by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 15, 2026
On the same day that Bill Moroney made a surprise announcement that he will retire as U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO after 10 years in the job, three people were nominated as candidates to succeed Ingmar DeVos in the FEI (international equestrian federation) presidency.
That paves the way for a whole new dynamic in how horse sport is led both nationally and internationally before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Moroney, 66, a founder of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, a USEF affiliate, explained in what he termed a “personal note” to the membership, “Horses have been my whole life. I spent over 30 years as a professional trainer and along the way, became involved in governance.”
He cited his start in leadership as co-chair of the Pony Committee for USA Equestrian (a USEF predecessor) before becoming the first president of USHJA and serving on USEF’s board and more than 17 of its committees. He called becoming USEF CEO in 2016 “the equestrian honor of my life.”
By offering his announcement now, the board has time to run a search for his replacement. He also pointed out that with USEF President Tom O’Mara’s term running through the Los Angeles Olympic cycle, it is best for the CEO and president not to change in the same time frame.
“Making this transition now keeps our leadership steady,” he said, adding, “I will be here and fully engaged in leading USEF through the end of the year, and we will continue to provide our programs, services, and competitions.”
While the top level of horse sports is doing well, at other levels, many have been priced out not only by the cost of horses that can be competitive, but also concerns that keeping a horse, running a barn and competing are out of reach for more and more people.
Last October, a petition calling for a vote of No Confidence in USEF leadership was filed with Change.org. It has 2,073 signatures.
It mentions a disconnect between leadership and members, stating, “USEF exists to serve its members, advance equestrian sport in the United States, and uphold integrity, fairness, and transparency. Sadly, the current leadership has failed in these duties. Under their direction, the organization has eroded member trust, alienated the equestrian community, and fallen short of the standards expected of a National Governing Body.”
The document added, “The time has come for USEF to return to its founding principle—that it exists to serve the members and the sport, not the other way around. Member participation must be central to all major decisions affecting governance, leadership, and the future of equestrian sport in America.”
The petition sought the replacement not only of Moroney, but also of Olympic eventing gold medalist David O’Connor, who serves as chief of sport; veterinarian Stephen Schumacher, director of drugs and medication, and Vicki Lowell, chief marketing and content officer.
Meanwhile, nominees for the FEI top job include Honorary Vice President Mark Samuel of Canada, chair of Regional Group IV (North America) and FEI Vice President from 2017 to 2024. Sabrina Ibáñez, of El Salvador, who would be the first person from a Latin American country to serve in the role if elected, joined the FEI in 1991 and served as FEI Director of Governance and Executive Affairs from 2011 until her appointment as FEI Secretary General in December 2014.
The other nominee is Chinese Taipei’s Jack Huang, who would be the first Asian president of the FEI if elected. He has served as chair of FEI Regional Group VIII (Asia and Oceania) since 2016 and has been FEI Vice President since 2019.
The new FEI president will be elected by the organization’s General Assembly on Dec. 5 in Jiangyin, China.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 11, 2026
The new version of Wellington International will be as much a showcase as it is a showgrounds.
The finishing touches are being put on the expanded and upgraded host of the 2027 Winter Equestrian Festival, the world’s longest horse show. Dressage competition will share the revamped location with the centerpiece hunters and jumpers, who have occupied it mostly on their own for the last 14 years.
An additional 98 acres added to the once-crowded facility offers space for construction of the site’s first covered arena, new stabling, installation of the grass field, and addition of more rings both for competition and exercise, as well as facilities geared to spectators for dining, shopping and viewing the competition. Permanent restrooms, including those located by the barns, in the show office and the VIP area, will be another welcome improvement, along with shade structures offering shelter from the bright sun.
The new covered arena.
There will be an international dressage arena measuring 250 by 350 feet, with covered seating for 3,000, as well as two dressage rings for national dressage competition. While the jumpers “will be close,” they won’t be on top of the dressage horses, as they were at the showgrounds in the days before nearby Equestrian Village became a venue for the discipline.
Having a total of 215 acres will afford much more parking than there has been at the main grounds, with institution of a golf cart shuttle system for those seeking to skip a long walk between the North and South sections of the property. There also will be dedicated rider shuttles between the barns and the rings.
Wellington International President Michael Stone by the new grass field.
Meanwhile, having three entrances and exits, to the showgrounds, instead of one bottleneck access route, also should ease the traffic jams that have become a standard frustration as cars leave after a major competition. While the current Pierson Road entrance will remain, two other entrances will be available from Gracida Street on the other side of the property.
The enlarged facility was required to be open by 2028 as part of a deal to enable construction of Wellington Lifestyle Partners’ luxury housing development on what was the former Adequan Global Dressage Festival grounds, which have been in operation during the winter months at Equestrian Village since 2012.
Michael Stone and Mark Bellissimo when the Adequan Global Showgrounds was under construction in 2011.
The work on the expanded main showgrounds is being finished early, however, and will be ready for a soft opening later this year.
“We’re really excited to get going,” said Michael Stone, president of Wellington International, noting the expansion “means we have way more space.
Plantings will beautify the showgrounds as they grow.
“One of the criticisms we’ve always had is that we don’t have enough space; too many horses on a small footprint.
“But now we’re doubling the footprint. Even though we’re bringing over dressage, it only takes up a relatively small amount (of acreage). We have all these new rings and bridle paths and parking to enhance the experience,” he observed.
The abundant parking is particularly important for dressage, since many of those who compete are in “show and go mode,” heading back to their farms after competing, rather than stabling on the grounds, as most of the hunters and jumpers do.
The lack of space and parking made for a situation “that people have been justifiably critical of over the years,” as Michael pointed out. The first year the expanded grounds is in operation, he acknowledged, will be a bit of a learning experience, as competition manager and chief operating officer David Burton works on coordinating everything, a project which already is under way. The idea is a schedule that insures someone won’t be showing on the South grounds and then five minutes later have to appear with another horse on the North grounds.
One of the large exercise rings.
“We’ll refine it as we go along for the hunter/jumper side. The dressage side is pretty straightforward, with a lot more room for warm-ups. It’s a much better venue for dressage,” Michael contended.
Although WEF and other shows at the site draw riders from all over the Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, the facility is no longer one of a kind, as it was in its early days.
Florida has become the epicenter of showing in the U.S. during the winter. Not only has the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, four hours to the north gotten a share of the spotlight with its 5-star hotel, restaurants and shopping, but TerraNova, another newer development three hours west of Wellington, also has a modern facility that is an attraction.
Crowds jammed the stands for the featured 2026 Rolex US Open $1 million grand prix at Wellington International.
“We clearly have a lot of competition,” Michael observed.
But he quickly added, “We welcome competition, because the better the competition, the better we will become.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2026
At the Devon Horse Show, all the attention is on the champions of the moment; those who win the hunter derby, the division titles, the leading rider honors.
But for one evening each year, after the hunter classes at the show have ended, there is a gathering to offer accolades and share memories. Those who have made a lasting impression on the sport over the decades are honored at the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame’s annual dinner. Since 1995, the names added to the Hall’s roster have included scores of legends.
Among them are riders, trainers, breeders and organizers who are well-known today, such as Rodney Jenkins, Leo Conroy, Sallie Wheeler and Diana Dodge. Less contemporary, but equally respected, are the likes of Peggy Augustus, Junie Kulp, Hope Montgomery Scott and Gordon Wright, as well as so many others who made their mark over the generations. Induction into the Hall ensures a place in a pantheon of greats who will never be forgotten because of their contributions to the sport.
As master of ceremonies Scot Evans observed, the hunters are “where it all begins” for so many international riders.
“That’s the American system.”
The Hall, founded by Carol Maloney, is chaired by trainer Jimmy Lee, who is assisted in running the organization by Kathy Gilbertson. As Scot noted they are “the two people who are keeping this together.”
Nina Bonnie, one of the 2026 inductees, is an achiever in multiple ways. They include a winning record in the show ring on horses she bought young and made herself. Beyond that, she has served horse sport and the Kentucky Horse Park.
Nina Bonnie with her sons, Shelby and Robert.
Always gracious and personable, she came by her sense of duty not only as a personal obligation, but also as a heritage. This spring, she followed her late mother, Mrs. A.C. Randolph, into the Hall. Mrs. Randolph bred and trained show horses, as well as race horses and field hunters. She served as master of the Piedmont Fox Hounds for more than 40 years, and her grandsons also became masters of foxhounds.
Nina, who was married to the late Ned Bonnie, was introduced by her sons Shelby and Robert at the dinner. In addition to being a top amateur rider, she served as chairperson of the Kentucky Horse Park and started its foundation.
“I’ve had a wonderful time. I love what I’ve done at the horse shows and I hope all of you all continue to do it for a long time. It’s a great sport,” she told those at the dinner.
Nina continues to ride, currently enjoying a former steeplechaser who has become a pleasure mount.
Humor always has a place at the dinner if the speaker handling an induction lets their wit shine through. When Don Stewart is doing the honors, it’s really a roast, and you know it always will be good for more than a few laughs.
Don said that because Archie’s father and stepmother would be on hand at the dinner, the honoree wisely suggested “don’t be too rude.”
Archie is originally from Long Island in the Locust Valley area, where he trained with Cynthia Williams (who was on hand at the dinner) and was “surrounded by upper crust, entitled, wealthy snobby neighbors,” Don related with a smile, noting he did “dodge the `Locust Valley Lockjaw’ accent.”
Mentioning that Archie graduated from Drew University with a degree in political science, Don suggested that had he chosen that line of country for a career, he probably would have been a success in it because “he can argue like no other.”
After a stint training in New Jersey, Archie moved to California for a job with Karen Healey and wound up staying. After opening his own Brookway Stable, he went on to train the winners of 53 national high score awards. Some of his most notable students, as cited by Don, were Olympian Lucy Davis and Stephanie Danhakl “winner of everything.”
Archie chuckled as Don stepped away and he took the microphone, “I think that went pretty darn well compared to how it might have gone…”.
Archie Cos with Scot Evans and Jimmy Lee.
Of his philosophy toward horses, he said, “Let them be as good as they can. I’ve had great horses and great owners and I look forward to quite a few more years doing this.”
The most emotional speech came from Andre Dignelli, best known for his equitation training success. His brother and business partner in Heritage Farm, Michael Dignelli, introduced him at the dinner. The two have always been a team.
Michael and Andre Dignelli.
Andre, who was near tears several times during his speech, told of getting started with no money but with an abundance of determination.
“We had a lot of love and not a lot of anything else,” he recounted about growing up with very caring parents.
“We had a makeshift little barn in the backyard, a couple of off-the-track thoroughbreds we got out of a local Pennysaver. We’d go to local horse shows. We would take in all the free lessons.” That meant watching their “heroes,” such as Rodney, Leslie Burr and Katie Monahan and picking up on what they saw.
“We would go home and jump garbage cans and learn how to braid,” he remembered.
While many doors were closed to Andre, Hall of Fame member Judy Richter opened her door.
She was generous but also no-nonsense, and he worked hard at her Coker Farm.
“I was terrified of her.” he admitted. She was the key to his future, and they grew to understand each other.
“If you want to keep a horse out back in the tractor shed, there’s a place for you here,” she advised, before giving him his biggest breaks. He went on to ride a junior jumper owned by her son in the 1985 USET finals.
“Winning that class changed my life, It was the first time I actually felt `seen,’ ” he told his audience. Andre went on to ride another of her horses to a team bronze medal at the Pan Am Games in 1991.
The trainer, who survived kidney cancer with a transplant from his husband, noted, “The most rewarding part of my job has been the hundreds of students I have taught and mentored. They have stood on the podiums as my students and my alumni from Pony Finals to the Olympics Games and everywhere in between.” (His former student, Tori Colvin — who won the USET class in 2015 — was honored at the Hall dinner as Lady Rider of the Year. And another former student, Kent Farrington, was ranked number one internationally in June).
The McKinney family was recognized for its long history in the horse world. Rigan McKinney, a famed steeplechase jockey and trainer, owned and operated the Stony Point horse farm in Lexington, Ky. One of his daughters, Tamara McKinney, a star U.S. skier, was also an accomplished rider as a junior.
The McKinney family reviewing their photos at the dinner.
Her step-sister, Laura, became the owner of Stony Point, and in between working with her race horses, rode hunters, as did her mother, Frances McKinney. Laura’s sister, Ouisha, an equine artist specializing in wool and earthenware, also is involved with the farm.
Horses have their own place in the Hall, and two were inducted for 2026. They are Becky Gochman’s Catch Me, ridden by Scott Stewart (a boxed Breyer model of the memorable Holsteiner was on every table) and Betsee Parker’s Lone Star, ridden by Hunt Tosh, who spoke about how much that special horse meant to him.
Aside from the inductees, many other awards (such as the one that went to Tori) are presented at the Hall dinner. Betsee, whose California Love was Regular Conformation Hunter of the Year and Horse of the Year, got the Owner of the Year trophy and Scott Stewart, California Love’s rider, took the tricolor as Gentleman Rider of the Year. John French was Trainer of the Year.
Betsee Parker plants a kiss on Scott Stewart.
Wunderkind J.J. Torano was named Hunter Seat Equitation Rider of the Year. But that title is an understatement when looking at his achievements. He rode in the hunter derby at Devon, where he was a winner in the jumpers, and he also won a jumper class at Upperville the following week.
JJ Torano in the hunter derby at Devon.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 4, 2026
As keeping horses has become increasingly pricey, the amount competitors pay for showing on top of that has developed as a major economic issue. There is a tendency to blame the shows for over-charging, intimating that competitions are making huge profits off the exhibitors. But such accusations generally come from people who have no idea what it takes, or costs, to put on a show. They have no idea of the profit margin (if there is one) realized by competitions, particularly the smaller shows serving the all-important base of the sport.
Without a base, nothing can be built. If equestrian competition is seen as being only about the elite upper levels, that can hurt more than the sport’s image in the era of social license to operate. Such a perception also can discourage those who feel showing — viewed as a goal after all those lessons — is out of their price range. As a result, they may not continue to ride and go elsewhere for their exercise.
What does it cost to put on a horse show? Marnye Langer, who runs the Langer Equestrian Group shows in California, has produced a piece explaining the business model. Here is an edited version of what she wrote:
Horse shows are extraordinarily expensive to produce, even before a single ribbon is handed out. That is something many exhibitors – and increasingly, policymakers – fail to fully appreciate.
The public conversation around the U.S. Equestrian Federation channel system and the future of competition often assumes there is a large amount of fat built into horse show pricing. The reality is quite the opposite, especially for smaller shows. Margins are frequently thin, costs are largely fixed and many of the expenses exhibitors dislike most are not profit centers at all. They are simply mechanisms to cover operational necessities or pass through costs collected on behalf of associations.
Take staffing: A horse show requires an enormous workforce to function safely and professionally. Labor costs extend far beyond judges and course designers. They include office personnel, ring crews, maintenance teams, jump crews, in-gate staff, parking attendants, hospitality workers, and security. Those positions exist whether the show runs three days or five, three rings or five.
And importantly, these are not optional expenses.
A hunter/jumper competition cannot simply decide to eliminate EMT coverage, forego insurance or skip licensed officials because entries are down. Most of the core operating costs remain fixed regardless of the competition’s size or designation.
The same applies to venue costs. Facility rental, footing preparation, utilities, manure removal, tents, stalls, generators and equipment rentals represent substantial line items that do not meaningfully decline simply because a show is categorized differently under a channel framework. In many cases, regional competitions actually face higher proportional costs because they lack the economies of scale available to larger circuits.
Even when a horse show operates at a facility under the same ownership structure, the venue itself is not free. Someone still pays for footing maintenance, equipment, utilities, staffing, insurance, paving, landscaping, manure removal and ongoing repairs. This is also true for farms that host smaller local competitions. Rest assured, they have invested substantial money into making those properties functional for horse shows.
This is an important point because there is a persistent assumption that facility-owning show managers somehow operate without meaningful overhead. They do not. In many cases, horse show revenue is what keeps the facility itself financially viable.
Another uncomfortable truth: Ancillary revenues matter tremendously.
Exhibitors often view feed, shavings, office fees, nomination fees and sponsorship programs as excessive add-ons. In reality, those categories frequently determine whether a competition survives financially. Particularly for smaller and mid-level competitions, sponsorship revenue is limited or nonexistent. That means operational sustainability falls heavily on entries, stalls and associated exhibitor fees.
And even then, profitability is far from guaranteed. Weather disruptions, lower-than-expected entries, rising insurance costs, labor shortages, fuel prices and facility fee increases can erase margins quickly. A competition that appears “busy” from the outside is not necessarily financially successful.
This is why the assumption that (regional) Channel 2 competitions automatically create a lower-cost environment is so problematic.
The USEF channel system largely adjusts classification and prize money requirements. It does not materially reduce the overwhelming majority of production expenses that drive horse show economics. All the “things” still have to happen. Judges, course designers and EMTs still need to be hired. Rings still need dragging. Footing still needs maintenance. Insurance premiums do not suddenly shrink because a show is labeled “regional.” The list goes on.
If anything, smaller competitions often face a more difficult economic equation. They have fewer entries over which to spread fixed costs, less sponsorship support and less leverage when competing for labor and vendors against major circuits.
That reality matters because regional and mid-level horse shows are foundational to the sport’s ecosystem. They are where riders develop, trainers build businesses and new participants enter the industry. If those competitions become financially unsustainable, the long-term impact extends far beyond a single horse show’s balance sheet.
The concern is not simply whether some shows will disappear. It is whether the sport can maintain a healthy competitive middle class at all. Because once regional competitions vanish, rebuilding that layer of the industry becomes extraordinarily difficult.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 4, 2026
America’s top-ranked dressage horse, Indian Rock, isn’t part of the U.S. contingent headed to Europe this summer.
The stallion’s owner, Heidi Humphries’ Zen Elite Equestrian Center, posted Thursday on social media, “After a lot of discussion with the team, we’ve decided not to include Indian Rock in our summer championship team plans this year.”
The U.S. is sending a group of horses to Germany to train in preparation for August’s world championships at Aachen. The squad that will compete at Hagen includes Rocky’s rider, Christian Simonson, on Fleau de Baian, Jordan LaPlaca (Gold Play), Meagan Davis (Toronto Lightfoot) and Anna Marek (Fayvel).
“Rocky has given us an incredible season, and we couldn’t be more proud of everything he has accomplished. He has exceeded our expectations in every way, and we feel the best decision for him right now is to enjoy a well-earned break and some time to simply be a horse,” the Zen statement said.
The 13-year-old Rocky finished second in the Zen Elite World Cup Finals in April with Christian in the saddle, then went on to the U.S. national championships in May. While he won the Grand Prix at that competition, Rocky had a couple of tricky moments in the Special the next day, and Christian made an error of course during the test. Rocky did not appear for the Freestyle two days later.
Rocky got a kiss from his rider after winning the Grand Prix at the national championships.
“We believe that building great horses for the long term means knowing when to continue forward and when to give them the opportunity to recharge,” the Zen statement acknowledged.
Rocky, part of the 2024 Dutch Olympic team and the eighth-ranked horse this month in the international standings, “has taken us on an amazing journey this year (one we couldn’t have dreamed up any better), and we want to set him up for continued success in the years ahead,” the Zen statement continued.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of our entire team and the many people who have cheered Rocky on every step of the way.
“This summer, we’ll be proudly cheering on the rest of Team USA, including Christian and our handsome `lion,’ Fleau de Baian.”
Felix, as he is known, won the Freestyle and finished fourth overall in the national championships. Christian is ranked seventh among the world’s riders.
Christian Simonson and Fleau de Baian.
“Thank you for being part of Rocky’s story. @christian.simonson, @adrienne.lyle and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this very special horse” the Zen statement concluded.
The loss of Rocky is another blow for the U.S. world championships team, which also won’t include Jane, Alice Tarjan’s mare ridden by Marcus Orlob in the 2024 Olympics. Jane was out with an injury during the winter after showing in Florida. She is rehabbing and isn’t part of the U.S. group going to Europe.
Meanwhile, U.S. National Grand Prix Champion Ellesse Gundersen, with her homebred Quintessential 4, did not apply to be on the world championships team. There is no “wiggle room” to get her on the team, USEF reported.
Fayvel did not compete in the championships at WEC, but is a well-traveled veteran. Meagan and Toronto Lightfoot were third overall in the championships while Jordan was fifth.
Ashley Holzer, second in the national championships with Hawtins San Floriana, will be going to Britain rather than Germany in order to train and compete under the eye of her coach, Carl Hester.
Named to ride as individuals in the 4-star at Hagen are Kasey Perry-Glass (Heartbeat WP), thirteenth in both the Grand Prix and Special, who did not compete in the Freestyle at the championships, and the second-highest ranked U.S. dressage rider internationally, Genay Vaughn, thirty-ninth in the world standings. She did not ride Gino in the Freestyle at the national championships after finishing tenth in the Grand Prix and fourteenth in the Special.
Riding in the 3-Star at Hagen will be Ellesse; Christian’s trainer, Adrienne Lyle, who swept competition at that level at the World Equestrian Center in May with Helix, and Quinn Iverson (Gremlin 41). Katie Duerrhammer (Rosebank VH) will ride in the 1-Star there.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 31, 2026
Seven horses. That’s how many rides Olympic eventer Caroline Martin Pamukcu had at the Essex Horse Trials on Sunday.
Or if you really want to dig into the numbers, you could call it 21 rides, because, of course, she had to compete in three phases — dressage, cross-country and show-jumping — on each of her mounts.
She finished first, second, fourth and seventh in Open Preliminary, the highest-level division offered by the event at Moorland Farm in Far Hills, N.J., home of October’s Far Hills Race Meeting.
Caroline Pamukcu and She’s the One, Open Preliminary winner
In Open Novice, she was second, third and fourth, behind winner Sophia Middleburg.
Then she headed home to Pennsylvania to get in a little more riding while it was still light.
Oh, and she’s also a mother. Caroline’s 18-month-old daughter, Blake, is named after her Olympic equine partner.
Nothing can slow down Caroline, except the case of Covid she caught earlier this spring.
So what’s her secret, how does she keep going at that pace?
“It’s not really a secret. It’s just hard work,” she revealed.
“I wake up every morning four to five days a week at 4:45. My sleep-in days are 7 a.m. wake-up. I try to go to the gym five days a week.”
And after that she rides, so there are days that run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Explaining her drive, she said, “I really, really want to be a top, top rider. I’ve got to push myself so I can be.” (I thought she already was!) In her view, though, that includes winning a 5-star event for the first time.
So why come to Essex? It was missing the sport’s other big names.
Essex has a great history and once was a “must” stop for high-level eventers. Founded in 1968, it vanished after 1998, came back in a big way in 2017 and then struggled a bit. The solution for continued survival involved ending the multi-day approach and making it into a one-day event last year, along with the determination of Marilyn Payne and her organizing committee to keep it going.
Essex enjoys the comfortable feel of a local competition, but has wonderful ambience, getting great crowds tailgating around the water obstacle on the challenging course designed by Morgan Rowsell in the heart of the beautiful Somerset Hills.
It was an ideal destination for Caroline to give a couple of her top horses “a quiet run before the 4-star Long at Bromont (Quebec)” next week.
They are She’s the One, who led wire-to-wire to win the Open Prelim on 30.5 penalties, and HSH Double Sixteen, second in the division with 32.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Double Sixteen, second in the Open Preliminary.
“You have quite a bit of atmosphere here, so it’s really good for them,” she said, noting that applies even to a “seasoned competitor” such as Double Sixteen.
It also suited her “really exciting young horses” who got useful experience.
“This time of year, you focus on the next generation,” she said.
Calling Essex “amazing,” she stressed the importance of having an event like that at this level.
“This is the biggest crowd we’ll have all spring, besides Kentucky (the Lexington 5-star in April.)
“It’s so great for the horses. A huge shout-out to Morgan, he really made the course flow super-well. Being able to do dressage and show jump on the grass, you need the experience to teach your horses to push off this surface. The ground was foot-perfect. You would want to do your horse’s last gallop before the Olympic Games on this footing.
“There are so many good people keeping this event alive. I really hope some of the other top riders come out here,” she continued, but noted the discipline’s schedule has been so busy that at this time of year, many riders would like a short break.
Trainer Michael Pendleton, who won the Open Training with Gravitas (33 penalties) and his student, Lily Barlow, the Preliminary Rider winner on Sportsfield Kan Do (44) came from Aiken S.C., for Essex.
Michael Pendleton and Gravitas, Open Training winner.
“The course was awesome. It’s good to come up here and get on the hills and have some decorated jumps,” Michael said.
The long drive to get to Essex was “worth it,” he said.
Lily commented about her horse, “This is his first Preliminary, it was kind of a big step up for him, but he was awesome.”
At home, “We see the same shows all the time, so this was so good for them. This is my first time here and I love it,” she said, commenting particularly on the crowd.
“It’s so cool to go through the water and have people cheering. You don’t see it much in the South unless you’re going to a really big event. And if it’s a really big event, you don’t want it to be the first time your horse sees that.” (a crowd).
Essex didn’t give awards for rider endurance, but if they did, Holly Payne Caravella certainly was in the running.
Holly, the daughter of Marilyn Payne, won the Open Modified wire-to-wire on Princess Candy with a score of 25.7 penalties from dressage, unsullied by any errors in the other phases. She rode her mother’s Rock Me Mama to second place with 25.9, also unsullied.
Holly Payne and Rock Me Mama in the stadium jumping phase of Open Modified.
With her Essex duties, Marilyn obviously, was too busy to ride her own horse, although she has placed first in a division there previously.
“She wanted to move her up,” said Holly about her mother’s thoughts on what Rock Me Mama should do.
Candy is an Irish import bought by Olivia Ford as a 5-year-old.
The mare doesn’t have a princessy attitude, instead living up to the second part of her name.
“She’s really sweet,” explained Holly.
Holly Payne Caravella and Open Modified winner Princess Candy.
Her win was definitely an achievement.
“It’s really hard here, especially the water jump, because of all the tailgaters, the atmosphere. Both of the girls have done two Modifieds, this is their third and this is the hardest one. When I walked the course, I was like `Two jumps in the water?’
“A lot of times at that level, you might just have one jump in the water and that’s hard enough.”
Indeed, several horses in that division and Modified Rider took issue with having to jump the second of a pair of “lobster traps” in the pond.
Asked why she thought more top riders didn’t come to Essex, Hollly said the eventing schedule is very full now. She noted that riders who want to ride in the FEI long events need to qualify at FEI short events, and Essex is not FEI, so that is a factor.
But for those who want to give horses mileage and enjoy something reminiscent of the days when people were in it for the sport without worrying about qualifying for this and that, or trying to be selected for a team, Essex has a great deal to offer — and for spectators as well
The trade fair more than doubled in size from last year. Sarah Thomann, who works in the office at Redfield Farm in Hunterdon County, got a booth from which to sell her bejeweled browbands, halters and belts (or take orders for custom work) because, “I thought it was great to be part of a community event that was local. A lot of people stopped, more so for custom orders,” she reported.
Essex Horse Trials merch was a big seller in the trade fair.
Purina was on hand with a giveaway for riders who could guess their horse’s weight, a number confirmed when the animal stepped on a scale.
The prize was a saddle pad, supplements and other useful goodies.
Winner Janina Parmelee correctly guessed that her U.S.-bred Redfield Mikke, a German riding pony, weighed in at “1,050 pounds exactly.”
Janina is the owner of the personality-plus bay gelding, who came through Caroline Martin Pamukcu’s sales program. She rides him in dressage, so her friend, Kylie Stangle, was the one who guided him to victory over 13 other entries in the Novice Rider competition. Kylie keeps the ribbon; Janina, a fashion designer, keeps the other prizes.
Janina bought Mikke five years ago when she wanted a horse that could “do a little bit of everything.” She and Mikke are in Marilyn Payne’s training program.
Janina Parmelee and 1,050-pound Redfield Mikke.
Dr. Jennifer Gill, a nutrition consultant for Purina, said “We love supporting the local community and we just love riders and supporting them in what they do, they work so hard.”
She said there was good participation in the weight-guess program, but noted, “It usually surprises people how different it is from what they might think.”
Marilyn, the Essex board president who has ridden or judged at the event every year since it started, is dedicated to having a fixture where people interested in participating in the sport can “get in the door,” while it hosts “a lot of spectators and introduce them to what eventing is, because most of them don’t know. I just didn’t want to let it die. It’s amazing the people behind me, because I couldn’t do this myself. Everyone does it because they love it.”
Heather Gillette, president of the ground jury, who first rode at Essex in 1987, is donating her services to help insure that Essex survives.
“It’s part of our culture and our neighborhood,” she emphasized.”
“It’s sort of in your blood and part of your system if you’ve grown up eventing anywhere in the area. It’s a fixture.”
“Even if they’re not riders, everybody wants to be a part of it,” commented Marilyn.
So what was her verdict for the 2026 version of the event?
“The weather was perfect. It was super.”
click here for results
