by Nancy Jaffer | May 21, 2024
The iconic horse show is known as the place “Where champions meet.”
That’s the slogan over the main ring at Devon, a goal for many riders and an annual “must” for others. The show gets under way Wednesday.
The Budweiser Clydesdales in front of the iconic Devon grandstands during their last appearance at the show. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
This year, it goes from 11 days to 12, with an addition to its schedule of junior classes that runs through the first weekend.
Driving always has been part of the show, and a tradition is the carriage pleasure driving, with judging starting at noon May 26.
After the juniors have gone home that day, the arena eventing is the evening feature with such stars as Boyd Martin and Buck Davidson competing.
The professional hunters start the next day, along with amateur jumpers and coaching, featuring the beautifully turned-out four-in-hand teams pulling gleaming vehicles.
The FEI jumpers begin on May 28. Those on the roster include many big names, among them McLain Ward and Daniel Bluman. Highlights of the week include the International Hunter Derby on the morning of May 30 and that night, the Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon (named after McLain’s famous mare). The final day of the show, June 2, is devoted to hunter breeding.
Special events include the Budweiser Clydesdales May 30 and June 1; the Shetland pony steeplechase May 26 and 27, and the Radnor Hunt Fox Hounds May 25.
The country fair is always a big attraction, and there’s a carnival with games and rides for the kids.
For more information and to buy tickets, go to Devon Horse Show.net.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 15, 2024
It took a century of work, but World Horse Welfare is celebrating historic legislation that will ban live export of horses and other livestock for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain. It has passed Parliament and awaits assent of the king before becoming law.
“The passage of this law ensures that no horse, pony or donkey will legally be exported from Great Britain for slaughter and while this is a monumental step forward, plenty more needs to be achieved to effectively combat the illegal export of equines from the country,” said Roly Owers, the organization’s CEO.
“This will rely on the new law being effectively enforced and the introduction of full traceability of all equines, and we look forward to working with DEFRA (Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to achieve this. In the Twenty-first Century, it is preposterous that equine ID is still based on a paper-based system, which simply provides an open door for horse smugglers.”
A symbolic ride to Parliament emphasized the urgent need for reform and played a role in getting it established. World Horse Welfare’s recent rescue of the “Dover 26” – a group of horses and ponies, some of whom were almost certainly intended for slaughter in Europe – highlights the critical need for enforcement of the new legislation.
These animals were found on an overloaded and filthy transporter at Dover (a British port), with only 19 of the 26 declared for export. Many were unfit for the journey, including pregnant mares, unhandled youngsters and a severely arthritic mare who required euthanasia. At least one animal was infected with Equine Influenza, showing the significant biosecurity risk that smuggled animals pose.
As the UK legislation moves forward, World Horse Welfare pledges to continue its advocacy work within the European Union, focusing on ending long-distance transport of horses for slaughter and citing the legacy of its founder, Ada Cole.
U.S. horses are transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, which is also problematical. In 2022, 16,300 U.S. horses were sent to slaughter in Mexico, and 5,100 to Canada. There are, however, no plants slaughtering horses for human consumption in the U.S., with the last one closing in 2007.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 6, 2024
It definitely was a longshot.
When Alice Tarjan handed her talented mare, Jane, to her trainer, Marcus Orlob, three months ago, it seemed unlikely the new combination would be among the eight U.S. competitors making the cut for a trip to Europe as part of the Olympic selection procedure.
Yet that is just what happened after the qualifying process ended last weekend at the 3-star TerraNova show in Florida.
This week, Marcus, a naturalized American citizen, heads to his native Germany to work with Jane for a month before the shortlisted U.S. riders face off against each other for the benefit of the team selectors in Hagen, Germany in June.
Marcus Orlob and Jane. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
“I am excited and looking forward to getting to know the horse better and spend some time training,” said Marcus.
“It was so busy the last couple of weeks, showing, showing, showing. Now I can finally experience a little bit and connect with her more.”
The Annandale, N.J., resident will be in Dusseldorf, where his family has a home, working with former Brazilian team coach Johan Zagers.
“It’s another step. Olympics? I don’t think it’s realistic, but you never know. The horse is doing great and has so much more potential,” he said of the 10-year-old Dutch warmblood (DesperadoXMetall).
While Marcus admitted he “lost his head” and went off-course at one point in his most recent show, “there are moments where I connect with her some more and she got a couple of eights and a nine. There are good moments coming. I am excited for Jane now.”
The talented mare had been trained through the levels by Alice, but because Jane could be strong in the arena, the horse’s owner felt Marcus should work with her. Jane’s first CDI with her new rider was only March 28, two months after Alice was showing her at Intermediate A.
The purpose of going to Europe early is for Jane “to have a couple of easy days and then focus on, hopefully, good training,” Marcus said.
The top eight horse/rider combinations on the U.S. Olympic dressage ranking list announced Monday include three other pairs that are new this year, but veteran Olympian Steffen Peters leads the shortlist roster, as he has throughout the qualifying period with his 2021 Tokyo Games mount, Suppenkasper.
His average for the qualifying period was 73.620 percent to 72.702 for second-place Adrienne Lyle with Helix. Adrienne is also fourth on 72.028 on Lars van de Hoenderheide, behind Endel Ots and Zen Elite’s Bohemian (72.041). They all new pairings.
Adrienne Lyle and Helix. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
The top eight riders are supposed to go to Europe to prepare for the Olympics, but Adrienne has two horses (both owned by Zen Elite) which moves Marcus up a notch from ninth place (70.761 percent).
Anna Buffini and Fiontini (71.494) are fifth. Like Steffen, Anna is a Californian. Neither she nor Steffen came East to compete this year. Pan American Games individual bronze medalist Anna Marek is number six on the list with Fire Fly (71.040). With the exception of the two Annas and Steffen, the rest of the top group rode in the final qualifying show.
Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Haute Couture (70.979) are seventh overall and Sarah Tubman with First Apple is eighth (70.817).
Endel Ots rides the most celebrated of the three Zen horses, Bohemian, guided to fourth in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark. He capped his campaign with a victory in Terra Nova’s Freestyle, where he was marked at 75.670 percent.
Endel Ots and Bohemian. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
Appropriately, Endel’s music included a bit of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” It was the first ever international freestyle that the rider had performed. His highest mark for a routine that included a piaffe pirouette on the last centerline was 79.35 percent from judge Christof Umbach at E.
“That was a really fun experience and a little surreal,” said Endel, whose freestyle (which included a little French interlude looking toward Paris) was crafted by his trainer, Albrecht Heidemann and Terry Gallo.
Adrienne won the Special with Lars (71.723), while Marcus was second on 69.872.
Noting that Saturday was a “blistering hot day,” Adrienne commented that while Lars completed his qualifying criteria for the Olympic short list with his Special victory despite the weather, Helix “did the freestyle just as thunderstorms rolled in.” She said “he found the plants blowing in the wind to be quite scary, but still managed to pull off a podium finish and complete his qualifying criteria.”
Helix, who was marked at 72.560 percent, to be third in the freestyle, won the Grand Prix on Friday.
Saying it was time for a big sigh of relief after qualifying criteria were completed, Adrienne thanked Zen’s owner, Heidi Humphries, and her own mentor, Debbie McDonald, as well as her grooms.
Kasey Perry-Glass, who had been a team regular with Doublet, now retired, was second in the freestyle on her new ride, Heartbeat W.P. (72.615).
The Freestyle is a requirement for Olympic candidates, but it doesn’t count in their overall standings. It’s the Grand Prix and the Special, which determines the team medals at the Games. The Freestyle secures individual medals, which are considered less important than team medals in the big picture.
Click here for Olympic dressage ranking list
Click here for TerraNova Grand Prix results
Click here for TerraNova Grand Prix Special results
Click here for TerraNova Freestyle results
by Nancy Jaffer | May 12, 2024
The Jacqueline & George Ohrstrom Jr. barn was dedicated this weekend at the Virginia Horse Center, where the couple was saluted by Roxanne Booth, president of the Virginia Horse Center.
“Together, the Ohrstroms built an impeccable reputation on the love of all things horse. Their philanthropic endeavors touch countless lives—equine and human—and they were champions of land conservation long before it was in vogue. The Ohrstroms were instrumental in establishing the National Sporting Library and Museum, and truly the list goes on.”
If the name Ohrstrom sounds familiar, there is a reason why.
George Ohrstrom Jr. owned the Chronicle of the Horse for 50 years and was a prominent figure in the racing and foxhunting communities, as well as a supporter of land conservation efforts, especially those of the Piedmont Environmental Council.
He was a member of and a major landowner in the Orange County Hunt near The Plains, Va., and in 1992, he founded the Bath County Hounds, a private pack headquartered on his land in Bath County, Va. The Ohrstroms contributed to and founded in 1955, along with the late Alexander Mackay-Smith, the National Sporting Library.
In 2010, it was rebranded as the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM). Today, the NSLM Library houses 20,000 volumes, historic periodicals dating back to the early Nineteenth Century, over 80 archival collections, and an outstanding variety of antiquarian titles dating back to 1523, stored in the Library’s F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room. Almost every object in the Library collections was donated to NSLM, making the Library a reflection of the sporting community across the United States.
The Museum’s collection has grown to over 1,300 objects, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, trophies, weathervanes, dog collars, and other ephemera. Two major temporary exhibitions are held during the year in the larger galleries, while the Vine Hill galleries host additional temporary exhibitions and a rotation of permanent collection artworks.
Thanking Mrs. Ohrstrom for all that she and her late husband have done for the Horse Center, Roxanne Booth added, “I hope that you consider today’s dedication of this barn a fitting tribute to Mr. Ohrstrom’s memory and as an integral part of your living legacy.”
Stephen Shank, VHC CEO; Will Phipps, B&D Builders; Anjela Carroll, Mrs. Jacqueline Ohrstrom Jr., Roxanne Booth, VHC Foundation Board President. (SCB Photography photos by Riley)
Virginia Horse Center CEO Stephen Shank said, “Naturally, none of the dream that is the Virginia Horse Center comes true without the significant support and investment of our dearest, closest friends.
“It is my distinct honor to express, on behalf of all those served by the Horse Center, my immense gratitude to Mrs. Jacqueline Ohrstrom and her late husband, George, for their loyalty and friendship. In recognition of their benevolence, we are thrilled and delighted to present the Jacqueline & George Ohrstrom Jr. Barn.
“Additionally, I want to acknowledge and thank Will Phipps, Daniel Glick and B&D Builders for the partnership on which we are embarking. Thanks to the demonstrated artistry and refined vision of B&D Builders, I know the interior of this barn will be state-of-the-art and above all, built to last for the comfort and safety of our dear horses. Mrs. Ohrstrom, we all hope you find it a fitting tribute to your lifetime of involvement in equestrianism.”
She responded, “All I can possibly say is the Horse Center is beautifully designed. The layout is great, and they have safe and comfortable barns. It is easy access from a number of states that are heavily involved with horses, and they have a lovely big ring.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 9, 2024
While the riders trying to make the U.S. eventing, show jumping and dressage teams for this summer’s Paris Olympics are getting a lot of attention, the Perrigo U.S. Para Dressage Team also is making an impact, as its riders won the Mannheim, Germany 3-star Para Nations Cup this week.
Polished performances from Kate Shoemaker and Rebecca Hart led the squad for “our largest-ever team score and an average individual percentage of 75.35,” Chef d’Equipe Michel Assouline said.
He warned, however, “We can’t rest on our laurels and don’t want to peak too early either. Careful planning is going into this ahead of our next international in Hagen, Germany next month.”
The U.S. team’s total was 452.199 to Germany’s 443.62 while Austria was third on 433.69. Riding on the U.S. team were Beatrice de Lavalette with Sixth Sense, Rebecca with Floratina, Fiona Howard aboard Diamond Dune and Kate with Vianne, a relatively new mount for her.
Front row: Rebecca Hart, Beatrice de Lavallette and Fiona Howard. Back row: Chef d’equipe Michel Assouline and Kate Shoemaker (Photo by Stefan Lafrentz)
Rebecca and Kate led with exciting scores in both the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A and FEI Para Grand Prix Test B team tests, marking their second consecutive international competition with numbers above 75 percent.
Rebecca was undefeated with Rowan O’Riley and Chloe Gasiorowski’s Floratina, winning both Grade III classes. She was marked at 75.11 percent in Grand Prix Test A and 75 percent in Grand Prix Test B. In her freestyle, Rebecca earned some marks above 80 percent with a final total of 78.84 percent.
Kate and Vianne, owned by NorCordia USA, were first in both Grade IV team classes, earning 76.57 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A to achieve a personal best, and 75.54 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B. Their freestyle was marked at 73.58.
Fiona, who first rode for the U.S. in para-dressage in 2022, won in Grade II. She was competing on Diamond Dunes, owned by Dressage Family LLC and Hof Kasselmann, in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A on Saturday. They were marked at 75.11 percent before finishing with 74.778 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B, putting Fiona second there. In individual competition, Fiona finished third in the FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle Grade II
Also competing in Grade II, Beatrice rode her 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championship partner Sixth Sense, to a 65.40 percent on the first day of competition, and 69.94 percent in the FEI Para Grand Prix Test B for the team. On the mount owned by Elizabeth and Nicolas de Lavalette, she also earned fifth place with her high score of the weekend, a 72.878, in the freestyle.
The FEI Para Dressage World Rankings, which do not include Mannheim, list Kate as number one. Rebecca is fifth on the list and Fiona tenth.
For results, click here, but go to the bottom of the page for the para scoring.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 30, 2024
The cross-country course designer for this summer’s Paris Olympics will fill the same role next year for the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill.
Pierre Le Goupil will succeed retiring course designer Ian Stark in 2025 and stay at least until 2027. Ian was the inaugural designer for the competition, which debuted in 2022.
Pierre Le Goupil. (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
“I am delighted to design for the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill starting in 2025, and I am filled with gratitude towards the organizing committee for their trust,” said Pierre.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity for me, and it’s also a great honor to succeed Ian Stark, who in less than three years, has greatly contributed to the event’s reputation.”
The new designer, who is 61 and a former eventer himself, has also been lead course designer for last year’s Pan American Games in Chile and the 2023 FEI European Championships in Haras du Pin, France.
“We’re thrilled that Pierre has agreed to be our cross country course designer starting in 2025 for the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory building upon the incredible foundation that Ian Stark has created through this year,” said Jeff Newman, president and CEO of the Maryland 5-star committee.
“There is no position more important in eventing than the course designer, as it’s paramount both to ensure horse and athlete safety and the entertainment of our fans globally. We’re so fortunate and honored to have two of the very best supporting Maryland as we continue to build upon our legacy as a world-class event at the highest level of the sport.”
Ian is pleased with the choice of his successor, saying, “Upon announcing my retirement, there was obviously going to be a new designer and I’m thrilled for the event that Pierre will be the new man. He has the talent, the imagination and the flair to succeed and I look forward to following his plans for the future of the course.”
