by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 19, 2022
In a visit that could be important to the future of equestrian sport in the Olympics, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was among the 22,000 spectators who attended the FEI Eventing World Championships on cross-country day at Pratoni del Vivaro. Italy, over the weekend.
There is always a question of whether equestrian competition and in particular, eventing, will be dropped from the Games as new events such as surfing and break dancing are added.
The IOC president was accompanied by FEI officials and 2000 Olympic gold medalist David O’Connor, now chair of the FEI Eventing Committee.
“These are amazing facilities to see and it is a pleasure to experience a real Olympic legacy and sustainability success story,” the IOC president said.
“I’m very impressed by the many measures the FEI has taken to safeguard the well-being and the health of the horses, and I am pleased with everything the International Federation is doing to ensure the future of the sport.”
Pratoni hosted the cross-country phase of at the 1960 Rome Games, and also did the same at the 1998 World Equestrian Games.
Although equestrian sports are on the schedule for the 2024 Paris Games and 2028 in Los Angeles, 2032 in Brisbane does not have a firm agenda as yet. Eventing is popular in Australia, but the country has not qualified yet for Paris, since it finished tenth, out of the crucial top seven, in Pratoni.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 10, 2022
My favorite photo of the Queen is this one, where she is galloping like the wind, her scarf slipped back on her head, looking into the distance with an awareness of the moment while leaving her cares behind. She is perfectly in control of her horse, while at the same time letting him gallop on.
Away from the palace, her duties and the weight of being constantly observed, she found respite and joy in her horses. She loved them all, from those who raced in her colors to the four-in-hand pulling the carriage for her husband, Prince Philip. Her Majesty was a true horsewoman, both in and out of the saddle, with a thorough knowledge of bloodlines.
Through her family, she was connected to a variety of disciplines. Her father, King George VI, was quite a rider who enjoyed fox hunting. Prince Philip wrote the rules for combined driving and competed in that discipline.
Her son, Charles (now the King) dabbled in racing and played polo. His sister, Princess Anne, evented, becoming European Champion and went on to follow her father as president of the FEI.
The Queen’s granddaughter and Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, also became European Champion and then World Champion as well, at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.
The Queen rode all her life, whether side-saddle in uniform, at the Trooping of the Colour aboard Burmese, the favorite black mare given to her by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or astride on casual trail rides, like those she shared with President Ronald Reagan.
The Queen and the President had a love of horses in common.
She continued hacking out until quite recently, enjoying the stout native ponies that were a bit closer to the ground than the more statuesque mounts that had been her choice in her younger days.
I hope she is with her horses again now, mounting up after patting her corgis and greeting Prince Phillip, before going for a blissful gallop into eternity.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 16, 2022
The U.S. kept its third place standing at the FEI Eventing World Championshps as the dressage phase wrapped up today, with a highlight for America in Tamie Smith’s 24-penalty ride on Mai Baum, good enough to stand fifth individually.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Although her horse broke in the medium trot at the beginning of her ride, Tamie’s usual grit enabled her to get past that for a formidable performance at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy.
Boyd Martin, the anchor rider on his old pal Tsetserleg, is tied for fourteenth with 26.2 penalties. Will Coleman, the pathfinder yesterday with Off the Record dropped from a tie for fifth to eighteenth, while Lauren Nicholson’s 27.1 on Vermiculus put her twenty seventh, which is the country’s drop score at the moment. Riding as a U.S. individual, Ariel Grald is fortyninth with a score of 32.5 aboard Leamore Master Plan.
Britain kept its lead in the rankings with a total of 69.2, a record at this point in a world championship.
That team’s anchor rider, Oliver Townend on Ballaghmor Class, stands sixth on 24.3 penalties.
“Maybe he didn’t quite take me forwards enough in the trot, but I felt once he was into canter he was away and I felt the work was very good quality. We know each other very well and he’s a lovely horse to ride,” said Oli, a multiple winner of the Kentucy 5-star.
“We’ve just been trying to work on getting him more forwards. He’s a horse that’s always been a little bit introverted – either that, or completely explosive – so I’m just trying to get him to breathe and take me a little bit more in all the paces, really, and it showed up in the canter. I think it’s a bit of a dream start for the Brits, so let’s hope we can keep it up.”
Germany got lifted into second place in the team standings by superstar Michael Jung’s first-place performance with fischerChipmunk FRH (18.8), a personal best that brought his nation’s total to 76.1. The U.S. has 76.6 penalties, but New Zealand is close behind. The Kiwis are on 77.9 penalties, with Australia fifth on 81.1.
Michael, who could be on his way to his second individual world championship title, said of his mount, “It’s amazing how he performs in the arena. He just brings everything in there and you can ride like at home so this is a great feeling.
“He is so relaxed but powerful and concentrated so you can show all of what you train, and that’s an amazing feeling for the rider.”
Saturday will undoubtedly re-arrange the standings, as the cross-country test set by Giuseppe della Chiesa includes formidable terrain. I will be posting a cross-country story tomorrow morning, so please come back to the website then to track the competition.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 15, 2022
The Tewksbury Trail Pace, a longtime fixture at Christie Hoffman Farm Park in the Tewksbury Township, will be blazing new trails next month at the Sullivan-Whitman Preserve, 27 Fox Hill Road, Califon.
The Tewksbury Trail Association is partnering with the Tewksbury Land Trust for the September 18 event, which will include both a trail pace and a pleasure pace with divisions for adults and juniors.
The Tewksbury Trail Pace is always fun. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The course will be approximately six miles, complete with rocky areas, challenging hills and road crossings. The land is part of the Ten Mile Trail initiative being developed by the Land Trust. It also includes the Lance Preserve and the Raritan Watershed’s Fox Hill Preserve. Participants also will be riding across private farms.
The pace will be held from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Participants must bring their own water for themselves and their horses.
Visit tta-nj.org for questions, or email Tewksburytrial@gmail.org.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 8, 2022
After more than 40 years heading HITS LLC, its founder, Tom Struzzieri will be leaving his post as chief executive officer at the end of the 2022 season, it was announced this morning.
The organization, known for its hunter/jumper shows around the country, will be led by its management team during the search for a new CEO. Traub Capital Partners became a majority partner in HITS in March.
Tom will remain a part-owner and director of the company while providing strategic consulting as well as significant involvement in the launch of the Del Mar, Calif., Showpark in 2023.
“I have been extremely fortunate over the four decades of running HITS to have a terrific group of employees who have been by my side through some very hard climbs as we together have grown the company,” Tom said.
“I remain committed to those people and will be in constant touch as a consultant as we face the next challenges together. On a parallel course, I have also been blessed to have very loyal clients and because of that loyalty, they too can continue to count on me as a liaison to all things HITS-related. The future of HITS is bright and I plan on doing what I can behind the scenes to help it shine.”
The move will enable Tom to pursue his life-long goal of cycling across the U.S. as he supports the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) with Team Alpha.
“It has been a pleasure to witness the industry through Tom’s eyes. He has been, and will continue to be, a guide and advisor to us all.” said Mortimer Singer, managing partner of Traub Capital Partners.
“Tom has built a great business and we look forward to continuing our work together as partners.”
With venues in New York, Florida, Vermont, Illinois, Virginia and California, “HITS will continue its mission of providing top quality competitions for riders at every level, while improving its facilities, technology and overall customer experience,” according to a statement from the company, which also offers dressage shows.
New developments are promised at the beginning of 2023 as the HITS Ocala Winter Show Series kicks off at Post Time Farm, as well as at Del Mar Showpark, where teams are already in place to begin renovations.
Those who want to donate to the organization Tom will be supporting with his bicycle trek may do so at https://www.alphabikeride.com/team.
Traub Capital Partners is a New York-based strategic private equity firm specializing in building value in consumer companies using its unique combination of investment, strategic and operational expertise. The fund targets investments in companies with revenue between $50 and $250 million. To learn more about Traub Capital Partners, visit www.traubcapitalpartners.com
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 15, 2022
Great Britain, as expected, is heading the standings in the FEI World Eventing Championships on the first of two days of dressage at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy. The Olympic champs are on 45.5 penalties, as their Laura Collett leads the way individually with 19.3 penalties aboard London 52.
New Zealand has 53 penalties and the U.S. is just a bit behind in third at 53.5. Individually, the USA’s Will Coleman was marked at 26.4 on Off the Record, putting him in a tie for fifth, while Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus scored 27.1 to be seventh.
Will Coleman and Off the Record. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
The other American riders, Boyd Martin, Tamie Smith and Ariel Grald, will ride on Friday. It’s worth noting that this is the first time since 1994 that Phillip Dutton has not been part of a world championships team.
Looking ahead to Saturday and Guiseppe Della Chiesa’s cross-country course over rugged terrain, French rider Thomas Carlile assessedit this way: “It seems to me like a balance between a true championship test and a modern look at eventing, with a lot of frangible pins that we all have our ideas about.
“But it’s the way the sport is going and we need to choose and produce our horses in that aspect now. There are plenty of different routes to make sure everyone has the possibility to get around and it will require proper cross-country riding with the terrain,” added Thomas, who tied with Will in fifth place aboard Darmagnac de Bellard.
This is the last of the world championships this year in which the U.S. will have a team. The four-in-hand driving championships, which follow the eventing at Pratoni next week, will not have an American squad because Misdee Wrigley dropped out for health reasons. Chester Weber is the lone American driver competing.
There is no endurance championship because the event was cancelled due to a problem with track.
