noting many have posted along the lines that ” We cherish this year because we’re so lucky to be back and so lucky to be able to keep getting together with our friends.”
On the virtual side, “This will be the first time ever that people who can’t make it to the horse park will be able to experience what it’s like. It’s as close as you can get without being there,” she said.
Having her horses represented in the Breyer collection means a great deal to Lauren, who saved her money from babysitting, dog-walking and mowing grass to buy more models when she went to Breyerfest in her youth. Once at the event, she would stand on line for hours to get autographs, and now it’s her autograph that’s being sought.
Asked how she would have reacted if a time traveler could have told the horseless Lauren that in the future, her horses would be Breyers and that one of them would be on the cover of the Breyerfest program, Lauren responded, “I would have thought you were crazy.”
Isn’t it nice when reality turns out to be even bigger than a dream?
