by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 7, 2020
Summer used to be a time of seemingly endless horse shows, week after week of grands prix and hunter classes in North America; big shows, smaller shows, take your pick. It was always the occasion for partying in the VIP area, seeing old friends, making new ones, picking up ribbons and prize money, buying and selling horses, the usual rites of the season.
But Covid-connected restrictions, rules and regulations changed all that. It became harder to find a show when such big names as Lake Placid. Spruce Meadows, the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals and the Hampton Classic scratched due to the pandemic. Many of the smaller fixtures didn’t run either, unable to cope with the demands of offering a competition in these difficult times. Meanwhile, U.S. show jumpers couldn’t venture to Europe and the Europeans couldn’t come over here.
The crowds and excitement of Labor Day weekend at the Hampton Classic are only a memory this year. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
As the old song goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got, until you lose it.” The tune came out in 1961, when no one could have dreamed of what is happening now, but the sentiment really applies these days after so many things we took for granted have vanished.
Labor Day always would mark the unofficial end of the summer show season for exhibitors, who then started looking toward the indoor circuit and the equitation finals as they headed into the fall. And now–the indoors?
This year, some classes from the Pennsylvania National and Washington International shows will be outdoors in Tryon, N.C., after an attempt to move them to Tampa, Fla., was scuttled. The National Horse Show in Kentucky announced last week it will have the use of outdoor rings and a covered arena as well as its usual home in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. Outdoor venues are deemed less of a Covid risk, but they can be chilly at the end of October.
Last weekend’s HITS championship show in Saugerties, N.Y., however, is a survivor that didn’t take a step backwards. It dug in and offered what will likely go down in history as the richest show jumping grand prix of 2020, the AIG, with $500,000 in prize money, as well as six-figure purse hunter competitions and smaller classes with good prize money.
Covid rules meant few were on hand to applaud in person, but winner Ben Maher on Explosion W, Amanda Derbyshire on Cornwall BH and Hunter Holloway aboard Pepita con Spita still enjoyed their impromptu victory gallop after the $500,000 AIG grand prix at HITS. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
The Covid no-spectators rule meant only those involved with the show were watching in person, but anyone who was looking at the livestream also got an eyeful. The grand prix actually had international flair, attracting the world’s number one horse/rider combination, the aptly named Explosion W and his rider, Ben Maher of Great Britain, with shorter odds to win if you were betting than Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law, who lost at Churchill Downs the day before.
Ben Maher and Explosion W in action. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
But Ben and his glorious chestnut lived up to expectations in the field of 50 to take the top prize of $150,000 over another British rider, Amanda Derbyshire and Cornwall BH with a margin of more than five seconds in the jump-off. Both are based in the U.S., of course, so the travel bans didn’t matter..
AIG runner-up Amanda Derbyshire and Cornwall BH. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Although it was only the second grand prix of 2020 for Ben and his mount, they demonstrated they still deserved all their accolades from 2019.
“Obviously, we’re in a different year; we’re not all going like we normally do in big grands prix week on week,” he said.
“I rode a bit of a slower first round by mistake and was just inside the time,” Ben observed. But he recouped during the tie-breaker, noting, “Everything went my way today and really made up for a long summer, as it has been for everybody.”
Amanda said she has never finished ahead of Ben and Explosion, but considering the elevated status of that duo, she was pleased enough with what she got.
“I’ll take second,” she said happily.
McLain Ward hasn’t shown as much as usual without Spruce Meadows and a European tour. But he flew in from the Traverse City show in Michigan for the AIG, in which he finished seventh on Noche de Ronda, noting that when he landed at La Guardia airport, “it was less crowded than Home Depot.”
Masks were the rule at HITS, as its president and CEO, Tom Struzzieri and McLain Ward demonstrate–no exceptions. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
He’ll be taking off again this week, as several others in the HITS lineup are doing, heading back to Michigan for the American Gold Cup.
Devin Ryan, who wound up 12th in the grand prix on Eddie Blue, was grateful to HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri for the chance to jump for big money.
“Tom’s always sort of had that niche to throw money at us. That can make it or break it for a lot of us,” Devin said.
“That money during the circuit gave us something to jump for regardless of amount of entries that showed up. That’s one thing that Tom’s always been good about is the prize money; he stood behind it.”
In the hunter ranks, Jennifer Jones took Highlighter to the honors in the $250,000 Diamond Mills class over Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze.
Jennifer Jones and Highlighter. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“She did the hunters for the first time this summer,” Jennifer said of the chestnut mare, purchased originally as a jumper.
“During Covid, we put the aluminum shoes on and turned her into a hunter and she loved it. She has a mentality more for hunters, she’s quiet, she likes to eat, she’s a fun horse,” Jennifer continued, noting she and owner David Raposa were pointing toward the Diamond Mills all summer.
“She’s done an amazing job,” Jennifer said of Highlighter. “She’s trying to do her best, she’s a great, great horse.”
After four rounds, her score was 364, with 358.50 for Amanda, who was all smiles after getting her ribbon and check.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze. (Photo © 2020 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
As she put it in a tribute to her consistent mount, “Every day with you and every class we have together brings me so much joy!
“You are the most talented, driven, smart, powerful yet sweet, caring, humble guy I know. The amount of joy you bring to me, your owner, Cheryl Olsten, all of the people that know you is hard to describe.”
Amanda had a winner of her own in the $15,000 Green Hunter Prix with Niki Holtzman-Hayes’ PHIL.
“To know him is to love him and we are so thankful for the endless laughs and smiles he brings to the whole team,” she said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 1, 2020
Sally Ike stepped down yesterday as managing director of the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Licensed Officials committee, but don’t think for a minute that she is just retiring.
A multi-faceted pillar of the equestrian community, she will become a consultant for the USEF as an independent contractor, explaining about the change, “It’s what I’ve done my whole career, moving from one seat to another. I know when it’s time to pass the torch to somebody else and for me to do something else.”
Her lifelong dedication to horse sports took her from eventing at the top level to many aspects of governance and volunteer work. She handles everything with a deep understanding of the issues, at the same time demonstrating the type of organizational skills and leadership that benefit riders, owners and all the others on the equestrian landscape.
Sally Ike and her wonderful eventing mount, Evening Mail.
The Oldwick resident, who has served eventing as a Technical Delegate, judge and show jumping course designer, will continue in her spare time as a volunteer for that discipline and as chairman of the hunt committee for the Peapack-based Essex Fox Hounds. So while she heads toward her 76th birthday, retirement is nowhere in sight. She’s too valuable–and unique–an asset for the sport to lose.
The USEF’s CEO, Bill Moroney, recalled that when she approached him a year ago to discuss her situation, saying she needed to slow down, he responded: “Not so fast.”
He suggested that after leaving her licensed officials post, she could help with compliance, designed to insure shows meet USEF standards.
“One of the great things about Sally is her depth of knowledge of the sport,” noted Bill.“She’s not a one-breed or discipline person. She comes with a lot of history, which is especially useful in (knowing) did you try that before? What worked, what didn’t work when you’re trying to make changes going forward so you don’t waste time.
“She’s highly respected in the sport both on a staff level and a volunteer level and out in the field with participants. She will be very helpful in multiple areas, such as compliance and still mentoring the team in licensed officials and education.”
Sally with former USEF President David O’Connor as he presented her with the Sallie Busch Wheeler award. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
He also wants her to look at “the always continuing dilemma of, is our steward/TD (technical delegate) program what our competitors want, what our organizers want, what our officials want? Maybe,” he mused, “we will actually resolve a lot of those questions around that program.”
Bill added, “There’s quite a bit to keep her busy,” At the same time, he noted, “I think it’s great she’s able to take a little bit of time and enjoy life a little bit.”
Sally’s many achievements include having designed show jumping courses for eventing. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Those seem like contradictory statements, but Sally concedes the change, “will allow me to plan my own day.”
She’ll appreciate not having to wake up quite as early anymore to get in her morning run before heading to the office or watching equestrian competitions on the livestream.
In the office, she will still be found at the same desk at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, a spot she has occupied for years. And she will continue as secretary of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame.
An “A” Pony Clubber when she was growing up in Monmouth County, where her father was president of the Monmouth County Horse Show, Sally rose to be a top eventer in the 1960s.
After getting married, she became a mother and dedicated herself to volunteering as the District Commissioner of the Somerset Hills Pony Club. Although she also served as a regional supervisor and on the U.S. Pony Club board, she eventually was looking for a paying job. Sally found one in 1989 as director of eventing and show jumping activities for the USET. Such responsibilities today require a staff of nine or ten to execute.
At that time, the USET handled the training, fielding and funding of teams competing internationally. Her job responsibility was divided in 1992 when Jim Wolf took over eventing and she concentrated in her work life on show jumping, eventually becoming the USEF’s managing director for the discipline when that organization came into being in 2003.
After years traveling the world to Olympics, world championships and other marquee competitions, she handed the managing director of show jumping job over to Lizzy Chesson and went on to the challenge of dealing with USEF’s licensed officials and education in 2013.
“One of several little-known facts about Sally is what a good rider she was in her era,” said Olympic eventing multi-medalist Jim Wofford, noting she just missed being selected to ride on the 1968 Olympic eventing team.
“She had a modern mix of skills that was lacking at the time. She already had the show ring polish and the natural feel for the dressage. Besides being a fabulous rider, she has been a workhorse for the horse world ever since,” continued Jim who was a president of the American Horse Shows Association, one of USEF’s predecessors.
“When you look at her record, she has made a lifetime of taking a new position and changing, improving and expanding it.”
Sally always is thinking of the next generation. Her work chairing the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Emerging Athletes Program has insured an alternate pathway for young people who aspire to rise in the sport but may not have the means to pursue that goal otherwise.
To Sally, it’s all a labor of love “because of the horses and what an incredible animal they are.”
Her efforts make an impression on everyone who understands what her work has meant to the sport.
Sally with Olympic eventer Phillip Dutton. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“She is so dedicated. She really cares about what she does, cares about the USEF,” said longtime friend Marilyn Payne, an Olympic eventing judge and member of the USEF’s licensed officials committee, a panel that was involved with Sally during her tenure as managing director.
Marilyn recalled working for years with Sally and the late Roger Haller on putting together a training program for eventing judges.
“If she believed in something, she put 150 percent of herself into it,” said Marilyn, noting, “her heart is still in it.”
Without her daily responsibilities now, Sally will have more time for family; daughters, Sara, who has worked for the USET Foundation and USEF, and Beth, employed by the Southern Environmental Law Center in Virginia and the mother of Willie, 11 and Tempe, 7.
Sally with daughters Beth (left) and Sara and Lizzy Chesson. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Sally also will be able to focus more on her interest in sporting art. After getting an appreciation of art from a teacher at Miss Porter’s School, she developed her discerning eye for paintings. Sally has her own collection of paintings, and often visits other favorites at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Her plans call for “continuing to be involved in the sport I love; I look forward to going to more shows and events, whether it’s working for USEF or as an official.”
Sally’s contributions have been recognized privately by many grateful people she has mentored, and also publicly, as when she won the USHJA’s Distinguished Service Award and the USEF’s equivalent of that honor, named for Sallie Busch Wheeler.
Her comment upon receiving the latter sums up Sally, her philosophy and her modesty: “I feel like I just do my job every day and lots of people do as good a job as I do.”
This afternoon, she added, “I don’t think of myself as anything special. I did what was in front of me and this is how it worked out.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 26, 2020
The Far Hills Race Meeting, an annual tradition that draws more than 30,000 spectators in October, has joined the Covid cancelled list on its 100th anniversary year.
A New Jersey state regulation limiting crowd size to 500, except for a protest or religious gathering, doomed the races, despite great interest from people buying tickets, with orders still coming in yesterday
The Far Hills Race Meeting has been a highlight of the year for many people over the last century. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
“We tried and tried and tried to make this work, we looked at all different scenarios. We held out until the last,” said Guy Torsilieri, who co-chairs the race meeting with Ron Kennedy.
“We had set up a substantially reduced race card. Even with that, with the reduction of purses and all the amenities, the base cost to put on the event far exceeded what the income was going to be. I don’t have any angels to help us along. It’s very unfortunate, but it’s the right answer based on all the information we had.”
Those who had been looking forward to the steeplechase meet as one of the usual highlights of their year–many have been attending for decades–were understanding, but disappointed, as yet another event fell victim to the pandemic.
“It’s such a bummer to happen to them on their 100th anniversary,” said Catherine Norbury of Peapack, a regular at the races.
“We’ve been going since we were kids,” she noted. Her family, which owns F. Gerald New jewelers, always gathered in the same spot, number 304 in front of the announcers’ stand. They have been serving their guests the same food, “old-school chili, for a million years.”
Explaining the appeal of going to the races, Catherine explained, “It’s such a fun day, being with friends. You know what it’s going to be like, but different people are coming by who spend the day watching the races.”
While racing fans loved getting a close-up look at horses, jockeys and owners that isn’t available at the big tracks, many people were more interested in festive tailgating and mingling, with the races often serving as an occasion for family and school reunions.
The races were started by the Essex Foxhounds as an outreach to farmers and property owners. While it’s grown enormously over the years after being billed as “family day in the country,” Ralph Jones, who has served as a volunteer shuttle driver observed, “it still had a hometown feel.”
The cancellation is a double blow for Guy, who is also chairman of the National Steeplechase Association. After a successful run of racing in Virginia and at Saratoga this summer with the support of the New York Racing Association, he predicted that with no more races for them this year, all the stakes and novice horses will be turned out this fall.
“There will be maiden races and some amateur races for the young jockeys, we’re trying to make the best of a horrible, horrible situation with changing the racing conditions and the card,” he said.
“We don’t make any money on parimutuel wagering like the racetracks do. The racetracks can run without fans because they get a tremendous amount of income from the parimutuel wagering side. All of the income from race meets is either from donations, spectators or corporate businesses. They’re not going to socially gather until 2021.
“So the race meets are going to run either at a loss and they’re donating for the good of the game or they’re running with substantial charitable contributions from donors or subsidies,” Guy said, citing backing from the Virginia Racing Commission or the State of Virginia. He said steeplechase racing in that state was basically the reason that parimutuel wagering and horse racing had a resurgence.
Far Hills, he pointed out, is just one meet, as opposed to a series of races.
“We don’t have the historical horse racing and other revenues that subsidize horse racing in other states,” he pointed out.
Looking ahead to 2021, he commented, “We’re getting a tremendous outpouring of support from our very, very loyal fans. People really want this race meeting to happen and get back to some normalcy.” When the Covid situation ends, he is confident “we’ll come back bigger and better.”
Cancellation not only has been a letdown for the racing community and the many people who look forward to the event, but it also has affected the Far Hills Race Meeting Association’s charitable mission. The organization has raised more than $18 million to benefit local healthcare initiatives. These include cancer treatments and support, people suffering from substance abuse and opioid addiction, supporting at-risk youth and serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Current space holders for the races can email office@farhillsrace.org for information about the status of their reserved parking space or private tent.Those who have sent their money in can donate it to the races. It is tax deductible and also will include a bonus of an extra ticket. Those who can’t do that may roll it over to a 2021 reservation. Others who need a refund can get one minus the processing fee. “We can’t be more fair than that,” said Guy. “We need to survive so that we can continue to give money for health care in the region. We hope people will be in the donating mode for this.”
Far Hills Mayor Paul Vallone, noting his town’s centenary is next year, commented, “Needless to say, we’re very disappointed. There was a lot to celebrate. It’s certainly been a very important and prominent event here in Far Hills and throughout Somerset County and all of racing. The plan is to look forward to 2021 and have that as a spectacular event.”
Far Hills also missed hosting the MARS Essex Horse Trials at Moorland Farm in July, which was called off because of the Covid situation and state mandates.
For more information, go farhillsrace.org or find it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 14, 2020
The Pennsylvania National Horse Show and Washington International Horse Show equitation championships and the junior jumper national championships are moving to North Carolina’s Tryon International Equestrian Center–home of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games–after organizers abandoned efforts to hold their complete shows in Tampa during October.
The Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals and Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships will run Oct. 8-11,and the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals–East, usually held at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, N.J., will be Oct. 15-18. The Washington International Equitation Finals and WIHS Pony Equitation Finals are set for Oct. 23-25, with the WIHS Children’s and Adult Hunter and Jumper Finals are slated to run Oct. 20-25 time frame, though specifics are listed as To Be Announced.
Tryon was a big deal in 2018 when it hosted the FEI World Equestrian Games. Now it will be the scene of most of the fall equitation championships which have been looking for a home.
At this time, the National Horse Show, the last U.S. fixture on the North American Fall Indoor Circuit, is scheduled to run its full schedule, including hunters, jumpers and the ASPCA Maclay equitation finals Oct. 23-Nov. 1 at its regular venue, the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
Tryon (which will also host a big eventing competition,(see the end of this story) worked as a venue for the equitation championships because it is approximately a five-hour drive from Lexington, and organizers of the Pennsylvania and Washington shows were looking to minimize “migration” for those doing all three shows. Travel is an issue for many people in the Covid era, and there are those who are reluctant to fly to get to a horse show. Classes at Tryon will run outdoors; the National’s classes will run indoors at the Alltech Arena.
Despite the complications of dealing with the Covid situation, organizers were determined to present their key competitions.
“If there was some way we could offer it, we should try and offer it. I think that’s what everybody’s point of view is,” said Vicki Lowell, Washington’s president.
“My takeaway is that people still do want to compete where they can and where they feel safe. Maybe everything can’t be what it has been in the past, but people who have had an opportunity to show are having a good time with it and they appreciate it. It’s a release.”
The Washington International Horse Show’s equitation championship is an important class for junior riders. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East needed to be moved because it was “not viable with the quarantine in New Jersey,” said Lizzy Chesson, the USEF’s managing director of show jumping.
She was referring to the fact that New Jersey put restrictions on people coming in from dozens of states deemed Covid hotspots across the country.
“From a junior standpoint,” noted Lizzy, “they’re important finals these athletes are aiming for every single year, and we want to be able to provide that for them. We’re motivated to try to make that happen as best we can.”
It would have been ideal to have all of the competitions now seeking a home in the same location, but it’s kind of a Rubik’s Cube to get everything together in the right place in order to limit the amount of travel required of competitors during these difficult times.
Tryon initially didn’t work for Washington because it is a Rolex showgrounds and Washington’s featured World Cup qualifier carried the name of rival watchmaker Longines. But when sponsorship issues meant the class couldn’t be held, it cleared the way for Washington to be part of the Tryon solution with the Pennsylvania National, which dropped all its classes but the Medal and junior jumper championship.
Tryon, home of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, is now going to host most of the fall U.S. equitation championships
Earlier this summer, the three U.S. Fall Indoor Circuit shows had worked together to come up with a solution so they could be presented. The circuit’s finale, the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, was cancelled in June, but the U.S. shows were determined to find a way that they could run. In the end, National Horse Show officials decided to remain at the the Kentucky Horse Park, while the Pennsylvania National and Washington chose Tampa. Washington’s schedule originally had a conflict with the first weekend of the National, which meant they couldn’t be held in the same location.
“While key partners including Longines and Mars Equestrian made every effort to support WIHS during this extremely challenging year in the newly proposed Tampa venue, as the event drew closer, the barriers and risks were insurmountable,” according to a statement from USEF. At the same time, Penn National determined its hunter/jumper competition also was not viable, but still wanted the junior jumper championships and the Hunter Seat Medal Finals to run.
Washington’s regional championships are being moved to Morven Park in Virginia if USEF and USHJA approve. They are usually held at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Maryland, but a change was necessary because that facility is only allowing 50 percent of capacity from last year to take part due to Covid protocols. The Capital Challenge show, scheduled for Prince George’s, also has been moved for the same reason. It is going to the World Equestrian Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Also, Tryon will host a new CCI4*-L eventing competition to be held November 12-15, 2020, pending USEF and FEI approval. The event will feature international competition at the CCI4*-L, CCI4*-S, CCI3*-L, and CCI2*-L levels, and offer the only CCI4*-L competition on the East Coast for the 2020 season, following the cancellation of the Ocala Jockey Club fixture. The event will also mark the highest level of eventing competition hosted at the venue since the FEI World Equestrian Games, though international eventing competition is hosted annually at the venue.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 6, 2020
Heather Mason was the U.S. Dressage Federation’s owner of the year in 2019. In 2020, however, like so many others during the pandemic fallout, “We are taking it one week at a time,” said the trainer, who owns Flying Change Farm in Tewksbury.
This is not the year for lofty aspirations.
Heather was riding the Grand Prix at the Red Tail Farm show yesterday in Bedminster–after the show’s first day was cancelled due to the tropical storm, which left the venue relying on a generator while more than 500,000 power company customers in New Jersey were stranded without electricity. Will 2020’s insults never end?
Heather Mason and Warsteiner. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Heather has tailored her expectations to match the circumstances. She is shooting for Regional Championships, but the USDF’s National Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park in November remain a question mark. After seven people attending a show at the park were found to be Covid positive last weekend, this week’s U.S. Equestrian Federation Pony Finals were cancelled, followed by a decision to scrap the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Green Incentive and International Hunter Derby Championships.
Last night, the U.S. Eventing Association announced it was cancelling its American Eventing Championships at the end of the month for health and safety reasons, amid concern about competitors coming to the park from 41 states.
There’s time before the November USDF Championships to see what develops, but “If things start looking worse again around the country, we probably won’t go to Nationals,” Heather observed.
She never planned on riding at the USEF’s National Championships in Illinois this month, though she has one client who is thinking of going.to the venue, where hunter/jumper shows have been held for weeks and the dressage festival is definitely scheduled to take place..
Once Covid struck, Heather decided early on this year not to show her younger horses, giving them an extra season to mature and perhaps start competing at a higher level than they would have entered this season. So she’s focusing on her Grand Prix mounts, noting that they are older, so she wants to make the most of the time she has left with them. They are Lincoln, a 15-year-old bred by Cornell University, and Warsteiner, 17, a KWPN by Riverman out of a Roemer mare.
Grand Prix winner Harvest with Alice Tarjan riding. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Warsteiner earned 72.283 percent at Red Tail to finish second behind another Tewksbury resident, Alice Tarjan, on Harvest (73.152).
Discussing Warsteiner, Heather said, “He’s still getting better. As long as he keeps getting better, I’ll continue showing him.” Her plan was to do “the bare minimum” to get her horses qualified for Regionals. So she was happy to go to a show just a 20-minute drive from her farm. Warsteiner’s test gave him his final qualifying score.
“We get a lot of good people coming to Red Tail. It was a pretty heavy duty Grand Prix class for a one-day show,” she observed.
Listing Warsteiner’s pluses and minuses, she conceded, “He’s not as sensitive as I would like,” then happily added, “but he’s so reliable.” However, she pointed out that he “doesn’t get a good walking score because that’s his `talking movement.’ He whinnies (at the walk) every test. He just wants everybody to watch him.”
Healther and Warsteiner have known each other for more than 14 years. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
Always practical, Heather is looking on the bright side of a generally dismal 2020.
She categorized it as “kind of an in-between year,”adding, “it was nice we could get out and still show,” without doing as much as she usually does in her jam-packed schedule.
But Covid has made one big change in her approach. During her decades as a trainer, Heather, 51, said, “one thing I never imagined with my business is doing virtual lessons, but now I am doing those via FaceTime and WhatsApp.”
Some of her New York clients, who usually ship to her farm or attend her clinics in their state, are now being taught via FaceTime. That also applies to clients from Monmouth County. She usually travels more than an hour to work with them, but the state’s Stay at Home order in March gave that more than a half-halt. Another person who is taking advantage of Face Time is a new client from Vermont, who was supposed to come to New Jersey for a weekend in March, when things started closing.
Heather has been too busy to go to the USDF’s annual meeting in recent years, but she’ll dip into another virtual experience this fall because the organization’s convention will be on line, a boon to trainers like herself who have a lot going on.
Heather was pleased with Warsteiner’s test at Red Tail. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
In her case, that means riding 10 horses a day, in addition to giving lessons. Heather’s younger horses are on hold for her. They include a “late developer,” the 8-year-old Nicene, being ridden by Alex Crossen at Third and Fourth Level. Alex, an amateur, will do one more year with the horse before Heather takes over. Nicene’s 7-year-old full brother, the 17.1-hand New Beginnings, won Regionals last year at First Level and First Level Freestyle. Both are by her stallion, Nimbus. Another project is a 3-year-old by Jazz out of a Krack C mare. “He, I think, will be really nice. He’s pretty level-headed,” said Heather, who plans to show him in 2021.
One disappointment Heather doesn’t have to deal with this year is what some of her contemporaries faced when the Olympics were cancelled. She never had ambitions for making that team.
“I decided the Olympics is a little too much life-consuming,” she explained. “I’d have to cut back on my number of horses and concentrate on one or two. I like variety, so that’s a little bit of a problem for me.”
Heather keeps “plenty busy” with stalls full of her old retired Grand Prix horses, horses in training, clinics and a “small but great” group of boarders. They are on a schedule with social distancing, tacking up outside and keeping their equipment in their cars to make sure everyone stays safe.
The times are certainly unusual.
Well-known international rider Catherine Haddad-Staller showed a smile after finishing her Grand Prix with Frankie, who did well–especially considering that Catherine’s arena was under water the day before they went to Red Tail. (Photo © 2020 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Shows are so different,” she commented. “There’s a bare minimum of people, no one milling about. They’re doing their thing and leaving.” On the plus side, “it makes spookier horses much easier, because you don’t have to worry about running anyone else over when you’re headed to the ring.”
Even so, she said, she’s looking forward to the time when finally, “it will be nice for parents and other people to be able to come and watch.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2020
A viewing for respected trainer Ricci Desiderio, who died last month, will be held from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. tomorrow, Aug. 5, at his Tranquillity Farm, 300 Old Chester Road, Chester, NJ. It is being arranged to allow for social distancing.
Services on Thursday will be by invitation only because of Covid limitations on the number of people who can attend. Those who wish to make a contribution in Ricci’s memory can do so with the Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund, 236 Henry Sanford Road, Bridgewater, CT 06752 or online at https://www.horsemensdistressfund.com/
Thousands of people are mourning the loss of this equestrian who was also a devoted famliy man.Being a hard worker was an integral component of his identity.
“He was like the Energizer bunny, he would go and go nonstop,” recalled Kim Bonstein, who used to give lessons at the Desiderio family’s picturesque Tranquillity Farm in Chester Township.
When she suggested Ricci should slow down, the dynamic horseman told her, “Nope, I’m doing this for my kids, it’s what I’m leaving them.”
On July 27, said Ricci’s son, Michael, “We finally got him to take a day off.”
The Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, Mich., was dark that Monday, so the Desiderio family went boating with friends on nearby Torch Lake.
According to Michael, Ricci was walking on a sandbar when he collapsed after suffering a heart attack. A doctor who was in the area came over and tried to revive him, but had no luck.
Ricci, a legend in the Arabian horse world and an important figure on the hunter/jumper scene, passed away at age 63.
“He was the backbone for everyone; honestly, he helped everybody. He was totally unselfish. He was trying to make everything better for the horse community,” said Michael.
Ricci and his family (Photo courtesy of Michael Desiderio)
Toward that end, Ricci was a member of the Morris County Agricultural Development Board. He was well aware that horse farms are a way to save open space in the most densely populated state in the country.
“He was a super friend of agriculture, all kinds of agriculture, because we support each other–horses need hay and grain and open space,” said Ryck Suydam, president of the New Jersey Farm Bureau. The Desiderios hosted an “Equine is Agriculture” gathering with the Farm Bureau two years ago to bring together two complementary industries .
“He was a super advocate for equestrian sport and agriculture as a whole,” observed Ryck.
Ricci grew up working 60 hours a week for his parents’ equestrian operation, and had quite a career training Arabians. He became involved with hunters and jumpers after marrying Stephanie Campas, who was an equitation star as a junior rider and went on to be a trainer.
Ricci and Stephanie Desiderio.
Ricci understood a variety of breeds and disciplines, and knew how to use his knowledge of them to their benefit.
“He helped launch Arabian hunters and jumpers and get it to where it is. When Arabian sport horses came into view in 2003, he owned and trained some spectacular horses,” said Allan Ehrlick, a three-time Canadian eventing Olympian who is an Arabian Horse Association steward.
“He was very kind, a good person, big-hearted,” said Allan.
He called Ricci “passionate about his people and his horses and he was a loyal, loyal true friend. It is a huge emotional loss for me,” Allan noted.
Ricci and Stephanie at the beach with sons Michael and Vinny. (Photo courtesy of Michael Desiderio)
Ricci was the only trainer Lynne Porfido ever had, guiding the Bernardsville resident to great success in the Arabian ranks over a quarter-century after she started riding as an adult.
She was impressed when someone needed help, whether it was getting a horse in the ring, or convincing one to get on a trailer, Ricci would be there even if he didn’t know the people involved. He was a caring person.
Lynne recalled how Ricci would run alongside her son, Cole, when the boy was a beginner riding his pony, “always making sure he was safe.”
Now 18, Cole is riding with Michael in the jumper ranks. But Lynne remembered that at the Arabian Youth Nationals, her son got a top 10 in the English class in the main ring, where he worked with Ricci, then headed to another ring to win the national championship in the purebred equitation over fences class, where Michael helped him. Family teamwork at its best.
Of Ricci, Lynne commented, “He had the biggest heart, he was the most giving person. He always put himself out there for people. He leaves a huge hole in our circle of friends.”
Emil Spadone, who trained Michael for several years when he was starting out in the hunter/jumper/equitation ranks, got to know the Desiderios at that time “and what good people they were.”
As he observed about Ricci, “Above everything, he was a family man. His family was everything to him, and he was everything to them.”
Ricci with Stephanie and his family. (Photo courtesy of Michael Desiderio)
In a 2007 interview, Ricci talked about buying old houses, fixing them up and flipping them to earn enough money to buy his farm.
He passed along his work ethic to the rest of his family. In addition to Michael, daughter Alexandria and son Vinny are also riders, while Anthony pursued the law, rather than horses.
Michael and Stephanie Desiderio.
“All the kids help us at the farm,” Ricci said in the interview.
“They help us ride horses, help us train horses, help us set up. Everything,” he commented.
“I could have done a lot of other things with my money than buy a horse farm, but since we all do it, it makes a difference.”
Another man who was close to Ricci, hay farmer Frank Carrajat, who owns Snowbird Farms on Schooley’s Mountain, was in disbelief about Ricci’s death.
“How somebody so full of life could go so suddenly…” he wondered sadly.
Recalling how he was scared to death meeting Ricci when he was a 20-year-old country boy delivering hay to the big-deal trainer for the first time, he chuckled.
“I hope that isn’t straw you brought me,” Frank remembers Ricci saying,noting, “and now I know what a joke that was, but that was him.”
They soon became close, and next thing he knew, he was driving the Desiderios’ horses to Albuquerque while he, Ricci, Stephanie, the kids and a dog were all in the truck. Trips to Oklahoma, Idaho and Florida followed.
“He wanted me to succeed with what I was doing, just as much as I wanted to,” said Frank, remembering how the two of them would call each other on the phone when they were making long trips alone to keep each other awake.
“If somebody needed something, he was there. He touched a lot of people,” said Frank.
After learning of Ricci’s death, Frank sat at his picnic table at Snowbird Monday night, thinking about his friend.
“If it wasn’t for Ricci, I wouldn’t even have this place,” Frank mused.
“He played a big part in trying to get the ball rolling.”
The Desiderios have 22 clients at the Great Lakes Festival. Instead of coming home right away, Michael said, they will stay the rest of the week so their horses can show.
Michael is channeling his father in that decision, and he has it right, said Frank, who knew Ricci so well.
“That’s absolutely what he would do.”
