by Nancy Jaffer | May 21, 2024
An agreement involving a California regional nonprofit protecting water quality and the Ridland Group show organization has paved the way for competitions to resume at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park, after activities involving more than 25 horses were barred last month.
Subsequent negotiations were held between the two entities and the city of San Juan Capistrano, which owns the park that is leased by the Ridland Group, the operator of Blenheim Equisports. The property on San Juan Creek hosts a group of shows in the spring and summer. The next Blenheim show was slated to be held there June 7-9.
On Monday, Sarah Spinuzzi, legal director of Orange County Coastkeeper, explained the circumstances that will enable horse shows to be offered again at the park, which also is used for community events such as dog shows and concerts.
“The facility is going to be re-graded such that storm water from the equestrian stabling areas (known legally as the CAFO Production Area) will be retained on-site by June 3,” she stated. (CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation).
“This grading will prevent discharges of stormwater and wash-rack water to the creek. The facility will use the large grass field to pond retained stormwater. Over the rest of this year, the facility will work to improve infiltration infrastructure to be more professionally engineered so that rain events will not cause flooding and will be functional for the facility’s intended use. Future plans also require groundwater monitoring wells to ensure the protection of water quality.”
Violations of the Clean Water Act at the site have been an issue since 2017, according to Orange County Coastkeeper, which sued the city and the Ridland Group that year. An agreement for a “collaborative effort” to protect water quality in San Juan Creek while continuing equestrian activities was reached the next year. There was a five-year timeline for the remediation, plus two extensions, but Coastkeeper maintained this year’s April 15 deadline had not been met and announced the restrictions.
Two Blenheim shows were moved north to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center this month. The U.S. Equestrian Federation permitted relocation of the May competitions “because of the short notice of the closure and desire to not disrupt competitors’ plans to show,” said USEF CEO Bill Moroney.
When it was announced at the end of April that the two shows would be moved, the Ridland Group issued a statement saying it “acknowledges and respects the issues raised by Orange County Coastkeeper regarding the compliance of the Clean Water Act and would like to affirm a wider ongoing commitment to uphold the highest standards of environmental conservation throughout the operations at the Riding Park.”
Meanwhile, the dates that had been reserved for the other Blenheim shows slated for the Riding Park through Sept. 22 became available for applications to USEF from Southern California organizers who have “proof of venue” where the competitions could be held. The Ridland Group was among those that applied.
USEF also had requested that organizers interested in hosting the Junior Hunter Finals West or the Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West, both of which were slated for the Riding Park, make contact by May 20.
“All organizers meeting USEF standards and the license criteria were welcome to apply for events through the duration of the application period, which closed last evening on May 20,” according to a Tuesday comment from USEF.
“The applications submitted through this process are being reviewed thoroughly.”
The federation added it “is working diligently to ensure that competition participants and their horses have access to reliable, safe, and quality competitions in California for the remainder of the competition year. We recognize time is of the essence and are working to resolve the calendar issues as expeditiously as possible.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 20, 2024
Anna Buffini announced that her dressage star Davinia La Douce (Don FredericoXA Jungle Prince) is retiring after a long career and at the right moment.
“I have made the decision to retire her when she’s still feeling her best,” the Callifornia rider said on social media.
Anna Buffini and Davinia La Douce on their freestyle victory pass in Wellington. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“From a horse who was overlooked by many to sixth place in the World Cup, none of us could have imagined how far Diva would take us. I purchased Diva off of a video during Covid, but because of the excellent training she received from Klaus and Belli Balkenhol, Guenter Seidel (her trainer) and I were able to compete with her almost immediately.
Anna and her other horse, Fiontini, are short-listed for the U.S. Olympic dressage team and will compete in Europe in the run-up to selection for the Paris Games.
A retirement announcement also has been made by German star Isabell Werth for her 18-year-old Emilio at Wiesbaden over the weekend, where he won the Freestyle with a score of 83.3 percent. The FEI World Cup Finals in Riyadh during April was supposed to be his last bow, but a small injury meant he couldn’t travel to Saudi Arabia.
Anna Buffini noted in her posting about Davinia La Douce, also known as Diva, that “In 2021, we made our First Nations cup team together. She also got to compete in Rotterdam and place fourth in the special at Aachen. In 2022, Diva girl was on fire and qualified for the World Cup. I received a lot of acknowledgment for being the youngest ever U.S. athlete and the first African-American to compete in the World Cup, but it was all because of Diva,” Anna stated.
“After the World Cup, we got to experience Horses and Dreams for the first time and she placed fourth in an incredibly special freestyle. In 2023, we found our way into the World Cup again, including scoring our first ever 80 percent together. We flew to Florida with one chance to qualify for it and she came through again. With a tenth place finish in the Grand Prix and placed sixth with our Top Gun freestyle routine, that’s the memory I’ll take with me of Diva forever.
“Later that year, she was the anchor for team USA at Aachen and the first day of the Grand Prix we set one of our personal bests. This horse is all heart. Going into 2024, I looked at this season as icing on the cake. She had a good first show but I made too many mistakes in the next few shows and we didn’t get the scores we were hoping to get to make the short list.
“However, our last show in Temecula was magical and made for a beautiful ending of our career together. It was a hard decision not to bring her to Europe, but just like we did with Sundayboy, I always want to retire our horses before they start to decline. I’ll be forever thankful to this mare who has been an underdog her whole life. She may not have had the biggest muscles or the most extravagant movements but she does have the biggest heart. She will live out the rest of her days by my side teaching young up-and-coming riders, and being the boss of the barn as usual. Who knows? We may also see some Diva babies in the future. I wish to thank my coach Guenter my parents and the incredible team of people who have worked so hard to keep this wonderful mare healthy and happy. We indeed did have the time of our life.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 20, 2024
Did you watch the Defender Kentucky 5-star three-day event? If so, you saw a big chunk of the British Olympic eventing team hopefuls finish 1-2-3.
Britain has just named its powerhouse short list for this summer’s Paris Games, and it’s no surprise that Kentucky winner Oliver Townend, the world number one, is on it with Cooley Rosalent, as well as Ballaghmor Class, a former Kentucky winner who had to scratch from the Badminton 5-star two weeks after Kentucky.
Oliver Townend and Kentucky winner Cooley Rosalent. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Also named were Kentucky runner-up Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, one rail away from victory at Defender, and on the Tokyo Olympics gold medal team with Oliver. World champion Yasmin Ingham, third at Kentucky on Banzai du Loir, was named with him and also was selected with Rehy DJ.
Additionally on the short list are Bubby Upton, who made a miraculous recovery from breaking her back in a fall last year to finish 10th at Badminton with Cola. Emily King, fourth at Badminton with Valmy Biats, has made the cut, along with her mother, Kitty King and Vendredi Biats. Others are Tom Jackson (Capels Hollow Drift), fifth at Badminton and Ros Canter with both Lordships Graffalo, the 2023 Badminton winner, and Izilot DHI, who she retired on cross-country at Badminton.Also on the roster is Laura Collett with London 52, victorious at Badminton in 2022 and a member of the gold medal team in Tokyo.
Britain is definitely the team to beat at the Olympics. Four finalists will be named to the team in late June, though only three will actually be part of the starting order, with one rider as a reserve.
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
