by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 22, 2021
At tonight’s U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Town Hall meeting, the question of when the public will be allowed to return to U.S. Equestrian Federation horse shows was asked several times–most notably by Hampton Classic Executive Director Shanette Barth Cohen–but no one had the answer.
Happily, I do; at least to a certain extent. The fan ban was enacted when shows resumed June 1, 2020 following a no-show hiatus to sort things out after the Covid pandemic hit. The idea was to enable competition to proceed while keeping everyone safe, despite the virus.
But now it’s been nearly 10 months with empty bleachers across the country. I happened to be talking this afternoon with USEF CEO Bill Moroney, and asked him when USEF-licensed competitions can once again be open to the public.
“We’ve been working on what the protocol will look like,” he said.
“I’m not sure yet of exactly when we’ll be able to do it. I can say pretty comfortably it won’t just be an open floodgate…that it will be limited in the number of spectators. We will have a methodical, graduated approach to getting back to what I’ll call pre-Covid normalcy of spectators and fans and public coming to competitions.
“But it’s going to take some time and we’re not quite ready to pull the trigger to say we’re ready to start. But we’re preparing for that day so that we’re not behind the eight-ball when it comes.”
Remember when crowds were allowed to fill the stands at the Hampton Classic and other U.S. Equestrian Federation shows across the country? (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
I asked him if it might happen during the spring, which runs until June 20 and the beginning of summer.
“I’m hopeful by that point that we’re seeing some level of spectators back by the end of spring,” he commented.
“Our environment is out in the open, it’s not like you’re in a stadium where you can say one person every six feet or something like that. It’s a lot harder to manage. It’s nice to hear that people on the management side are doing everything they can to enforce it (the protocol) and on the exhibitor side, people are actually saying,`This is how we are going to keep our sport open.’ ”
By the way, I asked Bill last September when he thought the whole Covid thing would have “pretty much released its grip on us.” He told me then December 2021, and I hoped he was wrong. But probably not….
“Our country is doing really well compared to a lot of countries…in the vaccine department,” he said.
“We’re getting a lot of people vaccinated. On the one hand, we’re ahead of the game, but on the other hand, I have concerns over the fact that so many people are getting vaccinated that people will forget to keep being vigilant. Just because they’ve been vaccinated they haven’t proven yet you can’t carry it to someone else. There’s rightful concern that even though you have been vaccinated, you still wear a mask and still socially distance, so we can get more people vaccinated.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 18, 2021
As thoughts turn to this summer’s Olympics, the names most familiar to the general public for U.S. team candidates are Adrienne Lyle with Salvino, who earned 80.170 percent in the Grand Prix Special a year ago (we’re waiting to see her ride the stallion in competition again this spring) and Suppenkasper, guided to 19 straight victories by Steffen Peters, Adrienne’s 2018 World Championships silver medal teammate.
But Sanceo and Sabine Schut-Kery have a winning streak of their own, taking their fourth competition in a row today (March 20) at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival with a victory in the Grand Prix Special, marked at 75.660. It follows a personal best 75.022 for the Grand Prix for Special on Wednesday at the show in Wellington, Fla.
The Special is key for selection of a squad because it will determine the team medals at the delayed Tokyo Olympics, where the U.S. is going to face challenges not only from the Germans and British, but also the Dutch and the Danes.
Sanceo and Sabine, who were on the 2015 gold medal Pan American Games squad in Small Tour, could play a big role on the three-member team in Japan if they are chosen.
“I’ve watched Sabine for a long time, especially moving up the levels with this horse,” said Debbie McDonald, the U.S. dressage team technical advisor.
“She’s such an amazing rider and really has such beautiful harmony with the horse. It’s breathtaking to watch. Top quality. It just makes things look a little bit brighter for team USA. She’s just growing, I think she’s an easy 80 percent.”
Sanceo in action. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
The rankings before the Special compiled from Sept. 5, 2020, were led with a single score of 77.319 for Don John, ridden by Nick Wagman, who has never been on an international championship team. That mark came from a show in Wellington March 6; today was his second score.
Don John, who was marked at 73.196 while finishing second in the Wednesday Grand Prix and 73.340 for being second in the Special this afternoon, originally was followed in the overall standings by Suppenkasper with 76.745 and Sanceo with 75.936.
That number will be officially updated in the wake of Sabine’s Special victory, but according to some informal math, the results of the class mean Steffen’s score for the average of two Specials has moved him up to first, Sabine is now second with 76.564 and Nick third with 75.329, as his score today lowered his average.
I was not a math major, so all that must be verified by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, of course..And don’t forget that Adrienne will doubtless figure into the equation when she starts showing Salvino again.
Asked about how she views her prospects for the Olympics, Sabine said, “I think it is possible, but with things like that, I go one day at a time and try not to worry or be concerned.
“I really would love for it to happen. It’s an amazing opportunity that you work towards not just a year or two years prior. It’s a long road where you strive to take the time to train your horse as correctly as possible and that results in maybe making it on a team or not.”
It’s difficult to count on a team berth in any year, and this time so much more than usual is uncertain because of Covid and now the EHV-1(Herpes) outbreak, which has cancelled shows across Europe until April 11. As a result, there has been a delay in announcing the details of what the observation events will be for American team candidates. Normally, eight riders would be doing a European tour as preparation for selection, and the U.S. Equestrian Federation does have hotel reservations abroad in place for them.
Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo enjoy a victory lap. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer
But these are not normal times. As Hallye Griffin, the USEF’s managing director of dressage noted, “The aim is still Europe, but we’ve got to have other plans in place to make sure we can easily and quickly shift to not going to Europe if we need to. We’re in touch with show organizers both in the U.S. and Europe with what’s happening with different events.”
While there is one more international show in Wellington, one in April at the new World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., and two others later that month at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina and in Sacramento, Calif.,the question is what to do after the qualifying period ends April 25 to keep the horses on target.
“There’s nothing on the FEI calendar (in the U.S.) between May and September, so if we were to stay here (in the U.S.), we’d have to create events,” said Hallye.
“That’s definitely on our radar and kind of behind the door working on what we can have ready to go if we do need to go that route. There are a lot of things up in the air, that’s for sure. Things change every single day.”
Whatever happens, Sabine has great confidence in Sanceo, noting “his biggest strength is his work ethic, and obviously his talent. He can really sit.”
In line with that, his highlights, she notes, are the piaffe and passage.
“That’s really nice.” she said, but it doesn’t mean much “if you don’t have the willingness and the partnership. That’s what still until to this day blows me away, is that he’s with me and we know each other. He’s a good soul.”
Sabine is very hands-on with the 15-year-old Hanoverian stallion, a son of San Remo who is owned by Alice Womble.
“I still to this day do a lot of the grooming myself,” she said.
Knowing him so well, she is very conscious of what he needs in his program.
“I’m always very careful of giving down time,” she said. Other elements of her plan with him are “cross-training and making sure the fundamentals of the training are always refreshed and up to date.”
The first time I remember seeing Sabine, it was under very different circumstances than the sedate scene at Global. She was in the spotlight in front of a packed house at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas during the opening ceremonies of the 2007 FEI World Cup Finals, carrying the American flag into the arena aboard a gray horse who glowed in the spotlight..
Sabine Schut-Kery was part of the glitz at the 2007 FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, where she carried the American flag on a stunning horse. (Photo © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer)
Talk about versatile! She has something of a show business background as does her husband, Kristian Kery, a stuntman who is also a movie director.and helped put together the music for her freestyle. A native of Germany, Sabine trained with Jan Bemelmens there. She came to the U.S. in 1998 to work with Friesians, often doing memorable exhibitions at shows and other events.She did exhibitions for so long, she said, that for awhile she didn’t even think about competing, but once she got involved with that, she did well, getting her U.S. Dressage Federation gold medal riding Friesians..
In 2017, she was awarded the Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Training Grant, enabling her to go to Europe with Sanceo for competition and training with Jan Nivelle of Belgium for two months.
Throughout her career, the priority has been doing things properly with her horses.
“Even when I did my demonstrations” she noted, “I always was very tough on myself and wanting to do it correctly. I want to learn and get better. That’s what I get pleasure out of.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 8, 2021
Think about hunter and jumper shows in Florida. What location comes to mind first? It’s probably Wellington, home of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Palm Beach County on the state’s east coast. That’s the circuit with the greatest name recognition after decades of memorable competitions attracting riders from all over the world.
But Ocala, about a 4-hour drive north and west, is getting more than the usual attention these days because this is the first season for the World Equestrian Center, a glossy eye-opener of a venue offering 17 rings (including air conditioned indoor arenas) on approximately 4,000 acres, complete with a 5-star hotel (to open next month) and a variety of restaurants. The stalls are permanent (no tents) and so are the restrooms (no portables).
The World Equestrian Center is making a splash in Ocala. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Of course, Ocala also has another major option, the HITS venue in a more rustic setting 10 road miles or so from WEC. That show organization has been offering classes in Marion County since 1985 under the direction of Tom Struzzieri, who also has showgrounds in Illinois, New York and Virginia.
It’s quite remarkable that last weekend, high quality grands prix were offered at each venue. WEC had the $75,000 Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian feature on Saturday night, while HITS presented the $150,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix the following afternoon. And consider that WEF had a Sunday FEI (international equestrian federation) grand prix worth $214,000, attracting many international riders seeking Longines ranking points. Over two-days, 103 horses jumped courses laid out in Florida by top designers at all three sites, with a total of $439,000 in prize money offered.
Aaron Vale and Prestige won their second HITS grand prix of the season on Sunday in Ocala. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Since WEC’s grands prix during its Winter Spectacular are not FEI (neither are the HITS grands prix) riders have the option of picking what suits them and their horses best in the Sunshine State. Over the course of the circuit, many riders will take advantage of all three choices, with WEC now adding another destination to consider. Depending on your vantage point, it could be called a case of the more the merrier.
In Ocala, WEC’s Roby Roberts believes it’s no problem for his shows to coexist with HITS.
“There’s room for both here. They’re two different experiences,” said Roby, a member of the family that owns not only WEC, but also the Golden Ocala club and the high-end housing around it.
There were 28 horses in WEC’s grand prix and 25 at HITS. In Tom’s view, having another show so close to HITS affected entries at his competition. On the same weekend in 2020 before the pandemic shutdown, the HITS competition drew 43 horses, he pointed out. Tom wondered if prize money will be sustainable at that rate.That’s especially pertinent when he says it, since the $1 million Great American Grand Prix is his Ocala series finale.Having another show nearby has meant things are different in Ocala this year.
“Our business is off about 30 percent, after you factor in Covid,” said Tom.
“So yes, it’s affected us,” he continued, then quickly added “we’ll survive.
HITS follows strict U.S. Equestrian Federation protocols, which means no fans due to Covid. WEC, on the other hand, is governed for this series by the National Snaffle Bit Association, which does not have the same constraints, so people came to watch the grand prix and be tourists at the new place.
Santiago Lambre of Mexico, who was 1-2 in the WEC grand prix with Comtesse and Easy Girl, appreciates the new venue. Santiago lives in Wellington and is prepping for the Olympics there, but considers WEC “the best facility in the U.S. and I think it’s the best facility in the world for me,” commented the veteran of 15 years in Europe..
“You have two stadiums, the best stables in the world,” added Santiago, who came for one week and stayed for six.”
In honor of the LPGA tournament last weekend at the Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, the Golden Ocala jump in Saturday night’s grand prix was flanked by a putting green and a golf cart. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Aaron Vale, a consistent winner at HITS who has also done well at WEC, topped the Purina class with Prestige, a 9 year-old purchased from some friends in Slovakia. Aaron has spent five years producing the gelding, who logged his second HITS victory of the winter.
Having two shows so close is “awesome,” said Aaron, who also has been a winner at WEC this season.
“I’ve got eight or nine horses I can enter in a grand prix,” he commented. “Having two venues gives us some options because you can’t ride eight in one grand prix. It’s great that we have the options. I hope both (shows) keep going for a long time,” added Aaron, who wants to take Prestige to Wellington when he’s ready.
Aaron Vale rides out of the arena at Hits as a winner again. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
Aaron lost 45 pounds in the last 14 months.
“ I’m motivated, I’m mounted and I’m having fun,” he said, but also gave back donating $5,900 that was his share of a pre-jump-off Calcutta auction to benefit the Marion County Therapeutic Riding organization.
“We get so much support here at HITS,” said Dana Waters on behalf of MTRA. “Tom always lets us have a nice event here and it has become our biggest fundraiser and we are so appreciative.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 20, 2021
Monmouth at the Team is hitting the road.
The innovative one-ring show that debuted at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation to an overwhelmingly positive reception in 2016 will be held instead this year at the Centenary University Equestrian Center in Long Valley. The show was cancelled last year when Covid restrictions meant the ringside hospitality tent that is a focal point of the fixture couldn’t be offered
Hospitality in a tent alongside the ring has been a drawing card for Monmouth at the Team. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The U.S. squad for the Paralympics in Tokyo will be quarantining at the Foundation’s Gladstone headquarters during August, which means the Aug. 16-23 show can’t run there this year, either. It was a surprise to the organizers, but they quickly pivoted. Monmouth will take a different tack as it uses two rings and a grass derby field for competitors at Centenary, where it can include A-rated hunter classes for the first time.
“We figured instead of cancelling for two years in a row, let’s reinvent ourselves once again,” said Tucker Ericson, who owns the show with his cousin, trainer Michael Dowling, a member of the Centenary faculty.
Michael Dowling and his cousin, Tucker Ericson, are owners of Monmouth at the Team. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Will the show stay at Centenary in 2022 if it works well there this year?
“We’re open-minded. I think the consumers will make that decision for us,” said Tucker, who in any case hopes to host “something special at the Team still.”
But he cautioned, “We’re trying to hold off pressuring ourselves for any decision or foregone conclusions until after this year’s show. The Team is very special to us. We love the facility, I love the feel of one ring. Maybe there’s a whole other twist we could do with something there as well, and try to accommodate both concepts.”
He pointed out, “The one thing about moving to Centenary, it enabled us to apply for an A-rating. A one-ring horse show can’t support the cost of the prize money for an A-show, but a two- and three-ring show can. Maybe we just need to think outside the box and think of something unique to continue to have at the Team. We’ll re-evaluate at the end of this year and see what everyone wants.”
The show, the oldest in New Jersey, was a fixture at several locations in Monmouth County since the 19th Century until Tucker and Michael moved it an hour’s drive north. It gained immediate acceptance, as outstanding hospitality became a trademark and a drawing card.
Ribbons from the first Monmouth County Horse Show in 1895. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
While exhibitors had to pay for their meals at the Team, Tucker and Michael are thinking about having hospitality at Centenary be free of charge. That would make it easier to keep track of things in three separate areas. To cover the cost, Tucker said they probably will put the prizelist/program on line rather than printing it, for a savings of $10,000, and dispense with a scoreboard, for another $10,000 in savings. They also are hoping that barns, families and vendors will volunteer to sponsor meals.
“I find it hard to believe people will want a program and a scoreboard over free food and drink every day,” Tucker observed.
The end of Centenary’s indoor arena, where classrooms and a lounge are located, can be a hospitality hub since it has air conditioning and electricity. In addition, there will be tents along the side of the outdoor ring and the grass field. Tucker envisions the landscaped vendor village being a circle in what is now a parking lot, with tables and umbrellas in the middle where people can relax.
“We’ll just move the parties around, depending on where the special classes are,” said Tucker, noting, “for the special classes, they will be the only thing going on.” Those would include a mini-prix and the $10,000 Bobcat Derby for hunters.
The Bobcat Derby is a popular feature of Monmouth at the Team. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
At this point, USEF is not allowing spectators at the shows it licenses, but Tucker is hopeful that seven months from now, things will be “80 percent better.
If not, we have much more flexibility at Centenary, so one blessing in disguise for being forced to move is the flexibility of (room for) a lot more social distancing,” he said.
The flexibility also extends to the number of classes that can be held. For instance, there is a chance to do three days worth of Outreach, for those just getting into showing..
“That’s a lot of opportunity for the grass roots,” said Tucker. There should be more people in the hunters, too, since people who shied away from the show because they were going for points can earn them at Monmouth. And Monmouth won’t have to turn away entries due to lack of time in one ring during daylight.
The schedule is still a work in progress, since USEF approval just happened this month, but expect to hear more in February.
At the same time, he noted that “until we start getting feedback about the plan, we really don’t know if we’re going to change.”
Tucker noted that when he ran the idea of the move past two sponsors, the Nature Conservancy, which backs the Bobcat Derby, and Running S veterinary services, they were eager to be part of it again.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of energy because of everything being so quiet the past year,” said Tucker.
“Having things to look forward to will be really healthy for all of us. I think it will draw a lot of people if we do it right.”
Among the questions that need to be answered: What about the name? Instead of Monmouth at the Team, maybe it should be Monmouth at Morris County, as I suggested to Tucker. (Long Valley is part of Washington Township, Morris County, for those not familiar with the geography)
Despite the change of venue, Tucker said of the name, “We’ll keep it this year until we know the long-term future.
“If we stay at Centenary, we have to think hard about that. Maybe we’ll have a contest.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Dec 15, 2020
A legend in the world of Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies, Octavia Brown got in on the ground floor of this significant movement, becoming a visionary instrumental in its growth. And at age 78, the Gladstone resident is still just as committed to continuing that evolution.
“Octavia has dedicated her professional life to improving the lives of others, and her passion and expertise have touched everyone and every aspect of the industry,” said Kathy Alm, CEO of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH International).
“We’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has served on more committees and work groups for the association.”
Yet it all began simply enough, as often is the case with so many important things. It happened that Octavia was a horse person in the right place at the right time, which was 1967. She was dating a man who worked at the McLean psychiatric hospital, which had a farm in Belmont, Mass. A horse-owning co-worker came up with the idea of bringing in horses as therapy for the patients.
It seemed a novel notion, but soon grew into a worthy one. When the horse owner moved on, the project needed someone to continue the program. Octavia, an immigrant from Great Britain with an equestrian background, was the perfect candidate to take over.
Four horses became part of what was called “activities therapy” and “I was `the horse lady,’ ” reminisced Octavia, who had ridden since she was eight.
McLean patients would come with an orderly to the barn or a walled, enclosed locked area (“so they couldn’t run away”).
Some were dealing with schizophrenia; others experienced psychotic episodes or were depressed. When they walked out of their wards, Octavia recalled, they “looked like the shutters were down on the windows.”
Yet after entering the barn, “all of a sudden, those eyes would come to life and we would be horse people together. It was a perfectly normal activity that could take place in this stressful environment,” she said.
“They would always go back in a better frame of mind than they came, and everyone would see that.” It quickly became evident to Octavia that when they spent time with the horses, “It was a skill they were learning and improving at, and I think that’s what got me hooked.”
For the patients, she realized, the horses were a slice of normal life, like music and art sessions, because “you could use your own talents, nobody was trying to analyze you.”
The program was created by Octavia and a colleague, Helga Haendel from Germany, the art therapist at McLean, who had heard a little something about equine therapy in Europe.
But “There was no training, nobody to tell you what to do,” recalled Octavia.
“I essentially learned on the job and took a lot of seminars and learned a lot about mental health and observed what people did with the horses. I taught horsemanship, and people responded,” she said.
Little did she realize, however, that an opportunity for someone who was “just a good horse person” could become a key component of what would develop into a respected mode of therapy. Eventually, it spread across the country as the concept grew around the world.
Octavia is the consummate teacher.
By 1969, people were getting together to create NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, PATH’s predecessor) and they organized a meeting in New York City of those who were interested in furthering the work. Octavia attended and found that at age 28, she was the youngest person in the room.
“They said, `We need a board of directors, who’s willing?’ We all put up our hands. So I was on the founding board from that moment.” She is the only person who remains from that original panel.
Octavia was asked to write about the program for an in-house seminar at McLean and produced a 15-page paper on psychiatric theory in connection with how people related to the horses.
“No one had a theory about what was happening and I created my own theory,” she said, explaining it had roots in activities therapy, which also included drama, music and art for psychiatric purposes Although Octavia had received an excellent secondary education in England, she didn’t have a college degree.
To fill that gap a year later, she enrolled in Harvard University’s school of education, seeking a master’s degree in Education for General Purposes, submitting the paper as part of her application.
She continued her understanding of therapeutic riding with a course at the Cheff Center in Michigan, where she earned a certificate and learned about the physical aspects of therapy and how it could be used with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and stroke. Octavia presented an innovative international paper about teaching someone with cerebral palsy how to post to the trot, a technique that “was entirely my own invention” she said, confiding its origins involved the way she learned to post without stirrups.
“I discovered if you lift your chest, your chin and your pelvis forward and up, essentially you lighten up your seatbones and you can, in fact, post and you don’t have to grip like fury with your legs to get yourself unweighted,” she explained.
“Someone with spasticity can’t really use their legs and seats to push off of…but they can use their upper body to move with the horse and give that little upward push.”
By the time Octavia married and moved to New Jersey in 1971, she said, “I pretty much had it all under my belt.” When she founded the pioneering Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding program, it took off quickly.
After an article about her interest in starting a therapeutic program appeared in a local paper, a physical therapist from the Easter Seals therapy center in Morristown contacted Octavia, asking to work with her on getting a program going with her patients. An important piece of the puzzle was missing, however. So Octavia went to the Somerset Hills Pony Club, saying, “I need horses, can you help?” And they did,
Other people got involved. The Roser family, who had an indoor ring, hosted the program once a week. Octavia’s friend, Naomi Lorch, a psychologist and physical therapist who was working with Easter Seals at that time, referred people. The late Helen Gordon, who was active with the U.S. Equestrian Team, got on board. With the agreement of Octavia’s husband, Truman, for which she was grateful, the program moved to the couple’s Crossroads Farm in Bedminster in 1975, where it remained until the early 1990s. In that decade, it moved to Oldwick and eventually became Mane Stream.
“This Somerset Hills areas embraced me with both hands I never had any trouble fundraising,” Octavia said. The Essex Foxhounds were helpful as was Jack Fritz, then executive director of the USET. Although she and her husband are divorced, she emphasized how supportive he was of her project. For Octavia, it was gratifying that so many took to the concept.
“It became a thing that everyone was aware of, and we benefited from that. It seemed like once you tell horse people what you want to do, it’s almost a given they will get on board,” she observed.
“I think as it grew, it was self-evident to a whole bunch of people that this should be a good thing,” said Octavia.
“When I get on a beloved horse and go for a trail ride, I know what that means to me, so you have to extrapolate that to anybody with any type of challenge. It just is a natural sell.”
Octavia still enjoys riding.
Naomi Lorch noted that while there had been a focus on “the impairments of the body, getting people to move better,” beyond that what was important for clients involved “getting into real activities and being part of the world and doing what other people do, and not just being this kid with a disability who goes to therapy and doesn’t do much else. There was a sense that doing something that was fun would be good for kids.”
Octavia, she noted, “adapted to their levels and introduced the challenge of doing more and more based on their abilities, rather than a passive pony ride.”
Tracy Cole, who became one of Octavia’s first students in 1972, has gone on to be an instructor of therapeutic riding at Centenary University and mentor other instructors in training.
She got involved at age seven when the doctor at Easter Seals asked if she wanted to swim or ride for her therapy.
“I had wanted a horse my entire life,” said Tracy, so the choice was easy and Naomi connected her with Octavia.
The ability to ride horses has been life-changing for Tracy, who has cerebral palsy.
“They give me a chance to do things I can’t do on my own two feet, to go places, see things and compete,” said the Randolph resident, who uses a rolling walker to get around when she’s on the ground.
She took to Octavia immediately when they met.
“I was a little kid and she was going to teach me how to ride, and it was a dream come true. So she was the best person I ever knew,” said Tracy.
Octavia also has been active in the worldwide therapeutic movement, serving for three years as president of Federation Riding for the Disabled International. Europe, she pointed out, had been ahead of the U.S. in the 1960s in instituting therapy using equines in response to the polio epidemic. The Germans invented hippotherapy, in which a therapist uses the movement of the horse for therapeutic purposes.
Now the really good riders and trainers are seeing the value of going above and beyond and teaching someone to get into the Paralympics, she commented.
Octavia Brown
When Octavia moved on from Mane Stream, she went to work in higher education as she and Karen Bocksel co-founded Therapeutic Riding at Centenary (TRAC) in 2003. She also taught a course at Centenary on therapeutic riding and became the Gates Ferry Lecturer in 1993-94. She went full-time at the school in 1997, teaching a leadership and basic riding skills, as well as leadership and other thought-provoking courses. Centenary recognized her achievements by awarding her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Although she retired this year, she still is involved with TRAC, now run by Karen Brittle.
“It has been a daunting but exciting prospect to steward the program forward, following Octavia’s impressive tenure,” stated Karen.
“In every way, Octavia strove to be supportive and generous towards me as we transitioned the TRAC program to new leadership, and this has afforded me the wonderful opportunity to get to know Octavia and to better understand her immense contribution to the EAAT industry as a whole. We are looking forward to next steps for the TRAC program and our EAAT industry training courses, while honoring the traditions of inclusion, vision, excellence in service and community that she established.”
Octavia’s influence is wide-ranging. She was involved with establishing Operation Centaur, Centenary’s therapeutic riding program for veterans now run by George Paffendorf. She’s still on a committee to further research the horse/human bond with the Horses and Humans Research Foundation, and consults with the Center for Therapeutic Riding of the East End on Long Island.
Despite all she has done, she sees more that should be accomplished.
Octavia hopes at some point insurance companies will cover therapeutic riding. They are “highly resistant to paying for anything that has to do with a horse, because by definition, they think it’s sport,” she explained.
“For physical, psychological and psychiatric reasons, it needs to be documented and researched as thoroughly as can be,” said Octavia.
While Octavia has no intention of ending her involvement, there now are many others who will pay forward what she did for them. As Tracy put it, “She was one of the reasons I became an instructor. I wanted to give someone else the opportunity she gave me:”
Reflecting on her career, Octavia said, “I truly do think I was exceptionally lucky. But also I realize that when a door opened, I went charging through – and perhaps that’s the legacy I’d most like to pass on to my students and riders.The truism is that if one door closes, seek another one that will open.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Nov 26, 2020
So much that we enjoyed sadly has fallen by the wayside during the Covid era, but those who found a way to adapt have kept precious customs alive.
The Thanksgiving meet of the Essex Foxhounds for decades has drawn hundreds to watch horses and hounds gather at Ellistan in Peapack. The ritual started when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her children would ride out, and it grew even after they no longer were a part of it.
But this year, state Covid restrictions that limit outdoor gatherings to 150 people meant the public could not be invited to the great estate, where they always enjoyed tailgating, seeing old friends and watching the riders depart.
The Essex members were determined to continue the tradition for themselves; they just had to do it in a different way today.
“Some things are just too valuable not to do; it’s just been tradition,” said Jim Gordon, who is the Essex treasurer.
So 27 Essex riders met at the hunt club, then hacked over to the “backyard” of Ellistan for the traditional stirrup cup before starting their ride, not discouraged by mist, occasional drizzle and a bit of rain.
Riders met for a stirrup cup behind Ellistan, rather than in front of the house, where the public usually gathers. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Dennis Sargenti is served a stirrup cup. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Smiles seemed broader than usual this time around, underlining the meaning of getting together and giving thanks for being able to do it.
Sarah and Hank Slack, owners of Ellistan. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Essex Joint Master Jazz Johnson Merton and her niece, Rose Biedron. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The Johnson family always brings a carriage to the meet. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Smiling in the rain, Essex Joint Master Karen Murphy gives Reagan Price her first ride. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Lizzy Chesson, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s managing director for jumping, looks good in the saddle herself. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
