by Nancy Jaffer | May 19, 2022
Centenary University next month will present its highest honor to Octavia Brown, a pioneer and leader in the field of therapeutic riding.
Octavia will be honored with the Gold Dome Award June 2 during CU at the Stables, the annual scholarship fundraising event at 6:30 p.m. at the David and Carol Lackland Center in Hackttstown..
Octavia Brown at the Centenary University stables. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The professor emeritus of equine studies “has made a positive impact on the lives of so many through her tireless commitment to therapeutic riding,” said Bruce Murphy, the university’s president.
“Early on, she recognized the power that equine-assisted services have to promote confidence, independence, and healing. At Centenary University, we are proud to honor Dr. Brown with the Gold Dome Award for the tremendous impact she has made, both at our University and around the world.”
A longtime Centenary faculty member, Octavia is a founder of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. Now known as PATH International, the nonprofit has 7,000 members worldwide who help support more than 53,000 special needs individuals, including nearly 6,000 veterans, through a variety of equine-assisted services.
At Centenary, she is the former director of TRAC (Therapeutic Riding at Centenary), an accredited adaptive riding program that fosters beneficial interactions between horses and humans and provides training for professionals in the field of equine-assisted education and therapy. Through Operation Centaur, the university also provides the benefits of therapeutic riding to military veterans and their family members.
Born in England, Octavia emigrated to the United States in 1964. She earned a master of education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1971 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Centenary in 2008. A past president of the Federation of Riding for the Disabled International, She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the James Brady Award for Lifetime Achievement in Therapeutic Riding, PATH International’s highest honor. Most recently, she was honored in January by the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
Centenary University has one of the nation’s leading collegiate equine studies programs, offering several specialty fields of study and competitive riding teams. Centenary’s ANRC team recently captured the 2022 ANRC National Equitation Championship, and the university has a near-perfect track record for student acceptance to selective veterinary schools.
CU at the Stables will help to raise critical unrestricted scholarships to provide financial support for Centenary students who may not otherwise be able to bridge the gap between tuition and financial aid. Each year, the University offers more than $14 million in scholarship support to Centenary students. Purchase event tickets here or email Elizabeth.Freeman@centenaryuniversity.edu by May 20.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 13, 2022
After the U.S. Equestrian Federation didn’t renew Erik Duvander’s contract as eventing performance director last December, he headed home to New Zealand.
But he didn’t stay away long, and now he’s back in the U.S. Read what happened at horsesport.com.
Erik Duvander at Land Rover Kentucky. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
by Nancy Jaffer | May 10, 2022
The International Omaha annual horse show ended a successful run last weekend, paving the way for the second FEI World Cup™ finals to be hosted in the city next year at the CHI Health Center.
All-session tickets are now on sale for the April 4-8 competition, which includes finals in show jumping, dressage and vaulting, the latter being a new addition to the line-up that ran when the 2017 finals debuted in Omaha.
All-session tickets range from $75 – $1,400, depending on the discipline and seat location. All-session packages include admission to either four dressage sessions, four jumping sessions or three vaulting sessions. Included are options for VIP and hospitality lounge passes and fully catered ringside tables for the duration of the event.
To order tickets, go to this link at Ticketmaster.com. Single-session tickets will go on sale July 11.
“With so much interest in the World Cup’s return to Omaha, we anticipate that the all-session tickets will sell quickly,” said Lisa Roskens, chair of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation, producer of the finals in Omaha.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming the world’s best horses, riders, vaulters and fans from around the world and we are committed to living up to the standard set in 2017 and producing the best FEI World Cup™ Finals ever held!”
The Omaha competition is likely to be the last World Cup finals held in North America for quite some time. The 2020 finals in Las Vegas were cancelled due to Covid, and Las Vegas did not bid for the 2025 finals.
The 2023 competition will offer a tribute to the horse’s regional tradition and cultural impact, with the Native American heritage as part of the event’s theme and program.
The foundation is seeking to broaden community understanding of Native American history with its initiative at the show. The finals feature not only show jumping and dressage, as was the case in 2017, but also vaulting, which is gymnastics on horseback.
Beginning in 1723, horses transformed the Great Plains region tribes’ hunting tactics, inspired artistry, strengthened transportation routes and expanded their health and wealth. Plains tribes with roots in Nebraska include the Omaha, Northern Ponca and Santee.
“Where we’re standing here in Omaha was the site of a societal transformation 300 years ago — horses changed our way of life on the Plains,” said Steve Tamayo, a traditional Sicangu Lakota artist who founded the Bluebird Cultural Initiative.
“As we celebrate the horse’s majesty and grace at the renowned FEI World Cup Finals, we’re excited to use the international platform to share authentic stories about the horse’s lineage in this region and its cherished place within our people’s history.”
Tamayo consulted on the design of the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2023 first promotional poster, which presents a thematic template for the event by depicting two triumphant horses from two different eras and alluding to their ancestral linkage. The marketing campaign was created by Turnpost Creative Group in Omaha under the guidance of Stuart Lundgren, principal and creative director.
The horse on the left side of the poster has dressage braids, an English bridle and a purple and white competition ribbon. The horse on the right has a white circle painted around its left eye to commend its keen vision — and it has stripes painted across its nose and feathers attached to its mane, features representing valor and courage in battle.
The poster also includes symbolic cultural references within its multi-colored background stripes — horse hoof imprints and four-direction sun emblems are positioned between rhythmic waves and the legendary thunderbird.
“Just as we honor horses today for their achievements in a world-class competition event such as the Final of the FEI World Cup, our indigenous relatives of the Plains decorated and adorned their horses and told a dozen different stories with regalia and symbols,” Tamayo said.
“The markings explained all of the deeds and achievements carried out by the horse, a valued and respected member of the tribe.”
In addition to the competitions, the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2023 will include shows, exhibits and demonstrations,
by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2022
The inability to come to a “mutually acceptable agreement” with one of the landowners on whose property the Millbrook Horse Trials is staged has led to cancellation of the Aug. 4-7 competition in New York.
“This will be a disappointment to many, especially in our own community of Millbrook” the organizers announced.
“As the only Area I eventing competition that offers all levels, from local beginners to the very top international competitors, MHT is an important summer fixture for competitors and spectators”.
The plan was to expand on last year’s event. The U.S. Eventing Association is “committed to assist Millbrook to make sure that this incredibly important event continues into the future,” said USEA President Max Corcoran ,
“We will work with the organizers of Millbrook to solve this and make sure that the event is viable.”
The board stated, “We are committed and hopeful that the horse trials will return to the eventing calendar for 2023.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 14, 2022
Michael Barisone finally has been moved from the Morris County Correctional Facility to the Anne Klein Forensic Center for evaluation.
Though he was supposed to leave the jail in Morristown shortly after being found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity on April 14, the delay of nearly a month in his transfer means a hearing on his fate will not be held as originally scheduled May 17. He will be evaluated at Anne Klein in West Trenton, but he will have to spend two weeks in isolation there first.
Michael Barisone hopes to be riding again soon. ((Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The evaluation and subsequent hearing will determine whether he is a danger to himself or others, and if he can pick up the threads of his life again.
The dressage trainer was charged with two counts of attempted murder involving the tenants at his Long Valley Farm. Lauren Kanarek was shot twice during an August 7, 2019 encounter with Barisone when he confronted her and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, as he sought to evict them. The not guilty by reason of insanity verdict applied to the attempted murder charge involving Kanarek,as well as a charge of possessing a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Barisone was found not guilty of attempted murder and possession of a weapon in connection with Goodwin.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2022
The owners of Brannon Farm in Georgetown, Ky., north of Lexington are struggling with the loss of every horse in their barn as it burned to the ground about 1 a.m. on the morning of May 1. There were 25 horses killed in the blaze, along with dogs, cats and a goat. A lot of equipment also was destroyed.
When the fire department got there, the barn was “fully engulfed,” said Billy Jarrell, a family friend.
He said the stable was founded in the 1960s by Marie Brannon and her late husband, Sam, a horse trainer who is member of the United Professional Horsemen’s Association Hall of Fame. Their daughter, Nancy, is the trainer there, along with John McKeown. The stable focuses on saddlebreds and saddleseat riding. A lesson program, primarily for children, is the main part of the business.
It is believed the fire was sparked by lightning, but an official cause has yet to be determined, according to Jarrell, a U.S. Equestrian Federation licensed official.
He said the lesson horses were outside at the time of the fire, so they survived. A stable owner in Versailles, which also is in the Lexington/Fayette County metro area, has offered her facility so Nancy Brannon can continue the business, and may be able to resume work next week. Jarrell said people also are donating tack and other equipment.
Those who want to donate such items may contact Jarrell at 859-509-1503. He noted Nancy Brannon is overwhelmed by the support from the community.
A GoFundMe page was started to assist the Brannons and deal with costs not covered by insurance. Click on this link to donate.
