A service will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 8 at St. Luke’s Church, 182 Main Street, Gladstone, for Helen Griffith Jones Gordon, a longtime supporter of the Essex Fox Hounds and the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, who died Dec. 18 in North Branford, Conn.
“She was a wonderful supporter of both groups,” said Sally Ike, a former USET employee and chairman of the Essex Fox Hounds.
“She always there when you needed help, whether clearing trails, stuffing envelopes and everything in between,” recalled Sally, who now is the managing director of licensed officials for the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
“My fondest memories are the Christmas parties for USET staff she hosted for us at her house. She will be missed.”
Helen Gordon had a great rapport with both horses and horse people.
The daughter of Helen and Frank C. Jones and sister of Frank C. Jones Jr. (all now deceased), Helen was born on March 27, 1924. She grew up in Montclair and Pine Orchard, Conn. She attended the Kimberley School in Upper Montclair and graduated from Bennett College in Millbrook, N.Y.
Helen was the great-great granddaughter of Brevet Brigadier Gen. Archibald Henderson, the longest-serving commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. She was also the great-great= granddaughter of Commodore Jacob Jones, the eleventh commander of the USS Constitution.
Formerly married to Kenneth T. Gordon while living in Essex Fells, Helen later resided in Bedminster and Southern Pines, N.C. As an avid equestrian, she was very involved in fund raising for both the USET and the Somerset Hills Handicapped Riders (now Mane Stream in Oldwick). She was a Trustee Emeritus for both the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass., and the USET Foundation.
Helen is survived by her children, Suzanne Helen Gordon of Charleston, S.C.; Pamela Gordon duPont (Benjamin duPont, husband) of Chester, Conn.; Kenneth Jones Gordon (Regina Woods Gordon, wife) of Stamford, Conn., and grandchildren Samantha Danahy Ludwig (Christopher Ludwig, husband), and Brooke Jones Danahy both of Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Ana Cazenove Gordon of New York City; Liliana Ellen Gordon and Jacob Jones Gordon of Stamford and great-grandson Cooper John Ludwig.
In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to:
United States Equestrian Team Foundation
1040 Pottersville Road
Gladstone. NJ 07934 (Designate The Gladstone Fund) or
Mane Stream
P.O. Box 305
Oldwick, NJ 08858 (Or on line at www.manestreamnj.org)
Dressage trainer Michael Barisone has been indicted in Morris County in connection with the August 7 shooting of rider Lauren Kanarek.
He was charged with two counts of attempted murder, which are crimes of the first degree, and two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, crimes of the second degree. He remains in the Morris County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail, as per the judge’s order, and no trial date has been set. Arraignment is scheduled for next month.
The shooting incident involved a scuffle between Barisone, Kanarek and her fiancé, Rob Goodwin, who were living on Barisone’s farm in Washington Township. Kanarek was hospitalized after being shot twice in the chest.
Barisone was a member of the 2008 Olympic dressage team, but did not ride in the Games because only three members of the squad competed. He coached Allison Brock on the bronze medal team at the 2016 Olympics.
Want to get involved with what the Equine Science Center has to offer? Next up, starting Jan. 21, is Carey Williams’ 14-week online equine nutrition course, which can be taken by barn managers, horse owners, trainers, feed sales reps or anyone who wants to know more about feeding their horses. To register online, go to https://ce-catalog.rutgers.edu/coursedisplay.cfm?schID=78458. For information, call 848-932-9271.
On Feb. 9, the Center’s annual in-person horse management seminar in New Brunswick will focus on race horse/sport horse care and rehabilitation.
Kevin’s wife, Dianna, has written that Kevin used a headset on Friday to give a Iesson in Wellington, but she noted that it is not full speed ahead at the moment. This is a gradual process.
“I am carefully reintroducing him to the life he loves,” she explained.
“It is essential to his well-being, mentally and physically. What is good for the soul is good for the body. We as a team are attacking this from all angles to provide him the best recovery possible…We are seeking clinical trials, Eastern alternative therapies, we are trying to leave no stone unturned.
“The return to teaching and coaching is part of what is the best for him. He gets tired and needs rest after, but we are building stamina as we navigate whatever is out there to help this spinal cord injury.
“He is not `back to work’ on a level that is productive but he remains vested in helping riders to whatever his energy will allow.He is the guide to what his limitations are. He looks so happy training and around his friends at the show. I know it was the right thing at the right time. Further, we have a core team of family, doctors, caregivers and friends, but his team is truly made up of all of you who continue to pray, send good wishes, stop to chat to him, donate to support him, and simply keep him in your thoughts with positivity.
“Please keep that energy. He has some return of function in his right arm and we are optimistic that something is starting on the left side now. I truly believe that he is carried by a wave of positive energy. What he is living with is so difficult, but everyone who gathers for him makes it a little bit brighter. We are so happy to be in Florida around the best of people. You have no idea how much we as a family are grateful for what has been sent our way. Just thank you and please keep praying.”
Meanwhile, the Kevin Babington Foundation has set up a Facebook page to update people on the injured show jumper and his progress, share information regarding fund raising and to keep everyone current on what is needed for Kevin as he continues on his journey towards rehabilitation in the wake of his accident that left him with a critical spinal cord injury. To access the page, Here is the link
Some big-time eventers are on hand at the U.S. Eventing Association’s annual meeting in Boston this week. There’s lots going on, but Olympic veterans Phillip Dutton and Boyd Martin found time to drop by Trafalgar Square Books’ booth in the trade fair to autograph Riding for the Team, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s new book.
The two even did a little promo video for the book, which tells the inspiring stories of medalists from eight equestrian disicplines. The athletes tell how they got their start, what hurdles they had to overcome (even if they aren’t involved with jumpers!) and document what it took to get to the top.
Fear of temperatures that could go higher than 100 degrees is prompting some schedule reshuffling of the Tokyo Olympics, with just seven months to go until the Games get under way.
It’s odd, when you consider that the summers in Tokyo are typically very hot and humid, so the International Olympic Committee knew what it was facing in 2013 when it awarded the Games to the city for dates in July and August. That was six years ago–why are they waiting until practically the last minute to make changes, especially since more than 50 people died in the city last summer due to high temperatures?
When I went to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, which is in the same part of the world, the Games were in September and October, when it is much cooler. But of course, the fall is prime time for football and the World Series on TV, and TV is the big player in the Olympics.
One of the competitions that will be affected is the three-day eventing cross-country, which will have to start between 7:30 and 8 a.m. in order to finish by 11 a.m., because after that time, heat could rise to a level that is dangerous for the horses. Despite provisions for misting sprays and cooling tents, horses can’t avoid stress from the conditions. And with delays usual due to falls and other mishaps on cross-country, the last rider may go past the finish line later than the optimum ETA.
In other sports affected by the heat, the marathons already have been moved to Sapporo, about 500 miles north of Tokyo. The men’s and women’s triathlon races at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo were moved up and will start at 6:30 a.m., an hour earlier than initially planned.
The FEI (international equestrian federation) undertook a study to collect data on how the horses did in the heat and humidity during last July’s Olympic test event, and a change in time zones as well as the stress of travel was also taken into account.
“High level equestrian competitions are increasingly taking place in parts of the world where the climate poses health challenges for both humans and horses,” FEI veterinary director Göran Akerström said.
“The study plays a crucial role in guiding Tokyo 2020 and other Organizing Committees on appropriate facilities and support, and will be used to advise and guide athletes and National Federations on the preparation of their horses in the build-up to and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
