by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 8, 2026
The Mansion in May designer showcase, a highlight every other year in the Morris County, N.J., area, is going to be held in a Georgian mansion on the former Lana Lobell property in Bedminster Township.
Lana Lobell was a standardbred farm for many years. Now the Oxbow Farm Club, it is owned by the proprietors of the nearby Fiddlers Elbow Country Club. Both are located in Somerset County,
A view on the mansion as it awaits the designers.
After decorators and garden experts work their magic on the property, it will be open to the public May 1-31, 2027 under the auspices of the Women’s Association of Morristown Medical Center. For more details, click this link.
To learn about the property itself, read the story at this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 5, 2026
From the Rivertown Stables in County Cork, Ireland, via social media, a perspective worth consideration:
“I have mixed feelings. Part of me can see why people are excited. The FEI has approved it, there is huge prize money, riders will be salaried, teams will have owners, and showjumping could reach a much bigger audience. In some ways, that could be a good thing.
Riders need support. Horses cost a fortune to keep and produce properly. A better system could mean better planning, less pressure to chase every class, and more professional care around the horses.
The league has also said the biggest 1.60 meter class will only be jumped on the final day. That is a good welfare point, and it should be recognized. But I still cannot shake the question….is this really where we want showjumping to go? (To about the latest news from the league, click here)
The first team has already been sold for $50 million. That is not just sport anymore. That is business. That is investment. That is pressure. And when that much money comes into a sport, I think we have to ask harder questions, not fewer, A horse does not know it is jumping for a million dollar prize pot. It does not know who owns the team. It only knows how its body feels, how tired it is, how much it has travelled, and whether the work is fair. That is what I keep coming back to.
What does this actually mean for the horses?
I also think about everyday riders reading this. Most people are trying to afford hay, going to small competitions already barely surviving, lessons, diesel and vet bills. Then we are reading about $50 million showjumping teams. It makes the sport feel very far away from the normal horse person. Maybe this league will raise standards. Maybe it will bring better care and more support. I genuinely hope it does.
But bigger does not always mean better.
Money can improve things, but it can also make the pressure worse. And in horse sport, the horse is often the one who ends up carrying that pressure. So I am not against progress. But I am against calling something progress before we know what it really means for the horse. For me, welfare has to be clear from the start. Not hidden behind polished words. Not added in after the prize money. Not assumed because the sport looks more professional.
The money will make the headlines. The horses still need to be the main story as always.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 6, 2026
Team world championships gold medalists Chester Weber and Jimmy Fairclough were just named to the four-in-hand squad for next month’s world driving championships. The veterans will be joined by Taren Lester, with Jean Thornton as the alternate.
Jimmy is from Newton, N.J., while the other three are Floridans; Chester from Ocala, Taren from Citra and Jean from DeLeon Springs.
Chester and Jimmy were pillars of the squad that took gold in 2018 at the world championships in Tryon, N.C. It had been a long road for the U.S. to reach that height in the European-centric discipline, so it was quite a milestone. Chester is the top-ranked U.S. driver at number 10 in the world. He won individual bronze at the last world championships two years ago in Hungary.
Jimmy is ranked number 43 in the world and won at Bromont last month. He has been competing in world championships since 1980.
Taren is number 58 in the world and is making his world championships debut.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 10, 2026
The Falsterbo, Sweden Nations Cup ended in a jump-off last week between Switzerland and Belgium after they tied on zero penalties following two rounds, while the U.S. claimed third place on a total of 8 penalties for two rounds.
The Swiss did so well in the first round that anchor rider Marcus Fuchs didn’t have to compete on Lorde, but needed to jump in to save the day in the second round, when teammate Gaetan Joliet on Just Special VK was eliminated.
Then Martin was chosen to ride in the tiebreaker, earning 3 time penalties with his careful trip. But the Belgian representative, Pieter Devos, had a runout, a knockdown and time penalties with Primo DV to wind up with 13 penalties, giving the top prize to Switzerland.
The Icon Global U.S. Jumping Team finished four penalties ahead of fourth-place France, but the Americans had mixed fortunes.
World Number One Kent Farrington was fault-free in the first round with Descartes SR, then dropped a rail in the second round. Natalie Dean also was clear in the first round, then was eliminated in the second with Fornett d’Emeraude. While Mimi Gochman (Iron Maiden) and Charlotte Jacobs (Playboy JT Z) had 4 faults each in the first round, they both were clear in the second.
Coach Robert Ridland was pleased, expalining, “This is one of our youngest teams across the board we’ve fielded at this level. We had several of our younger athletes and horses really step up to the plate today.
“The course was substantially harder (in) the second round for a lot of combinations, which made it a very interesting competition. Our guys really took on the challenge and it’s impressive to have all four riders jump a clear at some point across the two rounds – with two clears in the first round and the other two in the second. It felt like a real team effort against some very strong teams. Falsterbo always has a significant Nations Cup, so a great place for us to enjoy a podium finish.”
Click here for results
In Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix, over a course set by Frank Rothenberger, Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam was the winner with his top horse, James Kann Cruz, on a time of 37.68 seconds in the second round. The runner-up was Germany’s Richie Vogel aboard the personable Cloudio, also clean, but slower in 38.63. Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat was right behind in 38.68 on Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte.
The best-placed American was Charlotte Jacobs, who made it to the second round with Playboy JT Z. She dropped a rail but finished eighth. Her mentor, world number one Kent Farrington, had a rail in the first round with his World Cup champion Greya and did not make the second round, finishing fifteenth. The only other U.S. rider, Mimi Gochman, was nineteenth on Iron Maiden after a rail in the first round.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 9, 2026
George Gaston, who trained horses, instructed riders, managed major stables and was a friend to all, died in his sleep Sunday night. He was 72.
“Everybody loved George,” said Jimmy Herring, who knew him since they were youngsters riding together.
“He always had a smile on his face,” remembered Ashley Holsinger of Memory’s Hill Stables in Waynesboro, Va., where George worked.
George Gaston with a student at Memory’s Hill.
Jimmy called George “a Southern gentleman.”
As Ashley noted, “He had a way of picking people up; He was the barn greeter; he made you feel so welcome. Everything was genuine; you never felt like you were inconsequential.”
After showing on the A circuit, George, a native of Augusta, Ga., managed a barn in St. Louis for August A. Busch Jr.
He helped train top hunter rider Charlie Weaver, then went on to Ingleside Stables, where Caroline Clark made her mark at the biggest shows with such memorable horses as Gozzi, Rain Forest and Halikalani.
George worked with Billl Russell at Pine Top in Georgia, and did a stint with eventing Olympic gold medalist Tad Coffin. During his career, he went to the Pan American Games, the World Cup and the indoor circuit..
“He was one of the best horsemen I know,” said another lifelong friend, Elizabeth Boykin Vagnoni.
“He lived and breathed horses. He wanted to understand them and care for them. He wanted to do it for their comfort and safety,” she said, noting he shared that knowledge when he taught and “loved conveying horsemanship to kids.”
Leigh Iberg remembered George this way: “He was so powerfully gentle and always had a smile and made everyone feel welcome. He was a quintessential instructor for our granddaughter prior to her starting to show regularly. He made all the difference in the world. My husband and I both became good friends and it has just been so hard.”
In recent years, George delighted his friends and made new connections with his Monday Mystery Rider postings on Facebook, in which people had to guess the identity of a horse and rider in a photo from the past.
George was multi-faceted, as Jimmy put it. In addition to his horse-related work, he was involved with a horse sports production company and the advertising business in New York, going on to sell equestrian gear as well as putting in a stint as a personal chef and wrote a cookbook.
At Memory’s Hill, George instructed clients who didn’t go to the big shows, overseeing their education in horsemanship as well as riding, teaching them to groom the horses and clean tack, “making them feel special and part of the program,” said Ashley.
“He was like everybody’s uncle.”
He was always quick to help. Memory Hill had a devastating barn fire in February 2025. A giant pine tree that stood beside the barn was half-burned. Long after things were cleaned up, it was a reminder of the tragedy, Ashley said.
She asked George if he could find someone to cut it down and take it away. The tree was gone the next day.
George is survived by his sister, Betty Gaston Snellings and her husband, William; his niece, Lilibet Snellings Kyte and his nephew, Will Snellings.
A celebration of his life will be held at Memory’s Hill when the weather is cooler. Those interested in being notified of the date and time should email Ashley at ashley@memoryshillstables.com. Information about where donations may be made in his memory will be announced at a later date.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 6, 2026
Ashley Holzer skipped last weekend’s Hagen, Germany, show, where her potential teammates for next month’s world dressage championships competed, choosing instead to ride Hawtins San Floriana at Hartpury in England.
It all worked out On Thursday, she was named for the Dutta Corp. US dressage team for the championships, along with Christian Simonson (Fleau de Baian, third in the freestyle at Hagen; Jordan La Placa, who led the Hagen team to Nations Cup bronze (Gold Play) and Genay Vaughn (Gino). Kasey Perry-Glass (Heartbeat WP), and Meagan Davis (Toronto Lightfoot) are first and second alternates respectively. Read about the Hagen show at this link.
Both the Grand Prix and the Special at Hartpury were won by Charlotte Dujardin on Brave Heart with scores of 74 percent in both classes as she vies to be on the British team alongside world champion Lottie Fry, Carl Hester and Zen Elite World Cup winner Becky Moody.
There are 20 countries that have nominated enough entries to field teams in dressage at the championships.
Ashley made a good showing, coming in second in the Grand Prix Special with a score of 72.574 percent. In the Grand Prix she was third with 71.957 percent behind Charlotte and Sadie Smith on Swanmore Dantina.
Click here for Grand Prix results
Click here for Grand Prix Special results
