by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 10, 2024
Three times a winner at Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Alex Matz wrapped up that trifecta with his first-ever Longines FEI World Cup qualifier victory Saturday night.
Alex is the 28-year-old son of U.S. Olympian Michael Matz, who won the same class at the Royal in 1977, and Michael’s wife, DD, who also rode on teams for the country. That pedigree demonstrates how show jumping success runs in the family, as Alex achieved the only double-clear in a five-horse jump-off. The course set by Oscar Soberon, making his Royal designing debut, foiled big name after big name.
Third to go in the tiebreaker, Alex was flawless with Ikigai in 34.68 seconds. That time would be bettered, but not his record over the fences. The USA’s McLain Ward and his Olympic mount, Ilex, toppled a pole but edged Matz on the clock by 0.10 seconds. Canada’s Tiffany Foster, the favorite of the capacity crowd of 6,500, had by far the fastest clocking in 32.81 seconds with the aptly named Electrique, but a rail at the final towering vertical put her second.
Ikigai, an 11-year-old KWPN chestnut stallion by Elvis ter Putte, had been out with an injury and underwent recovery for a year.
With “so much talent, the most talent of any horse I’ve ridden,” Ikigai was worth waiting for, noted Alex, who rode on the U.S. squad last month in the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona.
Alex Matz and Ikigai.
“I never thought I would have had the week that I had this week, The horse tried his heart out,” said Alex, who was named the show’s leading international rider. His other victories earlier in the week came with Cashew CR.
“Even if I was second, the horse performed so well that I would have been happy.”
Explaining her strategy, Tiffany said, ““I was trying to go as fast as I could, and the only part of the jump-off I watched was Alex’s turn to the last fence. I tried to replicate it, but I didn’t do it as well.
“This is Electrique’s first FEI World Cup™ class and her first big class indoors,” Tiffany said of the mare developed by U.S. Olympic medalist Kent Farrington.
“I think the world of her. She’s a real competitor. She loves to go fast and the faster you go, the faster her brain works and the faster her legs move,” added Tiffany, who received the trophy for being the show’s leading Canadian rider.
Defending champion Daniel Bluman of Israel finished seventh with Gemma W. That was good enough for him to move into the lead in the North American League standings with 37 points. American riders are close behind; Kristen Vanderveen is second with 36 point, followed by Kent with 30 points. They’re all trying to qualify for the final in Switzerland next April.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 3, 2024
“Consistency.”
According to judge Scott Fitton, that was the key to Taylor Cawley’s hard-won victory in the ASPCA Maclay hunt seat horsemanship championship at the National Horse Show on Sunday.
“We just felt like she stayed right there the same throughout each round all day long. We were very impressed with the way she handled it,” he said.
And it was one very long day, starting at 7:15 a.m. in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park, and ending nearly 11 hours later with the presentation of the final ribbon.
After the first round, which had 172 starters, Taylor led on 93.5, with Adriana Forte second at 93.125. Taylor, the winner of the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals East last month, was the runner-up to Adriana last weekend in the equitation championship at the Washington International Horse Show, where Christian Dominguez was third. Interestingly, they were all in the Maclay’s top group, with Christian reserve champ, Adriana third and last year’s Washington winner—Maddie Tosh—fourth.
But following the flat phase for the top 24, Adriana stood first, Taylor second, Maddie third and Christian fourth.The first round of jumping and the flat phase each counted 50 percent of the score before the first test, which was the second round contested by 24 competitors.
The course for the second round–notice the double, doubles; 5AB followed by 6AB.
Following the second round, in the final test for the top four, which called for a hand gallop to the first fence and a halt for four to six seconds after the last jump, Maddie was standing fourth, Christian third, Adriana second and Taylor first.
It was hard to critique those talented riders, but Christian had a very determined hand-gallop and Adriana’s round was a bit more quiet, so that may have been the difference.
Taylor Cawley and Oki D’Eclipse.
As the winners were announced, Taylor’s trainer, Stacia Madden, held her student’s hand, then gave her a hug as soon as Christian was named as the runner-up, which meant Taylor had won.
Stacia pointed out that Taylor is the only student she has taught who she met when the child was on day old. Taylor’s mother, Molly Ashe Cawley, is one of Stacia’s best friends.
“This feels so special to me,” said Taylor after her victory, citing the history of the class that began in 1933 and has been won by many riders who went on to compete in the Olympics.
Of her mount, Oki D’Eclipse, she said, “I honestly could not ask for a better partner throughout this whole finals season. He’s been amazing. He always comes out ready for the next day.I think it’s really important that you have a special bond with your horse.”
Christian Dominguez and his trainer, Jennifer Hannan; Taylor Cawley and Stacia Madden, Adriana Forte and Andre Dignelli.
Molly Cawley, a grand prix rider, and her husband, Chris, train Taylor along with Stacia and the crew from Beacon Hill. Taylor is the granddaughter of Sue Ashe, a respected judge who is an icon in the industry. Following up on a spectacular 2024 season, Taylor is hoping to go to Europe to ride jumpers next year, but also wants to continue in equitation with Stacia.
The class was judged by two panels of two judges; in addition to Scott they were Cynthia Hankins, Keri Kampsen and Lyman T. Whitehead. Cynthia said that arrangement is less tiring than just having two people judge, and it also lets judges see a rider from both sides of the arena.
“I think it’s really going in a great direction,” she remarked about that approach.
Keri said in collaborating with course designer Bobby Murphy about the layout of the fences, she told him she did not want to see too many related distances.
“I wanted to see the kids have to ride,” she noted, as opposed to just counting strides.
The fences were fantastic. You had to love the vertical flanked by towers of pastel macarons, which had a “bite” taken out of the top cookies. Other obstacles from StrideFull were used in the Paris, Tokyo and Athens Olympics, and included Greek pillars, perfume bottles and an elaborate Japanese house.
Click here for the order of finish in the Maclay
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 30, 2024
The MARS Maryland 5-star made a big leap in quality for its third year in 2023, then burnished the details in 2024.
“Every year, we just constantly try to figure out, `How do we tweak and adjust elements?’ ” said Terry Hasseltine, executive director of the Maryland Sports Commission,
Part of the effort is to “identify what worked really, really well, and then what is maybe a sticking point so that we can address it next year.”
One issue that still requires work is increasing participation in the marquee portion of the weekend, the 5-star.
Some of the sport’s biggest names took part in the October event presented by Brown Advisory. The only downside was that the division drew just 23 starters, with a mere eight coming through from cross-country to the show jumping phase finale. The accompanying 3-star had 54 starters.
After a long season, the autumn is a difficult time for a test as stern as a 5-star to attract a large number of competitors in America. Meanwhile, though, the final 5-star of the year, France’s Pau on the weekend after Maryland, had a starting field of 71, but just three horses from the U.S. entered. The conditions of the two events drew a sharp contrast. Maryland, usually known for its good footing, had very hard ground after a record-setting drought; Pau was lashed by storms and the cross-country footing was slick muck.
MARS Maryland 5-star winner Oliver Townend with runner-up Tim Price, left, and third-place David Doel, all of whom shipped over from Britain. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
New Zealander Tim Price, who flew over from England to finish second at Maryland with his Olympic mount, Falco, said, “We love coming over here, and we’ll do what we can to encourage more people to come here, because it’s a fantastic event, definitely one of the best events in the world and we want to pump it up. So we’ll do what we can.”
Oliver Townend, the winner with Ballaghmor Class, is another who traveled from Britain to compete. He has been to each Maryland renewal and never ceases to praise it effusively.
About the entry situation he said, “It’s a percentage game at the minute, trying to fill this event up.”
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
He emphasized that Maryland, “really give the feeling of an exceptional event, and an event that’s going to be right up there with the very best in the world.”
Terry reported that organizers are “having good conversations” with the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the FEI (the international equestrian federation) “about what are some of the strategies we can implement together to insure the 5-stars — not just us, but (also) the others — are positioned on the calendar the right way, so there’s not conflict and challenges for some of the premier riders to have to make really tough decisions.”
The bottom line?
“To insure the vitality of this event can continue to move in the right direction. In the U.S. in the fall, it’s always going to be a unique challenge, no matter who hosted it. Multiple pro sports all kicking in; the change of seasons is coming along, you’re dealing with variations of weather systems. We’ve just got to keep making our product a bucket-list product people want to come out and see. not just in the equestrian space but in the general population.”
This was the first year that betting was allowed for the 3- and 5-star events via a partnership with Crab Sports, a startup sportsbook tailored for the Maryland market.
Maryland CEO Jeff Newman had said the idea was to create more off-competition amenities that would appeal to non-equestrians. He characterized its debut as sort of a beta test.
Terry Hasseltine and Jeff Newman. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
In regard to the cross-country footing, Terry said nearly 250,000 gallons of water were dumped on the course, “but it all got absorbed into the lower basin. Sometimes it hardens the ground more than softens it.”
The team is working on doing things before cross-country, such as dumping sand on the course “so it holds a little bit more water. There are turf recommendations being looked at so we can soften some areas when we do not have mother nature’s support.”
This year’s edition was supposed to be the last hurrah for Ian Stark, who has designed the cross-country course since the event began. But word of his retirement has been exaggerated, it seems. Paris Olympics course designer Pierre Le Goupil, who was named to replace Ian, has decided he doesn’t want to start out alone on that project. So Ian will be mentoring him at Maryland in 2025.
Pierre asked for Ian’s help, telling me he has never designed a 5-star; the Olympic cross-country is at 4-star Long level. On his first visit to the event, he found everyone “wonderful and welcoming.”
The Frenchman and Ian spent time together on the course, “sharing ideas and impressions. He noted, “it’s been an interesting and learning week for me.”
Pierre explained this month was a little bit early for him to make a plan for 2025. He took advantage of “more time for me to discover and know the people and how it works, the fantastic building team behind Tyson (Rementer, head of the course building effort.).
“It’s so important to feel the atmosphere of a venue before you even start to work on it. I’ve been taking a lot of information and need to digest a little bit,” he commented.
New Maryland cross-country course designer Pierre Le Goupil. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“It is not an easy venue, that is crystal clear, because of the hills and the extensive organization of the three different areas, with the racing field, including the main arena; the area by the crab water jump and that quite long and hilly pathway in between with ups and downs that you can’t avoid. It’s a challenge how to make it different every year without creating a revolution, without losing the benefit of the previous experience for everybody, the organization and also the riders. There’s a lot to learn and I’m very excited. I have fresh eyes, I have ideas and I need to put everything in order.”
Although the event is near the site of the Fair Hill International event that began in 1989, the 5-star venue is quite different. The arenas rather unusually are set in the middle of a turf racetrack, where thoroughbreds finally will run, beginning on Memorial Day weekend next year.
“It’s an awesome venue, but it’s pretty unique. There are things about it that are really tricky operationally,” said Competition Director Joanie Morris.
She noted the event was put together with, “a lot of new ideas and ingenuity. It takes a long time to develop and establish it. The first couple of years, it was just trying to sort that out.”
But by Year Four, “It feels very real now. It feels really established. A lot of people who I have a lot of respect for, who have been to a lot of events for a lot of years around the world, have said how good it is.
“Now we’re at the point where, what can we continue to do, what can we do better? And we’re looking forward to next year.”
She added with a grateful smile, “That’s not always the way you feel when you finish an event.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 27, 2024
The Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association Championships and Open Schooling Show is a long way from the high-end competitions that dominate the calendar these days. It’s laid back, relaxed and friendly, a delightful unrecognized fixture that’s just plain fun and a high point of the season.
It may not be glitzy, but as Flemington, N.J., trainer Wendy Garfinkel said, “Don’t bash this: it’s someone’s Olympics.”
Former ESDCTA President Lisa Toaldo, who managed the show on the weekend, elaborated on what it means to the participants: “Most of the riders in the show won’t be going to Regionals and Nationals, that’s why it’s so exciting for them. This is their championship.”
Show manager Lisa Toaldo and Ann Dandurand with her champoinship ribbon. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
What adds to its appeal is location, location, location – the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters, steeped in history. The Gladstone, N.J., facility carries extra meaning as a venue for those privileged to ride there, whether they’re at training level or FEI.
When else, Wendy asked, do you get to ride at the USET?
“It’s affordable. We stable here too. You get to stay in Brentina’s stall. We work really hard to get here. They do a great job everyone is nice to you. If you fill out your entries incorrectly, they don’t yell at you.”
Something else which appeals to her is the fact that, “You see every type of horse. You don’t just see warmbloods; the odd breeds can do it too, I always promote that.”
A case in point is the Irish/Welsh cross ridden by her student, Lori Fortunato. Challenger’s Fourth Angel is a 14-hand pony that Lori adores.
Trainer Wendy Garfinkel and her student, Lori Fortunato, with Challenger’s Fourth Angel. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“She’s like a puppy,” declared Lori, who used to do hunters and eventing. But now, she says,, “I love dressage, the connection, the partnership that I feel.” She is a psychotherapist, so she knows about connections. The Watchung, N.J., resident remembers what the USET meant to her as a kid, citing the famous people like Frank Chapot who trained there.
Another different breed from Wendy’s Poniez on the Rockz is an ex-thoroughbred racehorse owned by her right-hand worker, Shelby Dunlap.
“When she’s away, I’m in charge,” said Shelby, discussing her job description.
A former groom at the racetrack, she fell in love with Riopelle, who won $100,000 racing at Penn National, Woodbine in Canada and elsewhere.
“I thought he was adorable,” she recalled.
Shelby Dunlap and Riopelle. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Shelby got to pony him onto the track the day he won a race, only to learn he was claimed for $7,500.
“I cried all the way home,” she said.
Rio, by Grade I Super Derby winner Arch out of Constant Touch (Belong to Me) raced some more, but then a trainer friend of Shelby’s was able to claim him for her. She jumped him a little before switching to dressage. He can be quirky, but he also knows when to behave. Her best score at the show was an impressive 68.8 percent in Training Level 3.
She’s having fun with the 16-year-old gelding but promised, “a couple more years and he can retire.”
Another different breed at the show was Luchadora ESF, an Andalusian who won the FEI championship with a total of 65.647 percent for Ann Dandurand.
She made a mistake in her Intermediate I test, doing the pirouette too early.
“I don’t own the I-1 test yet. She’s Grand Prix; I’m not,” said Ann, explaining her mare knew the early pirouette was the wrong move.
“I am so fortunate to have this horse.”
Ann Dandurand and Luchadora ESF. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
When Ann asked for the pirouette in the wrong place, “She was like, `No mom.’ She didn’t want to do it.” And Ann knew there was a problem because, “She never says no. She’s amazing, a saint.”
Ann, who works as a physician, is based in Cranbury, N.J., and trains with Nikki Serge in Stockton as well as Andrea Velas in Pennsylvania. She joined ESDCTA 40 years ago. Her memory of the USET dates back to the mid-1980s, when she rode in an Arabian festival there and stayed in the groom’s quarters.
More on breed diversity: Lauren Anderson rode a catchy-looking pinto named Lakota Moon at Training Level. The 17-year-old, who trains with Jill Kuc at Hidden Creek in Pennsylvania, said no one is sure about her horse’s breeding.
It was fun for her mother, Colette Anderson, to come to the show, because she grew up in Bedminster, N.J., and her husband is from neighboring Gladstone. Colette was well aware of the USET when she lived in the area, but she didn’t ride.
Lauren Anderson and Lakota Moon. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
So now, “My daughter is living my dream,” she said. Riding at the USET has a bit of an intimidation factor, but more important, it’s “a big deal.”
Another unusual combo was embodied in Linda Butz’ Dannys Secret, a Friesian/Arab cross, who competed at Grand Prix. Linda, a Pennsylvanian who trains with Sarah Schmitt in Annandale, N.J., is hoping that next year she can do her Century Ride at the USET. For that U.S. Dressage Federation opportunity, the combined age of horse and rider must be 100.
Linda has had her 22-year-old horse for 17 years.
Linda Butz and Dannys Secret. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
“I bought her to trail ride and pop over some little jumps. She told us very quickly that wasn’t for her. She ended up with a dressage trainer. I’m really fortunate that I have this horse. I learn something every time.”
Linda has her USDF bronze and silver medals, and is working towards her gold. She rode at the USET once in before in the Summer Days show, and was happy to be back.
“This beautiful, iconic facility is a big draw,” said Holly Cornell, who has been ESDCTA’s president for six years.
ESDCTA President Holly Cornell. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The organization “helps foster a lot of young riders coming up, encourages them to get involved in dressage and eventing, though most of the eventers go to recognized shows and don’t participate in the schooling combined test as much,” said Holly.
“It’s really great to see a lot of people coming up from the lower levels and getting better horses and improving.”
And as far as the Championship show goes, she pointed out, it’s obvious that “this beautiful, iconic facility is a big draw.”
Click here for results of the show
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 22, 2024
The seemingly endless speculation is over: the Winter Equestrian Festival showgrounds have been sold, with an ambitious nine-figure plan for upgrades on an expanded venue in Wellington, Fla.
The buyers are former owners, a group including entrepreneur Mark Bellissimo, with his longtime partners Lisa Lourie, Roger Smith and Marsha Dammerman. Bellissimo led the purchase of what was then Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, a deteriorating venue, from Stadium Jumping Inc. in 2007 and turned it into a facility that now attracts big name jumper riders from Europe, as well as from the U.S. and the rest of North America. It will be combined with a contiguous 96 acres that originally was billed as a new home for dressage.
Former U.S. Equestrian Federation President Murray Kessler is taking over as CEO, but Michael Stone will continue as president and lead the Equestrian Sport Productions team that has been putting on 40 weeks of shows at Wellington International in the “Winter Equestrian Capital of the World.”
Wellington International has been the scene of many thrilling competitions .(Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Enhancements will include not just the facilities, Kessler promised, saying, “We want to improve the production, the sport, attract the best riders in the world. It’s always sport first; we want this to be the best sport in the world.”
Much-needed major work on the current showgrounds will begin in April and continue until next show season there, while the action moves 1.5 miles from Wellington International to Equestrian Village, which hosts dressage from January through March, as well as a number of jumper and hunter competitions.
Bellissimo said that while there is a 2028 deadline for finishing the expanded showgrounds, “in a best case scenario, it would be the 2026 season, but what we’re not going to do is go into an incomplete facility.” Equestrian Village will operate as usual in 2025.
Global Equestrian Group and Waterland Private Equity, which bought the WEF showgrounds in 2022, wound up extending the right of first refusal to the buyers, who earlier this year had filed suit seeking that option, and the deal went through last week.
“The sale is a testament to the fact that Wellington International is now ready for its next chapter,” said Andreas Helgstrand, CEO of GEG.
When the project is finished, all the disciplines will be on the same property, which has a 193.6 acre footprint. Then construction will begin on a high-end golf community at Equestrian Village, formerly part of the Village’s Equestrian Preserve. There was an uproar in the community about removing the land from the Preserve, and contentious hearings were held from the summer of 2023 until the Village Council approved the project in February. The permission was contingent on providing a new destination to replace Equestrian Village so the Global Dressage Festival could continue.
Bellissimo, a controversial figure in some quarters, is involved with Wellington Lifestyle Partners that is constructing the golf community, but it is his daughter, Paige Bellissimo Nunez, who has an active role there. He is keeping a low profile on the showgrounds project, with its group for the moment called WI FL Acquisition. His daughter is on the board of that entity, but he is not.
“We have a remarkable once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really take a look at this and build the world class facility that Mark and Michael and others involved with this for a long time, the vision they’ve always had. This is building on all of that legacy,” said Kessler, a retired drug company CEO who has lived in Wellington for 48 years.
He noted “it’s just not right that over the last year or two, there has been a level of uncertainty, especially through the sales process. We want all that behind us. Everybody bring the community together, focus on making this the world’s greatest show.”
Assessing the news of the sale, show jumping Olympic multi-medalist McLain Ward, said, “A positive thing is Murray Kessler’s involvement. I’ve had great experiences working with him in the past and we hope for the best in this situation.”
Grand Prix show jumping always draws a crowd at Wellington International. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Dressage rider Arlene “Tuny” Page, who owns a farm in Wellington, started a last-ditch effort in February to raise money for the purchase of the Equestrian Village property where the dressage was being held. That didn’t work.
So she was interested to learn there will be a place for dressage in the showgrounds expansion.
“Obviously, every horseman and horsewoman and everyone whose livelihood depends on this being successful is going to be pretty darn happy if that really comes to pass. We’ve seen a lot of things fall through our fingers; you think it’s done and then nope, it’s not. I hope and pray that whole crew is really satisfied and will execute on it. That would be great,” she said.
Page takes comfort from Kessler’s involvement.
“Murray is absolutely top drawer. He’s ridiculously smart and really well-connected. So that’s a great way to start. Things have been very, very shaky here.”
When dressage riders didn’t know if shows would be held at Equestrian Village for 2025, that did “have everybody on edge,” Page noted.
“If we have a path to glory, I’m all for it.”
The Adequan Global Dressage Festival grounds at Equestrian Village. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
In recent years, the new World Equestrian Center in Ocala north of Wellington and TerraNova near Sarasota on Florida’s West Coast have built glittering facilities and attracted a wide range of equestrian competitors.
But Bellissimo said, “This is not intended to be a relative standard vis a vis WEC or anyplace else. Wellington is unique; WEC is unique. They both have great products and great customers. Our focus is to really define something that is very unique and different. I believe we’ve got a leadership team that is unsurpassed anywhere in the world.
“What they need is the right vision, the right direction and the right capital. We’re going to defer to them in terms of expanding the vision and execution of this. It’s up to us to provide the capital, which we’re comfortable doing. There’s been a lot of interest (from) others that want to participate in this.”
He would like the process to be more collegial, to “create a little sanctuary to enjoy equestrian sport, enjoy their families and enjoy the uniqueness of Wellington and Palm Beach County. I don’t think that can repeated anywhere,” he continued, remarking that there are nearly 1,000 farms between Wellington and neighboring Loxahatchee.
“We’re going to try to fulfill what we started 18 years ago.”
What will the final design of the showgrounds be?
“There’s all kinds of creative things that can be done and a master plan will be put in place,” said Kessler, who doesn’t have details at the moment.
“You’re going to have to stay tuned for that part of it,” he noted. But he did add, “Dressage was in jeopardy in Wellington and now it has certainty.
“The idea is for Michael and his team to go out in the community and figure out what is the best configuration here. We need to figure out what exactly do the market and the customers want in building what we believe is a very unique and responsive venue for the different disciplines we serve.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 21, 2024
If Tamie Smith had won the MARS Maryland 5-star event with Mai Baum over the weekend, she knew exactly what she would do after stepping down from the podium.
“I can canter on his back standing up. I was hoping I was going to get to do that for the victory gallop,” she confided with a grin.
But it was not to be.
After she moved into the lead during dressage with the striking black 18-year-old German sport horse gelding, all eyes were on her the next day as she traversed the hilly cross-country course, a real test of endurance with an 11-minute, 15-second optimum time. For a horse without a lot of thoroughbred blood, that’s a challenge—and not always achievable.
“We went for it and tried to give it all we’ve got,” she recounted about her trip around the challenging route.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum at the ninth fence on cross-country. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
She explained that Mai Baum, “always gives me a time on the course where he’s a little bit tired and I say, `Come on, buddy,’ and he didn’t respond. So that was my cue to say `okay.’
“He just ran out of steam; I had nothing. I got to the top of the hill at the Sawmill (obstacle 17) and he just basically broke to the trot.
“I said, `Let’s go,’ and he said, `Yeah, no. We’re not doing this.’”
So she wisely raised her hand and retired.
“He walked back all proud of himself,” she said with a smile.
“I think he thought it was the finish line. He was great, those eight minutes (on course) but what can you do? You’ve got to listen to your horse. That’s what I try to pride myself on, listening to them.”
A big problem with the cross-country involved a lack of rain for weeks in the area, making the ground hard despite the organizers dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water on it in an attempt to make it softer.
“Everybody did all they could do,” she said.
As Tamie and anyone else who has tackled Fair Hill under any type of conditions know, “it’s a long grade and hats off to the organizers and the team that tried to do all they could with the ground. The weather wasn’t on our side. It (the ground) was quite hard and I think you saw a lot of horses feel it.”
The hilly challenge is “one thing when the ground is absolutely stunning. It’s a different sport when it has rained a ton and it’s really deep; or it’s hard,” pointed out Tamie, the first American to win the Kentucky 5-star in 15 years when she did it in 2023 with Mai Baum.
She’s an admirer of thoroughbreds for the cross-country task: “it’s actually exciting to see those thoroughbreds gallop across that country. It’s beautiful, that’s what eventing is. As much as I love Mai Baum and he’s given me and taken me so many places, if he had a lot of thoroughbred in him, nobody could catch him — but this time they could.”
So what’s next for Mai Baum, better known as Lexus around the barn.
Tamie was happy to report that when she took him out the day after cross country to see how he felt, “he trotted up like a million bucks.”
“He’s not ready to retire,” she emphasized.
“He’ll do some showcases and I’ll do some 4-star shorts.”
Earlier in the week, she also had mentioned the possibility of trying hunter derbies and perhaps, straight dressage.
And she’s not going anywhere.
As the 50-year-old Californian put it, “I’ve got a lot more to do.”
