by Nancy Jaffer | May 19, 2025
Centenary University’s Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association team did it again.
For 35 years, the team has won the organization’s High Point Hunt Seat Equestrian Championship, which is determined by the total number of points teams accumulated throughout the season. The record had largely gone unnoticed until equestrian historian Steve Maxwell contacted team coach Michael Dowling last month.“Steve is very familiar with our team and our program,” said Michael, who co-coaches the University’s IHSA team with Heather Clark.
“He reached out to share his research showing that we had won the championship for 35 consecutive years, and how very impressed he is with our team and our program. Steve knows his stuff — he attends zones and nationals almost every year — and his data is very accurate.”
The IHSA team competes in approximately eight horse shows per season to accrue points for the Highpoint Hunt Seat team score, while riders also earn points to advance individually to zones and nationals. This year, Centenary was the Zone 3 champion, with Caroline Mancini winning USHJA/High-Point Hunter Seat Rider. The team took third at IHSA National Championships May 2-4 at Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina, placing behind Purdue University and Sacred Heart University.
“What makes this special is that Purdue and Sacred Heart are both D1 schools with significant resources,” noted Centenary President Dr. Dale Caldwell.
“Incredibly, small D3 Centenary beat national athletic powerhouses Stanford University and the University of Southern California. This is a testament to the dedication of Centenary’s riders, coaches, and equestrian faculty. Their hard work has made Centenary one of the nation’s best competitive and academic equestrian programs in the nation.”
In addition to the IHSA team, Centenary hosts an International Dressage Association squad, and just completed the inaugural season of a new NCEA team, which competes through the NCAA. In addition, the University’s Equine Studies Department offers academic major, minor, and certificate programs that involve students in daily operations at the Centenary University Equestrian Center in Long Valley.
“At a larger university, students may have a riding lesson a couple of times a week,” Michael said. “But at Centenary, our students spend most of their downtime at the Equestrian Center, helping to care for and rehab the horses. Here, they become comfortable riding unfamiliar horses — which they often must do in competition — so they’re very prepared. Our students also have a lot of exposure to additional riding opportunities and trainers that may not be available at other universities.”
Heather Clark cited the professional experience of the University’s faculty and coaches as a contributing factor to the program’s extraordinary long-term success: “We’re all very invested in cultivating our students and helping them to reach their goals. Professionally, we’re active members of the equine field. For instance, Michael and I both have our own training facilities and our resident veterinarian, Jesslyn Bryk-Lucy, DVM, has her own practice. Other faculty are stewards and judges. We have such deep faculty expertise and are all committed to developing Centenary riders, competitively and academically.”
“Cultivating young professionals is really what Centenary is all about,” agreed Kelly Munz, chair of the Equine Studies Department, noting that undergraduates routinely encounter between 20 and 30 working alumni at horse shows around the country.
“While we welcome successful junior riders, we’re just as interested in developing the talents and passions of riders of all abilities. When we traveled to nationals in May, we transported between 14 and 18 of our horses to the competition. It’s a major effort that will provide amazing professional experience, not just for our competing riders, but also for those students who will be caring for and schooling the horses. This is very much a team effort.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 21, 2025
Olympic dressage and World Championships team medalist Steffen Peters is offering a two-day clinic June 7 and 8 at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.
Auditors can enjoy the rare opportunity to learn from the former World Cup champion for a fee of $60 per day. One of the USA’s most decorated competitors and a mainstay of its team for nearly three decades, Steffen is known for his supportive teaching style as he offers instruction on the ways for horse and rider to improve their performance.
Steffen Peters at the FEI Dressage World Cup Finals in 2023. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lidiya Frumova, who is organizing the sessions, noted that Steffen does only a few audited clinics annually. So the amateur trainer noted proudly how happy she is that he agreed to come from the other side of the country for the occasion.
There is a waiting list for participants, who are eager to ride in front of Steffen. However, as Lidiya noted, just being able to audit the clinic with the California-based rider is a valuable learning opportunity. Steffen will work for an hour with each rider, who range from First Level to Grand Prix.
Vendors will be on site with wares including boots, saddles and apparel.
To register, contact Lidiya at frumoval@gmail.com
by Nancy Jaffer | May 9, 2025
Mane Stream, which offers a diverse program of equine-assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives, is seeking volunteers age 14 and older. The non-profit in Oldwick, N.J, has a mission to improve the quality of life for those with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges.
It is a Premier Accredited Center of PATH, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, which provides education, accreditation and resources for the equine-assisted activities industry.
Mane Stream Volunteers Charli Auerbach of Bedminster, Shannon Santoro of Califon and Jarret Hansen of Randolph assist a happy camper riding Joey.
Volunteers are needed to groom and tack the horses and assist riders and therapy clients every weekday morning and afternoon, as well as Saturday mornings. Prior experience with horses is not necessary, This is a nice addition to a college resume, high school service requirement, or a rewarding activity for the newly retired.
One-hour online orientations are held every other week at 3:30 p.m. After that, new volunteers will be scheduled for hands-on training to ensure the safety of all participants. The orientation provides an overview of the programs and will explain the responsibilities of a Mane Stream volunteer. The hands-on training will involve grooming as well as tacking up for both adaptive riding and therapy, which are very different.
Register at the website www.manestreamnj.org, or call volunteer coordinator Emily De Jong at (908) 439-9636
by Nancy Jaffer | May 16, 2025
A free online webcast on equine endocrine disease will be offered at 8 p.m. May 19. Those who register can also take advantage of a link to a recorded version of the presentation at a later date. The seminar is presented by Kentucky Performance Products and The Horse.
This webcast will the most current information on causes, diagnosis, and treatment of the common equine endocrine diseases: equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), insulin dysregulation (ID), and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, formerly equine Cushing’s disease).
Discussed will be dynamic testing (TRH stim and oral sugar test) compared with taking fasting baseline blood samples for diagnosis. There also will be information on how endocrine diseases affect many body systems beyond laminitis. Systems affected include the musculoskeletal system (suspensory disease, osteochondrosis, osteoarthritis, and laminitis, for example), reproductive, respiratory, and cardiovascular. The webinar will examine current treatments, including supplements, medications, shoeing, icing and others.
Click here to register.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 11, 2025
What do you call a horse who has never toppled a rail in the show jumping phase of eventing?
You call it Lordships Graffalo, who won his second Badminton (the first was in 2023) on Sunday with a clear trip over the painted poles to move up from second to first and set a record. No other horse has won Badminton twice with a year’s gap in between.
Ros did it without her trainer and friend Caroline Moore, who died of cancer in March. That made the winning moment doubly emotional.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo in triumph. (Photo courtesy Badminton Horse Trials)
The leader after dressage and cross-country, 2024 Kentucky 5-star winner Cooley Rosalent, had a single rail down to drop her to second place. Her rider, Oliver Townend, has been second five times in the British 5-star. He had a close call in the morning when she was held in the horse inspection, but then permitted to compete. His other horse, Ballaghmor Class, also was held but did not return for re-inspection.
Third went to Ireland’s Austin O’Connor on the 2024 Maryland 5-star winner, Colorado Blue.
World Champion Yasmin Ingham, fourteenth after cross-country, withdrew Rehy DJ before the final horse inspection.
Click here for results.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 6, 2025
The U.S. can claim the top riders on both the FEI show jumping and eventing ranking lists.
Kent Farrington just took the first place ranking on the Longines show jumping roster, succeeding Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann, who held the spot for a record number of months, since August 2022. It is Kent’s second time as number one; he also was in that position in 2017.
Henrik is now third, behind Great Britain’s 2021 Olympic individual gold medalist, Ben Maher. McLain Ward is the second-highest ranking American, in eighth place.
Kent Farrington on Greya. (Photo © 2025 by Nancy Jaffer)
A few days ago, Boyd Martin was named number one for eventing. While he is the most visible U.S. eventer with a huge social media presence, Boyd Martin was only number two on the FEI world ranking list. That is, until Thursday. With the new month, he becomes the first American to make the top spot on that roster since Kim Severson did it 21 years ago.
Boyd, with three horses in the top 10 of last weekend’s 5-star Defender Kentucky event, called his elevation, “a huge honor and privilege to be named the number one rider in the world in eventing. It’s a goal I’ve been chasing for decades now. Many of my idols, who are champions in the sport and riders I’ve always tried to emulate, have accomplished this honor at some point in their careers.”
You can’t miss the trademark look of determination on the face of Boyd Martin aboard Commando 3. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Boyd added, “It’s really a humbling moment, and even though it’s my name on the list, I would not have been able to do it without the incredible horses and owners, as well as my dedicated team working day in and out in the stable. Lastly, to share this with my wife and kids, who have been with me on this journey every single day from the very beginning, is really special.”
While Boyd’s promotion is good news for U.S. eventing, the bad news is that you have to go down to number 30 to find the next-highest ranked U.S. rider, Jennie Branningan. Since one person does not make a team, U.S. eventers have some hard work ahead of them. But now they have some inspiration.
The Para Dressage ranks also include a number one standing for the U.S., in Fiona Howard and Kate Shoemaker is number four as the country continues to excel and show the world how it’s done in that discipline.
In Grand Prix dressage, however, the U.S. wasn’t even in the top 10. The country had only one rider in the top 20, Adrienne Lyle, who is nineteenth. Next-highest is Anna Marek, twenty-seventh. Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour continues to lead the standings, with World Cup champ Lottie Fry of Great Britain moving up to second, passing Germany’s Isabell Werth.
