by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 21, 2022
Dressage star Charlotte Dujardin is expecting a baby girl early next year with Dean Golding, to whom she has been engaged and had an on-and-off relationship, which is very much “on” at the moment.
“Our hearts are already full of more love than we thought possible,” Charlotte stated on social media.
“A new chapter in our journey will begin; one that we have always hoped for, and we cannot wait to welcome our little girl into the world. I just hope she already knows how much she has been wished for and how much love awaits her, from ourselves and our excited families.”
Dean and Charlotte at the baby’s gender reveal party. (Photo by Jess Photography)
The timing is good, as Charlotte just completed the world championships on the British silver medal team, and the European Championships aren’t until later in 2023. The Paris Olympics are in 2024, so she should be all set for competition after the baby is born.
After Charlotte took her last gold medal ride on Valegro at the 2016 Olympics, Dean was photographed with a sign that said, “Now will you marry me?” But the couple broke up in 2019 before reuniting last year.
Charlotte became Britain’s golden girl with double gold at the 2012 Olympics in London on Valegro. They continued as a winning combination through Rio, after which Valegro retired.
But Charlotte continued bringing in the medals, taking individual bronze in the Special on Mount St. John Freestyle at the 2018 world championships, and individual bronze on Gio at the Tokyo Olympics. Riding the very inexperienced Imhotep this month at the world championships in Denmark, she missed an individual medal but contributed to the team’s silver.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 20, 2022
Brendan Furlong bought a horse off a video a month ago, and what a winner he turned out to be.
The veterinarian from Pittstown, N.J., finally saw the gelding in person this week at the Dublin Horse Show, where the Irishbred Bloomfield Watergate won the Three-Year-Old Middle Weight class, then the Three-Year-Old Championship and the Supreme Young Horse Championship.
As if those weren’t enough awards, he also won the championship for horses bred by an exhibitor. Percy, as he is known, was shown by Michael Lyons.
Brendan Furlong and his new purchase, Percy, with Michaell Lyons, who showed him. (Photo courtesy Brendan Furlong)
Brendan isn’t bringing Percy home quite yet, though. He’s leaving him in Ireland to be produced for the Hunters Under Saddle Class at next year’s Dublin show.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 21, 2022
The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association International Hunter Derby was dominated by Hunt Tosh, who won Friday’s Classic round with Cannon Creek, then went on to top the Handy round Saturday and take the big prize for the second year in a row.
Cannon Creek, owned by the Wheeler farmily, received a total of 606 over two days from the six judges, while Hunt also took third place with the Devon Horse Show’s derby winner, Ceil Wheeler’s Autograph (583.25), behind runner-up Hannah Isop and the 18-year-old Red Ryder (586.5), owned by her aunt, Tracy Freels. Hunt also was the Leading Rider of the International Hunter Derby Member Event, earning $83,239 after competing in six derbies.
Hunt Tosh and Cannon Creek. (Photo USHJA)
It was the third time overall Hunt had won the competition. The only other riders ever to achieve that were Liza Boyd and Tori Colvin.
Cannon Creek’s exacting execution of all the challenges is what put him miles ahead in competition, as the only horse in the derby to break the 600 barrier in his score.
“The horse tries so hard every time we show him. He’s super careful, brave and he’s kind of everything you look for in a hunter,” his rider said.
“His balance is wonderful. We show him sparingly, but he comes out and he’s just phenomenal.”
The International victory at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington carried $42,643.04 in prize money for Cannon Creek.
The courses designed by Alan Lohman and Danny Moore heightened the interest of the competition. For the Handy round, a unique bounce of material that resembled tangled branches was reminiscent of an obstacle you’d find out hunting, which added a bit of authenticity stemming from the roots of show hunters. It could be taken in either direction, and some exhibitors even rode between the elements on their way to the next fence after they jumped it.
There were thought-provoking options, and the final obstacle after a long gallop offered the possibility of earning more points for those who chose a high-side jump that stood 4-feet, 6-inches.
It’s too bad that this wonderful class never draws much of a crowd. The stands in the Rolex stadium had many more spectators for the dressage phase of April’s Land Rover Kentucky 5-star Three-Day Event than for the derby, which offers the type of action that can appeal to a general audience.
Other finishers in the top 10 were fourth-place Front Page, ridden by Colin Syquia, (582.35); 5) In The Know, Samantha Schaefer (568.65); 6) MTM Hand Him Over, Elizabeth Boyd ( 568.50); 7) Lafitte De Muze, Amanda Steege (568.35); 8) Milagro, John French (566.5); 9) Zanziebar R Z, Greg Crolick (556.85); 10) Attendu De Lannois Z, Augusta Iwasaki (555.25).
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 24, 2022
Alice Tarjan, the alternate rider for the USA’s FEI world championships dressage squad, got an opportunity that she missed earlier this month in Herning, Denmark, to show what she and Serenade MF can do.
They topped the Grand Prix at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions at Lamplight Farm in Illinois today, marked at 73.869 percent. If they had ridden at the world championships and gotten that score, they would have finished ahead of two riders who were on the team.
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF. (Photo U.S. Equestrian by Susan Stickle)
Adding her scores to those of the top two U.S. finishers, Steffen Peters (Suppenkasper) and Adrienne Lyle (Salvino), the U.S. would have had a team total of 223.030. It still would not have been enough to move into the medals, however, since Germany won the bronze with 230.79. The U.S. would have remained sixth. But that placing was enough to qualify for the Paris Olympics, which was the goal.
Alice, who lives in OIdwick, N.J., spent so much time in Germany training with the team that she wasn’t able to focus on the national championships in the lead-up to the show.
“It’s not been very good preparation because the horse was in Europe all summer,” said Alice, noting the mare didn’t get back to New Jersey until last week, which meant she was only able to ride her three times before coming to Illinois.
“I didn’t quite know what as I was going to get,” said Alice, but at least, “it’s going in the right direction.”
She said the balance is better explaining that now, “If I lose the balance, I’m able to get it back.
FEI competition started Monday with the Prix St. Georges and continued yesterday with the Intermediate I. Both were won by Laura Graves on SenSation HW, who will start Thursday looking for a clean sweep by taking the freestyle. After that, the horse will move up to Grand Prix.
Laura was once the world’s number one ranked rider with Verdades, her medal mount for the Olympics and world championships. He retired in 2020.
Her score in the I-1 was 74.793 percent. She said the test was a little more tense than her Prix St. Georges, but noted it was a bit more difficult. She cited “a little mistake in the two-time tempis. But I think other than that, it was really a clean test.”
Quinn Iverson rode Beckham 19 to victory in the first leg of the Brentina Cup, the Intermediate II, for riders 25 and under. Quinn started as a working student with Adrienne Lyle.
Speaking about her ride that earned 67.676 percent, she said, “We came in, started a little bit shaky, but he settled and actually let me ride him. He was very honest in there. A few bobbles we’ll clean up, but overall, I’m so happy with him.”
The para dressage championship went to Californian Mia Rodier-Dawallo and Jayden, known as Pudding.
“I am very proud of our work. In general, I don’t chase scores and I think comparison is the thief of joy, so I do my best not compare myself to anyone else,” she said. Her score was a total of 69.094 percent after three tests.
“It’s an honor. It is so validating that all of the blood, sweat, and tears that we put into this have come to fruition,” she mused.
“In this sport in a matter of a week you can have a humbling of a lifetime or feel like you are on top of the world or everything in between. It is such an emotional roller coaster, mentally, physically, everything. When you get an opportunity to come out on a national stage, and first of all have the time of your life, and second of all, win.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 17, 2022
Jack Pemberton, a true gentleman who had a huge influence on the sport of driving, has died at age 99.
He was a leader who always delighted in sharing his knowledge. Jack competed against and became friends with royalty, but anyone involved in the sport, whether they were beginners or elite drivers, enjoyed his friendship and help. More than 20 equine-related organizations benefited from his involvement over the years.
The inaugural recipient of the Equine Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, he was a past president of the Carriage Association of America and a past director of the Canadian Horse Shows Association.
“When I first got involved with the Canadian Horse Shows Association, there were only two employees. Now you can see how equestrian sport in Canada has grown,” he once recollected, “I am fortunate enough to have stayed on the right side of the grass to see it grow to its present state.”
He started working with the Canadian Equestrian Federation in 1975 and had been an honorary life director since 1981. He also was involved with the FEI as a driving judge and chairman of the FEI Driving Committee from 1995 through 2003.
Other organizations that would not have been the same without him are the Ontario Equine Research Center in Guelph and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. He was involved with establishing the Ontario Equine Research Center in 1981, and later served as a chairman of the Center’s Advisory Committee for six years.
His involvement with the Royal began in 1964, when he started competing in the coaching class. He became a director in 1974, and served as the Royal’s president in 1975, as well as from1978 through 1979.
Jack Pemberton with Sandra Banks at the Royal. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
He chaired the Canadian Pleasure Driving Championships and was a life member of the British Horse Society, the Canadian Combined Driving Association, Drive Canada, the Canadian Hackney Society and the Eastern Ontario Pleasure Driving Society, as well as many other organizations. Outside of the horse world, he had served as a reconnaissance pilot in the British air force.
Dozens of tributes to him poured in on social media.
Christine Reupke, the Royal’s director of equestrian and breed sport, paid tribute by saying, “It’s a sad moment for us at the Royal. A great man, a mentor and complete hero… Jack you’ll be missed.”
Carriage Association of America Past President Natasha Grigg called him “a towering, influential and incredibly sympathetic presence in the formative days of combined driving and subsequently during its heyday in the United States. I feel honored to have been a friend and enjoyed his guidance and humor in all the years that I was active in the ADS and afterwards.”
Pairs driver Tracey Morgan called him “such a wonderful man and horseman. I will always remember his wonderful stories of the early days of driving in North America and be grateful for his work to establish the first World Championship for ponies.”
Sherri Whitworth-Denoouden commented that everyone “will miss his knowledge, skills, dedication and involvement in the sport. A class act through and through.”
He did not want a funeral, so a celebration of his life will be planned for next spring.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 15, 2022
A new era is dawning for equestrian helmets.
Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab is close to announcing a star system that would rate riding helmet safety. The lab’s work began with football helmets but has now expanded to youth football, flag football, hockey, cycling, soccer, and snow sport.
Equestrian will be the newest addition, as the research is in its final phase. The test methods began with video analysis of 100 equestrian falls, followed by laboratory system comparison, on-site field testing and impactor surface comparison on both dirt and sand surfaces—the “extremes” of hard and soft footing. The last phase is in process and involves the final calculations of STAR values (Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk) and the publication of star ratings.
“We’ll often throw a football helmet in there. A football helmet is the most advanced and optimized helmet. We’ll also evaluate a ‘bare’ or no helmet situation to show what the helmet is doing (helping with),” Dr. Stefan Duma of the lab explained.
“If an equestrian helmet is producing similar numbers to a [highly rated] football helmet, it probably doesn’t need improvement.”
At an Equestrian Symposium held last week in Blacksburg, Va., those involved with the lab educated a group of equestrian stakeholders on the progress of their equestrian helmet research. The Helmet Lab began its study nearly four years ago, but the project was brought to fruition with support from the U.S. Equestrian Federation, the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, the U.S. Eventing Association and Jacqueline Mars, a great supporter of eventing. The group raised more than $425,000 in research funds in December 2020.
“With the same impact, there can be very different biomechanical responses between helmets. We felt a responsibility that everyone should have this information,” said Dr. Steve Rowson, Helmet Lab director.
“Not all helmets are the same just because they meet a [pass/fail] standard. That’s true for skull damage, but not concussions.”
In 2003, Virginia Tech placed the first sensors inside football helmets to measure head acceleration data that could characterize concussions. Nearly two decades later, the Helmet Lab is on the cusp of adding equestrian sport to its arsenal of public safety information on helmet use and unveiling its STAR ratings system for helmets.
The STAR ratings for equestrian helmets are designed to complement existing helmet certifications and fill in the gaps relating to concussion risks. The information, set to be released by the end of the year, will allow the public to search helmets by certification type, helmet type, brand, and more to make more informed choices on the helmets they wear and purchase, as well as educate manufacturers on how to improve the safety of their helmets.
“The equestrian space has one of the noisier standard spaces, which makes it complicated for a manufacturer,” Dr. Duma said.
The Helmet Lab evaluated 26 helmet models and 104 helmets in 312 tests, quantifying elements like actual drop height (where a rider is positioned when parting ways with a horse), what body parts are impacted when falling, liner and rotational impacts, and surface, among other factors.
The STAR value is the theoretical number of concussions someone would sustain if their on-field exposure matched the laboratory impacts and is calculated by multiplying exposure (as a function of impact location and velocity) and concussion risk (as a function of linear and rotational headform acceleration). The ratings correlate with real world injury rates; the lower the STAR value, the better the star rating (one to five stars, with five stars being the highest-rated helmets).
“It’s similar to a new car assessment program. We took a system that works and translated it to the sports world,” Dr. Rowson said.
“Football is a multiple head impact sport,” he added. “In equestrian, exposures are very different, and we have much lower numbers.”
Trainer Joe Dotoli, who has been a key volunteer for promoting safety, said after the tour, “Two plus years of work on the Equestrian 5-star ratings are almost complete. The next giant step forward in safety. Thank you to USHJA, USEF, USEA, NEEC and the Mars Foundation for your support. A great example of working together to make our sport safer. And of course a a huge thank you to the brilliant scientists at VT.”
To learn more about the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, click here.To learn more about the USEF Helmet Safety Fund, click here.
