by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 11, 2023
The FEI has suspended Eric Lamaze, the 2008 Olympic show jumping individual gold medalist, for four years on a tampering charge. It’s in connection with an anti-doping rule violation when he ducked a test in 2021.
Lamaze, who served as the Canadian show jumping technical advisor last year, claimed for years that he has brain cancer. But the FEI stated he committed a human anti-doping rule violation “due to the submission of fabricated medical documents during an ongoing CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) proceeding.”
He was “deemed to have waived a hearing, admitted the violation, and accepted the proposed consequences because he did not respond to the charge,” according to the FEI.
Eric Lamaze and Hickstead after winning gold at the 2008 Olympics. (Photo © 2008 by Nancy Jaffer)
In the absence of mitigating circumstances, Lamaze received the suspension from Sept. 12, 2023 through Nov. 9, 2027. He was fined 15,000 Swiss francs and required to reimburse the FEI for its legal costs in the matter.matter.
Lamaze retired from riding in competition in 2022, citing the cancer, which he contended kept him from appearing in court. He has been sued by several owners who bought horses through him and has claimed in published reports that he has financial problems.
The rider has quite a tangled history, from the depths to the heights and back again. He missed two Olympics (1996 and 2000) due to prohibited substance positives. An independent arbitrator rescinding his lifetime ban from the sport paved the way for him to rise again.
In 2008, he did that in spectacular fashion, assuring the Canadian team of a silver medal at the Olympics in Hong Kong, then going on to take the historic individual gold in a jump-off aboard Hickstead.
There was mourning in equestrian circles and beyond in 2011 when Hickstead dropped dead after his round at the Verona, Italy show. At the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto that autumn, people wore black armbands in memory of the stallion.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 6, 2023
They’re getting the band back together again.
Three pillars of 21st century U.S. show jumping–McLain Ward, Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington — have been named to the must-do squad for the Pan American Games in Chile this month. The fourth member is Karl Cook, whose recent record has been impressive, capped by a victory in the American Gold Cup last month. Lillie Keenan will be the reserve rider.
McLain Ward and Contagious. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The U.S. has a chance to be one of the three teams that finish well enough at the Pan Ams to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Last weekend, the U.S. narrowly lost its attempt to beat Brazil at the FEI Nations Cup Final and secure the only berth available from that competition for the Olympics.
Laura will be on Dorado 212, the same horse she rode at the Final in Barcelona. At age 57, she will be the oldest person on the U.S. team in any sport at the Pan Ams. (Phillip Dutton, the 60-year-old eventer, is not competing in Chile.The eventers are already qualified for Paris, so the Games offer a chance for less-experienced riders to get mileage.)
McLain will switch off Callas, the horse he took to Spain, and instead be aboard his number one, Contagious. He will be the only five-time Olympian in any sport in the U.S. contingent.
Kent, who rode with McLain on the bronze medal squad at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games team, will be riding Landon. And Karl has the very talented Caracole de la Roque as his ride. Lillie’s horse is Argan de Belliard.
Defeat by a single penalty in Barcelona Oct. 1 was frustrating, but U.S. coach Robert Ridland is focusing on the Pan Ams. With Brazil having qualified in Barcelona, the USA’s most likely competition for one of the three Olympic qualifying spots figures to be Mexico and Canada. Argentina is also a possibility.
“We’ll give it our all in the Pan Ams. We’re sending a good team and we’ll go from there,” said Robert.
U.S. show jumping coach Robert Ridland. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“We’re going to be fighting for the gold, I hope. Regardless of the Olympic spot, we’re not going down there to get a bronze and slip into the Olympics.”
No matter how good the team that competes, however, “what you’re mostly worried about is the unforeseen happening,” Robert pointed out.
“All you need is one horse colicking, if the hay is bad or something, or another steps on a stone or a rider gets Covid. All of a sudden, you’ve got two riders or whatever. Stranger things have happened.”
So what else could be a problem?
“You can have a spur mark. A microscopic particle of blood. You’re eliminated,” he noted.
“Aside from that, I think we’re sending some pretty good horse/rider combinations down there. If they all stay sound and no one trips over a crowbar and breaks their collarbone, we should on paper be one of those three teams” that qualify for the Games.
In Sunday’s final round of the competition in Barcelona, the U.S. had a total of 9 penalties, one more than Brazil. If they each had collected 8 penalties, the U.S. total time of 253.47 would have beaten Brazil’s 253.82.
No U.S. rider had a fault-free trip on Sunday. McLain Ward and Callas, the only American pair clear on Thursday, had a rail, as did Karl Cook with Kalinka van ‘T Zorgvliet. Devin Ryan on Eddie Blue, subbing for Jessica Springsteen who rode Thursday and had a knockdown, logged eight penalties to be the drop score. Laura Kraut collected a single time fault with Dorado 212 for exceeding by a mere 0.62 seconds the 87-second time-allowed over Santiago Varela’s course.
“If any of three things could have gone our way,” mused Robert, explaining the “what ifs” of how the team could have pulled it out.
He cited, “McLain’s rub at 13C (in the triple that was the next-to-last fence on course), no one even heard it, it was so light. If it had stayed up, that would have done it. Same thing for Karl Cook (at the same fence). If either one of those had left that jump up or if Laura had been a half-second faster, any one of those three, not all those three, and we would have beaten Brazil. It was a good fight to the finish. It just didn’t work out our way.”
Referring to having Devin ride in the final round, Robert explained, “I wanted to bring in a fresh horse on Sunday.”
“It wasn’t a negative against Jessie. We weren’t good enough on Thursday. I wanted to do something different. You have to go with your instincts. My instinct coming down here was to send five ready, fresh horse rider combinations.
“Unless something really unusual happened on Thursday, I wanted to use all five (during the show). You can’t do that in the Pan Ams. There your reserve is a spectator.”
The Barcelona squad wasn’t the normal four plus one team, he said, noting in that case, he generally sends a young rider as the plus one.
“Here, the stakes were high enough that I wanted to send someone going well,” he continued, explaining he felt Devin had done that at the Hampton Classic on Labor Day weekend, and at Aachen before that.
In Barcelona, “it only was going to work if he jumped clean. If he just duplicated what Jessie did with 4, that wouldn’t have made any difference.” What was needed was a clean or for “the time fault to go away.”
The final was won by Germany, the only country to go fault-free. France was second, followed by Belgium, Brazil and the U.S. in fifth. Switzerland, without some of its best horse/rider combinations, was sixth. Britain (which had won the first round, finished seventh) and Ireland was eighth.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 7, 2023
Kate Conover’s name was probably the least well-known to the general public among the six competitors who vied for the $25,000 World Championship Hunter Rider Professional Finals title at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Maryland. But it was the Ocala, Fla., woman who came out on top, over Shelley Campf, Nick Haness, Geoffrey Hesslink, Brady Mitchell, and Leslie Steele.
Three two-person judging panels presided over the competition, in which riders were aboard a horse of their own choosing during the first segment.
The four riders with the best scores–Kate, Geoffrey, Brady and Shelley–returned for the Final Four on equal status, with no penalties. Each was on a horse unfamiliar to them, and all the riders took turns jumping these mounts.
It was the first Pro Finals for Shelley, Brady and Kate, while Geoffrey’s debut in the class was in 2020.
Kate’s final total was 355.33. Brady was runner up with 352.99, Shelley finished third on 341.15 and Geoffrey fourth on 259.32.
Champion Kate Conover and her supporteres. (Photo by Shawn McMillen)
Explaining she had made the class a goal, Kate said, “My brother passed away in January, and I kind of just changed my focus to riding for my family.
“My mom really loves it, so I know she’s watching. I know I made her really proud, and I know my brother is watching. I made this a focus, and I wanted it. I wanted it not just for me, but for my family, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic that it actually happened.”
Kate has long experience on different horses, reaching back to her pony days.
“When I was a kid, and my whole life, I never really had the same horse or pony all the time, so it’s a lot of experience of just trying to make a relationship very fast,” she explained.
“I think it’s that experience of riding them all differently, taking what you have in the moment, and doing the best you can. Every horse you don’t ride the same.”
Geoffrey, who had a rail down that prompted him to withdraw in that round, said, “It wasn’t my night tonight, and that’s okay. I find it an honor to be in this class, and I think Kate is one of the most beautiful and most amazing riders, so I could not be happier for her,” he said.
This was the second year in a row that a first-timer took the win, after Nick earned the title in 2022.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 7, 2023
The 5-star CSI Greenwich Grand Prix was called off Saturday in the face of torrential rain that led to wet conditions at the Greenwich Polo Club in Connecticut.
The fixture began in 2021 as one day of 2- and 3-star show jumping competition.
“Our vision is to host a European-style show focused on international sport,” said rider/entrepreneur Kent Farrington, explaining at that time why he came up with the idea for the show. He was its honorary president this year.
For 2023, Greenwich developed into a four-day feature that also included a leg of Major League Show Jumping team competition. The $650,000 5-star grand prix, scheduled for Sunday, was to be the highlight of a show that attracted such big names as McLain Ward, Nayal Nassar and Margie Goldstein-Engle.
Saturday’s competition was called off because of the soggy conditions on the grass field and elsewhere on the grounds, but organizers assured ticket holders that the Sunday grand prix would be held.
Howeer, on Saturday morning, the Brant family, Major League Show Jumping and FEI officials discussed the situation with organizers and made “the difficult decision to cancel the event due to unprecedented and ongoing rainfall in the region. We have arranged to immediately refund all ticket purchases.
“The Greenwich area has experienced eight inches of rain accumulation, leading to flooding in the week leading up to CSI Greenwich. With the additional rainfall yesterday and the further expected rain and flood watch presently in effect, the conditions on the ground will not be up to our standards to host a high-level international competition with the safety and of horses and riders being at the forefront.”
But things could be different next year.
“Going forward,” said a statement from the show, “the team at CSI Greenwich, the Brant family, and Major League Show Jumping are committed to having a world-class venue and event here in Greenwich and will be investing in new infrastructure for (the) venue, including adding upgraded stabling and an all-weather sand arena.”
That all-weather arena is important for an outdoor show, since there is no time of year when the weather can’t be a factor.
The day wasn’t a total loss for Polo Club founder Peter Brant, however. He may not have grand prix luck, but he had racing luck. His Gina Romantica beat In Italian at Keeneland to win the Grade I First Lady Stakes.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 3, 2023
Dressage at Devon is a one-of-a-kind horse show, a unique celebration which this year elevated its offerings with additional exhibitions and learning opportunities to reach a bigger, more varied audience. The organizers put in an incredible amount of work to make it a creative multi-dimensional happening, and they succeeded.
There was a time when Devon was the goal of many top riders in the autumn. But now it’s competing with regional shows, the Florida circuit, a different calendar and a new migration pattern that has evolved over the years since it was a “must” destination. So it needs some added attractions to insure it remains relevant.
But its core attraction has never changed. Everyone who has ridden in the Dixon Oval under the lights rhapsodizes about how special it is. Some compare it to what they encounter in Europe, with the crowds and a heightened since of excitement. It’s a special opportunity conveniently located in a suburb of Philadelphia.
Marcus Orlob, who won both the 1-star FEI Prix St. Georges (72.010 percent) and the 1-star FEI Intermediate I (73.725) with Alice Tarjan’s stallion, J.J. Glory Day, said his biggest goal for 2023 was to show at Devon “because of the electric atmosphere.”
Marcus Orlob and J.J. Glory Day. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
He’s preparing to do the Intermediate II next year, and after that “this horse I think, has the talent to go all the way.”
To the Olympics?
“Probably,” he smiled.
Alice also was a double winner with Jane, taking the 2-star FEI Intermediate A (71.814 percent) and the 2-star FEI Intermediate II (71.088).
Jane was bouncing around waiting for the awards ceremony, which Alice attributed to an abundance of tension for a horse who hasn’t been shown much recently.
Alice Tarjan and Jane (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Asked for a comment on her mare’s performance, Alice said with a laugh, “it’s a work in progress. She’s here for the experience.” And in the ring, anyway, “She’s always a good girl.”
Horses showing in the same venue week after week, as they do in Florida at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington or at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala get used to those surroundings, which can take the edge off. If they move on to foreign shows or championships, however, they will have to adjust to a new experience in a short amount of time. Dressage at Devon offers good practice for that, with not only the competition, but also the bells and whistles of the trophy presentation ceremony and victory lap.
Kim Herslow had a good ride at Devon on Elvis HI in 2021, but it took her until this year’s edition of the show to take that victory lap after collecting her ribbon. She and the horse’s co-owner, Ailene Cascio, finally got their moment in the winner’s circle after a frustrating journey.
Elvis was second in both the 2021 Intermediate I and I-1 freestyle to Cesar Parra on Belle Ami. But as part of an agreement with the FEI (international equestrian federation) connected to an “Equine Controlled Medication Rule Violation” involving Benzocaine, Belle Ami was disqualified late in 2021.
Kim missed being able to ride victory passes on Elvis in front of the crowd two years ago (Parra got that honor). Disqualification didn’t happen until months after the show. Even then, there was a long delay in receiving the redistributed prize money. While that finally came this summer, the big moment in the arena and the ribbon were not part of it.
But Devon made good on the ceremony in this year’s edition, with Kim, Ailene and Elvis in the ring at last to get their photo op.
Elvis HI’s owner Ailene Cascio with presenter Paul Eason and Kim Herslow on Elvis HI at their long-delayed victory ceremony. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
The trophies that accompanied the victories already had been engraved with the names of Parra and his mount, but they went back to the engraver after the show was notified of the FEI decision. The word “disqualified” now stands next to their names.
“It was nice to see; to get some credit for what Elvis did back two years ago. It was nice for Ailene too, she’s been on this journey with this horse longer than I have. To see her get that credit is a wonderful thing,” said Kim.
As Ailene noted, “It makes me happy that our sport is clean; that the recognition is going where it should go and people aren’t getting away with things. And Dressage at Devon stepped up and made it right.”
(Cover photo is Adrienne Morella on the 26-year-old Arabian King’s Ransom)
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 2, 2023
The Babington Benefit Horse Show Sunday at Duncraven in Titusville, NJ, was a huge success, raising $20,000 for the injured grand prix show jumper. Kevin, who is paralyzed from the middle of his chest down after a 2019 fall in competition, has enormous expenses, but friends and others who know his reputation have pitched in to help.
Kevin at home in Loxahatchee, Fla., with his wife, Dianna. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Today he posted this thank you on social media:
“When I woke up this morning I had to pinch myself when I looked at the post from the Babington benefit horse show yesterday. How does one go about thanking all the special people who put this together?
New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been a huge part of my life and career, and five years on, to see the support from local barns and trainers that come and support is incredible. I was based out of Duncraven almost 25 years ago. Tim Fedor and his family offered the facility for the first few benefit shows, and now to see the Stout Family willing to continue this tradition is wonderful. What they’ve done with the facility is incredible. Congratulations to them and continued success.
This is not your typical horse show. It is run totally by volunteers with the support of many sponsors from the area. The last four years have been a big adjustment for me and my family, but when I see something like this it makes my journey so much easier. I am going to add Jenn Cassidy’s post with a list of most of the volunteers, but like Jenn said, there are too many to list so i apologize if I miss anyone.
Kevin Babington on Carling King at the 2004 Olympics. (Photo © 2004 by Nancy Jaffer)
Nancy Wallis,
Julie Koveloski, and
Jennifer Cassidy work on this year round and from what I saw from the show yesterday, there wasn’t a stone left unturned. It was special for me to see a bareback flat class with so many entries. Riding bareback was something I loved to do when I rode, so it’s extra special to see this being part of the benefit show. A very heartfelt thank you to everyone and I hope all the riders had a great day. Love to all from myself, Dianna, Gwyneth, and Marielle.”
