by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 22, 2025
Rebecca Hart and Kat Fuqua were recognized for their sporting achievements by the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation at its Gold Medal Club reception in Florida this month. Kat received the Lionel Gerrand-Hermes Trophy, while Becca was awarded the Whitney Stone Trophy.
Becca rode Floratina, a 17-year-old Hanoverian mare to a clean sweep of gold medals in Paris, marking the rider’s fifth consecutive Paralympic Games. She rode to a personal best score of 83.53 percent in the freestyle test to end the Games with three gold medals.
“I am incredibly honored to be selected for this trophy,” said Becca.
“It is an incredible testament to just how far para dressage has come as a discipline. I have loved helping to bring adaptive sport forward and hope to be able to continue to do so. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent the USET Foundation, USEF (the U.S. Equestrian Federation), and my owners and sponsors on the field of play.
“I’d like to acknowledge my personal support team and the amazing horse owner and sponsor, Rowan O’Riley,” stated Becca.
“We wouldn’t have enjoyed these results without her dedication not only to me, but the entire discipline of para dressage. Team success comes when we plan and work together, and Rowan was an integral part of that.”
Becca Hart with USET Foundation President Kristi Mitchem and Chairman Jim McNerney. (Photo Jump Media)
“When I first started in para, we didn’t have access to the support and programs that we do now,” she explained.
“I love that we have been able to develop this program so much with the help of the USET Foundation. I have watched this discipline grow from a struggling fledgling sport into having the number one-ranked team in the world. The financial and structural support from the USET Foundation and USEF — on top of the huge amount of effort from sponsors, owners, and my fellow teammates — are what made these results possible.
“I want to see more para riders coming into high performance sport,” she said. “Disability is often considered a weakness, but it’s actually a strength. When we embrace our differences and change our perspectives, the entire community becomes stronger.
“My advice to any aspiring Paralympian is to figure out how to make your body work for you and find a solid support team; one that can think outside of the box. You can teach your horse a language that is unique to you and your abilities. Be organized and persistent in working towards your goals.”
The Whitney Stone Cup is given in memory of the late Whitney Stone, who served as president and chairman of the board of the USET, and was instrumental in creation of a civilian team when the Army no longer fielded teams in competitive horse sports after 1948.
Other winners of the award have included show jumper Michael Matz in 1980, dressage rider Debbie McDonald in 2004 and eventer Boyd Martin in 2020.
Previous winners of the Hermes Trophy include Olympic medalists Greg Best and McLain Ward, which prompted Kat to say, “I’m really excited because the riders that have received the award previously have gone on to achieve unbelievable accomplishments as professionals. The fact that I’m on that list alongside those athletes is really special.”
Kat claimed triple Young Rider dressage gold at the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) riding Dreamgirl. She is eighth on the FEI Dressage World Youth rankings with Dreamgirl and was named the 2024 U.S. Dressage Federation Young Rider of the Year.
The 17-year-old athlete rode on the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s European Young Rider Dressage Tour. Also a jumper rider, she competed internationally in both her disciplines at the same show, Hagen in Germany.
Kat Fuqua and Dreamgirl at Aachen. (Roya Brinkman Photo)
She trains primarily with her mother, Shereen Fuqua, and U.S. Equestrian Dressage Youth Coach George Williams.
“I started in hunters and came up through the ponies and junior hunters, and the championships in the hunter ring taught me a lot about how to deal with larger competitions. The European Young Rider Dressage Tour, which I went on in 2023 and 2024, was one of the most transformational programs for my career. Competing on a team at NAYC taught me about working well with other riders, even if I didn’t know them,” she said.
“It highlighted the importance of teamwork and prepared me for the pressure of competing on a team. NAYC couldn’t have been a better experience because my goal is to be selected to Nations Cup senior teams. This is the perfect stepping stone.
“I’d like to thank the USET Foundation and USEF for supporting me and my career along the pathway,” added Fuqua. “Also, thank you to my parents and my groom Pepe, who has been with us since I was nine and is Dreamgirl’s best friend.”
“If you’re ever invited to anything, like a pathway program, even if it feels like a lot of work, just do it,” she advised. “It might be an open window to something you don’t see now. You could meet someone who could completely change your career, or you could learn something that will help you transform your riding.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 16, 2025
Just before the Wellington, Fla., Planning, Zoning and Adjustment board was going to vote on the Isla Carroll housing project late Wednesday night, the developer asked for a 30-day postponement to address issues raised at the hearing—and by the Equestrian Preserve Committee as well last week.
The EPC unanimously voted down the project, and it looked like the PZAB was headed in that direction when the request for a delay was made.
“I don’t believe in the concept,” said Michael Drahos, a board member and former councilman, who mentioned “the only comparison I have is Equestrian Club Estates, which failed.”
The 79.171-acre Isla Carroll property, adjacent to the National Polo Center included polo fields. After being purchased by Frank McCourt, a plan to build 40 homes there with Discovery Land Co. needed an equestrian element, a requirement because developers were seeking a Planned Unit Development in the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District. It called for 35 houses on one-third of an acre, rather than two acres, and five properties of 1.5 acres where horses could be kept, with room for a paddock, stalls and a sand ring.
The master plan for Isla Carroll.
The equestrian portion of the club community involves 14 acres for paddocks, an indoor arena, an outdoor ring and a 24-stall stable that would be renovated inside, while keeping the character of the exterior. The presentation to the board stated stalls would be occupied by rescue horses in transition to permanent homes, and retired horses. The activities envisioned at the site included a mish-mash of everything from vaulting to hunter/jumper, dressage, trail riding and Pony Club.
School trips would be hosted at the stable so children could learn about horse care, and for club members, lessons would be available with the idea that beginners could get some instruction before heading for a private stable if they wished to continue in the sport.
Skepticism about whether that concept is realistic was expressed at both hearings. (Click here to read about the first hearing).
Homeowners’ horses could only get a stall on site if there were vacancies among what amounts to school horses. There would be a club for 300 families, with approximately 260 coming from outside the community, raising concern about traffic. Other amenities planned include two swimming pools, a pickleball court, a fitness center and several restaurants.
Several members of the advisory panels and residents who spoke during both meetings were skeptical about the plan, and it was suggested more than once that the equestrian aspect existed only to justify the zoning change in the Equestrian Preserve. When the Village Council last year approved building a golf community in the Equestrian Preserve at the site now being used for dressage shows, a number of people warned that this would pave the way for more development in the preserve. There were those on the council who contended the circumstances of the first project were so unusual that no one would try for more development in the preserve. And then came the Isla Carroll proposal.
“The precedent that this Village is attempting to establish is that these are compelling decisions. We have to be convinced this is an equestrian amenity and that this isn’t just a housing community with an equestrian label on it,” said Drahos.
“It sounds good today, but how are we going to guarantee that this is forever? And I think forever is the standard we should be living by, because you’re asking us to remove EOZD protections forever, and once that’s done, you can’t return it. If it’s left to the homeowners or another company, there are no guarantees. There should be remarkable evidence to insure that what we’re doing is worth the sacrifice.”
Commenting on social media about building in the EOZD, area resident Jill Renick Townsend stated, “It just keeps getting easier with each property removed. If this goes through, all land between Pierson and Lake Worth Road east of Southshore will eventually become developments.”
Over and over, Wellington residents have expressed concern that continuing development will erode the equestrian character of the village, billed as the Winter Equestrian Capital of the world and home of the Winter Equestrian Festival at the Wellington International showgrounds.
When PZAB member Jeffrey Robbert said, “I don’t think the equestrian club plan can succeed,” that was the final straw for the developers, who said they needed more time to work on the concept.
“It’s something we ought to take under advisement and perhaps come back to you with a clear understanding of how this is going to be operated in perpetuity, put those guaranties in place.”
The PZAB is scheduled to hear the matter again on Feb. 19. The Equestrian Preserve Committee and PZAB play only an advisory role in land use decisions. The Village Council is the body that decides whether to approve such projects.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 17, 2025
In the age of Social License to Operate, some equestrians are nervous about how expansion of the federal government’s Horse Protection Act will affect competitions and horse sales.
Others haven’t even heard about revised regulations going into effect Feb. 1, because there has been little publicity. But any time the government gets involved with sport, it raises questions.
At HPA’s inception in 1970, attention focused on stopping the soring of breeds such as Tennessee walking horses and racking horses with a variety of caustic substances. That practice, in conjunction with the use of action devices, has led to horrific abuse by some in creating the “Big Lick” type of striding valued in walking horse competitions. But as U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO Bill Moroney pointed out, even the original act covered soring in all types of horses, though equestrians involved with other breeds may not have realized it.
Now, however, “there have been some amendments (to HPA) that require a little more work by people,” he said.
The amended act is so broad-ranging that it has “really raised everyone’s attention” about regulation of all “covered breeds” at “covered events,” including shows offering everything from hunters to costume classes, dressage and polo. Competitions based on speed, such as show jumping, eventing cross-country, horse racing or rodeo, aren’t subject to the HPA.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture summarizes that “The Horse Protection Act makes it unlawful for any person to show, exhibit, sell, or transport sore horses, or to use prohibited equipment or substances in these activities.”
The USEF issued a press release in October that included information about the regulations, but Moroney thinks many people may not have read it. The federation has been proactive in dealing with the amendments, as has the American Horse Council.
A national association representing the horse industry in Washington, D.C., AHC has a variety of member organizations including USEF. the American Quarter Horse Association, the American Paint Horse Association and many others. It has asked for a 60-day extension in activating the revised HPA, in order to eliminate confusion in several areas, including the scope of the regulations. AHC has yet to receive an answer from the USDA, according to its president, Julie Broadway. The USDA also did not reply to an inquiry from this website on the status of the extension request.
Broadway said AHC is reconsidering its support of the revised regulations, noting USDA “is not cooperating” as the council tries to get things clarified “and make certain we are comfortable with what they are trying to do.”
There’s not as much overreach in the old regulations as the new regulations, Broadway observed. At the moment, she added “it’s just an absolute mess.” AHC has been in touch with the transition team for the new presidential administration about the issue. She said at this point, USDA can’t withdraw the revised HPA, and Congress doesn’t have the power to turn it around, but the new secretary of agriculture could withdraw it.
“We’re continuing to work every possible angle that we can,” Broadway commented.
She said some show organizers are “really frustrated, really anxious. They’re calling us and asking us, `What do we do?’” She suggests the shows just go ahead and notify USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Information Service as required that organizers will be holding their events. Broadway noted APHIS hasn’t gotten more money or personnel to enforce the act, and that the concentration remains on Tennessee Walking Horses.
“So the chances of them coming to a quarter horse show near you are really, really slim.”
USEF is handling notification of APHIS for all of its licensed competitions, which means their managers don’t have to deal with it. Concerns have been raised about other facets of the regulations, including the requirement that Horse Protection Inspectors have free access to show records, sale records, event information, barns, tack rooms, horse trailers, stables, stalls, arenas, and other areas on the showgrounds.
That sounds ominous, but Moroney’s conclusions are similar to those reached by Broadway. He maintained, “The immediate reaction has to be measured against the reality of the resources of the USDA/APHIS with regard to enforcement of the act. They have a limited budget and historically have gone to about 50 events a year.”
USEF has 2,100 licensed competitions (none of which are walking horse shows), and there are thousands more shows connected with other equestrian organizations across the country.
“There is no way for them to get everywhere,” said Moroney of the inspectors.
“They have historically gone to places where they feel this action is happening; the propensity to sore horses is the highest,” he said.
“We’re feeling as good as we can feel about it from a USEF perspective, because we have rules and regulations. We have a regulatory system that will penalize people for doing things outside the rules. We have a system of stewards, technical delegates, judges etc. where horses have a level of oversight over them.
“Come on, people out there,” he said.
“Do the right thing and you won’t have to call on regulation at the end of the day. The best way for something to not affect you is to do the right thing.”
Derek Braun, who runs the Split Rock Show Jumping Tour, isn’t worried about the expanded regulations.
He said he needs to look into them further for the details, but noted the provision that horses should be examined before they go in the ring and after they leave sounds to him like FEI (international equestrian federation) requirements.
If they have their own people coming in and inspecting, he continued, “that would be a little more concerning,” but he thinks inspection similar to what is done for FEI horses would be okay, “as long as it’s used for a good reason.”
Braun added, “I think the intention is probably correct for extreme circumstances. I think it’s no problem holding these trainers and exhibitors accountable if there is an extreme circumstance. While that’s what the show stewards, “are there for,” as far as having an inspector also take a look, “I can’t see that as a bad thing if it’s warranted.”
Joe Norick, the HITS’ show series chief customer officer, said that self-policing means “if we see something that looks inappropriate, we’ll bring it up.”
He added, “I think you have to employ good staff at the show, people that are educated, from the horse show vet on down. Depending on who these individual (inspectors) are and how they are coming to look at this, education is a big factor. That’s why a strong steward, horse show vet or manager is going to have take the lead, to be proactive on this. I also do think we have to think of the care, the quality of the barns, that’s why we have enough emphasis that horse care is a good place to start. I think we’re going to be fine.”
Meanwhile, however, the Western Justice Legislative Fund has taken an aggressive stance against the revised HPA with a petition drive. It cites many concerns, contending animal rights extremists are “seeking to expand the definition of `soring’ to encompass as much of the horse industry as possible. The recent revisions to the law are the result. The lead USDA veterinarian, Dr. Aaron Rhyner, even went so far as to say that he could see how just riding a horse could be considered to be a type of soring.”
Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller is another voice against the revised HPA. He maintans, “This rule isn’t about protecting horses; it’s about federal bureaucrats grabbing more control over an industry they clearly don’t understand. The United States Department of Agriculture’s new rule is so absurd that it makes using fly spray on a horse a potential violation. That’s not a joke—they can’t be serious!”
The Federal Rule for the Act specifically states “soring” is defined as:
- An irritating or blistering agent applied, internally or externally, by a person to any limb of a horse;
- Any burn, cut, or laceration inflicted by a person on any limb of a horse;
- Any tack, nail, screw, or chemical agent injected by a person into or used by a person on any limb of a horse; or
- Any other substance or device used by a person on any limb of a horse, or a person has engaged in a practice involving a horse and as a result of such application, infliction, injection, use, or practice, such horse suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer, physical pain or distress, inflammation, or lameness when walking, trotting, or otherwise moving, except that such term does not include such an application, infliction, injection, use, or practice in connection with the therapeutic treatment of a horse by or under the supervision of a person licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the State in which such treatment is given.
click here to read about the revised HPA from the Federal Register.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2025
Allegations of horse abuse “involving numerous horses over an extensive period of time” has prompted the FEI (international equestrian federation) to provisionally suspend American eventer Andrew McConnon and open disciplinary hearings in his case. The suspension is reciprocal with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
He finished twenty-seventh with Wakita 54 at the Burghley 5-star in September and seventeenth with the same Dutchbred mare in the Kentucky 5-star last May. McConnon also rode Ferrie’s Cello on the U.S. team in the eventing Nations Cup at Strzegom, Poland, in 2023, when he was twenty-sixth.
McConnon is not allowed to participate in any competitions or activities related to the FEI or USEF while on suspension. The FEI declined further comment on the case.
In order to ensure the integrity of the ongoing legal proceedings, the FEI will not provide further comment on this case at this time
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 11, 2025
The number one rider at the 2024 Adequan Global Dressage Festival started 2025 in Wellington, Fla.,with the same type of success, winning the showgrounds’ first FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Qualifier with a score of 78.20 percent.
Germany’s Felicitas Hendricks, who at 24 is still eligible for Under 25 classes, showed her capability aboard Drombusch. The Oldenburg who performed 20 one-tempi changes during her routine.
“He exceeded my expectations, like he does every time,” said Felicitas.
Felicitas Hendricks and Drombusch OLD (Susan J. Stickle photo)
“He leaves his heart in the ring. I can tell that he’s very happy to be back and he was loving the crowd. He was a little spicy, but in a good way.
“The main work we’ve been doing at home is still the same and won’t change—it’s very basic work of improving self-carriage and gaining more strength behind. I think that is a process that won’t ever stop, but I can tell that it’s really benefiting both of us.”
Less than one point behind on 77.28 percent was the USA’s Adrienne Lyle with Helix, the horse she started showing just a year ago. A three-time Olympian, Adrienne didn’t lose her poise when she had to re-start her freestyle after a problem with the music necessitated the do-over.
“They accidentally played the wrong (old) version of the music instead of the version I had uploaded for this show,” Adrienne explained.
“We had changed some of the choreography and music of the freestyle in the middle, so I didn’t know they were playing the wrong music until half way through, at which point I had to stop because I had to stick with my choreography on the floor plan I submitted and so I needed my correct music. I am very thankful to the judges and management who worked so swiftly to correct the error and allow us to start over and compete with the correct music.”
While she didn’t expect that snag, Helix was well-prepared for competing in front of a crowd under the lights.
“We’ve been getting him out at night and I’ve been riding him in the outdoor arena in the dark,” noted Adrienne.
Adrienne Lyle and Zen Elite Equestrian’s Helix. (Susan J. Stickle Photo)
“We’ve been playing applause music and doing all sorts of things to try to desensitize Helix, because he’s a very hot and sensitive horse. We’ve been trying to put in our due diligence to make sure that he was not overwhelmed in this environment.
“Considering the unconventional start to the test, I was really happy with him. He got a little excited at the beginning, so it wasn’t our most polished ride, but I’m very proud of him as this is a new experience for us,” she commented.
Third place went to Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén on Devanto, doing his popular “Puttin on the Ritz” routine, rewarded with a mark of 75.515 percent.
The U.S. judge at C, Janet Foy, was impressed with the quality of the rides. She said: “I think the top five were really super. They were interesting technically, the music was perfect for the horses, and they were wonderful to judge. I don’t think we’ve had such a high scoring opening show before—it’s an impressive start to the season.”
The class was also a qualifier for the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s dressage open championship, which has a final at California’s Desert Horse Park in November.
For results, click here.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 31, 2024
The Menlo Charity Show in Woodside, Calif., is a boutique horse show that like many of that genre had trouble competing with the “big box” shows.
Sadly, the U.S. Equestrian Federation Heritage show has stated, “It is with profound sadness that we announce the 2024 Menlo Charity Horse Show will mark the end of a cherished 51-year tradition. This decision was not made lightly as our Heritage Show has been a beloved part of the community having fostered countless friendships and launching numerous equestrian careers. Unfortunately, the evolving landscape of horse showing has made it increasingly difficult to sustain the mission of our boutique event.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support, loyalty, and generosity throughout the years. We encourage all competitors and supporters to continue their philanthropic efforts and volunteerism by keeping our charities in mind with your contributions of time and resources. Let us honor the legacy of the Menlo Charity Horse Show by continuing to make a positive impact in our communities.”
The show, which raised $6 million for charity over the years, supported Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, while educating the community on the issues of the visually impaired.
As the Sonoma County Horse Council noted, “While it’s bittersweet to see this chapter close, the legacy of the Menlo Charity Horse Show will continue to live on in the hearts of those fortunate enough to have been part of its incredible journey.”
