by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 16, 2026
Following a multi-day binding arbitration before an independent and neutral arbitrator, veterinarian Dr. Chris Newton was found to have fully prevailed against charges made against him by the US Center for SafeSport, according to a release from the law firm of Sparrow & Fairchild.
“As a result, the decision previously issued by the US Center for SafeSport was vacated, and the arbitrator determined that Dr. Newton can participate fully in all aspects of equestrian sport in the Olympic and Paralympic movement. All restrictions imposed upon him by the US Center for SafeSport have been lifted with immediate effect.
“In reaching this decision, the arbitrator noted that there had been a complete failure of proof, and specifically found that the claimant who made the accusations against Dr. Newton was not credible. The arbitrator also noted that the US Center for SafeSport withheld evidence, which impeded a full and fair adjudication of the matter until the US Center for SafeSport was ordered to disclose this withheld evidence shortly before the start of the arbitration hearing.”
Newton, who was suspended last June, has served as the team veterinarian for the North American Junior Young Rider Championships and as the treating veterinarian for the Kentucky Three-Day Event. He also competes in eventing.
Responding to the decision, Newton stated:
“Throughout this long and difficult process, I have maintained my belief that the truth would eventually come out, and that a just decision would be reached My faith in the process was tested by the campaign against me, which the arbitrator described as an attempt to defame me. But in the end, the truth prevailed, even if it took much longer than I wish it had. I would like to thank my lawyers who have stood with me and believed in me from the beginning. I have missed attending, working at and participating in equestrian sport, and I look forward to returning as soon as possible.”
Dr. Newton was jointly represented by Howard Jacobs and Roland Wiley from the Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs (Westlake Village, CA); and Lee Fairchild from Sparrow & Fairchild (Ocala, FL).
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 17, 2026
La Biosthetique Sam FBW, the only eventing horse to claim the Olympic, world championship and European gold eventing titles in the same time frame, has died at the age of 25.
Michael Jung and Sam on their way to gold at the 2010 world championships. (Photo © 2010 by Nancy Jaffer)
He and Germany’s Michael Jung, his equally great rider, became a match early in this century and continued as a magnificent combination until Sam’s retirement in 2018. Sired by Stan the Man, an Irish thoroughbred, and out of a mare named Halla, Sam was rejected by a stallion licensing committee because he lacked quality.
The committee observed, “He is nondescript, his head is too big, he has no presence and a funny jumping technique.” Shows how much they knew.
But that conclusion made him a $10,000 bargain for Sabina Kreuter, who paired him with Jung, a promising rider on the way to becoming an international star. The horse eventually was purchased by the German equestrian federation, the Jungs and a friend of that family, insuring after a brief period of uncertainty that Michael would keep the ride.
Michael Jung and Sam were golden at the 2012 London Olympics. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
Sam and his partner started winning with the world championships for six-year-olds, then went on to gold at the 2010 world championships, the 2011 European championships and the 2012 Olympics. He won Burghley in 2015. Then a victory at Badminton in 2016 gave him the elusive Rolex Grand Slam in a year when he took another Olympic gold.
The Badem-Wurttemberg gelding was buried on the German farm where he spent his retirement.
“We reached every milestone side by side, and for years I found daily happiness in seeing you grazing in the field,” Jung said of his legendary mount.
“Thank you for 20 years together. You will be deeply missed by all of us. Rest in peace, my friend.”
This was a horse for the ages, fluent in every phase of eventing, a joy to watch. He wasn’t flashy, but knew how to get the job done correctly and with stye.
Jung said it all when he declared about Sam, “He is a special personality and a very good friend to me. I think no horse is better than him.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 16, 2026
I was saddened to hear that actor Robert Duvall died over the weekend at the age of 95, after earning fame for roles in such beloved movies as “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Godfather,” “Tender Mercies” and “The Great Santini.”
But his favorite, as he told me when I interviewed him at the Hampton Classic in 2009, was playing the part of Augustus McRae in the TV mini-series “Lonesome Dove.”
Robert Duvall at the Hampton Classic (Photo © 2009 by Nancy Jaffer)
The actor wasn’t thrilled when I asked for an interview, but after learning I was involved with horses, he was happy to talk and we had a great chat. It was a special opportunity I will never forget.
Although he learned to ride on his uncle’s ranch in Montana, he preferred an English saddle to cowboy tack.
“A western saddle is a working saddle,” he explained, saying he finds the English version more comfortable. When we talked, he was 78 years old and still riding, as long as he was aboard “a bomb-proof horse.” At the time, he owned a quarter horse, an old thoroughbred and an Andalusian/Arab/thoroughbred 4-year-old that wasn’t an ideal mount for his stage in life.
“He’s a little iffy,” explained the actor, who was bucked off during the filming of “Lonesome Dove” and wasn’t ready for a re-run of that incident. For his 2006 TV movie, “Broken Trail,” he prepared by practicing riding a year in advance. He borrowed his mount, Wrangler, from Canadian rodeo champion Tom Bews.
“He’s the best horse I’ve ever been on in my life; he was just so well schooled,” said Duvall, who knows how to appreciate such things.
He then launched into a story about how he got into riding shape for another movie at a farm owned by former show jumping star, horse dealer and trainer Rodney Jenkins.
“What does a horse like this cost?” the actor asked Rodney after a successful ride. The answer was $30,000.
The actor mused (probably correctly), ” I think he was hustling me to buy that horse.”
Questioned about the show jumpers he admired most, he mentioned Ben O’Meara, remembering a photo he’d seen of him jumping a horse over a table where three men were seated drinking beer. O’Meara died in a 1966 plane crash, but Duvall observes a similar style in Olympic team gold medalist McLain Ward. Duvall said his favorite rider was Aaron Vale, maintaining “he’s got a lot of feel” on a horse.”
Years later Aaron went on to become part of the U.S. team, so it’s obvious Duvall knew what he was talking about when he assessed talent.
Of the top riders, he said, “What they do is amazing. They’re tremendously talented and the horses are like freaks.”
Although he played a show jumper in a movie, “Something to Talk About,” he had no illusions about his skill in the sport.
“I’ve competed only in local level mini-prixs,” said Duvall, who had a farm in Virginia and said Upperville was his local horse show.
“You have to spend your life doing this, you have to commit to it at this level. This is just not something you do as a hobby.”
I can imagine him sharing stories with Ben O’Meara and Rodney in heaven before saddling up and enjoying a long ride. Like them, he was one of a kind.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 15, 2026
World Championship Hunter Rider Week at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., was highlighted with a victory by Victoria Colvin and Dicoblue PS in the $150,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular.
That combination, which won the USHJA International Hunter Derby last summer, added another laurel to their collection by leading all the way through the two-round competition.
Tori Colvin and Dicoblue PS. (Photo ©Sportfot)
Tori and the 11-year-old son of Diarado’s Boy posted a 94.666 score in the first round and topped it with a 97 in the handy segment. One of the judging panels gave the entry a perfect score of 100. The winning average was 95.83 over courses designed by Meghan Rawlins.
Of her mount, owned by Stephanie and John Ingram, Tori said, “He is the best. He has not been fazed by anything. I was confident that he was going to be good, but you also never know. He walked in and was fantastic. I couldn’t have asked him to do anything better.”
Twelve from a 30-horse field at 3’6”, 3’9” and 4’ jump heights returned for the handy round.
“The Handy was the most fun for me,” said Tori, a resident of Loxahatchee, Fla.
“The course designer gave us many options, especially at the split-rail complex. You could jump the hay bales or the stick jumps either way. I jumped it straight, which most people did,” said Tori, who has won the Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular six times previously, but not since 2020.
Laena Romond of Brookfield, Conn., riding Oslo, owned by Lexi Maounis took second on scores of 90.16 and 92.33 for a 91.24 average. Rounding out the top three, Scott Stewart of Wellington finished on an 89.41 after scores of 87.83 and 91 were averaged for Cadet, owned by Stephanie Danhakl.
When asked about her mental game during big weeks like WCHR at WEF, Tori responded, “I never really get super nervous. I go into the ring and know the horse is going to do his best, and I’m going to try and do my best. I try not to put too much pressure on us.”
While making waves in the professional division with Colvin, Dicoblue PS also carried his owner, John Ingram, in the amateur-owner ranks.
Tori mentioned the significance of WCHR Week at WEF. saying, “This whole season, we’ve been gearing up for this week so that all the horses are prepared and ready. It’s exciting to see some new faces from Ocala and other places coming down for this. It’s very competitive and fun. I look forward to it every year.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 3, 2026
The future of October’s Maryland 5-star eventing competition became even more of a question mark this week, after the state Division of Legislative Services discussed 2027 budget proposals before the state Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
To insure that “new grants are not crowded out by large ongoing grants,” the department recommended that grants for the 5-star should be deleted for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
In November, it was projected that the state could have nearly a $1.5 billion shortfall for fiscal 2027. Maryland’s numerous financial issues include work involved with Pimlico and Laurel racetracks. The lottery fund backing stadium authority bonds is approaching its debt limit, and there is concern that the rebuild of Pimlico could push it over the line.
Asked what the U.S. Equestrian Federation is doing in regard to the 5-star, Chief of Sport David O’Connor said, “We are in conversations with them,” but noted news of the proposed funding slash “just came out.”
Maryland Sports Authority Chairman Craig Thompson has said “the plan is to move forward in October” with the 5-star. However, neither he nor MSA Executive Director Michael Frenz, who is retiring in April, have responded to requests for interviews. There has been no information about who could organize the 2026 5-star,, who would be on their team and where the money would come from to fund it.
The five-year-old Maryland 5-Star had received approximately $3 million annually from the state. This event also got money for capital improvements on state-owned Fair Hill property.
It also was recommended that funds for the 5-star be reduced by $1.75 million, with this explanation: “This is an ongoing subsidy for an economic development event that is crowding out the Major Sports and Entertainment Event Program Fund’s resources.
“Lottery coverage ratios are close to the minimum target, which is that net lottery revenues are at least 3.0 times lottery distributions. Anticipated additional debt service required for the Racing and Community Development Financing Fund is expected to put the coverage ratio at or below the target.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 21, 2026
A rare appearance by German dressage luminary Isabell Werth at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival ended the way anyone in the know could have predicted — with a victory in the the Zen Elite Equestrian FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle with a score of 82.66 percent on Special Blend 3.
Isabell Werth and Special Blend. (Centre Line Media Photo)
Canad’s Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu, third in the Grand Prix on Thursday, finished second with a personal best aboard Jaccardo. The Desperado x Jazz gelding scored 79.25 percent. Third went to Ecuadorian rider Julio Mendoza Loor on finished third on his 2024 Paris Olympic mount, Jewel’s Goldstrike with 78.16 percent. The riders were cheered by a capacity crowd of 2,000 at the Wellington, Fla., showgrounds.
Special Blend 3, an Oldenburg recently sold to Werth’s student, Natalie Stickling-Morzynski, did not reveal his inexperience in the freestyle, dancing to a classical compilation designed for Isabell’s Olympic team gold medal-winning horse, Emilio. Special Blend, at age 11 the youngest horse in the class, was recruited for the competition only only a few days before the show after DSP Quantaz came up with a small swelling on one leg.
“This freestyle is really, really difficult and I was not sure what Special would do, because he’s not experienced in these kinds of atmospheres, but he was very focused,” said Isabell, who had fans clapping along as she went up the final centerline.
“This crowd was so supportive and started to clap, which is something special. That end to a test is a feeling I really enjoy, and it’s how you know why you’re still in the saddle in a competition,” said Isabell.
Her test offered a full piaffe pirouette after the entry halt and 22 one-time changes on a curving line between canter pirouettes. It was a masterclass in her signature fusion of extreme technical difficulty and ease of execution. Hundreds of people were filming her performance on their phones, and then showed their appreciation with a standing ovation.
“I’d like to thank the show team because it was pretty impressive here,” said the seven-time Olympian, who last competed in Wellington 15 years ago.
“I didn’t expect that it would be like this. There’s a huge improvement in the whole environment here—the horses, the riding—which is great to see. We have to make dressage more global and for sure here there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm, which I love to see and be a part of. I’m pretty sure that I’ll come back next year.”
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