by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 8, 2026
As the Winter Equestrian Festival officially got under way this week, it was an opportunity to look at what lies ahead through the end of March at the Wellington International showgrounds in Florida.
With a re-do over the last year, the facility has been spruced up, complete with a covered arena, a grass field, new footing, renovated FEI stables, dust reduction and many other improvements. It’s all been done under the watchful eye of Murray Kessler, Wellington International’s CEO.
Speaking Wednesday at a press conference to kick off the 12 weeks that are the heart of the season (last week’s show was simply a preview), Murray was very much about the big picture in terms of how things are progressing under new ownership (that for the most part still has the same players as a previous ownership).
He remembered when staging one $500,000 grand prix during the season was a big deal for 15 years or so. Now there are three $500,000 grands prix and a $1 million grand prix to wrap up with the Rolex Finale, which also serves as the USEF Open.
The abundance of prize money has attracted seven of the world’s top 10-ranked jumpers (Qatar is running a rich circuit at the same time that got a few of the others, such as world number two Scott Brash of Great Britain).
Fans turn out by the thousands for WEF grands prix to cheer on favorites such as McLain Ward.
WEF is “elevating the sport,” said Murray, who notes that even beyond show jumping the festival is improving conditions for every discipline, including hunters and equitation, as well as dressage and para dressage.
This year, the dressage components are still over at the Global showgrounds a short distance from the main facility, though there is hope they will be at the main showgrounds in 2027.
The presentation of the grand prix jumping features has been jazzed up with laser light shows and videos that command attention.
“It’s like going to Madison Square Garden,” Murray suggested.
An estimated 6,000 people are regulars at the Saturday Night Lights grands prix, but the 2025 finale (which offered $750,000 in prize money) drew 10,000 fans. Last year, WEF (not including dressage) was the number one sporting event in all of South Florida, with an economic impact of $536 million.
But its unique character doesn’t stop there.
“What makes Wellington different from any other facility in the world is that this is where people live,” said Murray, referring to the many equestrians who call the village home for five or six months of the year.
“We like to talk about (how) other horse shows are where champions meet (Devon’s motto), maybe 200 or 300 riders meet for five days. At Wellington, it’s where champions are made,” he continued, citing his daughter, Reed, who started in short stirrup at WEF and wound up at the Olympics, or Lillie Keenan, who also began in the short stirrup division and now is a pillar of the U.S. show jumping team.
Others who have built their careers at WEF include Liza Boyd, a top hunter rider who has been competing there since she was a kid.
“It really feels like home. We’re really lucky to be here and be a part of the family,” said Liza, who won the World Champion Hunter Rider Hunter Spectacular at the show last year. It’s an important class for moving forward into the rest of the year.
“I feel like we leave here with well-trained, exposed horses,” she said.
Thomas Bauer, who runs the dressage competition, is excited about week seven, when Germany’s Isabell Werth returns to compete at Global, something she hasn’t done since 2010.
He noted improvements include shade over the bleachers and an FEI lounge. They add luster to a venue where the highlights are the Friday Night Stars musical freestyles that offer a perspective on dressage for spectators new to the discipline, while drawing those who already are devotees of dancing horses.
Ben Ebeling, winner of the first USEF Open of dressage last year, said he is “so thankful for everything Wellington has given me and helped develop me into a nice rider and somebody who is fortunate enough to be able to be put in a position to win these championships.”
Thomas Bauer, Ben Ebeling, Liza Boyd, Murray Kessler
Like many of those competing in Wellington, Ben is aiming to qualify for the FEI World Cup Finals in Ft. Worth during April. A hopeful on the show jumping side is Laura Kraut, the top-ranked female show jumper in the world.
She’s pointing Tres Bien toward the World Cup, starting him up a little early to “get him organized” for a Cup bid.
“I’ve probably been coming to WEF longer than anyone,” said Laura, who first rode there in 1976 and remembers when Pierson Road, which runs between the venues, was dirt and dead-ended at South Shore.
Laura Kraut, the world’s top-ranked female show jumper, has been a WEF competitor for decades.
“I’ve really seen the evolution of it,” she said of WEF.
“It’s crucial in preparing and trying to have our horses up to the level that we need for international competition, she continued, contending that a lot of the U.S. Equestrian Team’s stellar show jumping record is due to the show’s “great jumps, great course designers and now, a lot of prize money.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 29, 2025
After five years, the Maryland 5-star three-day event at Fair Hill established itself as a well-respected fixture, attracting a healthy entry for its accompanying 3-star division, as well as good crowds for cross-country day tailgating and the show jumping finale, in addition to other competitions and activities.
But the number of horses competing in the featured 5-star itself has been lighter in its recent editions, down to 22 entries last October. While it brought in 32,000 spectators in 2025 and gained $18 million for the state’s economy, the event was projected at one time to have an impact of $30 million and 80,000 spectators..
The 2025 winner Felix Vogg, with Monica Spencer, runner-up, and Boyd Martin, third. (Photo © 2025 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Michael Frenz, executive director of the Maryland Stadium authority said initially of the Maryland 5 Star, “all involved are committed to maintaining the tradition and legacy of this important event.” But he did not reply when asked if that meant the 5-star would continue. He also did not respond to questions about the departures of Hasseltine and Newman, saying that was a personnel matter. The Sports and Entertainmen Corp. of Maryland, which ran the 5-star, now has no employees.
David O’Connor, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s chief of sport, said last month he was “blindsided” by word that Hasseltine and Newman were gone.
“We don’t understand what happened, why everybody’s left. We’ve not been party to the conversations or given any heads up,” said O’Connor, the USA’s only Olympic eventing individual gold medalist (Sydney/2000).
“We’ll be calling there trying to figure out whether they are looking to continue. That would be a big question for the sport and for us. As of now, we don’t know if that’s their intention or they’re just replacing the staff,” O’Connor continued.
The 5-star is the discipline’s ultimate test, but “The number of 5-star horses has gone down kind of around the world,” O’Connor noted. Although Great Britain’s famed Badminton 5-star fielded 82 starters last spring, it no longer had a waiting list. And the USA’s other 5-star, Defender Kentucky, had just 34 starters.
“Is it great to have another 5-star? Absolutely,” O’Connor said.
“But we have to look at what’s happening worldwide.”
Caroline Pamukcu, who finished fourth in the Fair Hill 5-star with her 2024 Olympic horse, HSH Blake (and eleventh with HSH Tolan King), is a “huge fan”of the (Maryland) event. She explained, “We’re so lucky to have two 5-stars in the country. I love the event. I hope we will continue to have two 5-stars.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake in the 5-star.
“I think the 5-star is a really important part of our sport. Going 5-star really helps prep me and my horses for big championships”
Is the schedule too crowded? Pamukcu doesn’t believe that’s the case.
“When you do the schedule, you do whatever suits your horses. If you think the U.S. Open is better for you and your horse, you can do that. But then the great thing about our country is you can also pick a 5-star, if you think that would suit you and your horse. You pick and choose what’s best for you and best for your horse. That’s horsemanship.”
Maryland has attracted top riders from Europe over the years, including Oliver Townend, Harry Meade (now ranked world number one) and this year, Switzerland’s Felix Vogg, the winner on Cartania, who came to the competition with the help of a travel grant.
The 2025 MARS Maryland winner Felix Vogg on Cartania over the giant crab that has become a symbol of the event. (Photo © 2025 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
O’Connor called the Maryland fixture “a great weekend of eventing, with all of the things they have there. The 5-star is only one piece of it. You would hope it would be worthwhile for them to continue to run it. But I have no idea what their thinking is.”
Hasseltine told me at this year’s event that he was looking for a calendar adjustment for the 5-star after wondering, “How do we get back to having 40-plus 5-star (entries)?
There were 45 entries at the first Maryland 5-Star in 2021, but that was a different time, following the Covid shutdown, when the idea of participating in a brand new event was intriguing.
Hasseltine said he was seeking “serious conversations” with the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the FEI (international equestrian federation) “about logistics leading up to our event. Are we on the right calendar environment, are we sitting in the perfect space to make sure we can have bigger fields or grow our competition level?”
The USEF scheduled its first U.S. Open of eventing, a 4-star, at Morven Park in Virginia right before Fair Hill. And the week after the 5-star, there was another in Pau, France, that attracted top European talent. The juxtaposition of the events obviously concerned Hasseltine.
Joanie Morris, the competition manager for Fair Hill, last fall was announced as the CEO of the Aiken Horse Park Foundation in South Carolina. Her departure had nothing to do with the other changes involving the 5-star.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 11, 2026
John Layton has been named the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s 2025 USEF Combined Driving Volunteer of the Year award, something well-deserved for the amount of time he gives to the sport.
He is president of the Gladstone Equestrian Association Gladstone Driving, and trains young drivers at his Tailspin Farm in Juliustown, part of Springfield, Burlington County, N.J.
John Layton in action; he competes when not volunteering. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
John was honored for his generosity and commitment to the discipline, according to USEF.
“His dedication has been instrumental in promoting the sport for youth drivers and the continued development of the sport in the Northeast,” the award announcement stated.
“I was kind of surprised,” said John, noting “it’s a nice award, I was happy to get it.”
He has been instrumental in giving combined driving a lift, particularly in the Northeast. One of the ideas that boosted improvement was the driving derby series he conceived. Derbies were held in five different locations last year.
He presented one at the Horse Park of New Jersey, one at Gladstone and one at the Delaware-based DelMarva driving club, (the Mar stands for Maryland, the Va for Virginia). Brandywine Valley Driving Club in Pennsylvania also staged one, and another was held at My Lady’s Manor in Maryland.
John said the derbies brought seven new people into the combined driving ranks. For what is a relatively small sport in the U.S., that constitutes a significant number.
“I think in the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, it’s growing,” said John about combined driving.
That area, once a vibrant driving region, lost drivers who moved south or passed away. Driving also is not an inexpensive discipline. But the derbies make it more affordable, in terms of money and time.
“How do you know if you like it (combined driving) until you try something small?” he asked.
“The derby is cheap, it’s fun, it’s easy access, it’s entry level — coming in where you do the cones and the obstacles together. if you want to be there for a half-hour you can leave. You’re not stuck there.”
It’s held on a cross-country course. John explained a driver goes through Cones 1 through 5, then takes on obstacle one. Next are Cones 6 though 10, with obstacle two after that.
“Then Cones 11 through 15 and then the finish. that’s your run,” John explained.
“You get two runs; the fastest score wins.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 9, 2026
He did it again. Christian Simonson earned his second Personal Best score of the week at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, taking Friday night’s World Cup freestyle qualifier with a total of 81.445 percent on the steady Indian Rock.
Christian Simonson enjoyed yet another personal best at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
Their performance to themes from the Rocky movies (Rocky is the stallion’s nickname for obvious reasons) wowed a packed house in Wellington, Fla., with spectators giving him a score of 83.213 percent. The victory means Christian has earned one of the three North American berths for the FEI World Cup Final to be held in Ft. Worth, Texas, during April.
Christian, 23, had a personal best of 76.043 percent in Thursday’s Grand Prix. He is coached by Olympic veteran Adrienne Lyle under the banner of Zen Elite Equestrian, which owns Rocky. The horse was ridden in the Paris Olympics for the Dutch team by Emmelie Scholtens before Christian took over the reins with incredible success.
His freestyle’s degree of difficulty was rated more than 9 by all five judges, and he earned many other 9s for choreography, music, sublime renderings of passage, two-time change and the right pirouette. After his final halt, he seemed both overwhelmed and overjoyed, putting his hands over his eyes as the glory of the moment struck him.
Christian Simonson has an emotional moment after his marvelous Grand Prix Freestyle.
“It was a really emotional day for so many different reasons,” Christian said.
“Being in Florida, I always watched Friday Night Lights and hoped one day i would get to do that,” he commented about his debut with Rocky in the arena under those lights.
“That was one part of today. Another part was the gratitude to be able to ride such an amazing horse. That in itself made me so emotional. And the other part was just thinking of Adrienne and our team and so much support. I felt so much gratitude and love for everyone. i just felt like the luckiest person ever.”
As for Rocky, Christian said, “He is the most special, special guy. i don’t have enough words to say how much gratitude I have for him.”
Californian Genay Vaughn, who rode in the World Cup Finals last year with Gino, finished second on that mount with a score of 75.790 percent. Ashley Holzer aboard Hawtins Floriano was third with 75.010 percent.
Click here for Freestyle results
In the Grand Prix Special Saturday, Marcus Orlob and his 2024 Olympic mount, Jane, seemed to have tamed her tendency to spook and delivered a smooth test marked at 74.681 percent. He also won the Grand Prix for the Special last week.
Marcus Orlob and Jane. ( Photo ©Centre Line Media)
Describing his ride, Marcus said, “On the first [extended trot] diagonal, she had her ears up and I said ‘Go!’ and then I thought, ‘Whoa, this is way too much engine.’ But she settled nicely.” He rides the mare for her owner, Alice Tarjan, and has training help from Christine Traurig, the chef d’equipe of the US Dressage Team.
“Unfortunately, we had a little bobble in the ones (one tempi changes),” he said, referring to the mishap that brought him marks of 5 across the board.
“But then the other ones on the center line were good. I’m happy for the horse to have a drama free test and hopefully it continues that way. I try to keep things really busy for her, and it’s slowly paying off. We don’t have a magic weapon, it’s just time, consistency and giving the horse trust.”
Click here for Special results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 3, 2026
Diane Crump, the first woman to ride professionally as a jockey in U.S. pari-mutuel races, succumbed to brain cancer Jan. 1. She was 77.
Six jockeys protested and refused to ride in her 1969 racing debut, where she was protected by security guards. But she persisted.
Another of her “firsts” was being the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby in 1970, a year after her debut at the track. She finished fifteenth of 17 on Fathom, but a precedent was set. However, another woman did not ride in the derby until 14 years later. Diane would win 228 races before retiring at age 50 in 1998. The jockey went on to a new career buying and selling horses in Virginia.
Following her groundbreaking lead at the track were women who went on to great achievements as jockeys. They included Julie Krone, Rosie Napravnik and Donna Barton Brothers.
Speaking to the Thoroughbred Daily News a few years ago, Diane reflected, ” I think I rode a good race and I had the potential to be a really good rider. I never got to show it because I was never put on a top horse. I won races on horses that paid $100, horses that were 99-1. I beat top riders coming down to the wire. You need to ride a certain amount of horses to get proficient at it. It took longer for me because of how few horses I got to ride. That my biggest disappointment.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 2, 2026
The long-running legal drama connected with dressage trainer Michael Barisone continues, nearly four years after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity on an attempted second-degree murder charge involving the 2019 shooting of a tenant at his farm.
Last week, he decided to appeal a decision by the U.S. Center for SafeSport that would make him permanently ineligible to be on the grounds of U.S. Equestrian Federation licensed, endorsed or sponsored competitions. It supercedes what was previously a temporary suspension. SafeSport stated the reasons for the new sanction as “sexual harassment; emotional misconduct and violation of national governing body policies/bylaws.”
However, SafeSport’s notice of the penalty stated it was not final and subject to appeal.
Meanwhile, a November lawsuit which amended a previous complaint filed by Barisone’s lawyer, Steven Tarshis, against the U.S. Equestrian Federation contended USEF had failed in its duty to Barisone by not taking action against Kanarek when he informed the organization that she was threatening him. The lawsuit also includes information about three women, one of whom was not a USEF member, who got harassing messages from Kanarek. The lawsuit stated no investigation was undertaken by the Federation when the women reported Kanarek’s actions.
That “clearly violates USEF’s Governing Documents, including published rules and member protection standards,” Barisone alleged in his lawsuit.
“USEF failed to take appropriate action, initiate required procedures, or enforce its disciplinary mechanisms, thereby breaching its obligations to protect the Claimants (the three women) and the Plaintiff, and maintain a safe and ethical equestrian environment.”
The lawsuit contends “the inescapable fact is that had the USEF met its legal obligation under the SafeSport Act and/or its Governing Documents, the only reasonable conclusion one could reach is that Kanarek’s Temporary Suspension would have summarily been imposed upon her by the USEF and an investigation would have commenced leading to the wealth of irrefutable evidence of her habitual violation of the SafeSport Code of Conduct and the Governing Documents of the USEF which, without a doubt, would have led to a more permanent sanction or lifetime ban imposed upon her in 2018, or at the latest, early 2019.
“Such sanctions would have become public knowledge and would have prohibited, under the SafeSport Code, other USEF members, and professionals, including the Plaintiff, from engaging in any professional equestrian activities with Kanarek, including her training.”
But in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, USEF termed it, “the latest chapter in the on-going, ill-fated saga by which Plaintiff Michael Barisone seeks to hold others accountable for his attempted murder of Lauren Kanarek.”
USEF cited previous suits by Barisone against “more than one dozen disparate individuals and entities” including Kanarek and her immediate family.
A psychiatrist testified during Barisone’s 2022 trial that Barisone felt threated by Kanarek and her boyfriend, fearing he would be killed and wanting to defend himself. When Kanarek, who was also a student at Barisone’s farm in Long Valley, N.J., was asked during the trial whether she was bent on destroying him, she answered, “at some point, yes.”
The Federation termed as “pure speculation” Barisone’s contention “that the USEF’s alleged failure to refer earlier complaints about Ms. Kanarek to the U.S. Center for SafeSport would, ‘without a doubt,’ have resulted in the imposition of sanctions upon, or a lifetime ban against, Ms. Kanarek that, in turn, would have required Plaintiff to terminate his relationship with her before it reached its boiling point and he shot her.”
The USEF contended that “Because there is simply no ‘connective tissue’ between the USEF’s alleged responsibility to suspend and/or report Ms. Kanarek to the U.S. Center for SafeSport (a responsibility which did not exist) and Mr. Barisone’s decision to shoot Ms. Kanarek, this action should be swiftly dismissed with prejudice, and allowed to take its place alongside the numerous other legal challenges Plaintiff has desperately filed arising from his shooting of Ms. Kanarek.”
Tarshis, who has until Jan. 23 to file a response to the USEF motion to dismiss, noted in an interview that “the cause of the insanity seems to always be overlooked, that she drove him crazy. The campaign of terror that she wreaked upon him for well over a year that caused (him) to be insane.
“This lawsuit is very simple; under the governing documents of an NGB (national governing body of a sport), does an NGB have a responsibility to protect one of its members…(from) a known, perceived and well-documented danger that has been presented to them over and over? That is what this case is about.”
He added, “the incidents where there are confrontations between members are unfortunately not a rarity. It happens a lot. You’re telling me you as a governing body for my sport doesn’t have an obligation to protect me? Where do I go, if not to you?”
