by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2023
The U.S. finished fifth of eight teams in the Longines FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain on Friday, when the home side claimed victory for the first time since 2010 with 4 penalties in the two rounds at Hickstead.
The U.S. total was 31, with none of its riders putting in a fault-free trip. The veterans had the best scores. Laura Kraut on Dorado 212 wound up with 4 faults in each round, while Devin Ryan had 7 and 4 on Eddie Blue. The less-experienced riders, Alessandra Volpi (Berlinda) and Paris Sellon (Atoucha) each logged 8 and 4 but gained valuable mileage.
Luckily, the U.S. already made the cut for the Nations Cup Finals in Barcelona, where the team has a shot at qualifying for the Paris Olympics. If it doesn’t happen there, the country gets one more chance at the Pan American Games in Chile this autumn.
“We always strive to hit the podium but sometimes it does not happen and today was one of those days,” said U.S. Coach Robert Ridland.
“It was an interesting class because when you looked at it on paper, Germany and Great Britain had the strongest teams. The British were great and deserved the win. As we know, winning on home soil is good for the sport. It was both a challenging but also a rewarding day.
“Everyone had something they needed to change from the first round, and they made those changes happen and improved their performances in the second round. We are leaving with some more experience, both for our horses and riders, and it’s a part of the building process as we look ahead.”
British chef d’equipe Di Lampard shone with pride (and a tear), saying, “It’s ideal when you get this combination of experience and youth.”
Great Britain team (L-R) Harry Charles, John Whitaker, Di Lampard (Chef d’Equipe), Ben Maher and Tim Gredley, winners of the LONGINES FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Great Britain – Longines Royal International Horse Show. (FEI Photo)
“When we have (Olympic individual gold medalist) Ben (Maher) leading us out, it gives us all a great spring in our step to start with – we’ve all got confidence in him to go out first wherever we’re drawn. It was fabulous to have him in the team this week. ”
Tim Gredley, she noted, has “been in the winning team several times, so it’s absolutely fabulous. My third member John (Whitaker) clinched it for us – his reputation goes well before him. And I’m so proud of Harry (Charles). Twice now, he’s been my anchor rider and delivered so well. I couldn’t be more pleased for him. At this age, he’s showing such a maturity.”
The youngest member of the team at 24 (In contrast with John Whitaker’s age of 67), he produced its only double-clear with Casquo Blue.
“It’s my first Nations Cup win, and I’m so happy for all the boys, and for Di,” said Harry. “I think for months this has been our goal, so when a plan comes together like it did today, it’s a real sense of achievement. It’s a really special day.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 24, 2023
Christian Simonson, who wrapped up his Under 25 career in style at the Aachen, Germany, show, this summer, has been named to the short list for the U.S. dressage team at the Pan American Games in Chile during October.
He is the only rider in the group of eight to be named with two horses, Zeaball Diawind and Son of a Lady. (To read more about Christian, click here.)
Christian Simonson and Zeaball Diawind. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Each rider in the group will have to compete at an FEI show by Sept. 10 to remain eligible. U.S. Equestrian Federation Dressage High Performance Pathway Advisor George Williams will serve as the chef d’equipe in Santiago.
The Pan Ams offers an opportunity for less-experienced riders to get mileage at a championship event. Much of the pressure has been eased, however, because the U.S. qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a sixth-place finish at the world championships last year. Adrienne Lyle, who trains Christian, rode on that team. She will not be in Chile, however, as she awaits the birth of her first child.
Others named to the short list are Susie Dutta and Don Design DC; Codi Harrison (Katholt’s Bossco), Charlotte Jorst (Zhaplin Langholt); Kevin Kohmann (Duenensee), Anna Marek (Fire Fly), Sarah Tubman (First Apple) and Jennifer Williams (Joppe K)
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 13, 2023
More than 3,000 wild horses are being targeted by the federal Bureau of Land Management for a helicopter roundup at the Antelope Complex in Nevada during this summer’s heatwave, with several advocacy groups calling for suspension of the action due to threats to the animals’ health and safety under such severe weather conditions.
Is this any way to treat wild horses?
Animal Wellness Action, the Wild Beauty Foundation, and Advocates for Wild Equines noted that BLM’s daily gather reports from the operation reveal two horses have already lost their lives. A foal died of colic after arriving at the holding facility, and a 4-year-old mare broke her neck while being stampeded into the agency’s traps.
“If the BLM is serious about adhering to its own animal welfare rules, it will immediately suspend its operations in the Antelope Complex until the weather turns and temperatures drop,” said Scott Beckstead, director of campaigns for Animal Wellness Action and an equine welfare specialist.
“Chasing these animals, including foals, heavily pregnant mares, and elderly animals, through extreme heat will inevitably lead to their suffering and deaths. We call on the BLM to do the right thing and ground the helicopters until conditions improve.”
The BLM claims to adhere to its Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) in its wild horse and burro operations. Because the CAWP is a set of voluntary guidelines and is not legally enforceable, abiding by those guidelines is a matter of agency discretion. Public observers of the BLM’s activities, including the helicopter operations and conditions inside the agency’s holding facilities, have shown that CAWP violations are a routine occurrence, despite agency assurances to the contrary.
The CAWP addresses conducting wild horse and burro gather operations in extreme temperatures, stating, “Horse captures must not be conducted when ambient temperature at the trap site is below 10ºF or above 95ºF without approval” of the person in charge. For burros, it’s when the temperature is below 10 degrees or above 100 degrees without approval. But 95 degrees and 100 degrees are still far too hot for a helicopter roundup. Or any roundup.
“Having spent years documenting wild horse roundups, which are at their very core cruel and antiquated practices, the idea of forcing terrified wild horses to run in extreme heat is the definition of animal cruelty,” said Ashley Avis, president and founder of the Wild Beauty Foundation.
“If the Bureau of Land Management proceeds with rounding up horses at these temperatures, it only reinforces the carelessness, mismanagement and disturbing ethos of the agency –- clearly opting to prioritize the financial interests of the helicopter contractors over animal welfare. I hope the BLM does the right thing and immediately suspends these operations.”
Video of the operations posted by wild horse advocacy groups monitoring the Antelope Complex operations have documented terrified horses desperately trying to escape the helicopters and the traps, with stallions somersaulting over fence panels and mares desperately trying to return to foals that have fallen behind in the stampede. The distress experienced by the horses while they are chased by the helicopters would be compounded by extreme heat and will inevitably lead to more deaths.
“Advocates for Wild Equines National is opposed to wild horse and burro roundups, but especially summer roundups altogether,” said Britta Starke, legislative liaison for Advocates for Wild Equines.
“As it relates to summer roundups, the scientific data is clear that horses can die from the combined effects of sustained exertion and high temperatures, and therefore any roundup scheduled during extreme summer temperatures should be suspended or canceled. Any injury or death to a horse should be considered a major CAWP violation and grounds for investigation of the BLM by an outside source.”
Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty and to encourage enforcement of our laws.
The Center for a Humane Economy is a non-profit organization that focuses on influencing businesses to pay attention to animal cruelty in their operations and to eliminate harmful practices.
The Wild Beauty Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to illuminating key issues wild and domestic horses are facing today through film, education, advocacy, and rescue. WBF recently co-produced the award-winning documentary, Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West, which debuted for the public in May.
Advocates for Wild Equines was founded in September 2021 and seeks to bring together people from diverse backgrounds and with various interests including wild horse and burro protection, preservation of public lands, wild equine rescue and climate change. The grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations welcomes all who share a vision of ending roundups and equine slaughter, as well as rewilding all horses and burros currently being warehoused in holding pens by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 15, 2023
(a reminiscence from an Oklahoma friend, Barbara Haney, was added to this story July 24)
Kavar Kerr “lived a life of doing for others in an incredible fashion. She was a force of nature to get things done,” said Burr Collier, president of the Blowing Rock, N.C. Horse Show, remembering his friend, who died July 13 in Jackson Hole, Wyo., surrounded by her three dogs.
“Everything she did was for the good of the sport and the people (of) the sport that she loved,” he recalled.
Kavar Kerr.
Tom Wright, who was one of her trainers, noted, “She gave the shirt off her back to her friends and people she respected. She loved fiercely, and worked tirelessly for the underdog and felt that caring and supporting artists was a particular responsibility in her life.”
He added, “a great horseman and successful amateur rider, she owned great animals and supported many professionals, just when they needed her most.”
Kavar enjoyed some very successful horses, among them Trust Me and Sleigh Ride in the hunter ranks, and in eventing, Mike Huber’s mount Southcoast, who won a section of the 1983 Open Preliminary event at Rolex Kentucky.
She was known for her great sense of humor and her love of all animals, but it was her charitable side for which she will be most remembered in the equestrian world.
A year after Louise Serio and Geoff Teall started the World Championship Hunter Rider organization in the early 1980s, Kavar came to them and said, “Why don’t we make this bigger and make it a foundation and start an emergency relief foundation?”
As Louise noted, “She changed lives like that. She was just an amazing lady.”
Kavar enjoyed showing her hunters.
The American Hunter Jumper Foundation, which merged with the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association in 2013, helped scores of equestrians in need, whether they were dealing with illness, a barn fire or other tragedies.
The Kavar Kerr Distinguished Service Award, named in her honor, is presented annually by the World Championship Hunter Rider Committee of the USHJA for exceptional dedication, leadership, and commitment to the WCHR Program through volunteer service and philanthropic efforts.
The center of the WCHR logo, at the top of this page, bears a likeness of Kavar jumping one of her horses.
Another person whose life was changed by Kavar is international show jumper Laura Kraut. Her first Olympic mount, Liberty, was purchased in a partnership put together by Kavar, who brought in Peter Wetherill, Joyce Williams and Kate Gibson and was part of the syndicate herself.
When Laura won the 4-star grand prix at Chantilly, France, on Bisquetta over the weekend, Kavar was on her mind.
“I thought of her when I was in there getting the ribbon,” said Laura.
“She’s the person who helped me get to the next level of my career, and the point where I am now. She never took credit for it.”
As Laura was building her resume, she rode a hunter for Kavar and lived with her in Florida during the winter circuit.
“We were really great friends. She had the biggest heart, the greatest sense of humor–I never laughed more with anyone than I did with her,” Laura remembered
Peter Wetherill ended up buying in on the Anthem syndicate as well, and Kavar’s introduction of Laura to him was key.
“If it weren’t for Peter, I wouldn’t have gotten Anthem, he came in at the 11th hour through Kavar’s urging and helped us buy Anthem, and then he bought Cedric,” said Laura, referring to her 2008 Olympic team gold medal mount.
“None of that would have happened without Kavar.”
Laura noted Kavar had bravely struggled with pain and illness for decades.
Losing Kavar was “very, very sad,” Laura acknowledged, but “she’s out of pain now. I feel confident she got out of life what she wanted.”
Barbara Haney grew up with Kavar in Oklahoma, where the two were part of “very small” hunter/jumper group during the 1970s.
“She first had a small roan, Carousel (later inherited by younger sister Mara),” recalled Barbara.
“I can even remember her riding jacket from then: a Scottish tweed from Miller’s, of course, that looked so sharp on Carousel.”
When Kavar was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, she “had to stop riding for a while, while she wore a back brace to correct that condition. She would still attend all the shows and was always ready to lend a hand when I needed one, like to hold a crop, or keep my place in the order at the in gate,” Barbara reminisced.
“At a big show in Tulsa one night, I managed to misplace my gloves right before the show started. She ran around and found a pair for me to borrow. I won the eq championship that night with whoever’s gloves those were, which was one of the biggest wins I have ever had,” said Barbara.
“After I left Oklahoma for college, I wrote to her, and saw her once or twice, but we drifted apart, since I was working internships in the northeast and wasn’t back home much. I’d given up riding to concentrate on school, and didn’t go back to riding for another 20-ish years. I still thought our paths would cross again at some point.”
Kavar, who was on the board of the Kentucky Horse Park, also raised money for the first World Champion Hunter Rider Spectacular at the Winter Equestrian Festival with funding from the late Sallie Wheeler. The class is named after the late Peter Wetherill.
Always upbeat, Kavar was known for her great sense of humor.
For the Blowing Rock show, Kavar brought in money dedicated to Sallie Wheeler and her late husband, Kenny, in recognition of all they had done for the horse show world.
A native of Oklahoma, she was a granddaughter of Robert Kerr, who served the state as governor and U.S. senator. Kavar was a big fan of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and enjoyed watching their football games in person when she could.
Twelve years ago, Kavar was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and presumably had only five years to live. A brother and sister had died previously, and she did not want her parents to face burying another child, so she was determined to live.
Her mother, Joffa, a sculptor, died in June 2022 and her father, Bill Kerr, died a week and two days before she did. He was the founder of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyo. and Kavar served on its board. Outside of the horse world, she was also active in philanthropy, serving on the board of a battered women’s shelter in Wyoming.
Kavar, who was 64, is survived by her sister, Mara Kerr of Edmond, Okla.; her niece, Ayla Mashburn of Oklahoma City, a nephew, Graycen Mashburn (Whitney), Edmond, Okla., and great-nieces Tyler, Aubrey and Caroline.
Private services will be held in Minnesota, at the final resting place of her parents and siblings, Joffa and David.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 20, 2023
Devin Ryan of Long Valley, N.J., has been selected to compete on the USA’s NetJets squad for Great Britain’s Hickstead show next week. A member of the 2018 World Equestrian Games gold medal team, Devin was out of the highest level of the sport after his top horse, Eddie Blue, got sidelined by a bone bruise.
Devin Ryan and Eddie Blue at the Longines FEI World Cup Finals. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
He brought Eddie back gradually, not rushing his recovery. Patience paid off. Devin did well in April at the Longines FEI World Cup final, where he was 13th, and then had only one rail in the hotly contested Aachen Nations Cup to contribute to the team’s fourth-place finish this summer.
Devin will be joined at Hickstead by another veteran, Olympic team gold medalist Laura Kraut. As usual, coach Robert Ridland is mixing in less-experienced riders, so they can get mileage.
The others on the team are Charlotte Jacobs, Paris Sellon and Alessandra Volpi, who was a member of the third-place squad this month at Stockholm, where she just missed the podium individually in the grand prix, finishing fifth in her first 5-star competition.
