by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 27, 2020
Catherine (Kitty) Wieschhoff, a well-known judge, barn manager and writer, died yesterday at her home in Midway, Ky. She was 86.
The mother of eventer Cathy Wieschhoff, Kitty was a graduate of Cornell University, where she met her husband, the late Captain Kenneth (Harry) Wieschhoff Sr., PhD.
She earned a British Horse Society Assistant Instructor certification while the family was stationed in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s. Kitty and Harry made England their home for 20 years after his retirement from the U.S, Navy, moving back to the states in 2002.
They lived in Midway, Ky, and Kitty volunteered at the Kentucky Horse Park for many years. She is survived by her children: Ken Wieschhoff; daughter Cathy and her wife Jessica Bollinger and grandson Lucas Bollinger; daughter Christy and her husband Randy Rocca; grandson Nick Rocca and his wife Kim, two great-grandchildren Mack and Charlotte; and granddaughter Katie and her husband David Wilson.
Gifts in Kitty’s memory can be sent to the Midway Presbyterian Church 103 N. Turner St., Midway Ky 40347, or the Shelley Centre for Therapeutic Riding in England, registered Charity No. 1113636. She will be interred with her husband in Arlington National Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held later this year.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 21, 2020
The U.S. Equestrian Federation’s top honor is the Lifetime Achievement Award, and no one epitomizes the meaning of that phrase more than Sally Ike. The Tewksbury resident, who has been a steward, judge and course designer, also served equestrian sport in so many more ways after she stopped eventing at the top level.
Starting with being district commissioner of the Somerset Hills Pony Club, then working as the director of show jumping, eventing and vaulting for the U.S. Equestrian Team, she went on to be managing director of show jumping for the USEF, where she eventually held the post of managing director of licensed officials and education. Although she retired from the USEF in September, she continues working with the organization on compliance matters. To read more about Sally, click on this link .
Her trophy will be presented during a virtual awards ceremony on Jan. 16. Other awards to be announced then include International Equestrian of the Year, International Horse of the Year, National Horse of the Year and National Equestrian of the Year. Members can vote for their choices in several categories, but not for International Equestrian of the Year, because the name of show jumper Kent Farrington was the only one submitted. While he’s certainly worthy, why aren’t there any other candidates from the Olympic disciplines?
Kent Farrington and Gazelle. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Nominees for the William C. Steinkraus Trophy are put forward by each of the discipline affiliates and Kent was the only nomination we received this year,” a USEF spokesperson said.
The announcement of nominees came out Dec. 16, and voting continues through Jan. 2.
Liz Halliday-Sharp, the first woman to become U.S. Eventing’s Rider of the Year since 1981, would seem a possibility in that discipline. Ditto Boyd Martin, who took the 4-star-Long national championship on Tsetserleg in Tryon, N.C.
But as USEA CEO Rob Burk explained, “Unfortunately, the USEF requires all nominations for the Equestrian of Honor or the Horse of the Year to be submitted by November 9. The USEA Rider of the Year came down to the very last event of the year from a points perspective and our season ends on November 30th. Our season was still quite active as of November. When the USEF reached out to us in October, we were not yet prepared to submit an annual Horse or Rider nomination; however we indicated that we were interested in submitting nominees for those awards once the season was closer to a conclusion. Once the Tryon CCI-4*L (November 11-15) was completed, we reached out again to the USEF but they indicated that the nominations were closed at that time. So unfortunately for us, the timing of the USEF award prevented submissions.
Another international discipline, dressage, saw limited FEI competition between March and the end of the season, but Adequan®/USDF Grand Prix Horse of the Year Suppenkasper was undefeated in 15 starts this year, under the guidance of Steffen Peters. His final victory came Nov. 22 in the Thermal Desert Dressage CDI3* Grand Prix Special.
USDF President Lisa Gorretta said USEF’s timeline on nominations was “earlier than we were prepared for” and therefore no name was submitted.
The USEF spokesperson said the organization is aware of the situation. It’s too late now to do anything about it for 2020, she explained, but noted, “we’ve discussed this internally with our team and it is something we plan to address with the affiliates for the 2021 awards nominations process, since it’s the first time we’ve heard that feedback from them. We want as many athletes represented as possible, so we will try to improve this process next year to be sure everyone has enough time to submit nominees, particularly on the international side.”
For details about the lineup of awards contenders on which members can vote, go to this link
(Updated December 23, 2020)
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 15, 2020
Totilas, the legendary black stallion who changed the face of dressage, died yesterday at the age of 20 after colicking.
The son of Gribaldi never competed in the Olympics, but his performances in the World Cup finals and the European and World Championships brought many converts to dressage and made him a fan favorite. His freestyle at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games earned a mind-boggling 91.8 percent and was unforgettable for those lucky enough to be present.
Totilas at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, ridden by Edward Gal. (Photo © 2010 by Nancy Jaffer)
His partnership with Edward Gal of the Netherlands made him a star. After he was sold to Germany for a reported 10 million Euros, Matthias Alexander Rath took over the ride but he never quite achieved the heights of his predecessor. Totilas also was hampered by various physical problems and did not compete again after the 2015 European Championships.
Totilas lives on in his son, the 9-year-old Glock’s Toto Jr. out of a Desperados mare, who is showing brilliance with Gal aboard.
Edward paid tribute to his former partner, saying, “You will always be remembered.Together with you I experienced happiness and even grief.Time passed by and wounds healed.But my love for you lasts forever.You honored me with your trust.
You were my friend.
“My condolences to Matthias and his family and to all who had the chance to work or live with this exceptional stallion.
And my thoughts to all of you who loved him. Goodbye my friend.I will miss you until we meet again.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 14, 2020
It’s official. The U.S. is getting its second 5-star eventing competition next year, making it the only country besides Great Britain to host two of the elite fixtures annually.
The Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill will be one of just seven events at that level in the world. Due to Covid, the only 5-star held in 2020 was October’s Pau, France, standard bearer, but with Fair Hill set for Oct. 14-17, it’s reasonable to hope that Covid will be behind us and the event can go full throttle following approval from the FEI for a five-year run.
The event’s organizing committee, an affiliate of the Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, put on a test event in August at the new Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Cecil County. It is just a short hop from where the traditional Fair Hill competition was held for decades.
The new cross-country course is designed by British Olympian Ian Stark. The dressage and show jumping arenas are located in the infield of the refurbished turf racecourse.
“On behalf of The Fair Hill Organizing Committee and our partner Fair Hill International, we want to thank the FEI for their continued support,” said Jeff Newman, FHOC President and CEO. “This validation of the new Fair Hill Special Event Zone to host a five-star level event is yet another exciting step forward as we gear up for the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill next fall.”
The USA’s other 5-star is Land Rover Kentucky, which runs in April, the week before the Badminton event in England. Badminton’s organizers are hoping to be able to host spectators, though they have said they will stage the event even if fans can’t attend because of Covid. There are only seven 5-stars in the world. In addition to the U.S. events and Badminton. They are Burghley, another English event; Adelaide in Australia, Luhmuhlen in Germany and Pau.
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 14, 2020
Naomi Blumenthal, president of the National Professional Horsemen’s Association and a respected show manager who served as a mentor to many, died today at her home in upstate New York. She was 78.
A paragon of efficiency, running shows with flair and dedication, she also was.national treasurer of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association, Ms. Blumenthal “was a moving force and source for the whole organization,” said Robert Cacchione, the group’s founder.
She managed the New York State Fair’s show in Syracuse for more than 40 years. Its organizers noted, “She was the first name in horse shows in the region and her skills led her to national prominence in her field. She might have been the first in the nation to bring computers into the barns to manage horse shows. Our thoughts are with her family and the scores of horse show riders and fans who benefited from her wisdom and skill as a mentor, teacher and promoter.”
Blumenthal was the mastermind behind the development of the first Apple-compatible show management software. When Apple heard about what she and a developer had built, they flew her to their headquarters to demonstrate their breakthrough software. She managed shows for a plethora of breeds and disciplines.
PHA Vice President Kathy Pinera noted, “She was the glue that held a lot of shows and finals together.”
Her admirers were many, having learned important things from her, whether they involved riding lessons or lessons in life.
“One of the greatest things about Naomi was that whatever crazy thing, good or bad, happened at a horse show, she had probably seen it before,” said Megan MacCallum.
“After more than 40 years on the job, there was not much that could take her by surprise. She had a vast wealth of knowledge, and she was always willing to share it with others. I learned so much from her.
“Whenever people talk about the great horse show in the sky, they usually mention horses or riders or judges. But now the show will have a fantastic manager as well.”
Ms. Blumenthal competed as a junior in hunter, jumper and hunt seat equitation before going on to ride in the amateur-owner hunter and jumper divisions until she became involved with show management. She spent two decades on the Cazenovia College (NY) faculty, where she contributed to development of its equine studies program and coached the riding team. Her student riders included IHSA individual national and reserve champions.
In 1999, IHSA recognized her with its Lifetime Achievement Award for three decades as an IHSA director, zone chair, regional president, membership committee chair and member of IHSA National Championships, rules and finance committees. She also was honored with the PHA’s Frank Hawkins award for her contributions to the sport.
“She helped a lot of people in the horse industry get a leg up,” said Peter Cashman, IHSA executive director.
“People will never know how many she’s helped. She always thought about other people. She was a self-made woman and could be tough but had a soft heart. As a human being, she was tops. She will be thoroughly missed. There will be a void without Naomi Blumenthal.”
Ms. Blumenthal is survived by her daughter, Shari Schneider and her husband, Corey Schneider, as well as three grandchildren.
Donations in her memory may be made to the IHSA’s foundation at https://iefscholarship.org or to the National PHA care of Chris Dwyer, P. O. Box 566, Shenorock, NY 10587
An in-person memorial service will be organized post-Covid. A virtual memorial service will be held Sunday Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Here is the information for those who wish to attend via Zoom or phone:
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by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 11, 2020
Arielle Aharoni of Bedminster is the only New Jerseyan on the list of 24 riders invited to the 2021 Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Assessment Sessions with Develop and Emerging Coach Leslie Law. The Program offers those 25 and under access to coaching and instruction, high-intensity training sessions, and mentorship to support development of the Eventing Pathway.
The Eventing Performance Advisory Team (PAT) reviewed applications from riders who have completed a Minimum Eligibility Requirement at a CCI 3-star Long or have been talent-spotted.
Others on the list whose names may be familiar are Cornelia Dorr of Massachusetts and Kaylawna Smith-Cook, daughter of 5-star eventer Tamie Smith.
The rest of the group includes:Charlotte Babbitt (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.); Alexandra Baugh (Lexington, Ky.); Amanda Beale Clement (Phoenixville, Pa.); Mia Braundel (Clayton, N.C.);Sophie Click (Snoqualmie, Wash.);Katherine Delaney (Rockville, Va.);Mia Farley (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.); Colin Gaffney (Akron, Ohio); Alexa Gartenberg (Gladwynne, Pa.);Savannah Gwin* (San Clemente, Calif.); Mallory Hogan (Belvedere, Calif.);Sophie Hulme (Portola Vally, Calif.);Gabrielle Hutchison (Cleveland, N.C.);Katie Lichten (South Hamilton, Mass.);Benjamin Noonan (Ballwin, Missouri);Meg Pellegrini (Wayne, Pa.);Alyssa Phillips (Fort Worth, Tex.);Danielle Poulsen (Newark, Del.);Sydney Solomon (Dayton, Md.); Megan Sykes (Midland, Tex.);Madison Temkin (Sebastopol, Calif.)
