by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 14, 2022
After months of refurbishing and renovations under the new ownership of the Stout family, Duncraven is ready for its close-up.
The stable in Titusville, Mercer County, N.J., is holding an open house Oct. 1 from 4-7 p.m. to show off its re-do, from state-of-the-art footing to new fencing and a clubhouse where boarders can relax and get snacks.
Duncraven is being refurbished.
The stable will offer two types of board. The first is regular board for $1,595, and no requirement for training. Those who want access to amenities can pay another $400 per month.The other option is full board with access to the clubhouse for $2,195 month.
A redone barn aisle is waiting for boarders.
Those who aren’t able to make it on Oct. 1 can also see what Duncraven has to offer on Oct. 2, when it is hosting a benefit show for Kevin Babington.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 25, 2022
BP Goodfellas, bred by Kevin Babington, won the five-year-old title at the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses this weekend.
The son of Stakkato Gold out of Goodwin’s Loyalty mastered a tough 16-jumping effort test set at Lanaken, Belgium by course builder Eugène Mathy. The highest obstacles were set at 1.30 meters, with eight of 47 combinations entered making the jump-off.
Gerard O’Neill and BP Goodfellas at Lanaken. (Zangersheide photo)
Rider Gerard O’Neill topped the competition in the tie-breaker with a clear round in 40.12 seconds. They edged Ristretto Vd Heffinck, ridden by Olivier van der Vaart,clocked in 40.52 seconds.
Gerard had been riding the horse only four weeks before this championship. BP Goodfellas’ regular rider had reached the maximum of three horses to ride in the championship and thus Gerard get the nod.
“I have nothing but admiration for this horse. He didn’t need, in retrospect, to jump the double, with the speed at which I entered. But he did a great job, he is a nice horse to ride with a real winner’s mentality. I also rode his mother a long time ago, so that makes a nice story. And I expect this is only the first chapter for BP Goodfellas,” said the winner.
Kevin had ridden Goodwin’s Loyalty between 2013 and 2015. They took the 1.45 meter derby at Spruce Meadows during their time together.
Stakkato Gold is the sire of Kevin’s longtime mount, Shorapur, who is doing broodmare duty at the farm of Greg Broderick where Goodfellas was foaled. Goodwin’s Loyalty is by OBOS Quality, the sire of one of the Babington family’s most successful horses, Devon grand prix winner Mark Q.
An Olympian who was a longtime member of the Irish show jumping team, Kevin suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a 2019 accident during a grand prix and has been working hard on his rehabilitation ever since. He is still in demand as a coach and is teaching on a regular basis. Goodfella’s win is great news for him, though he has no plans as yet for the horse’s next move.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 25, 2022
The USA’s Chester Weber had a tough go today in the cones competition at the FEI World Driving Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, finishing 17th in that section to end up eighth overall as Boyd Exell of Australia kept his crown. It was Boyd’s sixth straight victory since his inaugural gold in 2010.
Chester, third individually after the dressage phase, slipped to fourth following yesterday’s marathon . Nine penalties on the cones course and 16.02 time penalties were costly.
Boyd had a total of 156.06 penalties for the event, retaining his edge because of his victorious 34.13 penalty score in the dressage. He had no knockdowns on the cones course, but accumulated 5.92 time penalties with a wise element of caution to his driving in rain and a damp surface.
Boyd Exell along the cones course on his way to his sixth world title. (Photo courtesy FEI)
Ijsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands led his country to its eleventh gold (313.93) in the team competition, while he took silver individually on 159.82, failing to add to the five individual golds he already had. Third went to Germany’s Michael Brauchle (164.89) as his nation earned silver (327.45) over Belgium (356.39) in the team contest.
Ijsbrand’s 25-year-old son, Bram, the youngest ever to win a world driving championship as he did with the indoor FEI World Driving Cup in Bordeaux earlier this year, was the only driver to go double-clear in the cones to win that section. He was using his “A Team” for that phase, having had issues with his combo in the dressage and marathon.
“I’m the current Dutch, European and World Cup Champion,” said Bram, “but on the World Championship I had unusual mistakes, the same as Tryon (the 2018 world championships in North Carolina.) I needed revenge on the Sunday, I needed it…to show that I can do it”, Bram said.
Boyd said, “I have the pressure of having fantastic horses and you mustn’t let them down.That’s one of the hardest things–they are 15 years old now and so experienced.
“The team of people around me, all the helpers, it’s about not letting them down too. Plus Koos (de Ronde of the Dutch team), Bram and Ijsbrand they add to the pressure too. So even when you have great horses, you also have to watch out for these guys.”
Boyd added, “When you look back in history, other drivers have had fantastic horses, and I’ve also had them over the years. Over time, everybody has great horses. It’s nice to remember them too.
“The pressure was also about keeping the reins dry.I had a second pair of gloves which I hadn’t thought I’d need! Also, the horses and carriage were starting to slip in the corners. The course was a good testing course today, but only in good conditions.
“With all the many U-turns in the wet conditions, it made it much harder. I used the information my team fed back to me about the rounds before me and I didn’t expect my horses to spook at the wooden horse in the middle, which cost me a few seconds. But overall, I tried to stay calm and not knock any balls“, Boyd added.
The U.S, which won gold in the championship at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, did not have a team in this year’s competition after Misdee Wrigley cancelled her participation due to health reasons.
There were only six driving teams at Pratoni, compared to 16 for the eventing championship the previous week. And Australia’s driving squad had just two members. Boyd’s teammate, Tor van den Berge, was eliminated, which meant Australia did not finish as a team.
Four-in-hand driving is expensive to pursue. That’s particularly so for Americans, since the major competitions are in Europe and it’s costly to ship so many horses and carriages abroad.
At the USA’s national championships last year, only Chester and Jimmy Fairclough participated. It’s a beautiful sport, but the money factor limits involvement to the wealthy or those who have great sponsors.
Click here for the individual standings. Click on this link for the team standings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 24, 2022
The USA’s only representative at the FEI World Driving Championships dropped one place, from third to fourth, after today’s marathon, but with the cones phase to come on Sunday, he still has a chance for a medal.
Chester Weber in the marathon. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Australia’s Boyd Exell continues to lead individually at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, with a total of 150.14 penalties after scoring 116.01 in the marathon, where Chester added 118.36 penalties to his dressage score for a total of 159.88
Michael Brauchle of Germany sizzled to win the marathon with 107 penalties for a total of 156.18, as the Netherlands’ Ijsbrand Chardon moved up to third and brought his team into first place. His score was 157.47, adding in 114.49 from the marathon.
“This year I won the marathon at Royal Windsor and Valkenswaard and that was good for me. I’m a young man and I have a lot of strength and my horses fight for me and with me. It’s a big plus for me in the marathon when my horses have fun–big fun,” said Michael, who is posing a big threat from his vantagepoint in second place overall so far.
“My right leader is Djamilo (Jamie) and he’s a brilliant marathon horse. He knows his job; he’s been doing this for four years. I bought him as a young horse, and we have worked together for a lot of years and make a good team together. I think we also put Germany in a good place now,” Michael commented.
Boyd, the defending champion, was sixth in the marathon and will have to hustle in the cones to keep his place, as the three others are so close behind him.
Boyd Exell in the marathon. (Photo courtesy FEI)
Chester, who was ninth in the marathon, noted, “The course was hilly up and down oted, “The course was hilly up and down and it was really a nice challenge. There are a lot of shows where we’ve driven the same track so many times, and that experience can be invaluable, but when you come to a competition like here in Pratoni, and this was a really new feeling and test, and you really had to be a clever driver and know where your strengths are and what you can and can’t do.”
With two newer combinations debuting in their first world championship, in both Amadeus and Julius V, the pair strengthened the team’s overall score with their agility and responsiveness to the questions asked along the track.
“I felt like the first four obstacles were really strong,” mused Chester, who was on the USA’s gold medal team at the 2018 world championships during the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C.
“They handled it really well. I lost a little bit of pressure on the leaders after the fifth obstacle, but this team is a little inexperienced and completely new leaders from Tryon and they showed a lot of promise today,” he explained.
“We’ve been working really hard at home to try and get them faster and certainly what I saw in the first four obstacles is the talent we need for the future and standing on another podium.”
In the team competition, the Netherlands has 311.58 penalties after taking over the lead from Germany, which has 314.85. Belgium is in third with 335.20. The U.S. has no team because Misdee Wrigley withdrew shortly before the championships due to health reasons. Only two drivers are required to make up a team, though most countries have three drivers and a drop score.
Click here for the individual standings
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 23, 2022
Australia’s Boyd Exell moved into first place as the dressage phase of the FEI World Four-in-Hand Driving Championships wrapped up, but overnight leader Chester Weber of the U.S. stayed near the top of the standings in third place.
“I love driving, the score is only the icing on the cake,” said Boyd.
“My right leader is Checkmate and today he was the showpiece. He was a wheeler in Normandy and Tryon (the 2014 and 2018 world championships) and now he’s a leader. He’s always been a really special horse. Celviro is my left leader, he’s the solid one and every time he delivers. I have a new wheeler called Hero and he did well–he’s a marathon specialist.”
Chester Weber and his team. (Photo © Massimo Argenziano )
Boyd, ranked world number one, earned 34.13 penalties for his test. Mareike Harm of Germany collected just 38.85 penalties to stand second. She is listed as number six in the world rankings.
“I have a nice lead but it’s a three-day competition and a lot can go wrong. We had problems in Aachen in the cross-country and a five-point lead is not enough, so it’s not over until Sunday afternoon,” Boyd pointed out.
Chester, number 17 in the world, was marked at 41.52 penalties, while Anna Sandmann of Germany is fourth on 42.52. The daughter of three-time world champion Christoph Sandmann is 34th in the world rankings. She is not competing as a member of the German squad, but that nation still has the lead in the team standings (88.03), ahead of the Netherlands (89.23) and the two-man team from Australia (91.50), operating without the benefit of a drop score.
Chester moved to Europe in May to prepare for the championships in Pratoni del Vivaro Italy.
“The way the sport is, if you want to be in the top five, you have to spend time competing against those top five,” he explained. His team of horses are all Dutch warmbloods. Two of them are veterans of the gold medal U.S. team at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C., four years ago.
The U.S. does not have a team at Pratoni because Misdee Wrigley withdrew shortly before the championships due to health issues. It only requires two drivers to make up a team in driving.
The marathon gets under way tomorrow at 4 a.m. Eastern time.
For individual standings, click here. For team standings, click this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 16, 2022
Beezie Madden, a pillar of so many U.S. show jumping squads, willl not be part of future championship teams due to a non-cancerous tumor.
Beezie was diagnosed with a Vestibular Schwannoma. Johns Hopkins University experts define these as noncancerous tumors that grow in the ear, and that can affect hearing and balance.
According to a facebook post from Beezie and John Madden Sales, she is “under the care of excellent doctors and physical therapists, and this is not cancerous or life threatening. Riding is even recommended as part of the physical therapy plan.”
As usual, “Beezie is still riding and competing at all levels, developing young horses, and training our students. The reality is that some days her balance is affected slightly, but our more flexible schedule allows us to work around those days without the deadlines of riding for our country on a team at Championships.”
The Maddens thank everyone who has reached out, as well as their sponsors.
