by Nancy Jaffer | May 19, 2022
Centenary University next month will present its highest honor to Octavia Brown, a pioneer and leader in the field of therapeutic riding.
Octavia will be honored with the Gold Dome Award June 2 during CU at the Stables, the annual scholarship fundraising event at 6:30 p.m. at the David and Carol Lackland Center in Hackttstown..
Octavia Brown at the Centenary University stables. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The professor emeritus of equine studies “has made a positive impact on the lives of so many through her tireless commitment to therapeutic riding,” said Bruce Murphy, the university’s president.
“Early on, she recognized the power that equine-assisted services have to promote confidence, independence, and healing. At Centenary University, we are proud to honor Dr. Brown with the Gold Dome Award for the tremendous impact she has made, both at our University and around the world.”
A longtime Centenary faculty member, Octavia is a founder of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. Now known as PATH International, the nonprofit has 7,000 members worldwide who help support more than 53,000 special needs individuals, including nearly 6,000 veterans, through a variety of equine-assisted services.
At Centenary, she is the former director of TRAC (Therapeutic Riding at Centenary), an accredited adaptive riding program that fosters beneficial interactions between horses and humans and provides training for professionals in the field of equine-assisted education and therapy. Through Operation Centaur, the university also provides the benefits of therapeutic riding to military veterans and their family members.
Born in England, Octavia emigrated to the United States in 1964. She earned a master of education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1971 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Centenary in 2008. A past president of the Federation of Riding for the Disabled International, She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the James Brady Award for Lifetime Achievement in Therapeutic Riding, PATH International’s highest honor. Most recently, she was honored in January by the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
Centenary University has one of the nation’s leading collegiate equine studies programs, offering several specialty fields of study and competitive riding teams. Centenary’s ANRC team recently captured the 2022 ANRC National Equitation Championship, and the university has a near-perfect track record for student acceptance to selective veterinary schools.
CU at the Stables will help to raise critical unrestricted scholarships to provide financial support for Centenary students who may not otherwise be able to bridge the gap between tuition and financial aid. Each year, the University offers more than $14 million in scholarship support to Centenary students. Purchase event tickets here or email Elizabeth.Freeman@centenaryuniversity.edu by May 20.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 13, 2022
After the U.S. Equestrian Federation didn’t renew Erik Duvander’s contract as eventing performance director last December, he headed home to New Zealand.
But he didn’t stay away long, and now he’s back in the U.S. Read what happened at horsesport.com.
Erik Duvander at Land Rover Kentucky. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
by Nancy Jaffer | May 11, 2022
Adrienne Lyle and Salvino. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Alice Tarjan found herself in the company of such big names as Olympic medalists Steffen Peters and Adrienne Lyle today when the U.S. Equestrian Federation announced the Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team Short List for the 2022 FEI Dressage World Championships in Herning, Denmark, this summer.
“It’s an honor,” said Alice. The Oldwick, N.J., resident was chosen with Serenade MF, a 9-year-old Hanoverian mare that she has trained to Grand Prix herself.
“Her breeder, Maryanna Haymon, is absolutely thrilled because she’s the only American-bred on the list. That’s kind of exciting,” said Alice, who has a whole string of horses she bought as youngsters and developed.
“It is amazing how she can just bring up horse after horse to Grand Prix like that and have them do as well as they do. That is remarkable. No one has ever done that here,” said U.S. dressage development coach Charlotte Bredahl.
“All her horses are good horses. Alice has such a talent for putting piaffe/passage on all her horses. She does it really well and they come out doing it well. You don’t see any resistance in the piaffe/passage tour like you often see with others. Her horses are always ready to perform in that.”
Serenade is by Sir Donnerhall out of a Don Principe mare. Making the list is a dream come true from so many angles, and a little hard to believe for the always low-key and modest Alice, who spent some time working with former U.S. dressage technical advisor Debbie McDonald over the winter.
“Growing up, you read all the magazines and think, `Wow, that’s so cool,’ and when it’s you, somehow it’s like, `I’m not that good. Everyone else is awesome.’ I don’t know how I get up there.”
Of her mare, Alice acknowledges, “She’s gone well. She’s an interesting horse, really talented and pretty rideable.”
Even so, she pointed out “when you walk through the barn, she’s not the horse you would pick. It’s interesting because she’s the smallest one of the bunch (her nickname is Shrimp) but she sure does her job every time she goes out there.”
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF. (Photo © 2021by Nancy Jaffer)
Last year, Alice finished sixth with Candescent in the mandatory observation trial for the U.S. Olympic dressage team candidates. Candescent, a Hanoverian Alice bought as a four-year-old, was on the short list for the Olympic squad and the top six from the trial were supposed to go to Europe before the Tokyo Games, but she didn’t feel her mare had enough experience to make that trip. So she was willing to wait for another opportunity down the road.
Her plans call for her to renew her focus on Candescent in the autumn, explaining, “You can only compete so many horses at once. She had an easy spring.”
The horses and riders on the list will compete at observation events in Europe before final team selection in July. Major shows where they will appear include the Rotterdam,, Netherlands, CDIO5* and the Aachen, Germany, CDIO5*/CDI4*.
It’s a little early to make the choice of which to attend, but Alice is leaning toward Rotterdam. She’ll be helped by her close friend Lauren Chumley, a professional trainer from Pittstown who groomed for her when she went to Aachen last year, and she expects her trainer, Marcus Orlob of Annandale, to fly over when she competes.
Others on the list are Katie Duerrhammer of Colorado with Paxton, a 2011 Westphalian gelding, and Quartett, a 2007 Bradenburg gelding, both owned by Kylee Lourie; Californian Ben Ebeling with Illuster van de Kampert a 2008 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by ACR Enterprises, Inc., and Indeed, a 2008 Danish Warmblood mare owned by Vantage Equestrian. Also named is Sarah Tubman of Wellington, Fla., with First Apple, a 2010 KWPN stallion owned by Summit Farm.
Former Canadian Olympian Ashley Holzer of Wellington, now a U.S. citizen, was chosen with Valentine, her 2010 Hanoverian mare, while Charlotte Jorst of Reno is on the list with Kastel’s Nintendo, a 2003 Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Kastel Denmark.
Adrienne, a member of the Tokyo Olympic silver medal team who lives in Wellington, will be competing Salvino, a 2007 Hanoverian stallion owned by Betsy Juliano LLC. She is joined by her teammate, Steffen, of San Diego, riding with Suppenkasper, a 2008 KWPN gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki.
The third member of the Tokyo team, Sabine Schut-Kery, had said her Sanceo was not ready to compete by the deadline for selection to the short list, but she may have another chance at selection for the championships down the road.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 11, 2022
Bouncing back is Tamie Smith’s specialty, and the same can be said of her Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event mount, Fleeceworks Royal.
The mare’s 5-star debut at the Kentucky Horse Park last month started with a dressage test that put her first in the division on day one, though she had dropped to eighth by the second day.
Tamie Smith and Fleeceworks Royal in the dressage phase at Kentucky. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Her cross-country trip was cut short at the 11th obstacle when Tamie sensed the mare was injured and pulled her up. Rory, as the mare is known to her friends, underwent surgery on her left front pastern at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.
She’s healing now, and “as long as she gets through all of it with no complications, she should make a full recovery,” Tamie reported about the U.S.-bred daughter of Riverman.
“She is the toughest mare you’ve ever met,” added the rider, referencing everything Rory has been through. That includes a corneal transplant, an airway obstruction issue and a minor leg problem that kept her off the 2019 Pan American Games team.
But no adversity has stopped her, which also can be said of Tamie.
“Yes, she is just like me,” Tamie agreed happily.
“I told her owner (Judith McSwain) we’re going to rename her “The Cockroach”, because you can’t kill her, you can’t keep her down. She’s going to keep fighting. She’s incredible.”
It’s such good news that Rory is on the road back. The other horse who had a bad fall on cross-country at Kentucky, Emporium, was not injured and went home after a short stay at Hagyard.
Despite ending the Kentucky 5-star with a disappointment, Tamie didn’t dwell on the negative and headed off to the Badminton, England, 5-star, where she finished ninth on Mai Baum to be the best-placed American last weekend.
“Badminton was super-competitive,” said Tamie’s trainer, Erik Duvander.
“The quality of the field was totally outstanding. You looked down the line of combinations that have won championships, Worlds, Europeans and of course previous winners of 5-star, so it was highly competitive.”
He called the cross-country course designed by Eric Winter, “possibly the best I’ve seen in a long, long time. It was a decent track, it was big, it was super well-presented; nothing trappy but demanding on the horses physically and mentally.”
In the show jumping, Tamie and Mai Baum were among only four entries in the field of 52 finishers to go double-clear over Kelvin Bywater’s challenging route.
Erik sees big things in Tamie’s future now, and the rider is, of course, hoping to be named to the team for this summer’s world championships in Italy.
“Now she is really, really ready,” said Erik, ,who has been working with her since 2017.
“With Tamie, it’s not just her riding skills, but it’ her mental skills to perform all three phases in the manner she did. I feel her future is really bright now.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 10, 2022
The International Omaha annual horse show ended a successful run last weekend, paving the way for the second FEI World Cup™ finals to be hosted in the city next year at the CHI Health Center.
All-session tickets are now on sale for the April 4-8 competition, which includes finals in show jumping, dressage and vaulting, the latter being a new addition to the line-up that ran when the 2017 finals debuted in Omaha.
All-session tickets range from $75 – $1,400, depending on the discipline and seat location. All-session packages include admission to either four dressage sessions, four jumping sessions or three vaulting sessions. Included are options for VIP and hospitality lounge passes and fully catered ringside tables for the duration of the event.
To order tickets, go to this link at Ticketmaster.com. Single-session tickets will go on sale July 11.
“With so much interest in the World Cup’s return to Omaha, we anticipate that the all-session tickets will sell quickly,” said Lisa Roskens, chair of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation, producer of the finals in Omaha.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming the world’s best horses, riders, vaulters and fans from around the world and we are committed to living up to the standard set in 2017 and producing the best FEI World Cup™ Finals ever held!”
The Omaha competition is likely to be the last World Cup finals held in North America for quite some time. The 2020 finals in Las Vegas were cancelled due to Covid, and Las Vegas did not bid for the 2025 finals.
The 2023 competition will offer a tribute to the horse’s regional tradition and cultural impact, with the Native American heritage as part of the event’s theme and program.
The foundation is seeking to broaden community understanding of Native American history with its initiative at the show. The finals feature not only show jumping and dressage, as was the case in 2017, but also vaulting, which is gymnastics on horseback.
Beginning in 1723, horses transformed the Great Plains region tribes’ hunting tactics, inspired artistry, strengthened transportation routes and expanded their health and wealth. Plains tribes with roots in Nebraska include the Omaha, Northern Ponca and Santee.
“Where we’re standing here in Omaha was the site of a societal transformation 300 years ago — horses changed our way of life on the Plains,” said Steve Tamayo, a traditional Sicangu Lakota artist who founded the Bluebird Cultural Initiative.
“As we celebrate the horse’s majesty and grace at the renowned FEI World Cup Finals, we’re excited to use the international platform to share authentic stories about the horse’s lineage in this region and its cherished place within our people’s history.”
Tamayo consulted on the design of the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2023 first promotional poster, which presents a thematic template for the event by depicting two triumphant horses from two different eras and alluding to their ancestral linkage. The marketing campaign was created by Turnpost Creative Group in Omaha under the guidance of Stuart Lundgren, principal and creative director.
The horse on the left side of the poster has dressage braids, an English bridle and a purple and white competition ribbon. The horse on the right has a white circle painted around its left eye to commend its keen vision — and it has stripes painted across its nose and feathers attached to its mane, features representing valor and courage in battle.
The poster also includes symbolic cultural references within its multi-colored background stripes — horse hoof imprints and four-direction sun emblems are positioned between rhythmic waves and the legendary thunderbird.
“Just as we honor horses today for their achievements in a world-class competition event such as the Final of the FEI World Cup, our indigenous relatives of the Plains decorated and adorned their horses and told a dozen different stories with regalia and symbols,” Tamayo said.
“The markings explained all of the deeds and achievements carried out by the horse, a valued and respected member of the tribe.”
In addition to the competitions, the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2023 will include shows, exhibits and demonstrations,
by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2022
The inability to come to a “mutually acceptable agreement” with one of the landowners on whose property the Millbrook Horse Trials is staged has led to cancellation of the Aug. 4-7 competition in New York.
“This will be a disappointment to many, especially in our own community of Millbrook” the organizers announced.
“As the only Area I eventing competition that offers all levels, from local beginners to the very top international competitors, MHT is an important summer fixture for competitors and spectators”.
The plan was to expand on last year’s event. The U.S. Eventing Association is “committed to assist Millbrook to make sure that this incredibly important event continues into the future,” said USEA President Max Corcoran ,
“We will work with the organizers of Millbrook to solve this and make sure that the event is viable.”
The board stated, “We are committed and hopeful that the horse trials will return to the eventing calendar for 2023.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 14, 2022
Michael Barisone finally has been moved from the Morris County Correctional Facility to the Anne Klein Forensic Center for evaluation.
Though he was supposed to leave the jail in Morristown shortly after being found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity on April 14, the delay of nearly a month in his transfer means a hearing on his fate will not be held as originally scheduled May 17. He will be evaluated at Anne Klein in West Trenton, but he will have to spend two weeks in isolation there first.
Michael Barisone hopes to be riding again soon. ((Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The evaluation and subsequent hearing will determine whether he is a danger to himself or others, and if he can pick up the threads of his life again.
The dressage trainer was charged with two counts of attempted murder involving the tenants at his Long Valley Farm. Lauren Kanarek was shot twice during an August 7, 2019 encounter with Barisone when he confronted her and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, as he sought to evict them. The not guilty by reason of insanity verdict applied to the attempted murder charge involving Kanarek,as well as a charge of possessing a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Barisone was found not guilty of attempted murder and possession of a weapon in connection with Goodwin.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2022
The owners of Brannon Farm in Georgetown, Ky., north of Lexington are struggling with the loss of every horse in their barn as it burned to the ground about 1 a.m. on the morning of May 1. There were 25 horses killed in the blaze, along with dogs, cats and a goat. A lot of equipment also was destroyed.
When the fire department got there, the barn was “fully engulfed,” said Billy Jarrell, a family friend.
He said the stable was founded in the 1960s by Marie Brannon and her late husband, Sam, a horse trainer who is member of the United Professional Horsemen’s Association Hall of Fame. Their daughter, Nancy, is the trainer there, along with John McKeown. The stable focuses on saddlebreds and saddleseat riding. A lesson program, primarily for children, is the main part of the business.
It is believed the fire was sparked by lightning, but an official cause has yet to be determined, according to Jarrell, a U.S. Equestrian Federation licensed official.
He said the lesson horses were outside at the time of the fire, so they survived. A stable owner in Versailles, which also is in the Lexington/Fayette County metro area, has offered her facility so Nancy Brannon can continue the business, and may be able to resume work next week. Jarrell said people also are donating tack and other equipment.
Those who want to donate such items may contact Jarrell at 859-509-1503. He noted Nancy Brannon is overwhelmed by the support from the community.
A GoFundMe page was started to assist the Brannons and deal with costs not covered by insurance. Click on this link to donate.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 11, 2022
A memorial service will be held Tuesday May 17 at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 404 North Alamo St., San Antonio, Texas for Helen Kleberg Groves, who was raised on the famed King Ranch.
An honorary lifetime trustee of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, she died in San Antonio May 6 at the age of 94. Among her children is grand prix show jumper Dorothy (D.D.) Matz, the wife of race horse trainer and former show jumper Michael Matz.
Known as Helenita, she graduated from the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Va., and attended Vassar College. She was passionate about ranching, fine horses, and family. She was a crack shot with her Colt pistol, often bettering the men around her and continued to be a keen and accurate dove and quail hunter into her nineties.
Helen Kleberg Groves
Helenita ranched her entire life, from overseeing King Ranch’s Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms in Chester County, Pa., to her own Silverbrook Farms in Staunton, Va., to Silverbrook Ranches in Texas, she focused on raising the best Santa Gertrudis cattle and Quarter Horses in the country.
She campaigned many champion cutting horses, including Miss Peppy Also and Pay 21. She was a skilled rider and loved competing across the country, winning many championship buckles and collecting limitless friends along the way. Known as the “First Lady of Cutting,” she was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1998.
Thoroughbreds were also a lifelong passion. She led King Ranch’s Assault into the winner’s circle after his 1946 Triple Crown victory, and went on to breed, own, and race numerous horses that carried her rust and lavender silks throughout her life.
She co-bred and owned the champion filly Althea, who won the Arkansas Derby, as well as numerous other Grade I winners such as Serape, Free Drop Billy, and Hawkbill. Later in life, she could be found in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in August, enjoying the races and regaling all around her with her tales from decades past.
A lifelong learner, interested in numerous subjects including history, politics, the arts and the sciences, Helenita was a voracious reader with a steely memory. She enjoyed lunching with many of the prominent scientists from the institutions she supported, continuously expanding her broad intellect. She also was devoted to her strong corps of “Monday Night Ladies,” who are known to be the catalysts for much of the important charitable and political work done in San Antonio.
Helenita was a philanthropist, who took her service very seriously. She served as president of the Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation until 2020 and continued on the board until her death. Additionally, she served on the boards of educational institutions as well as the National Sporting Library and Museum, in Middleburg, Va.
Her knowledge and acumen as a rancher, horsewoman, and cattle breeder made her an indispensable member and leader on many boards, including the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the National Cutting Horse Association and her beloved King Ranch, where she served as a director from 1956-1988, and where her influence was felt for the remainder of her life.
Predeceased by her ex-husband, Dr. John Deaver Alexander, and her second husband, Lloyd L. Groves. Helenita is survived by five children in addition to Dorothy: Helen C. Alexander, Emory A. Hamilton (Fred), John D. Alexander (Claire), Caroline A. Forgason, Henrietta K. Alexander. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Deaver, Cadell, and Robert “Berto” Alexander, Helen H. Cottingham (Charlie), James Forgason, Laird George, and Alex, Lucy, Robert, and Arthur Matz.
Honorary pallbearers will be Deaver, Cadell, and Berto Alexander, Helen Cottingham, James Forgason, Laird George, Alex, Lucy, Robert and Arthur Matz.
The family would also like to recognize the extraordinary care her caregivers provided late in her life, especially Araceli Sutherland, Flor Smith, Dominique Palomo, Julieta Chavez, Ana Cardoza, Stephanie Sutherland, Jessie Gutierrez, and Karel Hoffman.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the King High Historical Foundation, the National Sporting Library and Museum, or any of the charities Helenita supported throughout her life.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 4, 2022
Thoroughbreds are few and far between at the upper ranks of three-day eventing, ever since the steeplechase and roads and tracks elements were eliminated from the sport’s prestige competitions after 2005.
With the departure of the long format, where endurance was key, the heart exhibited by thoroughbreds on cross-country suddenly wasn’t quite as important as the ability to perform first-rate dressage and show jumping.
It was good news for the Europeans, who had long wanted to sell their warmbloods for eventing, but it meant that the horses once synonymous with the game were out of favor. The top 10 in the 5-star division at last weekend’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event included everything from a Hanoverian (eventual winner fischerChipmunk FRH) to a Selle Francais and several Holsteiners, but only one thoroughbred in that top group.
That was Phillip Dutton’s well-bred off-the-track mount, Sea of Clouds by Malibu Moon (A.P. Indy X Mr. Prospector). Sea of Clouds is owned by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani of Qatar, who raced him, along with Graham Motion who trained him at the track and his wife, Anita Motion, as well as Phillip and his wife, Evie Dutton. He started just twice in races, then made his debut in FEI competition during 2017.
Phillip Dutton and Sea of Clouds going cross-country at Kentucky. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
There were eight other thoroughbreds in the 5-star field of 45 who appeared for the first horse inspection. They finished 11th, 20th, 21st, 23d and 30th, in last place. Three were eliminated, two on cross-country and one in the final horse inspection.
Sea of Clouds was tied for 31st in dressage, but moved up to seventh after cross-country, one of just three horses who made the optimum time over Derek di Grazia’s exacting track. (Phillip has had 11 cross-country clears at Kentucky between 2008 and this year, more than any other rider.)
The other horses double clear on the 5-star cross-country were Michael Jung’s mount, fisherChipmunk, a Hanoverian who has a heavy dose of thoroughbred in his bloodlines, and Boyd Martin’s ride Tsetserleg, a Trakehner by Windfall whose dam, Wundermaedel, was a thoroughbred off the track.
The 11-year-old Sea of Clouds dropped three places in the final Kentucky 5-star standings after two knockdowns in the show jumping finale. His 10th-place finish was the highest for a thoroughbred in the 5-star.
Sea of Clouds going cross-country at the 2019 Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event in the 4-sart Long division. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
His performance encapsulates the pluses and minuses of a thoroughbred at the highest level of eventing. At Britain’s Badminton 5-star, which gets under way today, only 3.5 percent of the starters are thoroughbreds. Phillip is riding Z, a Zangersheide, at that competition.
So after Kentucky wrapped up, I asked Phillip if thoroughbreds still have a place in the sport at the highest level.
“The right one does,” he said. As he has noted, they are bred for galloping, a key for cross-country success where making the optimum time is so important, as time penalties can often be decisive in the placings.
But even so, “the dressage and show jumping have gotten so difficult that horses are getting bred especially for it,” Phillip pointed out, then added, “You can’t get a better cross-country horse than the thoroughbred.”
Sea of Clouds in the dressage at Kentucky. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The trick, he said, is to find one who can move well enough for the dressage. That isn’t something in which Sea of Clous is a standout, and at Kentucky, he “got a little tense” as Phillip put it and kicked up his heels in the canter work to the point where the spectators went, “Oooh.”
(Amanda Pottinger of New Zealand found a thoroughbred who can handle the dressage. On the first day of the Badminton Horse Trials May 5, she stood seventh on a very respectable 25.9 penalties with the 16-year-old Just Kidding. He is by 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus.)
If you think back to all the great thoroughbred jumpers (remember Idle Dice and Jet Run?), that phase shouldn’t be an issue.
In addition to his 10th-place ribbon, Sea of Clouds won the Thoroughbred Incentive Program award at Kentucky.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, a sea of clouds is an overcast layer of clouds, as viewed from above. Great name.
