by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 18, 2019
Desire and dedication are key qualities in Alanna Flax-Clark’s pursuit of para-dressage excellence, but pure determination—along with a super horse–is equally important, as she demonstrated during the Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage CPEDI3* National Championship last weekend.
Alanna Flax-Clark and Taco. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The former special education teacher had her career in education come to an abrupt end in 2008 when she suffered a life-threatening infection with a temperature spiking at 106 degrees. Afterward, she couldn’t sit up unsupported, experienced trouble breathing, was unable to talk and walk, and couldn’t use her hands.
She was frustrated with unsuccessful efforts at rehabilitation.
“Nothing was really helping me,” she remembered. Then she turned to horses, even though she had no equestrian background.
“I knew about hippotherapy (equine-assisted therapy) from being a special ed teacher. It was always the best time of the week for my students,” she said.
“For me, not having my voice was really difficult. Trying to work in a clinical setting, I couldn’t communicate with the therapists. Getting on a horse, you don’t need to verbalize.”
Her riding experience “opened up a whole different world to me,” she said, and eventually found she was able to talk again.
At first, Alanna could only stay aboard the horse for five minutes, with people holding her on. But she progressed, noting the movement of the horse, which most closely matches the human gait, is therapeutic. “When you’re sitting on a horse, it sends those signals to your brain and your spinal cord,” she observed.
Wanting to do more, Alanna went on to para-dressage. Eventually, she was able to regain her independence, leaving her California home and her family as she struck out on her own. Alanna moved across the country so she could train with Sara Schmitt in Califon.
Sara Schmitt adjusts Taco’s bridle. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Now she’s seeking a berth on the U.S. team for next year’s Paralympics in Tokyo. Alanna is ranked 11th in the world in para Grade II, a designation for those who walk and trot in competition.
So her first national championship at the Tryon, N.C., International Equestrian Center was a big deal for the 36-year-old Glen Gardner resident, who has been competing only since mid-2017. The show started out well. She finished third in her first test, earning 67.778 percent with her cute chestnut Dutch riding pony El Paso, affectionately known as Taco.
“He was nice and forward, the gaits were the best I’ve ever gotten out of him,” she recalled, adding U.S. para coach Michel Assouline and others watching noticed that she and Taco had come a long way.
But trouble struck the next day.
Alanna, whose condition means she can’t close her fingers to hold the reins in the usual fashion, puts her hands through loops on the reins to guide her horse. She was well into the test and doing the stretch walk when the left loop of her reins came off the buckle and she fell forward onto Taco’s neck.
“As I tried to regain my balance, I was like, `What do I do? I have no loop and can’t really put them on myself.’”
Tuned in to his rider, Taco didn’t falter.
“The entire time, I was trying to figure out what to do, he stood still in the middle of the ring. I don’t know what I did. It was hot and humid and my glasses were steamed up and I couldn’t see.” Yet Alanna didn’t think about leaving the arena.
Somehow, “I was able to figure out a way to kind of get it (the loop) on, but only on the tightest hole. Normally, it’s on the sixth hole away from his mouth, but I could only get it on first hole, which was super tight.”
How did she do it? “When you’re in high pressure situations, you figure out how to get things done,” she responded.
Meanwhile, however, her reins were uneven, because the loop on her right rein was on the fifth hole, and it was time for the trot portion of her test.
“I wanted to have the best trot I could without falling off,” she said.
Taco soldiered on, even though “his head was completely back to the left and at the end of the test, I had to turn right to go down centerline.”
While Taco may have been confused, “he worked with me really well and was able to maintain a nice balanced trot. I was dead set on finishing the test, which I did. I was super proud of my horse for staying still while I was able to figure out how to finish the test,” she said.
“I had absolutely no reins for about a minute and a half. He could have just taken off. For me to be able to trust him and stay calm under pressure and figure out what to do–being able to handle the situation was a good test of our relationship. How we handled the situation was much more meaningful to me than the score that we got. It’s a great feeling to be able to trust your horse completely.”
Another experience tested her ability and resolve on the final day in Tryon. She had been behind the music in her new freestyle when she practiced it at home, but at the show, she got ahead of the music, so she had to do some improvisation.
Under pressure, she was forced to quickly figure out, “Do I need to do a 10-meter circle or do I have enough time to add in a 20-meter circle? I had to throw in a lot of new movements to make it all work. It was hard work but for me, to be able to do that and maintain my nerve, was a good test. I’m still brand new to this sport.”
Her relationship with Sara has been instrumental in her progress.
“She knew how to push me and get the best out of me,” explained Alanna, who mounts Taco from her wheelchair with Sara’s assistance. She also gives credit to those at Sara’s barn, who rallied around her and helped. The rider has been pleased that dressage shows in the area added para classes for her, if they weren’t originally on the schedule.
“No one has said no. It’s been really welcoming.”
Alanna usually is smiling when she rides Taco. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Sara, who is both a driver and a dressage competitor, as well as a judge, has coached two world championships for para-driving and got to know Alanna through a para driver, Diane Kastama. She offered Alanna a horse to lease for the winter, and then found Taco for her, a perfect fit for the 5-foot, 2-inch rider.
“I didn’t realize how little show experience she had,” said Sara, who has brought Alanna along to gain more mileage. She also taught Taco voice commands, which are legal under the rules for Alanna to use and give her another tool in working with her horse.
Alanna is working as special projects manager for Mane Stream (manestreamnj.org) in Oldwick, which serves individuals with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through equine-assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives. Part of her job involves collaborating with schools, groups and adaptive sports organizations. In terms of community outreach, she’s also a great example of the therapeutic benefits of working with horses.
“She is fantastic to have on staff,” said Mane Stream’s executive director, Trish Hegeman.
“Her personality is great to be around. She’s very much a doer. You give her something and she’s tenacious. She tries to find opportunities to make connections in the community. Some of that is using the resources she has and groups she’s already connected with. Some of it is just looking for places where we can do a display at a community event.”
As Trish noted, “People are curious about her, especially if she’s wearing her Mane Stream gear. It’s like a conversation opener. When they find out she rides horses and is training for the Paralympics, she becomes a little bit of a rock star and people want to know more about what she’s doing. It’s a wonderful segue to have her talk about what we do here at Mane Stream and point them in our direction for a great community resource that’s right in their backyard.”
When working on her fitness off the horse, Alanna goes to Project Walk in Mt. Laurel (projectwalknj.com), where she works with Daniella Raovfogel, who has a master’s degree in occupational therapy.
“My body gets super tight and stiff,” said Alanna, “so the first part is all stretching and massage, which is what I need. None of it is covered by insurance, which is difficult.” The number of times she can go to Project Walk each month depends on her time and budget.
In terms of her condition, she mentions, “I don’t know if it will ever improve dramatically, but working on maintaining where I am and the riding and staying active is always good. But I have to learn to find a balance of when to back off and rest, because I like to do a lot of things.”
Daniella said Alanna has function of her arms, except for her hands, but has no function of her lower extremities. She focuses on core stability “because she needs that when she rides,” explained Daniella.
“With any activity you do, you need to have a really strong core because that sets the tone for everything else.”
Workouts mimic riding where Alanna sits on a barrel and does a lot of balance exercises. To heighten awareness of her body, she closes her eyes and functions without her vision, while spotters make sure she doesn’t fall.
“She works hard and has great determination,” said Daniella, who understands Alanna’s interest in going to Tokyo.
“I think it’s an amazing goal to have in the forefront. I definitely can see her at the Paralympics.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2019
“My life has been special because of what transpired here,” declared Michael Page, as he arrived at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation stables in Gladstone for a celebration with family and friends.
A month before his 81st birthday, the Olympic eventing multi-medalist arranged the Sunday gathering at a place he knew intimately.
The purpose was to salute Gladstone; Grasshopper and Foster, the horses who were his partners when he rode for the team during the 1950s and ‘60s, and his wife, Georgette, Foster’s groom, whose connections with the revered venue are as deep as his. The lower floor of the USET stables is where the couple’s love story began, and it has continued for more than a half-century.
During their party at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation stables, Michael and Georgette Page recreated their initial meeting. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Those of us who lived through this period of time owe a lot to what happened here at Gladstone,” said Michael.
Think “Chariots of Fire,” going back to a time when the strong bond among the athletes and with their sport was the focal point for those aspiring to international equestrian greatness.
The trip down memory lane was especially gratifying for Michael because the building and grounds have been refurbished.
“To see it the way it used to look 50 years ago is exciting. To be at this stage and have a bucket wish and see how it has come back to almost be like it was when you were young–how much better does it get?” he asked. Michael praised the USET Foundation’s management decision that led to extensive work on what can only be called a hallowed facility, which is more than 100 years old. It started as the home of horses and carriages belonging to Wall Street financier James Cox Brady, the master of Hamilton Farm, a vast estate that once spread over three New Jersey counties. In 1961, it became the home of the USET.
Speaking about the Foundation, Michael said, “They recognize the history, and we’re the history. I’m old enough now to appreciate what Gladstone has done for me over the years. This place supplied my horses; this place supplied my wife.”
Michael, who won the national hunt seat equitation championship at Madison Square Garden in 1956, only wanted to ride. He was encouraged and supported by his father, Homer, (someone he quoted often while speaking during the afternoon in Gladstone). Michael went abroad to train, first to England and then to the French cavalry school at Saumur, where the demands were rigorous, from sitting trot until he bled to trying to trying to stay on horses doing levades and caprioles between pillars.
The training served him well when he was given the ride on the notoriously difficult Grasshopper. At that time, riders were assigned to horses owned by the USET or that had been loaned to the organization. Grasshopper was a challenge, but Michael made the most of it and convinced the horse to see the wisdom of cooperating. Together, they took individual gold medals and team silvers at the 1959 and 1963 Pan American Games and team silver at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, the city where next year’s Olympics will be held.
With Foster, who at one time had a penchant for stopping on course, Michael claimed team gold and individual bronze at the 1967 Pan American Games, and individual bronze under extremely difficult conditions at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
There is now a plaque next to a stall at the Foundation stables commemorating both horses, and also the day that Michael met Georgette, Foster’s groom. “Best day of my life. Georgette Page. 12/15/66” reads the bottom line of the plaque.
The stall sign that says it all. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
After his time with Grasshopper, Michael had gone to work with his father in the family’s business, making hat and jewelry box liners. But the team called him back to ride Foster, and Michael eagerly accepted. When he arrived in Gladstone, coach Stefan von Visy told him to “go see George.” That turned out to be Georgette, Foster’s caretaker and Michael’s future wife, who was sitting on a tack trunk. The couple recreated the scene for their guests.
Georgette had answered a want ad for a groom from George Merck of the Essex Foxhounds, but when she applied, the position had been filled. He suggested she work at the USET, and that turned out to be the opportunity of a lifetime. It was also an enormous amount of work. Michael was still involved with his family’s company in New York, which meant he had to ride at 4:30 a.m. every day.
“I was here at 3 o’clock every morning, because he had to get on the train,” recalled Georgette.
“My day was always early. Then he got a second horse, so he had something else to ride, so he would ride that horse after he got back from the city. At 6 o’clock at night, we’d be going around and around again. You lived and breathed it. It was everything about getting Foster to Mexico.”
The Pages’ son, Matthew, expressed his respect and admiration for his father’s “pretty remarkable life” as well as “what my mom and dad have both done. To see them here on the trunk where they met…it’s a good experience they can share and hold onto. It’s really nice.”
Michael Page and his son, Matthew. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Matthew dominated leadline and walk/trot/canter classes as a child before moving on to baseball and dirtbikes. Now 40, the NASDAQ employee never saw his father compete internationally, but he did accompany him to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At that time, Michael was the team’s chef d’equipe, which meant Matthew got a glimpse of what it took to compete in the most important event in the world.
In his time with the team, Michael was legendary.
“He was winning when none of the rest of the Americans could win,” Michael’s teammate, Jimmy Wofford, once noted. Jimmy couldn’t make the party, but he sent a note, propped against the USET eventing national championship challenge trophy, which stated, “No horses deserve this honor more than Grasshopper and Foster.”
The USET eventing national championship challenge trophy.(Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Michael had many other roles in horse sport as well as being a medal winner and chef d’equipe. At one point, he was head of the selection committee, and chairman of the federation’s equitation committee. With Georgette, he ran Old Salem Farm in North Salem, N.Y., and was a respected hunter/jumper/hunter seat equitation judge until retiring last year.
He continues as resident trainer at the Kent School in Connecticut, and still rides—often without stirrups.
Those who know him well always cite their admiration for his many special qualities; among them, integrity and generosity of spirit.
Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association founder Robert Cacchione recalled he was working as a ringmaster at a show when he met Michael.
“He gave me one of his red coats that he wore in the Olympics,” Robert said, and once he looked the part, that turned out to be the key in getting him more ringmaster jobs. Robert, the executive director of IHSA, appreciates the way Michael interacts with those he teaches and has judged.
“He listens to people and when he talks, he talks about them and for them, and what can help them going forward,” Robert said.
Michael is the only person to have judged the IHSA national championship show five times.
Bonnie Jenkins and Peter Cashman. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Peter Cashman, who with his wife, Sherry, coaches the West Point Equestrian Team, noted, “Michael to me is one of the very finest of his era. I like everything that he stands for. He recognizes it’s not all him, he always makes a point of that, the other people who contributed to make his abilities match up with reality.”
Bonnie Jenkins was judged many times by Michael when she was competing. Now she’s the executive director of the USET Foundation, and proud that Michael returned for his special day.
“He’s somebody who appreciates the sport and what it’s done for him. To see him come back to Gladstone and know how much it means to him, it’s pretty special. Everybody on the staff works together to make sure we can be good stewards of this building and this facility. We’re happy we can continue to do that for Michael and other riders who trained here, and for the next generation who will use it as well.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 16, 2019
The success of Monmouth at the Team is a testament to persistence, vision and risk-taking. Oh yes, and we can’t forget the organizers who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty–but more on that later.
The last four years have marked an upswing in the 124-year history of the Monmouth County Horse Show, New Jersey’s oldest show. In 2016, the show’s new owners, cousins Tucker Ericson and Michael Dowling, moved it out of Monmouth County, where it was languishing, and took it north to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s Gladstone facility.
Evelyn Smith won the 2-foot/2-6 Bobcat Derby, a highlight of Monmouth at the Team, riding C’est A Dire Z. The bobcat ears on her helmet were everyone’s favorite accessory. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
They weren’t discouraged by having to go from multiple rings to a single ring (albeit an iconic one) and being unable to hold A-rated classes because of a U.S. Equestrian Federation mileage conflict with the Fairfield, Conn., show. In addition, Monmouth runs at the same time as the Platinum Performance USHJA International Hunter Derby and Green Hunter Incentive championships are headlining in Kentucky. While the horses in those big money competitions wouldn’t be the ones competing at Monmouth, that conflict means others in the barns of the trainers involved don’t come to New Jersey.
None of that stopped the innovative cousins. There is always moaning that B-rated shows are dying or dead, but Monmouth is doing fine, courtesy of a great location, excellent management (from Creigh Duncan), lots of hospitality and making competitors feel welcome. What a concept!
The hospitality tent offers a great view of the ring. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Entries have been so good at the show, which runs through Aug. 19, that “every night we’re battling the dark,” said Tucker, “and everyone’s having a good time in hospitality. There are a lot of smiles on a lot of faces.”
Bel of the Ball and Sophia Chimenti finished second in the 2-foot/2-6 Bobcat Derby. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
He gets some questioning looks “when I tell people these eight days are made up of four individual B shows, one unrecognized day, and a level 3 jumper show for three days, It’s probably the most unique show in the country for an eight-day span. But it seems to work. There’s something for everyone. It’s a schedule that was kind of forced upon us when we bought the show and moved it, but it’s turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”
Sponsorship continues to grow. New sponsor Aon, which backed a riders’ lounge, brought people to the show from non-profits, including the battered women’s shelter and Make A Wish.
As Tucker observed, people love showing at the USET Foundation, where so many famous riders got their start.
“This is such a great area with lots of grass roots, high-quality people,” said Tucker, noting it’s a perfect time for a show, because people are returning from vacation. For the kids, “it’s their last hurrah before they go back to school.”
“On the weekend, it’s nice having the jumpers, because the sponsors and the community that doesn’t know a lot about horses necessarily can really enjoy the jumpers and understand it a little bit, because height and speed is easier to follow than the subjectivity of the hunters,” said Tucker.
During the week, however, the show’s focus is generally on the hunters and equitation. My favorite time at the show is the Thursday, Bobcat Derby Day. It’s unrecognized, but features two $5,000 derbies; one over 2-foot and 2-6 fences, and the other over 3-foot fences.
Bobcat ear headbands with little tufts on top are quite a “thing” at the show. Riders in the derbies wear them on their helmets and most in the hospitality tent sport them too. The derby winners got plush stuffed bobcats toys to add a flourish to the concept.
Barbara Brummer and Mary Conti of the Nature Conservancy present a toy bobcat to derby winner Evelyn Smith. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The derbies are presented by The Nature Conservancy as a fundraiser for Bobcat Alley, an area on the border of Sussex and Warren counties. Buying more land will enable the endangered cats (whose mortal enemy is the automobile) to move safely between the New Jersey Highlands, the Kittatinny Ridge and part of the Appalachian Mountains.
“The good news is we’re protecting additional land, so they have the ability to roam. We’re making good progress against our goal of 3,500 acres,” said Barbara Brummer, the Nature Conservancy’s New Jersey state director. There are an estimated 300 bobcats in the state “up from almost nothing in the ‘80s,” she said, when some bobcats were imported from New England to add to the population.
“They’re recovering slowly; they need protected lands, so we just have to keep at it. It’s very rewarding to see everybody enjoying the bobcat ears and just thinking about the bobcat.”
The 2-foot/ 2-6 derby, which had 50 competing, went to Evelyn Smith of Morristown on C’est A Dire Z, a Zangersheide mare who usually does the equitation. As such, “I didn’t have too many expectations in terms of placing coming into this. She’s never won a class like this,” said Evelyn, a sophomore at Delaware Valley University who rides with Lindsay Mohr.
“I just came here to put in a good round and have fun. It came out a lot better than I thought it would. I love coming here every year, it’s such an incredible venue and they run it so well. Being in this ring, you feel like a million dollars,” noted Evelyn, who wants to do the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East there in October, so she had a good school for that in the derby.
The 3-foot class, which drew 32 entries, was won by Centenary University student Madison Myro riding Rock A Feller for only the second time in competition. The Hanoverian former show jumper did some grands prix but was “too slow for that,” according to Michael Meyers, who trains Madison along with Michael Dowling at Windham Hill in Long Valley.
Madison Myro won the 3-foot Bobcat Derby on Rock A Feller. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Madison, a working student for the Michaels, came up with a different path on the handy course designed by Skip Bailey, and while one person copied her complicated route, complete with the fancy turns that boosted her score, she did it better.
“It’s certainly very exciting to win here,” said Michael Dowling, “but we want people to come here and have a great time, so we’re really excited for everybody’s success.”
Barbara Brummer and Mary Conti of The Nature Conservancy with Madison Myro on Rock A Feller and winning trainers Michael Meyers and Michael Dowling. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The excitement over, he started collecting the garbage from cans around the ring. After that, it was going to be a tour of duty cleaning the restrooms to the degree of perfection he expects. Earlier in the day, Tucker—who often bartends—did his share of dirty work by kneeling in the ring and throwing footing in the air during the ribbon presentations so the horses would get their ears up. That’s what I meant about the cousins not being afraid to get their hands dirty, which obviously is part of the secret of their success.
Tucker Ericson made it his business to throw footing in the airto get the horses to prick their ears for ribbons presentations. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“The organizers live and breathe this. They’re so committed to this,” said Guy Torsilieri, a board member of the Gladstone Equestrian Association, which helps promote the show and other equestrian events in the Somerset Hills.
Hospitality is a big deal in the ringside tent at the show, where a band plays during the afternoons and three meals a day are served, plus ice cream socials during the afternoons.
Julie Berman, who runs the hospitality tent, calls it “great fun. There’s so much energy, so much history, people want to come out and show in this beautiful arena.”
The history is part of Monmouth’s fabric. On a table in the tent are many of Monmouth’s historic sterling silver trophies, and three ribbons from the first show in 1895.
They came from a Californian, Felicia Tracy. She reported, “I believe they were won by horses of my grandparents, Robert S. McCreery and his wife, Madelon.”
Ribbons from the first Monmouth County show. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Also on the table are several vintage photos from Monmouth of Sally Ike, now the USEF’s managing director of licensed officials.
“Monmouth was the first show I ever rode in. I was nine, I did walk-trot. The show was at the Monmouth Park track.
“To see this show come back to Gladstone, it’s drop dead gorgeous; the ambience. It makes me so proud to have been a part of it at the very beginning,” said Sally, whose father, Joseph Lord, was the show’s president in the 1960s. She cited the “community feel” at Gladstone, noting, “that’s the way it was back in the day.”
Sally Ike with a picture of herself getting a ribbon at the Monmouth show when it was at Wolf Hill Farm. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The hospitality tent is busy–and crowded–all the time, which promotes that sense of community.
“Now in the morning, we have different families and barns sponsoring breakfast and they’re all trying to outdo each other, and people are trying to outdo each other for lunch, and we have themed parties in the evening,” said Tucker.
Cuban, Louisiana, Greek and barbeque are among the different nightly offerings.
All in all, Monmouth at the Team is quite a package. As Tucker observed, “It’s hard to say whether it’s primarily an event or a horse show.” Most of all, though, it’s a destination.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 13, 2019
Allyson Jeffery has spent 13 years working on improving The Horse Park of New Jersey as a member of its board of trustees, but now she’s moving on from her role as president a few months before her term ends in October.
Allyson Jeffery dedicated herself to improving the Horse Park of New Jersey. (Photo by Nancy Jaffer)
“It’s been a focus, almost to the point of obsession,” she explained about her commitment, which lasered in on improving the rings at the park in Upper Freehold Township.
“I really had initiatives I wanted to see through. I feel like we’ve accomplished so much–I don’t have as many initiatives anymore,” she pointed out.
At the same time, she added, “it’s definitely bittersweet. I enjoyed very much seeing goals come to fruition.”
The park’s footing has been a key issue over the last few years, and for Allyson it was Job One and the target of fundraising. The Grand Prix ring got new footing in 2018, after foundation and drainage issues were addressed. Improved maintenance has benefited the other rings, which are stone dust and sand. New equipment has enabled staff to keep them groomed effectively, which has “definitely turned those rings around” in her view.
“They’re really proud of the rings we’re putting out right now,” she said, citing the efforts of Aaron Thompson from the Carolina Horse Park in developing the maintenance protocol. She also mentioned Janet and Craig Geiler, who put the footing in the Grand Prix ring, which is still a work in progress to bring it to its optimum. That ring will get another evaluation in the fall from Aaron, who can determine what else needs to be done.
“The rings have become the focus of the board; making those improvements and perpetuating them, making sure it’s a top priority having the rings maintained at the beginning and the end of the season and of course throughout the season being monitored,” she said.
Other achievements during her term include the addition of a Winner’s Circle to honor Gwen Stableford, who gave an endowment to the Horse Park. A plus also involved enlarging the paddock area between the East and West rings, while improvements are under way for the stabling.
The Millstone resident feels relationships with managers of shows held at the park have improved, and the board has become more interactive with the committee that puts on the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, the park’s crown jewel. Having several members of the board on the Jersey Fresh committee has also been helpful, she said.
“In the last couple of years, we have really shown that this event can persevere through all conditions. There’s a lot of dedication there. That cross-country course has held up so beautifully,” she said, saluting the park’s second president, Dr. Stephen Dey, who took the initiative for a feature she called “the hallmark of the park.”
Allyson is proud of the effort between herself and Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association President Heidi Lemack “to build more of a community around the Horse Park. We felt the park should be a hub of equine activity, rather than the division between disciplines. Heidi and her husband, Jason, have been a source of support for educational events such as the (dressage) Fix- a-Test, with proceeds going to the Footing Fund.”
Heidi was one of the proponents for organizing a clinic at the park by noted dressage judge Lilo Fore. She and her husband own and run Rhythm and Blues stables in Allentown “and are always working towards education for the horse and rider. Together, we hope we made an impact in our equine community.”
“Allyson is fantastic. She showed up for all of our competitions, helping with the footing and checking in with the show manager to see how the shows can work better for us over the last few years,” said Heidi. She has given class lists to Allyson, who tells her when the breaks should be so the footing can be groomed at an optimum for all the exhibitors.
“She has moved the park into another gear. I think she has set into motion a very good machine to carry on for the next president and the board. The morale of the people who work there is tremendous, it looks like they feel more in control, like they know what they’re supposed to be doing and they want to do a great job.”
Members of ESDCTA , Pony Club and the Horse Park all get a discount for events or educational activities. “We want to be seen as a community rather than separate entities, even though we may belong to different organizations. We should be able to pool our resources and work together,” said Heidi.
At tbe he moment, Allyson isn’t sure if she’s also stepping away from the board itself. Explaining her resignation, she said, “The demands of the board are great and I’ve put so much into this and put everything else on hold for the last few years, so it’s just time for me to start paying attention to other areas.”
Allyson is expecting a grandchild in October. “I’m going to be helping out there and don’t know if I can give as much time as I do now at the park,” she noted, saying her daughter, Lauren Jeffery, will be going back to work at the Mercer County Equestrian Center after the birth and Allyson will be involved with child care.
Asked for his opinion of what Allyson has done during her time with the park, board vice president Adam Furlong said, “I don’t even know where to start. The well-being of the park has always been a core focus and passion of hers. The amount of personal time she has put in to the park, from meeting with vendors to literally pulling weeds, is the epitome of what you want to see in leadership of the park.”
Adam Furlong, interim president of the Horse Park of New Jersey. (Photo©by Nancy Jaffer)
An active board has gotten a lot done and “It’s been quite positive all around,” said Adam, noting operational changes to improve accounting protocols and record-keeping “will pay dividends in financial terms down the road, as well as operationally making the park well-suited to moving forward and growing as much as possible.”
Adam is serving as the interim president, but he’s not running for the job permanently. He explained that working at B.W. Furlong and Associates in Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, means he is based too far from the park to be there as often as Allyson was because she is living nearby.
But he continues making his own contribution.
“I think I can support and supply some of the operational context for support, the back room kind of thing,” he said.
“Allyson has been a phenomenal face and voice of the park. We have a very diverse board that represents different aspects of the community and equestrian sport as a whole. We have barrel racers, dressage people, trail riders, drivers; the full gamut of equine activity and people who are not pro-actively involved with horses, which is also beneficial for us to think about outreach outside our standard scope of horse people.”
As he pointed out, “They bring a lot of value to us in terms of terms of coming up with creative ways for outreach to the community. We have a really engaged board,” which also includes members appointed through the state Departments of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
“Everyone who does it volunteers their personal time, and a lot of people are volunteering their wallets as well,” he said. “It’s a labor of love for sure. The more people we have engaged in the park, the better. The park is for the equestrian community of the state and certainly for the equestrian community of the surrounding counties.
“If people want it to be better, we’re open to those ideas and open to people wanting to jump in and participate.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 4, 2019
Boyd Martin spent a lot of time kicking himself for a cross-country refusal at a boat jump in the water during the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, where the U.S. team failed to qualify for a slot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
But he more than made up for it this weekend at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with the same horse, Tsetserleg, nearly a year wiser and more in tune with his rider. There was another boat jump at another water this time around, but the two were totally unfazed at that reminder.
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg at the boat obstacle on cross-country in Lima. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Boyd led the U.S. to its third straight team eventing Pan Am gold and its 10th overall, qualifying the U.S. for a berth in Tokyo, and took individual gold for himself.
He was followed closely by Lynn Symansky on RF Cool Play, who earned individual silver. They were the only two in the competition who had no jumping or time faults on Jose Ortelli’s demanding cross-country course, and thus the only two to finish on their dressage scores.
Lynn Symansky and RF Cool Play. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
With Tokyo in its sights, a lot was expected of the U.S. team.
“We came here and we were under the gun a bit, but we all stepped up and tried our hardest,” said Boyd, who moved up from second place after dressage.
“We’ve got good horses, great riders, the best coach in the world, great farriers, brilliant vets….there was no stone left unturned. Now we have to keep up the momentum, using every day we’ve got until Tokyo to keep improving… and then we’ll find out on the day, because competition is competition.”
Like Boyd, Lynn, who rode Donner at the 2018 WEG, felt redeemed.
Understandably, “We’re much happier with our performances here this weekend,” is how she put it.
It was a strong team, with each rider contributing shining efforts.
The U.S. gold medal Pan Am event team: Tamie Smith, Doug Payne, Boyd Martin, Lynn Symansky, coach Erik Duvander. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Doug Payne finished just off the podium in fourth place on Starr Witness in his first international championships. Tamie Smith, who led after dressage with Mai Baum, had an uncharacteristic refusal on cross-country and then crossed her line at a fence later in the course, an error that also carries 20 penalties. Like her teammates, she was fault-free today over a show jumping route designed by Guilherme Jorge, who also laid out the demanding grand prix show jumping course at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Having all four U.S. riders go clean in show jumping was a big plus, because that phase too often been the team’s downfall.
Lima was the last chance for Western Hemisphere teams to qualify for Tokyo, with only the top two making the cut. Finishing second to the U.S. total of 91.2 penalties was Brazil on 122.1, as Carlos Parro took the individual bronze aboard Quaikin Qurious. The Brazilians lost the 2015 individual bronze medalist, Ruy Fonseca, when he was involved in a rotational fall cross-country with Ballypatrick Srs. The horse was fine, but Ruy broke a leg and several ribs.
Canada missed the boat for Tokyo with a third-place finish on 183.7 penalties.
Those who attended the Jersey Fresh International event at the Horse Park of New Jersey in May saw both Doug and Lynn on their Pan Am horses in the 3-star Long, the equivalent of the Pan Am test. If you’re still thinking in terms of 2018 and before, that used to be the 2-star. Doug—who grew up in Tewksbury and rode with the Somerset Hills Pony Club–won that one, while Lynn was second.
Doug Payne and Starr Witness in Lima. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
A big part of the winning U.S. formula was team coach Erik Duvander, who competed for his native Sweden and oversaw the New Zealand squad before coming to the U.S. He was at a real disadvantage with the WEG last year, since he’d only been on the job about 10 months before those Games began.
That was hardly enough time to get things spinning the way he envisioned them. But as was the case with Boyd, another 10 or so months made a big difference, with everything and everyone pointing in the right direction.
When I congratulated him this afternoon, Erik stated, “I have a great team of riders and support staff that deserves all the credit.” No, not all the credit Erik; you deserve your share of the applause; I’ve seen how hard you work. And I will never forget how gracious and graceful he was at the WEG when things didn’t go the USA’s way.
In summing up the USA’s achievement, Boyd, too, expressed gratitude for all the support the team received from so many quarters, “It’s so much work–we get to wear the fancy medal, but really it’s a massive effort from a lot of people.”
The format for Lima involved the traditional number of four riders per team, with a drop score allowed. The Olympics, which will be run at a higher level, only allows three riders under a new formula for the Games that is supposed to make things easier for spectators to understand (ha!) and enable more countries to participate. But while the three/no drop score works for Grand Prix dressage and perhaps in many instances for Grand Prix show jumping, the difficulties of cross-country have made many question the wisdom of not having a drop score for eventing and instead allowing a complicated system of substitutions with attendant penalties.
The loss of Brazil’s most experienced rider, Ruy Fonseca this time around, worked out for that team only because they had three others who could continue. Besides the top three countries, only two other nations, Mexico and Argentina, finished the event as a team. That portends much the same end in Tokyo for less powerful nations in the sport.
Caption for feature photo at the top of the page: The Brazilian, U.S. and Canadian teams on the podium at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Photo credit: FEI/Daniel Apuy/Getty Images)
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 25, 2019
The terms “relaxed” and “horse show” would seem contradictory, but they meshed well in this week’s Summer Days dressage competition at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone. Presented by the Eastern States Dressage and Combined Training Association, it had something for everyone, from Grand Prix down to Training Level.
After the weekend heatwave broke, the temperature cooperated, enabling riders (with jackets waived) to try qualifying for regionals, practice for the Festival of Champions in Illinois next month or just enjoy getting mileage at a special venue. It also offered a convenient opportunity for local riders, who didn’t have to ship far for the experience.
One of those in that group, Alice Tarjan, rode 9-year-old Candescent to victory yesterday in the FEI Freestyle class with an impressive 75.450 in the Grand Prix. Candescent means “glowing or dazzling,” and this mare lives up to her billing. It’s a better name than her first two monikers, Celina and Curly Sue (huh?), neither of which were official. She needed to have a name starting with “C” and Alice found the perfect one for a mare whose trot extensions are stunning.
Alice Tarjan and Candescent. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Alice, an amateur who lives in Oldwick, was using Summer Days as a qualifier for Regionals. Candescent already qualified for the Festival of Champions in the Developing Grand Prix; she was reserve champion last year in the USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage National Championship.
The mare came from the Hanoverian auction as a 4-year-old. Alice bought her because she was looking for something she could jump.
“It didn’t go so well. She was really sour in quarantine, I was scared to death,” Alice recalled.
“By the time I finally got her to the point where I could ride her, I was like, `This horse is actually pretty decent, I should probably keep her as a dressage horse,’ ” Alice recalled.
Candescent is black with white socks, reminiscent of Alice’s first pony, the similarly marked Licorice, who was a brat but obviously meant a lot to his owner–she has had several horses with that coloring over the years.
Her other mount, Hester, was in her first show at Summer Days, earning 66.125 percent in Third Level, Test 3, as Alice was in the process of qualifying her for Regionals.
Hester debuted at Third Level with Alice Tarjan. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Second in the FEI Freestyle, riding Intermediate I (it was a test of choice) Betsy Steiner earned 73.500 percent with Swiss W. The mare is very special to Steiner, a professional based at George Morris’ former Hunterdon Inc. in Pittstown.
“She’s so good,” said Betsy. “She’s good-hearted, good from the inside out, she’s kind, she’s super-intelligent, she’s teaching me all the time. She’s made me a more intelligent and thoughtful trainer for horses and riders. She’s a very special soul.”
Betsy hopes to go to the Festival and is schooling Grand Prix with Swiss. “When she’s confident in it, then I’ll take her grand prix,” she said.
The mare, who belongs to Whitney Bailey, selected Betsy as her person. Shopping in Europe during 2015, Betsy saw Swiss staring at her intently.
Betsy Steiner and Swiss W. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Don’t look at me like that,” Betsy advised the Baden-Wurttemberger mare, but she already was hooked.
“I just enjoy every second being with her,” Betsy said. “She stole my heart.”
Veterinarian Wendy Furlong of Pittstown was all smiles showing home-bred Amazzing, a 19-year-old spotted former event horse, in the I-1 freestyle to earn a score of 65.850 percent.
“We’re just doing it for fun. It’s just a privilege to come and show at the USET. The fact that we can show here if we’re not trying to go to the Olympics is pretty cool,” said Wendy.
Former event horse Amazzing now specializes in dressage for Wendy Furlong (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
In 2011, she won the U.S. Eventing Association’s Preliminary Master Amateur Rider award with Amazzing and his half-sister, Jazzmine, 16, who also competed at the Gladstone show. Both are out of Wendy’s mare, Jazztime.
Wendy has done an informal pilot study with acupuncture (she’s a practitioner) on both horses. Neither has ever had a hock injection. “They’ve both been very, very sound horses,” she said.
Barbie Asplundh of West Amwell finished second in the I-1 yesterday with the aptly named Gorgeous on 69.412 percent.
Being gorgeous is only part of what her black gelding is about.
“He’s sweet, he’s a wonderful mover, he’s a very forgiving ride. I’ve had him for a year and a half and he’s done wonders for my riding. He’s fantastic. I can’t say enough about this horse,” said Barbie, who got him from Andreas Helgstrand, a Danish rider and horse dealer when he set up shop in Wellington, Fla.
The gorgeous Gorgeous and Barbie Asplundh competing at I-1. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Formerly a dressage professional who has been pursuing her discipline since 1979, Barbie took her amateur status back and is trained by Catherine Haddad-Staller. “It’s not about changing the horse; it’s about changing the rider and the horse follows,” she said of Catherine’s teaching style. Barbie generally practices without stirrups and shows in Catherine’s Stubben saddle that has neither knee rolls or leg blocks.
Gorgeous is qualified for the Festival of Champions in the Developing Prix St. Georges. Barbie has taken her time with him, since he only turned eight in June. Summer Days was his first time in the I-1. She’s also hoping to compete at Dressage at Devon this fall.
Califon-based Sara Schmitt was quite sick yesterday, but she fought through it, finishing third in the Grand Prix Freestyle to Abba music with the 15.2-hand German Riding Pony HB Dschafar on 67.250 percent. “He was good; I was not so good,” she said. “I did not ride well today. I was happy to remember everything.”
He’s qualified for regionals but after that, the professional trainer is probably going to sell him. “It’s a shame, but it’s business,” she explained.
Sara was fading later in the day but pulled out a 64.375 with another German Riding Pony, the flaxen mane and tailed First Date in Third Level Test 3. ”I take her out once a year and show her so she remembers what showing is. It was her first time at Third Level,” said Sara.
Sara Schmitt and First Date on the mare’s annual show ring outing. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
The show nicely put in a para-dressage test for Alanna Flax-Clark, who rode El Paso to a score of 68.788 percent and is shooting for next year’s Paralympics in Tokyo. She’s been struggling with some kind of bronchial infection for a month and hadn’t been able to ride until last Monday, but did a great job with her test, even though there were moments when she had trouble breathing.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to trust your horse completely,” she said.
Alanna rides with Sara, who said, “She inspires everyone in the barn. It’s amazing, her poise, and how focused she is.”
Alanna was a special education teacher from Los Angeles who got a life-threatening infection with a temperature that spiked at 106 degrees. Afterward, she couldn’t sit up unsupported, experienced trouble breathing and had no use of her hands.
Alanna Flax-Clark in the USET Foundation stables. (Photo©2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Riding has made a huge difference in her life, and I’ll write more about her later this summer.
Alana was thrilled to be competing at the USET Foundation stables.
“I think it’s a beautiful building and just to be able to ride in such a historic place is an amazing feeling,” she said.
