by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 11, 2024
World number one eventer Oliver Townend and the owners of Ballaghmor Class have withdrawn the horse from Britain’s eventing nominated list for the Paris Olympic Games.
“As his preparation for a long-format event in the first half of the season was interrupted, we could not secure the final qualification for the Olympics without compromising his best interests,” Oliver and his team stated.
“This is so disappointing for the whole team, but Thomas (the horse’s barn name) means the world for us and at the end of the day, his welfare and happiness is more important than everything else.
“He is one of few special horses that has an Olympic gold to his name and while he will be aiming for an autumn 5-star, we hope that stablemate Cooley Rosalent (winner of the Defender Kentucky 5-star in April) will fly the flag in our bid to be selected for the Games. Huge thanks to British Equestrian, Thomas’s owners, our sponsors and the team around us who have showed unwavering support in making this decision.”
The British Eventing selectors will work with Richard Waygood to name a replacement combination to the nominated list sometime next week.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 10, 2024
Two North American-based riders have been named to the Irish team for the Paris Olympics. Shane Sweetnam of Wellington, Florida, was selected with James Kann Cruz, and Daniel Coyle, who operates out of both Ocala, Florida and Canada, will be on the team with Legacy. The third member of the squad is Cian O’Connor with Maurice. Bertram Allen was chosen as alternate with Pacino Amiro.
Cian O’Connor and Maurice. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Ireland is one of the medal favorites for the Games.
Chef d’Equipe Michael Blake noted, :”We are enjoying an excellent period of Irish jumping at the moment and it is a testament to the riders and all of their teams who look after the horses at home, and when they compete, that they have all reached such a high level. the athletes and horses I have chosen have been performing brilliantly week-in ,week out on the international stage and we’ll give it everything we have to achieve what we’re setting out to do.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 5, 2024
Creation of a USEF dressage series was approved Wednesday by the FEI (international equestrian federation). The series, beginning in 2025, is designed to promote and grow equestrian sport by highlighting elite competition. Fans and stakeholders will be reached through the competitions and December final. The action will be live-streamed and tracked using a leader board.
A USEF spokesperson said it has not been decided which competitions will be part of the series or where the final will be, since the federation was waiting for FEI approval before lining up the details.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 3, 2024
The world’s number one dressage horse, TSF Dalera BB, will be “telling me when our last public dance will be. Not the other way around,” rider Jessica von Bredow Werndl says of the 17-year-old reigning Olympic and European championship star.
Would this summer’s Paris Olympics be the mare’s last competition? That might be the right note for bringing down the curtain on her brilliant competition career.
Jessica also notes on social media about Dalera that “If she still conceives, she will also be allowed to become a mommy. That is up to her — or rather her body.”
U.S. fans got to see Dalera in person at last year’s FEI World Cup finals. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Retirement isn’t imminent, however. This weekend, the mare won the German Championships in Balve with a Freestyle marked at 89.6 percent. A distant second was Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain (83.45).
Dalera, a Trakehner, has had 35 straight victories in the last three years. She has earned 2,078 points in the FEI horse rankings, to 1,943 for the recently retired Emilio. And not surprisingly, Jessica is first in the rider rankings, ahead of Emilio’s rider, Isabell Werth. Both are from Germany.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2024
Kent Farrington and Greya, followed by Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque on their victory lap at La Baule. (Photo by Melanie Smith Taylor)
It doesn’t exactly make up for the disappointing sixth-place U.S. finish in Friday’s Nations Cup at La Baule, France, but it was encouraging to see two candidates for the American Olympic team finish 1-2 Sunday in the $540,000 Rolex Grand Prix Ville de La Baule in the picturesque seaside city.
Kent Farrington won on his own 10-year-old Greya in a field heavy with big names. He and the Oldenburg mare were double-clear in 34.09 seconds, with Karl coming close on the speedy Caracole de la Roque (34.21) in the 11-horse jump-off. The best-placed non-American was Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet on Bond James Bond de la Hay (one of the best horse names!), much slower in 37.79.
“I’ve been second here before, actually,” Kent said, “so I wanted some good revenge.”
It was Greya’s first international victory since Kent started riding her in September 2021. He and Karl were the only U.S. riders to qualify for the jump-off in the field of 50. McLain Ward had 4 in the first round with Ilex to finish twenty-first, while Lillie Keenan was four places back of that with eight faults on Argan de Beliard . Aaron Vale was forty-third on 16 faults with Carissimo 25.
The course for the La Baule grand prix was laid out by Gregory Bodo, who will design the show jumping route for the Paris Olympics.
In Friday’s Nations Cup, things did not go as well for Kent. as they did in the grand prix. He was eliminated in the first round aboard Landon, and did not show in the second round of the class, which was won by Germany, with France and Belgium completing the podium. Other scores for the U.S. were 4/0 for Karl, 0/8 for Lillie and 4/8 for Aaron. All three were on the same horses they rode in the grand prix.
Click here for grand prix results
click here for Nations Cup results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 5, 2024
An Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan backed by a welfare fund of $ 1,119 to launch it was approved this week during the FEI (international equestrian federation) meeting in Switzerland.
Priority will be given to six focus areas including riding, training tack and equipment; recognition of physical and emotional stress; accountability, enforcement and knowledge and “the other 23 hours,” concerning what the horse does when it is not competing or being trained. Also included among the focus areas is competitive drive/horse as a number/object and not fit to compete masking health problems.
The action plan is based on the recommendations outlined in the final report of the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission (EEWC).
The focus areas were divided into action points and entered into a matrix linking each point to the recommendations made by the EEWC, persons or groups in charge of delivery, finances and deadlines. A series of other actions not linked to the six focus areas but addressing the EEWC recommendations have also been incorporated, including education on the five domains of animal welfare approach, communications strategy and reporting mechanisms.
Calling this “an important day for horse welfare,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “The board took its responsibility and devoted time to discuss the detailed action plan with keen interest. Significant actions have been outlined, which will benefit horse welfare and will have a powerful impact on the sport as a whole
The action plan will be finalized with the suggestions made by the board and will be published shortly. Implementation will begin immediately, with the objective to propose initial rule changes that safeguard horse welfare at the FEI General Assembly this fall. The plan, which includes scientific research projects, offers an ongoing perspective that will continue for years.
