by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2024
The late Debbie Haimowitz will be remembered May 13 in a celebration of her life at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J. Everyone who knew her is invited to attend, and asked to bring their best stories about her.
The open house runs from 1-8 p.m., with speakers beginning at 4 p.m. An RSVP is required by May 7. Call Jonna Gaston at 845-893-2364 or email her at jonnagaston@gmail.com.
Deb Haimowitz
Debbie, who died of cancer in February, was “an extraordinary person whose determination to teach us surpassed even our own expectations, a human who wouldn’t let the student quit until they felt or understood even a mere second, a moment, of a concept,” Jonna commented.
“Deb’s perseverance both on and off a horse was exceptional in a patient, kind and feeling manner, she continued to coax you to another level you didn’t know was possible.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 1, 2024
The historic Potomac Horse Center in Maryland, which trained generations of horsemen and women, is closing this summer. stating it was unable to renegotiate its 1993 lease.
The 60-acre property is owned by the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), which made the renewal contingent on PHC raising $3 million to $5 million to improve the infrastructure, with no assurance that PHC would be permitted to remain on the property, Potomac’s Nancy Novograd announced in a letter explaining the closure.
She explained, “PHC simply cannot ask our clients to pay for and invest in a rapidly deteriorating infrastructure that PHC does not own,” saying the terms of the lease are unsustainable under current economic conditions.”
PHC pays M-NCPPC a monthly base rent for use of the facilities plus a percentage of PHC’s net and gross income.
Additionally, PHC pays for capital improvements, repairs and maintenance of M-NCPPC’s property. Income from the lesson program also goes to veterinary care, farrier services, hay and grain for the horses; utilities, payroll, insurance, farm equipment maintenance, fuel, and tack.
“It has become nonviable for our programs to cover the increasingly higher and higher costs of the rapidly aging infrastructure, let alone allow PHC to build up the $3 million to $5 million required by M-NCPPC toproceed with negotiations,” Nancy said.
The closing is effective July 22, but lessons will continue through June 16.
Asked for comment, Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission responded that Potomac Horse Center, “a private business, recently notified Montgomery Parks of its intent to end its lease with Montgomery Parks.
“Since its lease began in 1993, PHC has been contractually responsible for all maintenance and capital improvements at the facility. However, structural assessments performed by an outside expert in the fall of 2023 showed major life safety and structural concerns on site.
“Montgomery Parks requested that PHC develop a plan to fund the necessary repairs and maintain a viable equestrian operation. However, PHC instead notified Montgomery Parks of its intent to cease operations and vacate the property. In the near term, Montgomery Parks will take steps to address immediate safety issues on the site,” the statement concluded.
Potomac Horse Center was founded in the late 1950s by F.G. “Stretch” Harting. News that it will not continue was greeted with sorrow by the many friends and graduates of PHC.
In an online posting, Diana Barnes said, “Betty Howett and Colette Stevens came with Porlock Vale experience in the UK, and modeled HorseMasters after the British course of study.”
PHC “Classed-up and stepped up our equine knowledge, `American’ dressage, and style of riding, not to mention improved equine care, both physically and psychologically.”
In another post, Suzanne Crowell stated, “The horse center was particularly important to those of us who had our intro to dressage there. Other than Morven Park there was really nowhere else in the ‘70s. It was instrumental in the accelerated development of the sport in the U.S. The quality of instruction and horses for a large operation was unsurpassed. The everyday clientele were women who worked for a living to support their horse habit.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the job market for women expanded dramatically then, such that women could support themselves with better-paid jobs and had some money left over.”
On June 17, 2024, all assets, including school horses, are available for sale to approved homes, by appointment only. Starting immediately, prospective buyers can try the horses and see everything that is for sale. The horses and equipment needed for daily use will remain on the property through June 16.
However, individuals may immediately purchase all other assets, including surplus tack and farm equipment. PHC will accept cash or certified funds only, but no personal checks and cannot arrange payment plans.
The Potomac Horse Center main number will not be fielding sales calls or making appointments. For inquiries, those interested may call (240) 614-3834.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 5, 2024
EQ PRO, a Naples-based equestrian apparel designer, is offering a summer camp scholarship in conjunction with the Interscholastic Equestrian Association for hunt seat and dressage riders in grades 4-8..
Juliette Douros Hawk, a 14-year-old award-winning junior equestrian and founder of EQ PRO, stated, “My horseback riding journey began when I was 10 at a local summer camp, where I discovered my passion for riding and competing. I know how expensive this sport is. This is why I am honored to partner with IEA in the hopes that together we can continue to inspire the next generation of riders.”
“By supporting IEA scholarships, young equestrian athletes are empowered with opportunities like attending specialized horse training programs or pursuing degrees related to their equestrian passion,” said IEA Resource Development Director Kathy Dando.
“The EQ PRO Summer Camp Scholarship will benefit young novice riders by helping them improve their horsemanship skills during the off-season.”
A $500.00 scholarship will be awarded to two IEA rider applicants per year, one each for hunt seat and dressage (or until scholarship funds have been fully dispersed). Applicants must be in fourth through eighth grade at the time of application deadline May 17.
EQ Pro Summer Camp Equestrian Scholarship winners will be chosen and notified in early June 2024. The deadline to submit your application is May 17, 2024, via the online application form at https://www.rideiea.org/opportunities/for-riders/ .
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 9, 2024
When you think about going to camp, activities like swimming, tennis and hiking usually come to mind. But there’s a different take at Centenary University.
Based in Hackettstown, N.J., with an equestrian center in nearby Long Valley, Centenary will have two equestrian camps that offer a wide range of learning opportunities this spring and summer.
Centenary University Equestrian Center. (Photo by Jenna O’Connor)
Centenary is fielding an NCAA equestrian team for the first time next season, in addition to offering students a chance to ride on an Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association squad, which includes opportunities beginning with walk-trot.
There is an emphasis on equestrian teams at Centenary, which will have a special camp for prospective candidates. (Jenna O’Connor photo)
For NCAA, candidates have to be able to perform such sophisticated movements as turn on the haunches or counter-canter. Whatever the level, being involved with a team is a big responsibility, so how does a student prepare for that?
Prospective participants will get a chance to find out if they have the necessary skill set and the desire to take part by attending an Elite Equestrian College Prep Camp May 10-11. Riding lessons on the flat and over jumps, as well as discussions with coaches Michael Dowling and Heather Clark will be offered. Riders will participate in a mock horse show to get the flavor of what NCAA and IHSA are like.
To participate, they must be high school students (or entering their freshman year in the fall) who are able to groom and tack up a horse and walk, trot and canter, as well as negotiate a 2-foot, 3-inch jumping course.
“The intent is to expose them to what would be required for one or the other (team),” said Michael. It gives the coaches a chance to assess potential team members, while offering the participating riders an opportunity to decide which of the formats they would prefer. He noted Centenary has room on a team for virtually any student who wants to be part of one, and opportunities to show at least twice in a semester.
The camp “gives them the feel of what intercollegiate riding is like and what we have to offer here,” said Heather.
While the camp is a recruiting tool for the university, students do not have to be committed to attending Centenary when they enroll. It’s expected that there will be great demand for spots in the clinic. Parents are invited to attend and participate in the meetings.
Applications must be in by April 22, and there is room for only 16 riders, so those who are interested are advised to apply early. Click here for registration information.
And for another opportunity to pick up horse-oriented knowledge, Centenary will present the Equine Science Summer Day Camp in July and August, geared to those 13 and up who have basic horse experience.
Proud grads of the Centenary camps. (Photo courtesy Centenary University)
There are two different camps under the supervision of Dr. Lynn Taylor.
Level 1, July 29-Aug. 2, will include not only the basics of safety, tack and grooming, but also delve into nutrition, health issues and therapies. This is the third year it is being held.
“All of the students, even the ones in high school who are fairly well-experienced, realize very quickly that they don’t know everything,” Lynn said.
Those who want to take Level 2, which is making its debut Aug. 5-9, must have completed Level 1 successfully in any year, or be certified in Pony Club levels H-A, C-3, B and A.
There’s no riding involved. The camp is for students interested in learning or practicing skills; some may be considering being a veterinarian or a vet tech.
The camps test participants with daily quizzes. On the Fridays, students can choose to have a hands-on evaluation. If they receive a score of 80 percent or higher, they will get a certificate of competency from Centenary’s Equine Sciences department. If they don’t want to be evaluated, they will get a certificate of completion, but Lynn said so far, everyone has chosen to be evaluated.
Although campers may know the basics of care, “they may not have an opportunity to learn how to take a temperature or monitor hydration in a reinforced way,” Lynn said. They also practice taking vitals (vital signs).
In Level 2, they delve into alternative modalities, such as shock wave, chiropractic or massage. All students have an opportunity to do a hematocrit (a simple test that measures the percentage of red blood cells in a blood sample) and utilize Centenary’s laboratory facilities. Lectures and demonstrations fill out the camp programs.
“When I ask the kids what they are interested in, most do say being a veterinarian,” said Lynn.
“It’s a good kind of wake-up call. They really do see the level of involvement you’re going to have to have, even if you want to go to go to school for pre-vet, you really have to improve your handling skills and how things translate from the classroom to the barn.”
Click here to register for Level 1. Click on this link to register for Level 2.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 29, 2024
Will Coleman’s victory on Diabolo Sunday in the Cosequin Lexington 4-star Short started with an email from a woman in Australia who was marketing a horse.
“To be honest, I get emails like that all the time. I usually just take a glance,” Will recalled.
But his wife, Katie, thought the horse videos that came with the email were interesting and suggested Will look at them.
He ended up doing more than that, going to Australia with his father for three days to see the horse in person.
“It was pretty brutal; it’s a long way,” Will grinned.
“We had a great time. It was kind of a cool trip and ended up buying this horse. It was quite an adventure.”
But the adventure had just begun when the horse arrived at Will’s farm because Diabolo was on Southern Hemisphere time and had trouble adjusting to the reverse seasons on the other side of the world. So Will knew the 12-year-old Holsteiner had talent, but was biding his time “until he was ready to show it to the rest of the world.”
Will Coleman and Diabolo. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
And show it he did this weekend at the Kentucky Horse Park. Diabolo was the only one of 39 horses who completed the 4-star that finished on his dressage score. His 29.9-penalty mark was just 0.2 ahead of Boyd Martin and Commando 3.
Will said he was “pleasantly surprised but not totally shocked” by Diabolo’s performance, having felt that he was on the verge of being competitive at a big event.
Will Coleman enjoying his victory gallop with Diabolo. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Is he a candidate for the Paris Olympics? Yes, he’s qualified, but Will noted Olympic selection isn’t up to him. His original goal for this year with Diabolo was the Luhmuhlen, Germany, 5-star.
“We’re going to keep working toward Luhmuhlen unless something changes,” he told me.
Will also was third on his 2021 Aachen winner, the 15-year-old Off the Record, who finished on 30.9 penalties.
Boyd not only was second with Connor, as Commando is known, but he also finished fourth with Federman B after a second double-clear round.
Boyd Martin and Commando 3.(Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I think they’re about as good as each other,” he replied when asked which he’d prefer as an Olympic prospect.
“They’re very strong in all three phases. It’s a wonderful position to be in to have a couple of hopefuls. Like your children, you should never favor one more than the other.”
Boyd thought the show jumping course designed by Steve Stephens was a good track, though he mentioned “you had to scoot around the corners” to finish within the tight time allowed. Will also is a fan, saying Steve’s courses are “some of the best we jump. The way he uses the stadium is unique.”
The atmosphere in the Rolex Stadium is all part of the equation in seeing what horses can handle.
“There’s no question American crowds are the best anywhere in the world,” said Boyd, who speaks from experience, having competed nearly everywhere.
“They love this sport,” he said of the U.S. fans.
“They cheer you when things go well; they even cheer when things go bad. It’s almost a letdown when you go to the other 5-stars in Europe,” he said.
Fifth place went to Pan American Games individual gold medalist Caroline Pamukcu on HSH Blake. She called him the top of her string and noted that her string is different from Boyd’s and Will’s; her oldest horse is only nine. She’s planning on a European tour this summer.
Miks Master C, who was in the lead after cross-country, had a rail in Sunday’s show jumping and dropped to seventh when 4 faults were added to his 29.2 total after cross-country. Elisabeth Halliday’s mount had been third in the 5-star at Kentucky last year, but like several other Olympic candidates, she chose the 4-star rather than the 5 this year. The thinking among those that went that route was that the 5-star might be an unnecessarily big effort in the lead-up to Paris, where the cross-country course will be at 4-star level.
Click here to see the 4-star results
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 28, 2024
Oliver Townend had to come from behind to win the Defender Kentucky 5-star three-day event, but the world’s number one eventer simply did all he could do by riding a perfect show jumping round Sunday on Cooley Rosalent, then waited for the leaders to make mistakes. They did.
Going into the final phase of the event, the top three in the standings were from Britain, with Oliver in third place by a margin of less than a 4-fault knockdown.
After Oliver finished his tour of the course, he just had to wait and watch to see what the others would do.
Oliver and Cooley Rosalent clear the final fence in show jumping. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
World Champion Yasmin Ingham, who had been standing second on Banzai du Loir, dropped to third along with a rail from an oxer midway through the course designed by Steve Stephens. She finished on 35.6 penalties. Then Olympic medalist Tom McEwen and JL Dublin looked on track to keep the number one spot until the penultimate fence, a Liverpool, where Dubs touched a pole and it fell. That put Tom second with 33.8 penalties and gave the title to Oliver for the fourth time.
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I’m still in shock,” he said at the awards ceremony, where he received the silver trophy from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
The rider earned that prize (and $123,000) at his hundredth 5-star event, an amazing statistic. He is tied with German superstar Michael Jung in the number of Kentuckies that he has won; only the legendary Bruce Davidson did better, with six victories during his heyday at the Kentucky Horse Park.
At first, it seemed that things might not turn out in favor of Oliver.
“I was fairly upset with myself after the dressage,” he said. Mistakes there left him tied for eighth place, and he wasn’t confident of finding a way to claim his usual Kentucky victory.
“I thought it would be a bit depressing going home on that plane having not won,” he mentioned.
“Then I sort of gave myself a kick into gear and thought, `She’s a very good horse.’
“I knew she’s an incredible galloper (her sire jumped 1.60 meters and her dam won the Scottish Midlands Grand National) so there’s no excuse on being too slow.” (Interestingly, Rosalent’s older full brother, Jewelent, was ridden to twenty-ninth place in the Cosequin Lexington 4-star earlier in the day by Phillip Dutton, who was making his fiftieth appearance at Kentucky.)
Oliver explained his strategy for a pleasant plane ride home by saying, “I had a very clear picture in my mind of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. If it was going to be my week, what will be will be. Just do my job and try and look after her for the future and also try and be as competitive as possible.”
Oliver and Cooley Rosalent enter the arena while he was still in shock over his victory. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The mare was just one second over the optimum time on cross-country, putting her in that competitive position in show jumping, depending on what Oliver’s rivals did.
Only Oliver and a German Kentucky first-timer, Malin Hansen-Hotopp, fourth on Carlitos Quidditch K, were able to go double-clear in the show jumping. Malin won the James Wofford “On the Rise” award for the best finish by a first time 5-star competitor. Four other riders kept all the rails in place, but wound up collecting time penalties.
The double clear really was an achievement for Cooley Rosalent, who finished the week on a score of 31.8 penalties.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the horse,” said Oliver, noting “she was always special from the word go.”
“We’ve had her since she was four years old,” he said of the 10-year-old Irish-bred gray (his lucky color), a prospect he bought himself, then sold quickly to Diana and Paul Ridgeon. Paul just celebrated his 92d birthday and owned event horses for 45 years, but this was his first victory at the 5-star level.
After winning Great Britain’s Burghley 5-star last September with a former Kentucky victor, Ballaghmor Class, Oliver is now in line to take the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam if he can win Badminton next month. Only two riders, Pippa Funnell and Michael Jung, have been able to meet that challenge, but Oliver will give it a try on his third attempt.
“The first time, I nearly killed myself trying to win it. The second time I was second at Badminton,” he recalled ruefully.
Tom was philosophical about losing the title when he was so close to getting it.
“Today is one of those things and I’m sure I’ll beat myself up about it, but he’s crazy special,” he said of the horse who is nicknamed Dubs.
“I know on his day, he will wipe the floors clean. It’s exciting coming up to an Olympic year to have put ourselves in a great position.”
Yasmin felt her rail was just an unlucky rub during an otherwise excellent performance by Banzai.
“These things happen for a reason,” she believes, “and I know we’ll come out stronger next time. I’m delighted with him; it’s exciting to be on the podium at a 5-star and it’s a very important year.”
Yes, it could well be that Oliver, Yasmin and Tom will comprise the British team at the Paris Olympics.
Joe Eberhardt, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America, toasts a great 5-star with Lauren Nicholson, Tom McEwen, Oliver Townend and Yasmin Ingham. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The U.S. national championship went for the third time to Lauren Nicholson, the top American, fifth on the 18-year-old Vermiculus. The horse is owned by Jacqueline Mars, which is particularly nice because the event is presented by MARS Equestrian.
Top U.S. rider Lauren Nicholson on Vermiculus. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“We came feeling a touch rusty,” said Lauren, explaining the horse “hasn’t had a proper big outing” since 2022.
She was pleased that she was “able to deliver what he deserved to get on the day.”
After cross-country, the highest-placed U.S. rider was Mia Farley on Phelps, standing fifth with one of only two double-clear trips in the second phase.
Mia had many rooters among fans in the packed Rolex Arena, because Phelps is a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred who was sold for a dollar. But the fairytale didn’t have a storybook ending in the 5-star. Phelps demonstrated that show jumping is his weakness in the Maryland 5-star last year, and this time, the problem was evident immediately. He dropped a rail at the first fence, then toppled three more before he finished his round. Mia wound up an unlucky thirteenth.
Click here for Defender 5-star results
