John Franzreb, the legendary ringmaster who died in May, was inducted into the Washington International Horse Show Hall of Fame October 30. Here is the video tribute:
Washington International President Vicki Lowell noted that since John joined WIHS in 2007, he had been “an integral part of the Washington family. He was a genial presence who always brought his wonderful style, smile and pomp and circumstance to the opening of each class and the presentation of awards. Start to finish, he was all class, warmth and kindness.”
Vicki cited his long and varied career with horses. John rode as a junior, and then served as ringmaster, steward, and manager at major horse shows throughout the country.
For more than 40 years, his family farm, Clove Lake Stables on Staten Island, was home to more than 100 horses and served aspiring riders of all ages. His family’s horses and carriages were regular participants in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Beyond horses, he gave back to his Staten Island community, working with the Boy Scouts and the Red Cross. He sounded the bugle at the annual Groundhog Day Ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo.
Created in 1997, the WIHS Hall of Fame comprises some of the great names in equestrian sport who excelled at Washington including William C. Steinkraus, Rodney Jenkins, Joe Fargis and Kathy Kusner.
The induction ceremony: Washington International President Vicki Lowell, Steve Serafin, Judith Franzreb and Steve Rector. (Photo by Kaleigh Collett)
This honor comes with a video tribute, a featured article in the WIHS Official Souvenir Program, inclusion in the WIHS Hall of Fame on wihs.org, and an inscription on the Hall of Fame Trophy. John’s wife, Judith, was on hand for the induction ceremony. For more about the Hall of Fame, click here .
Gio, the plucky chestnut Great Britain’s dressage superstar Charlotte Dujardin rode to team and individual dressage bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics, will now have a teenager in the saddle.
According to Horse & Hound, Pumpkin, as he is known, has been sold to Annabella Pidgley, 16, whose late father, Tony, was a big supporter of equestrian sport in Britain before his death last year. Pumpkin, a 10-year-old son of Apache, was spotted five years ago by Charlotte in a California clinic.
Charlotte and Pumpkin competing in the Tokyo Games.
“It is always such a hard thing to let go of animals that we see as our family,” Charlotte is quoted as saying, but she noted it is a fact of life that sales must sometimes be made in order to keep going. She owned the Dutchbred gelding with her mentor, Carl Hester, and Renai Hart. After the Olympics, she rode Pumpkin to team silver and individual bronze at the European Dressage Championships.
Annabella, who trains with Charlotte and Danish star Cathrine Dufour, won double individual silver at the junior European Championships this year on Sultan Des Paluds.
“Annabella is one of the most promising riders in our country, and works so hard to develop herself and her horses, whilst giving them nothing but five star care,”said Charlotte, who is glad that her training gig with Annabella will keep Pumpkin in her life
Annabella commented: “To say this is a huge privilege for me is an understatement, and I know this is such an honor for me to take the reins of such an iconic little horse. I can only say that under the training of both Cathrine Dufour and Charlotte, I will work every day to do my best by him, bond with him and keep him in the manner he is used to.”
A highly successful horse show held last autumn to benefit Kevin Babington will have an encore Oct. 10 at Duncraven in Titusville, with stable owner Tim Fedor offering the facility again to help the fund-raising effort.
Kevin, a U.S.-based Irish show jumper, suffered a severe spinal injury in a 2019 fall at a show. Although he was left as a quadriplegic, he has never stopped fighting to regain function, and has made some progress in a very long battle. Most recently, he received a stem cell transplant at the Mayo Clinic, but he still has a long and costly road ahead of him.
The show is still in need of division sponsors as well as basket / item donations for the raffle.Those who would like to sponsor a division or donate something contact jroslowski@hotmail.com or (609)-439-8983. Volunteers are also needed.
Meanwhile, donations to the Kevin Babington Foundation are now tax deductible, as it has become a 501 c3 organization. The foundation not only helps the Babington family handle the enormous expenses involved with Kevin’s situation, it also provides funding and support for equestrians with spinal cord injuries. The foundation works to educate riders, trainers and show organizers about the most current safety measures designed to reduce the risk of spinal cord injury.. To donate, click on this link
Upgrades have been made during 2020 and 2021 to the historic Devon shwogrounds, where the spring show has been cancelled for two years in a row, but summer and autumn competitions will go ahead.
More than 500 stalls have been reconstructed and screening has been added in the stalls to create a better surface. The majority of the barns have new exterior walls, refurbished to showcase their historic style. Stable doors have been replaced with new ones that honor the original look and feel. The iconic Devon cupolas have all been re-built and are up-lighted to showcase them.
“Our team has worked so hard to update the stabling at the show grounds so that exhibitors can have the best possible experience every time they compete,” said Wayne W. Grafton, chairman and CEO of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.
“Ensuring that the horses have safe and comfortable accommodations was a top priority and we (are) thrilled to have it completed ahead of our summer competitions.”
The Brandywine Horse Shows begin June 30. The Devon Fall Classic will be held Sept. 15-19, followed by Dressage at Devon. Sept. 28-Oct. 3.
The inaugural Maryland 5-Star three-day event at Fair Hill will be offering $300,000 in prize money, while the 3-star Long that runs on the same dates Oct. 14-17 will award $25,000, the Fair Hill Organizing Committee announced today.
The events will be staged at the new Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Cecil County, Md., where the U.S Eventing Association’s Young Event Horse East Coast Championship also will be presented.
Meanwhile, British Eventing has suggested that a one-off 5-star could be organized to fill the need for such an event in the wake of the cancellation of the country’s two 5-stars, Badminton and Burghley. There are a lot of questions about such an initiative, including raising the necessary funding, as well as getting the right horses there due to commitments to the Olympics and European championships.
The Maryland 5-star organizing committee anticipates it will offer information in the coming weeks related to retail vendor applications, tickets, sponsorships, volunteer opportunities, livestream and broadcast partners.
Organizing committee co-chairs Mike Gill and Michael Hankin said, “While we remain focused on monitoring health and safety protocols for our event, we are excited to see that the conditions continue to improve here in Maryland, and that events are beginning to open up. We are looking forward to producing an inaugural Maryland 5-Star that will provide a top-class experience for our competitors, as well as our spectators.”
The event will mark a new chapter for the State of Maryland’s equestrian tradition. The Maryland 5-Star is one of only two CCI5*-L events in the United States, and the seventh worldwide, although two in England already have been cancelled due to Covid.
“It is (a) great feeling having sporting events coming back in Maryland this year and welcoming spectators,” commented Terry Hasseltine, president of The Sport Corp.
“The Maryland 5-Star at Fair Hill will be one of the highlights during the fall, giving people something to look forward to, and something new to experience. We are excited to showcase the new Fair Hill Special Event Zone for the first time and produce an event that our state can be proud of.”
For additional information and news from the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, visit www.Maryland5Star.us or follow on social @maryland5star.
Like so much else, the Hunterdon Polo Classic is returning this year. It will be held June 12 at Fieldview Farm, 342 Quakertown Road, Pittstown.
Because of Covid protocols, however, there will be no general admission, only tailgates. Those attending must be part of a tailgate and arrive in one vehicle per tailgate. Tailgates will be spaced out to ensure social distancing is possible. Adjoining tailgates may be requested if more than one tailgate is needed. There will be no tailgate or hat judging. Gates open at 12:30, with the match starting at 2 p.m.
The match will benefit local charities, including the Hunterdon Art Museum, the Toshiko Takaezu Studio Project, Riding with Heart, Team Velvet and Crossroads4Hope. For info, contact hunterdonevents@gmail.com or call (908)713-POLO (7656).
