by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 6, 2023
The only U.S.-bred seven-year-old in the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses finished a very credible 10th of 40 starters during the competition at Ermelo in the Netherlands on Sunday.
Vianne, ridden by Hope Beerling of Australia, earned 80.6 percent for quality, with a technical mark of 69.644 percent. Three of five judges marked her at 8 or more, contributing to a total of 75.122 percent for the Hanoverian mare (Vitalis/Ramiro’s Bube). Owned by NorCordia USA (click here for a story on that enterprise) the mare was bred by Catherine Haddad Staller, based in Califon, N.J., and Wellington, Fla. Hope is her student.
Hope Beerling and Vianne carried the flag for the U.S. at the Young Horse Championships at Ermelo. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Catherine said she was “absolutely thrilled to have my horse and rider show such good training and presentation on a world class stage.”
The competitors included top-class riders, among them World Cup Finals winners Isabell Werth of Germany (the Olympic multi-gold medalist was fifth on the Hanoverian stallion Valdiviani) and Hans Peter Minderhoud of the Netherlands, ninth with the Dutch Stallion Las Vegas.
As Catherine pointed out, “That’s a tough arena to enter on an unknown horse without a big name. Hope and Vianne left a serious business card on that centerline in Ermelo. As both breeder of the horse and trainer of this pair, I’m honored and proud to watch them reach the top 10 in the world.”
The victorious seven-year-old was Germany’s Danciero (Dancier/Fuechtel’s Floriscount), ridden by Anna Kasprzak of Denmark. The Hanoverian gelding received a quality score of 96.800 percent, a technical mark of 76.858 and a total of 86.829.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 3, 2023
Olympic show jumping medalist Anne Kursinski will be offering training insights at a mini-Emerging Athletes Program clinic Aug. 14 at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.
Participants at a variety of levels, from 2-foot fences to 3-6, are going to learn both over fences and on the flat from the assistant U.S. show jumping coach. The stable management portion of the day, always an important part of EAP, will be presented by Kirsten Cowan.
The public is invited to audit at no charge, but those who wish to participate must enter by Aug. 10. Their horses will spend the night before the clinic in stalls at the foundation’s historic stable.
The clinic is presented by the Metropolitan Equestrian Team, which is also hosting a charity show that includes Outreach classes at the USET Foundation Aug. 15 and 16. For more information, go to the website at metropolitanequestrian.org.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 1, 2023
The World Equestrian Center in Ocala has been named as one of four venues for the new Longines League of Nations that gets under way next year. The allocations, which run through 2027, were also made for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, St. Gallen Switzerland and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Teams from 10 countries must appear for all four CSIO 5-stars in the unfortunately named League of Nations (click here to read my opinion about the name that was chosen for this initiative.) There was also supposed to be a fifth venue, but because of logistics involving the 2024 Paris Olympics, the qualifier sites were kept to four.
The final of the series, featuring the eight best teams, will remain in Barcelona as it has for 10 years.
“We have made a historic decision for the future of equestrian sport,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.
“This series is about inspiring individuals and nations around the core values of our sport -– camaraderie, team spirit, horsemanship and excellence — and for over a century, it has played an invaluable role in the development of equestrian globally.”
Roby Roberts, WEC CEO, said, “We are grateful to the FEI for choosing World Equestrian Center Ocala to host this prestigious event and thank U.S. Equestrian for its support through the bid process.
“World Equestrian Center was built on our three core values of quality, class and distinction, and hosting a qualifier for the Longines League of Nations embodies these values, as well as achieves a long-held goal of welcoming the best equestrians in the world to our facility.”
The stadium at WEC will be a great showcase for the new series. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
While the other shows named as hosts have some history behind them, WEC is only three years old. The 378-acre WEC complex, set in the midst of nearly 4,000 acres, offers a 248-room, 5-star hotel. Grooms will stay in the Home-Away-From-Home manufactured homes. The competition likely will be held in March, which was the date WEC requested.
“I think it will be great exposure to WEC. We’re super-excited about it,” said Christy Baxter, WEC’s director of equestrian operations.
WEC always does things on a grand scale, so there are plans for an equine expo during the competition week, and discussion is getting under way about production thoughts for entertainment and other attractions.
“This is definitely something that will put us a little bit bigger on the map and more exposure, a lot more people to come and visit,” said Christy.
“I know everybody reads about us on line, but to actually come and see it in person is another thing. We’re hoping everyone comes and has a good time during that week.”
The FEI president said, “We were very pleased with the large number of organizers eager to host a Longines League of Nations event in the coming seasons. We undertook the task of selecting the events with great responsibility and I believe we have made a difficult but fair choice, striking a good balance between continuity and evolution.
“This fresh and exciting series gives us the opportunity to display the very best of team equestrian sport to large audiences in key territories and we are looking forward to working closely with these organizers to continue the Nations Cup legacy and inspire future generations of equestrians.”
The League was created following a six-month consultation phase with a dedicated task force, which was set up to review and redefine the iconic Nations Cup series and included all the key equestrian stakeholders. It was designed to “give a fresh start for the century-old equestrian team series” and will see a full makeover starting in 2024.
The format, which was approved unanimously by the FEI Jumping Committee, will be unique to the Longines League of Nations. In the first of two rounds, all four athletes from all 10 teams (and potentially the host nation) participate with the three best scores to count, followed by a second round where the best eight teams compete in reverse order, carrying forward their penalties from the first round. In that round, however, only three athletes per team will ride, so there will be no drop score for that segment.
Other Nations Cups, such as Spruce Meadows, Aachen and the one at the Winter Equestrian Festival that are not part of the new league will continue under the same rules they are using in 2023, but they will not be called FEI Nations Cup and will not be part of a series or lead up to a final.
There have always been many CSIOs on the FEI calendar outside of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™. There are 48 CSIOs ranging from 1* to 5* level on the FEI calendar for 2023. Only 11 of those (10 qualifiers and one Final) are part of the the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2023.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 31, 2023
Congratulations to Kim Herslow for winning the 3-star Intermediate I and I-1 Freestyle during Dressage at Devon in 2021.
Wait–what? 2021? This is not a news flash that got buried by mistake nearly two years ago.
This month, Ailene Cascio, owner of Herslow’s mount, Elvis HI, finally received the redistributed prize money for her horse’s 2021 victories at the Pennsylvania show. Herslow had finished second in both competitions, but was elevated to first place when Cesar Parra on Belle Ami was disqualified and ordered to return the prize money and ribbons.
Cesar Parra and Belle Ami at the 2021 Dressage at Devon. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
That was part of an agreement with the FEI (international equestrian federation) connected to an “Equine Controlled Medication Rule Violation (Presence of Benzocaine in the Horse’s Sample).”
Belle Ami also tested positive for caffeine, but Parra’s caffeine matter and two unrelated cases in show jumping were closed, according to an FEI report on 12 Atypical Findings (ATFs). The FEI stated, “The majority (9 out of 12) of the ATFs involved Prohibited Substances which are generally considered more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated feed source.”
Parra thought the presence of caffeine might be attributed to a driver who had spilled a Starbucks order on the horse’s hay. He pointed out a stimulant like caffeine is counter-intuitive, because mounts should be calm in the arena.
A member of the 2015 U.S. gold medal dressage team at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Herslow finished second in the Prix St. Georges at Devon 2021 behind Donna Gatchell and Reflection. Parra came in third with Belle Ami and was disqualified from that class as well.
Herslow missed being able to ride the I-1 and I-1 Freestyle victory passes on Elvis in front of the crowd at the prestigious autumn show (Parra got that honor), because of course, medication disqualifications are never immediate. What made it worse for her, however, was the long delay in receiving the redistributed prize money.
“I was wronged. I feel there is no accountability,” said Herslow, who now owns Elvis in partnership with Cascio.
She only found out about the disqualification because Steven Tarshis, a Flemington, N.J., attorney who is representing Belle Ami’s owner in an unrelated lawsuit involving Parra, called to tell her he had learned of it after he sought an appraisal of the mare for his client.
Kim Herslow and Elvis HI at Devon 2021. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
When he had his expert check with the FEI on the horse’s show history for the appraisal, he was told about the Devon disqualification. Since Herslow is a friend and a client, Tarshis passed the information on to her.
The FEI provided Tarshis with a copy of a notification it sent to Parra on December 9, 2021, advising the rider that he had been disqualified from the classes in which he competed on the mare at the show two months earlier.
The FEI communication stated that if Parra accepted the penalty of returning all the prize money ($2,890), the ribbons and other items he received in the three classes at Devon, paid a fine of 1,500 Swiss Francs and costs of 1,000 Swiss Francs to the FEI, he would not be suspended. Parra noted he didn’t want to dispute the finding of a “minimal” amount of Benzocaine, and the FEI said it could “fast-track” the matter if he complied with the penalty. He mentioned he had never been sanctioned by the FEI, and once the process was completed, “I totally forgot about it” in terms of returning prize money to the show.
He said he never got anything from USEF that would have reminded him, “but I don’t think it was anybody’s bad intention.
“Time went by and then we remembered. So I called Monica (Fitzgerald, the Devon show secretary).” At first she said she didn’t know anything about it, then told him, “Let me find out.”
When she did, “I just sent them a check and that was it,” commented Parra, who rode on the 2011 U.S. dressage gold medal Pan Am team in Guadalajara, Mexico. He also competed for his native Colombia at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, as well as on its silver medal team in the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg.
Belle Ami’s owner was concerned that her horse had a sore in her mouth and shouldn’t go to Dressage at Devon, according to Tarshis, but Parra said the sore had cleared up prior to the show. He mentioned the benzocaine was in a remedy one of his grooms sprayed on her arm for a skin irritation, and he wasn’t sure how it entered the horse’s system. He suggested it could have gotten on a thermometer when the horse’s temperature was taken, but emphasized there was no ulterior motive.
“What’s the point to win something if you are cheating? It doesn’t make any sense,” said Parra.
He believed the groom was using Dermoplast, listed generically as benzocaine. According to the Mayo Clinic website, benzocaine, available without a prescription, is used to relieve pain and irritation caused by sore throat, sore mouth or canker sores. On the container, Dermoplast is recommended for minor cuts, scrapes and burns.
When Tarshis contacted the U.S. Equestrian Federation about Parra’s status, he said, “At first, they told me that they had no record of his disqualification. I made them look further, and they were able to confirm that they had been notified. The next day, the USEF show records that are listed on their website (were) revised to show Cesar’s disqualification.”
Herslow, who runs Upper Creek Farm in Stockton, N.J., pointed out, “No one has called me to apologize that it took almost two years to get this reconciled.”
Elvis HI and Kim Herslow in the Dixon Oval at Devon. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
That happened, “only because it came up from a separate lawsuit. My owner was short over $1,000 ($1,065), which finally just got paid from Devon.” The show also is sending ribbons and replica trophies to Herslow and will have her name engraved on the perpetual trophy.
“This shouldn’t have taken so long,” a USEF spokesperson stated about the prize money redistribution, maintaining the show had been notified about the disqualification in a timely manner.
Anne Moss, the show’s president, knew nothing of the Parra situation when she took the post in 2022. But as soon as she learned that money needed to be redistributed, the wheels went into motion. She confirmed the show received a check for the prize money from Parra this month.
Until last week, when this website asked him about the disqualification, Parra’s own website, Dr Cesar Parra Dressage Sport (he had been a practicing dentist, hence the dr. title) still listed Belle Ami as the winner of the I-1 and I-1 Freestyle. That information was deleted by last weekend. Parra said he personally does not work on the website and it is handled by an employe.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 30, 2023
Peggy Augustus, as well-known in the world of horse showing as she was in thoroughbred racing, died Sunday at her Old Keswick Farm in Charlottesville, Va. She was 90.
A member of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame and the Virginia Horse Show Hall of Fame, she was named a Living Legend of the National Horse Show in 1996.
Born in Cleveland, she moved to Virginia in 1950. She was an active owner, trainer and show hunter
rider who competed against professionals and won major championships throughout the U.S. and Canada, including the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, the Devon Horse Show, the Royal Winter Fair, the Pennsylvania National and Virginia’s top four horse shows of her day: Hot Springs, Keswick, Deep Run, and
Warrenton.
Although her Sutton Place and Little Sailor, who she called “the best jumper I ever rode” were well-known stars of her string, her most famous mount was Waiting Home, a thoroughbred by Wait-A-Bit out of Marching Home, by John P. Grier.
Because it started to rain when Ms. Augustus went to try Waiting Home, she bought the blaze-faced chestnut without ever riding him.
Peggy Augustus and Waiting Home at the 1952 National Horse Show. (Photo by Freudy)
When she finally did get on him, he started bucking, but she stuck to him and they reached rapprochement. In 1952, he was conformation champion at North Shore, Piping Rock and the National at Madison Square Garden. He did have a stop in him, however, and he either won or he refused.
After the 1957 season, at the age of 10, Waiting Home was informally retired to Old Keswick. The Model championship trophy at the Keswick Horse Show is a statue of Ms. Augustus in her shadbelly jumping Waiting Home.
Jimmy Lee, president of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, called Ms. Augustus “a brilliant rider,” noting she was ” a wonderful horsewoman, a pillar of our sport,” who rode against such famous male riders of her day as Cappy Smith and Raymond Burke.
“She beat them at the biggest shows,” he recalled, noting her barn was run by Kenny Wheeler, who went on to be a top trainer and rider. Jimmy worked for Ms. Augustus and her ex-husband, Tom Lavery, at the farm that is now his home base.
On the racing scene, Ms. Augustus bred Eclipse Award winners Stellar Wind (Curlin) and Johnny D. (Stage
Door Johnny).
One of her former trainers, Bill Hirsch Jr., called her “a great lady, just one of the best. The thing I remember most about her was that, unlike most owners, she knew how to win and she knew how to lose. A lot of them
don’t know how to lose. She never skimped on anything.
“Whatever her horses needed, no matter the cost or the effort it took to get something to me, she got it done. Her number one priority was always her horses. She was just a fabulous lady.”
In 2008, she told the website virginialiving.com, that she had been interested in racing since she was 10 years old and started compiling statistics on horses running at the Chicago tracks.Before she was old enough to attend a day at the track, her mother, Elizabeth, would sneak her into the races. If she picked less than four winners, she confided, it was a bad day.
When her father died in 1963, Ms. Augustus moved to Old Keswick and carried on the breeding business with her mother under the name Keswick Stables. According to Virginia Living, Ms. Augustus bred 48 stakes winners. Stellar Wind, who she bred along with Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, was somewhat of a last hurrah.
Sold for just $40,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, the mare went on to win six Grade I races and was named champion 3-year-old filly in 2015. Stellar Wind was the last offspring of the last mare bred by Keswick Stables.
Ms. Augustus also enjoyed great success at the sales. In 1984, she sold a yearling colt by Roberto at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga to Hugh de Burgh, representing Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum, for $4 million. It was the second highest price for a horse sold at that sale.
According to her profile on the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame website, Ms. Augustus also sold a filly at Saratoga for $2.1 million. She is the only person in the history of the Saratoga sales to have bred and sold five yearlings who went on to win more than a million dollars.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 27, 2023
Wayne Barr Jr., 59, suffered a fatal accident when he was unseated in a training jumper class at the Saratoga Summer Celebration Horse Show last weekend.
During the tiebreaker at the New York competition on Saturday, his horse, Pacco, put in an awkward jump that got the rider off balance. He “tried to save the fall” and hung on for several strides, but wound up dropping in front of his horse, who tripped and fell, but did not land on his rider according to Mr. Barr’s trainer, Marcia Kulak. The horse was uninjured.
“It was a very freak accident because Wayne was a very competent rider, riding at a very nominal level for where he is and for the horse’s abilities,” said Marcia.
Mr. Barr was taken by ambulance to Albany Medical Center, where he died. Autopsy results have not been released.
The CEO of Innovate Corp. was a longtime devoted horseman.
“Wayne was totally committed and loved every moment of it,” said Marcia.
“I’m not sure I’ve had another person ride in my career that was as into it, and just totally loved being part of our team and riding and just the involvement. He was just as comfortable behind a wheelbarrow and a pitchfork as he was on the back of a horse,” Marcia observed.
“Those kind of people don’t come along very often. It was a great ride. We really enjoyed the whole process.”
Wayne Barr was a gritty competitor who loved his sport. (Photo courtesy Kulak Equestrian)
Mr. Barr grew up riding Welsh ponies for Mollie Butler in Ithaca, N.Y., and continued to ride when time allowed throughout his adult life. After many years of hard work and business success, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of getting back into horses three years ago, Marcia noted.
The late Wayne Barr Jr.
“Wayne could have ridden with any professional and I am honored that he chose our team. He was a dedicated, exceptional student and a very good athlete who was totally immersed in our program,” she commented.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation issued a statement offering condolences to Mr. Barr’s family, while emphasizing the organization “takes every fall very seriously and will be reviewing the accident thoroughly to learn how we may further minimize risk and increase safety in equestrian sport.”
The federation noted, “Safety is paramount for USEF and integral to our mission. Falls that potentially involve a serious injury are currently required to be reported immediately to USEF.”
Beyond that, the federation recently announced a new requirement to collect uniform and actionable fall data across all levels of competition. Beginning in December 2023, it will require all falls of horse and all falls of riders to be reported in class results at each competition.
“This will give us additional data to inform change, evaluate risk and provide greater insight to further improve safety in the future,” according to USEF.
Marcia noted how devoted Mr. Barr was to his sport
“He patiently committed to investing in quality horses and traveled from his home in North Carolina, or wherever he happened to be working around the country, to train and show regularly. Wayne always came to the barn with a beautiful smile and an arm full of goodies for all the staff, which quickly endeared him to the entire Kulak Equestrian family. Wayne made our world a better place with his kind, intelligent and exceptionally generous nature.”
As Marcia concluded, “There are no words to adequately express how we feel. We can take some solace in knowing that Wayne loved his family and his equestrian endeavors with his horses. He
was truly a special gentleman, and his passing has left an enormous hole in our hearts,”
In addition to his sons, Thomas and Spencer, Mr. Barr is survived by mother, Patricia (Byrne); his brothers, Kevin, Brian (Leslie) and Trevor (Belinda); his former wife, Rita Barr, his dog, Quinn and his horses,
A funeral was scheduled for Saturday, July 29, but his friends are hoping to plan a celebration of his life in Wellington, Fla., at a later date.
Those wishing to make a contribution in his memory may do so at https://www.justworldinternational.org/donate/
Mr. Barr also was devoted to a project involved with the Royal Poinciana Playhouse, undergoing renovation in Palm Beach, Fla. It has been closed for nearly 20 years, but a foundation is being started to make it accessible to all, including under-served children, who would have an opportunity to experience the arts there. Those who wish to make a contribution once the foundation is set up should keep checking on line.
