by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 22, 2025
Noted breeder Dr. Timothy Holekamp, a former president of the American Trakehner Association, died on Sunday.
He was a founder of the Young Event Horse Program and co-chaired the Young Event Horse Committee.
The physician and his wife, Cheryl, were the owners of Windfall II, who started his career with Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and went on to earn teem bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics with the USA’s Darren Chiacchia aboard. Windfall became a popular sire. His son, Tsetserleg TSF, was ridden to many successes by U.S. team member Boyd Martin.
Remembering Dr. Holekamp, Boyd said on social media, “He was always my go to man whenever I was trying to get an understanding of a pedigree and was a wealth of knowledge that really inspired a lot of American enthusiasts to breed Trakehner horses.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 23, 2025
Although the weather forecast for the next few days in Lexington, Ky., isn’t the best, the sun shone bright (as the song goes) on the Kentucky Horse Park for the Defender 5-star eventing horse inspection Wednesday.
Boyd Martin had three horses he showed to the judges, but perhaps his best shot at victory is with his Olympic mount, Federman B. (His others are Luke 140 and Commando 3).
You have to figure, though, that the combo to beat will be Germany’s Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. As past winners, they are hard to bet against, and Michi’s record in the sport is unsurpassed.
Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH.
Sadly, Jennie Brannigan’s ride, Twilight’s Last Gleam, was not accepted after being re-presented following a stint in the holding box. That was the only entry to be rejected.
Jennie was gracious about her 15-year-old mount’s fate, noting owners “Tim and Nina Gardner and myself love this horse and he owes us absolutely nothing.”
No worries, though; we’ll still see Jennie in competition. She will be able to compete on FE Lifestyle in the field that has been narrowed to 34 starters.
Jennie Brannigan and the beautifully turned-out Twilight’s Last Gleam sadly got a “no” from the judges.
The most eye-catching horse is Fluorescent Adolescent with a coat of splashy spots. He’s ridden by the only Canadian competitor, Jessica Phoenix.
Jessica Phoenix and the Flourescent Adolescent.
The 5-star trot-up is always a fashion show, and my choice as the best-dressed is New Zealand’s Monica Spencer, who will be riding Artist. She wore black leather pants and a cape-like checked top in a shade of oatmeal, both stylish and classy.
Monica Spencer and Artist.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 16, 2025
The heart of Beval Saddlery was Lois Walter, a much-admired woman who died Tuesday from cancer at the age of 91.
She had been married to Bev Walter, who founded the business in 1955 in Bernardsville, N.J. After Lois and Bev divorced, he died in 1993. Lois went on to run Beval’s, which was synonymous with quality in English tack, working with her son, Mark, and her husband, Tom Spinks.
Lois Walter. (Photo courtesy Lori Jonas Seppi)
In addition to the stores in Gladstone, N.J., New York State and Connecticut, at its peak, Beval’s also had a mobile unit and shops on the HITS showgrounds in Saugerties, N.Y., as well as at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla. The company was sold and now operates out of Cross River, N.Y.
Lois retired at the age of 80 and moved to Arizona with Tom. A master gardener, she also kept busy doing artwork and enjoying nature on her walks. The couple relocated to Utah two years ago.
Writing on social media, former Beval employee Jennifer Gomez Hoffman said Lois had been “an incredible mentor,” noticing she had hired her at Bevals when she was just 16.
“I worked for her for 14 years until I started my family. Her knowledge of the saddlery business was incredible…. I was a sponge and she saw that and shared all of her wealth of information with me. She was kind, strong and humble…always preferring to be behind the scenes. She was pure class and grace.”
In addition to her husband and son, Lois is survived by her daughter, Lori Jonas Seppi, who worked as a sales rep for Beval; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Arrangements are pending for a celebration of life, but her daughter said Lois wanted her ashes spread at the Jersey Shore, one of her favorite spots.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 10, 2025
EquiRatings gives Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH a 26 percent chance of winning the 5-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event later this month. I would give him a far better chance; wise not to bet against a legend who has a raft of Olympic gold and world championship medals.
Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre are ranked as the most reliable 5-star cross-country combination. (Really?)
Meanwhile, EquiRatings says Will Coleman’s rider Off the Record has the highest Elo rating of all the 4 star horses entered at the event but his Chin Tonic has a 45 percent chance of winning the 4-star-Short. An Elo rating takes into account not only where a horse finishes in a class, but who it beat, their rating and the level of the competition.
Feel free to do your own handicapping.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 15, 2025
In case you’re wondering what swung the choice of Santa Anita Park racetrack over Galway Downs to host the 2028 Olympic equestrian competitions, comments from LA 28 Project Director Reynold Hoover may make the decision easier to understand.
As reported by Inside the Games, the retired Army lieutenant general explained the thought pattern behind where all competitions for 2028 sports will be held.
“Some zones are compact, others quite spread out,” Hoover noted.
“We’ve deliberately avoided a single-venue mindset.”
“This departure from Olympic gigantism is rooted not only in International Olympic Committee policy, which favors sustainability, but also in the practical need to deliver the Games within a private funding model,” Inside the Games pointed out.
Hoover observed that the Paris 2024 Games “served as a live testing ground for the concept of temporary, high-impact venues. Paris leaned into the spectacular, staging competitions in iconic settings like the Eiffel Tower and the Alexandre III Bridge.”
Visually stunning, yes, but, as Hoover observed in Inside the Games, logistically complex. Many of these pop-up sites required not just seating, but entire support ecosystems: catering facilities, broadcast zones, warm-up areas and secure perimeters.
“There’s a heavy price to pay for that kind of visual romance,” Hoover admitted, acknowledging that “replicating such magnificence in Los Angeles would come with significant cost. In keeping with its renewed sustainability doctrine, the IOC encourages host cities to prioritize existing venues. The real challenge involved selecting the right spaces and striking deals with their owners.”
In that context, it’s easier to understand why the proposed equestrian site of Galway Downs in Temecula, which is nearly 85 miles from LA, was dropped and replaced with Santa Anita, about 18 more convenient miles from Los Angeles.
So Santa Anita will be the venue, just as it was for the 1984 Games. Well, almost just as it was; eventing’s cross-country phase was held off-site on a golf course 41 years ago, but the current Olympic regulations call for every part of a sport to be held at the same venue.
The choice was announced April 15, days after Galway Downs was dropped from consideration. Click here to read our story that stated Santa Anita was the likely choice.
Other issues also prompted the switch. Galway Downs would have needed millions of dollars in improvements to host the Games. Also, there were concerns that inland Temecula in July would be extremely hot, a worry with horse welfare at the forefront.
“Santa Anita Park will be a spectacular venue for the LA28 Olympic equestrian events,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.
Joe Fargis, the 1984 Olympic double gold medalist, with Touch of Class center stage at Santa Anita 41 years ago. (Tish Quirk photo)
“The FEI has very fond memories of Santa Anita, which had hosted the equestrian events at the 1984 Olympic Games. The venue is set to offer a breathtaking stage for all the Olympic equestrian competitions and the proximity to LA City will undoubtedly attract many spectators to Santa Anita. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with LA28 to deliver spectacular equestrian events at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.”
Derek Braun, who runs the Split Rock Jumping Tour, put on a very successful 5-star grand prix and national competition at Santa Anita in November 2024.
“Obviously, having the 5-star there last year, I would think contributed to greatly to everybody’s confidence in that Santa Anita was absolutely more than capable of producing the Olympics again there,” Derek said.
He called the 1/ST Racing team at Santa Anita, “One of the most professional, largest, accomplished event companies in existence already. I think they’re the right team for the job. Hopefully, I can be a part of it in some way.”
This November, Split Rock is ramping up what it does at Santa Anita, Derek said. His tour will be putting on 3-star and then 5-star show jumping two weeks in a row, which will give him even more familiarity with the facility
U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO Bill Moroney said, “We have the utmost confidence in the LA28 Organizing Committee, and we anticipate exceptional equestrian sport will take place at this special legacy venue from the 1984 Olympic Games. We are also extremely pleased that the IOC has confirmed the athlete quotas across the disciplines for 2028 and they remain unchanged from 2024.”
The crowd that packed the stands at Santa Anita in 1984 watched such legendary athletes as eventing Olympic gold medalist Mark Todd of New Zealand on Charisma.
Santa Anita, which has hosted racing’s Breeders Cup, is the track where the great racehorse Seabiscuit won his last race in 1940. The facility also hosts a CSI3* as well as a FEI Jumping World Cup™ Qualifier CSI5*-W, which this year will take place in November.
Santa Anita covers 320 acres and has a grandstand seating 26,000. The track infield area, which resembles a park with picnic tables and large trees, can accommodate a crowd of 50,000. The Park has 61 barns that can house more than 2,000 horses.
